Kansas City Chiefs: Alex Smith Ready to Make His Legacy
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has been labeled a “game manager” and lived in the shadows of other quarterbacks his entire career, but he’s finally poised to make his own legacy.
We all remember the 2005 NFL Draft when the San Francisco 49ers famously drafted Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers with the No. 1 overall pick. Looking back, San Francisco certainly wishes they could have that pick back, as Alex Smith is still working to get out from under Rodgers’ shadow. The two have drawn comparisons their entire careers- it doesn’t help that they look so similar- but the comparison is unfair to Smith.
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Smith entered a San Francisco situation that didn’t cater to his playing style where he saw six different offensive coordinators in six years. When he finally was in a situation to excel in 2012, Smith lost his starting job due to a concussion despite being one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league.
Rodgers, on the other hand, has been blessed in Green Bay with arguably the best front office in the league and a team that knows how to help him win. Now, Rodgers is touted as a future Hall of Famer, while Smith is still trying to make his name. It’s finally time for Alex Smith to form his own legacy.
In his first three seasons in Kansas City, Smith has averaged over 3,300 passing yards and 20 touchdowns each season while never throwing more than seven interceptions. He didn’t hit those numbers once in his seven years in San Francisco. He’s lead the Chiefs to a 31-17 record in that time, including a dominant 30-0 beatdown of the Houston Texans in the postseason to give the franchise its first playoff win since 1993. Kansas City was defeated 20-27 by the New England Patriots in the next round, but the team is ready to do more.
Kansas City’s success correlates directly to Smith’s arrival after a 2-14 2012 season. Smith and head coach Andy Reid arrived for 2013, signaling a new era of Chiefs football. Now they’re easily a contender in the AFC West (but so is everyone), and some are even talking about a Super Bowl. It’s certainly not out of reach.
Smith has begun to do enough to prove that he’s not just a “game manager”, as many have labeled him, but that he can actually have an impact on the game. In 2016 when Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles went down with a knee injury after a 1-4 Chiefs start, the entire league thought the team was done. Kansas City lost the next game, and everyone was sure that it was over. Then Smith rallied his squad and led them to 11 straight wins, including the playoff victory.
Now, Charles will return along with the guys who starred as his replacements, Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware. With Jeremy Maclin as the star, Travis Kelce a consistent threat, Albert Wilson coming into his own, and Rod Streater coming in from Oakland, the Chiefs will field the most dangerous offense they’ve had in quite some time. Alex Smith is licking his chops.
Smith is still trying to get out from under the “game manager” label and trying to form his own legacy, and 2016 could be the year he does that. He has elite athleticism at the quarterback position with the ability to extend plays with his feet and pick up yards on the ground, (1,183 yards in three seasons with KC) but he isn’t over-reliant on this. He’s developed into an excellent pre-snap quarterback and has shown he can make pinpoint passes deep down the field when he needs to.
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He’s already going down in Kansas City Chiefs lore for breaking their 22-year playoff drought, now his next step is bringing the team their first Super Bowl since they defeated the Vikings in Super Bowl IV (1969). Smith has the talent and the team to do it; he just needs to play his best football in 2016 and catch a few lucky breaks. Hopefully this is the year he shows the league who he can really be and proves himself once and for all.