https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-more-chances/
Alex Smith wonders if he should take more chances
Posted by Darin Gantt on September 20, 2018, 6:06 AM EDT
Alex Smith has been very successful in the NFL by not taking too many chances.
At the same time, he knows he may need to take a few more to help spark the Washington passing game.
The Colts dared Smith to go downfield last week and he didn’t, throwing 46 passes and gaining just 292 yards (6.3 yards per attempt), and he knows that against the Packers that may not be sufficient.
“Yeah, you do look back at that and are like, maybe this one play in the first half, should I have held it a tick longer and taken a shot?” Smith said, via Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post. “Or could I have looked this off and gone here?
“That’s kind of the game you play with the what-ifs in a situation like that. It’s hard, though, when you have limited opportunities. You expect to have more opportunities and we didn’t have them. Then . . . the second half kind of got one-dimensional.”
Of course, the Washington pass-catchers didn’t help, with drops and a Jordan Reed fumble, and running back Chris Thompson led them with 14 targets and 13 catches.
“Anytime something doesn’t work or you’re out of rhythm, out of sync, the next day you’re kicking yourself,” Smith said. “Could we have done things differently? Yeah, maybe. Could have executed a lot better, too. Combination of all those things put together.
“It’s a fine line. You fight that battle, right? Should we stay patient with this? We want to stay patient with this. Then the next day maybe you are saying, maybe I should have gone a different direction quicker.”
He at least has some new options this week, as they signed former first-round picks Michael Floyd and Breshad Perriman to round out the receiving corps. Whether that means more chances downfield remains to be seen.