Patrick Mahomes Question Looms Large as Alex Smith Continues to Struggle

[RunKC]

Patrick Mahomes Question Looms Large as Alex Smith's Struggles Continue

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Patrick Mahomes Question Looms Large as Alex Smith's Struggles Continue

BRENT SOBLESKI
NOVEMBER 19, 2017
Alex Smith has gone full Alex Smith over the last five weeks, and the Kansas City Chiefs need some type of spark to revert back to the squad that opened the year 5-0 with impressive victories over the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.

Head coach Andy Reid must consider the possibility of making a change at quarterback after Sunday's 12-9 overtime loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

A move of this magnitude isn't taken lightly, nor is it a knee-jerk reaction to the losses. Even the best teams struggle. Any given Sunday, right? But it's how the Chiefs continue to lose and Smith's role in their recent downturn that makes a switch at the game's most important position a legitimate possibility.

Patrick Mahomes is Smith's polar opposite, and the rookie's playmaking ability could send a charge throughout the entire organization.

For years, Smith earned the designation of the quintessential game manager. He was good enough to win games as part of a talented core, but he wasn't the type of quarterback who took over games. He made the expected plays and didn't turn the ball over, yet he lacked big-time throws.

His game began to evolve under Reid's supervision. The veteran signal-caller took on more responsibilities to create as both a passer and runner, especially after a knee injury cut Jamaal Charles' career in Kansas City short.

Smith started to look more like the quarterback once deemed an elite talent and drafted No. 1 overall coming out of Utah. His skill set evolved further this year with a vertical component added to the mix. Smith made deeps throws during his career, but his game was primarily built around precision passing and getting the ball out quickly. This is where he excelled.

The Chiefs found weapons in wide receiver Tyreek Hill, tight end Travis Kelce and rookie running back Kareem Hunt to help Smith become the ultimate distributor. The 33-year-old quarterback was an MVP candidate a month ago after catering to each of his dynamic weapons.

The Kansas City quarterback completed 76.6 percent of his passes for 1,391 yards, 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions during the team's 5-0 start.

Life came at Smith fast, though.

During the next five games, Smith's stats dovetailed to a 62.9 completion percentage, 1,283 passing yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

On the surface, those numbers aren't horrible. But he hasn't been nearly as efficient or dynamic. Smith has looked uncomfortable behind a reshuffled offensive line. He hasn't been nearly as accurate and made some terrible throws. The explosive plays just haven't been as prevalent, either.

Yes, Smith is willing to lay it on the line to win. On Sunday, he showed how much far he'll go during the final drive that led to the Chiefs' game-tying field goal and forced overtime, per NFL.com:

Aside from an ill-advised interception that would have killed Kansas City's final regulation drive if not for being called back due to pass interference, Smith completed five of six passes—including a 32-yard strike to Kelce.

Smith gave his team a chance to win, but it wasn't enough. The fact Kansas City had to battle for every yard is an indictment of the offense's current direction.

The Giants pass defense ranked 30th overall entering in the contest. The disappointing group surrendered 267.8 passing yards on average. Smith managed 230 yards and threw a pair of interceptions, which tripled his season total, per NFL Research:

Two factors make Smith's lackluster performance even more damning.

First, the Chiefs came off their bye week and provided a level of play bordering on lethargic. Second, Smith couldn't even replicate the success lesser quarterbacks experienced against the Giants in recent weeks, as Arrowhead Pride's Ryan Hall noted:

Not producing to the level of Jared Goff, Russell Wilson or even Philip Rivers isn't a crime. Not being able to play as well as Trevor Siemian or C.J. Beathard is a travesty.

Smith's regressed to his mean. Recent history shows it's not enough. In some ways, the organization has alluded to the fact it's preparing for life without Smith. The Chiefs made a bold decision in April by trading up 17 slots in the first round to acquire Mahomes.

The Texas Tech product is a pure gunslinger. Mahomes is everything Smith isn't. The 6'2" 225-pound quarterback displayed rare arm talent during his collegiate career. Scouts still viewed Mahomes as a project despite throwing for 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns as a junior. His game isn't based on precision or efficiency. He's a big-play machine and can make throws other quarterbacks can't. WBIW-TV's Chris Lilly provided a preseason example:

The Chiefs may follow through on drafting Mahomes by moving past Smith this offseason. The franchise can save $17 million against the salary cap with his release, per Spotrac.

Why wait to make a move?

Kansas City isn't winning with Smith, and he's not playing well. Yes, Mahomes is going to make mistakes, but his penchant for big plays is exactly what the Chiefs lack.

A counter-argument is easily made: The Chiefs are 6-4, still lead the AFC West by two games and Mahomes isn't ready.

So what?

Reid and his offensive staff are counted among the league's most creative play-callers, and the group can build around the rookie's multifaceted skill set. Plus, the move wouldn't be made based just on this season. Mahomes is the face of the franchise; he just hasn't taken the field yet.

"I mean, you don't get any days off," Mahomes said on Nov. 9, per the Kansas City Star's Terez A. Paylor. "You do, but at quarterback, you don't. So you're watching film every single day, trying to make sure you're prepared and ready. That's something you hear about, you talk about, but until you're here, you don’t actually know what it’s like."

