Double standard much?

In short, confidence is no longer an issue for Smith.

Everything you said here may have been remotely believable prior to 2011... but not since. At this point, pretty much everything you stated is untrue.

Alex really changed in the 2nd half of 2010. He finally discarded all the poor coaching advice and started believing in himself... as did the players around him. Most of the key players like Justin Smith, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Joe Staley, and Patrick Willis were vocal in their belief. This was very clear to those paying attention. Stats are not everything... but 2.5 yrs ago, his QBR jumped up about 20 points into the 90's and stayed that way.. till last year, where it went further up.

It's a lame argument. The only QB under contract for us was... David Carr... that's it. We had nothing. Alex wasn't even signed... only Carr.. who Harbaugh had a history of not liking.

Plus, even if Alex was under contract... if he is so terrible, then why wait till rd 2 to get Kaep? Why wouldn't he just select him in rd 1?

Why would Harbaugh even try so hard to keep Alex in SF in the 2011 offseason?

QBr is about as useful as a $50 monopoly bill in a cat housed.

He takes a lot of sacks and checks down so much because he lacks confidence in his ability.

And I believe the bullshit players say about as much as I believe the bullshit spewed in most of your posts.

Then you should probably ask yourself as a KC fan... why are you so determined to believe what you want to believe? Why is it important for you to deflect a truth that should bring you optimism as a KC fan? You just enjoy being miserably negative? or are you one of those that feels such shame in believing but ending up disappointed? so it's better to just stay negative?

Did a post of mine give you that impression?
Im not recalling which it would be.

I think that is one of the more fair and balanced assessments of ASmith from a detractor on this board.

Why should Chiefs fans be happy with mediocrity? I don't understand this line of thinking at all that we should be happy to get a mediocre quarterback. Especially after the crappy seasons we have had and that we haven't won a playoff game in 20 years using the same philosophy.

We shouldn't be happy & we should be demanding better product. That was the whole point of SOC was to demand better product. We are just being sold a bill of goods on an old junk car. Show me the car fax & it would show the car we are getting was in a car wreck. They just polished it up for resale.

If I was determined to believe what I want to believe, my posts would be entirely different in nature.

I want to believe that Andy Reid is the right choice to coach this team.
I want to believe that Alex Smith was thbe right choice at QB, and that Andy Reid. Can help him to ascend to the next level.

I post what I believe, not what I am determined to believe.

I agree. And though I am not well versed in Smith's early years with the 49ers, from this...

http://www.pro-football-reference.co.../gamelog/2005/

...it appears Smith may have had a similar beginning to his career as Sanchez. By that, I mean he may have been thrust into the starting lineup a bit before he was ready. Maybe being allowed to sit a year or two would have helped with his development as an NFL QB as well.

BUT... it does appear that Smith's arrow is pointing up as opposed to many other QB's who have been thrown out there too early. Just how steep that arrow is pointing is what remains to be seen.

Mainly, I'm not understanding this belief that Alex is mediocre. Elite? No. I think it's fair to believe he isn't elite. But mediocre or less? No. That conclusion is simply not supported by his last 38 games.

Why am I looking at his last 38 games and not lumping in his full career? Convenience? No. It's focusing on trends. What a player was or what he did in the distant past isn't important. What's important is where a player is now and what he has done lately. I'm not cherry picking games here and there. I'm regarding the last 2.5 years of performance. That's a pretty fair sized sample to make judgement on.

People want to point out that Alex had strong coaching and teams lately... and that is true. Most successful QBs developed also have or have had these benefits.. so why can't Alex?

What KC got is a very solid QB. Sounds like some KC fans are just bitching because they didn't get an elite QB right off the bat. What chance did they really have of doing that in this offseason anyway? So what you got is a very solid QB that just might surprise you and make you playoff contenders. Sure, he can't do it alone. KC will have to have a strong team and competent coaching around him to do that this season... just as most of the QBs would need.

That was a completely different league where smash mouth football was en vogue, and that was acceptable because offenses were more west coast oriented, not spread out, and rules on pass interference were stricter.

In the new NFL, you will likely have a few playoff games during a Super Bowl run where you HAVE to put up a lot of points.

At this point, there's no question that Alex should have stayed on the bench for a year or two. They took this 20 yr old kid from an Urban Meyer spread and threw him into a WCO on one of the most talent-starved... coach-starved teams in history. McCarthy may have been the OC, but it was his first OC gig. He wasn't good starting out, and didn't have much to work with.

Year 2.. Alex had a solid year, considering the talent and coaching being flawed. Norv Turner just arrived as OC and things were looking up.. but still needed to evolve from their yr 1. Alex put up better numbers than Troy Aikman did in his 2nd year... and Aikman had strong coaching and a much stronger team around him.

Anyway, that's old news.

Thanks. It's not old news to me.

It just kind of supports the whole Sanchez debate. Sent out too early. Struggled. Comes a point where they make it or don't. Smith at that point... the last 38 games he played... appears to have gotten it.

Now he just needs to take it to the next level. Very few QB's get to the playoffs their first time and go straight to the Super Bowl. Some do. But many of the all time greats didn't get it done on their first attempt.

Did you say the same with regards to Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith?