I fast all the time - daily. It's such a counterintuitive thing because, my whole life, I've been training to get bigger.
— Alex Smith
Dead silence is so much more foreign to me than people screaming at me, good or bad.
Accept what you cannot control.
At the combine and at my workouts, I tried to be the perfect player. I tried to promote my strengths and conceal my weaknesses, and on paper, I kind of succeeded: I was the first pick in the draft. And with that, I inherited this big shiny trophy that I carried around, and it had one word engraved on it - anxiety.
The real football starts in training camp.
It's easy when you're always winning.
Obviously, college was an unbelievable experience.
I think the quarterback position, moreso than in all of sports, no other position compares - you rely on so many people to do your job.
You have to prove yourself year in and year out, and if you can't get the job done, every team is going to go and try and find somebody else that can.
You're never trying to have three-and-outs; I don't care what offense you're playing.
Playing quarterback, you rely on everybody. Everybody impacts you.
I put a lot of pressure on myself. Sometimes you are your own worst enemy.
There are so many good things, great things that go on in this league.
I was on some bad teams, and I played bad as a young player, certainly, at times. And that all mounts. Yeah, that all mounts. The perception. Everything that goes into that. And so, yeah, I think to kind of get over the hump of that, to change perception, it can be difficult. It's a tall task. And it takes a long time.
You're never going to make everybody happy; there are always going to be people that, yeah, aren't with you. That's the nature of sports.
Sometimes when you've only got a few snaps, guys try to do too much and try to make too much happen.
Losing is not fun.
I really have fun playing golf.
When I was young, I just tried to please everybody.
We can only control how we react and how we respond, and that complex but so simple idea helped me survive.
When I was young, you get into the point where you want to throw everything hard. And it looks good, it feels good... You get to the point, though, where it's not realistic.
You look at the best players in the league, the best players at quarterback - I mean Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, the top names - none of those guys are throwing it through a brick wall. They'll have touch.
No one's taking quarterbacks, for the most part, in the first round that haven't had a lot of success.
I can just remember games as a young player, counting my stats on the sideline. 'What am I now? I'm this many completions for this many attempts. I wonder what my rating is.'
It's one thing as a quarterback to sit there and warm up. And there's one thing to throw routes. And there's another thing when you drop back in the pocket and, when a guy comes open, to really be able to urgently - bam - all of a sudden. That guy's open; your body has to do what your mind's telling you.
The quarterback position gets a lot of attention.
You love playing on a national stage - anytime you get these games. The Thursday ones are tough; I have a mixed opinion. I think if you win them, they're awesome because you get another little bye week in there, so to speak. They're tough on the quick turnaround.
You get a taste of playing in the playoffs and what that's like, and it's a completely different world. You get a taste in those meaningful games. You get that taste, and you can't get it out. You want more.
It is healthy to have competition and intense competition, and then, when you walk away from it, you are still teammates, and you play the same position and that we can still put the team first.
I've been in this league a long time. The league's not perfect. But I'm definitely proud of a lot of my teammates, coaches, trainers, owners.
I don't feel like I have to prove myself to anybody any longer.
The longer you play, there's always going to be naysayers.
I've seen a rebuild, and I've seen how quickly things can turn around when guys buy in.
As a QB, it's a team game, and you're all out there in it.
Golf is so different than football, in many ways. I think that's why I enjoy it.
You're the quarterback, if you lose games... it's the head coach and the quarterback. If you're not winning, it's on you.
We can never fully plan our future, so don't try.
When you're a quarterback, and you're dropping back, I can't watch what the receivers are doing.
For anyone that's reached the NFL, especially top picks, you just come from success.
This is the ultimate team sport, and I really feel that the quarterback position is the epitome of that.
I think as I've gotten older and the things I've gone through, I'm not as concerned about what everybody thinks.
You only have one brain. There's no replacement surgery for that.
I've been to so many deals with so many of my peers. I hate to say it, but you go, and it's some tournament or big party or dinner, and you don't even know what you're raising money for. It's like, 'Oh, it's for the kids.' Thanks. But what are you doing?
As a quarterback, you've got a huge responsibility: You're touching the ball every single play. You have such a big impact on deciding the game, just in your decision-making and how you are with the football and your fundamentals.
I'm going to play for me and not play for anyone else except my teammates and the guys that matter.
When I got drafted, I was a spread-option quarterback. It was, 'OK, you've got to get under center, throw to the fullback, throw to the tight end. You've got to learn to be a pro quarterback.' And there was a learning curve there, and I did have to learn some of that.
I enjoy the challenge of coming together with my teammates and playing well for them.
I know guys respect work ethic, and they respect the guys that are invested and committed.
Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.
Obviously, flagrant things have to be called. There are rules. You have got to play to the rules, no question.
