The Kansas City Chiefs went through some difficult periods before establishing themselves as the powerful team they have become over the last five years.
Life for the franchise was a little more troubled before the revolution that Patrick Mahomes brought.
Even so, KC was able to count on Alex Smith, a leadership figure and a very consistent quarterback.
He was the first pick of the 2005 Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, where he stayed until 2012.
The signal-caller helped the Niners to the 2011 NFC Championship game for the first time since 1997.
Smith was acquired by the Chiefs in 2013 and immediately became a centrepiece in the team’s rebuild.
Alex Smith’s career with the Chiefs
Under coach Andy Reid, Smith helped transform Kansas City from a rebuilding franchise to a competitive force in the NFL.
During his years in KC, the QB was recognised for his safe and efficient game characterised by good ball control and intelligent decisions. He had several successful seasons, leading the Chiefs to the playoffs on multiple occasions.
In 2017, Smith had his best season, posting impressive numbers and leading the team to a record 10 consecutive wins.
His time with the Chiefs was also marked by his ability to develop young talent around him, such as wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce, both of whom were key to the Chiefs’ offense in the following years.
However, despite his success, the veteran’s career in Kansas City was cut short by a serious injury at the end of the 2017 season.
That injury paved the way for Patrick Mahomes, who would eventually become the Chiefs’ starting quarterback and great legend.
Former Chiefs center speaks of his shock at seeing Patrick Mahomes picked in the first round of the Draft despite having Alex Smith as his QB
Mitch Morse had a remarkable career as a centre for the Chiefs, where he played from 2015 to 2018. He was selected in the second round of the 2015 Draft and quickly established himself as a key cog in the team’s offensive line.
The center, who’s currently playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, made an appearance at the Love You Bro podcast to reminisce about his time in KC.
He revealed that the moment the squad found out the organisation had selected a quarterback as their first pick, everybody was slightly confused.
“Pat got drafted in the first round, we were all a little bit perplexed, and I think anyone who says differently is not like lying, but there’s always a little bit of not skepticism but just kind of not understanding what was going on,”
He then elaborated: “We had Alex, but you know, I talk about kind of this with Eric Kush… Alex was the ultimate professional. There was no idle time in his day like, he is a father of three already. So every minute of the day had a purpose,”.
“Then you just see Pat along with him and Pat was an awesome dude, he comes in, kind of understood the dynamic of everything. It’s kind of sad back and I mean, you see him in practice but you don’t really know… He was always just a killer dude and yeah, the writing was on the wall.”
Morse would like Smith to receive more credit
Morse sounded a little nostalgic when talking about Smith, perhaps because he was very young and the signal-caller was his first reference after entering the NFL.
“We were all a little bit, I (do) not want to say protective of Alex, but like of course, he was my quarterback. The only thing I knew – I was a young guy and then of course, Alex moves on, gets paid in Washington as he should. And then Pat came in and, you know, the upper management knew more than we did about football.”
He even made a powerful observation: “I don’t think people talk enough about Alex Smith as a player and as a person.”
Despite the center back’s affection and admiration for Smith, Mahomes’ arrival did not “disappoint” in any way.
“I’ve never seen a guy’s life change from 2018, from week one to week 17. I mean, coming from a guy where no one really knew what to expect, to an MVP… Everything you hear is just the same dude.”