Should The Kansas City Chiefs Draft A QB In 2014? Ron Jaworski Says Yes
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs have very little history of drafting quarterbacks, and even less history of success in that area.
ESPN.com recently put together a panel of their NFL analysts to do a series they title, “Top Offseason Questions.” The panel consists of Bill Polian, Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Herm Edwards, Louis Riddick, Ron Jaworski and Mike Sando.
They were brought together to touch on the top 50 issues heading into the offseason and one of Jaworski’s pieces touched on why the Kansas City Chiefs need to be looking at drafting a new quarterback in 2014.
"“Alex Smith does outstanding things, but he’s a stop gap guy. As much as he helped the Chiefs and as well he’s played lately, I don’t look at him as a franchise guy.”"
Jaworski feels that the Chiefs need to be looking for a replacement as soon as possible. He goes on to give a little credit saying,
"“He (Smith) did a great job of calming things down after a season of turmoil in Kansas City in 2012.” Jaworski continues “the Chiefs need to look down the road.”"
Jaworski rated Alex Smith as his 20th best quarter back in his annual pre-season rankings of players at the position. Jaws is a great analyst- considering the countless hours he spends watching film- but I take most of what he says with a grain of salt.
Sure, I agree the Chiefs need to always be looking for a quarterback, it’s a great philosophy to have and it’s one that Dorsey practiced well in Green Bay. But to say that Alex Smith is only a “stop gap” after playing the way he played last season, isn’t exactly fair.
Smith lead the Chiefs to 6th best scoring offense with virtually no help aside from Jamaal Charles. He finished with a completion percentage of just over 60% and threw for 3,313 yards, 23 touchdowns and finished with a total QB rating of 89.1.
Oh and yeah, he was the Chiefs second leading rusher as well with 76 carries for 431 yards- giving him an average of 5.7 yards per carry. Pretty sure over half the league would love those kind of numbers from their quarterback.
Reality of it is this, Smith is entering his 10th season and isn’t getting any younger. At best, the Chiefs should get 5 solid years from him. Alex Smith could definitely be upgraded but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be the answer for the Chiefs and a Super Bowl title.
Personally, I’m cheering for Alex Smith. I like his story and even after he had arguably the best season of his career, the experts still don’t believe in him. As Rodney Dangerfield used to say, “No respect!” I think their wouldn’t be a better story than Alex Smith coming to Kansas City as a cast off and winning it all. We’ll just have to see how it plays out.
Note: you must be an ESPN Insider on their website to read the full article I just described. Heres the link for those of you who are insiders, and care to give it a read.
I’m curious though, what are your thoughts on Jaworski’s comments, and how do you feel about Alex Smith leading the way for the Chiefs in the future? Sound off below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.