Reid Gives Alex Smith An Opportunity

If Alex Smith waited to see where his next destination would be for a starting QB job, he won’t have to wait much longer and was finally given a chance. After waiting patiently, he finally checked out of San Francisco, boarded a flight and landed in Kansas City. The pressure is right on Smith after the San Francisco 49ers agreed to send the quarterback to the Kansas City Chiefs, with newly hired coach Andy Reid surrounding himself with someone who has mobility and intelligence.

He did the right thing for the Chiefs by grabbing an unwanted quarterback from another franchise, realizing Smith has the intangibles and potential to turn around a dismal 2-14 season in a weak AFC West, as the Denver Broncos are legitimately the real test.

And as results of the trade, Kansas City traded its second-round pick in the 2013 draft and a conditional mid-round pick in 2014 to acquire Smith. The best option available for the Chiefs to rebuild, obviously, was Smith who had been an attractive name for hordes of teams to add, and sure enough, Reid took a risk he felt was worth taking. It’s fairly obvious, considering the fact that it’s a fragile free-agent market — for veterans especially — as to why Reid made the trade and finalized the deal fast. Not that he was desperate to get someone. The perception of this deal is that Reid believes in Smith enough to make him the Chiefs franchise quarterback.

What is Smith good for? Absolutely something — considering the way he played last season until suffering the concussion. Reid, who had success with Donovan McNabb in his long tenure in Philadelphia, was determined to mend, first and foremost, the QB woes and end controversy between Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn.

There has, quite honestly, never been a quarterback unappreciated as much as Cassel in Kansas City. Four years ago when the team turned to Scott Pioli to refurbish things, the Chiefs acquired Cassel for the 34th draft pick. Before he was traded to Kansas City, Cassel had played one season for the New England Patriots, replacing an injured Tom Brady. By the end of that season, he had a 63.4 completion percentage, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and 7.16 yards per attempt.

He and the Patriots fell short, missing the playoffs that year. But with Smith, the idea is to build something that lasts. If he’s lucky, Cassel will wind up as a backup elsewhere, but considering that the Chiefs have Quinn, he won’t be back in KC and will be a free agent. At the beginning, Cassel finished 9-7 with 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his second year as starter.

Most of the population, it seems, wants Cassel out, who is unproven — the Chiefs are expected to release him soon. Suffice it to say, thousands of Chiefs fans cheered loudly when Cassel was drilled and left a 9-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion. For purely insensitive reasons, some celebrated Cassel’s injury after the quarterback committed three turnovers against the Ravens. Before he rose to his feet, before he walked off the field under his own power, heartless fans roared with glee.

The stupidity reached a boiling point when Chiefs tackle Eric Winston, who was angry and disgusted with the hometown crowd for such ruthless, childish behavior, scolded and ripped fans by publicly sending a message through the media when a reporter interviewed him afterwards in the locker room.

“It’s 100 percent sickening,” Chiefs Winston said. “I’ve never, ever — and I’ve been in some rough times on some rough teams — I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life to play football than at that moment right there. I get emotional about it because these guys, they work their butts off. Matt Cassel hasn’t done anything to you people.

“Hey, if he’s not the best quarterback, he’s not the best quarterback, and that’s OK, but he’s a person,” Winston continued, the big offensive lineman’s voice slowly rising. “And he got knocked out in a game and we’ve got 70,000 people cheering that he got knocked out.”

There have been a lot of unhappy fans in Kansas City with a long history of failures in recent memory. But maybe Smith, who, and it should be stated, led the NFL in completion percentage (70.0) and ranked fifth in passer rating (104.1), can change that. It would be the moment of a lifetime, a moment of gaiety if he can reproduce something identical to his 20-5-1 record as a starter, including the playoffs over the past two seasons in San Francisco.

He’s a good but not great quarterback who goes into another environment, giving the Chiefs a chance and could be the cure to a hapless football franchise. He’s a suave quarterback who is walking into unfamiliar territory, absolutely offering the Chiefs hopefulness, even though he’s good or bad, consistent or inconsistent.

The likelihood of having a good quarterback is not necessary, and from what was discovered in San Francisco, he completed just enough passes and managed to lead the 49ers to the NFC championship game two years ago, but lost to the New York Giants. He surely had no intentions of being the backup in San Francisco and finally has a chance to start elsewhere.

But, with quarterback Colin Kaepernick handed the keys to the driver’s seat, a concussed Smith was benched for the rest of the season, even when he was cleared to return to the game and, in essence, it was time for Smith and coach Jim Harbaugh to part ways. And someday, the Chiefs may just become good, under the presence of Smith and Reid. Having self-control, staying calm and sane, Smith stared from the sideline disappointed, but as mature as he is — mind you — he never complained or confronted Harbaugh when he was benched.

