Doug Pederson Believes Alex Smith Is NFL's Best Quarterback

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson just gave Alex Smith some of the highest praise imaginable. 

In an interview with the Kansas City Star (h/t ESPN), the recently hired coach said that Smith was the best quarterback in the league. 

You read that right. Not in the state of Missouri or the AFC West, but in the entire league.

Here is how he put it:

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“Ultimately, every team has to have a quarterback,” Pederson said. “I think we have the best in the league.”

“There are a lot of great ones,” Pederson said, “but over time, Alex has proven he can get it done. He’s a sharp guy, he brings a wealth of knowledge, he’s experienced, he’s a proven winner the last couple of years, and he needs a team to embrace him.”

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Pederson knows what to look for in a quarterback. He played the position and spent a large portion of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers and backed up some guy named Brett Favre, who is a pretty decent gunslinger himself. 

Before being hired by the Chiefs, he served as quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

So surely he can't truly believe that Smith is better than Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and several other elite signal-callers. Right?

Instead, this is undoubtedly an example of a coach showing supreme confidence in arguably his most important player. Smith, who was traded by the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, will be called upon to give the Chiefs some consistency under center for the first time since the Trent Green era. It shows a little confidence can never be a bad thing. 

And to be clear, calling Pederson just a little crazy for these remarks isn't meant to be a shot at Smith. 

The 29-year-old started to display some real talent in his last few seasons with the 49ers, most recently completing 70.2 percent of his passes for 1,737 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in nine starts.

Unfortunately, a concussion gave way to Colin Kaepernick, who quickly put a stranglehold on the starting quarterback job. 

If Smith mirrors his play from the last two seasons, the Chiefs will have a potentially dangerous offense with Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe, Jonathan Baldwin and an improved offensive line.

And at the very least, we now know Smith has a coaching staff that believes in him.