To be fair, tackling from corners in the run game is an important aspect to having a good defense. By keeping containment on outside runs you take away the playaction rollouts and sweep/toss plays that often lead to downfield plays. On that play Smith was just trying to take a swipe at the ball but he should have wrapped up.
I'm not about to make absurd statements based on 1 play though. Where was the complaining last season when Vontea missed 9 tackles.
South Beach also forgot to say that Smith didn't start till game 9 and Smith led the NFL in dropped interceptions with 3 times the amount of dropped interceptions than the whole Patriot team
Yes but on those dropped interceptions he was also stopping the ball from being completed, which he did a very good job of.
I get the feeling some would rather see him being burnt than playing great coverage and dropping a pick he should of had.
Just saw the play for the first time, and I don't think it's nearly as bad as some of you are making it out to be. First, I've seen guys like Champ Bailey do that exact same thing. When the guy gets away from you, you're the goat. When you successfully punch the ball loose, you're a stud. It was a mistake, but one that Pro Bowl corners make as well. As far as the angle Smith took, I think that's actually on Bell. He's behind Smith and should be communicating with him, and it does not appear to me as though he did. He should have told Smith to take away the inside and give him the outside. It doesn't look as though Bell is saying much of anything, and Smith's reaction suggests that as well. I'm not absolving Smith from blame there, but I was expecting a much worse play having read through this thread.
3rd pre-season game is far from meaningless. It actually is the most important, I reserve judgement on Smith until the regular season, but his *** better get better quickly...
Didn't we go through all of this last year. Sean went out and played well despite not taking the cheddar. Marshall puts the ball on the ground and not a soul here mentions that mistake. Smith punches the ball instead of wrapping up and it's the end of the world in a multi page thread. The hatred for certain players baffles me.
