News: Former Cowboys lineman compares Aldon Smith’s ability as a pass rusher to DeMarcus Ware

zekecowboy · May 26, 2020

One former Cowboys lineman who also played with Smith in San Francisco has something to say about Smith.

“I say this with all honesty,” said Leonard Davis, the former Cowboys Pro Bowl guard who was Smith’s teammate with the Niners in 2012, “he was a legitimate DeMarcus Ware-type player. He’s tall. He’s long. He’s very athletic. And he plays with leverage. He’s got good instincts, too. The dude can rush the passer.

“He not only can rush the passer, but he could play the run, as well. He wasn’t afraid to play the run. Some guys, all they care about is the sacks, but that wasn’t him.”

Of course, Ware is one of the most revered Cowboys ever. While no one would ever compare Smith to Ware off the field, D-Ware was a model citizen, there is something to the comparison on the field.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...ths-ability-as-a-pass-rusher-to-demarcus-ware

roughneck266 · May 26, 2020

IF he still has even half of that ability it will be a huge win for the boys.

big dog cowboy · May 26, 2020

If the Cowboys were signing the older version of Smith I wouldn't be so excited. But with the much bigger and much stronger version coming, heck yes I'm all kinds of fired up.

JoeKing · May 26, 2020

Leonard Davis was a good dude when he was in Dallas. I think he is a good judge of players on the DL. I like what he has to say about Aldon Smith.

Mr_437 · May 26, 2020

zekecowboy said:
One former Cowboys lineman who also played with Smith in San Francisco has something to say about Smith.

“I say this with all honesty,” said Leonard Davis, the former Cowboys Pro Bowl guard who was Smith’s teammate with the Niners in 2012, “he was a legitimate DeMarcus Ware-type player. He’s tall. He’s long. He’s very athletic. And he plays with leverage. He’s got good instincts, too. The dude can rush the passer.

“He not only can rush the passer, but he could play the run, as well. He wasn’t afraid to play the run. Some guys, all they care about is the sacks, but that wasn’t him.”

Of course, Ware is one of the most revered Cowboys ever. While no one would ever compare Smith to Ware off the field, D-Ware was a model citizen, there is something to the comparison on the field.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...ths-ability-as-a-pass-rusher-to-demarcus-ware

quickccc · May 27, 2020

As athletic as Alden was coming into the NFL, he wasn't anywhere near as lighting quick and first step explosive off the snap as DWare was.
No one was !
Dware was so extraordinary fast off the snap, that officials mistakenly called him for offside on a an occasional basis. i think Cowboys had to deliver game tape
to league officials that they could get a 2nd look visual that he wasn't off sides. he was just blurring blind-fast that they assume he had to be.
It was like Muhammad Ali explanation said about his Phantom Punch controverse vs Sonny Liston. - everybody " blinked " when his big punch connected and fell Sonny Liston, so they missed how quick-powerful that punch was ... LOL ! :lmao:

i think only the late Chiefs HOFer Derrick Thomas may have been closest when it came to comparison to DWare's quickest first step edge rush.
Dware should be a first ballot Hall of Famer, imo. i ant wait for that too happen.

Imo,, Alden biggest gifts maybe his combination of power, agility and athleticism
In his game clips, You see him extending those extremely long very powerful arm-span into blockers and he can
twist and bend his way to make himself "so skinny " and slip past blockers.
He's so masterful at engaging and then suddenly getting off blocks en route to the QB sack. Great technician and knack for sack.
He just doesn't stay blocked..

Gregory doesn't have Alden's array of technical moves and definitely not his sheer power. But no other edge rusher on this team
has Randy's first step get off and agility to bend past arms of blockers.
Because of his inexperience via missed games over years, he is depending and beating blockers more with sheer athleticism and agility.
and still making it work.

Robert Quinn had a helluva explosive first step edge rush too, even quicker than Gregory, such that even Saints pro bowl LT Terron Armstead couldnt come close to hanging with him - needed double team help- but i see a better run defense game from Gregory than the seemingly " free-lancing' Quinn vs run.

