Alex Smith Future HOVG or Hall Of Feel Good Story?

[Brian wolf]

Great QBs usually lead their teams to win big games and ultimately, championships but there are many great QBs who fail to win it all. Some are great throwers, others great runners, some make the HOF and HOVG as game managers who can lead their teammates.

Alex Smith was a very talented player who could run or throw but was known more as a game manager, who went through adversity and high expectations the moment he was drafted. How good was he and did his toughness parlay into a HOVG career? Did injuries and lack of winning bigger games ultimately turn his career into a disappointment, or was he strictly a Hall Of Feel Good Story?

There is no doubt Aaron Rodgers probably should have been the Niners #1 pick over Smith but he wasnt and while Smith got thrown into the fire on a bad team, Rodgers got to join a good one and learn behind a HOF QB. For six years, Smith took his lumps and even had to come back from missing the 2008 season due to injury before accepting a pay cut to stay with the team. Finally, the team hired a new HC who turned around their fortunes. With the defense becoming one of the best in football, Smith improved as well and had his first winning season as a starter in 2011. For the remaining eight years of his career, he never had another losing season. In the 2011 playoffs, he played well in beating Drew Brees and the Saints in a shootout, before losing the NFC Championship due to critical special teams fumbles against the Giants. In 2012, adversity would strike again.

The team added an even more explosive, athletic QB, with an even bigger arm but despite leading the Niners to a 6-2-1 start, Smith got injured with a concussion and never got his job back. His backup took the team all the way to the SB, before losing a valient comeback ...

Going to the Chiefs in a trade, Smith rejuvenated his career, while helping his team win divisional titles but the team was snake-bitten in the playoffs. Despite playing great games in the 2013/14 and 2017/18 playoffs against the Colts and Titans, the Chiefs lost huge leads and were beaten. Critics felt Smith couldnt make enough big plays in the playoffs, as the team lost close playoff games to the Steelers and Patriots as well. Despite criticism as strictly a game-manager, Smith was replaced by another backup in 2018 ... More adversity, more problems ...

Going to the Redskins, Smith won initially with his third team but suffered one of the most gruesome injuries in the history of the sport, that not only forced him to miss the 2019 season but should have ended his career. He worked hard and came back anyway, winning Comeback Player Of the Year in 2020 while helping the Skins to the playoffs and a divisional title ... An improbable feel good story. He missed the playoff game and dealing with more adversity, was released by the team the following year where he retired.

Great feel good story, good career, talented player, game-manager, it all applies to Alex Smith, who despite adversity and six dreadful opening years still won over 100 career games as a starter counting postseason.
Is it enough for future HOVG ?

[Jay Z]

He's likely good enough for HOVG. Didn't win enough playoff games.

[Brian wolf]

Despite a 2-5 starting record in the postseason, Smith accounted for 15 TDs running and passing with just two INTs and two lost fumbles ... Not too shabby with a passer rating of 97.4, so he protected the ball, though opposing comebacks took away two victories. The Giants victory came from behind as well ...

[Cali_Eagle]

Just checked him out on PFR.com and I think he should be a lock for the HOVG. Winning record with every team he played for. Rought start with SF but led them to a great season in his last year there. Fantastic 14-2 TD to Int ratio in playoffs. 3 Pro Bowl selections. 3 separate times got votes for Comeback Player of the Year, winning it in his final season. Led League in Passing (Rating) in 2017. Scored 15 TD's on the ground. Ended his career with 9 straight winning seasons as a starting QB. (The Browns should be so lucky to have a QB do that for them.) I def think he belongs and wouldn't at all lower the standard of the HOVG, whatever the PFRA deems that to be.

[sluggermatt15]

Just checked him out on PFR.com and I think he should be a lock for the HOVG. Winning record with every team he played for. Rought start with SF but led them to a great season in his last year there. Fantastic 14-2 TD to Int ratio in playoffs. 3 Pro Bowl selections. 3 separate times got votes for Comeback Player of the Year, winning it in his final season. Led League in Passing (Rating) in 2017. Scored 15 TD's on the ground. Ended his career with 9 straight winning seasons as a starting QB. (The Browns should be so lucky to have a QB do that for them.) I def think he belongs and wouldn't at all lower the standard of the HOVG, whatever the PFRA deems that to be.

I wouldn't call Smith a lock for the HOVG. He's probably on similar ground as Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms, and Joe Theismann. Neither of the three is in the HOVG and they have better resumes, IMO.

You're right, Smith was a CBPOY award winner, finishing in the top 6 two other times. But that and outside of three Pro Bowls, he has no other worthy accolades. Never an all-pro choice and did not win a championship. He was just 2-5 in the postseason and lost his job to Colin Kaepernick, who led the SF 49ers to the Super Bowl. Ouch.

[rhickok1109]

Just checked him out on PFR.com and I think he should be a lock for the HOVG. Winning record with every team he played for. Rought start with SF but led them to a great season in his last year there. Fantastic 14-2 TD to Int ratio in playoffs. 3 Pro Bowl selections. 3 separate times got votes for Comeback Player of the Year, winning it in his final season. Led League in Passing (Rating) in 2017. Scored 15 TD's on the ground. Ended his career with 9 straight winning seasons as a starting QB. (The Browns should be so lucky to have a QB do that for them.) I def think he belongs and wouldn't at all lower the standard of the HOVG, whatever the PFRA deems that to be.

I wouldn't call Smith a lock for the HOVG. He's probably on similar ground as Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms, and Joe Theismann. Neither of the three is in the HOVG and they have better resumes, IMO.

You're right, Smith was a CBPOY award winner, finishing in the top 6 two other times. But that and outside of three Pro Bowls, he has no other worthy accolades. Never an all-pro choice and did not win a championship. He was just 2-5 in the postseason and lost his job to Colin Kaepernick, who led the SF 49ers to the Super Bowl. Ouch.

Yeah, I'd put him well behind Esiason, Simms, and Theismann.

[JohnTurney]

I wouldn't call Smith a lock for the HOVG. He's probably on similar ground as Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms, and Joe Theismann.

has a case, but agree--Boomer, Simms and Thiesmann were all MVPs (Simms NEA) ... would vote for them
over Smith...

[JuggernautJ]

....lost his job to Colin Kaepernick, who led the SF 49ers to the Super Bowl. Ouch.

Of course, we'll never know if Alex would've done the same (or better).
The 2012 49ers were a pretty darn good team... I think it was the coaching (battle of the Harbaughs) that did them in rather than the players. But that's just my opinion.

[Brian wolf]

Frankly, I would take Smith's career over Esiason's. Other than a great season in 1988, Boomer underachieved. The Bengals could have made the playoffs in 85,86,87(a disaster)89 and 91 but just didnt get it done ... Even in 1988, they needed a strong running game down the stretch. Boomer was talented but couldnt run like Smith and never did anything with other teams. He had better arm talent but neither QB was clutch enough to win it all. Smith might have had his own SB appearance, had his team not had critical special teams errors down the stretch against the Giants in early 2012 ...

With Corey Dillon, Esiason might have gotten back on top with Cincy but chose the broadcast booth. At the time I wish he kept playing ...

[74_75_78_79_]

I'm not seeing Simms or Theismann in this convo at all; especially Simms (I 'treat' him like a two-time SB-champ)! Montana, in convo, talks of Phil in the same breath as Marino.

And if only because he did lead a team to a Super Bowl, and had his moments after his time with Cincy, I also place Boomer above Alex. Not by a lot, but enough.

Smith, and Steve DeBerg, were victims of circumstances. I respect them both and wish each had better careers; especially DeBerg (I would have been fine with he being Bradshaw's replacement for the remainder of Noll's time). I always saw DeBerg as being in the wrong place at the wrong time every stop he made. But, sadly, if he - or Alex - were really that good, wouldn't teams they were on have not drafted these 1st-Rd QBs in the first place; as well as being able to fend them off from winning the starting jobs at their expense?