With others playing into their 40s, age has become a relative thing for quarterbacks.
So at a mere 34, Washington’s Alex Smith is feeling positively spry.
“I don’t necessarily want to put a label, as far as ‘prime’ . . . but I feel like my best football’s still ahead of me, certainly,” Smith said, via Kimberley Martin of the Washington Post. “I still feel like I haven’t reached my potential and that still pushes me, challenges me to continue to try to get better.
“I feel like I’m a young 34-year-old and I do have a lot of ball left ahead of me, and I’m excited to kind of keep pushing that, push that ceiling. I still feel like I haven’t reached it.”
Of course, it would be hard for him to match his 33-year-old season. Smith led the league with a 104.7 passer rating, threw for a career-high 4,042 yards, and had 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
He’s also likely downgraded in skill position talent around him, but he’s used to being doubted — going back to when he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, only to be lose his job during a Super Bowl run, and then be traded twice.
“The longer you play, there’s always going to be naysayers,” Smith said. “You’re never going to make everybody happy; there are always going to be people that, yeah, aren’t with you. That’s the nature of sports. . . .
“I think you hear it. I’m not naive to anything. But I think at the same time, that’s not why I’m playing.”
Smith’s efficient style suggests he could keep playing this way for some time, and being sent to Washington provides him with a new challenge to use as motivation.
