Tag: Alex Smith

9 star-studded PGA Tour pro and celebrity pairings at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

These pairs are going to be fun to watch.

The second signature event of the PGA Tour’s 2024 season is here as a loaded field of 80 pros has descended upon Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the Monterey Peninsula.

The amateurs in the field will play alongside their partners for the first two rounds — one at Pebble Beach, one at Spyglass Hill — before it’s just the pros at Pebble Beach over the weekend.

Among the world’s best in the field are Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa.

Pebble Pro-Am: Picks to win, odds | Sleepers

As for the amateurs, here are nine star-studded pairings for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Former Chiefs QB Alex Smith: ‘This 49ers defense doesn’t do a lot’

#Chiefs legend Alex Smith seemed confident in Kansas City’s ability to move the ball against the #49ers during a podcast appearance this week.

The Kansas City Chiefs are slight underdogs for their Super Bowl LVIII matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, but one former quarterback who played for both teams likes the defending champion’s chances of escaping Las Vegas, Nevada with their second-consecutive title.

Chiefs legend Alex Smith appeared on The Adam Schefter Podcast this week to break down his thoughts on the highly anticipated matchup between the NFL’s top teams.

In speaking about the 49ers’ defense, Smith didn’t seem sure of their ability to do enough to keep Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s offense from taking over the game.

“This 49ers defense doesn’t do a lot,” Smith explained. “They don’t present a lot of volume. I think… they’re going to be in for it. The only chance I think the Niners have to win is a little bit of a shootout, and again, this Chiefs defense just continues to elevate their game.”

Whether Smith’s prediction will prove to come true remains to be seen, but fans in Chiefs Kingdom can rest easy knowing that their former signal-caller is confident in Mahomes’ ability to move the ball against San Francisco’s stout defensive unit.

Rivera discusses how difficult it is to find a franchise quarterback

Rivera talks how hard it was to find a franchise QB, and even mentioned Alex Smith and Jay Gruden.

Ron Rivera is likely entering his final days as head coach of the Washington Commanders. Rivera accepted his fate months ago and heads into this weekend’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, realizing it’s probably his last game as coach.

On Wednesday, the coach was in a reflective mood when reporters were discussing his time in Washington. One of the questions for Rivera focused on the franchise’s inability to find a franchise quarterback. This isn’t only a Rivera problem; it’s one that has plagued the organization for years.

Rivera acknowledged how difficult it has been, but, correctly said it’s not only difficult for Washington, but it’s tough for every team.

“In all honesty, that’s probably been the biggest crux of it all, is trying to find that guy,” Rivera said. “I mean, that’s the hardest thing for anybody. It doesn’t matter whether you’re here or that you’re at one of the other places that are looking for that guy. I mean, you’re fortunate if you get a head coaching job where there’s a guy, you better relish that, and you better succeed.”

He’s 100% correct. Some will look at this as Rivera blaming others for his lack of success. He has made plenty of mistakes at the quarterback position alone. There’s no debating that, but he is correct in saying that head coaches are not going to consistently win if they don’t have a franchise quarterback.

Rivera then spoke of the regime before him that featured quarterback Alex Smith and former head coach Jay Gruden.

“I’ve said this before, if you know a guy like Alex Smith if he never gets hurt, I never come here because I think Jay and what they were doing would’ve continued,” Rivera said.

Before he came to Washington, Rivera was the head coach in Carolina, where he was Cam Newton’s head coach for nine seasons. So, he understood what it meant to have a franchise passer.

“I mean, you get a guy like that, man, you run with it. I promise you that. It would’ve been cool to have a guy like that, it really would’ve, because I think there’s a lot of talent in that room. I think there are some good playmakers. In the last four weeks, we’ve only given up three sacks. So, there’s some potential there. But to have a guy that’s been there, that’s been developed, that’s pretty cool. I promise you that if you go there, you’re a head coach and you got to have success. You should.”

