Optimisim for our LT? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Optimisim for our LT?

Dajesus

Dajesus

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I am all for optimisim I am usually "the glass is half full" kind of guy. I do not understand why pretty much everyone here thinks Wade Smith is going to be ok this season. Did I miss something? Did he make a deal with the devil that some of you know about? The most common thought process around here is that Smith is going to turn in to a great LT, and will be a conerstone of this team. I just don't understand. I see him as the weakest link on this team, and we haven't even named a starting LG yet. He showed nothing last year to make anyone think he has what it takes to be a starter in the NFL. Yes he was a rookie, and there has to be room for improvement, but lets be honest people this guy singlehandedly cost us a chance to win at least 2 games. He didn't get a push in the running game, and people just flat out ran by him in the passing game.

I like all the picks we made on o-line in 2 or 3 years our new coach will be thankfull for the young guys at o-line. I just hope Ricky and our defense is still good when our o-line gets worked out.
 
Maybe his great athleticism and newness to his position, plus the fact that 2 UBER respected coaches raved about the kid's talent, makes us think he has promise.

He was also on at least one all rookie team.

He will be very good one day, maybe not great, but a VERY good LT who will help us win, not cause us to lose.

He showed TONS last season.
 
He added weight and muscle this offseason. Plus, he had a 16 game season last year. So, he comes into this year with experience. I think Smith will be good at LT. Also, LG is already set with Jeno James, it is RG that isn't set. I do think Jerman, Whitley or St. Clair can do a fine job at RG.
 
Bodzilla29 said:
Maybe his great athleticism and newness to his position, plus the fact that 2 UBER respected coaches raved about the kid's talent, makes us think he has promise.

He was also on at least one all rookie team.

He will be very good one day, maybe not great, but a VERY good LT who will help us win, not cause us to lose.

He showed TONS last season.
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Ill adress this in the order you said it:

1. What 2 as you say UBER respected coaches praise this guy?

2. I would love to see what reporter put him on an all rookie team, so I know not to trust anything said reporter prints.

3. What makes you think he will be very good? Was it the fact that he had some of his worst games late in the season against Ind and NE. Did you watch when he didn't touch Freeny when not even a hand was placed on him when he had 4 sacks and what was it 2 forced fumbles.

4. Define TONS? Maybee I am think it means something differint than you. I remember Webb when he was a rookie, and Wade when he was a rookie. Both made their share of rookie mistakes, but also showed alot of promise. I don't remember either one of them makeing any mistakes that single hadnedly cost us a game. They showed promise, Smith showed that he was out of his element.

I hope I am wrong, but this guys was as inadequit in game 16 as he was in in game 1. I don't see how hitting the weight room can change that. You get better on the feild, sure you can help your progress with weight training, but muscle doesn't change you from a joke to an all pro.
 
One of his main problems last year was a lack of size and upper body strength. Now Smith's up to 315 pounds (up from 300). And as Bod mentioned, Bill Parcells and Jeff Fisher raved about the guy. Rick raved about his phenomenal feet after last year's draft. And Wanny keeps alluding to how physically different he looks already compared to Week 17, not to mention the countless hours he's logging in the film room.

Smith was called "the greatest athlete in Memphis history" by his college coaches. He's a well-grounded guy (married BTW) who works his butt off and holds himself accountable. He is mature beyond his years. And if he is to fail as a LT, it will be due to a lack of instinct and/or ability to learn, because the guy unquestionably has the dedication and physical ability to be successful. So failure isn't something I forsee.
 
When your job, family, and rep is on the line

Dajesus said:
I am all for optimisim I am usually "the glass is half full" kind of guy. I do not understand why pretty much everyone here thinks Wade Smith is going to be ok this season. Did I miss something? Did he make a deal with the devil that some of you know about? The most common thought process around here is that Smith is going to turn in to a great LT, and will be a conerstone of this team. I just don't understand. I see him as the weakest link on this team, and we haven't even named a starting LG yet. He showed nothing last year to make anyone think he has what it takes to be a starter in the NFL. Yes he was a rookie, and there has to be room for improvement, but lets be honest people this guy singlehandedly cost us a chance to win at least 2 games. He didn't get a push in the running game, and people just flat out ran by him in the passing game.

I like all the picks we made on o-line in 2 or 3 years our new coach will be thankfull for the young guys at o-line. I just hope Ricky and our defense is still good when our o-line gets worked out.
Click to expand...

