Cheifs Quarterback Alex Smith Can't Shake The 'Game Manager' Label

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has led his team to a 6-0 record this season, but he can't shake being called a "game manager" instead of just being called a great quarterback.

For better or worse though, the stats show that's exactly what Smith is. In nine years in the NFL, he has become a conservative but efficient quarterback that makes smart decisions to lead his team to win.

Coach Andy Reid expressed his thoughts earlier this week on Smith's role as a game manager:

"Listen, he's taking care of the football, and when it counts, he makes the plays. I appreciate that. We're winning football games and he's doing a nice job of managing it, and everyone feeds off it, both sides of the ball, his ability to manage it."

Over his last 30 starts in the NFL, Smith has a 24-5-1 record. He led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game in 2011, an 8-2 record before he got hurt and lost the starting job to Kaepernick in 2012, and a 6-0 record currently with the Chiefs.

Unfortunately for Smith, being a good "game manager" isn't good enough for a lot of NFL critics because of his high expectations when he entered the league in 2005. He was taken first overall by the 49ers in the 2005 draft.