Smith to hit town at top of his game
Five years ago, in his prime at age 28, Alex Smith completed more than 70 percent of his passes and posted a quarterback rating above 100 for the only time in his career — and still lost his starting job with the 49ers, tossed aside for Colin Kaepernick.
Now, at 33, Smith is putting up even better numbers in Kansas City. He leads the NFL in quarterback rating (119.2) and completion percentage (72.9), and he matched Randall Cunningham’s league record for most touchdown passes (12) without an interception through six games.
That doesn’t sound like a game manager. Not at all.
Smith makes his annual return to the Bay Area on
Thursday night to face the Raiders, and he arrives in a new realm. He once floated in the large middle class of NFL quarterbacks — solid if unspectacular, reliable but not remarkable.
This season, though, Smith is lifting his game to another level. He counts as an early contender for the Most Valuable Player award (granted, with 10 games left), and his Chiefs were the league’s last remaining unbeaten team before falling to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
So the Raiders face a sizable chore in trying to slow Smith and his rampaging offense.
“I just think that’s years of growing in the system,” cornerback TJ Carrie said Tuesday, trying to explain Smith’s leap forward. “They’ve been very consistent in what they do. They have a very explosive offense and they do a lot of things with him.
“He gets the ball out to his weapons and lets them do their work. It’s years of experience and knowledge; he’s been in the game and the system a long time. He’s playing excellent football.”
Smith once wore the “game manager” label because of his cautious decision-making. Now he’s practically letting it fly: His 8.5 yards per attempt lead the NFL and represent a marked improvement over last season’s 7.2 average.
It helps that the Chiefs feature several dynamic skillposition players, including all-world tight end Travis Kelce, fleet running back Kareem Hunt and crazy-fast wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Kansas City ranks second in the league in total offense (387 yards per game) and is tied for second in scoring (29.5 average).
Even so, Raiders defensive tackle Justin Ellis worries just as much about keeping Smith in the pocket. He might have seemed slow compared with Kaepernick in their 49ers days, but look who’s scrambling now.
“He’s throwing the ball more efficiently,” Ellis said. “He uses his ability to run around, and that opens up more passing lanes. He’s fast.”
Smith might not really be fast, but he’s usually fast enough to evade pressure. And he’s savvy enough to understand when to slide to the ground or find the sideline.
“It’s not an exact science,” he said on a conference call. “You want to use your legs and extend plays, whether by remaining a passer and throwing the ball or picking up yards with your feet.
“There’s definitely a fine line. I think as time goes on, your instincts get better and you learn from potential mistakes in the past. You just try to be smart with it.”
Smith also comes to Oakland with a long history of tormenting the Raiders. He’s 9-1 against them in his career, with 19 touchdown passes and four interceptions. In four games at the Coliseum, he has thrown for nine touchdowns with no interceptions. This doesn’t seem like a quarterback intimidated by the Black Hole, in other words.
“To be honest, it’s probably just coincidence more than anything else,” Smith said. “A lot of these last games have been really close.”
This is Smith’s fourth season throwing to Kelce, but he adapted quickly to Hill (second year) and Hunt (rookie). Head coach Andy Reid, in explaining Smith’s ascent, pointed to the connection and trust he has with his young teammates.
“He’s kind of raised those kids,” Reid said. “… Alex is one of the guys you just pull for, because he does everything the right way.”