Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith during the first half of the Alamo Bowl NCAA college football game between Texas and Utah in San Antonio, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. ESPN is about to take you behind the scenes of what the past 17 months have been like for Smith, who suffered a gruesome broken leg when he was sacked during an NFL regular-season game on Nov. 18, 2018. | Eric Gay, AP
SALT LAKE CITY — ESPN is about to take you behind the scenes of what the past 17 months have been like for former Utah quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NFL draft.
Smith, who played for San Francisco and Kansas City before traded to Washington in 2018, suffered a gruesome broken leg when he was sacked by Houston’s J.J. Watt during an NFL regular-season game between the Redskins and Texans on Nov. 18, 2018.
His road to recovery and near-death story — with the hope of returning to football — is chronicled by the worldwide leader in sports in a one-hour program, titled “Project 11,” that’s set to debut Friday at 5:30 p.m. MDT on ESPN.
15 years ago, Alex Smith was the #1 overall NFL draft pick. Now, he is trying to do the impossible. E60 brings you inside the life and near death story. pic.twitter.com/JhZsl1V2jC
— E60 (@E60) April 22, 2020
“I think I’m so used to my body responding how I want it to respond. I had high expectations for this process and that I could knock it out of the park, and I think I’ve had to slow that a little bit,” Smith said during a promotional teaser for the documentary.
The E60 production is spearheaded by ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell, who spent the past year documenting Smith’s journey that has included 17 surgeries since the injury and rehabilitation alongside U.S. military vets who were injured in combat.
“No NFL player has ever been through what Alex Smith has,” Andy Tennant, E60 executive producer, said in a news release. “He’s normally a very private person but he wanted to document his road to recovery as well and as detailed as possible, with the hope that future players could use it as a road map.
“The access that he and his family granted to E60 is incredible and viewers will see a story of strength, dedication and perseverance.”
Bell also explains in detail why Smith’s injury is so serious, with never-before-seen — sometimes graphic — images that chronicle both setbacks and progress during his recovery process.
Among those interviewed for the program include Urban Meyer, Smith’s head coach at Utah, and Andy Reid, his head coach during his days with the Chiefs.
Smith’s positive attitude shines through in multiple promotional videos for the production.
“The most impressive thing with Alex from Day 1 has been his outlook. I’ve never seen him in a bad mood,” physical therapist Seth Blee said in one teaser.
Another clip shows Smith throwing for the first time since the injury, and how his wife, Elizabeth Smith, saw something change that day.
“To watch him light up, to watch him get that inner drive again,” she told Bell, saying it was something she hadn’t seen since the injury. “He kept his gratitude, he kept good perspective but not so much that drive. But I saw it again.”
This week, @E60 documents #NFL QB Alex Smith's courageous recovery from a gruesome leg injury suffered while playing for the @Redskins in 2018
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 28, 2020
'Project 11' includes unprecedented access, new interviews & more
Friday | 7:30 p ET | ESPN, ESPN Apphttps://t.co/cIyUW6LKsF pic.twitter.com/fh5iGRoJpF
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