The Last Man Standing

All of you know our position in the draft: offensive needs, defensive needs, thin depth, aging talent, it has been gone over and over again with little reward other than driving us insane. What will the Kansas City Chiefs do, who will they draft, what trades are going to happen? All of these questions circle our minds with no apparent answers. Luckily we are down to the wire and have very little time to sit in agony and wait for these insights. But I ask you, what if one of the questions circling your brain has already been answered and we just do not know it yet? I can offer only conjecture and hypothetical situation, but it may lead to an end we all will be happy with. What if I were to tell you we had the future of the Chiefs sitting on our active roster and never bothered to look?

The Chiefs QB situation in past years has been dreadful. It would seem after Trent Green left for the big announcers box in the sky we have paraded out scrubs and retreads from the tunnel at One Arrowhead Drive. With the likes of Cassel, Palko, Stanzi, Orton, Croyle, and Thigpen we have been left wanting for far too long. Finally, in 2013 Cassel and Quinn were jettisoned and a real starting quarterback was brought in. Alex Smith appeared on the scene for the mere cost of 2 second round picks and was an immediate controversy. Half hailed him as a talented quarterback who only lost his position on a talented San Francisco roster due to a concussion, the other half considered him to be just another cast off from the bay area the Chiefs front office was duped into trading for.

While Alex Smith may have a fair number of detractors, his winning record should speak for itself. Over the past 3 years, the AS11-led Chiefs have won an astonishing 30 games. This sits only behind Brady (35), Rodgers (32), and Wilson (32). He is ahead of Rothlisberger (28), Stafford (27), Dalton (26), and Newton (26). That is some truly fine company to be in.

Alex Smith’s detractors say he is too cautious. Many times he is seen holding on to the ball rather than place it into a contested position. While this will make for a very safe turnover-free game, it is not what people are craving. It is vanilla, good to have but chocolate is more exciting. So now the Chiefs faithful have taken to the internet to scour every shred of news regarding potential QB draftees and are left with a decision. Should we take a quarterback in this draft, one that is considered by many to be very weak at the position, or do we sit on this need and ride with Smith again. Well, I am here to tell you there is another option: Tyler Bray.

Undrafted due to character concerns, Bray found his way to the Chiefs shortly after the 2013 draft. He was considered by many to have the strongest arm in the entire draft and was projected to go in the 3rd round by pundits. However, the supply of quarterbacks at the time far outweighed the demand and he fell victim of his own folly. Going undrafted must have been a huge wake-up call to the former Tennessee Volunteer. It would seem since being picked up he has kept his head on straight and nose to the grind. Staying out of trouble and learning the complicated system John-Andy-Reid-Dorsey — JARD — has put in place are in his best interests. Especially with how things have shaken out recently.

Does it surprise you that out of all of the quarterbacks brought in to back up Smith the only one left is an undrafted free agent? Foles, gone back to Philly, Murray, drafted and cut, Hogan, outta here, Daniel, on his way back to the Bayou. This could mean one of two things. Either Bray is just the best of a bad situation, left over until we find someone better, or he is the potential future. With the rocket launcher of an arm, in 2012, he led the Volunteers with 3,612 yard and 34 touchdowns. He surpassed Peyton Manning’s record in passing in a single game with 530 yards.

So obviously the talent is there. We just have never seen it. Sitting way back on the depth chart, Bray has yet to start a game in his professional career. Showing great promise in the preseason he helped lead the Chiefs to a 30-8 win over the Packers in 2013 but has since been quiet. Tucked away on injured reserve in 2014 and the Non-Football Injury list in 2015, he has never had a chance in the spotlight. Smith is very resilient. He is seemingly indestructible, having only missed one start. This does not allow for much playing time for a #2 quarterback let alone a 3rd stringer. Finally, with Bray named the backup — either due to talent or just lack of depth — we may see a chance for him to spread his wings.

I firmly believe if given the chance Tyler will show us what he is made of. Fans have been clamoring for years for a gunslinger type QB that will dazzle us all with short drops and deep passes, and Bray fits the bill. With years riding the bench he should undoubtedly have the playbook committed to memory. If Smith were to go down, he could step up in a big way. Then we would have another conundrum on our hands. What to do with our leader for the past few years?

Look to the future. Look to the sidelines. Look to Bray.

As always, VIVA LA JET SWEEP and GO CHIEFS!

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