Chiefs The 49ers were wrong about Alex Smith - Page 4

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 10-03-2014, 11:50 AM

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...gn=programming

The 49ers Got It Wrong on Alex Smith, and He's Proving It with the Chiefs
By Mike Freeman , NFL National Lead Writer Oct 3, 2014

Offensive guard Geoff Schwartz remembers the first time he saw Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith run in a game. Smith escaped from the pocket, and what Schwartz saw shocked him.

"Whoa, I didn't think he was that fast," Schwartz said to himself.

Schwartz is now with the Giants but played with Smith in Kansas City in 2013. Schwartz isn't the only guy to be unexpectedly amazed by Smith. When Smith was in San Francisco and was shockingly permanently benched for Colin Kaepernick after suffering a concussion—the team was 6-2, and Smith was having his best statistical season—one 49ers player remembered what the locker room was like after the controversial move.

There were two camps developing: one for Kaepernick and the other for Smith.

While the player explained it would be hyperbole to say a civil war was emerging, he said, "The locker room was headed to a potentially bad place. Then Alex changed things."

Smith told teammates opposed to his benching, in no uncertain terms, to back Kaepernick. The player remembers Smith's actions as the most selfless thing he's seen in his NFL career.

Kaepernick told reporters this week, speaking of Smith and his benching:

I think he definitely made things go a lot smoother. I mean, the way he handled things didn't turn it into a controversy in the locker room. It shows the character that he has, not only as a player but as a man.

(He's) one of the classiest people I've been around—just all-around great guy. I don't think anyone could've handled it as well as he did.

I'm told that Kaepernick at the time basically said to Smith that he would never forget how Smith handled the situation.

"Did he want to be on the field? Yes," Kaepernick said. "But he wasn't going to let that get in the way of what the team was trying to do."

Said Smith to the media this week: "I actively tried to be a good teammate and tried to do what was right. This is a team game, and I wasn't going to put myself or my situation ahead of any of that. I know I said this at the time, and I still feel the same way: No one is bigger than the team."

This is who Alex Smith is. Probably how he's always been. And there's so much more.

In many ways, it is Smith's unselfishness that makes him great. It is also that unselfishness that makes him vastly underappreciated.

Smith has been called a game-manager, which in the past was the NFL equivalent of a slur. A game-managing quarterback is basically told to just stay the hell out of the way while the real men do the job.

What many of us—including me—missed about Smith in the past was just how explosive his skill set can be. That potential was buried in conservative 49ers systems that didn't always trust him (but should have).

As Smith heads back to San Francisco on Sunday, versus the team that dumped him for Kaepernick, what we've learned is this: Game-manager is no longer an insult when it comes to Smith. In many ways, he has changed the definition of the term.

Smith isn't the guy he was with the 49ers. He has grown into more than just efficient. He's become dangerous, a quarterback who can make every throw on the field. Game-manager? Game-destroyer. He's gone from tepid to explosive, and the transformation of two franchises became complete.

"Every QB is a 'game-manager,'" Schwartz said. "Russell Wilson is a game-manager just like Alex Smith. He does what's asked of him."

Schwartz wasn't criticizing Wilson. He was stating a fact. Wilson and Smith have talent, but they also don't make a ton of mistakes. Smith can do anything. If the Chiefs need him to throw for 180 yards and run for 40, he can. If they need him to do what he did against the Patriots, throwing for 248 yards and three scores with a passer rating of 144.4, he can do that too.

Alex Smith's Career Stats
Year Team W-L Cmp% Y/G TD INT Rating
2005 49ers 2-5 50.9% 97.2 1 11 40.8
2006 49ers 7-9 58.1% 180.6 16 16 74.8
2007 49ers 2-5 48.7% 130.6 2 4 57.2
2009 49ers 5-5 60.5% 213.6 18 12 81.5
2010 49ers 3-7 59.6% 215.5 14 10 82.1
2011 49ers 13-3 61.3% 196.5 17 5 90.7
2012 49ers 6-2-1 70.2% 173.7 13 5 104.1
2013 Chiefs 11-4 60.6% 220.9 23 7 89.1
2014 Chiefs 2-2 65.6% 222.8 7 3 94.2
Pro-Football-Reference.com

"Some QBs are asked to do more," Schwartz said.

