Mailbag: Mazi Smith affected by 3rd different DC

[TheMarathonContinues]

Mazi sucks. we know that. he has shown in two years he is either hot hot garbage or just hot garbage. still garbage. time to cut lose. trade him and move on. if they haven't figured that out, then they are just refusing to see the mistake. Although I am not surprised as Jerry tends to hold players regardless of their play to the end of their contracts so he doesn't have to eat any dead cap money and pay for the same position twice.

Guyton better make a drastic jump in year 2. the offense is going to come down on how he does. if he can't and we have to constantly keep someone back to help him or run shorter routes to get the ball out quicker, its just going to limit the offense. it was a mistake picking him. he was more olympic athlete than football player. he started 8 games in college not even a full season as a senior and that at RT. they fell in love with the athleticism as opposed to evaluating him as a football player.

We don’t know if Mazi sucks. Some people think he does because it helps confirm what their opinion of him is.

 

[noshame]

It's a do-or-die year for the kid so we'll see what happens.

 

[Jarntt]

We don’t know if Mazi sucks. Some people think he does because it helps confirm what their opinion of him is.

We don't know if he sucks going forward (hopefully he doesn't) but we know he has sucked so far. I think the bigger issue on here seems to be those pretending that hasn't been the case. The future is certainly up for discussion. The past is not.

Let's hope he takes a huge leap forward this season

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

We don't know if he sucks going forward (hopefully he doesn't) but we know he has sucked so far. I think the bigger issue on here seems to be those pretending that hasn't been the case. The future is certainly up for discussion. The past is not.

Let's hope he takes a huge leap forward this season

Oh yeah I can’t speak for those who thinks he hasn’t been bad. Last year was better then the first year…. I’ve come to grips that we have had some piss poor coaching in the trenches…they have been hiring terrible coaches there and it’s why guys haven’t been developing here but go elsewhere and show a pulse. And I hate to use coaching as an excuse but these guys were hired not because of skill or resume but because they were friends with Mike.

 

[Havic]

We are all hard on Mazi, including me. But if I stop and think about it, he rookie year he was asked to lose 40 lbs during the season and play under 300 lbs. That is asking a lot of a guy. Then his next season, they ask him to gain the weight back. That's moronic.

Still, Mazi needs to step up his game in a big way or I don't see how he avoids the bust tag. Maybe bust is too strong of a word but it is close.

He was asked to lose all of that weight because of how slow he was off the snap. They thought the weight loss would help with that, it did not.

 

[gtb1943]

he has not shown so far any real sign of being worth a first rd pick

that is reality

the coaching excuse does not fly as regards his continual slow reaction at the snap

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

We don’t know if Mazi sucks. Some people think he does because it helps confirm what their opinion of him is.

results to date say he is nothing more than a 5th to 7th round pick talent. is he failing expectations? yes absolutely and rightfully so because he is a first round pick. he could barely get on the field his first year and undewhelmed in his second year. his stats show it. but furthermore for those who say stats don't show anything, teams defensive performance show it.

its not confirming an opinion. its confirming what we already see as results on the field.

 

[charron]

Hopefully the new staff can just get Mazi to be + vs the run

 

[jazzcat22]

We don’t know if Mazi sucks. Some people think he does because it helps confirm what their opinion of him is.

Some want him to fail so they can thump there chest to say they were right.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

results to date say he is nothing more than a 5th to 7th round pick talent. is he failing expectations? yes absolutely and rightfully so because he is a first round pick. he could barely get on the field his first year and undewhelmed in his second year. his stats show it. but furthermore for those who say stats don't show anything, teams defensive performance show it.

its not confirming an opinion. its confirming what we already see as results on the field.

You can say he currently sucks. But said he sucks as if he can’t get better it won’t. It’s an incomplete. We just don’t know.

 

[jazzcat22]

He was asked to lose all of that weight because of how slow he was off the snap. They thought the weight loss would help with that, it did not.

Wow, that is a 1st. Lose weight to get a faster twitch reaction. I don't think it was a weight issue. Itv was the technique Quinn wanted him to use more than anything else. The article states Eberflus uses the DT's differently. We will see.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Some want him to fail so they can thump there chest to say they were right.

Yep…would rather be right then we get a good player.

 

[fivetwos]

he has not shown so far any real sign of being worth a first rd pick

that is reality

the coaching excuse does not fly as regards his continual slow reaction at the snap

That sounds logical. Can’t blame coaches for not adding physical ability.

My question would be…why didn’t they see that on Michigan film? I understand the pro game is faster and better but their job is to figure out how that may translate.

Everyone makes mistakes, especially in player evaluation, but something like that should have been obvious.

 

[Havic]

Wow, that is a 1st. Lose weight to get a faster twitch reaction. I don't think it was a weight issue. Itv was the technique Quinn wanted him to use more than anything else. The article states Eberflus uses the DT's differently. We will see.

The issue with him in college was he would read and react and not attack. Makes sense to me to lose some weight to be lighter / quicker off the snap. Clearly he has been a bust and these coaches have tried everything to make it work imo. If he can’t get going with this crew it’s over.

 

[jazzcat22]

The issue with him in college was he would read and react and not attack. Makes sense to me to lose some weight to be lighter / quicker off the snap. Clearly he has been a bust and these coaches have tried everything to make it work imo. If he can’t get going with this crew it’s over.

His job in college was to stop the run, clog the middle. He was never asked to rush the passer in college. He said that himself. Said he was willing and wanting to learn that. But Quinn screwed that up as well. Zimmer was a lame duck DC, who really did not try to develop him, or anyone else.

Now they have coaches that actually seem like they care. As I said, we will see the results. Make or break year.

 

[JoeKing]

Considering the ROI we have been getting from Mazi, he could use "affecting" from a DC.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Hoping he plays great. He improved last year. Let’s hope that continues.

Im actually confident he will be a solid player this year. I just think that might be what he becomes though. Just solid

 

[darthseinfeld]

I hope he turns it around, I don’t have high hopes after Zimmer was talking him up

He really started showing improvement after a horrible 1st month. His play the 1st month made him possibly the worst DT in football. By the end of the year, he was right around league average

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

You can say he currently sucks. But said he sucks as if he can’t get better it won’t. It’s an incomplete. We just don’t know.

He can get better. But given his production he has not met expectations.

And given how he has played and not much improvement he has shown then expectations are he is not going to improve by much.

Can he become good? I suppose anyone can surprise but we based opinions on evidence to date.

 

[KJJ]

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/mailbag-mazi-affected-by-3rd-different-dc

Some encouraging words about Mazi.
Though this will get many of the typical responses.

Eberflus and Whitecotton are excited to see what he can do.
As they said, he improved in year 2 over a year 1. Which we all know was not all that great.
And this being year 3. And with coaches that may know how to use him better, at what he is good at. Instead of making him lose weight, and do things he was not asked to do in college.

So this is his make or break year. We will not know until game 1 or so. As fans will have varying opinions from the TC hype.

The typical response is what else is Eberflus and Whitecotton going to say? Mike Zimmer said positive things about Mazi when he took over last season. Mazi isnt close to what we were hoping for and never will be. He’s been a huge disappointment. He’ll be gone before or after his rookie deal is up.