Mike Mayock defends Alex Smith as Chiefs starting quarterback
By Matt Conner
In recent comments, Mike Mayock defended Alex Smith as the Chiefs starting quarterback by pointing out the lack of decent options around the NFL or known options in the draft.
Mike Mayock admits he is “bullish” on Alex Smith as the Kansas City Chiefs starter, but the NFL analyst says it’s for a good reason. Smith is a very good quarterback.
Mayock says he’s long been a fan of Smith as a starting quarterback and makes his point by basically asking Smith’s detractors, which are many at this point given the offense’s performance in the playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, to look at the competition. Smith’s overall numbers from the 2016 season look less than impressive with only 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, but Mayock says Chiefs fans should consider the alternatives.
"“I am bullish on Alex Smith because … there’s only eight or 10 franchise guys in the league, and if Alex Smith isn’t one of them, he’s kind of a notch below, and that’s better than most of the other teams around the league. I could name you half the league that needs a quality starting quarterback. So I believe the Chiefs are ahead of most of the teams. I think you’ve got to be careful for what you wish for, because it may come true.”"
Smith might be a known quantity that many fans would like to upgrade, but Mayock is absolutely right. Some teams are going to be fighting over the quarterback that the Chiefs are going to let go: Nick Foles. Matt Cassel is still floating around the league, as is Alex Tanney for that matter. Some of those guys aren’t starting, of course, but that there’s even room for substandard passers is a point to understand.
Kirk Cousins isn’t going anywhere, which means the Chiefs only real possible replacements at the starting position are injured veterans hoping to come back like Tony Romo, inconsistent veterans who have won far less than Smith like Jay Cutler or overhyped youngsters being given far too much credit for a total lack of a track record (Jimmy Garoppolo or even Mike Glennon for that matter).
One look at the draft doesn’t make many people feel that much better. Some teams might find a lot to like about players like DeShone Kizer, Mitch Trubisky or Patrick Mahomes, for example, but each comes with serious question marks about their ability to adapt to the NFL. Do you give up on a guy who has delivered over 10 wins per season in four years as a starter for the unknown. As Mayock reminds fans, “Be careful what you wish for.”
It’s easy to dream of the future through an optimistic lens, but every forecast is always going to be positive. The numbers, however, tell a different story. Otherwise there wouldn’t be so many NFL teams still searching for their starter even after all this time.