Blame this loss to Packers on Chiefs’ highly paid quarterback Alex Smith

[Hammock Parties]

Yay!

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...e36896085.html

GREEN BAY, Wisc.

Metaphorically speaking, the Chiefs showed up to a job interview drunk, lost, and wearing only jorts.

This was supposed to be a chance for them to see how they measured up against one of the NFL’s better teams, but instead it turned into a nationally televised embarrassment.

Alex Smith, who is being paid top-tier quarterback money and is bound to the Chiefs through at least next season, deserves every bit of criticism coming his way.

His team lost 38-28 to the Packers here at Lambeau Field on Monday, and that score is unnecessarily generous to the Chiefs.

This looked more like the Romeo Crennel years than anything up to the standards of Andy Reid, one of the game’s highest-paid and most experienced coaches.

The Chiefs fancy themselves Super Bowl contenders, but after blowing one game and being blown out in the next, they find themselves deservedly closer to the bottom of the league than the top.

This is awkward, but the Chiefs are below — among many other teams — the Raiders.

Smith can and should wear a lot of the blame. This is a quarterback’s league, and the juxtoposition with Aaron Rodgers on this night was almost cruel.

This was always going to be a critical season for Smith — he is playing with the best collection of talent and the most stability of his career — and he just played his worst consecutive games since joining the Chiefs.

The numbers against Green Bay weren’t bad. He completed 24 of 40 passes for 290 yards. Even threw a touchdown. To a wide receiver! But those numbers are very misleading, most of them picked up in a second half when the only drama was whether Derrick Johnson would break the franchise’s all-time tackles record (he did) and how many touchdowns Rodgers could throw (five).

In the first half, when the Chiefs allowed themselves to be buried, Smith completed two of seven passes for 39 yards.

Forget the numbers in the second half. One of the limitations of Smith is his inability to lead a team back from a deficit. During the game, an ESPN account Tweeted that Smith is 1-30-1 as a starting quarterback when his team trails by 14 or more at any point.

This played out like a power-point presentation of every fair criticism of Smith. Virtually every pass was short, or sideways, and even after three drives he actually had minus 1 yard passing. Serious. Less than zero. Fewer passing yards than you did, sitting at home, screaming at the TV before flipping over to the Royals.

The offensive line is a legitimate problem, of course, but Smith isn’t helping. At least once, he appeared to make the wrong decision on a package play that went for a loss. At another point, he threw a pass that two Packers defenders had a better chance of catching than the intended receiver.

In the second half, the man whose value rests largely in his ability to avoid mistakes scrambled left and threw across his body, poorly executing a terrible idea ended in an interception that gave the Packers the ball four yards from the end zone.

Not that he was alone in the disappointment. At one point, the Chiefs had been outgained 175-3. The Chiefs took over at midfield, and went backward. They were called for 12 men on the field. Twice. In the first half. Once, Allen Bailey made a terrific move to force an apparent fumble, but the play was wiped out by another Chiefs penalty.

All of this with 11 days to prepare.

Eleven days to prepare after an embarrassing loss to a division rival. Eleven days to prove they are more of the dominant team from week one than the bumbling team from week two. Eleven days to prepare to play one of the league’s marquee franchises in front of the football world.

This is a team going in the wrong direction. The Chiefs won convincingly in Houston, then should’ve beaten the Broncos, and now should not have wasted the Packers’ time.

You can find reasons to believe if you want. Sean Smith has been suspended for three games, a weakness fully exploited by two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. The offensive line is still working through some issues. Eric Berry may or may not be at full strength, and, hey, Jaye Howard and Marcus Peters and Travis Kelce and some others have had nice moments.

The Chiefs made the playoffs two years ago, and entered their final game last year with a chance to go back. The NFL is this country’s greatest incubator for overreaction. The Chiefs still have a lot of talent here. They can still save their season.

Many good teams will lose to the Broncos and Packers this year.

But there are just so many issues, none more glaring than Alex Smith.

His is the face of a team whose defining characteristic so far is the ability to drive fans mad — use either definition of that last word. These last two weeks have been infuriating to watch, and so much of it is tied to Smith — the short and sideways passes, the intermittent loss of place, the general inability to be what his coaches keep saying he is.

Sports are supposed to connect on a personal level, and the frustration means you care, but these last two weeks have brought an exceptional amount of frustration.

It’s not all Smith’s fault, of course. It’s rarely that simple. But he does play the most important position in American sports, and is the highest paid player (by average salary) on the team.

The Chiefs need to be beyond failures this sharp and overwhelming. So does their franchise quarterback.

In the three seasons since Smith came to Kansas City, it’s hard to think of a worse time for either team or player.

[MeatRock]

Originally Posted by TigerUppercut

Do you even watch football? Niners and Seahawks owned the NFC because they had Top 3 defenses. Seahawks have had terrible offenses and look how much they have achieved the last 3 years. Rodgers lost to the Niners 3-4 straight times because of that nasty defense.

