KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- By the measure that counts the most, Alex Smith failed in his five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He couldn't get a talented and well-coached team to the Super Bowl despite four trips to the playoffs, and as the starting quarterback, that's on his record.
By every other gauge, Smith was a success. Smith stabilized what had been a shaky position for the Chiefs, with seven different players starting at least one game for them at quarterback over the six seasons prior to his arrival in 2013.
He also guided a forlorn franchise, one that had lost at least 12 games in four of the six seasons before he walked in the door, to the postseason four times.