We all marveled at the attitude and spirit Jaylon Smith displayed as rehabbed one of the most difficult to overcome injuries imaginable for a football player. How can you not love a guy like that. You can't.
But where is his mind today, amidst a pretty lackluster year from the just-paid middle linebacker.
I've heard it mentioned by numerous on-air radio people locally - Broaddus, Archer, Dennis, and others - that Jaylon routinely conducts business meetings at The Star before and after practice. He puts a ton of time everyday into growing his upstart eyeglasses and massage ventures.
We're not talking once a week. It's almost every day, openly in front of his teammates at the Cowboys facilities. These meetings are not quick updates, but rather involved conference room discussions with mulitiples of people that can last for hours.
Freshly paid in advance of the end of his rookie deal, has football become a mere hobby to support his greater business interests?
I love an entrepreneurial mind. Always fascinating people, they are. I also commend him for not squandering his money on depreciating garbage as is traditionally typical of young millionaire athletes. But I also believe in prioritization and focus, especially toward where your bread is being buttered the most.
The Cowboys deserve 99% of his professional focus right now after paying him handsomely when they didn't yet have to. Granted, I probably wouldn't look askew at this if his play on the field was better. It'd probably be more of an interesting tidbit if it was.
But Jaylon looks like he's on roller skates a lot, over-pursuing plays and getting roasted in coverage. Combine that with iffy play from Vander Esch, too, and it looks like we have a couple of damaged goods at linebacker who aren't ready, or perhaps fully committed, to be great NFL linebackers.
Jaylon's effort and attitude on Sundays is not in question. But what about his preparation from Monday through Saturday?
