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We all know the incredible stat that the Kansas City Chiefs have not had a quarterback they drafted record a win for them since Todd Blackledge in 1987. That sums up so much of the reason Chiefs fans have gone quarterback-crazy with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Call those Chiefs fans crazy but at least understand their perspective. Understand where they've been in their Chiefs fandom. The table below helps illustrate why some Chiefs fans are upset about the Alex Smith trade.
Redditor skeeter80108 created this terrific table below which shows the last quarterback drafted for each team who led their team in passing yards. 25 teams since 2008 have had a quarterback they drafted lead their team in passing.
The Chiefs are last because of course they are.
Team | Player | Year |
---|---|---|
Atlanta Falcons | Matt Ryan | 2012 |
Baltimore Ravens | Joe Flacco | 2012 |
Carolina Panthers | Cam Newton | 2012 |
Cincinnati Bengals | Andy Dalton | 2012 |
Cleveland Browns | Brandon Weeden | 2012 |
Detroit Lions | Matthew Stafford | 2012 |
Green Bay Packers | Aaron Rodgers | 2012 |
Indianapolis Colts | Andrew Luck | 2012 |
Miami Dolphins | Ryan Tannehill | 2012 |
Minnesota Vikings | Christian Ponder | 2012 |
New England Patriots | Tom Brady | 2012 |
NY Jets | Mark Sanchez | 2012 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | Ben Roethlisberger | 2012 |
San Francisco 49ers | Colin Kaepernick | 2012 |
Seattle Seahawks | Russell Wilson | 2012 |
St Louis Rams | Sam Bradford | 2012 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Josh Freeman | 2012 |
Tennessee Titans | Jake Locker | 2012 |
Washington Redskins | Robert Griffin III | 2012 |
Denver Broncos | Tim Tebow | 2011 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | Blaine Gabbert | 2011 |
Oakland Raiders | Jamarcus Russell | 2009 |
Philadelphia Eagles | Donovan McNabb | 2009 |
Buffalo Bills | Trent Edwards | 2008 |
Chicago Bears | Kyle Orton | 2008 |
Arizona Cardinals | Matt Leinart | 2006 |
Houston Texans | David Carr | 2006 |
San Diego Chargers | Drew Brees | 2005 |
Dallas Cowboys | Quincy Carter | 2003 |
NY Giants | Danny Kanell | 1998 |
New Orleans Saints | Dave Wilson | 1986 |
Kansas City Chiefs | Steve Fuller |
1980 |
H/T Redditor akurei77 for sorting it
Amazing, right?
Todd Blackledge did start two games in 1987, the last drafted quarterback to win a game for the Chiefs. But he did not lead the team in passing yards that season. That was Bill Kenney.
There are exceptions, of course. Eli Manning and Philip Rivers were draft day trades, so they're not included in the list. Tony Romo was undrafted.
We can make excuses each as to why the Chiefs don't draft a quarterback, and sometimes they're even legit reasons. But over time the numbers bear it out - the Kansas City Chiefs, relative to other teams in the NFL, have struggled mightily to develop their own quarterback talent.
This isn't a commentary on whether the Alex Smith trade was a good one or not. We've talked about that all over the place. This is just a piece of the history for those non-Chiefs fan visiting the site who are wondering why some of these Chiefs fans seem so angry. There's a reason for it, and it goes back many years.
Oh, and the fact that this is the fifth former 49ers QB to come to the Chiefs in the last 25 years doesn't help.