MACH 10 deadline day is here! You still have a few hours left before 8 p.m. Wednesday night to submit your entry for GK Brizer’s Annual MACH 10 Event…just list the 10 new Eagles you think will result from all rounds of the NFL Draft which kicks of Thursday night at 8:00 pm and runs through the weekend…submit your list (in no particular order) in the Comments section below…
Meanwhile, players, management and Owners are struggling to decode the “state of the lockout” in the NFL as it pertains to showing up at team facilities.. On Monday, U.S. district judge Susan Nelson ordered an end to the NFL lockout, and the league immediately filed a motion to stay the injunction, pending appeals.
The former NFL Players Association took Nelson’s order to mean players should once again have access to the teams’ facilities and free agency should have begun right away. Some player agents began calling teams on Tuesday about free agents, and others waited until more clarity emerged—as the NFL’s interpretation was that free agency had yet to be sorted through the court system.
As for access to facilities, the league’s guidelines to teams indicated players should be allowed in the facilities but should not be allowed to work out.
My reaction to that: What’s the point?
So in spite of this dreamy void we’re all floating in, here is an attempt to STAY ON FOOTBALL!
I’ve had a change of heart about Jimmy Smith…and he could fall close enough to the Eagles at #23 that I’d make a move to get him…
At 6-2, 205, the corner from Colorado was “talked down” the board due to so-called “character issues”… Eagles Eye has determined through secret Brozer-like sources that the “character” rumors are hogwash…
Here’s a little more “good” info on Jimmy Smith:
Smith isn’t lacking for much, especially in the confidence department.
A self-proclaimed lockdown corner, Smith said he likes comparisons to Raiders All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, except for one thing: “I think I have better ball skills than he does.”
NFL scouts don’t dispute Smith’s physical attributes. He’s long, lean, runs well and can tackle. What personnel men do have questions about is a track record of the off-field issues… but my “sources” tell me Smith is carrying a bad rap.
Smith was twice arrested while at Boulder for minor-in-possession charges, and failed a drug test in 2007, according to The Denver Post. He points out those issues all came during his first two years, and by all accounts Smith assumed a leadership role on the field for Colorado last season.
“I went to college and I made some mistakes,” he admits. “I’ve told (NFL teams) I’m a great person. I was a young player who made young mistakes. But I grew as a person.”
Welcome to the Eagles, Jimmy…
He has had no known off-field issues since 2007, although he did skip the Senior Bowl and switched agents from Peter Schafer to Drew Rosenhaus.
“It’s not that Peter Schafer is not a good agent, I just didn’t want him to represent me because he didn’t do what needs to be done,” said Smith, who declined to elaborate.
He was certainly asked to elaborate by NFL teams at the combine, and his answers to that question and others regarding his past will go a long way toward determining how much it detracts from his obvious physical skills.
Smith’s size enables him to line up against an opponent’s biggest receiver, and he allowed just 11 completions in man-to-man coverage over the past two years. He didn’t intercept any passes in 2010, but that was mostly because teams virtually stopped throwing in his direction.
“I feel like the sky is the limit for me as long as I do what I know I can do out there,” said Smith.
Former NFL cornerback Ashley Ambrose was Smith’s defensive backs coach at CU, and he believes the young California native has what it takes to make it at the next level. Scouts believe he has the physical tools, noting that his size and length are exactly what teams look for in top-50 picks to neutralize large playmaking receivers on the outside, as he did against Georgia’s talented A.J. Green when they matched up in 2010 … Here’s Ambrose’s technique analysis on Jimmy Smith:
TECHNIQUE ANALYSIS:
Read & React: Jimmy Smith reads the body language of receivers and keeps his eyes in the backfield to detect what’s coming… Reacts quickly to throws in his area to his assignment or another receiver… Likes to attack the run but gets overaggressive, biting hard on play-action fakes…. Some of his quick reactions are negated by his inability to get off blocks.
Man Coverage: Physical press corner… Not afraid to extend his hand (usually his left) at the line of scrimmage to keep receivers from getting into his route… Maintains contact throughout the five-yard area…usually lined up against opponents’ biggest receiver, playing outside and in the slot… Flashes good feet in his pedal, but could be lower and more balanced… Must keep his feet moving as receivers approach when playing off; they eat up his cushion quickly… Flips open to trail even if he plays outside leverage and the receiver runs inside… Uses long arms to reach in front of receivers to knock away passes without interfering… Uses strength and good timing to dislodge the ball from his man while he tries to secure the catch… Fast enough to stop quick screens behind the line when playing off… His hands for the interception are improving, but work needs to be done….Needs to tighten up his footwork when transitioning from pedal to plant-and-drive.
Zone Coverage: Good awareness in zone coverage… Comes off receivers leaving his area to pick up underneath routes… Stays between two receivers on the outside if he sees his safety help has been taken away by seam routes, but will end up in no man’s land occasionally, not trusting over-the-top help… Attacks receivers in front of him… Size makes him difficult to for receivers to avoid after the catch… His height and vertical leap make throwing over him and in front of safeties perilous.
Closing/Recovery: Combines speed with length to close on the ball… Good recovery speed for his size, can flip his hips and wrap up receivers in trail coverage… His height and ability to find the ball in the air prevent quarterbacks from challenging over the top… Undercuts crossing routes by closing hard and extending; also takes chances NFL quarterbacks can exploit.
Run Support: Owns prototypical size to be a run stopper on the edge… Effective as a wrap-up or cut tackler… Knows to chase at a deep angle to prevent touchdowns on runs to the opposite side of the field… Usually gets outside position to force plays to linebackers, showing quickness to move around his man, but needs to be more violent with his hands to disengage from the blocks of larger receivers to make tackles.
Tackling: Physical tackler with NFL size and excellent length to wrap, but must get more consistent in the open field… Able to knock away passes and force fumbles while he wraps up receivers… Must drop his hips and break down more quickly attacking ballcarriers on the run, as they can elude him with a quick move or slip off when he tries to tackle shoulder pads.
Intangibles: Maturing player taking over as a leader on the field, directing teammates… Began studying film before his junior season….Missed first two games in 2008 due to injury… Suffered concussion against Baylor in 2010.
Compares to: Antonio Cromartie, Jets – Smith possesses similar size and length to help neutralize bigger playmaking wide receivers on the outside.
I’m sold…
He can cover well and has the height and the speed to compete in the NFL. The kid is a monster. He can be coached on better technique to get off blocks… Only thing he’s missing in the highlight film is an Eagles uniform. I think he’s a steal— and with the added run support he offers via reckless abandon, he’s a great deal for the Eagles 4-3 defense. Also, it doesn’t hurt to mention, it definitely looks as though he has natural leadership in him. His body language both inside and outside the huddle (on the field) seems to proclaim that he is a live wire who will bring the Eagles even more youth/intensity late in those games when other people start to fade. Jimmy Smith is the real deal, and a terrific fit for the Eagles…
That’s my long-shot pick for the Birds in Round 1…which going by my prognostication history means it won’t happen!
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