Mazi Smith slow off the snap

[KJJ]

I 100% agree here. It doesn't need to be consistently great play, but a young player that has what it takes to make it in the NFL should be showing that they can make a few plays at all.

There are very few instances where a player lays a total egg like Mazi has this year and they magically turn into a good player in years 2 and 3.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Gosh what can they do to speed that up. There’s some power and good stuff to work with there.

If he were at a red light and it turned green someone would honk at him from behind that’s how slow he is lol

Ugh!

I wanted to defend him saying he's had a long season. But he barely plays. 27% of DEF snaps this season. Only 3 ST snaps all season. And only 13 against the Eagles. If he can't stay fresh and active as a rookie with such a small workload, hard to hope he can do it while taking a bigger role with more snaps.
Maybe he gets faster as he gets more comfortable with the defense and his assignments in it.

Mazi Snap Counts

 

[Cowpolk]

Like molasses. Hank is going to be missed

Just say no to no molasses

 

[Zekeats]

He was first team all Big Ten in his last season at Michigan.

Is that because his play was horrible or you just didn’t watch and/or don’t know what you were watching.

I watched and wasn't impressed at all and apparently I stand correct since he is the worst graded DT in the league.

 

[stilltheguru]

I watched and wasn't impressed at all and apparently I stand correct since he is the worst graded DT in the league.

Not the worst. According to pff Mazi is rated higher than cz favorite John ridgeway. But I know I know rookie first rounder should be better than a 2nd year cz favorite lol.

 

[CWR]

Ive got news for those of you expecting Mazi to be ‘better’ the rest of the season. Rookies hit the ‘wall’ around week 12-13. If Mazi keeps playing ok, i’d take that. Without Hankins we are in BIG trouble

I dont see hitting the wall as a factor when he's averaging a handful of snaps a game.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

To me Mazi looks like he is thinking too much. Big Mike said in his presser that he's not but the eyes tell me different.

 

[Davidlee1973]

This whole draft class has been a disappointment

 

[Shane612]

I’m sayin if you watch he’s just the last guy of all 11 to move. Probably a good 2-3 seconds after everyone else

Many plays don't even last 3 seconds

 

[Shane612]

I stopped paying attention to Mazi Smith after about the 5th game. And it seems like most others have too.
.
He's just a body on the field, but many here have insisted that's all he need to do.

 

[Established1971]

he should watch film of Lane Johnson

 

[Playmaker3128]

He's still a rookie, and worse case he's a bust it is what it is.

I don't think people give this front office enough credit for the way they draft. Yes there are the taco Charlton's of the world, and many others.

But alot of teams have trouble drafting. A lot of teams can't find one good offensive lineman, and Dallas has proven to be a factory in drafting them. We've always been good at finding talent, just never really had the coaching thing down pat.

 

[visionary]

I dont see hitting the wall as a factor when he's averaging a handful of snaps a game.

Its not gametine. It is the sheer workload of practice against top players and the number of weeks

 

[CWR]

Its not gametine. It is the sheer workload of practice against top players and the number of weeks

I imagine that is a big factor but I also think about the CBA and the lack of padded practices etc. At his age with the minimal play time he gets he really shouldn't be hitting the wall imo.

The rookie wall makes a lot more sense for a RB or LB or a trench player who's playing the majority of snaps.

Maybe I'm expecting too much. Maybe that wall comes into play from the sheer volume of football activities, cardio, gym etc. It's definitely not from contact.

 

[Jimbo123]

Should have drafted Will Levis. He didn't need 4 years to learn the system like some other QB we know.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

DTs have an extremely high bust rate. Almost as bad as QBs. With that being said, some of them take longer to develop. Not rushing to write him off yet

 

[Creeper]

He is slow off the snap, but I think giving up on him now is way too early. DTs take time to mature in most cases. Mazi was a late 1st round pick which means he is really a 2nd round talent. The expectations for him are ridiculous.

He has not done much as a rookie, but people claim he is some huge liability too. I don't see it either way. He is a rookie, just learning and he needs more time to develop. It should be noted that Hankins got hurt on the 1st series of the second half. Mazi came in after that and I didn't see the Eagles running it down our throats. I will watch the game again and focus on him, but my initial impression was he was average. I didn't see him getting shoved around, but didn't see him make any plays either. He had the same number of tackles as Hankins. 0.

Over the next few weeks we should get a much better look at him. Let's see how he does. But What we want to see is a big improvement next year. Even so, I am still happy the Cowboys at least took a shot at a DT early. If Mazi fails I fear it may be another 30 years before they draft another DT in the 1st round.

 

[CoachD]

Very slow, and he's not improving which is a concern.

 

[Crown Royal]

He is slow off the snap, but I think giving up on him now is way too early. DTs take time to mature in most cases. Mazi was a late 1st round pick which means he is really a 2nd round talent. The expectations for him are ridiculous.

He has not done much as a rookie, but people claim he is some huge liability too. I don't see it either way. He is a rookie, just learning and he needs more time to develop. It should be noted that Hankins got hurt on the 1st series of the second half. Mazi came in after that and I didn't see the Eagles running it down our throats. I will watch the game again and focus on him, but my initial impression was he was average. I didn't see him getting shoved around, but didn't see him make any plays either. He had the same number of tackles as Hankins. 0.

Over the next few weeks we should get a much better look at him. Let's see how he does. But What we want to see is a big improvement next year. Even so, I am still happy the Cowboys at least took a shot at a DT early. If Mazi fails I fear it may be another 30 years before they draft another DT in the 1st round.

I agree - evaluating him this year is way early as it takes time for DTs to develop.

THAT SAID it sure would be nice to see a flash or two to build confidence off his play. Thus far he has consistently looked out manned out there.

 

[Creeper]

I agree - evaluating him this year is way early as it takes time for DTs to develop.

THAT SAID it sure would be nice to see a flash or two to build confidence off his play. Thus far he has consistently looked out manned out there.

After re-watching the Eagles game I have some thoughts on Mazi. He got some extra snaps after Hankins went down. First and foremost is Mazi's get off. Every play he was in he was at least a half second to a full second late getting off after the snap. This is befuddling to me since he plays DT with the second best view of the snap after the C. His late starts put him at a tremendous disadvantage against the OGs and OTs he faces. He has no chance against an NFL OL if they get set and ready for him before he gets off. I think he has the strength to play DT in the NFL already, but unless he fixes that late get off then I don't think he has a chance. I am not an expert on this, but it seems to be that this is not something that can be taught. I think you either have the recognition and reflexes or you don't.

I cannot believe Quinn doesn't see this too. I wonder if they have been trying to work with him on it. If they are and he has not gotten any better at this point, I am pessimistic he can figure it out. But as we said, it is his first year. I want to see a big improvement from him in 2024 or we can begin the bust talk.