Is Alex Smith worth Franchise QB money?

[Fountain City Blues]

Let me know when alex can do this.

Kaepernick to Davis 52-yard TD

As I said, I am not fond of comparing Smith to Kaep, I am just tired of the same old criticisms for Alex Smith.

 

[Rvnight18]

He's been in the league for 8 years and there are maybe a dozen clips of throws like this.

I have always been a fan of Alex, mostly because he is such a good guy. But he is no where near as talented as Kap. Lets remember one is a seasoned vet, the other has started for 1.5 years.

 

[Rvnight18]

As I said, I am not fond of comparing Smith to Kaep, I am just tired of the same old criticisms for Alex Smith.

I like Alex, Kap is better. That's not a knock on Alex. His story is great. He is one of the best guys in the NFL. An actual role model for kids. But he is very limited on what he can do. He is a very smart guy, makes the right play, but also is very very very conservative.

 

[SonnyCID]

I think Kaep and Smith are equal at this point. Kaep may improve and pull away but as of now neither is really better IMO, just completely different strengths and weaknesses. If you could combine Kaep's physical ability with Smith's ability to read a defense and make the right decision you would have one hell of a QB.

 

[Xponentialchaos]

Smith was starting to improve under Harbaugh. I was very critical of how I thought he would do in KC, but I've gotta admit that he has exceeded my expectations of him and I don't think the "game manager" title is accurate for him anymore.

With that said, I still don't think he's worth franchise QB money.

 

[Naughtymax]

No. Duh.

 

[Uhsplit]

Franchise $?

No.

 

[TENN.SPORTS.FAN]

No. The only reason for me is that is too old . Good luck Alex.

too old???

Smith is only 30, hell he had at least 5-6 years left in him. Just look at how old Brady and Manning are for examples. In today's NFL with the emphasis being on QB/player safety they can play longer.

 

[MHSL82]

too old???

Smith is only 30, hell he had at least 5-6 years left in him. Just look at how old Brady and Manning are for examples. In today's NFL with the emphasis being on QB/player safety they can play longer.

Yep. His game isn't as reliant upon running or arm strength, so those things that go down with age won't affect him much, either. His arm is NFL sufficient. He is mobile enough, but not reliant.whatever problems he has now is likely not going to change except for his willingness to take shots (Reid has had him take more). His strengths aren't likely to go down much (though his mobility will go down).

 

[MHSL82]

Gaah! I hate that term. "Game manager" - it was a derogatory term used to downgrade Smith and now it's caught on. It also downgrades other QBs, too. It's not that it is wholly inaccurate. It's that it originated as an insult, an explanation for why Smith was doing well here by those who were his critics. I'm not saying the term was made for Smith, but rather the connection of that word to him was made by those who in the media felt he could not win at the NFL level. Jamie Dukes, etc. People then repeat it, sometimes not intending the insult.

I'm fine with saying he's an average QB. In fact, I won't argue with those who say mediocre. But, no offense, I f***ing hate the game manager moniker. It's condescending and by definition leaves no room for any credit/worth as a QB. I'd rather people just say he sucks or is a bust. I'd disagree, but then those who didn't agree wouldn't accept it. People accept the game manager moniker because they don't realize it's an insult. (So is bust, but people recognize that as an insult and will chime in if they disagree.)

Aaron Rodgers says the term is condescending and that Smith is more than that.

 

[NinerSickness]

Come on, Sickness. That is great bit of quarterbacking. Great pocket awareness. Great footwork and mechanics. Great throw. Well... maybe i am throwing great around a little to loosely but pretty dang good display of all named attributes.

Your hate is showing.

Yes, that is a great play. Actually, when Alex has room / time to step up into his throws and doesn't need much velocity on the throw (like a deep, rainbow bomb) Alex is actually extremely accurate. One of the best in the NFL in hitting a guy in stride in that situation.

That said, Alex is not a good QB. He's just bad at getting the ball to the receivers. He's easy to defend (single high & keep 8 in the box most of the time). He throws very few interceptions because of his high-percentage, 0 to 5 yard passes, but he's the king of checking down & punting. I was never more depressed than when he was the Niners' QB and it was 3rd & 7. That means he'd have to throw it 7 yards to get a first down (or hope the RB can pick it up after he catches a 1-yard pass).

I'm sorry; he seems like a really nice guy, but he ain't good! There is no "hate" here. Just objective criticism after 7 years of watching him and his slowballs.

 

[MHSL82]

I was never more depressed than when he was the Niners' QB and it was 3rd & 7. That means he'd have to throw it 7 yards to get a first down (or hope the RB can pick it up after he catches a 1-yard pass).

This last year he was better at 3rd and 7 situations (3rd and 9+). (Pretty high number of attempts relatively to other QBs, too.) No, it was not all checkdown to Charles. Reid has worked with him. I, too, watched him his whole career and while I am a fan of his, I have seen the checkdown on 3rd and long. This last year, he did less of that. Not sure if that is Reid or if that's him recognizing why he was replaced in SF.

Kansas City Chiefs Mailbag: Alex Smith on 3rd and Long - Arrowhead Pride

 

[cdumler7]

Smith to me is one of those guys that is just on the edge of being one of the top quarterbacks. I have watched him play quite a bit since he came to the AFC West and leave most games actually half way impressed with his play on the field. At the same time I can't remember too many instances where I thought he made a game changing play that left me going "Wow." I will say his stats this past season don't do him justice for how he played as I can remember many occasions his receivers just flat out dropping easy catches. I think one of the Bronco/Chiefs games there were about 3 touchdowns passes dropped that could have easily swung the game in the Chiefs favor.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I was a big fan of his when he was with the Niners, and a team can definitely win with him as their QB, but he is not worth franchise QB money, IMO, because he's not a guy who makes you think that a team will want to keep him for the next 5-10 years and build a team around him. He's not a QB who you can rely on to make big plays and carry the team, so to speak. I see him as a game manager type. He doesn't make many mistakes, but he doesn't make many big plays either compared to other big time QB's. I think the Chiefs probably see him as a stop-gap until they can find their guy. Unfortunately for them, they don't have that guy yet and may need to overpay Smith.

I could not have said it any better...spot on.

My brother-n-law is a huge KC fan and we had this conversation when they signed him...he felt this was the missing pc...I said slow your roll here because this guy is solid, but that's it. He's still positive about the team, putting the lionshare of the failure on Bowe, but he now sees that A. Smith is probably as good as he's going to get.

Overpay...but you might be right...depends on what he thinks of Bray and Murray...I think not.

 

[JDM]

There's not more than 5 guys who give you a better chance to win next year than Alex smith.

 

[cdumler7]

There's not more than 5 guys who give you a better chance to win next year than Alex smith.

I would put Rodgers, Manning, Brady, Brees, and Luck all ahead of him just off the top of my head.

 

[JDM]

There's no one else though.

 

[cdumler7]

Well at this time I would take Russell Wilson, a healthy RGIII, Cam Newton, and Ben Roethlisberger just name a few more. Now a couple of them are riskier players but I think they offer higher upside to make plays on the field that help the team win. Smith's greatest attribute is that he is a smart quarterback that doesn't make the risky throws that cost a team a game but that also means there are many times that he won't risk a small window to make a big play that can change the game in favor of his team either.

 

[JDM]

I'd take a case for a healthy RG3.

Cam and Ben are laughable.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

There's no one else though.

5? Smith is a middle of the road QB...you're right in that he's not going to lose many games for you, but he's not going to win many either...with a good team around him he will get you to the playoffs. With a mediocre team around him (say the Colts LY for instance), I don't think so.