Andy Reid on Alex Smith: ‘He’s our quarterback’

The Kansas City Chiefs are apparently excited about Alex Smith, and he was named the starter for the 2017 edition by head coach Andy Reid.

Sometimes, you just shake your head and wonder what other people see. On Thursday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid did a radio interview with ESPN’s Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. During the spot, Reid talked about Alex Smith, who is under heavy fire in Kansas City for his lackluster play in 2016. Here’s what Reid had to say, per Arrowhead Pride.

"“I’m lucky enough to have Alex Smith, who I think is phenomenal and still can play,” Reid said. “I was asked that question like two seconds after the game and then it turned into, like, a controversy. He’s our quarterback, by the way, and he’s right here at the Pro Bowl so I think we’re going to keep him.”"

This is going to make plenty of Chiefs fans go insane. Smith is only at the Pro Bowl as an alternate, because Tom Brady is in the Super Bowl. No sane person would argue that Smith is anywhere close to a Pro Bowler. In fact, a strong argument could be made he’s not a top-six quarterback in the AFC (Brady, Roethlisberger, Luck, Mariota, Carr, Rivers).

If Kansas City starts Smith in 2017, fine. After that, starting him would be insane. The Chiefs could cut him after this upcoming season and save $17 million in cap space. The team should draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and let him develop for a season on the bench, then take over.

Otherwise, welcome back to the 1990s, when Steve Bono and Elvis Grbac submarined the team for years.