Jaylon Smith

[hornitosmonster]

2nd season.

There is no reasoning with you types. It's All Pro or go home. I think you played too much Tecmo Bowl in your day. The NFL is mediocre across the board which has allowed Belichick and his hidden genius (Ernie Adams) to take advantage. Salary caps and restrictive practice rules have made it so.

 

[condoin125]

New season. IMO, the needle is headed back up for 2018...at least so far. We'll see how the draft and free agency plays out and hope we avoid suspensions/major injuries in the off season programs but, for now, no reason to continue complaining about the same things I complained about in the 2017 season. I think everyone else is hammering those points enough that I can just sit back and read.

Cool but I'm feeling less hopeful. The last two times things went up for us (2014/2016) we were playing 3rd and 4th place schedules....our schedule looks fairly tough next season so I wonder if it'll be more of 2017 to be honest.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Hitchens is a back up that can start a game or two in a pinch
JSmith has speed and size that makes him a force at LB when healthy

Paying Hitchens to be your MIKE is settling for mediocrity and is a terrible plan..... he doesn't do anything great.....he is not a thumper, not a cover guy, not a blitzer.......... JSmith can do all those things

There is a reason JSmith was a Top5 talent.... I think he still has IT

Our D was horrible with Hitchens as the man inside.......he is no SLee either

Hitchens is the starter. Smith is not. I don't get it? We must be watching a different game. I think Hitchens played pretty well while he was in. I saw nothing, at all, from Smith that suggests he can play MLB.

What were the reasons that Smith was a "Top5 talent"? What was the reason a "Top5 talent" got drafted in the second round?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

There is no reasoning with you types. It's All Pro or go home. I think you played too much Tecmo Bowl in your day. The NFL is mediocre across the board which has allowed Belichick and his hidden genius (Ernie Adams) to take advantage. Salary caps and restrictive practice rules have made it so.

What are "You types"?

 

[Sydla]

Hitchens is the starter. Smith is not. I don't get it? We must be watching a different game. I think Hitchens played pretty well while he was in. I saw nothing, at all, from Smith that suggests he can play MLB.

What were the reasons that Smith was a "Top5 talent"? What was the reason a "Top5 talent" got drafted in the second round?

He might be the starter right now. But clearly the franchise believes Smith will eventually be the starter. Further, while Hitchens is the starter, he still has a clear value in terms of contracts. Just because he's the "starter" doesn't then mean you hand him a big contract.

Cooper is the starter at LG. Should we overpay and hand him a big, top level OG contract too?

 

[LACowboysFan1]

"..we fans should now be allowed fairly high expectations for him in 2018."

Agreed, he's now a full two years removed from his surgery, and while it was a more severe injury, due to the nerve damage, than a "normal" ACL/MCL, etc. injury, if he's not fully recovered he should be by the start of the 2018 season, you would think. Since we were told the nerve regenerates "about an inch a month", after 24 months it should be fully regenerated, if it ever will. (Unless his lower leg is more than 2 feet long, I'm 6-3 myself, and my lower leg isn't that long).

As noted, we'll have to wait and see...

 

[Nightman]

What were the reasons that Smith was a "Top5 talent"? What was the reason a "Top5 talent" got drafted in the second round?

I guess you missed the knee injury........ Speed, Size, lateral movement, blitzing and pass coverage are why JSmith is a better talent than Hitchens and that will show this year

What are Hitchens strengths? what does he excel at? he is a super JAG that has never played more than 55% of the snaps for good reason

Making him the starter at MIKE is settling at its worst

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

And I don't understand your last point. You said if Smith had never suffered the injury he did, he could still not play the role Hitchens does for us. What do you mean? Because talent wise, there is no comparison and if Smith had not gotten hurt, he could pretty much do whatever Hitchens does, probably a lot better. No, he probably wouldn't have played special teams for us but that's not because he couldn't, but rather because they probably wouldn't play Smith there like they don't play Lee and other key players on special teams.

The issue at hand is what is Hitchen's role worth? To me, if you have to pay him what would amount to Top 5-7 ILB money, it's a bad deal and you are overpaying for him.

If he had not suffered the injury, he could have probably been a really good LB, but not at MLB. Smith is not that LB. If you want to see a player that Smith might have projected to, prior to the injury, watch Derrick Brooks in Tampa. That's the kind of LB that I saw the skills to be. He was never a 43 MLB. He can not do what Hitchens does because Smith can not stack and shed. He is not physical enough and he is not nearly strong enough.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Before he was injured (Jan 2016), Jaylon Smith was projected as a top-5 overall draft pick.

The Cowboys took him in the 2nd round in 2016 and stated he wouldn’t play but would instead concentrate on rehab for that season. They also said that while they felt he would be ready for the first game of 2017, he would be brought along slowly.

Due to various injuries (Lee, Hitchens), JS played more reps than were initially intended. I felt he held his own, improving during 2017, but was far from a dominant player.

Management having already gambled two seasons that Jaylon Smith would one day come close to his pre-injury potential on a consistent basis, we fans should now be allowed fairly high expectations for him in 2018.

We’ll see.

I agree that this year needs to be a really big year for Smith. I think it's a mistake to play him as a MLB. If he doesn't show this year, I think we gotta move on.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

He might be the starter right now. But clearly the franchise believes Smith will eventually be the starter. Further, while Hitchens is the starter, he still has a clear value in terms of contracts. Just because he's the "starter" doesn't then mean you hand him a big contract.

Cooper is the starter at LG. Should we overpay and hand him a big, top level OG contract too?

The Franchise has been wrong before. The key here is "eventually". When is that because we need him now. I have made no comments about contracts so I don't know where you are going with that but in terms of who can play and who can not, Hitchens can play and Smith can not. Sucks but that's what I saw from last year.

