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Kansas City Chiefs: Is Alex Smith What Fans Expected

By Leigh Oleszczak

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On February 27, 2013, the Kansas City Chiefs acquired quarterback Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs traded a second round pick in 2013 and in 2014 as well, which some fans don’t feel was worth the trade. I, on the other hand, am very pro-Smith and have been since the day Kansas City traded for him.

Don’t get me wrong. Alex Smith isn’t an elite quarterback. He’s no Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he is a reliable leader and I love having him as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

In his first season with Kansas City, Smith led the Chiefs to a 9-0 start. Sure, a large part of that 9-0 start was due to the dominating Chiefs defense, but Smith didn’t ever give games away. He didn’t turn the ball over and remained calm under center when the games were close.

The Chiefs are just a few solid players away from being a legit contender in the NFL and Alex Smith will be the guy to lead them to great things.

2013 saw the Chiefs going 11-5 and making it into the Wildcard round of the playoffs. The Chiefs blew a huge lead, but it was hardly anywhere close to being considered Smith’s fault. In fact, the playoff game in Indianapolis may have been Alex Smith’s best game yet. Smith threw for 378 yards and had four touchdown passes on the day. If it hadn’t been for the defense’s implosion, Alex Smith would have led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first playoff win in 20 years.

Smith had his best season in 2013 (keep in mind he had spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Niners) with 3,313 yards passing, 23 touchdown passes (also one on the ground), and only seven interceptions. Smith made it to his first Pro Bowl after his 2013 efforts and although he was picked last in the Pro Bowl draft, Smith still showed that he was the guy that was finally going to help the Chiefs make it beyond a one and done game in the playoffs.

Smith’s second season was when the heat started to come from the fans. He received a large contract extension in the preseason that many fans felt he didn’t deserve (four years for $68 million). From then on, fans felt that Smith would have to really prove himself and this led to criticism literally any time the Chiefs lost. All of the blame seemed to fall on Smith’s shoulders despite not having a good offensive line or good receivers to throw to.

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    • 2014 didn’t start off well for the Chiefs, as they were humiliated in their season opener against the Tennessee Titans. Smith threw three interceptions in that game and as a whole, looked off. The good news is that this “bad Alex Smith” didn’t stick around much longer. He was able to kick things into high gear, eventually leading the Chiefs to eight wins after that (the ninth win came from Chase Daniel).

    Smith finished his second season with the Kansas City Chiefs with 3,265 passing yards 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions (half of those coming against the Titans). Yes, Smith’s stats were down from his first year in Kansas City, but the competition was more difficult in 2014, plus injuries plagued the Chiefs all season long.

    When you tie in the fact that Smith has had no offensive line or good wide receivers to throw to, it’s incredible that he’s played as well as he has. I’d love to see what he could do once he’s given a solid line up front and good wide receivers to throw the football to.

    Year three of “The Alex Smith Experience” should result in a decent season for the Chiefs. What exactly is a “decent season” in my eyes? I would say a winning record, a playoff berth, and HOPEFULLY a playoff win. The Chiefs are just a few solid players away from being a legit contender in the NFL and Alex Smith will be the guy to lead them to great things.

    Next: Could Todd Herremans Be a Potential Target For the Chiefs?

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