Mellinger: Alex Smith is out of excuses, and he needs to deliver his best season

[Titty Meat]

Mellinger is a pompous douche IRL

[Lzen]

Good article. Yes, assuming the oline holds up okay and there are no major injuries to key players, Smith should have his best season. And if he doesn't then the naysayers will most likely be right. I think he is gonna have a great year. Remember, he was playing very well down the stretch in 2013. I anticipate him getting back to that form.

[mdchiefsfan]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Good article. Mellinger has been putting out some decent pieces lately.

Although, it is pretty obvious he reads the planet

Exactly what I was thinking: I've read this somewhere before.

[ptlyon]

I vote anvil

[19now11]

hey clay! that pos alex smith still dont have a td pass to a wide receiver this year. **** that piece of shit!

[19now11]

wow its allmost half time and no receiver td. eat a dick clay

[19now11]

ggooooooooooooooooooo cheifs!\

[duncan_idaho]

I hope Alex Smith takes a big step forward and has his best season.

I fear he will be the same old Alex Smith - up-and-down. Alternating between teasing the ability to make that leap, and frustrating with his unwillingness to slide in the pocket or consistently challenge the intermediate and deep zones of the defense.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I hope Alex Smith takes a big step forward and has his best season.

I fear he will be the same old Alex Smith - up-and-down. Alternating between teasing the ability to make that leap, and frustrating with his unwillingness to slide in the pocket or consistently challenge the intermediate and deep zones of the defense.

Duncan, as steady as always.

[Pablo]

Shit or get off the pot. Nice article.

[Molitoth]

The window does not exist when Smith makes this pass. pic.twitter.com/mAO8R2l9uH

Yeah, that is nice.... guess what? Good QB's make that pass at least once a game... not 1 highlight per season.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

Yeah, that is nice.... guess what? Good QB's make that pass at least once a game... not 1 highlight per season.

We scored 14 points in that game...but good on Alex for that pass.

[DJ's left nut]

Mellinger is right.

It's shit or get off the pot time for Smith. If this isn't an 11+ win football team this year, then they need to seriously look at the draft for the possibility of an escape plan in 2017 (and really, he could have a good season and it is still a good idea to look at a succession plan for when they need to pay for Poe and Kelce).

They could even consider trading Smith in 2016 if the right deal came along but if they're looking to move him, it stands to reason his season wasn't one that would serve to create much trade value for him. Ultimately the acceleration of his signing bonus onto our cap would hurt, but not be crippling. However, his salary for 2016 is guaranteed so the only way to move on would be by trade, taking us off the hook for the guaranteed salary.

That said, I still think he has a career year.

[Rivermike87]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Mellinger is right.

It's shit or get off the pot time for Smith. If this isn't an 11+ win football team this year, then they need to seriously look at the draft for the possibility of an escape plan in 2017 (and really, he could have a good season and it is still a good idea to look at a succession plan for when they need to pay for Poe and Kelce).

They could even consider trading Smith in 2016 if the right deal came along but if they're looking to move him, it stands to reason his season wasn't one that would serve to create much trade value for him. Ultimately the acceleration of his signing bonus onto our cap would hurt, but not be crippling. However, his salary for 2016 is guaranteed so the only way to move on would be by trade, taking us off the hook for the guaranteed salary.

That said, I still think he has a career year.

So 11+ wins and he gets to stay? Sounds kind of unfair don't you think? However I could definitely see them win that many games. Considering what we've seen from the past from this team, they are only getting better and better. Being a 9-7 team last year wth what they had to go through only strengthens my optimism for this year. 11-5 sounds bout right to me. Don't think I have ever seen the Chiefs have a complete team like this

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Rivermike87

So 11+ wins and he gets to stay? Sounds kind of unfair don't you think? However I could definitely see them win that many games. Considering what we've seen from the past from this team, they are only getting better and better. Being a 9-7 team last year wth what they had to go through only strengthens my optimism for this year. 11-5 sounds bout right to me. Don't think I have ever seen the Chiefs have a complete team like this

My position on Alex Smith has always been clear - he makes your team exactly as good as it is.

He's not Aaron Rodgers, who makes it better. He's not Matt Cassel, who makes it worse.

If you took the Chiefs and every other team in the league, subtracted the quarterbacks and were asked to rank order them, is there any argument at all that the Chiefs are at least a top 5 team by that metric? I don't think so - the talent on this team is immense.

You're right, I could be being unfair, but my general perception of the NFL 'bell curve' is that every year there 4-5 teams that win 12+ games and another 2-3 that win 11.

So if I'm right and Alex Smith truly is a guy who makes your team exactly as good as it is and I believe that the Chiefs are a top 5 team quarterback excluded, then 11 wins should be a fair expectation.

By season's end it's possible he could have played well and we end up at 10 wins; I'd still deal with that. But anything less has to be seen as an unqualified failure for Alex Smith and a definite sign that he's not a quarterback that can take this team anywhere meaningful.