Twitter: Mazi Smith Weight Loss Disaster

[Chasing6]

Not only did they ask him to love 30 lbs, they asked him to do it during the season. He was depleting his body of calories while being asked to exert himself playing football. Usually these body changes are done in the offseason.

DT take time to develop. Look at Alim McNeill and even Derrick Brown. Both had quiet rookie years, and even 2nd years. Both started to come into their own in their 3rd years. We need to give Mazi those two year, and not asking him to change who he is. They are treating him like a lte round developmental player and not a first round pick. If you wanted to change him so dramatically, then why take him in the first round?

I can see Mazi being something like Alim McNeill if they would just let him develop and help him along.

My question is, is Dan Quinn a good developer of talent? Which young Cowboys players have truly made huge strides as players since being drafted? None of the LBs have panned out. Maybe Osa, but he showed promise as a rookie. Sam Williams has been a disappointment. Golston is a JAG. Gallimore has been a disappointment. Dorance Armstrong faded away to almost nothing. They waived Ridgeway. And Mazi regressed during his rookie season while he withered his body down from a 1T to a 3T.

They kinda hinted during the draft that they felt like he was not being used correctly. Wait and react vs attacking the line of scrimmage. So I would assume this was all discussed with him and his agent before the draft of how they would plan on using him. If not, which would not surprise me at all, then we once again have no idea what we are doing.

 

[SlammedZero]

Yeah, what a weird transformation. Not sure if the coaches asked him (most likely) or he did it himself, but either way it's odd. Definitely looking like a whiff on this 1st rounder. Sucks, we all wanted them to address DT and they even did it in the first round, but this one isn't looking great overall.

Let's stop drafting players from Michigan. We've had better luck taking players from my Boise State.

 

[KJJ]

Mazi is a NT. Those guys age well and improve over time.
The Cowboys wanted to thread the needle here and have him lose 30 pounds while maintaining strength and that only happens to a few freaks.
He needed that weight for leverage, and he was a catch and chase guy, not a gap shooter.
They are trying to build Aaron Donald, but Mazi will never be that without lots of drugs.


Mazi may top out as a backup NT but he likely has a long future in the league because you can't teach size.
With 1 sack, 13 total tackles, 9 solo and 3 for loss, his rookie year looks almost identical to Johnathon Hankins.
Dallas needs to accept that this is what Mazi is and stop trying to build a robot 3T out of a 1T.
He doesnt need to play 60% of the snaps. He needs to play 35% of the snaps hard and with a serious about of leverage and power.

He may have a long future but it won’t be here. Taco bounced around for 4 years after we cut him.

 

[Chasing6]

Yeah, what a weird transformation. Not sure if the coaches asked him (most likely) or he did it himself, but either way it's odd. Definitely looking like a whiff on this 1st rounder. Sucks, we all wanted them to address DT and they even did it in the first round, but this one isn't looking great overall.

Let's stop drafting players from Michigan. We've had better luck taking players from my Boise State.

How about we draft players for their skill set we use in college and just apply that to our scheme.

Why you would draft, especially with the number 1 pick, a run stuffing DT and try to turn him into quick twitch guy is unbelievable stupid.

It just makes me think, the guy we wanted and thought would be there was not and we really had no back up plan.

 

[eromeopolk]

I told everyone that Carroll, Bradley, Norton, and Kris Richard were the architects of the Legion of Boom. It was Richard and Norton that was with Carroll at both USC and Seattle. Dan Quinn got start in SF as DL coach and that was when SF was not very good. He was only 2 years in Seattle. He is a DL coach specialist. But not a talent evaluator.

When Atlanta got rid of Lionel Vital who built the Falcons, Dan Quinn and the Falcons were like a golf ball in high grass a. Dallas picked up Vital from 2016-2021. That worked out for them.

 

[8FOR!3]

Yeah but nobody was looking for him to rush upfield, right? I thought the purpose of him coming in was to clog up the middle of the line. I get that being quicker off the snap would help with establishing leverage but so would an extra 30 lbs.

Reviews on his tape said he's not great at clogging up the middle. I literally saw video after video reviewing his college film saying that he's best in one on one situations and not really the guy you want to take on a bunch of double teams. So honestly the team is probably not in the wrong for having him lose weight bc he's not the player a lot of people thought he was when he was drafted. However that doesn't mean he can't develop into a good player.

 

[CowboyFrog]

Overshown is what? 220 225lbs? Don't count on it. Team only has 1 other LB asides from Parson that weights over 240. Another area that needs to be addressed in the draft.

Im not sure why some think he was drafted to stop the run..he is another heavy saftey drafted for speed...he will not be the mike your looking for..hell he wasnt even that in college..

