Deal in Place to Trade Jason Smith

[DR RAM]

Maybe Smith just couldn't learn the system? Maybe it so we could save some $. They should've just traded him for a pick though imo. That way you're not taking on Hunters salary too. Then use the Dahl to tackle promote someone to guard scenario. Maybe the Jets wouldn't agree to that though.

If the goal is to protect Sam I personally hope Hunter never sees the field. Unless it's in some sort of "jumbo" package. From what I read about Hunter, and from what I've watched from Smith this year, I'd much rather have Smith in there. Guess we'll see.

We NEEDED a swing tackle, we didn't have one on the roster.

I'd take my chances in the huge crash course Smith would have to endure learning the other spot.

I called for that, for both Smith and Richardson, but it didn't happen, unfortunately.

 

[had]

I'm no expert, but I'm not surprised that Smith is gone. It's too bad. I think he cared. I also think that he's a bad football player. Maybe he looked good in practice. Some guys are like that. But I mean, come on, he was pretty horrendous out there in the games. I think I read somewhere in here that he wasn't able to focus power at initial contact with a pass rusher -- something to that extent -- and that is exactly right. He'd come up out of his stance and just have no idea how to engage the rusher. That's how it looked to me.

 

[Memento]

I'm no expert, but I'm not surprised that Smith is gone. It's too bad. I think he cared. I also think that he's a bad football player. Maybe he looked good in practice. Some guys are like that. But I mean, come on, he was pretty horrendous out there in the games. I think I read somewhere in here that he wasn't able to focus power at initial contact with a pass rusher -- something to that extent -- and that is exactly right. He'd come up out of his stance and just have no idea how to engage the rusher. That's how it looked to me.

I don't know if I'm in the minority or not, but I don't believe that Smith was a bad player or a bust. He was a decent player whose career was completely derailed by two extremely serious concussions, one of which was also very close to a spinal injury. He had a fantastic 2010 season and showed tremendous potential. Yes, his technique in pass-protection was lacking, but he was a great run-blocker.

Did he work out for us? No. Injuries made sure of that. There's no way you can tell me that two serious concussions wouldn't have slowed down the career of any athlete.

I'm really hoping that Smith gets out at this point. He's made his money, and he's smart enough to know how to save it all. I'd hate to see him suffer another severe concussion on the field.

 

[had]

I don't know if I'm in the minority or not, but I don't believe that Smith was a bad player or a bust. He was a decent player whose career was completely derailed by two extremely serious concussions, one of which was also very close to a spinal injury. He had a fantastic 2010 season and showed tremendous potential. Yes, his technique in pass-protection was lacking, but he was a great run-blocker.

Did he work out for us? No. Injuries made sure of that. There's no way you can tell me that two serious concussions wouldn't have slowed down the career of any athlete.

I'd say you're definitely in the majority with your views. Which puzzles me a little, but it's cool. I don't think Smith has to be hated or denigrated. I do think that it's a little strange that he could get benched, demoted, and then traded for nothing (my take) and still be characterized as having tremendous potential. It kind of seems that a lot of guys in here are loathe to criticize him, and keep giving him unwarranted benefit of the doubt/breaks. But, I guess I'll just move along.

 

[libertadrocks]

Wow.. so Jason Smith restructured his K right before the trade as a precursor to the trade. It puts the Rams on the hook for 1.55 million of the 4 Million he is owed. Thus equalling out the difference between his salary/cap hit and Hunters. Both will receive 2.45 million over the remander of the year.

So the Rams didnt end up saving a penny

 

[DR RAM]

Wow.. so Jason Smith restructured his K right before the trade as a precursor to the trade. It puts the Rams on the hook for 1.55 million of the 4 Million he is owed. Thus equalling out the difference between his salary/cap hit and Hunters. Both will receive 2.45 million over the remander of the year.

So the Rams didnt end up saving a penny

It proves it had nothing to do money, no?

