Mazi Smith had his best game

CalPolyTechnique said:
Was gonna start a thread on this myself. Had two nice back-to-back snaps where he registered the tackles. He still has zero clue or plan as a pass rusher. I don’t want to hear it either. Yes, he’s not supposed to be Reggie White, but he is supposed to get penetration.
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His plan right now is to basically overpower the OG. He has had some success getting leverage on power rush's but he doesnt have any counters
 
"Signs of life" was my year 1 goal for Mazi, so it's good to see him showing those.

But I would not read too much into this game. Mazi's kind of a one trick pony at this point, where he just goes fire-on-fire vs an OL with brute power and prays that it works. NYG has the kind of bad linemen you can just shove around, so this is the kind of game that can literally play to his strengths. But the NFL's best linemen are strong enough to anchor his rush, and they know a lot more ball too.
 
CalPolyTechnique said:
Was gonna start a thread on this myself. Had two nice back-to-back snaps where he registered the tackles. He still has zero clue or plan as a pass rusher. I don’t want to hear it either. Yes, he’s not supposed to be Reggie White, but he is supposed to get penetration.
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Why are you comparing him to Reggie White? He did not have anything resembling a plan in college. It appears they are honing in on the fundamentals first and will work on a plan to put it all together after.
 
FuzzyLumpkins said:
Why are you comparing him to Reggie White? He did not have anything resembling a plan in college. It appears they are honing in on the fundamentals first and will work on a plan to put it all together after.
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To acknowledge the fact he wasn’t brought on to be a pass rusher. However, he is getting stifled far too often in his rush because he hasn’t developed a counter when his bull rush is stymied.
 
CalPolyTechnique said:
To acknowledge the fact he wasn’t brought on to be a pass rusher. However, he is getting stifled far too often in his rush because he hasn’t developed a counter when his bull rush is stymied.
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He has been playing a vast majority of his snaps at 3T. Its going to be interesting to see what they do with him long term. I posted a thread earlier saying he could wind up being used like Hankins was in NY when he played with Snacks.
 
BleedSilverandBlue said:
I was great to see Mazi get on the stat sheet and make a few plays, but I am still concerned about the way his physical traits aren’t translating onto the field.

For his size, he tested out as a ludicrously explosive athlete at the combine and his pro day, but he is slower off the ball than almost any player I’ve ever seen.

In the weight room he is renowned for brute strength, but he plays much lighter than he is. He struggles to anchor.

I would at least hope to see those traits being shown off by a developmental prospect like himself even if the technique and football IQ needed work.

Hopefully last week gives him some confidence to build on.
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Maybe he skips leg day.
 
lkelly said:
Mazi, waiting for someone to tell him the offensive play that is being run, as he was accustomed to in college:

F-1o1KnXoAACHHe
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Mazi, telling someone else where he should be.
 
I do think he is getting a little better with each game but he still has two major flaws that must be corrected. The first is how slow he is off the snap. In this video posted he makes the play but look how long after the snap it is before he gets out of his stance. I have never seen a DT so slow in my 60 years of watching football at the pro level. Having played OL in high school I can tell you that is such a huge advantage for the OL. If he was facing a good OG he would have been bowled over by the OG. He had no chance to get leverage on the OG. Mazi doesn't do this every play, but he does it often enough that it is a problem. I have to wonder what the heck he is thinking about when he is waiting for the snap. Are his reflexes that slow? I cannot imagine they are unless he has some kind of condition.

The other problem is he lunges into the blocker sometimes and if the blocker gives ground, Mazi winds up doing a belly flop on the turf. I think I saw him do it twice against the Giants. but I have seen him do it at least once every game.

He needs some serious coaching. If he can't correct these problems I don't see how he will not be a bust.
 
Creeper said:
I do think he is getting a little better with each game but he still has two major flaws that must be corrected. The first is how slow he is off the snap. In this video posted he makes the play but look how long after the snap it is before he gets out of his stance. I have never seen a DT so slow in my 60 years of watching football at the pro level. Having played OL in high school I can tell you that is such a huge advantage for the OL. If he was facing a good OG he would have been bowled over by the OG. He had no chance to get leverage on the OG. Mazi doesn't do this every play, but he does it often enough that it is a problem. I have to wonder what the heck he is thinking about when he is waiting for the snap. Are his reflexes that slow? I cannot imagine they are unless he has some kind of condition.

The other problem is he lunges into the blocker sometimes and if the blocker gives ground, Mazi winds up doing a belly flop on the turf. I think I saw him do it twice against the Giants. but I have seen him do it at least once every game.

He needs some serious coaching. If he can't correct these problems I don't see how he will not be a bust.
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its baffling that even NFL coaches could not correct his glaring flaw from college,I really cannot explain why he is so mindbogglingly slow off the ball.
 
FuzzyLumpkins said:
He is progressing nicely. He is still reading and reacting slowing him down but is markedly faster than when he came in.
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He’s slow off the snap and that’s where he can really improve as he learns. Hankins is a good mentor for him. He plays smart. As a NT you may not get penetration on a double team but Hankins realizes when he’s not and starts watching the Qb to get his hands up. Mazi is raw and will get better as he learns techniques and how to anticipate plays. Just improving his snsp speed would be huge fir him
 
big dog cowboy said:
I know it was against the Giants. But progress is being made.

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The Vagiants have very good football players. Only the best of the best make it to the NFL. I agree... I actually noticed him. Just give the kid a chance to settle in.
 
FuzzyLumpkins said:
Why are you comparing him to Reggie White? He did not have anything resembling a plan in college. It appears they are honing in on the fundamentals first and will work on a plan to put it all together after.
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He specifically said he isn't comparing him to Reggie White?
 
blueblood70 said:
well, this fan base doesn't want to understand true nose tackles are unheralded in the stat sheets and hard to follow progress in livre games.. Eagles #13 overall pick Jordan Davis was MIA most of his rookie year and looks a lot better this year. Mazi was 27th overall... fans overreacting as if hes bad pick and bust is ridiculous.
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Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter look to be a tremendous combo at DT for many years. They are the best team at stopping the run in the NFL by a whole bunch...
Only problem is that everyone is throwing for 400 yards against Philly.
 
I still have hope for him.

The other UM guy we took? LOL.
 
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