"Just look at our playoff game," Schwartz added, referring to a 45-44 Wild Card loss to the Colts, in which Jamaal Charles left after the first play with a concussion. "Losing Jamaal, we needed more from Alex."

And what did Smith give them? He had 378 yards and four passing touchdowns. He was asked to change his game and carry the offense, and he was incredible.

The alleged game-manager morphed into Dan Fouts.

What we're seeing with Smith is maybe a guy who all along could do many things on the football field but was asked to do only a few. Maybe everyone except Chiefs head coach Andy Reid saw that.

When Smith came out of Utah in 2005, the Eagles—then coached by Reid—had a very high grade on him. Reid always loved Smith and wanted to coach him, I'm told. So when the opportunity arose, he jumped at it.

Reid gave Smith advice this week on the best way to approach returning to play an old team. He did this himself recently when the Chiefs played in Philadelphia. Reid explained to reporters:

You focus in on what you do. All the distractions, going home and all that—it doesn’t mean anything. You’re there to play the game and once you’ve said hi to your buddies it’s over. You’re playing the game, that’s what you’re doing. You’ve got to prepare and you’ve got to go through all the steps here on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. That’s what it is, everything else is kind of fluff. Everybody talks about it but that’s not what’s real. The real is you get in the grind and get yourself ready to play a game.

Smith has always meant many things to many people. To the 49ers, he was a passer of a torch. To Kaepernick, he took a seldom-used high road. To the Chiefs, he is everything. He is malleable.

What Smith is, most of all, is good. In every way.

Just plain good.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.

**Baby Lee** · 10-03-2014, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

How much do you blame Trent Green for the playoff loss in 2003?

Neither Trent Green nor Tony Gonzalez ever won an important game, close or not, in their entire careers.

Direckshun · 10-03-2014, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Neither Trent Green nor Tony Gonzalez ever won an important game, close or not, in their entire careers.

ChiefAshhole20 · 10-03-2014, 12:45 PM

Name 10 other QBs in the league that would fit better in this offense though. Even though he doesn't put up ridiculous numbers, he's still been one of the most efficient QBs in the league, just look at his 3rd down numbers.

He's consistently shown up in big games too, I can't think of a time we didn't at least keep it very close when playing in the big ones. Alex is one of the things we can rely on at this point, and really unless you have one of the premier QB's in the league, that's all you can really ask for.

GordonGekko · 10-03-2014, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claynus

Call me when he wins an important close game for this team. Especially when the opposition's offense is scoring 24+.

Blowouts rarely happen in the NFL.

The moment Alex gets us a playoff win I will turn the corner on him. I already know he is NEVER going to be a big stats guy so I have accepted that, but until playoff W comes he will just go down for me with the likes of Green, etc. A decent QB but in the broad scheme of things and especially compared to his peers in the NFL, many with much less starting experience, Alex is just kind of meh...

I'm still looking for that moment from him where he starts making fantastic throws down the field and not just floats to wide open targets, but true strikes. I'm still waiting..

Hammock Parties · 10-03-2014, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Neither Trent Green nor Tony Gonzalez ever won an important game, close or not, in their entire careers.

Not even close to true. I can think of several in 2005 alone.

See, I'm not even talking about playoff games. Alex is 0-3 against the Broncos, 0-2 against the Colts and 0-1 against the Chargers. Unless that changes, you're going to have to keep fapping to a .500 football team.

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 10-03-2014, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaepernick

Solid article. I reposted it on the 49ers forum.

Maybe I was wrong about Alex and he hadn't hit his ceiling in 2012. Maybe Alex is on his way to becoming a solid top 10 QB. I don't believe that yet and 4 games this year is too small of a sample set. Lets see what he does over 16 games in his 2nd year in Andy's system.

