Alex Smith has embraced the two-word phrase once uttered by Lee Corso on national television.
Corso wasn’t fired for his on-air F-bomb. Smith, by embracing that mindset after the Chiefs drafted his eventual replacement, could delay his own termination (or trade) from Kansas City.
Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star delves into the mindset that has prompted Smith to live the Corso Mantra. And it’s working well, so far.
“You know what?” Smith said. “I’m just going to roll. Going to roll as hard as I can. Whatever happens, happens. I’ll live with it. I’ll be comfortable with it.”
The approach -- which has Smith throwing the ball down the field and running with reckless abandon -- has its roots in his final years with the 49ers, when Smith was learning how not to play it safe from Jim Harbaugh.
“Screw this,” Smith decided at the time. “I’m not going to play like that anymore. Not only is it not good for me, it’s not productive. It’s not helping me.”
The problem is that a willingness to welcome whatever may happen ultimately may result in an injury happening. Five years ago, a concussion while with the 49ers opened the door for Colin Kaepernick. Now, a decision to drop a shoulder into a defensive back or dive instead of slide could open the door for Patrick Mahomes.
Smith is smart enough to know the risks. And he’s playing with just enough “f--k it” to not care. That’s good news for the Chiefs, until the precise moment at which that attitude gets Smith injured.