Word of Muth: Previewing the Cowboys

[JD_KaPow]

Ben Muth analyzes OL play at Football Outsiders. Each season, he picks three teams to focus on through the year. The Cowboys are one of his 2013 teams.

While I’m curious to see whether Frederick was simply a little overdrafted or a flat-out bust, what I’m really looking forward to watching is whether Smith can become a top-flight guy at left tackle.

When Smith was first drafted I remember being in the camp that thought he would struggle at first due to his age (he was just 20 as a rookie) and slight frame for an offensive tackle. So, of course, he came out and played really well as a rookie and was probably his team’s best offensive lineman despite the fact that he couldn’t legally enjoy a beer. Because he played so well and had such great athleticism, the Cowboys moved him to the left side, and he followed that faith up with a bit of a disappointing year in 2012. It’s not that he played poorly; it’s just that he didn’t make a real leap like a lot of second-year offensive linemen do (Nate Solder and Trent Williams, to give two examples). He was still the best lineman the Cowboys had, and certainly an above-average tackle, he just wasn’t as great as his first year might have lead you to hope. I'm intrigued to find out if Smith is going to be a solid left tackle or an All-Pro type player.

After watching a couple of games last year I will say that Smith certainly has the talent to be compared favorably to anyone. His feet are as good as anybody currently playing the position -- and I’m including my personal favorite pass setter Ryan Clady. He’s quick, he’s smooth, he’s fluid, he does everything you want from just a pure pass-setting prospective. The issue is that where Clady is a very good puncher, Smith is a fairly mediocre one.

Smith isn’t a massive puncher, and he doesn’t have a great natural anchor against a bull rush, so as a result he can get pushed around a bit. He’s athletic enough to recover from getting knocked off balance, but he really can get disrupted in his set and at times it threatens the integrity of the pocket. I think either a bigger punch or a quicker, more accurate punch, would go a long way towards him being the player a lot of people think he can be.

One thing I will say in favor of Smith’s hands is that while they aren’t very good initially, he is really good at hand fighting once he’s engaged a defender. He lacks that big punch that stuns people, but he does replace hands effortlessly when they get knocked down, and will knock a defenders hands down and regain inside leverage often. Here’s an example of Smith’s hand fighting from last season.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/word-muth/2013/word-muth-previewing-cowboys

 

[boysfanindc]

"While I’m curious to see whether Frederick was simply a little overdrafted or a flat-out bust"

Wow, really?

 

[JD_KaPow]

"While I’m curious to see whether Frederick was simply a little overdrafted or a flat-out bust"

Wow, really?

Yeah, that's a little out of context. Earlier in the article, he says: "there are plenty of reasons to focus on the Cowboys offensive line that go beyond my current mailing address. They drafted an offensive lineman in the first round, Wisconsin center Travis Frederick, and everyone thought it was a reach at the time. But Frederick is getting strong reviews in the preseason." He doesn't comment one way or another about Frederick's play (yet).

 

[boysfanindc]

Yeah, that's a little out of context. Earlier in the article, he says: "there are plenty of reasons to focus on the Cowboys offensive line that go beyond my current mailing address. They drafted an offensive lineman in the first round, Wisconsin center Travis Frederick, and everyone thought it was a reach at the time. But Frederick is getting strong reviews in the preseason." He doesn't comment one way or another about Frederick's play (yet).

Well, that makes it a little more palatable, still have not heard anyone use Fredrick and bust in the same sentence.

 

[Idgit]

The stuff on Frederick was just Cowboy-fan-bait. But this is a really good piece, jimnabby. Thanks for posting it.

The quote below highlights what I saw at the single biggest problem with the Cowboy interior OL last season, and, as I've said repeatedly, the issues we had last season were more with the Cs and the OTs and the general lack of cohesion coming out of camp than they really were with the OGs.

...When I watched the Cowboys live last year, I knew the interior line was bad. What I didn’t realize was why it was so bad. Upon further review, a large part of it was because they were so bad at passing off stunts, game , and blitzes. I’m not sure if it was the fault of the center (either Ryan Cook or Phil Costa), the guards, or the scheme, but I do know that it was hard to get a read on the individual players because the unit as a whole seemed so dysfunctional.

 

[Verdict]

Yes, he seemed to be a little bit contradictory on Frederick. I would think that how a player performs is a lot more indicative of whether a player was a reach than some talking head's perception of where a player should be drafted.

D. Ware could have been considered a bit of a reach considering he was from a small school, and how did that turn out? Joey Harrington, could be, in hindsight be considered a reach based on how he performed in the NFL. A reach, or great value is merely one person's opinion until after the fact and you find out how a player has performed.

 

[Idgit]

Yes, he seemed to be a little bit contradictory on Frederick. I would think that how a player performs is a lot more indicative of whether a player was a reach than some talking head's perception of where a player should be drafted.

D. Ware could have been considered a bit of a reach considering he was from a small school, and how did that turn out? Joey Harrington, could be, in hindsight be considered a reach based on how he performed in the NFL. A reach, or great value is merely one person's opinion until after the fact and you find out how a player has performed.

I don't think he really looked at Frederick's play at all. He was just tacking that commentary on top of the review he did of last year's work by our whole OL. I'm sure if he'd reviewed what little tape we've got on Frederick at C, he'd be positive about him. He's played really well in the two games he's been in.

 

[percyhoward]

I'm really looking forward to reading Muth's analyses all year long.

Let's just say that PFF ratings this ain't.