This is the million-dollar question that all Kansas City fans ask themselves… Is Alex Smith the answer? Honestly, I love the guy’s style of play. His first 5 years in the NFL were disappointing to say the least, but he emerged in 2011. His 2011 season featured starting all 16 games, 17 touchdowns, an NFL best 5 interceptions, a 61.3% completion percentage, and he led the 49ers to a 13-3 season, and their first playoff berth since the 2002 season.
His 2012 season was looking even better.
Through 10 games, he had an NFL best completion percentage of 70.2%. However, he suffered a concussion in week 9 against the Rams, and Colin Kaepernick took over for him in the end of week 9 and 10. After being medically cleared to play on week 11, head coach Jim Harbaugh elected to stick with Colin Kaepernick, and Alex Smith lost the starting job, due to his injury. I am one of Jim Harbaugh’s biggest critics when it comes to that move, but that is a story for later. So, with losing his job in San Fran, The Kansas City Chiefs traded for Alex Smith, in exchange for a second round pick in the 2013 NFL draft, and a 2014 conditional draft pick. After this trade was official, new Chief’s head coach Andy Reid, officially named Alex Smith the starter.
So, the man who lost his job…, is he the answer to the Kansas City Chief’s problems? Smith has a career completion percentage of 59.3%, and a QBR of 79.1. His career numbers are very dismal, and don’t signal the sign of a great quarterback. But his emergence of the last two years, make for a different Alex Smith. So, can the Chiefs expect the Alex Smith of the old? Or the new? I am here to tell you, to expect another solid season from Smith, and for the Chiefs to turn their fortunes around.
A quarterback cannot thrive without solid options to throw to. Luckily for Smith, he has a plethora of great targets to throw to. His #1 option is his wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe. Bowe is a big target, and although he does not have the best hands, he is explosive. Smith also has arguably the best running back in the league, Jamaal Charles, and Charles will take some of the pressure off of Smith with a solid running game. The wide receiving core also features Dexter McCluster, Donnie Avery, and Jon Baldwin. This year, the Chiefs will feature the BEST tight end core in the league. Tony Moeaki is the number 1 tight end for this team. The team also picked up former Miami Dolphin’s tight end Anthony Fasano is free agency. Also, to make matters even better for the Chiefs, they selected University of Cincinnati Tight-End Travis Kelce in the third round of this years’ draft. We saw how much success Alex Smith had with his favorite target Vernon Davis in San Francisco, so expect that to carry over. Expect a lot of 2 and 3 tight-end packages. Not to mention, the Chiefs selected right tackle Eric Fisher with the first pick in the draft to bolster that offensive line.
How well the defense plays also depends on how Alex Smith can play on offense. If he has to constantly put up 30+ points every game, forget it. Personally, this defense looks solid to me. The Chiefs got Akeem Jordan from the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, to bolster a linebacking core that features Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, and Justin Houston. Dontari Poe, the Chiefs first round pick last year, bolsters a solid defensive line, and plugs up the middle. The secondary is led by safety Eric Berry, and although it may not be as strong as other teams’ secondary’s, it still is solid.
With everything I have stated here, I do think that with Alex Smith, the Chiefs will be successful. Although I would not expect an immediate turn around, and I don’t think they will ever win a Super Bowl, I do think they will be able to contend. No more 2-14 for this team, they are ahead of that now. Expect a decent 8-8 record this upcoming year. Smith and head coach Andy Reid will need a season or two to get all the kinks worked out, and form a solid offense, but expect that in three to four years, especially when Peyton Manning retires and is out of the NFL, the Chiefs win the AFC west and contend for years and years to come. Expect Alex Smith to make Jim Harbaugh regret that he ever got rid of him.
All stats from Yahoo! Sports
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