It's always the thought that counts in a nice gesture, and 99 percent of the time, performing said nice gesture leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. But there are also times when this isn't the case — like, for instance, finding out that a co-worker is taking the day off and telling them to enjoy it, only to find out that he/she is missing work for a funeral. Trust me... I know from experience.
And the same goes for Ryan Fitzpatrick, the longtime quarterback who's beloved by fans and players alike but had one innocent gesture that didn't quite turn out the way he had planned. He shared a story about a message he sent to Alex Smith on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast.
"He was picked No. 1, I was pick No. 250, but he was always really nice to me going through the (draft) process and I've always appreciated him over the years," Fitzpatrick said, referring to their 2005 NFL Draft class. "When Alex broke his leg in that game a few years ago, I had a what I thought was similar injury. I fractured my tibia in 2014 with the Houston Texans and so the single-worst... text I've ever sent out, I sent to Alex.
"And I said, 'hey Alex, just want to let you know they'll fix you right up, you'll be good as new... I'm out here and I don't feel any pain from my injury three years later,' or whatever, whenever it was. And I sent it and felt good about it. And he said, 'Oh, mine might be a little more complicated.' And 17 surgeries later and the story of what he had to overcome, I mean, I felt like the biggest a------ ever.
"...But what he did last year was, it was incredible for him to get back on the field and I was very happy after sending that text that he didn't lose his leg."
Smith's miraculous recovery story was one of the defining moments — perhaps the defining moment — of the 2020 NFL season, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it was easy for everyone to watch. In fact, it was quite the opposite, and Smith remembers just how poor the conditions were for such a return.
"I think the first [game] that he got put in was against the Rams and it was just images of Aaron Donald jumping on his back and him sitting there having to hold Aaron Donald on his back, and [he] got sacked a bunch that game, and it was pouring rain, and it just seemed like it was a miserable experience," Fitzpatrick said. "I don't want to speak for Alex, but I'll say that I assume that it was such a huge personal challenge for him just to prove that he could do it, that he could come all the way back, and I think it was a really inspirational story for a lot of people watching him do that."
Smith won Comeback Player of the Year, leading the Washington Football Team to a 5-1 record in his six starts and leading the league in passing yards (390) in just his first start of the season. The fact that he returned from an injury that threatened not only his leg but his whole life was a remarkable way for him to cap off an excellent career. After such an improbable feat, Smith decided to hang 'em up earlier this week.
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How would Fitzpatrick sum up Smith's legacy outside of the injury?
"I think, you know, it's a goofy label and sometimes gets used too much, but I'm gonna use it for him," Fitzpatrick said. "He was a winner. I mean, he won when he was in San Fran at the tail end there, when he was in Kansas City, and [it] wasn't always the 300-yard games and five touchdown passes and the way it kind of happens now with some of these young kids.
"But everywhere he went, he made the team better."
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