What can actually be done with Jaylon Smith?

[INCowboysFan]

Yes LVE showed up last night. He just needs to stay healthy. They need to overhaul the position.

2 total tackles playing 94% of the defensive snaps is showing up?? His sack fumble was great, but tell me what else he did besides that one play.

 

[CouchCoach]

They're backing his biz, he's going nowhere.

Having watched him at ND, I would say that he is hampered either physically or mentally and that injury he's never fully recovered from and I think he tries to compensate for that but his reads are not great. He is not in position enough to have impact.

He was a force in college but that was then and now he's just a LB making a lot more money then other teams would pay him. He's not trade bait.

 

[McKDaddy]

only viable option in the short term is to bench him or at least reduce his playing time. see if he can get it thru his head that he isn't the star he thinks himself to be.

 

[Whyjerry]

2 total tackles playing 94% of the defensive snaps is showing up?? His sack fumble was great, but tell me what else he did besides that one play.

I said he showed up. I didn’t say he was Ray Lewis. For LVE that is saying something. At least he didn’t look lost out there.

 

[Cmac]

Worst starting linebacker in team history. I honestly can't remember anyone worse.

Cut him. Now.

Bobby Carpenter come to mind?......and then he laughed at us.

 

[Pantone282C]

I know there is a lot of Smith talk but I would love to get your serious take on what can actually be done with him. He was one of the worst players on the field again last night. The Giants game was the only good one he has had dating back to mid season last year. I don’t think he is limited physically. Personally I think he prefers to avoid direct contact, shows poor effort and clearly does little work in the film room.

If you were GM:

1. Would you cut him, trade him, bench him?
2. If you trade him what do you seriously think his trade value is?

I would trade him. I think someone would try to fix him. I think he gets you a 5 or a 6.

Thanks for your views.

Weird how he was an absolute beast with LVE's first year. Then, down the drain.

 

[Cmac]

I said he showed up. I didn’t say he was Ray Lewis. For LVE that is saying something. At least he didn’t look lost out there.

….you can only blame Jaylon Smith about the D and only Zeke/Coop/sometimes Gallup about the offense. Learn the rules.

 

[Sydla]

Nothing happened to Smith, teams didn't have game film on him, now they have, and it's painfully obvious he is not football smart, nearly always out of position. Cuts inside when he should go outside, gets fooled with play action, takes bad angles on tackles. He got by in college on sheer physical ability, can't do that in the NFL.

Bust....

He's a spaz. Watch him. It's like he snorts a pixie stick before each play. His feet are always constantly moving, bouncing around, and not in a good way.

 

[HungryLion]

Its so sad.

you can’t have an MLB that avoids contact. Jaylon is built like a Greek god but he runs away from offensive lineman or just plays patty cake with them as opposed to hitting somebody and blowing them up in the hole.


It’s pathetic really.


You need to love contact to play MLB. Jaylon clearly doesn’t.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

When you're full sending it on the QB he is good..

Problem is you can't just have a blitz only linebacker because it tips your hand,

Nobody will trade for him. His contract is awful.

I guess you keep him until the contract gives us an opportunity to cut him.




On the bright side LVE is starting to flash again. If he ever gets back to where he was then that's something we can definitely build on.

I think the narrative of him (Jaylon) supposedly being a good blitzed is also a myth.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I know there is a lot of Smith talk but I would love to get your serious take on what can actually be done with him. He was one of the worst players on the field again last night. The Giants game was the only good one he has had dating back to mid season last year. I don’t think he is limited physically. Personally I think he prefers to avoid direct contact, shows poor effort and clearly does little work in the film room.

If you were GM:

1. Would you cut him, trade him, bench him?
2. If you trade him what do you seriously think his trade value is?

I would trade him. I think someone would try to fix him. I think he gets you a 5 or a 6.

Thanks for your views.

can you even get a pick for him? a 7th? 6th? or else cut him at the end of the season. he has no place on this team at that level of play. take the hit after june 1st.

 

[DCreppinBoysfan]

Worst starting linebacker in team history. I honestly can't remember anyone worse.

Cut him. Now.

Bobby carpenter was pretty bad

 

[CyberB0b]

I know there is a lot of Smith talk but I would love to get your serious take on what can actually be done with him. He was one of the worst players on the field again last night. The Giants game was the only good one he has had dating back to mid season last year. I don’t think he is limited physically. Personally I think he prefers to avoid direct contact, shows poor effort and clearly does little work in the film room.

