Will the real Alex Smith please stand up?
By Ryan Tracy
Nov 22, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) calls the cadence during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Smith is in the prime of his career as an athlete. He still has his athleticism to rely on, but has developed the confidence in himself and the offense growing around him. The mature Smith is seeing that as the seasons go by and he grows older, he needs to take a few more chances. Sunday, he looked like he is finally ready to do that.
Smith’s contract is only likely to keep him in Kansas City through the 2016 season. In the battle for success and for Smith ‘s eventual Chiefs legacy, the question is simple: Which version of Alex Smith will take over down the stretch this season and into 2016?
Oh, This is Alex Smith
Reid tends to see his players in terms of capability and not necessarily actual performance. It hit me during the Bills-Chiefs game that they two had finally come together for Smith.
This is the Alex Smith they traded for. If he can sustain this consistently, the future is bright for the next 22-30 games.#NFL #CHIEFS
— Ryan - RogueAPC.com Performance Consulting (@RyanTracyNFL) November 29, 2015
Smith is playing exactly how Reid/Dorsey envisioned when they traded for him. He is continuing to be the efficient caretaker of the football, although he did have two close calls that nearly became an INTs against the Bills’ Ronald Darby and Bacarri Rambo. Still, 283 passes without an interception is an impressive number.
Next: What's different for Smith?