A football quarterback drafted in the mid rounds by the Jets to play WR...its been done before. Tony Martin, QB, Mesa State Drafted 5th Round by the Jets to play WR Was cut by the Jets 1996 made the Pro Bowl for the SD Chargers .. 90 catches 14 TDs here's an article on his story ... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/events/1997/nflpreview/FEATURES/tonymartin.html Brad Smith may be the biggest mystery on this team. Obviously he's not getting cut anytime soon, but how long will it take him to produce as a big time NFL receiver? It took Tony Martin 3 teams and 7 years to arrive. The trick plays are great and we love his physical ability but with the way the NFL is today do we have the time to let him reach his potential on this team or will we be prepping him to wear a pro bowl jersey somewhere else?
that was a different age and time in football. he might of been brought in for that purpose but it was never perfected... now that so many more versatile Qb's have came thru you can kinda run things more accurately in a shorter turn around time.
Interesting read, Thanks. I lived in Illinois back then and, in those pre-internet days, Jet news was nearly impossible to get a hold of (used to have my parents mail me NY newspapers just to get a taste!). So I don' even really remember his short tenure as a Jet. As for Smith, I think if the trick plays work and he continues to make a contribution in ways OTHER THAN WR, he'll be around long enough to maybe develop into a legit full-time WR (although I'm not completely confident he ever will). By his own admission Martin seems to have been pretty immature/impatient as a young guy. Smith doesn't seem to share that quality, and so I imagine he will have a longer shelf life as he continues to develop.
2 to 3 years. That's my point, how many players get a 2-3 year grace period. I'm thinking that he starts to produce just in time to sign a fat FA contract somewhere else. That's the real problem with the "project" player in todays nfl.
In his first season playing WR he showed some real nice flashes. He's already making a big impact with his versatility that cannot be measured in stats though. How many times did teams have to burn a timeout just because he was on the field? How many hours did teams spend preparing for Brad Smith? How many WR's got open or extra rushing yards were gained because the defense was worried about what he would do? I think he's extremely valuable to this team, and already one of my favorite Jets.
I'm pretty confident the FO plans on keeping Smith around long term, and I believe he will become a big part of our offense. Those of us who saw Smith in TC saw a guy who really does have the natural skills to be a great WR...and once he learns to run more crisp routes and develops alittle more confidence, look out...
i'd like to see him catch a few more balls and maybe some td's to even distinguish him from other players. it's like praising a 3rd string qb who has'nt even thrown a pass in regular season nfl game and considering him to be a joe montana or elway.
While there are always exceptions, the standard (and widely acknowledged) development time frame for wideouts is three years.
The other thing he will learn to do is read NFL defenses so that he will know how to adjust his routes when need be. As a former quarterback, he should catch on quicker than most WRs in this department. I think he could catch 40 or so balls in 2007 and be the #3 receiver.
Too early to tell but he certainly has the potential to be a solid NFL wide receiver. Just having him on the field causes oppossing defenses headaches so even if he doesn't turn into much more than a gadget type player he'll still be a valuable piece of the puzzle.
Heh, I'm more pessimistic...he'll show some flashes and get signed away from a team willing to pay him like a no.2. He'll be good wr in time, just probably won't get much of a chance by us since we already have 2 serviceable wr's and a qb with a questionable arm.
Well that QB with the questionable arm probably won't be around much longer than a season or two. And yes our primary receivers are solid right now, but Coles is getting older and ornery. Brads impact on the field is great and you don't ditch a potential playmaker with the ability to take snaps from center as well.
