Atlanta 2/28/2013 6:29:41 AM
How Will Alex Smith Fair With the Chiefs Without Jim Harbaugh?
There is one question you have to ask yourself when talking about the trade and deal that got the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. Was he good because he’s good; or was he good only because of Jim Harbaugh?
Everyone knows that the void left by Joe Montana almost 20 years ago caused the Chiefs to be somewhat lacking in the quarterback area and they have been searching ever since. It is believed by some that if Smith can maintain, or even, build upon his performance since Harbaugh stepped into the picture, the Chiefs’ wait may finally be over.
On the other hand, if Smith’s performance is conditional on Jim Harbaugh being around, then this is just another mistake made by the Chiefs and another season that slipped through the franchise’s fingers.
The divide in the figures are too vast to ignore. Before Harbaugh, his QB ranking per game was 76.5, and after Harbaugh it was 95.9. His interceptions per pass attempt dropped dramatically from .035 to 0.15 and touchdowns per pass attempts rose from .034 to .045.
The Chiefs are taking quite a gamble here, they are hoping that Harbaugh pushed Smith to finally blossom into the quarterback he was expected to be as the top overall selection in the 2005 draft. Hopefully, for the Chiefs’ sake, Smith can stand alone without Harbaugh, but maintain the mentoring that he got from it.
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