The Kansas City Chiefs' seemingly endless search for a quarterback has settled on Alex Smith, and the deal – which includes multiple draft picks – will work or wilt based on a simple question.
Is the Alex Smith the Chiefs are getting the same one who played well for the San Francisco 49ers the past couple of years, or is that guy mostly the product of Jim Harbaugh's coaching?
Smith's performance prior to Harbaugh's 2011 arrival to coach the Niners compared to his performance under Harbaugh's leadership is striking.
If Smith can maintain what he learned and sustain, or even escalate, his recent development, then the Chiefs' nearly two-decade hunt for a quality QB – it's been 19 years since Joe Montana's final act ended – is over.
If Smith can't play well without Harbaugh, a former longtime NFL QB himself, then this could be the latest pratfall for a franchise that is always scrambling for a franchise QB – and a waste of a 2013 early second-round pick (33rd overall) and a conditional pick in 2014.
The numbers are too obvious to ignore.
[Related: Deal will send QB Alex Smith from San Francisco to Kansas City]
From 2005-10, Smith's per-game QB rating was 76.5. From 2011 until Colin Kaepernick replaced him in the middle of the 2012 season, it was 95.9.
Interceptions per pass attempt fell from .035 to .015. Touchdowns per pass attempt rose from .034 to .045. Yards, completion percentages, just about any tangible number improved dramatically. That includes the most important one: Smith was 20-5-1 as a starter the past two seasons (playoffs included) and just 19-31 before.
Smith was one of the NFL's better quarterbacks this season, replaced only because of injury and Kaepernick's unique and undeniable skill set. That made him expendable. The Niners were set to release him in March if they couldn't find a reasonable deal.
Smith, right, enjoyed his most success after Jim Harbaugh became the 49ers head coach. (Reuters)K.C. became that deal.
So now we see what Smith is – sans Harbaugh. Is he a guy who is finally living up to the immense expectations of being the top overall selection in the 2005 draft? Or is he the product of one of the NFL's elite coaches, surrounded by exceptional talent the last couple of seasons?
There is certainly nothing unexpected or unusual about a quarterback struggling early in a career, particularly on a bad team that churned through six offensive coordinators in six seasons. Some guys take time to develop.
That's what the Chiefs, under new coach Andy Reid, are banking on. At this point, it's a reasonable gamble. You can't win in the NFL without a quarterback and even with the first overall pick in the draft, there weren't a lot of other options.
[Also: New England Patriots can't afford to low-ball receiver Wes Welker]
Kansas City has struggled because it hasn't had a quality quarterback in seemingly forever. No matter the coach or general manager, the Chiefs have taken the curious route of eschewing the draft and instead tried stopgap measures.
In two decades the Chiefs drafted just five quarterbacks, none higher than third-round selection Brodie Croyle in 2006. Needless to say, there isn't a Brodie Croyle statue outside Arrowhead Stadium.
Since Montana retired in 1995, the quarterback position has been filled by a collection of OK to terrible – Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac, Rich Gannon, Trent Green [the most productive of the lot], Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen, Matt Cassel, Tyler Palko, Brady Quinn and probably a few others just for fun.
At one point, most of those guys were considered a solid choice, the way Smith looks right now. That they never fully panned out has no impact on Smith – except you can understand why Chiefs fans may be a bit gun-shy.
[Also: Can NFL teams ask Manti Te'o if he's gay?]
The truth is, Smith has always had strong potential. Now coached up by Harbaugh, he might be capable of carrying it over in a new city. For some draft picks, why not? Kansas City is now free to use the first overall pick on someone who can help out Smith, likely a burly offensive lineman.
The Chiefs can't know for sure what they are getting in Alex Smith, but it's clear they believe he's a lot more than a Jim Harbaugh creation.
.. .
[-(
blue turbins
From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)
Peyton Manning signs with Broncos, making Denver a Super Bowl contender By The Associated Press The Associated Press
DENVER -- Peyton Manning got John Elway's seal of approval and Elway got the quarterback he thinks will bring the Denver Broncos their next Super Bowl title.
Now, everybody gets to see if Manning's surgically repaired neck goes along with the plan.
Manning was introduced as the new quarterback of the Denver Broncos today, the four-time MVP taking the spot once held by Elway, who as Broncos vice president engineered the deal to bring the NFL's most sought-after free agent to town.
