- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
QB Smith writes career’s second act with Chiefs
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_c420e5fc-e724-507b-ba5c-aab0dc1771a8.html
Alex Smith was in the midst of his finest NFL season in 2012 when he suffered a concussion in a Nov. 11 game against the Rams.
On a scramble late in the first quarter, Smith fell awkwardly and was hit from behind by linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar. Smith stayed in the game but took another hit on a quarterback sneak early in the second quarter.
“It was probably a combination of both (hits),” Smith told the Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas after that season. “I definitely got my bell rung (by Dunbar) and continued to play. I didn’t have any (concussion) symptoms after that, though. Then on the QB sneak is when my vision went and I was really kind of disoriented a little bit.”
Colin Kaepernick, a second-round draft pick in 2011, took over in that day’s 24-24 tie at Candlestick Park and held the job even after Smith recovered, leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, where they fell 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Smith finished that season with a career-best 104.1 quarterback rating, completing 70.2 percent of his passes for nearly 1,750 yards with 13 touchdowns and just five interceptions. During the offseason, Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a pair of draft picks.
Speaking with St. Louis media this week, Smith said he is comfortable with coach Andy Reid in Kansas City and has avoided the what-ifs surrounding the end of his stay in San Francisco.
“I haven’t give it any thought, to be totally honest,” said Smith, whose 3-3 Chiefs host the 2-4 Rams Sunday with a noon kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium. “It’s been great (in Kansas City). I feel like I’ve been here a while in football years, all last year. This is home.
“I think (Reid) is such a great teacher of the game, especially on offense and quarterback play. He’s been around a lot of guys, different guys. Every single day you know what you’re getting. You come to work every single day, it’s a great environment to learn and get better and go out there and cut it loose.”
Reid has a similar respect for his quarterback.
“Alex is doing a good job for us. I really enjoy coaching him,” said Reid, also in his second season with the Chiefs. “He just kind of takes care of everything. He’s not only a good football player, but he can handle a lot of things. When you have a few young guys around him, he just makes sure everybody’s right. It’s a tribute to him and his ability to do those things.
“He’s pitching the ball good and manning the offense well.”
At times during his NFL career, Smith, who signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension in September, has been criticized for his frequent checkdowns — he has attempted just nine passes of 20-plus yards this season — and has been labeled as a “game manager.”
“To be totally honest, I’m old enough that I don’t really care as long as we win,” the 30-year-old said. “I could care less what they call me.”
Smith went 21-1 as a starter at Utah under Urban Meyer, finishing fourth in the 2004 Heisman Trophy voting after passing for nearly 3,000 yards and accounting for 42 touchdowns and with just four interceptions. He was drafted No. 1 overall in 2005 by a San Francisco franchise coming off a 2-14 campaign.
As a 20-year-old rookie, Smith struggled with injuries and consistency. In nine games, including seven starts, he completed less than 51 percent of his passes with one touchdown and 11 interceptions. In his first six NFL seasons, Smith worked with six offensive coordinators under head coaches Mike Nolan (18-37 record) and Mike Singletary (18-22).
Smith’s fortunes, as well as those of the 49ers, took a dramatic turn when Jim Harbaugh took over in 2011. That season, Smith enjoyed his best season to date, completing better than 61 percent of his passes for 3,144 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions for a team that improved from 6-10 to 13-3, won a division title and lost in overtime in the NFC championship game to eventual Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants.
After the trade to Kansas City last year, Smith helped engineer another major turnaround as the Chiefs — who finished 2-14 in 2012 — won their first nine games and finished the regular season at 11-5 before losing 45-44 to Indianapolis in a wild-card game.
Smith, who stands 6 feet 4 and weighs 217 pounds, completed nearly 61 percent of his passes in 2013 while throwing for 3,313 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven picks. Through six games this fall, he’s thrown for 1,270 yards with nine touchdowns, four interceptions and a 64 percent completion rate.
“Alex is playing very, very well,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “Alex has deceptive speed; he can pull the ball down (and) run for big plays. (He’s) making really good decisions. They’ve done some amazing things with him as far as timing’s concerned. That ball’s coming out, and it’s accurate, And they put a lot of stress on your defense by the way they disperse the receivers.
“There’s really nobody in that offense who can’t get into a route and catch the football.”
And then there’s running back Jamaal Charles, who a year ago led the AFC in rushing with 1,287 yards, caught 70 passes for 693 yards and finished with 19 touchdowns. This year, after missing the better part of two games with a high ankle sprain, Charles is starting to come back: Over the last three games, he’s averaging 89 rushing yards and has scored on two runs and two pass receptions.
The Rams have had success this season containing top-level backs such as Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson (21 carries, 75 yards), Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy (24, 81), San Francisco’s Frank Gore (16, 38) and Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch (18, 53), but that won’t matter on Sunday.
“Completely different challenge this week in the run game,’’ Fisher stressed. “It’s a lot of read-option ... so I wouldn’t compare them (to the last few weeks). Now they’ve got a big back (Knile Davis) they go to every once in a while.... We were building ourselves to play the power running game in our division because there’s a lot of similarities between San Francisco and Seattle. (But) this run game this week is going to be a big challenge for us.’’
The Chiefs, who opened the season with losses to Tennessee and Denver, rallied to win 23-20 last weekend in San Diego on a 48-yard field goal from rookie Cairo Santos with 21 seconds to play and will be looking to build on that momentum against the Rams, who are also coming off a key 28-26 divisional win over Seattle.
“To be perfectly honest, when you’re in the middle of it, you don’t have time to reflect on your past,” Smith said when asked about the Chiefs’ season. “It was a big win last week, bringing us back to 3-3. ... We’re coming back home and doing whatever we can to get to 4-3.”
