CBS Sports Calls Jaylon Smith a Loser

[Guest DT]

Thoughts?

Ive always thought he was a bit overrated  Ive always felt badly for him due to that terrible Bowl injury vs OSU.  

Loser: Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch

The writing was on the wall for these guys when the Cowboys landed Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons in the first round, but it's blinking neon lights after Dallas added LSU linebacker Jabril Cox in the fourth. It's entirely possible that both Smith and Vander Esch are off the roster by this time next year, which is pretty crazy considering it wasn't that long ago that they looked like one of the best linebacker tandems in the league. Smith's dramatic drop-off and LVE's injury issues caused the Cowboys to move aggressively to replace them. 

[Bobref]

There’s no doubt Jaylon’s play dropped off considerably last year ... just like that of the rest of the Cowboys’ dreadful defense. The year before that, he was outstanding. I believe this is a make or break year for Jaylon. I don’t want him to be one of those guys who suddenly became a different player when they got the big payday. We shall see.

[Guest DT]

3 minutes ago, Bobref said:

There’s no doubt Jaylon’s play dropped off considerably last year ... just like that of the rest of the Cowboys’ dreadful defense. The year before that, he was outstanding. I believe this is a make or break year for Jaylon. I don’t want him to be one of those guys who suddenly became a different player when they got the big payday. We shall see.

He has lost his speed.  Saw him outrun several times last year on plays he should have made chasing down backs out of the backfield on short passes.  

[Irishman]

One issue is that Dallas has not really maximized his strengths. He has spent WAY too much time playing as an inside linebacker. he is an OLB/edge rusher, and always has been. 

[Bobref]

1 hour ago, Irishman said:

One issue is that Dallas has not really maximized his strengths. He has spent WAY too much time playing as an inside linebacker. he is an OLB/edge rusher, and always has been. 

I don’t think Jaylon, at 6’2” 240 can be a consistently effective edge rusher, as opposed to an occasional blitzer. He has neither the length nor the bulk to take on NFL offensive tackles. What he does have, in abundance, is speed and athletic ability. His best position in Dallas’ hybrid 4-3 base defense is weak side LB, where he doesn’t have to take on a big tight end and can just run to the ball. That’s what he does best. Let’s see how he does with a new, proven DC (Dan Quinn), and his new running mate at LB, Micah Parsons.

[Guest DT]

18 hours ago, Bobref said:

I don’t think Jaylon, at 6’2” 240 can be a consistently effective edge rusher, as opposed to an occasional blitzer. He has neither the length nor the bulk to take on NFL offensive tackles. What he does have, in abundance, is speed and athletic ability. His best position in Dallas’ hybrid 4-3 base defense is weak side LB, where he doesn’t have to take on a big tight end and can just run to the ball. That’s what he does best. Let’s see how he does with a new, proven DC (Dan Quinn), and his new running mate at LB, Micah Parsons.

He looks and plays much more like 220 than 240.   

Does not have the dominant physicality of a traditional ILB.  He looks like a cornerback when compared to guys like Urlacher , 

[Bobref]

25 minutes ago, DT said:

He looks and plays much more like 220 than 240.   

Does not have the dominant physicality of a traditional ILB.  He looks like a cornerback when compared to guys like Urlacher , 

That’s the new NFL. It’s all about the ability to play in space.