Alex Smith has been everywhere and through everything.
Smith was born in Bremerton, Wash., and then raised in Bonita, where he attended Bonita Vista Middle School.
He later went on to play high school football at Helix where he and star teammate Reggie Bush earned two San Diego Section championships together.
Smith went on to play football at Utah while Bush decided to play for USC.
Alex Smith has been everywhere and through everything.
Smith was born in Bremerton, Wash., and then raised in Bonita, where he attended Bonita Vista Middle School.
He later went on to play high school football at Helix where he and star teammate Reggie Bush earned two San Diego Section championships together.
Smith went on to play football at Utah while Bush decided to play for USC.
Both Smith and Bush later became Heisman Trophy finalists in college in 2004, making it the first time ever that two high school teammates were finalists in the ceremony.
Smith eventually became the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft for the San Francisco 49ers, though he would struggle in his early years as a 49er and many critics even labeled him as a bust.
In his rookie campaign, Smith played in nine games where he threw one touchdown pass and 11 interceptions. He struggled with injuries in his rookie season.
In the next few years, Smith would continue to battle with injuries as he was sidelined for the entire 2008 season with a broken bone in his shoulder.
Throughout his first five NFL seasons, Smith had dealt with five different offensive coordinators as a NFL quarterback, which meant there were five different offensive playbooks he would have to master.
Smith would finally put it together in 2011 when he played in all 16 games, throwing for more than 3,000 yards, 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions.
Things seemed to fit in San Francisco until 2012 — a year after his best season – when a new quarterback stepped into town.
The highly praised Colin Kaepernick, the dual-threat quarterback with an amazing arm and quick feet, took over the starting job midway through the season after Smith was sidelined with a concussion.
Smith would not see the field again that season even after he was cleared to play after recovering from his concussion. This included all of the Bay Area’s playoff games, including the team’s appearance in the Super Bowl.
Smith let it be known that he was frustrated with his lack of playing time, and the 49ers traded Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2013 off-season. Thus far, the Chiefs have found a winner.
Through the first four weeks of the 2013 NFL season, Smith has thrown seven touchdowns with two interceptions (four touchdowns against zero interceptions in his first three games) and has proven to be successful of his role as a “game manager.”
The Chiefs currently stand 4-0 after a 31-7 victory over the visiting New York Giants on Sunday, Sept. 29. He passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
Since 1990, 75 percent of teams that have started the season 3-0 have gone on to make the playoffs, giving Chief and Smith fans something to count on.
The Chiefs’ next game is Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Tennessee Titans. Kick-off is 10 a.m. Pacific.
Despite the many journeys Smith has been through in his career, it looks like Kansas City might serve to be the last of them.
