In his college days, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott regularly watched old films of Alex Smith, because his Mississippi State coaches had worked with Smith as a University of Utah QB and borrowed much of the old Ute offensive scheme.
Prescott has studied the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense in advance of Sunday’s game in Arlington, Texas, but he also could benefit from checking out the current model of Smith. In his 13th pro season at age 33, Smith is playing his best football.
Naturally, he’s staying cool about all of this. That’s Alex. “It is too early to be feeling good or comfortable or anything like that,” Smith said during his weekly media session. “You just roll. We have a bunch of big games; they only get bigger.”
The Chiefs (6-2) are tied for the second-best record in the NFL. The issue, as of the halfway point of the season, is whether they can advance in the playoffs. That’s the asterisk attached to the careers of Smith and Chiefs coach Andy Reid, a former BYU offensive lineman. Yet when it comes to regular-season success, the ex-Ute and the ex-Cougar have been very good for each other in their five seasons together.
This phase of Smith’s NFL tenure has more than justified the Chiefs’ trade for him in 2013, after Colin Kaepernick replaced him (due to Smith’s concussion) and led San Francisco to the Super Bowl. Observers hardly endorsed the deal at the time, but Smith has proven to be worthy of it.
Smith is 47-22 as a starting QB in Kansas City. Counting his last two seasons in San Francisco under Jim Harbaugh, he’s 66-27-1 since 2011. His record rivals Tom Brady’s 72-22 mark in New England in that stretch, and a case could be made that Smith has outplayed Brady this season – starting with the Chiefs’ 42-27 victory in a season opener.
NFL.com’s panel of 12 analysts gave Smith three votes as the league’s midseason MVP, trailing only Brady (seven).
Smith’s success is rewarding for everyone who has followed him since his Ute days, when he quarterbacked Urban Meyer’s innovative offense to a 21-1 record as a starter, including a Fiesta Bowl rout of Pittsburgh. This is the payoff for agonizing through some tough years in San Francisco, when the 49ers were horrible, Smith’s toughness was questioned and he looked like a bust compared with Aaron Rodgers – the QB the 49ers could have drafted No. 1 overall instead of Smith.
With the partial disclaimer that Rodgers’ ascent in Green Bay was delayed by Brett Favre’s hold on the job, Smith has a comparable NFL win total to those of Rodgers, Phil Simms, Tony Romo and Matt Ryan. By this time next season, he should pass Steve Young for the most NFL victories by a quarterback from a Utah school. Young owns a Super Bowl MVP trophy and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Smith has won only two playoff games in 12 years, so that’s where the comparison ends.
Utah QBs in the NFL<br>Regular-season records as NFL starting quarterbacks in the past 40 seasons for former Utah college players (in order of win totals):<br>Steve Young, BYU 94-49.<br>Alex Smith, Utah 85-58-1.<br>Jim McMahon, BYU 67-30.<br>Marc Wilson, BYU 32-28.<br>Scott Mitchell, Utah 32-39.<br>Eric Hipple, Utah State 28-29.<br>Ty Detmer, BYU 11-14.<br>Bob Gagliano, Utah State 7-6.<br>Jamie Martin, Weber State 4-4.<br>Gifford Nielsen, BYU 3-11.<br>Max Hall, BYU 1-2<br>Jeff Carlson, Weber State 0-3.<br>John Beck, BYU 0-7.
Yet if he’s judged strictly against himself, by what he has become after those early struggles in San Francisco, Smith’s career is a success story. He keeps getting better.
In a weird way, the Chiefs have been rewarded for trading up to draft a quarterback, Patrick Mahomes II of Texas Tech, in the first round last spring. What they got out of that move is a better version of Smith, who’s even more motivated than usual and is delaying any discussion about when Mahomes would take over the job.
Even after an erratic game Monday in a win over Denver, he’s completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 2,181 yards in eight games, with 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He should easily top his career highs of 3,502 yards and 23 TDs, while playing in an offense that lacks top-tier wide receivers. Smith maximizes tight end Travis Kelce and his running backs in the passing game, and he’s efficient, averaging nearly 10 yards per attempt.
“I’ve told you before, I love this guy,” Reid said earlier this season, citing Smith’s approach to his job. “All of those things that you’re supposed to do, he does.”
And he’s doing them especially well this season – so far. While dominating the AFC West, the Chiefs face a tough road in the playoffs, and Smith knows it.
“He’s just got blinders on,” said offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. “He’s only about winning a Super Bowl.”
Follow @tribkurt