After holding up his new, orange No. 18 jersey in a photo op with Elway and owner Pat Bowlen, Manning answered many of the questions that have been bouncing around since March 7, when his old team, the Colts, released the quarterback and set in motion one of the most frenetic free-agent pursuits in history.
On the neck injury that kept him off the field through 2011: "I'm not where I want to be. I want to be where I was before I was injured. There's a lot of work to do to get where we want to be from a health standpoint."
RELATED COVERAGE:
• Politi: As Peyton Manning heads to Denver Broncos, Frank Tripucka is happy to lend him No. 18
• Peyton Manning to Denver Broncos: Winners and losers On his potential role in being the man who could bring about the end of Tim Tebow's popular stay in Denver: "I know what kind of player Tim Tebow is, what kind of person he is, what an awesome year it was. If Tim Tebow is here, I'm going to be the best teammate. If other opportunities are presented to him, I'm going to wish him the best."
On Elway's role in leading him to choose Denver over other suitors, the most serious of which were the Titans and 49ers: "I'm seeing him as the leader of a franchise. I really liked what he had to say. Everyone knows what kind of competitor he is as a player. I can tell he's just as competitive in this new role. That got me excited."
And so, the deal was sealed. Manning has a five-year, $96 million contract and plans to retire in Denver. The Broncos, meanwhile, have some protection in the way the contract was formulated. There's no signing bonus. Manning will get $18 million guaranteed for next season, but must pass a physical before each season, starting in 2013, to get paid.
"I don't consider it much of a risk, knowing Peyton Manning," Elway said. "I asked him, 'Is there any doubt in your mind that you can't get back to the Peyton Manning we know of?' And he said, 'There's no doubt in my mind.'"
It was 14 years ago that Bowlen stood on the podium in San Diego, lifted the franchise's first Super Bowl trophy and proclaimed: "This one's for John."
But this franchise hasn't been anywhere near what it was since Elway retired a year later with a second title in tow.
His return to the front office last year and set off a whirlwind of activity that landed the Broncos in the playoffs. But Elway is in this to win Super Bowls and he's throwing his hat in with Manning, the 50,000-yard passer who redefined the quarterback position through the 2000s, not Tebow -- who seems most comfortable carrying and not throwing the ball.
"Tim Tebow's a great kid. If I want someone to marry my daughter, it's him," Elway said. "Tim is a great football player, but with the opportunity that presented itself here, we had to take advantage of that."
He said no decision has been made on Tebow's future, but he seemed to be preparing the quarterback's fans to say goodbye.
"That's the tough part of this business," Elway said.
Manning, who turns 36 on Saturday, said he made a quick connection with Elway, who won his two Super Bowls in Denver after his 37th birthday. Since No. 7's retirement, a long string of quarterbacks have come to Denver, trying in vain to replace the unreplaceable. If anyone can get out of that shadow, Manning could be the man.
He's got two trips to the Super Bowl and one title, 11 Pro Bowls and was the fastest player to reach 50,000 yards and 4,000 completions.
Long known as a master student of the game, there are hours of highlights available that begin with Manning standing at the line of scrimmage, surveying a defense, checking out of a play -- or two -- then calling the right one and getting the Colts to the end zone.
It's expected he'll be able to run his kind of offense in Denver, which reverted to an option-style system to maximize Tebow's potential last year.
One other factor in Manning's decision to play outdoors in the Mile High City: The nearly $40 million in salary cap room the Broncos have, putting them in the mix for quality free agents, possibly including Manning's former teammates Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark.
The status of Manning's neck, however, will be an ongoing issue. It's one thing to throw through the entire route tree on a practice field, which he did to pretty much everyone's satisfaction, quite another to take a blindside hit from a 300-pound defender, which hasn't happened since he was surgically repaired.
Does Elway have a Plan B?
"Plan B? I don't have a Plan B. We're going with Plan A," he said.
The Atlanta Falcons cleared some salary-cap room Friday, releasing running back Michael Turner, defensive end John Abraham and cornerback Dunta Robinson.
By letting the three veterans go, the Falcons put themselves $15.9 million under the cap, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Turner saved the team $6.4 million, Abraham $5.75 million and Robinson $3.75 million, the paper reported.
