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What is the 58th year of your life been like?
Can you reflect on that?
It has been tumultuous, to say the least.
You know, uh, you know, it really all started last year, December 2nd when, uh, you know, the Carolina Panthers decided to move on and and and and let me go.
And then a month later, I'm the head coach of the Washington football team.
And then things start to happen like you talked about, but it has been very tumultuous and, you know, But it's it's something that I've learned from my grown from.
And hopefully I'll continue to just get better and better with it.
Coach you, about a lot on and off the field is we do know, you know, share with us with this season in particular has been like for you.
You know, the season, um, hasn't been interesting, obviously, because, uh, you know, we're in the midst of the pandemic.
We're We have very strict protocols that we have to follow.
Um, training camp was not normal.
It was.
It was about seven weeks of really just working against ourselves amongst ourselves.
No preseason games.
Eso It's just kind of tough toe judge and decide on things on players.
Um, and then we start the regular season and it's up and down for us.
You know, Obviously I made I made a change at quarterback, um, and things, you know, kind of got a little bit better.
Obviously, we're playing better football.
I think part of it is because, you know, we have a little bit steady hand at quarterback, but also because I think we've got a group of young players that have started developing grow.
You know that as well as anybody.
That young guys get opportunities at the play and grow, Um, they'll get better.
And that's really kind of what happened and doing all this, you know, during the during my my cancer treatments, um, you know, which lasted, uh, at 35 Proton treatment with three cycles of chemotherapy, and, uh, and now I'm in the recovery phase of my treatment.
You know, Coach Stuart Scott went through this, and I think that's when I really started to pay attention because it affected somebody very, very close to me.
It really making a push for things like giving Tuesday and the V Foundation, considering that you've gone through this, you know, how much more important does it make a day like today to remind people of how important it is to give to, Ah, bigger cause for something like this, You know, it's very important because because I've said this was coming through.
My going through my treatment is that you know, if if need be if anybody, you know, I'd be more than happy to be an advocate for for health care.
I just think it's amazing that, you know, we're the richest country in the world, and yet we have a health care sys, especially if you guys have talked about in the minority communities.
I mean, it's ludicrous to think that people can go through the treatment I went through and it not wrecked their financial situation.
I mean, I'm very fortunate.
We have very good health insurance through the NFL on and the Washington football team.
You know, Mr Mrs Snyder has been great and have helped us through this situation that we're in.
But I can't imagine what what, what folks who don't have what we have have to go through.
And that's why today giving Tuesday is so important I mean, Jimmy V Foundation, you know, help me to raise funds that further research and to help families.
That's that's very, very important.
It really isn't, you know, like I said, I'd be born having to be an advocate for this because this really needs to change, because again, as I said, think about we're the richest nation in the world And yet we don't have, you know, a health care system that helps everybody.
How much motivation your starting quarterback and Alex Smith give Not only you but the team, considering what he's gone through over the last couple seasons to get back on the field and be the starting quarterback of your Washington football team.
I'll tell you what, keep on when you get an opportunity to watch that show that they did on ESPN.
That that was unbelievable.
Um, I didn't know the extent.
I mean, I knew he had some situated.
I realized the extent that of injury and how dangerous it was for him personally as he was trying to recover.
Um, but when you watch him work, when you're around him and you see how hard he works on, not just that football but keeping himself healthy so he can play.
I mean, he's an amazing individual.
He really, truly isn't.
You know, we're very fortunate.
Have a guy like that as an example to all our young players.
Coach, you know, when you see Alex on the field, I had a pretty devastating injury as well.
Uh, what is it?
What kind of sign does it send to your team that when he gets hit, he gets right back up, right?
Like I've had hit sometimes because I dislocated my my knee and ankle and things of that sort, like sometimes slow on your grimace.
But every time I see Alex Smith get hit like it's, it's like, Hey, I'm fine.
Let's go.
Don't worry about me.
This is about what we're trying to accomplish as a team.
Trust me, Every time I see him get every time I see him going down, I do.
I do kind of hold my breath.
Um, but it says a lot about who he is and the way he handles everything.
It really does.
I mean, but dude really is, is a true is a true champion.
I mean, he works at his game.
Uh, He's tough minded and, you know, it's something that he really truly wanted and and essentially, because we're going through training camp, Yeah, I would watch him.
I watch closely I could to see anything that would tell me he's not ready.
But everything he went through just kept telling me, The dudes ready?
The dudes ready, man, Look and watch him.
He people bounces up.
He keeps going like the Energizer Bunny.
So it was really kind of cool.
Just see him as we went through training camp, because I think the more he worked, the more confident he got it.
I want to know about Dwayne Haskins, where we at with him in the future as a Washington football team member.
Well, right now, I believe he's got an opportunity to be a big part of what we want to do going forward in the future.
The young man has an NFL arm.
He really, truly does.
Um, but his development as an NFL quarterback has been has been slow, and the reason it's been slow in my opinion, is he really played only one year of major college football.
Then last year he really didn't get to play till the very, very end, and that was limited any to begin with.
Um, so going into this, he had 11 weeks, you know, and I got a chance to watch him.
And it is different when you watch a guy playing in the game as opposed to go through practice and the morgue aims.
I watched the market just feeling Gosh, he's got a long way to go.
He's got a lot of development to Dio, you know, on and and where we were a foot all team, I decided, Hey, I want the best chance for the rest of the other guys because we could win And I thought putting it in a veteran Guys hands a guy who's been in the system and knows the system was more important and that's what I did.
I think because of his arm, because of his his ability to throw the football, you know, it's about now learning the game and that's what has to happen in my opinion for Dwayne, because the kid has got the skill set that you're looking for with that art.