Kansas City Chiefs: A farewell to Alex Smith
By Chris Taylor
The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to trade Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins. Alex kept the Chiefs relevant during his tenure, much thanks.
Alex Smith is no longer the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. In a blockbuster trade with the Redskins Tuesday evening, the Alex Smith era is officially over in Kansas City.
When Andy Reid traded for Alex Smith shortly after he was hired, there was excitement in Chiefs Kingdom. Five of the previous six seasons came with a losing record. The possibility of turning things around seemed imminent. Turn things around was exactly what Kansas City did.
Alex Smith went 50-26 during his five years with the Chiefs. The Chiefs were 29-67 in the six years previous. The Chiefs brand was on the brink of being broken, Cleveland Browns broken. Without Alex Smith this turnaround would not have been possible.
Smith gave the Chiefs their first playoff win since Joe Montana. Kansas City never finished worse than 2nd in the AFC West and won back to back division titles for the first time in team history. All of this and still no one cared. He will go down as one of the most under appreciated players in NFL history.
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He did exactly what Chiefs fans wanted him to do which was win football games. In fact, very seldom did he ever lose a game for the Chiefs. The team went from one extreme to the other. A cornucopia of quarterbacks that preceded him lost games, lots of games, sometimes on their own.
Smith became a scapegoat for every loss, no matter how his performance. When the pressure came down on him to take more chances, he did, and led the league in throws over 30 yards. It still wasn’t enough.
The gift that keeps on giving
Alex Smith saved this team from the pit of misery, the cellar and the downward spiral. Week in and week out he delivered the goods, almost always keeping the Chiefs competitive in games.
Now that he is gone, the defense will substantially get better with the addition of top slot corner Kendall Fuller. The Chiefs also save upwards of 17 million with his exit as well as receiving a 3rd round pick. So even in his absence he will benefit Kansas City, possibly for years and years to come.
A personal goodbye
Thank you for your services. Thank you for your dedication. Thanks for wanting to stay and for wanting to continue the fight. I appreciate you for going above and beyond in helping our new signal caller Patrick Mahomes, even when you knew you were training and teaching the guy that was going to someday take your job.
Thank you for bringing hope back to a fan base that desperately needed to feel relevant again. Thanks for whipping the New England Patriots multiple times.
I am sorry that Smith couldn’t take the Chiefs further into the playoffs and no, it wasn’t your fault. I hope someday you get the appreciation you definitely deserve. In Washington I hope the fans give you more respect, they allow you to be you and accept the fact that you will not throw for 8,000 yards or 50 touchdown passes a season.
The last five years have not been forgettable by no means. You led a team that overachieved to the point of underachieving. On behalf of Chiefs fans in agreement, thank you for the time and effort you put into this team.