Top 20 NFL QB Countdown: Number 20 Revealed Today

This whole Ron Jaworski QB countdown has got me thinking. He's not the only one who can do a quarterback countdown. What makes him so special? It's not like he is, or was, a professional QB himself, or has expertise in the area..."What's that? Oh..."

No matter. I feel I have a tiny amount of expertise of my own on the NFL. Maybe I don't study hardcore "film" like Jaws, but I do watch loads of live NFL games. I can use my eyes too Jaws! Anyways, each day I will reveal a quarterback from my list, counting down from 20 to the number one quarterback in the NFL, in my humble opinion.

First, let me give two honorable mentions who were extremely close to making the top 20, Sam Bradford and Josh Freeman. Freeman especially has shown flashes of brilliance in his brief career thus far, leading his team to a 10-6 mark in 2010 with a remarkable 25:6 TD-INT ratio. From there, his career has gone downhill a bit and, in the last two years, has been marred with inconsistency. 

Without further ado, here's quarterback number 20:

Alex Smith

Smith, the newly acquired quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, kicks off our countdown. It appears as though Jaws and I see eye-to-eye with this one. Alex Smith is the ultimate game manager. He's not going to "win" you a ton of games, yet when surrounded by a strong running game and defense, he executes well. However, on rare occasions, he can "win" the game. And in his first playoff game against the New Orleans Saints he proved it. Smith made clutch play after clutch play in the 36-32 thrilling win for the 49ers. He first ran for a 28-yard TD late in the 4th, only to be matched by the great Drew Brees. But Smith again had an answer, finding Vernon Davis for the 14-yard game-winning TD with nine seconds remaining.

 Smith was a pretty accurate QB over the last two years starting for the 49ers, posting a 61% completion rate in 2011 and a 70% rate in 2012 through 10 games. He was off to a terrific start in 2012, only to be derailed by a concussion against the St. Louis Rams in week 10. He then proceeded to watch Colin Kaepernick burst onto the scene and light up the NFL for the final eight games of the season, plus the postseason. It wasn't fair that Alex Smith's injury led to his demotion, but could you hardly blame Coach Harbaugh after seeing Kaepernick play? 

Again, many will say Smith benefited from a great team around him, and I don't refute that. But what I see in Alex Smith is a guy who takes care of the ball extremely well, and has proved he can lead a quality team. I anticipate him having fairly decent success under the tutelage of new coach Andy Reid. If anyone can get the full potential out of this man, it's coach Reid. What separates Smith from the Bradford's, the Freeman's, or the Palmer's is the fact that he rarely turns the football over. Add to that the leadership qualities that were evident in his play over the last two seasons, and Smith gets the nod. Now the question is, can he take that next step as a quarterback, as the new face of the Kansas City Chiefs? 

2013 Projections: 3,150 yards, 24 TD, and 8 INT