Also, the Jets are close to signing David Garrard. )
those cuts prolly only mean we can keep william moore and either brent grimes or sam baker. personally, i'd love to see them go after jake long instead. i'm a big advocate for building up your lines
those cuts prolly only mean we can keep william moore and either brent grimes or sam baker. personally, i'd love to see them go after jake long instead. i'm a big advocate for building up your lines
They can't resign Moore and Grimes and still get Long. They could probably get Baker, Moore and Grimes all back within the cap though, so that's probably what they'll do.
prolly, but dunta robinson sucks. y'all can have him. he's dumb as fuck and goes at people with his helmet all the time. his lone attribute is speed and thats not gonna last long
Niners are going to be a very dangerous for a long time to come. They got like 6 thousand draft picks this year. They will dangle a few to get..hmm..let's say Revis..team is going to be stacked for some time to come now.
Comments
The Kansas City Chiefs' seemingly endless search for a quarterback has settled on Alex Smith, and the deal – which includes multiple draft picks – will work or wilt based on a simple question.
Is the Alex Smith the Chiefs are getting the same one who played well for the San Francisco 49ers the past couple of years, or is that guy mostly the product of Jim Harbaugh's coaching?
Smith's performance prior to Harbaugh's 2011 arrival to coach the Niners compared to his performance under Harbaugh's leadership is striking.
If Smith can maintain what he learned and sustain, or even escalate, his recent development, then the Chiefs' nearly two-decade hunt for a quality QB – it's been 19 years since Joe Montana's final act ended – is over.
If Smith can't play well without Harbaugh, a former longtime NFL QB himself, then this could be the latest pratfall for a franchise that is always scrambling for a franchise QB – and a waste of a 2013 early second-round pick (33rd overall) and a conditional pick in 2014.
The numbers are too obvious to ignore.
[Related: Deal will send QB Alex Smith from San Francisco to Kansas City]
From 2005-10, Smith's per-game QB rating was 76.5. From 2011 until Colin Kaepernick replaced him in the middle of the 2012 season, it was 95.9.
Interceptions per pass attempt fell from .035 to .015. Touchdowns per pass attempt rose from .034 to .045. Yards, completion percentages, just about any tangible number improved dramatically. That includes the most important one: Smith was 20-5-1 as a starter the past two seasons (playoffs included) and just 19-31 before.
Smith was one of the NFL's better quarterbacks this season, replaced only because of injury and Kaepernick's unique and undeniable skill set. That made him expendable. The Niners were set to release him in March if they couldn't find a reasonable deal.
Smith, right, enjoyed his most success after Jim Harbaugh became the 49ers head coach. (Reuters)K.C. became that deal.
So now we see what Smith is – sans Harbaugh. Is he a guy who is finally living up to the immense expectations of being the top overall selection in the 2005 draft? Or is he the product of one of the NFL's elite coaches, surrounded by exceptional talent the last couple of seasons?
There is certainly nothing unexpected or unusual about a quarterback struggling early in a career, particularly on a bad team that churned through six offensive coordinators in six seasons. Some guys take time to develop.
That's what the Chiefs, under new coach Andy Reid, are banking on. At this point, it's a reasonable gamble. You can't win in the NFL without a quarterback and even with the first overall pick in the draft, there weren't a lot of other options.
[Also: New England Patriots can't afford to low-ball receiver Wes Welker]
Kansas City has struggled because it hasn't had a quality quarterback in seemingly forever. No matter the coach or general manager, the Chiefs have taken the curious route of eschewing the draft and instead tried stopgap measures.
In two decades the Chiefs drafted just five quarterbacks, none higher than third-round selection Brodie Croyle in 2006. Needless to say, there isn't a Brodie Croyle statue outside Arrowhead Stadium.
Since Montana retired in 1995, the quarterback position has been filled by a collection of OK to terrible – Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac, Rich Gannon, Trent Green [the most productive of the lot], Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen, Matt Cassel, Tyler Palko, Brady Quinn and probably a few others just for fun.
At one point, most of those guys were considered a solid choice, the way Smith looks right now. That they never fully panned out has no impact on Smith – except you can understand why Chiefs fans may be a bit gun-shy.
[Also: Can NFL teams ask Manti Te'o if he's gay?]
The truth is, Smith has always had strong potential. Now coached up by Harbaugh, he might be capable of carrying it over in a new city. For some draft picks, why not? Kansas City is now free to use the first overall pick on someone who can help out Smith, likely a burly offensive lineman.
The Chiefs can't know for sure what they are getting in Alex Smith, but it's clear they believe he's a lot more than a Jim Harbaugh creation.
..
.
[-(
blue turbins
From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)
[-(
blue turbins
From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)
By The Associated Press The Associated Press
DENVER -- Peyton Manning got John Elway's seal of approval and Elway got the quarterback he thinks will bring the Denver Broncos their next Super Bowl title.
