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Message
re: Will Smith out for season with knee injury
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:32 pm to bonethug0108
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:32 pm to bonethug0108
quote:
Sure, but Smith was doing it every down.
Please...
1
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:34 pm to Unknown_Poster
Was Smith not in every down(or damn near) as a starter? 
This post was edited on 8/26/13 at 3:35 pm
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:35 pm to Chief Rocka
quote:
What exactly was Smith going to be asked to do? Stop the run? You know he will get tore up in coverage. Not saying Harper is good in coverage, but he is better than Willy.
Take on lineman, for one. I'm sure Harper would be fantastic trying to control the line of scrimmage. OLB isn't just about dropping in coverage or being a speed rusher. We need a OLB who can stop the run and help control the line more than one that will be great in coverage.
This post was edited on 8/26/13 at 3:36 pm
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:38 pm to Chief Rocka
quote:
What exactly was Smith going to be asked to do? Stop the run? You know he will get tore up in coverage. Not saying Harper is good in coverage, but he is better than Willy.
One thing Smith can do better than Harper is not get thrown out of bounds when he's one on one with an OT.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:38 pm to EarthwormJim
People have been throwing around the Harper playing linebacker thing for a while. It's foolish. He's 6'1 200. It's one thing being a blitzer. Being a pass rusher means you're expected to take on linemen and TE's.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:38 pm to EarthwormJim
It's a shame his season ended like this. Don't get me wrong, I was hoping he would get cut or would not be a starter for us based on his play on the field. But he's never been an issue, he's been a leader since the day he came onto the team, and it's unfortunate for his career to likely be over so close to the season starting.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:38 pm to bonethug0108
Earthworm:
What exactly is that? Harper can stop the run, he can cover better, he can tackle better, he can blitz the qb...
No way Smith was playing 3/4 downs every series. And if he did he would be gassed out by midseason and worthless by the end of the season if not injured by then.
It seems to me he was a situational blitzer/ run stopper. Both of which Harper can and does do currwntly and does better than Smith anyway. We'll find another OLB. I cant imagine someone cant replace him.
The biggest loss is his presence. He was the most veteran Saint. The only one still here from Haslett i believe. Most of the defense looked up to him and he was a big lockerroom leader. But from a playing standpoint on the field he wont be missed.
quote:
Roman Harper can not do the thing Smith was going to be asked to do at OLB.
What exactly is that? Harper can stop the run, he can cover better, he can tackle better, he can blitz the qb...
quote:
but Smith was doing it every down.
No way Smith was playing 3/4 downs every series. And if he did he would be gassed out by midseason and worthless by the end of the season if not injured by then.
It seems to me he was a situational blitzer/ run stopper. Both of which Harper can and does do currwntly and does better than Smith anyway. We'll find another OLB. I cant imagine someone cant replace him.
The biggest loss is his presence. He was the most veteran Saint. The only one still here from Haslett i believe. Most of the defense looked up to him and he was a big lockerroom leader. But from a playing standpoint on the field he wont be missed.
This post was edited on 8/26/13 at 3:40 pm
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:39 pm to EarthwormJim
quote:
Take on lineman, for one. I'm sure Harper would be fantastic trying to control the line of scrimmage. OLB isn't just about dropping in coverage or being a speed rusher. We need a OLB who can stop the run and help control the line more than one that will be great in coverage.
Football 101: Control the line and stop the run. Smith does that and that's why we kept him and that's why he was still a starter.
"Oh but he can't cover Jamal frickING Charles in the flat." NO shite! Not a lot of people can.
But he wasn't going to be asked to do that more than a handful of times a game and we wouldn't be seeing guys like Charles every week.
We played soft arse zone on that first few series of the first preseason game. It was going to happen.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:40 pm to Breesus
quote:
What exactly is that? Harper can stop the run, he can cover better, he can tackle better, he can blitz the qb...
