Alex Smith's final preseason as Kansas City's starting quarterback began in the same locale that the Pony Express originated.
Only in his case, the ride has not been nearly as bumpy as the ride experienced by those pioneering mailmen. Thanks to the attitude of Smith's heir apparent, the bumpiness Smith thought could transpire this summer has been absent.
One of the ancillary benefits to the Chiefs holding training camp away from club headquarters is greater opportunity for teammates to connect while on the road. Smith says that bonding has occurred between him and Patrick Mahomes, the big-armed rookie Kansas City drafted in the first round to ultimately take his place.
"You get to know each other on a real level," Smith told co-host Gil Brandt and me Tuesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio before the Chiefs broke camp. “Through OTAs and stuff, you’re still kind of working through it. You don't really know each other that well.
"It’s been nice to come to camp and just (having) no B.S. He and I can get to know the real one another. That's been good. You kind of get back to football and being players. You get through all that — any awkwardness or anything else that might be there — and you just have fun."
Smith's approach stands in stark contrast to how some other lame-duck quarterbacks handled themselves once a successor was tabbed. For example, Green Bay’s Brett Favre had an instant dislike for Aaron Rodgers after the latter was drafted in 2005. Sam Bradford also asked Philadelphia management for a trade — which was ultimately granted (to Minnesota) even after the request was rescinded — once it was clear the Eagles were selecting Carson Wentz in last year’s draft.
It would be hard to criticize Smith for taking a similar stance, especially considering he was given the Wally Pipp treatment by San Francisco in 2012, when he was benched in-season for Colin Kaepernick.
About the only viable scenario in which Smith will return to Kansas City next season is if he leads the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl appearance in almost 50 years. Kansas City would clear $17 million in much-needed salary cap space by releasing Smith in the 2018 offseason before he enters the final year of his contract. Plus, the Chiefs obviously believe Mahomes has more upside after sending their 2018 first-round pick to Buffalo to leap 17 spots in the draft and selecting him at No. 10 overall.
It's in Smith's best personal interest to get as many snaps as possible this season to bolster his free-agent stock. Doing the bare minimum to help Mahomes adjust to the NFL — which is a huge leap since he’s a 21-year-old underclassman coming from a spread system at Texas Tech — would increase the chances he remains on the bench while Smith plays.
Taking that stance also isn't in Smith’s nature.
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"He’s been great with the young kid coming in," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “They all handle it differently. He's not here to be that kid's mentor. That's not what we're asking him to do. We’re asking him to go win games. But at the same time, he's done that. He’s a good human being and he treats that kid well."
For that, the "kid" is appreciative.
"Having a guy like Alex in front of you is awesome,” said Mahomes, who was promoted to the backup role earlier this week following his performance in Kansas City’s preseason opener against San Francisco. "He's a guy that really has control of the entire offense and is the true leader of the team. And he's a guy who has no hurtfulness or anything."
At least none that will be displayed publically, which is the same tact Smith has taken toward public knocks on his play. The fact that Smith has averaged 10 wins in the four seasons since he was traded from San Francisco to Kansas City and his efficiency in avoiding big mistakes (i.e. turnovers) is often overshadowed by two other factors: his failure to consistently produce dynamic plays in the passing game and the team's inability to advance past the second round of the playoffs despite having championship-caliber defenses.
Smith allows that being a lightning rod for criticism is part of the quarterback “lifestyle." He also learned to ignore much of it during his first six seasons with the 49ers when he was regularly skewered for failing to live up to what was expected of the 2005 draft's top overall pick.
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Smith hasn't changed that tact during a far more successful stretch with the Chiefs despite the outside clamoring for Mahomes that will continue to grow if Smith hits a rough patch, which is entirely possible this season considering the youth on Kansas City’s wide receiving corps. Not to mention a running game that has dipped ever since the now-departed Jamaal Charles suffered a major knee injury early in the 2015 campaign.
"Certainly, it does get in here and there, but I think you just get older and accept it for what it is," said Smith, 33. “You get the draft, you get the new guys in, and that’s a good thing. Fans should be excited about that. I don’t think I need to necessarily make it about me or take offense to anything. I still need to go about doing my job and to not lose that focus."
He has done that so far this preseason, even as Mahomes makes the kind of throws in practice that have wowed teammates and Smith himself.
"Seeing some of the throws he’s making and ability to get out of the pocket and still put these throws right on a dime, it’s pretty impressive," Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher said of Mahomes. “I think everyone is looking forward to see him progress over the years."
Such excitement, though, is tempered by the fact that Mahomes will someday be under center at Smith’s expense.
"Alex is such a professional," Fisher said. “He’s one of the most consistent guys I know. Every day, he doesn’t miss a beat. Just blocking for him going on five years now, it’s been a privilege.
"I hope to block for him as long as he's doing this thing. He's doing an awesome job again. I don’t think he always gets the credit he deserves, but he’s my guy."
And will be until Mahomes is ready.
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"The kid is a lot like (Smith) in that he's competitive as all get-out," Reid said. "I think Alex appreciates that part of him — that he wants to be good.
"Alex knows like we all know we’re not getting any younger. That's part of this game. It keeps going."
Giddy up.