You can't have an offense gain 40 ****ing yards or so in the first half and expect your defense to win the game for you. Period!

Not against Rodgers for sure.

[TigeRRUppeRRcut]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Russell Wilson did it in the Championship game last year.

Suicide. Do it.

Watch some football, kid. Rodgers got tortured by that seattle defense and put up shit numbers which kept Seattle alive. Russell was barely throwing over .500 and had 1 TD to his name and 4 INT's.

God you really are so ****ing stupid. It's people like you that make my colleagues wish people had to get licenses to have children.

[oaklandhater]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Also to blame is a stupid as hell game plan that never tried to establish the run or milk clock to keep Robo-Rodgers off the field...

We could not run the ball when our line was getting Man handled.

[aturnis]

Originally Posted by oaklandhater

You're a fool

A fool

[TigeRRUppeRRcut]

Originally Posted by MeatRock

You can't have an offense gain 40 ****ing yards or so in the first half and expect your defense to win the game for you. Period!

Not against Rodgers for sure.

So you are letting the defense off the hook for giving up 5 touchdowns? Where the hell is the logic in that. Pretty sure we have had several superbowl winners in the last 10 years playing with shit offenses.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by tk13

the Niners had a top shelf offensive line

Did you know Alex Smith was still sacked 3 times a game behind that line?

49ers fans try to blame it on the OL but we all know why...

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by TigerUppercut

Watch some football, kid. Rodgers got tortured by that seattle defense and put up shit numbers which kept Seattle alive. Russell was barely throwing over .500 and had 1 TD to his name and 4 INT's.



God you really are so ****ing stupid. It's people like you that make my colleagues wish people had to get licenses to have children.

I can't believe you watched the same game I did.

We knew coming into this game that we'd need to control the TOP and put up some points. That would require us to convert 3rd downs when they come up and throw the ****ing ball down field. Alex did precisely zero of that shit while the game really mattered.

We had a patchwork secondary going up against the best QB in NFL history in the rain and asked them to pull a miracle out of their assholes because our $17m per year QB is too scared to throw the ****ing ball to an open receiver.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by oaklandhater

We could not run the ball when our line was getting Man handled.

We were respectable the few times we did run the ball.

We absolutely could not pass the ball with our line getting man handled...

[MeatRock]

Originally Posted by TigerUppercut

So you are letting the defense off the hook for giving up 5 touchdowns? Where the hell is the logic in that. Pretty sure we have had several superbowl winners in the last 10 years playing with shit offenses.

Maybe so, but every ****ing drive wasn't a goddamn 3 & out either. Defenses get gassed when they are out on the field for an entire half.

BTW we don't have a Seattle defense or secondary.

[Hootie]

17 QBR tonight ...

time to pay attention to QBR as a tool ... it's just money

[oaklandhater]

Originally Posted by TigerUppercut

So you are letting the defense off the hook for giving up 5 touchdowns? Where the hell is the logic in that. Pretty sure we have had several superbowl winners in the last 10 years playing with shit offenses.

Even great defenses give up big games some times your offense has to put on there big boy pants

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201212...3443&tab=recap

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Hootie 2.0

17 QBR tonight ...

time to pay attention to QBR as a tool ... it's just money

And clocking in at #32...

[MeatRock]

Every ****ing drive we had in the first half except one, was a 3 & out. Yep, our defense should have held.

You know because Seattle beat Rodgers with their defense with a vastly superior secondary.

[TigeRRUppeRRcut]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I can't believe you watched the same game I did.

We knew coming into this game that we'd need to control the TOP and put up some points. That would require us to convert 3rd downs when they come up and throw the ****ing ball down field. Alex did precisely zero of that shit while the game really mattered.

We had a patchwork secondary going up against the best QB in NFL history in the rain and asked them to pull a miracle out of their assholes because our $17m per year QB is too scared to throw the ****ing ball to an open receiver.

You should learn a thing or two about Aaron Rogers in games where he loses. It's when the Packers score an average of 24 or less points. That's just fact since 2013. Look it up. Just so you understand...5 touchdowns is greater than that amount. Our secondary is the main culprit, followed by our ILB who allowed >4.5 yards/carry.

Smith is better than many successful game managers and his pay is warranted to be where it is currently at, just outside the top 10.

The envy on this board that we don't have Rodgers, Manning, and Brady is getting old. In fact, it makes the Chiefs fans base look pathetic.

[TigeRRUppeRRcut]

Originally Posted by MeatRock

Maybe so, but every ****ing drive wasn't a goddamn 3 & out either. Defenses get gassed when they are out on the field for an entire half.

BTW we don't have a Seattle defense or secondary.

Which is why we better hope our secondary of Gaines, Smith, Peters, Berry plus our defensive front will be enough to stop top offenses. Because it makes zero sense that we are paying this much for defense if it's going to let Rodgers put up 5 TD's. The Superbowl is not won on shoot outs. The only time we saw that was from Drew Brees... Outside of that, every winning team has had a top 10 defense.