Rams OC Kevin O’Connell inspired by Alex Smith battling back from gruesome leg injury

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- They competed against each other during high school, 7-on-7 tournaments.

They faced off in college while playing in the Mountain West Conference, Alex Smith at Utah and Kevin O’Connell at San Diego State.

However, O’Connell said the two grew close during a unique opportunity for the current Rams offensive coordinator to serve as Smith’s quarterback coach while with the Washington Football Team two year ago.

O’Connell was on the field when Smith suffered a gruesome broken leg injury that most NFL observers thought would end his NFL career.

But now, Smith, 36, is a play away from taking the field again after a grueling, nearly two-year rehabilitation.

O’Connell, 35, finds himself rooting for the guy he first met on the high school football fields in San Diego. Smith was a two-time San Diego Section CIF title winner at Helix High School, while O’Connell prepped at La Costa Canyon High.

“I have so much respect for Alex Smith, both as a person and a player,” O’Connell said. “One of my great experiences coaching in this league was getting a chance to coach Alex when he came to us there in 2018.

“Obviously, it’s been very well documented about the injury that took place, and that was really hard for me being pretty close with him at the time. Just kind of watching him go through that, wanting to be there for him every step of the way.”

Smith’s life-threatening leg injury and recovery has been well-reported by ESPN’s injury expert Stephania Bell in this report.

Smith’s injury occurred on Nov. 18, 2018 in the third quarter of a game between Washington and the Houston Texans. Smith suffered a compound fracture in his right leg. During surgery to reset the leg, the leg became infected by a flesh-eating bacteria eating away at Smith’s leg.

Doctors had to remove a significant amount of muscle and cartilage to save Smith’s leg from amputation. Doctors then performed a successful muscle transfer from his quad on his left leg.

In all, Smith underwent 17 total surgeries and had four separate hospital stays over a nine-month period.

“To overcome some of the things that he’s overcome to put himself in a position to just be able to have full utilization of that leg -- let alone be playing NFL football -- all I can really say is, wow,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “The respect I have for this guy is through the roof. I don’t know him personally, but everybody that I respect and that I really hold their opinion in high regard, just loves this guy and can’t say enough good things about him.”

With Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera benching Dwayne Haskins this week and naming Kyle Allen as the starter, Smith has moved up to the No. 2 quarterback – a play away from taking the field a little less than two years after suffering an awful, life-threatening injury.

“I believe Alex is healthy and ready to go, according to the doctors,” Rivera told reporters this week. “I feel very confident in what I’ve been told and the way he’s looked at practice. This is an opportunity for Alex to go out and play. I look forward to, if he gets that chance, to seeing him play because he’s done a great job and he’s worked very hard.”

A year younger than Smith, O’Connell said he learned a lot coaching the San Diego native during his time with Washington.

“He’s very, very smart,” O’Connell said. “He's got a great way about him, where the football conversations are high level, but you never feel like he’s talking down or demeaning in any way.

“He’s got so much respect for his teammates and his coaches, but at the same time, as a coach or a teammate, it’s very easy to replicate that respect you have for him, duplicate it just because of the way he operates on a daily basis.”

With all the adversity he’s gone through, O’Connell said he’s rooting for the resilient Smith to have a successful return to the field.

“Just knowing where he’s come from and just how the hard work and just the sacrifice and work that he's put into to get back to this point, I’m just so happy that he’s on an NFL roster and has the ability to play football again,” O’Connell said. “I know it’s something that from day one after the injury he always wanted to do. Like I said, he’s an inspiration to me and he always will be as a guy that I was able to coach and have a relationship with and hopefully that lasts a long time.”