The Kansas City Chiefs have become a team that consistently wins year in and year out. However, they are doing it with Alex Smith at quarterback – someone who is not a record-breaking passer but is instead a game manager. That is not an insult because Smith is a winning quarterback, but with no superstar running back to rely on this season, managing the game might not be enough. The Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes II in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft and made an interesting move in bringing in michael vick to work with the quarterbacks as an intern coach this preseason.
Michael Vick
The last time Michael Vick played in the NFL, he was the backup quarterback to Ben Roethlisberger in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Vick hasn’t thrown a pass in a game since 2015 and hasn’t been a starter for a team since 2014 with the New York Jets. Now that he is working with the Kansas City Chiefs but it seems that ESPN has a theory that Vick’s appearance with the Chiefs is about more than just serving as a mentor.
With Ryan Tannehill injuring his knee and possibly seeing that his season might be over with before it even starts, teams around the NFL are wondering what would happen if this happened to them. For some, like the New England Patriots, they have Jimmy Garoppolo waiting and they have faith in him.
For teams like the Dallas Cowboys, owner Jerry Jones has Tony Romo on speed dial and has few concerns that Romo wouldn’t come back if the Cowboys came calling.
ESPN suggests that Michael Vick might be in camp with the Kansas City Chiefs to weigh the possibility of him becoming their second option if Alex Smith falls to injury.
While the Chiefs drafted Mahomes to replace Smith over time, they are a playoff team and a veteran quarterback will help them now more than breaking in a rookie on the field. Of course, this only matters if Alex Smith is injured.
The 2017 Chiefs
There is little chance that the Kansas City Chiefs lose Alex Smith. While he has played in the NFL for 11 seasons, Smith is still a young 33-years-old.
He has played every game of the season for three seasons in his career and hit the 15-game mark in three seasons as well. Since joining the Chiefs in 2013, he has played in 61 out of a total of 64 games. Smith is also still very accurate, with a quarterback rating over 90 in the last three seasons.
In his four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Alex Smith has thrown 76 touchdowns and only 28 interceptions. He hasn’t thrown double-digit interceptions since the 2010 season when he was still with the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs have a great quarterback in Smith but with the Ryan Tannehill injury fresh in everyone’s mind, teams need a backup plan.
