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Column: Rosenfels explains why Alex Smith's best talent is winning

Denny Medley / USA TODAY Sports

Sage Rosenfels is a former 12-year NFL quarterback who writes, does radio, and podcasts about the NFL and college football.

I have always wondered, and will continue to make an attempt at understanding, why people don't want a "game manager" as their starting quarterback. I do understand the fans' obsession with the quarterback who has the huge arm and can "make all the throws."

Who doesn't want a quarterback who can take your breath away with an off balance 55-yard throw for a beautiful first-quarter touchdown?

The issue with this widely held opinion is that more often than not, a quarterback with a big arm doesn't win football games. In the real world of the NFL, the quarterback who distributes the ball the best to his teammates while staying away from game-changing negative plays is the one you want at the helm.

Alex Smith will never be confused with Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, or Cam Newton. He certainly does not have the big arm that impresses general managers, head coaches, and fans alike. He doesn't have the running ability of Michael Vick or Newton whose highlights make their way to Sportscenter's Top Ten. Instead, Smith comes equipped with 70 percent of Cutler's arm and 70 percent of Vick's scrambling talents. He also wins 70 percent of his games by mixing an accurate arm and better-than-you-realize ability to escape a collapsing pocket with two things that are almost impossible to measure: his brain and his will to win.

This is why when Smith's name pops up on my Twitter feed, I have decided to reprogram my mind from what all the "experts" say on TV. They love to call Smith a game manager. I prefer the term "game winner," which to me, is a more accurate label.

On Christmas Night, while NFL fans were winding down their holiday celebrations, Smith was doing what he does best, winning another football game. A week after a tough defeat to the Titans in frigid temperatures, Smith kept his team in the AFC West race with a muddy and rain-soaked win versus the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. The game wasn't pretty, but they rarely are in games played outdoors in December.

Playing in the NFL's toughest division in 2016, Smith and the Chiefs have a chance to bring home a division title and host a playoff game. With Derek Carr's injury in Oakland, as well as Miami and Houston down to their backup QBs, Kansas City is set up to go deep in the playoffs. As the playoffs loom, this is how the Chiefs threaten opposing defenses.

An NFL defense can be attacked both vertically and horizontally.

The hardest passing play for an NFL defense to stop is four vertical routes, which stresses a defense's width and depth. Since Smith doesn't have the arm to regularly attack teams down the field, Andy Reid's offense stretches a team from sideline to sideline. Smith's accuracy and advanced understanding of NFL defenses gives him an advantage over the mediocre quarterbacks in the league. He is also equipped with a strong group of weapons which matches his strengths.

Kansas City's offense has taken a nontraditional approach this season. With the loss of Jamaal Charles early in the year, the Chiefs spread the ball all over the field to a long list of unique athletes. Their two main running backs, Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West, are solid runners but are also a threat in the passing game. Now, Tyreek Hill, one of the NFL's most explosive players, has added big play potential to the position. At wide receiver, Jeremy Maclin is the consistent veteran amongst the group. Chris Conley, Albert Wilson, and Hill (utility athlete) are young, raw, and talented. They are also a threat to turn a short pass into a big play.

There are multiple ways to make explosive plays in the NFL.

One is to pass protect for four-to-five seconds and try to allow the quarterback to connect with his wide receiver down the field. The other, and much easier way, is to get a quarterback to accurately hit a playmaking receiver on the run, then rely on their run-after-catch talents. This is one of the things the Chiefs do well and Smith is the perfect trigger man for this type of attack. He is very accurate on short to mid-range throws and smart enough to find the best matchup.

The key to their success is tight end Travis Kelce.

Going back to the days of Bill Walsh and Joe Montana, a successful West Coast offense relies heavily on a strong tight end. With Rob Gronkowski out for the year, Kelce has stepped into the role of NFL's best tight end.

What makes Kelce special is his rare talent to do everything well.

He can be lined up in a three-point stance and attack defenses over the middle of the field. The Chiefs also like to put him out wide, as a wide receiver, which does a multitude of things. From a schematic standpoint, it helps the quarterback identify the defense. If a safety or linebacker walks out to cover him (bad idea) the quarterback knows it's man-to-man coverage, which helps him identify the best matchup before the snap. If a corner is covering him, this means the defense is playing zone. Smith can then spread the ball to a better matchup such as Hill, Maclin, Conley, or Wilson versus a linebacker or safety.

This brings us back to what I said earlier about taking a short pass, breaking a tackle, and creating an explosive play.

What makes Kelce unique is that even when a cornerback is placed over him, he is still an option. Most NFL offensive coordinators shy away from this matchup. Rarely does a tight end pose a threat to a good corner. Therefore, the cornerbacks attack short routes knowing they have the extra speed to recover on a double move. Since Kelce is fast and an excellent route runner, corners can't "sit" on routes and must read the play honestly.

During Kelce's 80-yard touchdown on Christmas night, he showed another element to his game.

Since the Chiefs don't push the ball down the field very often, another way to spread the field horizontally is through wide receiver screens. This slows the pass rush (the Broncos have one of the league's best) and makes defenders tackle in space. Usually this play is reserved for players such as Hill because of his explosiveness. A good kickoff and punt-return specialist is unique for two reasons, the ability to make the first person miss and the speed to outrun the pursuit. Hill is the epitome of this. On last night's play, though Kelce didn't necessarily have to make anyone miss, he did have to be a good enough athlete to meander his way through traffic. He then had enough breakaway speed to outrun the pursuit. Other than Gronkowski, we haven't seen too many NFL tight ends with the speed and agility to do this.

This brings me back to Smith. After his initial struggles in San Francisco, Smith has steadily improved year after year. Though he was having a second consecutive strong season under Jim Harbaugh, Smith was injured/benched and replaced by a quarterback with more "talent." Colin Kaepernick was faster and had a bigger arm than Smith. As I am trying to point out, those two attributes aren't as important as Smith's talent of understanding how to win football games.

Smith is now in the perfect spot in Kansas City.

Head coach Andy Reid has always done an incredible job at maximizing his athletes' abilities. Once Reid signed Smith, he started to build an offensive roster with athletes rather than traditional NFL wide receivers. Smith, one of the original "spread" quarterbacks under Urban Meyer, is the perfect trigger man for this type of attack. He is accurate, smart, composed, can run when needed, and stays away from the key mistake.

If you study the NFL long enough, and in particular, the quarterback position, you will learn there are multiple ways to skin a cat. For Smith, he understands his role on his football team. With a roster deep with explosive players on offense, defense, and special teams, Smith is the distributor. He isn't the main wheel in the Chiefs machine, he is just a piece of the puzzle who knows how to do his job, and do it well.

Derek Carr

I'm sorry Oakland fans. Kurt Warner and Tom Brady aren't coming to save you. Whether your Raiders win or lose this week versus the Broncos, they will be in the playoffs. This is as far as they will get. Derek Carr does too many good things for that team to succeed without him.

Matt Moore

In the AFC, three teams will make the playoffs with their backup quarterback starting the final couple games of the season. Great news for the Patriots, Steelers, and Chiefs. Of these three teams, Matt Moore is hands down the best quarterback who also has enough moxie to pull off a first-round win.

Ben Roethlisberger

The Steelers are my sleeper team to make some noise in the playoffs. If anyone can beat the Patriots in Foxboro, it's Pittsburgh. Any team with Big Ben at the helm has a chance to pull out an upset win on the road. Having the best wide receiver/running back duo in football increases their chances.

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