I couldn't find Pass Play distance data for 2001, but I only checked a few sources.

He evolved into a better quarterback after that season, but based on the fact that the amount of time he has thrown deep in every other season in his career is pretty static, I'd bet it was pretty similar in 2001, too.

Who did he play with? Honestly, I never though much of the 9ers receivers. Looked pretty mediocre in the SB last year.

Lets be real here. Smith could have all the time in the world. He's not going deep. Why is this so hard for you to understand? I have seen him have all day in the pocket and not even look downfield. Not his game.

Brady?

The early parts of his career were spent throwing to Troy Brown, Deion Branch, David Givens, Reche Caldwell, etc. He wasn't throwing to an elite WR corps by any means.

And he threw deep, on average, even more with that underwhelming cast than he did with Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Gronk, etc. of recent years.

NOPE. If you say anything critical about Alex Smith, you hate winning, the Chiefs, and their 3-0 start!!!!!

Shouldn't you be trying to understand how your QB is losing games for you?

CK7 after 3 games on a Super Bowl team:

TDS 3 INT 4 YDS 689 RTG 72.5 RECORD 1 - 2

AS11 after 3 games on a team that had the first over-all pick (2-14):

TDS 4 INT 0 YDS 669 RTG 92.1 RECORD 3 - 0

And?

22-5-1 over the past three seasons.

Only Tom Brady equals that over the same time period.

Who gives a flying **** if he shovel passes it all day long as long as they win.

Oh, that's right...the fantasy football/Madden pessimists around here who think that there is only one way to win and that's with a QB who consistently bombs it downfield care about it.

And douchebag Kaepernick apologists. How was that watching Kaep, with his rocket arm, throw for approximately 130 yards each game the past two games and lose both of them?

"Just keep matriculatin' the ball down the field, boys."
- Hank Stram

Personally, I think it's more about willingness to challenge the defense PERIOD rather than solely challenge the defense downfield.

Smith is hesitant to make throws into tight windows. You see flashes of it, usually when his back is to the wall, but he doesn't do it consistently. That results in excellent ball protection but also stalls the offense out frequently. (Something that tracks with his time in San Francisco the past two years).

We haven't seen that type of timid play succeed in the playoffs very often. The few times it has recently, the defense is extremely elite and in the best outcomes (Dilfer and Johnson), historically good.

The book isn't shut there. Reid has talked a lot about getting Alex Smith to be more aggressive with the ball. He wants him to improve in that area.

Don't take it personally SNR, it's just that some of the incessant whining going on about upgrading the QB position after three games into the 2013 season (games which have been won, by the way), is more than a little stupid all things considered.

The offensive line has been crap in both run blocking and pass protection.

The tight end situation, which is featured prominently in Reid's offense, is atrocious.

Our receiving corps outside of Bowe is miserable. (And defenses know this as Bowe has been double covered almost constantly since the opening whistle of game one.)

And, Andy Reid's west coast option offense is short to mid-field based. It's an offense that is based on ball control, field position, high percentage passing.

And yet, despite all of this, the Chiefs are still 3-0, with a lot of that to do with Smiths ability to direct and sustain timely drives.

3-0.

And yet I've read in this thread multiple times that we'll never be really successful in the playoffs unless we've got a guy like Matt Stafford.

Well, how about just getting to the ****ing playoffs? Do the negativists have any conceptualization about how ****ing bad the Chiefs have been with regard to even getting into the playoffs the past 20 years? And now you want to actually replace the QB who has only played three games with the team in a new system with the deficiencies listed above and still has the team at 3-0?!?!

Yeah, it makes one look reactionary and objectively ignorant to criticize him and call for his replacement already, especially because of . Hell, look at the San Fran fans who were happy as all hell to jettison Smith for Kaepernick. How's that working out for them so far in 2013?

Like I've said numerous times before, if you want to watch and root for a QB and team who love pushing it down the field, giving you that vertical game many so apparently yearn for, then the Detroit Lions would love you as a fan. Stafford to Johnson absolutely provides what the Smith antagonists desire.

The 3-0! shit is just like the answer was always Pioli!

You don't come out a winner a lot challenging a defense on their terms.

22 (21%) of Smith's passes this year are on 2nd and 8+ yards
12 (11%) of Smith's passes this year are on 3rd and 9+ yards

11 times a game you are passing when the defense can fish for an INT.

Smith is completing
63% on 1st down passes
68% on 2nd down passes

So it's not really his fault they are in bad spots.

LOL ROFL

People will always be critical of Alex. That's his lot in the league.

Why would a QB want to force the ball into tight windows if he doesn't have to?

Jeez. Yeah, lets talk about that challenging the defense. Colin Kaepernick has 0 tds and 4 ints the past two weeks, and the team has scored 10 points total.

Shrugs. If Chiefs fans would really just come to an understanding of what is around Alex Smith right now, and realize that at his best hes a FRINGE top 12 qb, but take in to account everything so far, the oline, the play calling, some bad decisions by alex due mostly to learning his receivers and the such, or chemistry, to this last game of injuries, and it took 3 quarters for andy reid to adjust his offense to attack what the Eagles were giving them.

Its just learning. It will get better. Its cool though, that Kaepernick gets all of these excuses on a team he was on last year that he helped get to the super bowl, yet, Alex Smith should have the Chiefs in all world form after three weeks despite their number one overall pick looking terrible, and alex smith having no tight ends last week. Pretty funny stuff.

Good grief. ROFL

Chiefs fans