Ron Rivera answers questions from the media following today's practice
Today was that the Washington Football Team's first clinic which was available to strangers (view pictures, videos, and updates here). It was the first day the team had pads and Head Coach Ron Rivera was eager to find some hitting out of his brand new players. He wasn't excited about the tempo and some of the bad habits that gamers had early in camp following an elongated period of time away.
Alex Smith is being slowly reintroduced to football after recently getting cleared after his life-threatening leg injury/infection a couple of decades ago. Rivera is observing how Smith, Reuben Foster, and Bryce Love are responding to their own returns to football practices.
You will see lots of different combinations of players as the group tries to work out the depth chart. Rivera especially pointed out the offensive line and linebackers. Dwayne Haskins Jr. has also got a while in with all the WRs.
The Washington Football Team eventually broke the pads out on Tuesday, allowing spectators to catch their first glimpses of a few fascinating names. Among those players is quarterback Alex Smith, whose well-documented road to recovery by a devastating leg accident nearly two decades ago will remain a noteworthy story to watch as camp evolves. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah offered his take on what Smith could mean to the team moving forward, initially commending the former No. 1 overall pick for his perseverance before tempering expectations that Smith might be playing in games the moment Week 1. "To me personally, I still think he has value to this organization if he is not taking snaps, even if he's not suiting up on match day," he said. "Only from the standpoint of him being in a position to mentor Dwayne Haskins, having the ability to show him how to prepare, the way to prepare during the week. He can help him automatically, there's so many different things he can do to assist Dwayne Haskins...I think that relationship could be big for Haskins' development." As evidenced by the huge eyes emoji that followed his clip, the former Ohio State Buckeye already looks like a problem. New amount, same power. It's definitely