Steve Smith says one NFL quarterback is 'several steps above' Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers isn't the best quarterback in the playoffs, according to Steve Smith
By
John Breech
•
2 min read
Since the Baltimore Ravens didn't make the playoffs in 2016, that means Steve Smith will be like most people in America this week: He'll be watching each postseason game from the comforts of his own home.
However, unlike most people in America, Smith spent 16 years in the NFL, which means he's probably more qualified than nearly anyone to give his opinion on who is the best quarterback in the postseason.
Although there are several quarterbacks still playing who had huge seasons in 2016, Smith says none of them are better than Tom Brady, who put up huge numbers for the 14-2 Patriots despite the fact that he didn't have Rob Gronkowski for the final five weeks of the season.
"You know, Tom Brady is doing a great job without Gronk, without some of the big name guys he's had in the past, but that makes his legacy even bigger," Smith said during a visit to ESPN's First Take this week. "Because no matter who you put out there, he makes those guys better."
Smith says Brady has been so good this season that Aaron Rodgers isn't even in the same league as the Patriots quarterback.
"[Brady's] very methodical, he can carve you up, just like you said about Aaron Rodgers," Smith said. "But I think he's a step above Aaron Rodgers. Several steps."
That's coming from a guy who's played against both quarterbacks multiple times during his career.
Despite Brady's success this season, Smith doesn't think the Patriots are completely unstoppable. The now-former Ravens receiver, who retired at the end of the 2016 season, says he thinks there's one team that could give New England trouble.
"I think the biggest threat can be, potentially, the Kansas City Chiefs," Smith said. "I think, overall, they're a more well-rounded team. I think defensively, they create a lot of issues. But then offensively they are very explosive."
Although Smith's Ravens didn't play the Chiefs, they did play three of the AFC's playoff teams -- New England, Pittsburgh and Miami -- and Smith says Kansas City has the best chance to knock off the Patriots.
"I think when you're playing the New England Patriots, you have to be patient," Smith said. "[The Chiefs] do a very good job of making teams impatient, a la the Baltimore Ravens. When you become slash we become very impatient, you start to do things that are uncharacteristic. And when you do that, you make mistakes, and then all of sudden, you find yourself down 14 points in the beginning of the second quarter, very quickly."
The good news for the Patriots is if that they're going to face the Chiefs, it wouldn't happen until the AFC title game. As for the Brady-Rodgers debate, I don't think anyone would mind that were to get settled in Super Bowl LI with a game between the Packers and Patriots.