I did state in pre-season that Alex takes a couple of years to master a system, so you could not judge him only on 2011, and I went so far to predict thst he would be much improved in his 2nd year with the Chiefs.

I have always pegged him for a middle tier game manager at best, who would never achieve top 10 status because he was risk averse and lacked killer instinct.

I will be happy to eat crow if Andy has drawn out the killer instinct in Alex and inspires Him to take the appropriate risk at the critical time for the appropriate reward, instead of playing it safe.

You can't have too much top quarterback play in the NFL. Here is hoping Alex becomes a solid top 10 starting NFL quarterback. I won't choke on that crow.

I always appreciate anyone willing to be objective and not just stick to an argument because it's the one they've always made. People here thought I was a drafturbator for years because I always made that argument. I wrote a huge piece on Alex 24 hours after that deal and I've backed him ever since. I NEVER thought something like that would happen during the Cassel years, and even the first 24 hours after the Smith trade. After some analyization, and edumacation I changed my tune. It was a good move, and it's looking like the best move.

I was HUGE on Geno Smith. Right now, I'm glad we didn't go down that road. Geno can still prove me wrong, but here in the last week watching him battle some adversity has made me realize that he's NOT the guy I'd want leading my team.

jd1020 · 10-03-2014, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefAshhole20

Name 10 other QBs in the league that would fit better in this offense though. Even though he doesn't put up ridiculous numbers, he's still been one of the most efficient QBs in the league, just look at his 3rd down numbers.

He's consistently shown up in big games too, I can't think of a time we didn't at least keep it very close when playing in the big ones. Alex is one of the things we can rely on at this point, and really unless you have one of the premier QB's in the league, that's all you can really ask for.

Hard to be consistent when he's only played in one big one while being in KC and he hasn't been consistent in the 3 big games he's ever played in.

Kaepernick · 10-03-2014, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claynus

Again ignoring that Russell Wilson was #3 in YPC last year and Alex was #31...

We have had a two game outburst because Alex's playmakers are making plays with his short passes. That's great but it doesn't mean Alex is the right QB.

Alex has played really well. That pass last week up the middle to a covered Dwayne Bowe was a pass I never thought I would see Alex attempt. That was a bold attempt and far above his more timid historic play.

Maybe Andy is drawing out the killer instinct in Alex.

Where I agree with you is, 2 Swallows do not a sumer make. 2 great games is an anomaly, not a trend. Kets see him keep up this level of attacking play through game 8 at least. Even so, I want to see him play out the year before i am convinced of the New & Improved Alex Smith.

But I did predict in summer that Alex would be much improved in the 2nd year in Andy's system.

GordonGekko · 10-03-2014, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Neither Trent Green nor Tony Gonzalez ever won an important game, close or not, in their entire careers.

Hard to blame a singular TE for playoff failure, but someone playing the most important position in sports it can be said to be justified. This hasmuch more to do with Green than Tony..

Direckshun · 10-03-2014, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claynus

Not even close to true. I can think of several in 2005 alone.

See, I'm not even talking about playoff games. Alex is 0-3 against the Broncos, 0-2 against the Colts and 0-1 against the Chargers. Unless that changes, you're going to have to keep fapping to a .500 football team.

How much do you blame Trent Green for the playoff loss in 2003?

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 10-03-2014, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buehler445

You're nuts.

But I can't really refute your arguement

I'm not really a Kaep fan. I'm not really a Smith homer either. God I hope Smith is the better end of the deal. He's ours, and Kaep is in homoland. The fact that it is arguable is, well, unexpectedly good.

Oh, I'm not a Smith homer. I'll hold his ass accountable if he ****s up. I think Kaep is crap though. He's got some skills, but I don't think it's going to get a lot better than it is now. Alex is going to keep getting better in this system, and he's proved too me that he DOESN'T need all stars all around him to produce, and be successful. He won that playoff game last year. Our coaches and defense gave it away and shit all over him.

rabblerouser · 10-03-2014, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Well, Kaepernick is currently ranked 21st by PFO and 17th by PFF.