You can appreciate Rivera’s honesty here. What he is saying is true, although Washington wasn’t lighting up the scoreboard with Smith under center in 2018 before his unfortunate injury. No one would debate the impact Smith had in the locker room and who he was as a leader, though.

Gruden, before Rivera, was also a victim of not having a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately for Gruden, he did have one in Kirk Cousins, but Cousins was never going to re-sign with Washington as long as Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder were in charge. While Cousins isn’t considered an elite quarterback, he is a borderline top-10 passer and was playing at an MVP level for the Vikings this season before his injury.

Rivera never tried to develop a young quarterback in his first three seasons with Washington. After seeing a then-rookie, Sam Howell, play well vs. Dallas in Week 18 last season, Rivera put everything on Howell as the future heading into 2023. At times, Rivera looked wise for making that bold move as Howell looked like a future franchise QB at times, but his play has trended downward throughout the second half of the season.

It’s also true that Rivera didn’t exactly set Howell up for success. The offensive line was a mess heading into the season and while it has improved lately, it’s too little too late.

Now, as Rivera departs, his greatest gift to Washington will be the potential No. 2 overall pick that the next regime will likely use to choose the Commanders’ quarterback of the future.

Interestingly enough, Rivera came to Washington in 2020 and had the No. 2 overall pick. He chose defensive end Chase Young, who he traded in October.

Meanwhile, Miami selected Tua Tagovailoa, and the Chargers selected Justin Herbert a few picks later. At the time, it seemed like a good move, considering Young was considered a generational prospect who could impact games as an elite pass rusher. That never happened after a promising rookie season.

While Tagovailoa has blossomed under Mike McDaniel with the Dolphins, if Rivera could go back, Herbert would’ve been the slam-dunk choice.

Unfortunately, no one in life has the ability to make decisions with the benefit of hindsight. Don’t expect Washington’s next regime to pass on a quarterback with a top-three pick, though.

Commanders Eric Bieniemy: ‘Every situation is different’

Bieniemy discusses Patrick Mahomes learning from Alex Smith and how he believes Sam Howell has benefitted from Jacoby Brissett.

Thursday, Eric Bieniemy had the opportunity to talk with the media about developing young quarterbacks.

He was asked a general question about whether young quarterbacks should start or get pushed aside. Bieniemy wisely did not force Sam Howell or any other quarterback into a stereotypical mold. Rather, he appealed to the reality that every situation will be different.

“I think every situation is different. So, I think you can only base it upon the circumstances that you’re dealing with. This situation happens to be a different one than other organizations.”

Bieniemy has been in the business of working on NFL staffs for 16 seasons. So he didn’t answer simplistically, as if all his situations with quarterbacks have been the same.

“I can tell you from my previous experience (Kansas City) when we had Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes. Pat had an opportunity to learn, and more than anything, I think one of the biggest values that a young guy can do is to see a veteran player come in every single day and watch how he works. I think more than anything, that’s probably the biggest life lesson of all of this.”

Indeed Mahomes, in his rookie 2017 season, sat behind Smith each week, learning, observing. On the season’s last week, Mahomes was given the ball. The former Texas Tech quarterback completed 22 of his 35 passes for 284 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in a 27-24 win over the Denver Broncos.

Bieniemy felt that one year was important for Mahomes in how he would start his NFL career. Rather than being thrown out there, he was able to learn from a real professional like Smith, interact with Smith, and be ready to jump in his second season with a very profitable rookie learning season.

So too, Bieniemy believes Sam Howell has benefited from this year of being with a veteran like Jacoby Brissett. Though Howell has been thrown out there into a season that was sort of a baptism by fire, Howell has spoken of Brissett always having Howell’s back.

“On top of that, watching him work and then making sure that he’s doing all the groundwork necessary to help him to develop that skill set, that work ethic, and that behavior so he can have the temperament moving forward to become the franchise quarterback that you would like to become.”

Indeed each situation is different, and for Howell, it has been a roller coaster experience in 2023. He hopes he can conclude the season on an upswing Sunday against the Cowboys at FedEx Field.

