Alex Smith and the West Coast offense in 2016

Alex Smith has struggled so far in 2016 in the West Coast Offense. The statistics show it.

The first four weeks of the 2016 NFL season have not been so kind to Alex Smith. After Sunday’s embarrassing loss in Pittsburgh, it’s clear that Smith is not right in Andy Reid’s West Coast Offense, and whether or not the Chiefs can contend for a serious playoff run is in serious question.

Smith ranks 28th of 32 qualifying quarterbacks in yards gained per pass attempt (6.39). Yes, Smith does compete in a West Coast Offense style. He’s limited at times because of the style Reid runs.

Just so we’re all clear on what exactly the West Coast offense entails, take a look at this excerpt, courtesy of The Phinsider of SB Nation:

"“Teams running a WCO-based system will look to spread a defense horizontally across the field, typically inside 15 yards from line of scrimmage, before attempting longer passes in the open lanes caused by the defensive adjustments to the shorter, wider passes. “The receiving routes will be dominated by slants, crossing routes, comebacks and flat passes. The offense will look to control the ball through the short passing game, using the pass to set up the run, rather than run to set up the pass, and they will throw the ball in any down-and-distance situation.”"

The reality that Smith is near the bottom of the rankings of yards per completion shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. But the fact is this: Smith has struggled to take the next step as the leader of the Chiefs offense.