Alex Smith made it known Tuesday afternoon that he was no fan of Mike Mitchell's low hit against him during the Chiefs' loss to the Steelers.
"I felt like it was extremely late," Smith told reporters, per ESPN.com. "I felt there was nothing done there to avoid contact. It was really low from the backside. I thought it was about as flagrant as it gets when it comes to a low hit on the quarterback."
The hit came late in the third quarter as Smith stepped up in the pocket after avoiding an initial blitz from Mitchell. Smith then checked down to a wide-open Kareem Hunt, who took the pass 37 yards, a whole second before the QB was taken down from behind by Mitchell at his knees. Smith immediately got up to jaw at Mitchell, and the safety was penalized 15 yards for roughing the passer.
Mitchell, who has been finedmultipletimes for hits on Sam Bradford, Tyler Eifert and Antonio Gates, is bound to be penalized again by the league this week.
"I don't think this is a first offense, either," Smith continued. "I think when you start looking at ... repeat offenders, I think when they get shots at quarterbacks, they're going to take them."
Mitchell saw the whole situation differently.
"I'm not a dirty player," Mitchell said Monday. "The video shows what it shows. I wasn't trying to take Alex Smith's knees out. I went up to him and told him that. ... It's just one of those things you don't want to see in the football game."
The hit ended up not costing the Steelers -- Pittsburgh forced a turnover on downs on the drive and eventually won the game -- but don't be surprised if it costs Mitchell some greenbacks.