 

[libertadrocks]

Wow.. so Jason Smith restructured his K right before the trade as a precursor to the trade. It puts the Rams on the hook for 1.55 million of the 4 Million he is owed. Thus equalling out the difference between his salary/cap hit and Hunters. Both will receive 2.45 million over the remander of the year.

So the Rams didnt end up saving a penny

It proves it had nothing to do money, no?

Yeah. I guess so. I know Jason was strictly a RT and we desperately need a swing tackle, but IMO Jason is a better talent than Hunter. I would have figured the Jets would have been willing to compensate that talent gap by paying Jasons entire 4 million. Guess not

 

[cfin5256]

I feel bad for JS and really hoped he would pan out, but admit that I'm a bit relieved that we've moved on. I wonder if Fish is thinking about taking a T in the 1st round next year?

 

[Username]

So is it swing tackle because he can play both sides, or because he's like a swinging door when he tries to block someone? :tooth:

 

[WestsideRamsfan]

Championship down the drain.

 

[Username]

Few highlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLpimht0tUM#!

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09 ... -8-yd-loss

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09 ... -5-yd-loss

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09 ... -7-yd-loss

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09 ... -7-yd-loss

After watching him play (not these "highlights" lol) he honestly reminds me of Alex Barron. Has good extension, footwork is just shit and he has no strength.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm no expert, but I'm not surprised that Smith is gone. It's too bad. I think he cared. I also think that he's a bad football player. Maybe he looked good in practice. Some guys are like that. But I mean, come on, he was pretty horrendous out there in the games. I think I read somewhere in here that he wasn't able to focus power at initial contact with a pass rusher -- something to that extent -- and that is exactly right. He'd come up out of his stance and just have no idea how to engage the rusher. That's how it looked to me.

You don't have to talk about practice. He just wasn't that bad in the last games.

To me, any difference between Richardson and Smith in what we saw so far was so slender, it honestly begs the question what the coaches were evaluating.

And it does make you wonder.

Now mostly when people say things like that, they have some nefarious wrongdoings in mind.

I mean it literally. What were their evaluations? What were their criteria?

It might be simple as this: they like Richardson in the run game and can live with the fact that Smith had more general skills as a pass blocker.

It might be that Smith just does not fit the Boudreau mindset (this has happened before with Boudreau). I really don't think they're going to tell us though.

BTW listening to Snead trying to promote Hunter was just...not eddifying.

 

[DR RAM]

I'm no expert, but I'm not surprised that Smith is gone. It's too bad. I think he cared. I also think that he's a bad football player. Maybe he looked good in practice. Some guys are like that. But I mean, come on, he was pretty horrendous out there in the games. I think I read somewhere in here that he wasn't able to focus power at initial contact with a pass rusher -- something to that extent -- and that is exactly right. He'd come up out of his stance and just have no idea how to engage the rusher. That's how it looked to me.

You don't have to talk about practice. He just wasn't that bad in the last games.

To me, any difference between Richardson and Smith in what we saw so far was so slender, it honestly begs the question what the coaches were evaluating.

And it does make you wonder.

Now mostly when people say things like that, they have some nefarious wrongdoings in mind.

I mean it literally. What were their evaluations? What were their criteria?

It might be simple as this: they like Richardson in the run game and can live with the fact that Smith had more general skills as a pass blocker.

It might be that Smith just does not fit the Boudreau mindset (this has happened before with Boudreau). I really don't think they're going to tell us though.

BTW listening to Snead trying to promote Hunter was just...not eddifying.

I think their evals were based on their play on the field. Why wouldn't it be?

 

[DR RAM]

I just don't think that anyone at this stage should so distrust a new staff. Best player wins. It didn't seem to me like Snead was trying to pump him up. He was just doing his job. Everything he said makes sense, knows the OC, the system, is a swing guy, good in the jumbo package.

Why don't we just welcome the guy with open arms, and not try go out of our way to dis the guy, while insulting our coaching staff and GM at the same time?

 

[Thordaddy]

Listening to Snead it sounds to me like Shotty wanted Hunter over Smith .

