Thoughts on Mazi thus far

[Coogiguy03]

2 early games in his career, what are your thoughts, have you seen any improvement thus far since the pre season! Be reminded he is still developing (there I said it). Please give your thoughts

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

When you have to put “reminders” out there about performance then that’s all you have to say about his play.

More to be desired.

 

[Teague31]

Run D seems much improved. That’s good enough for me

 

[PoetTree]

We just held one of the top runners in the league to 9-yards, in a game when the Jets really wanted & needed to run the ball for success. The purpose of those mighty interior DTs in not to rack up stats but provide a force who, if not double-teamed (as Mazi consistently is), will wreck the o-line by themselves --which allows his surrounding talent to make plays.

That's exactly what Mazi is providing.

 

[baltcowboy]

Mazi has been ok but this defense has been so good it’s hard to recognize him.

 

[Danny White]

He did a great job sniffing out that screen pass, and dropped off to disrupt Hall, leading to another sack of Wilson by Micah. Very heads-up play for a rookie!

 

[AtomicDog]

I purposely watched him on 2 plays yesterday. He was the last guy to move on the snap. I know he will be very good for us. Just give him time and coach him up.

 

[Bobhaze]

Most rookies (even first rounders) don’t show up fully developed and fully impactful. They need patience and time to develop into their talent. Micah Parsons was but he’s the exception not the rule.

The talent difference between college fb and the NFL is wide. Mazi Smith is a developing player two games into his career.

 

[zrinkill]

He was drafted to fix the run defense ....... and it has been outstanding compared to before he was drafted.

 

[conner01]

I purposely watched him on 2 plays yesterday. He was the last guy to move on the snap. I know he will be very good for us. Just give him time and coach him up.

That was something I noticed pre draft. But I have confidence Quinn can mold this kid into a really good NT
I haven’t seen how many snaps he had yesterday but in the 17 he had first game he played pretty good

 

[SBWinner]

He is about what you expect of a rookie. He is strong as a bull and pushes the line of scrimmage back on some plays. On others he gets stood up (not getting low on the snap) and pushed back. I saw him get pancaked once yesterday. Overall, I think he is doing ok for what we expected him to be. Year 2 and 3 will tell more, when he has had time to learn the pro game and make some improvements in the off season.

 

[DanA]

I didn't notice him in week 1 but later saw a cut-up of all his snaps where he actually was pretty decent. I didn't notice him in week 2 either but yeah, he's very much in the developing stage.

 

[Gonzomandela01]

Work in progress, he seems slow off the snap, that is probably because he is reading and reacting, game is fast for him as a rookie.

Just look at Tolbert and Osa now compared to their rookie year, different position I know, but this team knows talent. Mazi will contribute much more by the end of the year.

 

[Cowboy4ever]

If they can ever get him to fire off the ball at the snap, he will be a dominant force in the middle. He is strong as anyone. But he allows the OL to get to him instead of him getting to them.

 

[Jarntt]

I think we need to give him a little time. I noticed (assuming I saw it accurately) on the 3rd and 1 when they stopped Wilson on the sneak only one defender got pushed back and it was Mazi. It was 100% technique related because if you watch it he was too high. Thus, obviously correctable and a teaching moment. Other than that play I didn't notice him specifically too much. I think he will be good for us. Luckily right now we have Hankins for that role so if he takes some time it will be ok.

 

[dmq]

Man, I thought he was decent, man.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Keep seeing good and bad snaps; about what I’d expect from the rookie.

There’s a lot of learning he needs to do. Hopefully, he has the kind of football character and will to hone his craft.

He’s gotta figure out you can’t win in the NFL on strength alone.

 

[ChuckA1]

The difference between the 2022 run defense and this season thus far says he's doing his job. That's why he was drafted, right?

 

[Captain-Crash]

he is what he is, next year is when you might see some better results. Right now he's a rookie and is playing like a rookie. no biggie shrugs.

 

[NotForLong]

All that matters is what Quinn thinks . . .