:clap:

817Gill · May 27, 2020

I know he’s been off awhile and putting stock into his return being near what he used to be is hopeful but I like the stuff I’m seeing. It seems as one of Aldon’s biggest strength as a DE and most remarked attribute in his comeback has been power. There are a few quotes here that describe his strength, one thing that doesn’t leave with age especially if someone is in the shape Aldon’s supposed to be in:

From Jay Glazer’s Mailbag-

“On the outside, I’ve trained over 1,200 pro athletes in my MMA program. Smith is probably in the top five as far as guys who have put their hands on me. He’s had four years off so you can look at that as he’ll be rusty or you can look at that and say his body has been saved from four years of impact. I am really excited to see what he can do with the Cowboys. Nothing would make me happier than to go down to Orlando to the Pro Bowl with him in January. That would be quite the feat. By the way, Smith is a beautiful soul. When he got his contract with the Cowboys, he called me and asked me if he could sign it at my house, asking if my son was there. He wanted to sign it in front of my son so my son could understand what his dad helped make happen. That’s pretty damn special and beautiful for a guy to do that and to think about my son. That’s gratitude back. That’s beauty. If I’m an offensive lineman, I wouldn’t want Smith putting his hands on me this year, nope. But regardless of what he does on a football field, he’s already had an amazing journey back.”

More Glazer-

“When he put his hands on me, it felt like Kyle Long,” Glazer said, referring to the former Chicago Bears offensive lineman. “Kyle’s probably the strongest dude that’s put his hands on me. Myles Garrett is up there with the strength and speed, but [Smith] feels like Long, which sucks [when getting tackled].”

From His Agent:

“He’s working with Brandon Tucker, a defensive line coach that works with a bunch of NFL players in Dallas,” Slavin said, “and the first time Aldon hit him with the pads, he said, ‘I felt like I was getting hit by a frying pan.’”

More quotes in the article about playing the run and how he’s regarded as a teammate-

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/pla...ths-ability-as-a-pass-rusher-to-demarcus-ware

buybuydandavis · May 27, 2020

roughneck266 said:
IF he still has even half of that ability it will be a huge win for the boys.

If he can make the 53, I'll expect some quality play by the end of the season.

I'll bet on an All Pro that hasn't played for years as long as he's healthy and still in shape. So cheap. His ceiling is in the clouds. But for injury, he should improve all year.

Such a no brainer signing, and they protected the pittance we're paying him with milestones along the way. All upside.

If he can last a season, he should bring us a comp pick too.

Picking up money in the street.

JBell · May 27, 2020

My favorite memory of Leonard Davis:

Need a current Cowboy to do a interview series like T-Choice did.

buybuydandavis · May 27, 2020

quickccc said:
Gregory doesn't have Alden's array of technical moves and definitely not his sheer power. But no other edge rusher on this team
has Randy's first step get off and agility to bend past arms of blockers.
Because of his inexperience via missed games over years, he is depending and beating blockers more with sheer athleticism and agility.
and still making it work.

Robert Quinn had a helluva explosive first step edge rush too, even quicker than Gregory, such that even Saints pro bowl LT Terron Armstead couldnt come close to hanging with him - needed double team help- but i see a better run defense game from Gregory than the seemingly " free-lancing' Quinn vs run.

Gregory had a good back half of 2018. Counting past game 5 or 6, better sacks/hurries than DLaw.

He did that with a 2 year layoff, but for a month or two in 2016, and only 1 prior year of NFL experience. This time it's a 1 year layoff with 2 years of prior experience. And I think last time he let his body go a lot. Lost a lot of weight. He seems to have been in a better place this last year.

If Gregory is back, I think it will be about a wash for losing Quinn. Less pass rush, but better run defense.

gimmesix · May 27, 2020

quickccc said:
Imo,, Alden biggest gifts maybe his combination of power, agility and athleticism
In his game clips, You see him extending those extremely long very powerful arm-span into blockers and he can
twist and bend his way to make himself "so skinny " and slip past blockers.
He's so masterful at engaging and then suddenly getting off blocks en route to the QB sack. Great technician and knack for sack.
He just doesn't stay blocked..

This is part of what gives me hope with him. He isn't overly reliant on speed, which is usually one of the first things players start losing as they age.

Ranching · May 27, 2020

zekecowboy said:
One former Cowboys lineman who also played with Smith in San Francisco has something to say about Smith.

“I say this with all honesty,” said Leonard Davis, the former Cowboys Pro Bowl guard who was Smith’s teammate with the Niners in 2012, “he was a legitimate DeMarcus Ware-type player. He’s tall. He’s long. He’s very athletic. And he plays with leverage. He’s got good instincts, too. The dude can rush the passer.

“He not only can rush the passer, but he could play the run, as well. He wasn’t afraid to play the run. Some guys, all they care about is the sacks, but that wasn’t him.”