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_c420e5fc-e724-507b-ba5c-aab0dc1771a8.html
Alex Smith was in the midst of his finest NFL season in 2012 when he suffered a concussion in a Nov. 11 game against the Rams.
On a scramble late in the first quarter, Smith fell awkwardly and was hit from behind by linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar. Smith stayed in the game but took another hit on a quarterback sneak early in the second quarter.
“It was probably a combination of both (hits),” Smith told the Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas after that season. “I definitely got my bell rung (by Dunbar) and continued to play. I didn’t have any (concussion) symptoms after that, though. Then on the QB sneak is when my vision went and I was really kind of disoriented a little bit.”
Colin Kaepernick, a second-round draft pick in 2011, took over in that day’s 24-24 tie at Candlestick Park and held the job even after Smith recovered, leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, where they fell 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Smith finished that season with a career-best 104.1 quarterback rating, completing 70.2 percent of his passes for nearly 1,750 yards with 13 touchdowns and just five interceptions. During the offseason, Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a pair of draft picks.
Speaking with St. Louis media this week, Smith said he is comfortable with coach Andy Reid in Kansas City and has avoided the what-ifs surrounding the end of his stay in San Francisco.
“I haven’t give it any thought, to be totally honest,” said Smith, whose 3-3 Chiefs host the 2-4 Rams Sunday with a noon kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium. “It’s been great (in Kansas City). I feel like I’ve been here a while in football years, all last year. This is home.
“I think (Reid) is such a great teacher of the game, especially on offense and quarterback play. He’s been around a lot of guys, different guys. Every single day you know what you’re getting. You come to work every single day, it’s a great environment to learn and get better and go out there and cut it loose.”
Reid has a similar respect for his quarterback.
“Alex is doing a good job for us. I really enjoy coaching him,” said Reid, also in his second season with the Chiefs. “He just kind of takes care of everything. He’s not only a good football player, but he can handle a lot of things. When you have a few young guys around him, he just makes sure everybody’s right. It’s a tribute to him and his ability to do those things.
“He’s pitching the ball good and manning the offense well.”
At times during his NFL career, Smith, who signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension in September, has been criticized for his frequent checkdowns — he has attempted just nine passes of 20-plus yards this season — and has been labeled as a “game manager.”
“To be totally honest, I’m old enough that I don’t really care as long as we win,” the 30-year-old said. “I could care less what they call me.”
Smith went 21-1 as a starter at Utah under Urban Meyer, finishing fourth in the 2004 Heisman Trophy voting after passing for nearly 3,000 yards and accounting for 42 touchdowns and with just four interceptions. He was drafted No. 1 overall in 2005 by a San Francisco franchise coming off a 2-14 campaign.
As a 20-year-old rookie, Smith struggled with injuries and consistency. In nine games, including seven starts, he completed less than 51 percent of his passes with one touchdown and 11 interceptions. In his first six NFL seasons, Smith worked with six offensive coordinators under head coaches Mike Nolan (18-37 record) and Mike Singletary (18-22).
Smith’s fortunes, as well as those of the 49ers, took a dramatic turn when Jim Harbaugh took over in 2011. That season, Smith enjoyed his best season to date, completing better than 61 percent of his passes for 3,144 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions for a team that improved from 6-10 to 13-3, won a division title and lost in overtime in the NFC championship game to eventual Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants.
After the trade to Kansas City last year, Smith helped engineer another major turnaround as the Chiefs — who finished 2-14 in 2012 — won their first nine games and finished the regular season at 11-5 before losing 45-44 to Indianapolis in a wild-card game.
Smith, who stands 6 feet 4 and weighs 217 pounds, completed nearly 61 percent of his passes in 2013 while throwing for 3,313 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven picks. Through six games this fall, he’s thrown for 1,270 yards with nine touchdowns, four interceptions and a 64 percent completion rate.
“Alex is playing very, very well,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “Alex has deceptive speed; he can pull the ball down (and) run for big plays. (He’s) making really good decisions. They’ve done some amazing things with him as far as timing’s concerned. That ball’s coming out, and it’s accurate, And they put a lot of stress on your defense by the way they disperse the receivers.
“There’s really nobody in that offense who can’t get into a route and catch the football.”
And then there’s running back Jamaal Charles, who a year ago led the AFC in rushing with 1,287 yards, caught 70 passes for 693 yards and finished with 19 touchdowns. This year, after missing the better part of two games with a high ankle sprain, Charles is starting to come back: Over the last three games, he’s averaging 89 rushing yards and has scored on two runs and two pass receptions.
The Rams have had success this season containing top-level backs such as Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson (21 carries, 75 yards), Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy (24, 81), San Francisco’s Frank Gore (16, 38) and Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch (18, 53), but that won’t matter on Sunday.
“Completely different challenge this week in the run game,’’ Fisher stressed. “It’s a lot of read-option ... so I wouldn’t compare them (to the last few weeks). Now they’ve got a big back (Knile Davis) they go to every once in a while.... We were building ourselves to play the power running game in our division because there’s a lot of similarities between San Francisco and Seattle. (But) this run game this week is going to be a big challenge for us.’’
The Chiefs, who opened the season with losses to Tennessee and Denver, rallied to win 23-20 last weekend in San Diego on a 48-yard field goal from rookie Cairo Santos with 21 seconds to play and will be looking to build on that momentum against the Rams, who are also coming off a key 28-26 divisional win over Seattle.
“To be perfectly honest, when you’re in the middle of it, you don’t have time to reflect on your past,” Smith said when asked about the Chiefs’ season. “It was a big win last week, bringing us back to 3-3. ... We’re coming back home and doing whatever we can to get to 4-3.”