Alex Smith is currently ranked 11th by PFO and 10th by PFF.

He's also ahead of Kaepernick in NFL quarterback rating by a small margin.

The only one that he is behind in is ESPN's weird QBR thing.

So it's definitely not a stretch to say that the 49ers messed up and we got the better of the two QBs.

People keep saying that Kaepernick is only going to get better, but is he? For all they know, he can end up being the next Christian Ponder, Mark Sanchez, or Josh Freeman.

That's kinda what it's looking like.

OK KrapperD is looking like he may be a one hit wonder.

Hog's Gone Fishin · 10-03-2014, 12:50 PM

I can't believe Johnny Manziel wasn't the main character in this article !

Hammock Parties · 10-03-2014, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabblerouser

That's kinda what it's looking like.

OK KrapperD is looking like he may be a one hit wonder.

He's probably going to have 4,000 yards passing, 800 yards rushing and 30 total TD this year.

Bust.

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 10-03-2014, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claynus

Not even close to true. I can think of several in 2005 alone.

See, I'm not even talking about playoff games. Alex is 0-3 against the Broncos, 0-2 against the Colts and 0-1 against the Chargers. Unless that changes, you're going to have to keep fapping to a .500 football team.

Agreed 100%. And while a lot of that isn't Alex's fault, some of it is. And as the leader he HAS to be able to win against those guys.