 

Commanders’ Rivera: ‘We’re going to stick with Sam’

Sam Howell will be the first QB to start every game under Rivera.

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera announced Wednesday that Sam Howell will be the starter Sunday against the Cowboys at FedEx Field.

The first question directed at Rivera was regarding who would start Sunday, and Rivera’s succinct reply was, “Yes, we are going to stick with Sam.”

When asked if it was due to his play last Sunday or Jacoby Brissett’s hamstring injury, Rivera responded, “Well, I think it’s a little bit of both. But I thought what Sam did, he did the things that we were hoping he would be able to do. He did some really good things. I thought he managed a couple of the drives very well, very nicely. I want to see him get an opportunity to finish it out.”

Rivera expressed that he thought early on Howell had been able to connect with Terry (McLaurin) and that was something he wanted to see, and that this Sunday gives them a chance again to do some more of that.

Rivera pointed out that Howell took his benching well during last week’s game preparation. “He handled it no differently than I thought he would. He’s a very solid young man, a very mentally tough guy, and I thought he handled it nicely”, expressed Rivera.

With this decision, it means it could most likely become the first season of Rivera’s four seasons where he was able to start the same quarterback all season that he desired to start in preseason.

Last season (2022), Carson Wentz was the starter for whom Rivera had traded in the offseason. Wentz started seven games last year, struggled at times and also suffered a broken finger on his passing hand against the Bears. Taylor Heinicke started nine games, with Howell starting the season finale against Dallas.

In 2021, Rivera made the decision to sign free-agent Ryan Fitzpatrick to be Washington’s starter. However, in the opening half of the opening game, Fitzpatrick badly injured a hip and was lost for the season. Heinicke then started the other 15 games.

In Rivera’s first season in Washington, he started Dwayne Haskins in the first six games, Kyle Allen received four starts, and Alex Smith made the other six starts. Heinicke then was the starter for the playoff game.

Julian Edelman brutally buries Alex Smith for Tom Brady-Patriots diss

Julian Edelman to Alex Smith: “You’re not that guy to talk about the GOAT like that. It’s not you, pal.”

You don’t talk about Tom Brady, unless you want to dance with “The Squirrel.”

Former NFL quarterback Alex Smith clearly didn’t get that memo when he took an unexpected shot at Brady and the New England Patriots by accusing them of playing in “the most uncompetitive division in NFL history.”

Patriots legend Julian Edelman heard that comment and saved that receipt, before finally unleashing on Smith during a recent appearance on 4th&1 with Cam Newton.

“Alex Smith is not even that guy. He’s not even that kind of guy. He’s a nice guy. You’re not that guy, pal,” said Edelman. “You’re not that guy, Alex. Okay, man, I love watching the comeback commercials from the lake. The story, I love the rebirth of your career. You’re not that guy to talk about the GOAT like that. It’s not you, pal. It’s not you.

“…At the end, Alex Smith did real well. He had that playoff game in the long run, but [Colin] Kaepernick came in and took it. And then he came over and played the Chiefs. We played him a couple of times in the playoffs and knocked him out. So, I mean, it was easy to get there, I guess, but you were part of that road. You just got to follow the yellow bricks on the yellow brick road.”

Edelman makes a great point about the playoff games, which people tend to overlook. Regardless of the journey, which was way tougher than Smith makes it seem like, the Patriots typically dominated the opposition in the postseason as well.

Smith is clearly a part of that path carved by the greatest dynasty in NFL history, and Edelman is making sure he remembers it.

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Twitter reacts to Alex Smith’s awesome appearance on ‘NFL Countdown’

Fans took to Twitter to react to former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith’s awesome appearance on ‘NFL Countdown’

Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is off to a great start in his newfound broadcasting career and made a great impression on viewers who watched his appearance on NFL Countdown early on Sunday morning.

Smith gave a well-crafted response to a comment made by former New England Patriots legend Tom Brady earlier in the week wherein the seven-time Super Bowl champion asserted that he “sees a lot of mediocrity” in today’s NFL.