 

[Sydla]

If he had not suffered the injury, he could have probably been a really good LB, but not at MLB. Smith is not that LB. If you want to see a player that Smith might have projected to, prior to the injury, watch Derrick Brooks in Tampa. That's the kind of LB that I saw the skills to be. He was never a 43 MLB. He can not do what Hitchens does because Smith can not stack and shed. He is not physical enough and he is not nearly strong enough.

Frankly, I don't think Smith is a MLB either. He's a WILL. I think the staff is making a mistake trying to peg him into the MLB spot. I think they should flop him and Lee.

That being said, if healthy, he still would be a better MLB than Hitchens most likely. Your last sentence is funny because Hitchens isn't very good at stacking and shedding himself.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Hitchens was put at starter at MLB because Lee couldn't hold up at MLB, had to be moved to OLB to help keep him healthy. It's not like Hitchens was better than Lee, he was also in there because R. McClain was out. While Hitch is a solid linebacker, if for no other reason than size he was not going to be the starter at MLB if Lee could hold up physically and/or McClain could stay off suspension.

The question the Cowboys have to answer is do they take a chance that Smith will eventually become what he was projected to be and not draft a solid MLB this year? That means they pretty much HAVE to pay Hitch whatever it takes to sign him, otherwise he leaves and Smith is put there, healthy or not...

 

[Sydla]

The Franchise has been wrong before. The key here is "eventually". When is that because we need him now. I have made no comments about contracts so I don't know where you are going with that but in terms of who can play and who can not, Hitchens can play and Smith can not. Sucks but that's what I saw from last year.

Even if you want to believe Smith is damaged and can't play, you still don't overpay for Hitchens.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

In a 4-3 defense the MIKE has to be the one to diagnose the play and call the defensive alignments, etc. Now Lee can do that at WILL, but it really should be Smith's job. Not sure at this point, as I've said before, that Smith is that "football smart". This year should tell...

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I guess you missed the knee injury........ Speed, Size, lateral movement, blitzing and pass coverage are why JSmith is a better talent than Hitchens and that will show this year

What are Hitchens strengths? what does he excel at? he is a super JAG that has never played more than 55% of the snaps for good reason

Making him the starter at MIKE is settling at its worst

Well, somebody missed it. Maybe it was you. The speed, the lateral movement, the strength, the experience, none of that was there last year, because of the injury. All everybody heard last year was how good Smith looked but when he got on the field, all of that crumbled. He was not ready and there is no guarantee he will be this year either. You can't base your defense on that.

Hitchens understands the game and the scheme, he is a much better tackler, he is stronger, he can stack and shed, he can scrape, he is physically stronger, he fills the whole much better and he holds up better at the MLB position. He can also play multiple LB positions so he gives you something there as well.

The real problem here is that you are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, with Smith at MLB IMO. He is not that guy.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Even if you want to believe Smith is damaged and can't play, you still don't overpay for Hitchens.

Maybe I didn't make it clear to you. I am not talking about what Hitchens contract is or should be. I am simply talking about the players.

 

[Sydla]

Maybe I didn't make it clear to you. I am talking about what Hitchens contract is or should be. I am simply talking about the players.

Its the whole reason we are even having this conversation......... because Hitchens is a FA and is he worthy of a new contract. That's why people are even having this debate of Hitchens vs Smith.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Frankly, I don't think Smith is a MLB either. He's a WILL. I think the staff is making a mistake trying to peg him into the MLB spot. I think they should flop him and Lee.

That being said, if healthy, he still would be a better MLB than Hitchens most likely. Your last sentence is funny because Hitchens isn't very good at stacking and shedding himself.

OK, now we are on the same page. I too believe that the team is making a mistake with Smith. I don't think he is a 43 MLB. I think that part of the problem is that he is not getting his agility back, the same way it was. I think his ability to cover in space may not be what it was, prior to the injury. Hitch was not the MLB when we drafted him. He was the the Sam, I believe. I think that the team put Smith out there at MLB because they have Lee and Hitch that can play Will and Sam. The team really needs to find a MLB and then, let Smith, either get a point where he can play at a position that he can be successful with or move on with his life. That's just my opinion.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Its the whole reason we are even having this conversation......... because Hitchens is a FA and is he worthy of a new contract. That's why people are even having this debate of Hitchens vs Smith.

OK, seems like there are plenty of people who want to discuss the contract issues. I don't know enough about what is being considered by the team or the player to discuss that so it's foolish of me to try. I am just talking about the players. I will say this thou, Smith is coming up on his third season. Lets say he has a better year but is still not the impact player you wanted him to be next season. What then do you do there? Do you pay him, based on what you think he still might be in year 4, still having not materialized or do you let him walk? I ask this because if we don't sign Hitch, you then are in a situation where Lee is two years older, Hitch is gone and now you are having to face a deal where you are over paying a guy who never really materialized or having to replace all your starting LBs.

That's really the problem with all of this, as I see it.

 

[Nightman]

M

Well, somebody missed it. Maybe it was you. The speed, the lateral movement, the strength, the experience, none of that was there last year, because of the injury. All everybody heard last year was how good Smith looked but when he got on the field, all of that crumbled. He was not ready and there is no guarantee he will be this year either. You can't base your defense on that.

Hitchens understands the game and the scheme, he is a much better tackler, he is stronger, he can stack and shed, he can scrape, he is physically stronger, he fills the whole much better and he holds up better at the MLB position. He can also play multiple LB positions so he gives you something there as well.

The real problem here is that you are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, with Smith at MLB IMO. He is not that guy.

Maybe in Sept but they played into December and JSmith was flying around the field like before