During an event for the “Dwight Clark Legacy Series,” a charity event benefiting the Golden Heart Fund of San Francisco, former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith appeared on a panel with three other quarterbacks who have also been associated with the San Francisco 49ers: Brock Purdy, Jeff Garcia and Steve Young.
Smith talked about the unique situation he found himself in: The 49ers had selected him out of Utah with the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft — after Joe Montana, Young (and even Driskell) as San Francisco’s starter.
“There has never been a franchise that had Joe and Steve,” Smith explained, according to Keynote USA Sports. “That had never happened. Jeff set the franchise record for yards, so he kept it.
“And all of a sudden being the No. 1 pick, and when I was 20, those were things I never dealt with. I received a university scholarship offer. I had gone unnoticed my entire life. Now, suddenly. (There were) enormous expectations placed on me.”
Smith now realizes it was a nearly impossible situation.
“It was a lot,” he recalled. “I felt like it had to be perfect. I struggled with that during my early years, walking into a field on eggshells. Trying not to make any mistakes. I became perfect, it was every day in practice, in the meeting rooms, and it became my worst enemy.
“As anyone can imagine, trying to do anything let alone play quarterback as a rookie, that’s certainly a recipe for disaster.”
It also didn’t help that Smith was frequently injured during his early years with the 49ers. He missed games in both 2005 and 2007, and then, after being replaced by Shaun Smith as the starter during 2008 training camp, was placed on injured reserve when it was learned that a wire placed in his shoulder to repair his shoulder injury from 2007 had been cut. through the bone.
Smith had to take a pay cut to return to the team in 2009 and ultimately led the 49ers to a 13-3 record in 2011, when San Francisco lost to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship. But despite this, when he suffered a concussion during the 2012 season, second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick remained the starter after Smith was cleared to play again.
After the 49ers reached the Super Bowl with Kaepernick, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco felt comfortable trading Smith to the Chiefs, where he served as the team’s starting quarterback for the first five years of the coach’s tenure. in chief Andy Reid.
In the last of these seasons under Reid, with first-round pick Patrick Mahomes waiting in the wings, Smith finally learned to say “fuck” on the field. This helped him put together the best season of his career before Kansas City traded him to the Washington Commanders.
Watching Mahomes become the league’s MVP during his first season as the Chiefs’ starter, and then lead his team to three league championships in five seasons, appears to have given Smith a new perspective on his time in San Diego. Francisco.
“I didn’t get to play with a veteran quarterback early on,” he noted, “so there wasn’t necessarily that resource there. “I struggled with this for several years before I found a way out thanks to some teammates and coaches.”
Smith, who turned 40 earlier this month, now serves as an analyst for Keynote USA.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow @Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.