It is the oldest cliché in the sport, older than the Golden Gate Bridge or the Liberty Memorial. The NFL, like the rest, is a business, and a cruel one — to be exact. Nothing is guaranteed, except Bill Belichick’s coaching gig in New England and the cut-off hoodie he sports. But now, Smith got his starting job back, and he loves Reid by now. With a tinge of success, Reid knows what he has in Smith, who is a reliable quarterback, even on his worst days.

The 49ers, for the most part, also moved him clearing $8.5 million in salary, and Harbaugh and the team knew he wasn’t going to stay and remain No. 2 behind Kaepernick, who locked up the starting spot and led San Francisco to the Super Bowl. He was trade bait, and Reid went fishing for him. It will take a while for the Chiefs, who had the worst offense in the NFL, to rise to the top — but with Smith coming to town — it’s a start.

He was, in his own eyes, useless and unwanted, left on the sideline as another quarterback who was his backup earned the nod. And simply, whether it was the right choice or not, he won’t hold a clipboard and watch Kaepernick run for 40 yards. Nothing personal to Harbaugh and the Niners organization, but Smith couldn’t stay much longer. There’s no doubt that he’s a winner, maybe not a superhero, but he’s not a loser either.

The 29-year-old leader at one time just wasn’t good enough to convince Harbaugh that he was certainly a starter. The team that takes the field in September after upgrading and finding a quarterback to fill in the holes will be a different team, much different. For years, Reid has worked with an average quarterback and turned him into a top-tier passer, such as McNabb.

And most of all, he knew McNabb better than anyone else. Reid, who replaces coach Romeo Crennel, drafted McNabb in the first round in 1999, selected quarterback Kevin Kolb second in 2007, took a risk signing Vick when he was released from prison and developed sixth-round pick Matt Hasselbeck while an assistant in Green Bay.

When it comes to quarterbacks, Reid is a genius and teacher, which means Smith will be a student. And his philosophy could work.

The trade, which won’t become official to early March, has given Smith an opportunity and a shot at leading a team to a significant amount of wins. So he will be playing for a coach who can strengthen his quarterbacks’ capacity and reduce their weaknesses.

Eagles QB Controversy Is Worth Putting to Rest: Michael Vick Is Right For Job

A lot of us raised our eyebrows at the recent news coming out of Philly, at a time when desperate times calls for desperate measures, at a time when the Philadelphia Eagles are battered in an ugly quarterback controversy and at a time when head coach Andy Reid finally made up his damn mind and wisely named Michael Vick as the Eagles starting quarterback.

It was a clear understanding Tuesday when the ever changeable Reid finally ended his obnoxious flip-flopping and stopped playing musical chairs with Kevin Kolb and Vick, a nudging debate that had Philly fanatics wondering, and yet Reid essentially favored Vick to be his primary passer, eventually the dysfunctional population in Philly were ready to embark on madness.

If the Eagles miss the playoffs and have a hapless run this season, in all likelihood, Reid’s job status could be in jeopardy.

Much to the chagrin of the Eagles, who obviously regrets ever giving up on the classy veteran Donovan McNabb to begin a modern era and promise the starting job to Kolb, the team misses the former quarterback ever since dealing him to the Washington Redskins in the spring.

Regarding the campaign of a peeving controversy, Reid is doing everything he can to salvage his shaky job, and has been on the hot seat for the last few years.

Seemingly, he made the right choice, a decision he won’t regret, a decision that clearly benefits the Eagles this season. Maybe not next season or five seasons down the road. But right now.

If the Eagles wish to be in playoff contention, then turning the job over to Vick is a brilliant move.

And if Vick starts to decline, Reid can always replace him with Kolb. It’s about making sure any coach does the right thing to accommodate with the team’s needs.


The disarray is just awful ever since a concussed Kolb suffered a significant blow to the head late in the second quarter of the season-opener.

If a player suffers a concussion these days, normally the team monitors the player carefully and refuses to rush any player back onto the field, as a significant hit to the head is dangerous and could cause serious damage.

But in this case, Reid is not benching Kolb for precautionary actions and, in the meantime, has opted to start Vick over Kolb.

Because it’s a sports town that adores excitement and a magnetic superstar to awe their senses, the most infamous felon in sports is now depended upon to be the hero in a chaotic community.

In a flux, Vick is the right choice if the Eagles are trying to win and seek our attention in a successive run.

