The Kansas City Chiefs' late-season collapse can't be blamed on Alex Smith.
After taking a backseat to Jamaal Charles in the first half of the season, Smith raised his game to compensate for a defense that lost its backbone down the stretch.
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt essentially confirmed an early January report that the organization will make a long-term commitment to Smith, whose contract is due to expire after the 2014 season.
"When we made the trade for him a year ago, that was part of the thinking," Hunt said on WHB-AM, via ESPN.com on Tuesday. "I don't think that thinking has changed. He came in and did a nice job. We're glad to have him as a part of the Kansas City Chiefs and we hope it's longer than a two-year stay."
Even though the Chiefs got off to a 7-0 start, they had to be wondering if they could build around a hyper-conservative quarterback who didn't seem to trust his arm. Smith owned a 7-4 interception ratio, completing just 58 percent of his passes at a barely acceptable 6.3 yards per attempt through his first seven games in Kansas City.
From Week 8 through the Chiefs' season-ending playoff loss, though, Smith generated an impressive 20-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, completing 63.5 percent of his passes at 7.0 yards per attempt.
"One of the things I enjoyed about the season was watching him get better as we went along, which makes sense," Clark added. "(Andy Reid's) offense is pretty complicated, even for someone as bright as Alex. But the longer he played in it, the longer the rest of the team was in this offense, you could see him getting better. I think it's very exciting for 2014 to see where that offense goes."
Teams led by Smith at quarterback have sported a 30-9-1 record over the past three seasons. His playoff passer rating is flirting with 110.0.
Having climbed out of quarterback purgatory, the Chiefs have little choice but to live and die with Smith for the next few years.
*The "Around The League Podcast" taped our Super Bowl XLVIII recap from MetLife Stadium right after the game. *
