How Alex Smith’s running ability has lifted the Chiefs’ offense

With 16 seconds left in the first half of their showdown against San Diego last Sunday, quarterback Alex Smith showed why his mobility in the pocket has long been considered a strength.

The Chiefs had the ball at the Chargers’ 40-yard line and were looking to pad a seven-point lead. On second and 10, Smith received the shotgun snap and scanned his downfield options. He was not looking to run, but the protection up front was good, and as the Chargers’ defensive backs dropped deep in man coverage, he spotted the back of their jerseys.

At this point, his instincts took over. With pass rushers closing in, Smith spotted a running lane to his left and sprinted 18 yards before ducking out of bounds at the 22-yard line with 7 seconds left. Kicker Cairo Santos’ ensuing field goal gave the Chiefs a 10-point halftime lead and a crucial cushion down the stretch of a 10-3 victory.

“That scramble right before the half won us the game,” backup quarterback Chase Daniel said. “It was awesome for him. I know he enjoys running, getting a little dirty every once in a while.”

Indeed. The play was, in many ways, an example of the way Smith has lifted the Chiefs during their seven-game winning streak, both with his mind and his legs, as he ranks fourth among quarterbacks in rushing with 366 yards, while his long of 49 yards ranks second.

There is an art to being a mobile quarterback in the NFL, one that Smith has excelled at the last several games. Run too much, and it can limit the effectiveness of the designed plays. Run too little, and you’re a sitting duck in the pocket.

Mobile quarterbacks also need to protect themselves beyond the line of scrimmage, where angry defenders lick their chops to light them up. That’s why quarterbacks almost always slide before contact, which Smith does, but with a flair — and a defensive, spikes-up style — that his teammates rib him for, though ultimately concede its effectiveness.

This is all part of the Alex Smith package, which has helped the Chiefs rebound from a 1-5 start to an 8-5 record heading into their road game against Baltimore today.

“I think throughout his career, he’s had a pretty good feel for that,” coach Andy Reid said of his 31-year-old quarterback’s rushing ability. “The linemen, there are seams there that are created, so if he has to go, he’s got to go.

“The one good thing about him is he always has his eyes downfield and looking to get it to the receivers, if possible — (running) is kind of the last resort there.”

While the offensive line has improved the last two months, Smith’s ability to remain poised in the pocket and escape trouble, when necessary, has played a big role in them going from allowing four sacks per game during the 1-5 start to a little more than two during the seven-game winning streak.

“Ideally, you don’t want to make a mistake (up front),” right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif said. “But when you see your quarterback running … it gets you pumped because you know your quarterback is with you.”

During the winning streak, O-line coach Andy Heck’s group has adopted an inside-out philosophy in pass protection designed to simplify the scheme and protect Smith from having to deal with free rushers up the middle.

Also, the Chiefs have developed a counter, of sorts, to all the stunts and defensive-line games teams tortured them with earlier this season. It has not been rare to see them pushing stunting defensive linemen wider upfield, which creates natural rushing lanes for Smith.

Smith’s athleticism — he ran a respectable 4.71 at the 2005 NFL Combine and was an option quarterback in college at Utah — poses problems for defenses. But Smith remains a pass-first quarterback and plays for a head coach in Reid who specializes in throwing the football.

“I just think that it helps you in your run-pass options at the line of scrimmage,” offensive coordinator Doug Pederson said.

But Smith’s awareness and athleticism aren’t the only things that make him an effective runner. His occasional jump slide at the end of runs — when he leaps into the air with gusto and slides with his spikes up, Ty Cobb style — have become the stuff of legend in the Chiefs’ quarterback room.

“The quarterbacks give me a hard time about it,” Smith said with a laugh.

Smith, however, says he does it for two reasons.

“One is if you slide and you hydroplane, (the officials) mark you down pretty far back,” Smith said. “It makes a difference of 4 or 5 yards … I think if I jump into it, I’ll get half that back.”

And the second part of it — and why his coaches condone it — is for his own protection.

“You’re sliding (normally) and you’re really vulnerable,” Smith said. “Some of (what I do) is to try to get something in front that, if someone was coming (at me hard) like that, maybe you’ve got a better chance to protect yourself.”

Backup quarterback Aaron Murray said it looks as if Smith is “trying to kill somebody” when he slides.

“It’s just funny to watch on the film,” Murray said. “He’s literally jumping in the air.”

Daniel, who uses a more conventional approach to sliding, also gets a good laugh out of Smith’s technique, but he doesn’t doubt its effectiveness.

“When it comes to running ability, you can put Alex up there with some of the best to ever play the game,” Daniel said.

“He’s so athletic, he’s so smart ... he doesn’t look to run, but when he sees an opening, he knows how to run, how to get down and how not to take a hit.”

Smith says the latter is something he’s developed with age, and something he will surely continue to do down the stretch as the Chiefs continue their march to the playoffs.

“You learn it over time,” Smith said. “I think you just get better at knowing the game situation and playing fast and being smart about it. And I think I’ve gotten a lot better at that as I’ve gotten older and played more.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 9:53 PM with the headline "How Alex Smith’s running ability has lifted the Chiefs’ offense."