But JMO carrying out a whispering campaign against Boudreau is getting a little tedious ,if someone has a source they wish to quote even if they have to remain anonymous ,spill it. But implication without some source is just trying to start rumors IMO and I don't much like it.

 

[Thordaddy]

I just don't think that anyone at this stage should so distrust a new staff. Best player wins. It didn't seem to me like Snead was trying to pump him up. He was just doing his job. Everything he said makes sense, knows the OC, the system, is a swing guy, good in the jumbo package.

Why don't we just welcome the guy with open arms, and not try go out of our way to dis the guy, while insulting our coaching staff and GM at the same time?

Who dude ,sounds like you and I were thinking the same thing at the same moment

 

[RamFan503]

I just don't think that anyone at this stage should so distrust a new staff. Best player wins. It didn't seem to me like Snead was trying to pump him up. He was just doing his job. Everything he said makes sense, knows the OC, the system, is a swing guy, good in the jumbo package.

Why don't we just welcome the guy with open arms, and not try go out of our way to dis the guy, while insulting our coaching staff and GM at the same time?

While I've voiced my dismay at the idea of not scheming to protect against what they had to know was coming against Dallas, I agree with what you are saying. I don't need to distrust this new staff and I totally hope Hunter is a great addition. If Smith was still here, I would continue to hold out hope as long as he was sportin' horns. Doesn't mean I wouldn't rail on him when some one blows by him on the way to the RB or QB.

 

[Ram Quixote]

I think their evals were based on their play on the field. Why wouldn't it be?

You're probably right. Still, coaches are people, too, and people get caught up in subjective stuff. That's not an indictment, nor is it a conspiracy theory. Just curious speculation.

Besides, X asked zn for his opinion and he gave it. I didn't read any distrust in the opinion, or even blame to either Boudreau or Smith. Just an acknowledgement of human nature.

IMO, Smith was the easiest to trade of the tackles they were willing to trade, primarily because of his age. Hunter was chosen because Schotty knew him and Hunter knew his system. And it could be a fresh start for both tackles.

I don't care about spin or Jets' fans' invective. I'll wait to see how Hunter plays here.

 

[Anonymous]

I think their evals were based on their play on the field. Why wouldn't it be?

You're probably right. Still, coaches are people, too, and people get caught up in subjective stuff. That's not an indictment, nor is it a conspiracy theory. Just curious speculation.

Besides, X asked zn for his opinion and he gave it. I didn't read any distrust in the opinion, or even blame to either Boudreau or Smith. Just an acknowledgement of human nature.

IMO, Smith was the easiest to trade of the tackles they were willing to trade, primarily because of his age. Hunter was chosen because Schotty knew him and Hunter knew his system. And it could be a fresh start for both tackles.

I don't care about spin or Jets' fans' invective. I'll wait to see how Hunter plays here.

RQ is right. I didn't blame, or criticize, or look for anything nefarious. This has NOTHING to do with dark things like distrust, or conspiracy theories, or bashing--or any of that. I mean I feel like I said I prefer the burgers ay my favorite local grill over McDonalds and then someone takes me to task for bashing corporations.

I just begin with a completely different assessment of the players than you, doc, and then branch out from there. To me they were just not that far apart in terms of performance. And there are a lot of different people out there debating that, all over Rams land, and I am just not alone in that view--so it's not quirky. Doesn't mean it's right but it's not quirky. Okay so when you start from there, you can bring in other things--for example, I really do see Smith as having better potential, even this year, as a pass blocker. That enters into my view. I don't see Richardson as any kind of night and day improvement. I then ask--well, why the trade then. And what's driving that question, on my part, is just ordinary dumb fan curiosity. Plus it's fun to talk about it & throw ideas around.

And for what it's worth I ain't convincing a whole lotta folks. But that's okay.

Anyway. As with any player, we can;t even say with certainty that their assessment was based on their play on the field. That's granting that we can even agree on what that was--and there are different assessments of their play on the field.

