Yea because Brady showed so much of a decline last season right. Why would you think the Pats would be worse off this year than last?
The league gets faster every season as Brady gets slower every season. He hates, hates getting hit or any kind of contact. They win a lot, yes. This year I see a marked decline in Patriot offensive production. :gpc:
Great article on this guy - I'm excited! http://www.thejetsblog.com/2012/04/04/the-rundown-jets-signing-of-smith-is-more-of-the-same/
Plus, it's much easier to step in as a pass-catching tight end than it is as an offensive lineman. As pass-catching tight end, if you don't do your job, you won't get the ball. As an offensive lineman, if you don't do your job, your quarterback/runningback gets killed and the defense makes a big play. Far more risky to play a project at OL than a project at TE, particularly one who will likely be more of a receiver. Look at Vlad Ducasse. He has shown that he's got brute strength and at some points, he looks the part. But there are too many other times he is lost and gets someone killed that you can barely afford to play him. Same with tight end. He'll probably make a small impact this season, mostly in the red zone. Then, we'll judge his progress, if we think he, Cumberland or Baker can be a full-time starter, we might let Keller go. If the transition becomes too difficult and he ends up not panning out, well, he didn't cost much, and we can keep Keller if we want. I really like this move. There's a good chance he becomes like Corey Lamkin or Jesse Pellot-Rosa or J'Nathan Bullock and doesn't pan out. However, giving a multi-year deal means to me they have a little more commitment to him as a long-term project. And I love that he's been working with the Chargers' former tight ends coach. I like the Jets' approach to the tight end position in terms of depth. They're getting guys with good size and athleticism and hope the rest fits. In today's NFL, that's a great approach. Of course, trading up into the 1st round for an undersized Keller wasn't exactly a great move. If he doesn't pan out, we barely wasted anything. The Jets have a lot of needs, and #2 TE is one of them. It seems like the Jets don't really believe in blocking tight ends, that they would rather put a backup OL out there, but I still would like to see one brought in. Cumberland and Baker are good athletes who are more receiving-types. Smith seems like he would be the same. But if we're truly committed to ground and pound, I would think we would want a blocking tight end in there some place.
He'll be practice squad fodder for the near future. Go easy on patfanken, he's actually one of the more reasoned non-Jet posters on TGG.
ive always wondered why an NFL team hasnt signed a 7' BB player who can leap,,,,,for FG/xpoint blocks.....prob could get a 30% block rate with the right guy......hope BB isnt reading this
The 7 foot tall athletes want big money from basketball not a few hundred thousand a year to go on special teams and jump really high a couple times a game.
Or is smoking the crack and can't get an NBA draft :grin: In all reality though if you are 7 feet tall and an athlete you are playing BBall either here or in Europe/China etc for more money. 350k a year for a job that isn't guaranteed if you are not very successful at getting up and blocking fgs over a job making more money that is safer is not worth it. Not to mention the injury factor.
if you could block 30% of fg attempts ..brotha that would be worth more than 350k,,,,might even be worth more than a fg kicker
The Pats will win 13 or 14 games this year and the offense will once again be top 3. Don't hold your breath for that decline.
Looks like more of a pass catching TE to me. If he can pick up the offense, he could create mismatches. I don't see him learning the nuances of the running game quick enough to be much of a blocker, and a blocking TE is what this team really needs.
Lol yeah but who the fuck is going to block 30% of fg attempts. No one doesn't matter how tall you are.
14 sounds a bit high but then again FA and the draft haven't happened yet. 12 games is what I would guess but 13 games is what I'd expect. Hard to go 6-2 on the road and perfect at home. Most likely slip up against the Jets or Bills 1 game.
He is a pass catching TE which is easier to learn then blocking. As long as people can respect his blocking and not just know he is going out as basically a wr is when he will be dangerous. He has the body to do it he just has to learn.
I think he will end up being a pass catching Tight end, but I think he will have the ability to understand the concepts of blocking very easily. Having played both football and rugby the skill sets do over lap to an extent.
This guy sounds like a special athlete with high intelligence and drive. He certainly LOOKS like a guy that can physically handle being a blocker. I wouldn't expect much from him this year but don't see any reason why he couldn't be a good blocking TE in the future.
