Alex Smith Looks Like the New Chief in Kansas City
Dorian “The Trashman” Colbert, Rosterwatch.com

For the past few days, rumors have abounded concerning the potential destination for 49ers backup quarterback Alex Smith. Now we know the answer—it’s Kansas City.  

Arizona was considered a player at one point, but the fact the fact they they are division rivals to San Fran and Smith doesn’t fit into the Arians scheme of throwing the ball on a regular basis,  that takes them out of the running. If you’re sensing some sarcasm related to my perception of Smith’s abilities, you’re right on point.

I personally don’t think he’s worth all the hype, but I will digress for the sake of the story here. The front runner in the Smith sweepstakes has been a Chiefs franchise that has seen a massive overhaul in the past few months. Former Eagles head coach Andy Reid has taken the reigns in Kansas City, and he needs a new quarterback to direct his West-Coast offense. That new quarterback is Alex Smith.

And that’s what confuses me about the trade. Just because he plays on a team situated on the west coast, doesn’t mean he suited to run that style of offense. In his seven years in the league, Smith has completed less than 60% of his passes and averaged only 6.6 yds per pass.

He’s also only topped 2,500 yds twice in his career. To me, this is the definition of a Matt Schaub game manager. In all fairness, Smith is a considerable improvement on Matt Cassell and Brady Quinn, but in similar fashion to those acquisitions, it looks like KC is going to continue to bet big on mediocre talent. They don’t have the defense to buffer Smith’s lack of production like the 49ers did.

Maybe my eyes have deceived me over the years and Smith is capable of much more than I give him credit for under the right circumstances. He did make marked improvement, once he was under the the same offensive coordinator for a couple of years. And if anyone can work miracles in developing a quarterback, it is coach Reid. It looks like the Chiefs are giving up at least a 2013 second-rounder in the deal, and can expect a first-round ousting in the playoffs, if they’re lucky.