“He hasn’t been retired that long,” Smith said of Brady. “He just won a Super Bowl in the current game. Is he discounting that one? My biggest complaint with this… He played in the most uncompetitive division I think in NFL history… You [had] a ticket to the playoffs right away. Talk about mediocre.”

Fans across the league took to Twitter to give their reaction to Smith’s response, overwhelmingly agreeing with the former Chiefs mainstay.

Check out their top reactions below:

Alex Smith ripped Tom Brady’s take on the modern NFL and hilariously flamed his co-hosts in the process

Alex Smith didn’t hold any punches.

Tom Brady said last week he thinks there is “a lot of mediocrity” in the modern NFL. Alex Smith thinks Brady’s critique is unfair.

Smith addressed the comments by Brady on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, and contrary to the opinion of his fellow ex-quarterback, he thinks the game has actually improved.

However, in the process of making his point, Smith set flames to the entire Countdown crew and it was television gold. He mentioned how Brady played the majority of his career in “the most uncompetitive division, I think, in NFL history.” The only problem is that division, the AFC East, was also home to every single one of his co-hosts. Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi were Brady’s teammates in New England, and Rex Ryan coached for both the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills in the division.

Hilarious.

At least Smith had the awareness to know what he was about to do and let his teammates know the burn was coming before it came.

How has Washington fared on Thanksgiving Day throughout franchise history?

A look back at each Washington game on Thanksgiving Day in franchise history.

The Washington Commanders (4-7) meet the Dallas Cowboys (7-3) on Thanksgiving Day. It’s the first time the two NFC East rivals have met on Thanksgiving Day since 2020, which was embattled head coach Ron Rivera’s first season on the sideline in Washington.

This meeting is between two teams going in opposite directions. The Cowboys are undefeated at AT&T Stadium, while the Commanders have lost two straight and seven of their last nine.

The Cowboys and Lions are the two teams who traditionally play every Thanksgiving. Who has Dallas played the most on Thanksgiving? That would be Washington. While the Cowboys have dominated the Thanksgiving matchups, things have been better lately.

Washington is 4-8 all-time on Thanksgiving Day. Let’s take a look back at Washington’s history on Turkey Day.

 

Chiefs HC Andy Reid shares secret for success with multiple Pro Bowl quarterbacks

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid shares his secret for success with multiple Pro Bowl quarterbacks

The legendary coaching career of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is most likely destined for a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with his countless accolades. The former longtime head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles also served as a coordinator early in his career with the Green Bay Packers, working with some of the best quarterbacks in the league’s history.

Reid appeared on the “All NFL” podcast hosted by Brian Baldinger and Anthony Gargano to discuss his fortune of coaching several Pro Bowl quarterbacks in his career.

“Yeah, well, all those guys [were] really good players before I ever had anything to do with them,” Reid explained. “I would tell you this is no different than anything else. It’s a people business, and how you treat these guys, I think, is important. Listening, I think, is important.

“Not everybody’s [a] good [listener]. We get in a coaching position, and sometimes, we feel like we have to tell the storyteller and not not the listener. So there’s a time and a place for that. And then all we’ve tried to do is utilize their strengths and better their weaknesses.”

Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Alex Smith, and Patrick Mahomes earned Pro Bowl honors while working with Reid throughout his career.

“I don’t think there’s any secret sauce. I’ve been lucky enough to get them when they were young,” Reid said. “I think that’s important; other than Alex (Smith) and Michael (Vick), these guys were fairly fresh in the league, and they didn’t have all that NFL scar tissue that you can get, they wanted to be great and (I was) very fortunate. Michael, too, was coming back from his jail stint. Then Alex was benched, so both of those guys wanted to show that we’re still pretty good players. And that, you know, that helped.”

The revitalization part of Reid’s work with the veterans looking for a new opportunity to prove themselves has added to his prestige. He will always have nostalgia against his former team, the Eagles, as the Chiefs will host them on Monday night football.