Alex Smith on desire to keep playing: “I want to see what I’ve got”

[Hogs]

It’s already been a lengthy and rocky recovery for Washington quarterback Alex Smith after a compound leg fracture last season led to multiple surgeries and an uncertain future. Smith still has a long road ahead of him as his injured right leg continues to heal. Smith was only recently able to shed the external fixator that helped keep his healing bones stabilized over the last several months.

Even though it may seem like a distant dream given his current situation, Smith still hopes to play football again. Returning the field is a summit to climb and Smith is going to give it his best effort to get to the top of that mountain.

“I’m still determined [to play], still marching down the road, still optimistic,” Smith said, via Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports. “I want to push it, for the challenge’s sake. I want to see what I’ve got … I enjoy the challenge, even to this [recovery], coming out here and being with the guys. It’s not going to last forever. I’d like to see where it leads.”

Smith said he immediately knew the injury was a major one when it occurred in a game against the Houston Texans last November. However, he couldn’t foresee the injury becoming infected and a series of surgeries becoming necessary to allow his leg to finally begin to heal.

“I was in the best shape I’ve ever been in — feeling great, feeling strong — I still think about that play a lot,” Smith said. “I don’t know what happened, how it happened or why. But it was just one of those things, I think, where everything was right for that to happen. Or wrong.”

Smith has been back around the team since offseason workouts and has been working with the team’s quarterbacks in training camp. He’s been able to resume some workouts and can get around on his own once again after spending months in a wheelchair. He hopes to be able to leave the crutches behind within a matter of weeks.