There isn't much room for optimism in this league. Wade Smith wasn't stellar last year, but neither was the rest of the o-line. It also can be argued that if RW hadn't bumped into Smith, making him miss his block, the outcome of the Indy game would've been different. It can also be argued that if RM hadn't missed his block in the 2nd NE game we would've scored. Nonetheless things happend. In terms of the Tennesse game, the whole team didn't show up.

My point is, that with all the technology, game film etc.., the conditioning, and training, plus the fact that Wade Smith could've easily folded because he was thrown into the fray early, It shows that, one, the kid has alot of potential, two, he's mentally tough and three, for all the bad games he had, he also had some pretty good games as well, not to mention, he bulked up which reflects his comittment to get better. It's becoming very clear that RS is a good judge of talent, so with that in mind, I wouldn't be suprised if Wade Smith is the stallwart on the o-line for year to come.
 
Dol-Fan Dupree said:
I don't know why you saw nothing, because I saw a lot
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So did Ricky, Greise, and Feidler. They saw alot of whoever he was supposed to block every game.
 
Dajesus said:
Ill adress this in the order you said it:

1. What 2 as you say UBER respected coaches praise this guy?

2. I would love to see what reporter put him on an all rookie team, so I know not to trust anything said reporter prints.

3. What makes you think he will be very good? Was it the fact that he had some of his worst games late in the season against Ind and NE. Did you watch when he didn't touch Freeny when not even a hand was placed on him when he had 4 sacks and what was it 2 forced fumbles.

4. Define TONS? Maybee I am think it means something differint than you. I remember Webb when he was a rookie, and Wade when he was a rookie. Both made their share of rookie mistakes, but also showed alot of promise. I don't remember either one of them makeing any mistakes that single hadnedly cost us a game. They showed promise, Smith showed that he was out of his element.

I hope I am wrong, but this guys was as inadequit in game 16 as he was in in game 1. I don't see how hitting the weight room can change that. You get better on the feild, sure you can help your progress with weight training, but muscle doesn't change you from a joke to an all pro.
Click to expand...

1. I'd say Parcells and Fisher are pretty respected, wouldn't you?

2. I may be mistaken here, but didn't he make the official NFL all rookie team?

3. He played poorly against all pro DEs in his rookie season. He also played very well at other times and didn't draw a single penalty all year. He was undersized and lacked major experience, and still showed himself to be of strong character. He had some downs, but he also had some ups.

4. Webb was a LT in a MAJOR conference and was a blue chip top 10 talent. Smith is a new OT at a smaller school, in a smaller conference, who was a 3rd rounder. Even making a comparison of the two shows how good Smith can be.


Also, he did not single handedly lose games himself. It is up to the coaches and players around him as well. If he gets beat, put a double on his player. HOw often was he helped out? RW blew a major assignmentin the Indy game, please delegate his fair share of blame as well, please.
 
Dajesus said:
So did Ricky, Greise, and Feidler. They saw alot of whoever he was supposed to block every game.
Click to expand...


Now you are just being negative to be negative. You saw what you wanted to see.

If you look at the negatives going into the draft, too weak to start right away, 2 years experience at left tackle, before that a tight end. There was no way I thought he was going to be as good as he was. It wasn't like the guy let up a sack a game. Plus his run blocking was much better then I imagined it to be.

You seem like a guy who likes to look at the worst in people for some reason, or part of the people who believe that rookies are drafted to be superstars their first year.
 
Dol-Fan Dupree said:
2 years experience at left tackle, before that a tight end.
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Actually, as a junior he was a RIGHT TACKLE. He played more LT with Miami than he did in his whole prior football career combined.
 
Just for the record I didn't compare Webb to Smith. I contrasted the two.

For the guy said that I am just looking for the bad in people I have to take issue with that. I think we improved our o-line alot this offseason. I think James and Carey will prove to huge pickups. I see alot of potential in McKinney at C. I think he has a mean streak and much more love for the game than Ruddy had that will make at very least an average center hopefully a great center. I like the move we made at RT with Mcintosh and St. Claire. I think Mcintosh has alot more potential hopefully he can get healthy. I have been very positive about the Boston pick up.

I don't have any faith in Dave as our coach, and I don't have any faith in Smith. LT is the most important postion on the line, and he looked out of place last season. I don't think that is being negative. I think that is calling that as I see it. I have been lucky enough to see about 99% of the Dolphins' games for the past 5 years(god it sucked growing up in NY before the Sunday ticket came out) and I don't remember seeing 1 o-lineman in a Dolphins uniform miss as many blocks as Smith did last year. I also don't understand how last year this guy was public enemy #1 on this website, and now most think he will be great.
 
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