Of course, Ware is one of the most revered Cowboys ever. While no one would ever compare Smith to Ware off the field, D-Ware was a model citizen, there is something to the comparison on the field.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...ths-ability-as-a-pass-rusher-to-demarcus-ware

Beautiful pup!!!!!!

xwalker · May 28, 2020

quickccc said:
i think only the late Chiefs HOFer Derrick Thomas may have been closest when it came to comparison to DWare's quickest first step edge rush.
Dware should be a first ballot Hall of Famer, imo. i ant wait for that too happen.

Lawrence Taylor...

Sydla · May 28, 2020

He's cheap, which is good. If he can provide any sort of pass rush help, it's a win relative to what we have invested.

But thinking he's going to pick up where he left off 4.5 years ago? Probably very unlikely. And even then, he wasn't really the same player in 2015 as he was in say 2011-12. Granted, part of that could have been due to all the issues he was dealing with off the field.

He's an interesting candidate for comeback player though if he can somehow find himself again.

CowboyRoy · May 28, 2020

zekecowboy said:
One former Cowboys lineman who also played with Smith in San Francisco has something to say about Smith.

“I say this with all honesty,” said Leonard Davis, the former Cowboys Pro Bowl guard who was Smith’s teammate with the Niners in 2012, “he was a legitimate DeMarcus Ware-type player. He’s tall. He’s long. He’s very athletic. And he plays with leverage. He’s got good instincts, too. The dude can rush the passer.

“He not only can rush the passer, but he could play the run, as well. He wasn’t afraid to play the run. Some guys, all they care about is the sacks, but that wasn’t him.”

Of course, Ware is one of the most revered Cowboys ever. While no one would ever compare Smith to Ware off the field, D-Ware was a model citizen, there is something to the comparison on the field.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...ths-ability-as-a-pass-rusher-to-demarcus-ware

Ware was the worst, great player I ever saw. Guy rarely made a great play when it mattered most or when we needed it. Unlike Haley who always seemed to come up huge in big moments but didn't have the sack numbers that Ware had. Give me Haley all day long over Ware.

quickccc · May 28, 2020

xwalker said:
Lawrence Taylor...

Believe it or not , not even LT....Not even Haley ...

quickccc · May 28, 2020

i didn't realize DWare's " controversial "blinding 1st step was once discussed on this board, as i was trying to obtain his best videos that.

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/vid...flagged-for-being-offsides-but-was-he.105101/f

Bigdog · May 28, 2020

If this is the case than Smith will be called for off sides a lot as was Ware. Ware's first step was so quick that I remember one ref said no one could get that quickly on an OL that he must have been off sides. Replayed show that Ware wasn't.

OmerV · May 28, 2020

The problem is he is talking about Aldon Smith from 6-7 years ago. I'm all for giving Smith a shot, but odds are against him still being that kind of player.

Redball Express · May 28, 2020

zekecowboy said:
One former Cowboys lineman who also played with Smith in San Francisco has something to say about Smith.

“I say this with all honesty,” said Leonard Davis, the former Cowboys Pro Bowl guard who was Smith’s teammate with the Niners in 2012, “he was a legitimate DeMarcus Ware-type player. He’s tall. He’s long. He’s very athletic. And he plays with leverage. He’s got good instincts, too. The dude can rush the passer.

“He not only can rush the passer, but he could play the run, as well. He wasn’t afraid to play the run. Some guys, all they care about is the sacks, but that wasn’t him.”

Of course, Ware is one of the most revered Cowboys ever. While no one would ever compare Smith to Ware off the field, D-Ware was a model citizen, there is something to the comparison on the field.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...ths-ability-as-a-pass-rusher-to-demarcus-ware

I agree.

Having seen Smith in his prime..he was a force intensified player.

Meaning he also helped those around him to appear to be better because he was playing next to them.

I saw him change games with a big sack or a stone wall tackle.

If this guy still has juice and if all his energy from before was not based on his drug abuse..

this could be our most improved part of the team with his play.

So we have to see. Mostly I worry about injuries with him. Being out of football for so long gives me caution.

Take it slow and see. With him being bigger he has to have lost some speed. How much and what else is changed we have to find out.

News: Former Cowboys lineman compares Aldon Smith’s ability as a pass rusher to DeMarcus Ware

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

THE BIG DOG

Diehard

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

That's still my Quarterback

Well-Known Member

Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

All Aboard!!!