10-03-2014, 11:50 AM
Mr. Flopnuts FINALLY! The wait is over. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Future Is Now!!! Casino cash: $19947565	The 49ers were wrong about Alex Smith http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...gn=programming The 49ers Got It Wrong on Alex Smith, and He's Proving It with the Chiefs By Mike Freeman , NFL National Lead Writer Oct 3, 2014 Offensive guard Geoff Schwartz remembers the first time he saw Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith run in a game. Smith escaped from the pocket, and what Schwartz saw shocked him. "Whoa, I didn't think he was that fast," Schwartz said to himself. Schwartz is now with the Giants but played with Smith in Kansas City in 2013. Schwartz isn't the only guy to be unexpectedly amazed by Smith. When Smith was in San Francisco and was shockingly permanently benched for Colin Kaepernick after suffering a concussion—the team was 6-2, and Smith was having his best statistical season—one 49ers player remembered what the locker room was like after the controversial move. There were two camps developing: one for Kaepernick and the other for Smith. While the player explained it would be hyperbole to say a civil war was emerging, he said, "The locker room was headed to a potentially bad place. Then Alex changed things." Smith told teammates opposed to his benching, in no uncertain terms, to back Kaepernick. The player remembers Smith's actions as the most selfless thing he's seen in his NFL career. Kaepernick told reporters this week, speaking of Smith and his benching: I think he definitely made things go a lot smoother. I mean, the way he handled things didn't turn it into a controversy in the locker room. It shows the character that he has, not only as a player but as a man. (He's) one of the classiest people I've been around—just all-around great guy. I don't think anyone could've handled it as well as he did. I'm told that Kaepernick at the time basically said to Smith that he would never forget how Smith handled the situation. "Did he want to be on the field? Yes," Kaepernick said. "But he wasn't going to let that get in the way of what the team was trying to do." Said Smith to the media this week: "I actively tried to be a good teammate and tried to do what was right. This is a team game, and I wasn't going to put myself or my situation ahead of any of that. I know I said this at the time, and I still feel the same way: No one is bigger than the team." This is who Alex Smith is. Probably how he's always been. And there's so much more. In many ways, it is Smith's unselfishness that makes him great. It is also that unselfishness that makes him vastly underappreciated. Smith has been called a game-manager, which in the past was the NFL equivalent of a slur. A game-managing quarterback is basically told to just stay the hell out of the way while the real men do the job. What many of us—including me—missed about Smith in the past was just how explosive his skill set can be. That potential was buried in conservative 49ers systems that didn't always trust him (but should have). As Smith heads back to San Francisco on Sunday, versus the team that dumped him for Kaepernick, what we've learned is this: Game-manager is no longer an insult when it comes to Smith. In many ways, he has changed the definition of the term. Smith isn't the guy he was with the 49ers. He has grown into more than just efficient. He's become dangerous, a quarterback who can make every throw on the field. Game-manager? Game-destroyer. He's gone from tepid to explosive, and the transformation of two franchises became complete. "Every QB is a 'game-manager,'" Schwartz said. "Russell Wilson is a game-manager just like Alex Smith. He does what's asked of him." Schwartz wasn't criticizing Wilson. He was stating a fact. Wilson and Smith have talent, but they also don't make a ton of mistakes. Smith can do anything. If the Chiefs need him to throw for 180 yards and run for 40, he can. If they need him to do what he did against the Patriots, throwing for 248 yards and three scores with a passer rating of 144.4, he can do that too. Alex Smith's Career Stats Year Team W-L Cmp% Y/G TD INT Rating 2005 49ers 2-5 50.9% 97.2 1 11 40.8 2006 49ers 7-9 58.1% 180.6 16 16 74.8 2007 49ers 2-5 48.7% 130.6 2 4 57.2 2009 49ers 5-5 60.5% 213.6 18 12 81.5 2010 49ers 3-7 59.6% 215.5 14 10 82.1 2011 49ers 13-3 61.3% 196.5 17 5 90.7 2012 49ers 6-2-1 70.2% 173.7 13 5 104.1 2013 Chiefs 11-4 60.6% 220.9 23 7 89.1 2014 Chiefs 2-2 65.6% 222.8 7 3 94.2 Pro-Football-Reference.com "Some QBs are asked to do more," Schwartz said. "Just look at our playoff game," Schwartz added, referring to a 45-44 Wild Card loss to the Colts, in which Jamaal Charles left after the first play with a concussion. "Losing Jamaal, we needed more from Alex." And what did Smith give them? He had 378 yards and four passing touchdowns. He was asked to change his game and carry the offense, and he was incredible. The alleged game-manager morphed into Dan Fouts. What we're seeing with Smith is maybe a guy who all along could do many things on the football field but was asked to do only a few. Maybe everyone except Chiefs head coach Andy Reid saw that. When Smith came out of Utah in 2005, the Eagles—then coached by Reid—had a very high grade on him. Reid always loved Smith and wanted to coach him, I'm told. So when the opportunity arose, he jumped at it. Reid gave Smith advice this week on the best way to approach returning to play an old team. He did this himself recently when the Chiefs played in Philadelphia. Reid explained to reporters: You focus in on what you do. All the distractions, going home and all that—it doesn’t mean anything. You’re there to play the game and once you’ve said hi to your buddies it’s over. You’re playing the game, that’s what you’re doing. You’ve got to prepare and you’ve got to go through all the steps here on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. That’s what it is, everything else is kind of fluff. Everybody talks about it but that’s not what’s real. The real is you get in the grind and get yourself ready to play a game. Smith has always meant many things to many people. To the 49ers, he was a passer of a torch. To Kaepernick, he took a seldom-used high road. To the Chiefs, he is everything. He is malleable. What Smith is, most of all, is good. In every way. Just plain good. Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.
Posts: 56,649

10-03-2014, 12:45 PM	#48
ChiefAshhole20 Starter Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Houston, TX Casino cash: $10005862	Name 10 other QBs in the league that would fit better in this offense though. Even though he doesn't put up ridiculous numbers, he's still been one of the most efficient QBs in the league, just look at his 3rd down numbers. He's consistently shown up in big games too, I can't think of a time we didn't at least keep it very close when playing in the big ones. Alex is one of the things we can rely on at this point, and really unless you have one of the premier QB's in the league, that's all you can really ask for.
Posts: 575

10-03-2014, 12:50 PM	#58
Hog's Gone Fishin Fish are scared of me Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $1720477	I can't believe Johnny Manziel wasn't the main character in this article !
Posts: 40,342