I don't believe the injury is fully to blame for Jaylon Smith's issues

[Wood]

Jaylon Smith should be placed on IR. He is not healthy enough to be NFL player right now. Dallas said he would be 100% healed by spring. Let him fully heal before putting on field. This was elite player in college. He knows how to play the position. What he needs is health not reps.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Obviously, it is a contributing factor, but I feel he had flaws in his game before the injury. Here are some scouting reports.

I posted pretty much the same thing in May of 2016:

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/im-not-getting-the-jaylon-smith-hype.348704/

Being out of football for over a year, and recovering from an injury like this are exposing holes in his games that he had pre-injury. Some players get by on shear athletic ability, like Randy Moss, and others get by on pure will power, like Michael Irvin.

I believe Jaylon Smith has always been the most athletic person on the field at every step before entering the NFL, and as a result, his fundamentals have suffered. Not to say that he's lazy or lacking motivation, it was just overlooked.

The good news is that I think he can get back on track. I don't think the injury is hampering him all that much. I think it mainly has to due with his technique and rust. With the proper coaching, he can be a quality NFL starter.

Very nice analysis, mullet lad.
Very nice.
Still, he is our leading tackler.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I feel for the kid. In a lot of ways Hitchens injury was the worst thing that coulda happened to him as it forced Jaylon on the field for extended amount of reps he wasn't ready to take. Instead of being eased in to gradually gain confidence and trust in his leg/foot injury, he's getting exposed out there and I can only imagine what that's done to his confidence.

I watched him at Norte Dame; the guy you're seeing out there now is not what he was pre-injury in college. Specifically, in terms of movement; he looks robotic and mechanical.

In terms of posting the 'negatives' from scouting reports, that doesn't sway me. We can pick any player on the roster we choose to crap on and go back and list their perceived negatives coming out.

 

[superonyx]

The bottom line is we are all self evaluators of certain players. Both good and bad critiques abound.

We all have ones we like and support. As well as ones we tear down and rip apart.

As fans it’s what we do...

No the bottom line is that we have certain posters who try to make an identity for themselves repeating themselves over and over and over. They find a way to blame certain players for wins even.
Don’t attempt to wrap normal analysis into what some people do here with their agendas.

 

[Rockport]

Fake news.

 

[robbieruff]

Some people in this forum have zero knowledge of the nerve damage injury Jaylon suffered. He wasn't able to feel his leg for almost a year and can only walk around with a brace and you expect him to be Ray Lewis from day one. This guy is more than few months away from complete recovery if there's even a possibility for his nerve damage to fully regenerate.

I think you make an excellent point. What I see the biggest griping going on is not about the fans’ overzealous expectations but about the front office/staff’s. They have set up this kid to fail in my view. There’s NO WAY there should have been a world where we see a Jaylon Smith forced into this much playing time given the injury and long layoff. Such an outcome indicates a total breakdown in the planning and forecasting of the final roster. Jaylon should have NEVER been put in this position and it belies all logic. I would put to you that it has been the team that has been more delusional in their expectations and less so the fan base at large. Sure, some get caught up in the hype and overexuberance but, generally, I think the vast majority are surprised he’s seen this much action. Clearly he’s not physically and mentally ready for this level of responsibility and we risk ruining him by early overuse. I feel bad about the criticism he’s receiving because, frankly, it’s not his fault. The staff and FO have either been monumentally naive or worse stupid handling him this way.

 

[dfense]

I'd like to be optimistic, but he displays every negative they pointed out in the reports. Every one.

Looks like they drafted a finesse LB.