There's no reason to keep an ace off the mound in favor of a long-term reliever. Since the Chiefs do have some wiggle room in the AFC West, the option to bring the veteran off the bench exists if the first-year signal-caller struggles.

Smith is who he is. The Chiefs knew what they had at the position and chose to make a big move and acquire Mahomes. Being bold to acquire a special talent doesn't stop once the draft is complete.

After four losses in five games, there's no reason for the Chiefs to remain conservative. It's time to unleash Mahomes.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndica...tinue.amp.html

[ARROW2]

Originally Posted by Danguardace

My point was that I am confident Alex knows more of the offense at this point. He would have to slow down for a Rookie.

I agree that Mahomes suits Reid.

Knowing the offense means jack when a cover 2 mystifies yo ass. Bench the robot. **** the chiefs, they are more concerned about not having a QB controversy than winning.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Danguardace

My point was that I am confident Alex knows more of the offense at this point. He would have to slow down for a Rookie.

I agree that Mahomes suits Reid.

I think the argument would be if we're not going anywhere this year with Smith, we'd rather get that learning curve out of the way this year vs next year. But overall I'm not opposed to waiting until next year even if I think Alex takes us nowhere. Gives mahomes a better chance to be immediately successful and boosts Alex smith's trade value, which I think will be pretty high.

[ARROW2]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I think the argument would be if we're not going anywhere this year with Smith, we'd rather get that learning curve out of the way this year vs next year. But overall I'm not opposed to waiting until next year even if I think Alex takes us nowhere. Gives mahomes a better chance to be immediately successful and boosts Alex smith's trade value, which I think will be pretty high.

Really? Based on what? If you keep him in there, they will not win another game

[Gravedigger]

I would like to get a stat of outdoor games that Alex has started in, where the wind gusts above 20 mph, and give me his win loss record. That'd be an interesting statistic.

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by ARROW2

Really? Based on what? If you keep him in there, they will not win another game

Boosts our draft position?

[ARROW2]

Originally Posted by Eleazar

Boosts our draft position?

Keep playing him and see what his value is when we miss the playoffs because he won't throw against a cover two.

[Rasputin]

We should have traded Alex Smith before the trade deadline but now each week Alex Smith plays he loses value.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by ARROW2

Really? Based on what? If you keep him in there, they will not win another game

The Chiefs aren't paying for a $16.5m backup qb. If mahomes is guaranteed the starting job, then teams know Alex Smith will be cut. So why trade? If we walk into next season with a qb controversy there's no guarantee we cut Alex. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the Chiefs continue to undermine mahomes' development until Alex is traded. Maybe that's what they're doing right now.

The other thing I think about is if mahomes isnt successful right away, will the team reconsider keeping Alex next year. I don't want that. I want Alex gone next year with no controversy whatsoever (assuming he doesn't somehow pull a 180 in the playoffs, which I doubt he will)

Much as I cringe to think about watching Alex the rest of the year, I think it sets up a nice long game for next year

[Best22]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

The Chiefs aren't paying for a $16.5m backup qb. If mahomes is guaranteed the starting job, then teams know Alex Smith will be cut. So why trade? If we walk into next season with a qb controversy there's no guarantee we cut Alex. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the Chiefs continue to undermine mahomes' development until Alex is traded. Maybe that's what they're doing right now.

The other thing I think about is if mahomes isnt successful right away, will the team reconsider keeping Alex next year. I don't want that. I want Alex gone next year with no controversy whatsoever (assuming he doesn't somehow pull a 180 in the playoffs, which I doubt he will)

Alex is gone after 2017

[Red Beans]

Originally Posted by Gravedigger

I would like to get a stat of outdoor games that Alex has started in, where the wind gusts above 20 mph, and give me his win loss record. That'd be an interesting statistic.

Let me sum it up for you, his record would be ass. Straight, unfiltered, unadulterated, ass.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

We should have traded Alex Smith before the trade deadline but now each week Alex Smith plays he loses value.

I agree. Problem is, he picked a really shitty time to play like an MVP the first month of the season. That would have been a really hard trade to sell.

[ARROW2]

I would have traded him before the season, brought in a veteran backup, done.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Best22

Alex is gone after 2017

I hope and I think so. But they can still bullshit other teams into thinking they don't plan to cut him. Especially if they sell the story that mahomes isn't ready yet.

[ARROW2]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I hope and I think so. But they can still bullshit other teams into thinking they don't plan to cut him. Especially if they sell the story that mahomes isn't ready yet.

**** ALEX. They are stupid as ****. **** whatever pick we get for him. The future success of the franchise doesn't ride on that shit. I don't give a **** what we get or don't get for this pussy, I just want his ass gone.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by ARROW2

**** ALEX. They are stupid as ****. **** whatever pick we get for him. The future success of the franchise doesn't ride on that shit. I don't give a **** what we get or don't get for this pussy, I just want his ass gone.

Do you ever shut the **** up or at least find something new to spew?