Alex Smith shooting shots or just trying to preserve some things for posterity?
In an interview with GQ's Clay Skipper, Smith relayed that those in the building last year didn't believe he would play again.
"They never thought I was coming back," he said. "No one there. I did all my rehab outside of the building. They do ACLs and stuff like that. But walking in with what I had, it's like you got three eyes."
The normally politically correct Smith, who played in eight games, starting six, and
won Comeback Player of the Year, said his return messed with the team's plan at quarterback.
"So there was a very small group of people that actually thought that I could do this," Smith said. "I think the rest of the world either doubted me, or they patronized me. 'Yeah, that's really nice that you're trying.' When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team's plan. They didn't see it, didn't want me there, didn't want me to be a part of it, didn't want me to be on the team, the roster, didn't want to give me a chance. Mind you, it was a whole new regime, they came in, I'm like the leftovers and I'm hurt and I'm this liability. Heck no, they didn't want me there. At that point, as you can imagine, everything I'd been through, I couldn't have cared less about all that. [laughs] Whether you like it or not, I'm giving this a go at this point."
Smith said he had to convince the staff that he could not only play but play at a high level.
"I mean, they tried to put me on PUP [Physically Unable to Perform] for two weeks, then they tried to high-arm me," he said. "I felt like I still hadn't had my fair shake at that point. I wanted to see if I could play quarterback and play football, and I feel like I hadn't been given that opportunity yet to find that out. It's like getting this close to the end line of a marathon, and they're telling you that you can't finish the race. It's like, (expletive) that. I'm finishing this thing. At least I'm going to see if I can. So, I'm thankful we worked through all that stuff but no, it wasn't like open arms coming back after two years. Like I said, new coaches, new faces, and I think I definitely surprised a lot of people that never thought I would even be trying it."
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