“When someone is playing at the level Michael Vick is playing, you have to give him an opportunity.” Reid told reporters Tuesday. “This isn’t about Kevin Kolb’s play. You’re talking about Michael Vick as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now.”

He’s right.

The hottest quarterback for the Eagles is Vick, and maybe he is the difference in a sudden resurrection for a team that badly felt it was the moment to refurbish and move on without McNabb, mainly to satisfy an ungrateful city that no longer appreciated the ability or diligence of a Pro Bowl quarterback.

But now, this is another opportunity for Vick, now a changed man who showed remorse a long time ago when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated the fallen star, to repair his dismantled image and prove he is still valuable and have speed and agility to lead a disintegrated organization.

Believe it or not, Vick is experienced and has turned out gracious and remorseful, greatly maturing as a modest man.

It’s quite impossible to forget a gruesome crime, but it’s common to forgive a man of his misdeeds when he has paid his debts to society and served 19 months in prison and the final two in home confinement on dogfighting conviction, a hideous crime that revealed Vick’s senseless behavior.

The sad thing is, he was mentally disturbed enough to bankroll a dogfighting ring and brutally killed dogs as an amusing activity, and pathetically ended his brief stint with the Atlanta Falcons.

Instead of coming forth, he lied to Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, a classy chairman who urges strong character.

But much trust was lost and the Falcons dismissed the beloved superstar in one community that adored Vick and supported him amid the dogfighting scandal.

The anonymity of this horrible crisis allowed teams to ignore the availability of Vick, but Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie was a lone businessman willing to take a risk as McNabb lobbied for the convenience of Vick.

It’s clear that the Eagles are in a rebuilding stage and, however, if the team falters and misses the playoffs, then it’s logical to assume Reid will be canned. Logic tells us.


It is sort of hard to believe Reid. Believe this: It’s very baffling to understand his instinctive plan when he insisted all along Kolb would start as soon as he returned from a concussion, and then one day later announced that he’d bench Kolb in favor of Vick.

Now, suddenly, his choice of words seems logical. To be real, Vick had two dazzling performances and gives the Eagles hope, maybe not in the future but as of now.

To be real, he is playing at the highest level of his phenomenal career, despite limited action the last two seasons he missed because of the dogfighting scandal.

“There’s not a thing that changed with Kevin Kolb,” Reid said Wednesday. “This was all about Michael Vick and the way he has played the game. It’s that simple. He has played as outstanding as any quarterback in the league to this point.”

“He exceeded even my expectation. Kevin Kolb has a bright, bright future. My feelings about Kevin haven’t changed one bit. But Michael has surprised all of us with his play.”

He is, theoretically, an early surprise and waited in the wings of Kolb and McNabb, similar to Kolb who calmly waited in the wings of McNabb and finally had his turn until he sustained a concussion.

My suggestion is that Reid doesn’t trust in Kolb and lost confidence in his second-round draft pick in 2007.

And with all the complications surrounding concussions, maybe his intentions are to conserve Kolb as much as possible and then he’ll be back as the starter.

By naming Vick the starter, though, Reid made a risky transition and replaced his young quarterback with a veteran. The stunning development to bench Kolb is bad news in a way. He could become unhappy and demand a trade elsewhere.

From a winning standpoint, Vick is more experienced and prepared to handle the task. If suddenly this exchange backfires, Reid will likely be fired and Kolb will very much be traded to another team, where he is gladly welcomed and named the starter.

The entire city had became attached and begun to worship Kolb. But as we know the critics in Philly could be vindictive and critical, just as some were towards Kolb and were begging for Reid to sit him and bring in Vick.

The wish was granted. Now, can he lead the Eagles?

However, this town didn’t believe in Vick, this town believed in Kolb. But we all know Reid’s philosophy by now. In understanding, he is experimenting with his quarterbacks. He realizes that Vick is the hottest. And if he fails, he can always bring in Kolb, realizing he has plenty of time to develop as a stud.

For the time being, Vick is better than any other star. This week alone, he is the league’s fourth-ranked quarterback with a rating of 105.5, higher than Drew Brees, greater than Tom Brady and more impressive than Matt Schaub, surpassing his career best of 81.2.

In the meantime, Kolb’s confidence is under turmoil and Reid is targeted mightily by critics, but he has handled the pressure, criticism and controversies. So this is the way he protects the future, by sitting down and abandoning Kolb the first time he struggled and suffered an injury, the first time he seemed under duress, and the first time he seemed like a JV quarterback not a franchise quarterback.

Make no mistake, Reid has beckoned the right guy to run the Eagles offense.

The fact is, the Eagles are better with Vick as starter.

Trust me.