Tag: Alex Smith NFL Comeback Player of the Year

Was Commanders’ Brian Robinson overlooked for comeback award?

How was Brian Robinson Jr. not even a finalist for NFL comeback player of the year?

On Friday, the PFWA [Pro Football Writers of America] NFL Comeback Player of the Year was announced… Can’t help but wonder what does this mean for Washington’s Brian Robinson Jr. and the annual award?

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was voted PFWA’s 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. Keep in mind this is the PFWA award, not the official AP honor, which will be revealed on Feb. 9 at NFL Honors. Smith is one of three finalists, along with 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and Giants RB Saquon Barkley

Awards like this are, of course, subjective. This particular award is typically given to an NFL player who missed the previous NFL season due to a serious illness or injury. Yet, there have also been times a player received the award for overcoming such poor performance the previous season.

So, where does Commanders running back Brian Robinson fit into this equation? Robinson was shot twice on Aug. 28 in Washington DC, the victim of an attempted carjacking. Reports had Robinson shot in his glute and knee. Remarkably he suffered no long-term damage to the knee and returned to play only six weeks later against the Tennessee Titans at FedEx Field.

Perhaps the remarkable nature of the shooting not forcing Robinson to miss more than four weeks may eliminate Robinson from consideration for the award.

We can all be certain, Robinson shot by carjackers could have certainly lost much, much more than four weeks of NFL action. It is great news for Robinson that he was not permanently injured (or even killed) by the carjackers’ evil intentions.

Apparently, Robinson was not considered for this year’s award because he did not miss the previous NFL season. Having not missed this current 2022 NFL season, perhaps he will not be considered for next year’s award either?

The former Alabama running back led the Commanders in 2022 with 797 rushing yards on 205 carries for 3.9 yards per carry. Robinson played in the final 12 games of the season, starting nine. He also caught nine receptions for 60 yards (6.7 YPR).

Drafted in the third round of the 2022 draft (98th overall), Robinson had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving.

Alex Smith won the 2020 Comeback Player of the Year Award. having been forced to miss all of the 2019 season due to multiple surgeries, infections and nearly losing a leg.

Pro Football Weekly in 1978 voted Washington’s John Riggins its Comeback Player of the Year following Riggins being injured and only producing 203 rushing yards in 1977. In that ’78 season, Riggins rushed for 1,0014 yards and five touchdowns.

Smith was certainly deserving of the award, ending his 2022 season having passed for a career-best 30 touchdown passes. In addition, Smith also accomplished a new Seahawks franchise record of 4,282 passing yards, and Smith led the NFL in completion rate at 69.8%.

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Almost four years to the day: the Alex Smith injury

Alex Smith’s devastating injury happened almost four years ago to the day.

Almost four years to the day (November 18, 2018), the Houston Texans came to FedEx Field to play Washington in a game which is now remembered mostly for one horrific play.

With just under eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, Washington faced a 3rd & 9 at the Houston 24, trailing 17-7. The play was first very disappointing because Alex Smith dropped back and a Houston blitz was entirely whiffed by the offensive line, resulting in Smith being sacked by Kareem Jackson  for a loss of 13 yards.

Not only did Jackson sack Smith, but J.J. Watt arrived just after Jackson and also landed on top of Smith. The result was a broken fibula and tibia for Smith. Human bones being stronger in compression than torsion, Smith suffered a compound fracture and a spiraling fracture.

The spiraling upward effect of the fracture resulted in many screws inserted into Smith’s leg in a process called Plate and Screw Fixation. But soon Smith experienced inflammation and infection, quickly resulting in muscle and tissue that died and would not recover.

Smith would lose to infection his anterior tibialis and doctors needed to perform skin grafts from Smith’s upper thigh down to his lower leg. The rehabbing efforts of Alex Smith were frankly, nothing short of extraordinary.

With the loss of his anterior tibialis, Smith was unable to simply control the descent of his right foot to the ground in simple walking. As a result, film of Smith learning to walk again on a treadmill revealed his right foot “slapping” the treadmill every single time in his walking gait.

He worked and worked daily, to increase the strength and control in his leg, and after missing all of the 2019 season, Smith returned in 2020, not only to the roster, but actually started six games, playing in eight.

Washington won the NFC East, and though the last three weeks of the season, Smith’s leg again kept him out of the lineup for two of those games and the playoff game, he was voted the NFL Comeback Player of the Year for his inspiring rehabilitation and return to the NFL as a starting quarterback.

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