Alex Smith knows emotions of playing against a former team

[www.espn.com]


ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Alex Smith was once benched, replaced as starting quarterback and eventually discarded by his former team, the San Francisco 49ers. He vividly recalls two years later the emotions he felt playing against the 49ers after he had joined the Kansas City Chiefs.

So Smith knows what backup quarterback Nick Foles will be going through Saturday night when the Chiefs play the Rams in Los Angeles. Foles was benched by the Rams last season as their starting quarterback and was released this summer. He signed with the Chiefs early this month.

“I’m sure he’ll be pumped up," Smith said. “You want to go out and show those guys, for sure, all those guys. There will be a lot of emotions. The nice thing is it’s just a preseason game."

The circumstances between Smith’s time with the 49ers and Foles’ with the Rams are different. Smith was the No. 1 overall pick by the 49ers in 2005 and he played eight seasons with San Francisco before being traded to Kansas City. Foles spent just one season with the Rams.

Smith eventually had to face his former team in 2014, his second season with the Chiefs. He was 16-of-30 for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Chiefs’ 22-17 loss. The interception was costly because it happened late in the game and ended Kansas City’s hope for a comeback victory.

“You’re just fired up," Smith said. “You have a lot of emotions. You certainly don’t have a problem getting up for the game. You’re excited to get into the flow of it. Any QB likes that, to get into the flow, get into the rhythm of the game, especially when it’s a game like that, when you probably are jacked up a little bit pregame, and all week. It’s good to kind of get sweating and get hit."

Smith is scheduled to play the first half in Los Angeles, so Foles might not get into the game until the third quarter. He’ll have to wait to play, which could give his emotions a chance to ramp up.

In the meantime, Smith and the Chiefs’ other quarterbacks have been playfully teasing Foles, telling him the Rams will be coming after him when he finally gets into the game.

Eventually, Smith said, the game against the 49ers became like any other. The focus shifted toward winning.

Getting to that point can be difficult.

“It’s just human nature," he said. “As much as you try to block it out and focus on the details, there will be a little bit of that. I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to getting into the flow of the game, to kind of get those first few plays under your belt and kind of lose yourself in the game and let that stuff get out of your head."