Time for another Alex Smith thread...

[ctchiefsfan]

When Andy Reid first came to town about the first thing he did was trade 2 2cond round draft picks for Alex Smith. Some people hated the move. Others were cautiously optimistic.

So now we have had 3 years of Alex so I figured it was time to look back on 3 years and see what we think of him. I will offer my opinions and hope y'all will too.

Alex is not Montana, Brady or any of the other truly amazing QBs the NFL has seen. He's cautious. You'll never see Alex with more picks than TDs in a season. In short he protects the ball. That is a good thing. As a Chief Alex has 30 wins and 16 losses in 46 regular season starts. That is a 65% win ratio. That's good. He's not as exciting as some QBs, but he wins games. That's good. He doesn't win them by himself and he will never be known as the master of the 4th quarter comeback or the 2 minute drill but he wins games by not making mistakes. He takes way more sacks than he should. That's bad. But at least part of that is thanks to the offensive line. He completes about 65% of his passes and averages about 7 interceptions per year. Good again. He averages about 3,355 yards per year. Nothing special.

So all that makes him a QB who is above average. But then there is the X factor. Alex averages 394 yards per season running the ball with an average of about 5.6 yards per carry. About 30% of his carries result in a first down. Mostly on 3rd down. That brings his average yards per season between passing and rushing to about 3,750 yards with an average of 9 turnovers per season.

Summary....Alex is a very good QB. He is not amazing or great, but he is still a very good QB. Most importantly perhaps, he was the RIGHT guy to get at the end of the disastrous 2012 season. Cassel HAD TO GO. There were no QBs worth a damn with the #1 pick overall that year. So we had to get a new QB. And Alex was the best one available.

I like to think that Alex is a "poor man's Roger Staubach". I'm damned happy we have Alex Smith.

[NickheadKCAU]

alex works with what he's been given.

i predicted he would surpass 4000 passing, but with rushing included, it amounts to the same (last season)

some qb's are 'handed' the opportunity for greatness due to coaching and such.

think about this, had bledsoe not gotten hurt, brady would have been traded at some point, and probably would be at best a break even qb.

it's a matter of right place, right time.

my point being, at any point in any players career, they can light it up when least expected.

the chiefs over the next four years could win four straight super bowls, and we'd all be sitting here saying.... GODDAMNIT THAT ALEX SMITH IS AWESOME!!!

[NickheadKCAU]

san fran versus new orleans



*note, if video shows as unavailable, i think you need to sign in to youtube, but the video does work, watching now.

[NickheadKCAU]

not to troll, but i just realized, most comments regarding smith, require him to be less intelligent, and rely more on luck when passing the ball.

peyton manning never threw the ball well downfield either, but i think he had the ability to turn off the smarts button and rely on his teammates for help now and then, but...

why do you think brady always beat him.

brady was more dangerous, but less a student of the game.

[ctchiefsfan]

san fran versus new orleans

Thanks for posting that NickheadKCAU.

[ctchiefsfan]

alex works with what he's been given.

i predicted he would surpass 4000 passing, but with rushing included, it amounts to the same (last season)

some qb's are 'handed' the opportunity for greatness due to coaching and such.

think about this, had bledsoe not gotten hurt, brady would have been traded at some point, and probably would be at best a break even qb.

it's a matter of right place, right time.

my point being, at any point in any players career, they can light it up when least expected.

the chiefs over the next four years could win four straight super bowls, and we'd all be sitting here saying.... GODDAMNIT THAT ALEX SMITH IS AWESOME!!!

Good points all NickheadKCAU. As I understand your post you are essentially bringing up another X factor....LUCK. Take a GREAT QB fresh out of college, throw him on a lousy team with the wrong coach and he is going to be very quickly labeled a bust. Take the same QB, put him on a good solid team with with the right coach and he will turn into a star. So which is that QB....Bust or star? Answer...he's the same but in one situation he a bust and in the other he a star.

A big part of being a good QB is having the right coach and playing in a system that is right for your skill set. Put Alex in a system that is designed for a "mad bomber" and he is not going to do real well. And it won't take too many years before his confidence is totally ruined. And once a QB loses his confidence it's going to be very hard to get it back. One of the reasons Montana was so good was because he never had any doubt that he could win a game until the final whistle sounded. Ball at his own 20 with 48 seconds left to play trailing by 5??? Montana KNEW he could win the game. A lot of that was skill. But a huge part of it was Montana's confidence....and the fact that the players around him KNEW that Montana could win that game. If Montana had come fresh from college to a crappy team with the wrong coach and stayed there for 4 or 5 years I doubt he would have become what he did.

IMO Alex has a good team and a coach who is using Alex's skills well. I don't think he has the skills to become a Montana or Brady but I don't doubt for a minute that with the right team he could win a Super Bowl or perhaps even several.

Alex has had the 3 best years of his career with the Chiefs (with the possible exception of 2012 when he only played 10 games). Most average yards per game, highest average completion percentage, most yards per season, Most rushing yards per season, most rushing attempts per season, most rushes for 20 or more yards. Reid is using Alex's skills to maximize Alex's success and that is building Alex's confidence. And that is making Alex a better QB every year.

Another factor is that Alex is TOUGH...both mentally and physically. He didn't let the 5 game losing streak last year "get inside his head". When he takes off with the ball he is not afraid to lower his head and try to run over somebody if that is what is needed to get a 1st down. And he is smart enough to slide when there is no reason to take a hit head on.

Alex is a very good QB with a good team around him and the right coach. His best years are probably yet to come. Will that get our Chiefs a Super Bowl win? I dunno. But IMO we have the most legitimate shot at a Super Bowl as we have had since Montana. Reid and Alex have made it a lot of fun to be a Chiefs fan for the first time in a long time.

[ctchiefsfan]

One more thing I should point out that is good about Alex...He pretty consistently has some of his best games statistically in the playoffs. Dunno why but somehow he seems to really bring his A-game in the playoffs. I can't think of a better time for a QB to play his very best.

[ctchiefsfan]

san fran versus new orleans



*note, if video shows as unavailable, i think you need to sign in to youtube, but the video does work, watching now.

NickheadKCAU.....

I finally got a chance to sit down and watch this game from start to finish. Thank you again for posting it. A great example of how "cool under fire" Alex Smith is.

[jason1981]

NickheadKCAU.....

I finally got a chance to sit down and watch this game from start to finish. Thank you again for posting it. A great example of how "cool under fire" Alex Smith is.

I agree. That shows how good smith can be. And t should quiet down all the smiths haters who thinks hes only a game manager. Game manager would be murray or hogan who some on here would rather have. Im really hoping bray wins the back up spot.

[JPPT1974]

He is underrated. As well as really a great QB. As that he is not given enough recognition IMHO!