What do Kansas City Chiefs players REALLY think of Alex Smith?
They REALLY love him.
That’s my takeaway after reading this interview with Chiefs RT Mitch Schwartz in Sports Illustrated. Mitch’s brother, Geoff, was one of the media members this season most adamant that the Chiefs should stick with Alex Smith and that opinion clearly runs in the family.
“I think he was the best quarterback in the NFL this year, and the numbers bear that out,” Mitch told Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated. “He put up some crazy statistics, and he was by far the best deep-ball thrower in the NFL this year. So it’s been a blast. He’s the guy that makes us go. Unfortunately from his perspective, all the bad in middle of the season was offensive line related. We gave up too much pressure and he wasn’t able to step into his throws and that’s something we tried to address, and as we got better, he got better. He’s awesome, I can’t say enough good about him.”
This was a really good interview with a lot more in there you should go read. Mitch has been a straight shooter since he’s been in Kansas City so that bit about the offensive line really stands out to me. It also shows to me that moving on from Alex Smith won’t be easy, if that’s what the Chiefs want to do. Guys like Mitch and Travis Kelce haven’t shied away from expressing how much Alex Smith means to the Chiefs. This offseason sure will be interesting.