KC Chiefs: Is Alex Smith The Right Guy For The Chiefs?

Two years ago the Kansas City Chiefs gave up two second round picks in consecutive drafts in order to acquire quarterback Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers in an attempt to finally land a franchise quarterback for the first time in years.

Now that Smith has been with the Chiefs for over two years, I think he has had plenty of time to prove himself worthy of being a franchise quarterback and worth of the $11 million annually that he gets with his new deal with Kansas City.

Now, the question has to be asked if Smith has done enough to be getting paid this money and be “the guy” for the Chiefs.

The answer to this, in my opinion, is yes, he has.

Just a few years ago, if Chiefs fans will remember, KC seemed to have a new starting quarterback every week with guys like Matt Cassel, Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen, Brodie Croyle, and others under center for varying amounts of time.

Now, since Alex has been in town, the Chiefs finally have a guy they can rely on and not have to worry as much about the future of the quarterback position for a few years because of his still relatively young NFL age of 31.

In his first season with the Chiefs, Smith lead them to a playoff birth in a matchup with the Indianapolis Colts and Andrew Luck and was at one time leading the game 28 points before a legendary collapse that led to one of the most disappointing losses in Chiefs history.

In that game, his first in the postseason with the Chiefs, Alex went 30-of-46 and threw for 4 touchdowns and no interceptions in a game where star running back Jamaal Charles was forced to exit early in the first quarter with a concussion, limiting the Chiefs offense tremendously.

This playoff birth coming just one year after going 2-14 and having the number one overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Even though he ended up losing that game, I think Smith portrayed the ability to be successful at the playoff level when given some help on the defensive side of the ball.

Last season, the Chiefs and Alex both took a step back, as not a single touchdown was thrown to a wide receiver all season, and it has led to a complete re-vamping of the Chiefs wide receiver corp for this season.

Now, so far this preseason, some have said that backup Chase Daniel has looked and played better than Smith for the most part, and I would have to agree, but I am also inclined to point out the fact that Daniel is playing mostly against the opposition’s second/backup defensive team.

If he were in Smith’s spot in the starting lineup, I don’t think he would be as successful.

So to answer my initial question again, yes, I do believe that Alex Smith is the answer for the near future of the Kansas City Chiefs barring any significant injury, and I think he is very capable of winning a few playoff games if he gets some help in any given season.

Next: Is Chase Daniel Worthy Of Being A Starting NFL QB?