Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith has attacked the past 17 months with a singular focus: return to the football field.

Smith has been sidelined since Nov. 18, 2018, when he suffered a spiral compound fracture to his tibia and fibula in his right leg. He's since undergone 17 surgeries and countless hours of rehab -- all to achieve his ultimate goal of playing again.

"I still have dreams of getting back to where I was and getting back out there," Smith told reporters during the Redskins' locker room cleanout after the 2019 season. "This has been, obviously, a crazy ride with a lot of unforeseen turns, but without a doubt that's still my goal."

ESPN has been chronicling Smith's harrowing journey, and on Friday night, the network aired a special edition of E:60 titled "Project 11."

The hour-long documentary sheds light on "Smith's riveting story from lightly recruited high school quarterback to battle-tested former No. 1 draft pick fighting his way back from an injury that almost cost him everything," according to a press release about "Project 11."

If you missed the debut, here are five takeaways from the special. Otherwise, you can stream the documentary on ESPN.com (LINK) or using the ESPN app.

With more than 50 hours of original video shot and 40 hours of archival material, the E:60 crew documented every aspect of Smith's life threatening road to recovery.

"No NFL player has ever been through what Alex Smith has," said Andy Tennant, E:60 executive producer. "He's normally a very private person but he wanted to document his road to recovery as well and as detailed as possible, with the hope that future players could use it as a road map. "The access that he and his family granted to E:60 is incredible and viewers will see a story of strength, dedication and perseverance."

Below are some clips from the episode, some of which may be graphic: