Smith Gets a Fresh Start in KC
By: Matthew Tritten
Updated: March 14, 2013
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) The moment the Chiefs made a move to bring Alex Smith to Kansas City, the former number one overall pick took on great expectations.
"Len Dawson is sitting right here. Len Dawson's in the Hall of Fame. We're going to work on getting Alex into the Hall of Fame," Kansas City head coach Andy Reid joked at Wednesday's press conference.
But between the lighter moments in his first appearance as a Chief, Smith poised to shoulder the load of turning around the NFL's worst team just a season ago.
The Brady Quinn-Matt Cassel combination was a disaster in 2012.
The two threw eight touchdowns to just 20 interceptions during the team's 2-14 campaign.
Smith is looking forward to taking those expectations head-on.
"You want to be great. I mean you want to shoot high," Smith said. "You want the expectations to be high. None of us are playing this game to come in second. That's why we're here."
Smith spent seven seasons in San Francisco, but didn't lead them into a winning record until 2011.
A concussion sidelined him in 2012 opening the door for Colin Kaepernick. That allowed the 49ers to deal Smith, but he believes he's finally found the right fit for him.
"I mean without a doubt, the Chiefs were the team that I wanted to be with, even before I knew they were an option. I thought maybe there was potential there, and it turned out there was."
Now Kansas City has a stable quarterback in place, and have even signed four free agents to go along with the major acquisition of Smith. But the Chiefs front office know there is still a long way to go before becoming a Super Bowl contender.
"This is just one part of the process," Reid said. "It's important now that we jump in and get ourselves ready for the draft and any moves in free agency that you might make past today."
