Washington Football Team icon Joe Theismann's NFL career was infamously cut short when he was sustained a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula in his right leg during a matchup with Lawrence Taylor and the division-rival New York Giants during the 1985 season.
Since the 1983 NFL MVP never got a chance to resume his NFL career after his horrific injury, he now hopes that Alex Smith is able to successfully return to game action in 2020.
"I'm so excited for him, and I guess I'm living a little vicariously through him because of our association with the injuries," Theismann said on the Jason & John show on 92.9 ESPN in Memphis.
In 2018, his first season with the Washington Football Team, Smith sustained a spiral compound fracture to his right tibia and fibula, an injury that sounds especially similar to Theismann's. However, as also documented by ESPN, Theismann notes that Smith's recovery took an entirely different path.
"Of course, we were basically hurt 33 years apart. The place on the field...the persons that got to us...the similarities are incredible," Theismann continued. "But that's really where it ends, and a lot of people don't realize that. I had one operation, Alex had 17. He had four different flesh-eating bacterias that he had to deal with. He came within a 24-hour period of losing his leg, as well as possibly his life."
This past weekend, a video went viral of Smith's family celebrating with him after he was cleared to resume football activities:
Is there enough time for Smith, now 36, to beat out Dwayne Haskins for the team's starting job? Theismann seemed to think that without preseason games, Smith may not have enough of a chance to prove he can protect himself in an NFL game.
Still, he believes Smith could serve as an incredible mentor for Haskins, as he did in 2017, when he played in front of eventual All-Pro Patrick Mahomes in his rookie season. And regardless of whether Smith actually takes a snap this season, Theismann believes his comeback should be recognized.
"He's fought through so much, and to see him be able to go out and throw the ball around, it's heartwarming. To me, he should be Comeback Player of the Year no matter what. He worked so hard to get to where he is and I'm thrilled for him, and hopefully he'll continue to get better and better and better."
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