Chapter 359 The so-called profession
This should be the first time Levi looked at Smith head-on.
He is the No. 1 pick in the draft, a quarterback, and the highest-paid player on the entire team. Under the halo, Smith seems to be hard to look at, and naturally it is impossible to see his face and eyes clearly.
Until now.
"Alex..." Levi tried to comfort him, but was interrupted by Smith.
"You know, at that time, no one asked me for my opinion."
"They just made the decision and informed me of a final decision, 'Hey Alex, you're being traded, thank you for your contribution to the team,' and that's all."
"I had no say. Not at all."
In 2005, the San Francisco 49ers selected Smith, a quarterback from the University of Utah, with the No. 1 pick. He stayed in San Francisco for eight seasons.
Although his rookie season started slowly and his performance was unsatisfactory, his subsequent growth was gratifying. By the 2012 season, Smith had transformed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He was not considered an elite, but he was still ranked among the first tier. .
In the 2012 season, Smith's quarterback rating, passing yards, passing success rate, passing touchdowns, running yards, etc. all set career highs.
Among them, two data, pass success rate and quarterback rating, temporarily lead the league.
In the second quarter of Week 10 of the regular season, Smith suffered a sack, was diagnosed with a concussion, and was forced to leave the game. The team's rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick came on as a substitute and led the San Francisco 49ers to win the game. victory.
This concussion was just a minor accident. In just two weeks, Smith passed the concussion test, was confirmed to be fine, and was allowed to play.
However, team head coach Jim Harbaugh, the brother of Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, said that he did not want Smith to return in a hurry. Smith should rest for another week and the team would continue to rely on Kaepernick. Serve as starting quarterback.
After that, Kaepernick never stepped down from the starting quarterback position.
Smith, lost his job.
Smith made no mistakes. His performance was outstanding, not only on the field but also in training. He led Kaepernick out hand by hand and was undoubtedly a role model and leader.
However, the professional league does not believe in tears.
Harper believes that Smith is too stable, lacks sharpness, and has a limited upper limit. This is not his opinion alone. The entire league also has the same evaluation of Smith's eight-year performance with the San Francisco 49ers. Under Smith's leadership, the San Francisco 49ers only Just qualifying for the playoffs once.
In contrast, Kaepernick is younger, more energetic and more diverse. The running quarterback brings energy to the San Francisco 49ers. Hubble chose the future, even if Smith made no mistakes, even if Smith played the best game of his career. During the season, Hubble still made a radical choice.
Then, it happened.
After the season, the San Francisco 49ers informed Smith that he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Reid admires Smith very much. Although Smith lacks the ability to pass long balls, Smith is an intellectual quarterback. His understanding and reading of tactics, judgment and analysis of defense are undoubtedly the first echelon in the league. In this way The quarterback is undoubtedly a treasure.
Therefore, after Smith joined the Kansas Chiefs, in just two training sessions, Reid immediately established Smith's starting quarterback position.
And, until now.
Under Reid's coaching, Smith performed well and led the Kansas Chiefs to the playoffs three times in four years except for the 2014 season.
On the other hand, the San Francisco 49ers——
In the 2012 season, under the leadership of Kaepernick, they made it all the way to the Super Bowl. Facing the Baltimore Ravens, the Hubble brothers staged a rare "Hubble Bowl". The San Francisco 49ers unfortunately lost; in the 2013 season, Kaepernick once again led the team. The San Francisco 49ers advanced to the NFC Finals, losing to the Seattle Seahawks.
And then... there was no more.
Since the beginning of the 2014 season, the San Francisco 49ers have missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.
At the beginning of 2015, Harper lost his job as head coach and went to coach in the NCAA; at the end of the 2016 season, Kaepernick suffered from injuries for two consecutive seasons, was involved in a series of off-field controversies, and was laid off by the San Francisco 49ers. Haven't found a job yet.
However, this is the professional league.
His eyes returned to Smith. "I was angry and sad."
"Believe me, I dreamed about revenge. If I said I didn't imagine leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl and beating the San Francisco 49ers to win the championship, that would be a 100 percent lie."
Smith looked at Levi and showed a self-deprecating smile.
"That's childish, isn't it?"
The corners of Li Wei's mouth also rose, and he shook his head slightly, "No, this proves that you are flesh and blood like us, not a saint."
"Haha," Smith laughed directly, and then exhaled a long breath, with a hint of bitterness in his smile, "But now, I am beginning to think that maybe Coach Hubble is right, and maybe I am not the answer to the Super Bowl. It wasn’t the case before, it’s not the case now, and I’m afraid it won’t be the case in the future.”
Levi was stunned, "Alex..."
Smith smiled and waved his hand to stop Levi, "No need to comfort me."
"Actually, I've been aware of this for a long time. The team selected Patrick in the draft. This signal is very clear. Although I am not an elite quarterback, this signal will never be missed."
"I am thirty-three years old and have been in the league for more than ten years. The ceiling is already obvious. Even if Coach Reid values me anymore, he needs to face reality."
"After all, this is a professional league. In the final analysis, we are all just pawns. Unless we can become Brady or Manning, we can win some say."
"Unfortunately, I'm not."
Turning his head, Smith looked at Levi and smiled, "Maybe this will be my last season in Kansas."
It was obviously a smile, but it was particularly sad.
Levi, "Then you still teach Patrick so carefully?"
Smith, "I thought you and Patrick were friends?"
Levi nodded, "Yes, I am, but you are not. You are competitors."
Throughout the season, Smith taught Mahomes step-by-step, imparting everything he knew to Mahomes without reservation——
Any questions will be answered.
Not just a playbook, but game experience.
As a good friend of Mahomes, Levi knows this all too well.
Smith looked up at the stars, "I just want to be upright."
"The growth of young people is not something I can stop if I want to. Even if it's not Colin Kaepernick or Patrick Mahomes, there will still be other competitors joining the team; even if it's not me, they will still To be able to grow up in your own way, it’s better to fight it out openly than to prevent them from growing up.”
"I believe I can win in head-to-head competition."
"But obviously, I overestimated myself. Haha, my friends all said I was stupid. Advocating fair competition in professional competitions is no different from shooting myself in the foot."
"Actually, I just hope that I can have a clear conscience."
"I'm not a genius, never have been. I don't know if I can win the championship, but I hope that when I retire, at least I can be honest with my conscience."
"Is this too naive?"
Smith turned to look at Levi, his expression showing a bit of self-deprecating bitterness.
Levi shook his head gently, in awe, "No."
"It's always easy to go with the flow, but the most difficult thing is to stick to your heart. This is not naivety, but integrity."
(End of chapter)