Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden was happy with what he saw from Alex Smith during Sunday's win against the Carolina Panthers but he thinks there is still some things his veteran quarterback can improve on. Smith has always had issues coming back in games if his teams fall behind early.
That was the issue in the New Orleans Saints game but against the Panthers, they got off to a fast start. They still almost gave the game away late because Smith couldn't deliver the knockout punch but at the end of the day a win is a win.
“I think the critical side of me, the coach’s side of me, there are some things that we have to clean up,” Gruden said at his regular Monday news conference via The Washington Post.
“Sometimes he hangs on too long and gives guys too much of a chance when he needs to get off of them and get to the next guy,” Gruden added. “For the most part, I thought he improved from last week to this week, and there’s still some improvement due for everybody across the board. I like where he’s at. I like the way he’s buying in and learning.”
There also seems to be a lot of outward pressure because of the way Kirk Cousins has played for the Minnesota Vikings. The Redskins gave up a first round pick to get Smith while they just let Cousins walk. Smith and Cousins will be connected now and as long as Smith is on the Redskins, his seasons will be compared to Cousins.