Contract or no contract Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Alex Smith will play in 2014. What remains to be seen is if there were be a new deal before the start of the 2014 season.
Now there are some who think Alex Smith is not what this franchise needs at this point, they he is not the answer for the Chiefs. In light of that argument lets look at the stats.
In order to get a good base to start with we should go back to the last time the Chiefs were in the playoffs 2010. That year all the Chiefs quarterbacks, which were Matt Cassel, Brodie Croyle, and Tyler Palko, combined for a total of 3189 passing yards and a 55.6 passing completion percentage. The next few years were not favorable in that we only saw, 2011 stats – 3288 yards, 60.0% completion percentage, 2012 57.5 completion percentage and 2937 yards. The touchdown to interception ratio is not good either as they are the following: 2010 28 touchdowns 7 int, 2011 13 touchdowns 18 int, 2012 8 touchdowns and 20 int. With these stats it is no wonder the Chiefs were desperate in searching for not only an accurate quarterback but one that could protect the ball. The Chiefs got that with Alex Smith.
The 2013 quarterback stats were much improved with quarterback play. They averaged a 63.55% completion with 22 touchdowns, 8 interceptions and 3561 yards. The difference between the playoff teams are 7.95% better completion percentage and 372 more yards. There were more touchdowns thrown in 2010, but then again wide receiver Dwanye Bowe was in great form for Matt Cassel that year.
May 14, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks Chase Daniel (10) and Alex Smith (11) during organized team activities at the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Clearly Alex Smith and Chase Daniel are the best combination of quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs in 3 seasons. Which then leads to what we might expect from Smith and company in 2014.
Towards the end of the season last year and most definitely in the playoff loss, we saw Smith start to really take from when it comes to moving the ball down the field. With those numbers still in sight from last year, one would expect that the numbers will only be greater in 2014, especially if Smith can get better chemistry with other players not named Jamaal Charles. As for head coach Andy Reid the addition of speedsters like De’Anthony Thomas and the always dangerous Jamaal Charles, means we very well may start seeing more of the shorter passing attempts in effort to gain yards after catch. Bowe has that ability and has shown he is capable of doing that. Donnie Avery, though it was stated that he was suffering from injuries last year, could be a viable option for Smith in the slot. Put that together with hopefully better tight end play, not to mention any players that might turn out to be gold via waiver wires Smith should have plenty of targets in 2014.
In the end, Alex Smith is the best answer for the Chiefs at this point in time. If one of the developmental players such as Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray works out then there is the long term answer for the Chiefs. But for the here and now Alex Smith is the quarterback and despite all the talk about contract there is no doubt he will play in 2014 and if he plays hard enough he may very well be sticking around for quite awhile.
There you have it Addicts. Is Smith the answer? What do you expect of the second year player in a Chiefs uniform?
Sound off below… GO CHIEFS!