Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is conspicuous by his measured, if not downright cautious, approach to football.
His game is restrained by design, focused on avoiding mistakes of his own and pecking away at exploiting those of the Chiefs' opponents.
And even if the Chiefs occasionally win despite a dud performance on his part, as they did on Sunday at Carolina, he's a pivotal piece of why they are 36-18 with him as their starter.
Smith's persona off the field typically parallels that subdued-but-substantial way _ at least when he speaks with the media and, by extension, Chiefs fans.
He is sensible and sensitive but never sensational.
Smith's built-in hazard light is why it seemed out of character after the Chiefs' 20-17 victory on Sunday that he emerged from the locker room in a shirt adorned with a safety pin.
The action was a demonstration of willingness to stand up for the vulnerable popularized in England after "Brexit" and blossoming here in the wake of the election of Donald Trump as president.
"I didn't even think it got noticed at the time," Smith said Wednesday.
On the first day of player interviews since the subtle statement went unquestioned Sunday, Smith smiled and sounded for a second as if perhaps he wished it hadn't been seen at all.
But then he seized the opportunity to make a simple and eloquent affirmation.
It's not about politics, he stressed.
It's about sympathizing with and trying to understand "all humans. I don't care what your belief is, where you stand, what your color is, whether you're Muslim, Christian, Jewish, you name it. It's about that."
The sentiment perhaps was all the more meaningful because it reminds there are ways to stand up for all without offending many, as Tampa Bay's Mike Evans did by sitting during the national anthem on Sunday in protest of Trump's election.
Some of us believe Evans made worthy points, despite the ridiculous fact that he didn't vote, but it's easy to see how he alienated many people, too.
Then there was Smith, a father and natural leader whose words made me appreciate a gesture that I'd found easy to shrug off.
Considering the timing, you could make a case that Smith did a bit of a safety dance when he stressed that "it wasn't anything political; nothing to do with the presidential election."
But you could make a better case that it was more meaningful and set a better example because he spoke truth to power without insulting anyone _ including in a room where you could see a "Make America Great Again" hat in one player's locker most of the fall while knowing a number of players had opposite political leanings.
Consistent with his deliberate way, Smith didn't do this on a whim.
After it came to his attention through a school initiative of one of his children, Smith acknowledged he had felt "unsure" about putting it on and even said, "I don't actually know why (I wore it)."
But instinct guided the thoughtful Smith, who scored a chart-busting 40 on his Wonderlic test and once received an offer to apply for membership in Mensa, the high-IQ society.
"I just felt like it was pertinent ..." he said. "I feel like there's a lot going on right now, crazy, and a lot of lack of understanding, I think across, the spectrum with different beliefs."
Smith thought about that even as he answered a question about rallying around long-snapper James Winchester in the wake of the murder of Winchester's father on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
"The locker room is a special place; a lot gets broken down in here," he said. "There are people from all different walks of life who come together in here and rely on one another every single day of every week."
Kind of like the nation needs to be at a time it is so roiling and reeling that it's charged for anyone to say anything about much without inciting others.
But a locker room that doesn't seem to have destructive banter in it perhaps sets an example.
It's hard to be void of politics altogether in there, Smith said, but coach Andy Reid "does a great job at creating an atmosphere where we don't really want that around here."
"We don't necessarily need to get into those types of debates in the locker room because they can be divisive," Smith said. "Nonetheless, you do obviously here and there have some things.
"But I think that's one of those special things about a locker room. It breaks down diversity. Growing up playing team sports, there are guys in this locker room from all over the country that think a vast variety of different ways. ...
"There's something that comes back to respect, though and understanding. There is a lot of respect in this locker room and guys (being) understanding of differences."
A place you could pin something on, if you're so inclined, at a time maybe we could all benefit by being as measured as Smith.
