How often have we Chiefs fans hoped for the start of a new era when this would be the time of destiny, finally, for the Kansas City Chiefs. Most recently it happened when we had a spiffy new coach -- Todd Haley yay! -- and a spiffy new quarterback -- Matt Cassel yay! -- right at the beginning of the 2010 season when we'd gotten all the kinks out through the '09 season and we were ready to start dominating. The 2010 season really did look like that start, except that Matt Cassel was, well, Matt Cassel.
I'm blogging now at a time when I never blog, right smack in the middle of the off-season because this again looks like one of those times. Suuure this could be just one of those ugly situations when we are yet again being teased into thinking this is thuh time.
But this is different.
We got our new general manager, and I imagine he's feverishly cogitating about the combine and what to do with the draft. I know nothing about John Dorsey, not a thing but his name, so I guess he's probably doing those things. I'm just hoping he's doing them well.
We got our new head coach, and I imagine he's in the mix of that too. I only know that Andy Reid was with the Eagles for quite a while, got them to a Super Bowl once, and one acquaintance even said he was good working with quarterbacks. But that's it.
Now the final piece that we needed has been put in place.
We got our new quarterback.
I do know a bit more about Alex Smith just because my radar works so well and I pick up so much from the pro football noise that I can't help but hear. Obviously one of the weirdest things everyone is surely talking about is he is yet another 49er quarterback to come over to the Chiefs. That, I believe, is just a weird coincidence, but it definitely is one of those intriguing trivia things.
The key thing is that he had established himself as a genuinely studly quarterback before 49ers' coach Jim Harbaugh decided he'd rather have Colin Kaepernick in there instead. I did catch that before Smith had that concussion against the Rams this past season, that he had a rating of 140 and for the something-like three or four games just prior to it he had more touchdown passes than incompletions. Did you get that? More touchdown passes than incompletions. I don't think any of our quarterbacks last year had a touchdown pass -- er, oh, they did? Oh, wasn't sure about that, but I guess they did. Hmm. I imagine they did, but I don't think many noticed.
So what's the deal with Smith and the Chiefs? Well, for one, he was a No. 1 overall pick, so he can join the other QB's in the AFC West with that notoriety. One thing that makes me nervous was that he was very erratic for a long time, but then blossomed under Jim Harbaugh and his confidence in him. Will Andy Reid be able to do the same? If he's as good with quarterbacks as it is said he is, then this should be fantastic.
And what about his length of service for us? If we can get four or five good solid years from him, I think that'll be awesome. But for it to work, we've got to get that much. On the other hand this just smacks of the typical "Let's just get some QB off the scrap heap" Chiefs tactic we've all come to so justifiably revile. It does represent many more years of just not having that originally drafted and developed guy, but hey, if Smith comes through, I think we can wait on that little bit more. The only thing is, we still have to draft a guy who'll replace him, and that'll have to be in the next two or three years. Question: Will that freak Smith out, seeing Colin Kaepernick's face in whoever that is? This makes me nervous too.
Was the price too high? Giving up two second round picks for him? It does seem kind of steep, but remember. You - have - got - to - have - that - guy - be - great - if - you - hope - to - contend. You have got to! We Chiefs fans know oh-so-well what it means to have a solid quarterback. Oh do we know!
We actually have good skill at several key positions. This makes me think the move should be to not trade down with the No. 1 to get more picks, and instead go with taking that No. 1 guy. If that guy is going to be a game-changer, whoever he is wherever he plays, then he could really help get this team to the highest levels of contention now that we've got our QB.
From my perspective, just seeing what I saw all last year, we so need linebacker help, we need a corner, and we need to address our wide receiver situation big-time.
As it is I have to add that I've been finishing up Ten-Gallon War about the pro football battle for Dallas between the very new AFL Texans and NFL Cowboys. Even though everyone was pretty amicable and was simply taking care of business, I was amazed at how utterly crappy the NFL was in manipulating things to Lamar's disadvantage. The striking irony for Chiefs fans reading this is that as sad as you were to see Lamar force his hand by moving the team to KC, you knew that it had to happen for the Chiefs to be born at all!
But about Lamar, this book gave me even more of a feel for the extraordinary commitment and industrious work Lamar put into his team. Yes, I still believe that his later distractions were plainly detrimental to the Chiefs, but the amazingly novel and phenomenally attentive things he did to build the Chiefs and all things Chiefs certainly make him worthy of our respect. Not that we never had it, but it was truly eye-opening to behold the expanse of that effort.
We're all just hoping that after all these 50-plus years of Lamar's vision we can get back to being a perennielly exceptional pro football team, and right now it does look promising, in a truly realistic way. And it isn't just getting Reid and Smith, it is that this team is coming together with the football, yes football leadership of Clark Hunt. I have to think other teams wanted Reid, but we got him. I have to think other teams wanted Smith, but we got him.
I imagine I'll be back here with a post after the draft in April since we do have that No. 1 pick, which will be another major piece of this what-is-now quite an exciting time for Chiefs fans. I won't be watching or following any of it, but I'm sure my radar will pick it up.
Until then...
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