Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 359 The So-called Occupation

This should be the first time Levi looked at Smith directly.

Being the No. 1 pick in the draft, a quarterback, and the highest-paid player in the entire team, Smith seemed impossible to look at under all those halos, and naturally his face and eyes could not be seen clearly.

until now.

"Alex..." Levi tried to comfort him, but was interrupted by Smith.

"You know, at that time, no one asked for my opinion."

"They just made the decision and gave me a final word, 'Hey, Alex, you're being traded, thank you for your service to the team,' and that was it."

"I had no say. None at all."

In 2005, the San Francisco 49ers selected Smith, a quarterback from the University of Utah, with the first pick. He has been in San Francisco for eight seasons.

Although he started slowly in his rookie season and his performance was not satisfactory, his subsequent growth was gratifying. By the 2012 season, Smith had transformed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Although not elite, he was in the first tier.

In the 2012 season, Smith's quarterback rating, passing yards, passing success rate, passing touchdowns, rushing yards, etc. all set career highs.

Among them, the pass success rate and quarterback rating are temporarily leading the league.

In the second quarter of the tenth week of the regular season, Smith was sacked, diagnosed with a concussion, and forced to leave the field. The team's rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick came off the bench and led the San Francisco 49ers to victory.

This concussion was just a minor accident. Just two weeks later, Smith passed the concussion test, was confirmed to be fine, and was allowed to play.

However, the team's head coach Jim Harbaugh, the brother of Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, said he did not want Smith to rush back, and Smith should rest for another week, with Kaepernick continuing to be the team's 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 court but also in training. He guided Kaepernick step by step and was undoubtedly a role model and a leader.

However, the professional league does not believe in tears.

Harbaugh believes that Smith is too stable, lacks edge, and has a limited ceiling. This is not just his opinion. The entire league has the same evaluation of Smith's eight years with the San Francisco 49ers. Under Smith's leadership, the San Francisco 49ers only advanced to the playoffs once.

In contrast, Kaepernick is younger, more energetic and more diverse. The running quarterback brought energy to the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh chose the future. Even if Smith did not make any mistakes and even if Smith played the best season of his career, Harbaugh still made a radical choice.

And then, this is what happened.

After the season, the San Francisco 49ers informed Smith that he was being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Reid admires Smith very much. Although Smith lacks long pass ability, he is an intellectual quarterback. His understanding and reading of tactics, judgment and analysis of defense are undoubtedly in the top tier of the league. Such a quarterback is undoubtedly a treasure.

So, after Smith joined the Kansas City Chiefs, after only two training sessions, Reid immediately made Smith the starting quarterback.

And, until now.

Under Reid's coaching, Smith performed well and led the Kansas City 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, the team made it all the way to the Super Bowl. Facing the Baltimore Ravens, the Harbour brothers staged a rare "Harbour Bowl", and the San Francisco 49ers unfortunately lost; in the 2013 season, Kaepernick once again led the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Finals, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.

And then... no more.

Since the 2014 season, the San Francisco 49ers have missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.

In early 2015, Harbaugh lost his head coaching job and went to coach in the NCAA; at the end of the 2016 season, Kaepernick suffered injuries for two consecutive seasons and was involved in a series of off-field controversies. He was laid off by the San Francisco 49ers and has not found a job until now.

However, this is the professional league.

His gaze returned to Smith. "I have been angry and sad."

"Believe me, I dreamed about revenge. I'd be lying if I said I didn't imagine leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl and then beating the San Francisco 49ers and winning the championship."

Smith looked at Levi and gave a self-deprecating smile.

“That’s childish, isn’t it?”

The corners of Levi's mouth also rose, and he shook his head gently, "No, this proves that you are a flesh and blood like us, not a saint."

"Haha," Smith laughed out loud, then let out a long breath, with a hint of bitterness in his smile, "But now, I'm beginning to think that maybe Coach Hubble is right, maybe I'm not the answer to the Super Bowl, not before, not now, and probably not in the future."

Levi was stunned, "Alex..."

Smith smiled and waved his hand to stop Levi, "No need to comfort me."

"In fact, I realized this a long time ago. The team selected Patrick in the draft. This signal couldn't be clearer. Although I am not an elite quarterback, I will never miss such a signal."

"I'm already 33 years old and have been in the league for more than a decade. The ceiling is obvious. Even if Coach Reid values ​​me, 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 have some say."

"Unfortunately, I'm not."

Turning his head, Smith looked at Levi and smiled, "Maybe this is my last season in Kansas."

It was clearly a smile, but it looked extremely sad.

Levi, "Then why are you teaching Patrick so hard?"

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 hand in hand, imparting everything he knew to Mahomes without reservation.

Answer all questions.

Not only the playbook, but also the game experience.

As a good friend of Mahomes, Levi knows it better than anyone.

Smith looked up at the starry sky and said, "I just want to be more upright."

"The growth of young people cannot be stopped just because 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 can still grow in their own way. Instead of stopping them from growing, it's better to have a fair fight."

“I believe I can win in head-on competition.”

"But obviously, I overestimated myself. Haha, my friends all said I was stupid. Advocating fair competition in professional games is no different from shooting myself in the foot."

"Actually, I just hope I can live with a clear conscience."

"I'm not a genius, never have been. I don't know if I can win a championship, but I hope that when I retire, at least I can live with my conscience."

“Isn’t this too naive?”

Smith turned to look at Levi, his expression revealing a hint of self-deprecating bitterness.

Levi shook his head slightly, in awe, "No."

"It's always easy to go with the flow, but it's the hardest to stick to your heart. This is not naivety, but integrity."

(End of this chapter)