Absolutely not, Harper is in no way, shape, or form a 3-4 OLB.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:41 pm to saintsfan22
I will miss his never great, never awful play.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:41 pm to Breesus
quote:
What exactly is that? Harper can stop the run, he can cover better, he can tackle better, he can blitz the qb...
For a safety not as an OLB.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:41 pm to EarthwormJim
I agree about taking on lineman, but Smith gets washed out of plays alot anyway. Without his hand in the ground, Smith cant be that much of a factor in control of the line.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:42 pm to Breesus
quote:
What exactly is that? Harper can stop the run, he can cover better, he can tackle better, he can blitz the qb...
saints fan 22 and patty answered this. It's one thing to come in unblocked or to fight off a FB or a TE. Smith was taking on OTs and OGs. Harper lacks the size.
And I didn't mean Smith would play every down during the season, but in preseason he was taking every snap with the ones and looking decent to good save for a few coverage plays.
This post was edited on 8/26/13 at 3:44 pm
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:44 pm to bonethug0108
quote:
Football 101: Control the line and stop the run.
We can do that without smith.
quote:
Oh but he can't cover Jamal frickING Charles in the flat.
He cant cover anyone in the flat. Play action or an audible or a check down with Smith in the game was going to be a huge problem.
Right now this is all speculative on both sides, but I'm in the "things will work out for the better and smith wont be that missed" camp.
Yes smith wouldve made some nice plays. He wouldve given up some big plays as well. I think it wouldve been a wash. And I imagine we can atleast replace him with someone of equal meh-ness
This post was edited on 8/26/13 at 3:47 pm
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:45 pm to Patrick O Rly
quote:
200
Not saying he is heavier, but he look like it.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:46 pm to Chief Rocka
By the way, I just read Smith tore his ACL.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:47 pm to Chief Rocka
quote:
Without his hand in the ground, Smith cant be that much of a factor in control of the line
He actually looked pretty good getting a push from the OLB spot this pre-season. He was really disruptive in the Oakland game and looked good getting penetration before he got hurt yesterday.
People assume the 3-4 OLB is a speed rusher and coverage guy, but Ryan has always had a large OLB that could help control the line of scrimmage.
I'm not a huge fan of Smith, but he was doing that part of the job better than anyone else this preseason. I was always hoping Galette would take that job away from Smith in the regular season, but losing Smith for the season is definitely not addition by subtraction.
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:48 pm to Patrick O Rly
quote:
I just read Smith tore his ACL.
Link?
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:49 pm to AmosMosesAndTwins
quote:
Ed Werder ?@Edwerderespn 4m
Saints OLB Will Smith confirms via text message the injury he suffered is a torn ACL and will have Dr James Andrews perform surgery
Posted on 8/26/13 at 3:50 pm to Breesus
didn't read the thread but my take is just to hope it is a blessing in disquise. The weight of how much we are depending on Juneyah and Tez to step up now is tremendous. They MUST provide enough pass rush or as my dad used to say, we'll be up shite creek without a paddle.
I was aiming for us to get out of the bottom quarter of defensive rankings at the outset of hiring RR, free agent signings, & the draft. That is still entirely possible. For me it's just more of a hope than an expectation at this point. Anything other than absolutely dreadful defense and we're still talking playoffs.
The blessing part would be if if Juneyah + Tez got 15-20+ sacks. Then we have some young guys coming on with Butler returning next year.
Thanks for your career here Will and being a part of what became the first SB wining team in franchise history.
I was aiming for us to get out of the bottom quarter of defensive rankings at the outset of hiring RR, free agent signings, & the draft. That is still entirely possible. For me it's just more of a hope than an expectation at this point. Anything other than absolutely dreadful defense and we're still talking playoffs.
The blessing part would be if if Juneyah + Tez got 15-20+ sacks. Then we have some young guys coming on with Butler returning next year.
Thanks for your career here Will and being a part of what became the first SB wining team in franchise history.
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