 

[charron]

He was at Michigan but it definitely did not carry over to the NFL. I agree with you he just seems like a workout warrior at this level. If he was a 5th rd pick he would have been benched if not cut.

Looks like his draft overview was right.

"He has space-eating potential but needs to become more consistent at taking on double teams and securing his gap. Smith’s size and testing could give his draft slotting some juice but he’s more of a Day 2 talent with exciting upside than a plug-and-play starter."

Weaknesses​

• Hasn’t made many plays behind the line of scrimmage.
• Motor runs out of gas when tempo heats up.
• Slow reaction to movement gets him sealed.
• Struggled against Iowa’s zone scheme attack.
• Surprising lack of anchor consistency against double teams.
• Unlikely to see many passing downs as a pro.

 

[charron]

Among those who made that assumption was Wll McClay who lobbied hard for him in the war room on the premise he was a plug and play DT who could help our run game day 1. So, if fans had that expectation, it is bc our front office had that expectation. They just messed up.

Hopefully he gets better next year

 

[nate dizzle]

Hopefully he gets better next year

Cowboys fans are addicted to Hopeium. Every playoff season we have withdrawals and switch to Copeium to get us through.

 

[charron]

Cowboys fans are addicted to Hopeium. Every playoff season we have withdrawals and switch to Copeium to get us through.

That's all we got. Hope. Not much but just enough.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Maybe I'm late to this party but this is a huge indictment to Dan Quinn. What was the purpose of getting a run stuffing beast of a NT just to turn him into a damn DE? I've been more in support of DQ than against him but if this was his doing then I'm fully out on him.

that's lack of football understanding. Mazi is very slow off the snap. Dallas probably thought we make him lighter so he can get off faster. but that's not how it works....

 

[nate dizzle]

that's lack of football understanding. Mazi is very slow off the snap. Dallas probably thought we make him lighter so he can get off faster. but that's not how it works....

I'm sure it is, but I feel like a slow heavy anchor in the middle is better than a light, slightly quicker(?) DT? We already had those guys. And they're quicker than him.

 

[atlantacowboy]

We still got the Marineli DNA on this team. We don’t need no big dudes clogging the middle. Naw. We need quickness. Every DT has to play like Warren Sapp .

 

[jrumann59]

Tyrone Crawford problem all over again. Gain weight we gave you good contract to be 3T oh wait we have some injuries at DE lose weight during the season, ok you are going back to #T next year gain weight, just kidding you play the run well as a DE.

 

[ColoradoCowboy]

Exactly.

He was a fire hydrant run stuffer with a slow first move.

Not sure what they expected with his weight loss? That he would suddenly become a pass rusher?

There sure does seem to be a lot of not knowing what any given player can and cannot do well. Mazi is an example of that, but so was Conner Williams. Mazi is a 1 Tech DT and for some reason, we decided to slim him down into a 3 tech DT. We kept CW at his absolute worst position on the OL and refused to move him even though he was never a good fit at Guard. Miami moved him to center, like so many of us were asking for, and he suddenly bloomed into what is widely considered the 2nd best center in the NFL. Bell is a LB. Lewis is a boundary corner. LVE is a MLB. Sensing a pattern here?

 

[Beast_from_East]

Probably has something to do with him being so damn slow off the snap they thought weight loss would help improve that.

Exactly............his acceleration off the line was borderline laughable at the NFL level, so they had him lose weight to see if that would help any.

Problem is he still sucks......................can't believe we burned a 1st on this bust

 

[Beast_from_East]

His claim to fame is blowing a huge lead in the super bowl, wearing his hat backwards, and being likable with his players. How that makes him a good defensive coordinator I don't understand and will never understand. His defenses absolutely suck. I can't even believe he's getting head coaching offers. If we don't get turnovers we get absolutely gashed. And 210 lb linebackers aren't going to cut it in the nfl. They never have and they never will. And neither does Dan quinn.

I knew we were in trouble the second he almost blew a game here when he pulled all of our starters few games into his first season. For some reason he just enjoys losing. You can see it in the 2 minute defenses he calls.

Quinn gets all the pub because of sacks and picks, thats it............works great against trash teams that have to pass the ball primarily.

Problem is that if the other team can run the ball on you, its game over.

 

[cowboyed]

They kinda hinted during the draft that they felt like he was not being used correctly. Wait and react vs attacking the line of scrimmage. So I would assume this was all discussed with him and his agent before the draft of how they would plan on using him. If not, which would not surprise me at all, then we once again have no idea what we are doing.

Oh great, we have an anorexic defensive tackle.

 

[TwentyOne]

I heard he had sleep apnea and couldn't breathe at night.

Thats right.

and this wont go away by being 290. This is still way overweight. I think his career is over.