Here is a question for you all.
The NFL is known for its image of tough players who play through injuries and still produce.
The 49'ers quarterback, Alex Smith, recently had his throwing shoulder dislocated, was sidelined for a few games, came back and clearly was not right, as he grimaced after every misdirected throw he made. He finally just said he could not continue playing with it and sat down. His coach, Mike Nolan, essentially said Smith's bad shoulder was not as bad as the player was making it out to be. His comments to his team basically were that injuries should never be an excuse for poor play, then praised Smith's backup, Trent Dilfer, for his toughness and giving his team a chance at winning (ha ha) the games he started.
Today, in the San Jose Mercury News, Smith shot back at his coach:
http://www.mercurynews.com/sportsheadlines/ci_7689770?nclick_check=1The gist of what he said was "that Nolan has tried to "undermine" his reputation in the locker room"
"Smith said Nolan made it clear to teammates that the quarterback was using injuries as an excuse for poor performance, a charge that has left Smith's locker-room reputation in shambles."
Smith said he is frustrated with Nolan's public comments, which he refers to as Nolan's spin on the subject of his shoulder, that have brought Smith's toughness into question. Smith initiated this very public media dialogue at this time because his latest doctor has confirmed his shoulder is indeed severely injured and will now require surgery to repair it - which may have been unnecessary had Smith not tried to play with the injury.
My question is - who blundered here? Smith clearly is burning his bridges in S.F., but is he also not likely burning down his own NFL career by voicing these things in the media instead of the lockerroom? As for Nolan, there just are no excuses for a coach denying a severe injury on his most expensive commodity, playing him when he clearly was wincing after every play in one game, and then essentially telling his players the quarterback is faking the severity of the problem, leading many Niner players to nickname Smith "the Lion" - a derogatory reference to the cowardly lion of the Wizard of Oz.
The way I see it, Smith is done as a San Francisco 49'er, but Nolan has shown he has virtually no loyalty to a player HE drafted and was responsible for preparing for the NFL, and now is tossing aside in the most embarassing fashion possible for an NFL player.