Attitude, chemistry, perceived coachability, "fit," all sorts of things enter in when basically all things are equal. Maybe Smith was just not that good at seeing what he needed to see in film. I dunno, could be anything. Heck they may have thought Smith was a different person after the concussions, or they may have not wanted the concussion shadow lingering over them, or they may have thought that Richardson fit their idea of a right run blocker better as a body type, or maybe Boudreau saw Richardson as being more "his guy"...it goes on and on.

See cause their play was simply not so distinctly different in quality that there is no room for debate. I mean it's not like comparing Saffold to Ojinakka at left tackle. This is much closer to an "all things being equal" situation and when those happen, the deciding factor could be any number of things. Truth is we don't really know.

 

[DR RAM]

I think their evals were based on their play on the field. Why wouldn't it be?

You're probably right. Still, coaches are people, too, and people get caught up in subjective stuff. That's not an indictment, nor is it a conspiracy theory. Just curious speculation.

Besides, X asked zn for his opinion and he gave it. I didn't read any distrust in the opinion, or even blame to either Boudreau or Smith. Just an acknowledgement of human nature.

IMO, Smith was the easiest to trade of the tackles they were willing to trade, primarily because of his age. Hunter was chosen because Schotty knew him and Hunter knew his system. And it could be a fresh start for both tackles.

I don't care about spin or Jets' fans' invective. I'll wait to see how Hunter plays here.

RQ is right. I didn't blame, or criticize, or look for anything nefarious. This has NOTHING to do with dark things like distrust, or conspiracy theories, or bashing--or any of that. I mean I feel like I said I prefer the burgers ay my favorite local grill over McDonalds and then someone takes me to task for bashing corporations.

I just begin with a completely different assessment of the players than you, doc, and then branch out from there. To me they were just not that far apart in terms of performance. And there are a lot of different people out there debating that, all over Rams land, and I am just not alone in that view--so it's not quirky. Doesn't mean it's right but it's not quirky. Okay so when you start from there, you can bring in other things--for example, I really do see Smith as having better potential, even this year, as a pass blocker. That enters into my view. I don't see Richardson as any kind of night and day improvement. I then ask--well, why the trade then. And what's driving that question, on my part, is just ordinary dumb fan curiosity. Plus it's fun to talk about it & throw ideas around.

And for what it's worth I ain't convincing a whole lotta folks. But that's okay.

Anyway. As with any player, we can;t even say with certainty that their assessment was based on their play on the field. That's granting that we can even agree on what that was--and there are different assessments of their play on the field.

Attitude, chemistry, perceived coachability, "fit," all sorts of things enter in when basically all things are equal. Maybe Smith was just not that good at seeing what he needed to see in film. I dunno, could be anything. Heck they may have thought Smith was a different person after the concussions, or they may have not wanted the concussion shadow lingering over them, or they may have thought that Richardson fit their idea of a right run blocker better as a body type, or maybe Boudreau saw Richardson as being more "his guy"...it goes on and on.

See cause their play was simply not so distinctly different in quality that there is no room for debate. I mean it's not like comparing Saffold to Ojinakka at left tackle. This is much closer to an "all things being equal" situation and when those happen, the deciding factor could be any number of things. Truth is we don't really know.

Richardson played better than Smith. That is all I know. The coaches and GM agree with me on that. And then the loser of that competition got traded. That is fact. I predicted that Smith would not make the roster. That is fact. It was NOT about money as you said earlier. That is fact. Richardson overtook Smith during training camp. That is fact. Smith had chances to win the spot back and didn't. That is fact. Truth is, if you pay attention to the details, you should have known. I proclaimed that we will not keep 2 RT only players, that is fact. I had no horse in the race. I want to field the best team, without bias. THAT IS FACT. I trust this regime. That is fact. My trust is not blind...that is fact. I will support this regime and ALL the players, even the newly acquired ones, and that is fact, whether I'm here or sitting at home discussing the Rams with my friends.