LANDOVER Ross Pierschbacher Jersey , if everyone discussed all of the yards and TDs produced in game after game, and for whatever advancements have been made in player safety over time, pro football is, at its core, a brutal sport — and what happened to Alex Smith’s right leg is not very different from what happened to Joe Theismann’s right leg, exactly 33 years apart.Theismann knew it right away.The former Washington Redskins QB — whose career ended after he was hurt on a sack by Lawrence Taylor on Nov. 18, 1985 — was at FedEx Field on Sunday and turned away so he wouldn’t have to see the unnatural way in which current Redskins QB Smith’s tibia and fibula twisted as they were fractured under the weight of Texans defenders J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson.“It was horrible,” Theismann said in a telephone interview. “My heart went out to him. I feel so bad for him.”Washington center Chase Rouiller had an even more up-close-and-personal view when Smith was sacked and offered a little insight into what life as an NFL player is like.They all know, naturally, that at any moment, it could be them down on the turf, covering their face with their hands before being driven away on a cart.“You say your prayers while it’s happening,” Rouiller said, “and you’ve got to get ready for the next play.”Said Redskins coach Jay Gruden: “These things happen in pro football, unfortunately. Just hate to see them happen with a guy like Alex.”Smith was not, of course, the only player hurt in this game, which ended with AFC South-leading Houston holding on for a 23-21 victory, their seventh win in a row after an 0-3 start.Nor Da’Ron Payne Jersey , unsurprisingly, was he the only starting quarterback hurt during a sack on this day: Marcus Mariota left the Tennessee Titans‘ 38-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts with an injured right elbow.The league likes to tout all of the offensive records broken in this offense-rules age. The broken bones? Less so.“We know we play a violent sport,” said Colt McCoy, who replaced Smith and will make his first start since 2014 when Washington plays at the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. “You just never want to see that happen.”In case you missed it, here are other top topics after the NFL season’s 11th Sunday:FLOP EAGLES FLOPCarson Wentz threw three picks and zero TDs as the Philadelphia Eagles‘ offense struggled yet again. The injuries kept mounting as their defense did nothing to slow Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. If Philadelphia’s 48-7 loss at New Orleans didn’t mark the end of the meaningful portion of the Eagles’ season, it sure looked like it did. It was the most lopsided defeat ever for a reigning Super Bowl champion. The Eagles are 4-6, the Saints are 9-1, and the proceedings felt as if they were a passing of the torch in the NFC. “Definitely a frustrating one,” Wentz said. “We just didn’t show up, really.”ACTION JACKSONRavens QB Lamar Jackson took one last snap, kneeled to run out the clock on Baltimore’s 24-21 victory over Cincinnati in his first professional start, then casually flipped the football to the referee. Jackson started heading to the locker room, pumped his fist — and then realized he wanted that ball to commemorate the day, so sprinted to run down the official and grabbed his memento. Jackson ran everywhere he wanted to on this afternoon, gaining 117 yards on 27 carries.AS LUCK WOULD HAVE ITFor so long, either a leaky offensive line or some sort of injury that might be traced to that o-line limited the effectiveness of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Well, just look at the guy — and the guys who are paid to protect him — now. Luck has not been sacked even once in the Colts’ past five games, four of them wins, including Sunday against the Titans. Suddenly Quinton Dunbar Jersey , the Colts are 5-5 and a contender for an AFC wild-card berth. Probably not a coincidence: Indy has been using high draft picks on linemen lately, including taking guard Quenton Nelson with the No. 6 overall selection this year. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Head Ball Coach is back, lighting up the scoreboard and selling the Alliance of American Football.And fans — at least those in Orlando, Florida, who showed up in the rain for Steve Spurrier’s debut in the new league Saturday night — are eager to buy.The 73-year-old coach returned to the sideline for the first time since abruptly walking away from the college game in 2015, bringing along an entertaining style of offense that didn’t disappoint an announced crowd of 20,191 for the AAF opener between the Orlando Apollos and Atlanta Legends.With a 52-man roster featuring 29 players from nine Florida colleges, there’s a local feel to the Apollos for fans of the hometown team.It begins with Spurrier, who won the Heisman Trophy as a player at the University of Florida and later put together his best body of work as a coach at his alma mater, a mere 113 miles up the road in Gainesville.And, there was just enough razzle-dazzle and imaginative play-calling in the Apollos’ 40-6 victory over the Legends to remind the faithful, who can buy season tickets for as little as $75, of the good old days.“I think the fans had a good time,” said Spurrier, who improved to 6-0 in his first game with the six teams he coached. “They saw enough good plays, especially after the first quarter.”It was a long night for Atlanta, which took the field barely a month after the sudden departure of coach Brad Childress and just days after the team decided ex-NFL quarterback Michael Vick would no longer hold the title of Legends offensive coordinator.“We’re disappointed,” Legends coach Kevin Coyle said.“I think Atlanta’s a pretty good team. Time will tell if they are John Riggins Jersey ,” Spurrier said. “Time will tell if we’re any good. It’s just one game.”In the league’s other opener Saturday night, San Antonio topped San Diego 15-6.On Sunday, Memphis is at Birmingham, and Salt Lake at Arizona.Two hours before game-time between Orlando and Atlanta, traffic flowed freely and there were few visible signs that the league was about to make its debut at Spectrum Stadium on the campus of UCF, where the Apollos have chosen to play in a more intimate setting than the larger Citrus Bowl near downtown Orlando.In stark contrast to the thousands who tailgate in a festive atmosphere before UCF games in the fall, only a smattering of fans mingled in a plaza near the 44,000-seat stadium on a cloudy and windy evening.Rain sent some early arrivals scurrying for cover in concession areas beneath the stands and intermittent showers fell most of the night, contributing to some slipping and sliding and occasional sloppy play.The weather even forced Spurrier to don a baseball cap instead of his signature visor.“I think the rain deterred the crowd a little bit,” the coach said. “But 20,000 is pretty good.”This isn’t the first time Spurrier has been part of a new league. His first head coaching job was a three-year stint in the mid-1980s with the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits.He led Florida to a national championship in 1996, left the Gators five years later to coach the Washington Redskins for two seasons, then ended a long college career when he walked away from a decade-long stay at South Carolina six games into the 2015 season.He smiled when he was asked about being unbeaten in his first game with six different teams.“Even won with the Redskins,” he said, laughing. “That’s not easy to do.”FOX Fantasy AutoForm a Racing Team, Compete for PrizesPlay Now!