He hasn't yet proven that he's even better than Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is the penciled-in No. 1 QB for the 2021 Washington Football Team. But a pair of Washington watchers have high praise for the potential of backup QB Taylor Heinicke - in part because of his Cinderella story.
Appearing with JP Finlay on 106.7 The Fan on Monday, Smoot was asked for his thoughts on Washington's quarterback situation, with Finlay noting that Heinicke had "impressed" with his second-team reps.
"They believe in FitzMagic, and Heinicke ain't too far behind," said former WFT star Fred Smoot, visiting Monday with host JP Finlay on 106.7 The Fan. "Heinicke makes me feel like ... It's a Kurt Warner feel to him, ain't it?"
Added Finlay: "I would say (Tony) Romo a little bit, because he's a little more mobile.''
Now wait a minute. Taylor Heinicke, who is in his late 20's and who has bounced around the NFL for his entire adult life with one moment of glory - an inspired effort as the emergency starter in last year's WFT playoff loss to Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Bucs - is suddenly comparable to folk heroes with (in Warner's case) Super Bowl wins and a Hall of Fame berth?
"I'm talking about the story," clarified Smoot when talking about Heinicke. "The story has a lot of Kurt Warner. The (1999) Rams had all the positions. They had the wide receiver. They had Marshall Faulk. They had the linemen. They had the defense. And then out of nowhere, here comes this Kurt Warner guy, not supposed to start, gets in the game, never gives the job back. Hall of Famer."
Warner was also NFL MVP twice. In the case of Romo, he never quite reached those heights with the Dallas Cowboys. But like Heinicke and Warner, he was undrafted, and Romo became a record-setting star in Dallas.
"Heinicke has that feel to me," he continued. "He has the it."
"He has the it factor," Finlay agreed. "He really does."
"He has the it factor," Smoot repeated.
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