If you were GM:

1. Would you cut him, trade him, bench him?
2. If you trade him what do you seriously think his trade value is?

I would trade him. I think someone would try to fix him. I think he gets you a 5 or a 6.

Thanks for your views.

Definitely isn't physical. It goes back to his time at ND before the injury.



:43 Gets demolished and blown out of the play.
1:00 tries to dance away from a block, loses balance, and lets the RB break off a big run.
1:50 destroyed on a block
2:05 lost in the trash
5:10 dances around a block and takes himself out of the play
5:20 blocked 1:1



:23 looks like he has contain and just holds it.
:36 blocked out of the play and loses position
:48 bad angle and poor attempt at an arm tackle
2:45 tries to dance around instead of sticking his nose in there.
2:49 again, dances himself out of the play
2:56 blocked out of the play
5:09 obliterated off the edge

 

[Plankton]

One of the issues behind his performance in 2018 versus now is that in the old defense, it didn't involve a lot of reading. It was an attacking/flowing defense, and it didn't require Smith to rely on the instincts that he doesn't possess to make plays. In this Nolan defense, it involves a lot more reading of what the offense is doing, and it introduces a lot of hesitation and his lack of instincts really shows up. Couple that with his inability to plant/redirect due to the leg injury, and you have what you have.

The only chances he has in Dallas is either a scheme change to one where he can play downhill, or if his role is reduced to only going after the QB. A change of scenery is probably necessary.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Nothing happened to Smith, teams didn't have game film on him, now they have, and it's painfully obvious he is not football smart, nearly always out of position. Cuts inside when he should go outside, gets fooled with play action, takes bad angles on tackles. He got by in college on sheer physical ability, can't do that in the NFL.

Bust....

I haven’t read through the entire thread but I haven’t seen anyone bring up what happened on the sack-strip play be LVE.

If you rewatch the play, Jaylon is once again out of position. Just before the snap he sprints over to the receivers that are in a stacked formation. Ball is snapped and two Eagles are completely left WIDE OPEN in the middle of the field begging for the ball. The only reason it didn’t turn into a negative play is because LVE was able to get home before Wentz delivered the ball.

I had a gif of Jaylon from last year against the Bears where he literally ran in a circle after the snap looking for the guy he’s supposed to cover.

The Cowboys coaching will never embarrass a player mid-season but they have to know Jaylon is not a “winning” player.

 

[davey999]

Can't do much. Have to eat his contract. Nobody will trade for him.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

I haven’t read through the entire thread but I haven’t seen anyone bring up what happened on the sack-strip play be LVE.

If you rewatch the play, Jaylon is once again out of position. Just before the snap he sprints over to the receivers that are in a stacked formation. Ball is snapped and two Eagles are completely left WIDE OPEN in the middle of the field begging for the ball. The only reason it didn’t turn into a negative play is because LVE was able to get home before Wentz delivered the ball.

I had a gif of Jaylon from last year against the Bears where he literally ran in a circle after the snap looking for the guy he’s supposed to cover.

The Cowboys coaching will never embarrass a player mid-season but they have to know Jaylon is not a “winning” player.

Like I said, not football smart. Hey I'm glad he was able to recover from a very severe injury and get to play in the NFL.
But it's a business, a meritocracy, as Romo said.

He ain't cutting it, possibly the Cowboys can find a place for him, special teams maybe, or as a situational blitzer like Gregory, but he's not the future at linebacker for the Cowboys.

Just another Jerry gamble that didn't pay off...

 

[MyFairLady]

I think the narrative of him (Jaylon) supposedly being a good blitzed is also a myth.

100% agree. It is just another way of trying to justify his existence. It is disgusting.

 

[Landryhat73]

Nothing happened to Smith, teams didn't have game film on him, now they have, and it's painfully obvious he is not football smart, nearly always out of position. Cuts inside when he should go outside, gets fooled with play action, takes bad angles on tackles. He got by in college on sheer physical ability, can't do that in the NFL.

Bust....

Totally agree - it took the league a year to figure him out. Now they know his weaknesses

 

[Aven8]

Eat the 9.4 million this next season and save 400k.