http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insi...ns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=4674219 Pasquarelli's main thought is perhaps misplaced, Smith and Davis have played well, however the 2ypc reduction is more a product of imrpoved Safety play. When Y Bell ran down DeAngelo Williams saving a TD that marked the completed turnaround of Bell and Wilson's play, against the Colts and Falcons that would have went for TD.
im sure the better numbers are more so related to playing against better QB's and TE's in the first few games, then we have in the last few.
They have potential as Davis is more talented than either surtain or Madison and Smith has potential to be better than either one due to his freakish size. Still they have a lot of improvements to make. One of the positive signs is that both of them are hard workers and want to improve
They've played well but IMO CBs only have a limited affect on overall pass defense nowadays. I think the bigger factors in our improvement is the increased pressure from the D-line and our better S play.
They are playing well and it is no doubt in my mind they are going to get better and better as the season plays out.
Motion to ban the phrase "Fail forward". All in favor . . . I think our CBs are solid. Smith took they all the hype by getting on the field first in camp, and with the pre-season picks, and it is likely he will be a great player. He still gets beat on the double moves though. Still, I am very optimistic about Smith. Davis has flat out impressed me! His closing speed, make up speed, and physicality are amazing. He will prove to be the better player of the two, not taking anything away from Smith though. The future is bright at CB for Miami. The Thomas/Taylor/Bowens/Madison/Surtain days were some of my favorite as a Dolphin fan, and it was hard to let go of Surtain, and then Madison. It seems as if we have the make up of another great tandem.
The two rookie CB's have played very well. Never ever underestimate the potential of two shut down corners. Having one is tough enough and we just might have two. Don't sleep on them now. D line responsibility in 3-4 is to stop the run. OLB's need to get more pressure. Safety play has been bad but getting better. ILB's need to be upgraded for improvement.
While I'm optimistic that both players will get better, I'm a little concerned at Sean Smith seemingly playing worse as the season has progressed. Vontae has gotten loads better as the season has come along, but Smith I'm concerned with. He has not gotten better. In fact he's getting beat more and more every week. Had Jake Delhomme not sucked, it would've been a looong day for Smith. I think he'll get better, I'm just a little bit concerned.
Two kids put on an island in the NFL... Of course they will get better. Not so sure what you would expect.
I expect to see progression. With Vontae, I see progression. With Smith, I don't see progression. I've seen regression
Yeah I dont wonder if people are starting to see a weakness in the film with Smith. Its probably just goint to have to be something that he takes an offseason and fixes. I still think he's playing well, but I do agree he has gotten beat quite a few times here lately and when its a good QB throwing the ball its going to be some TD's he's giving up. Both to me have played like talented rookies. They have shown flashes of having the potential to be a good CB and have shown some bonehead plays. Neither looks back for the ball enough for me, both see to be playing in chase mode way to much. I wont blame all that on them, some of that is us not getting to the QB enough they have to cover too long. Personally for me I'm a wait and see type of person, so I want to see what they do the next couple seasons before I ever give them Madison/Surtain kind of love.
Once again they are rookies. Regression from what? Preseason. These two have already soared above expectations.
It has a lot to do with his body. He is very tall for a corner which changes his flexibility. His hips don't swivel as quickly so space is his compensation. If he lines up directly over his guy he could get turned around quite easily. It would be even more magnified the smaller the WR. Smith 's size allows him to recover well. His technique will improve and he will learn to play in his body. Some thought he couldn't play the CB position because of his size and hip limitations. That is why he was projected to be a S. He has done very well in a short time.
Huh? If Sean Smith's play the past 5 games is soaring above expectations, then we're in a lot of trouble in the future. The only time he soared above expectations was in the preseason. This isn't some 7th round pick we're talking about here. It's a 2nd rounder. Expectations were high immediately after he was drafted. And yes, regression from preseason and the first few games of the season. Don't forget, we thought we had this unbelievable ball hawk on our hands after the first few weeks of September. He had 2 INTs in limited PT in the preseason. He has 0 INTs this regular season, his tackling has been questionable too as of late, and he's consistently a few yards off receivers Sugarcoat it any way you like, but Sean Smith has been shaky, especially lately. He showed flashes of brilliance early in the season and in preseason, but has been a liability since. I'm confident he'll snap out of it being a rookie, but it is certainly a cause for concern.
Relax and be patient. We all want Sean Smith to be a Pro Bowl corner. You got ahead of yourself by watching preseason football and your expectations elevated. He is not a liability he is a rookie who is learning.
I didn't say this: You did. I was simply reacting to you and articles like these that praise Sean Smith and what he has done so far. The reality is that he hasn't done anything significant in real games yet, and it's a little concerning to me. And rookie or not, he is a liability lately. If Jake Delhomme doesn't suck, then Carolina capitalizes off of Smith being 3 yards off his man at all times. And if not for the Henne and the Phins coming back against Tampa, we're talking not only about Henne's INT, but how Smith so easily let his man get behind him on TB's game winning TD pass.
By judging the competition these two have faced, they BOTH have done extremely well this year. They've had to cover the qb/wideout combo's of ... Ryan/White Rivers/Jackson Peyton/Wayne Brees/Colston Brady/Moss Delhomme/Smith A line up like that our corners would have got smoaked through the air last year. Smith absolutley shut down Reggie Wayne. Vontae gave up one big play to Moss and also picked off a deep ball. Not bad for a rookie. Our corner last year got torched by Moss and Brady. I'm really impressed with both of them, they have their rookie moments, but it's not the norm for either. Smith had a couple rough games but played good against Carolina. He'll have a pick here or there shortly and everyone will start to see how good the kid is. They have different styles but that diversity between them is what will make them a difficult duo to gameplan against for opposing oppositions. We have seriously upgraded our DB position because of these two.
By the look at olde stats... In 1999 in the later part of the season, Madison and Surtain started together... In their 1st 4 games... Their secondary averaged 12.7 Yards per completion, 7.2 per attempt, and allowed 5 TDs... Not bad in comparison...
You didn't have too. It happens all the time where fans see players play against lower competition in preseason games and then when they face upper tier players they expect perfection which leads to disappointment. *****ing and moaning at this point about a rookie who wasn't even projected to play the position is just a product of elevated expectations. My approach to Sean Smith was quite different in fact I wasn't sure myself whether he could be a CB in the NFL. Not only has the kid stuck at the position but he won a starting job. I'm not settling with that but I'm a realist. I will be patient and let the kid develop for more than ten games before making total judgement. What I have seen so far I like. There is such a thing as a learning curve and playing CB in the NFL is a big transition. Especially for a guy who is built to be a safety.
I never had unrealistically high expectations for Sean Smith. Where have you read anywhere of me saying this? You're the one that said, and I'll quote: I do, however, have expectations out of an NFL cornerback. And Sean Smith has not looked that good lately. And as a rookie, I'll agree we must be patient. But you're acting as if I'm being ridiculous because I'm concerned that he has had 5 games in a row where he has not improved one bit. Travis Daniels was supposed to be our next Pat Surtain after a few decent games his rookie year. Look how that turned out. Bottom Line: Sean Smith is no shoe-in to be our future cornerback for the next 5-8 years. And he's shown me nothing to lead me to believe that he can be a pro bowler yet. But most fans seem to think that just because he starts and plays full time as a rookie there's nothing but a pro bowl future. Point being: Let's take it easy(talking about fans and the media as well) with the Sam Madison, Pat Surtain comparisons. Let him prove it first!