Now, everybody gets to see if Manning's surgically repaired neck goes along with the plan.
Manning was introduced as the new quarterback of the Denver Broncos today, the four-time MVP taking the spot once held by Elway, who as Broncos vice president engineered the deal to bring the NFL's most sought-after free agent to town.
After holding up his new, orange No. 18 jersey in a photo op with Elway and owner Pat Bowlen, Manning answered many of the questions that have been bouncing around since March 7, when his old team, the Colts, released the quarterback and set in motion one of the most frenetic free-agent pursuits in history.
On the neck injury that kept him off the field through 2011: "I'm not where I want to be. I want to be where I was before I was injured. There's a lot of work to do to get where we want to be from a health standpoint."
RELATED COVERAGE:
• Politi: As Peyton Manning heads to Denver Broncos, Frank Tripucka is happy to lend him No. 18
• Peyton Manning to Denver Broncos: Winners and losers
On his potential role in being the man who could bring about the end of Tim Tebow's popular stay in Denver: "I know what kind of player Tim Tebow is, what kind of person he is, what an awesome year it was. If Tim Tebow is here, I'm going to be the best teammate. If other opportunities are presented to him, I'm going to wish him the best."
On Elway's role in leading him to choose Denver over other suitors, the most serious of which were the Titans and 49ers: "I'm seeing him as the leader of a franchise. I really liked what he had to say. Everyone knows what kind of competitor he is as a player. I can tell he's just as competitive in this new role. That got me excited."
And so, the deal was sealed. Manning has a five-year, $96 million contract and plans to retire in Denver. The Broncos, meanwhile, have some protection in the way the contract was formulated. There's no signing bonus. Manning will get $18 million guaranteed for next season, but must pass a physical before each season, starting in 2013, to get paid.
"I don't consider it much of a risk, knowing Peyton Manning," Elway said. "I asked him, 'Is there any doubt in your mind that you can't get back to the Peyton Manning we know of?' And he said, 'There's no doubt in my mind.'"
It was 14 years ago that Bowlen stood on the podium in San Diego, lifted the franchise's first Super Bowl trophy and proclaimed: "This one's for John."
But this franchise hasn't been anywhere near what it was since Elway retired a year later with a second title in tow.
His return to the front office last year and set off a whirlwind of activity that landed the Broncos in the playoffs. But Elway is in this to win Super Bowls and he's throwing his hat in with Manning, the 50,000-yard passer who redefined the quarterback position through the 2000s, not Tebow -- who seems most comfortable carrying and not throwing the ball.
"Tim Tebow's a great kid. If I want someone to marry my daughter, it's him," Elway said. "Tim is a great football player, but with the opportunity that presented itself here, we had to take advantage of that."
He said no decision has been made on Tebow's future, but he seemed to be preparing the quarterback's fans to say goodbye.
"That's the tough part of this business," Elway said.
Manning, who turns 36 on Saturday, said he made a quick connection with Elway, who won his two Super Bowls in Denver after his 37th birthday. Since No. 7's retirement, a long string of quarterbacks have come to Denver, trying in vain to replace the unreplaceable. If anyone can get out of that shadow, Manning could be the man.
He's got two trips to the Super Bowl and one title, 11 Pro Bowls and was the fastest player to reach 50,000 yards and 4,000 completions.
Long known as a master student of the game, there are hours of highlights available that begin with Manning standing at the line of scrimmage, surveying a defense, checking out of a play -- or two -- then calling the right one and getting the Colts to the end zone.
It's expected he'll be able to run his kind of offense in Denver, which reverted to an option-style system to maximize Tebow's potential last year.
One other factor in Manning's decision to play outdoors in the Mile High City: The nearly $40 million in salary cap room the Broncos have, putting them in the mix for quality free agents, possibly including Manning's former teammates Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark.
The status of Manning's neck, however, will be an ongoing issue. It's one thing to throw through the entire route tree on a practice field, which he did to pretty much everyone's satisfaction, quite another to take a blindside hit from a 300-pound defender, which hasn't happened since he was surgically repaired.
Does Elway have a Plan B?
"Plan B? I don't have a Plan B. We're going with Plan A," he said.
By letting the three veterans go, the Falcons put themselves $15.9 million under the cap, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Turner saved the team $6.4 million, Abraham $5.75 million and Robinson $3.75 million, the paper reported.
Also, the Jets are close to signing David Garrard.