Brad Smith on His Learning Process
Brad Smith caught up with his hometown newspaper and talked about what it’s like to be a part of
“There’s a big learning curve. The transition to the NFL is a big deal. You’re learning a lot of different things. I’m a lot more comfortable now. I feel like I’m improving every day. Anytime you can contribute, it feels good. You want to be able to help the team. I want to do a little bit more and win more games and then everyone’s happy.”
I’ve heard Smith referred to as a “gimmick” player, and although I do think there’s elements of that, here’s three reasons why I think he’s going to surprise some fans in 2008.
Maturation Process — Brad Smith who just two years and a half years ago was playing college Quarterback in an option style system has come a long way. Although his 2007 stats don’t look that impressive — including his 48% catch rate, he actually ranked #80 overall in the league at WR and not far off the averages for a WR in the NFL. He might not be Randle El yet, but he’s made some great strides, and now in his third year I’d expect to see more contribution from him. I’ve said this since year one, his biggest weakness is his hands, and it’s an area at which he needs to progress.
New Look Line — With the revamped O-Line will come better protection. With better protection will come better decisions and throws from the Quarterback. In 2006, Smith caught 64% of passes thrown his way, in 2007 that number regressed to 48%. With the better protection, will come better results from the passing game.
The Option — Mangini had said at the end of last season he wanted to design “pods” for Smith to run in the game this season. One of Smith’s biggest skills is his deceptively fluid speed and ability to find the hole. With speedy defensive linemen and linebackers, the option can be almost impossible to run in the NFL. The Jets tried it some last season with mixed success — remember the second Patriots game? With a boosted line, two new very solid blocking skill players in Bubba Franks and Tony Richardson it could be all the difference the team needs to mix it in from time to time.
17 Responses to Brad Smith on His Learning Process
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Bent says: Once again, it is not out of the question for Smith to put up excellent numbers this year…
Year 1 – 9-61
Year 2 – 32-325-2TD
Year 3 – ???Compare with Cotchery’s numbers:
Year 1 – 6-60
Year 2 – 19-251
Year 3 – 82-961-6TD -
Great perspective, Bent. I think that shows what Brad could become – esp considering that Cotch had 4 years of college experience as a very good WR, while Brad was playing QB. Best of all, Brad is 6’2″, 210 – he could become just the deep and end-zone threat that most of us have been clamoring for.
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Bent says:
I’m not expecting him to come anywhere near Cotch’s numbers, because Cotch effectively went from a number 3 to a number 2 in that third season, but it does lend some credence to the “it takes WRs three years to develop” theory.
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18andOne says:
All great points by Basset and Bent, but you guys overlooked one very important element to his game. Brad Smith is also one of our best special teams players. Regardless of how much he progresses as a wideout, he’s one of the most valuable Jets because he contributes to 2 phases of the game. Anytime you have a special teams ace like Brad Smith contributing to the offense, you should count your blessings. He might not every be a great wide receiver, but I think he’s already a solid contributer in that area.
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subwayfare says:
It’s not just “hands” per se that he has to improve. While his athleticism and route running put him in position for the catch, his body position and feel for where the ball is seems off. Sort of like a young point guard who makes a highlight reel move to the hoop then finds himself in an awkward position at the basket and blows the lay-up. It’s something that comes with practice, repetition and game experience, something he didn’t get playing QB in college. But the NFL is a cruel, unforgiving environment where roster limits and fierce competition offer little opportunity for learning new skills. I agree with 18andOne that his special teams prowess is what’s earned him his roster spot. I hope he’s improving as much as he claims because he’s definitely got big potential WR.
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Mike G says:
Brad Smith is one of my favorite Jets. He can run, play wr, play qb, and he is a standout on special teams. I’m looking for him to progress this year, but not to come near cotcherys numbers in his 3rd year. Im thinking something like 40 – 425 – 4
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I would like to see more James Dearth coverage on this blog. He’s a special teams stalwart and I think we can expect big things from him this year, He’s got all the tools and great size for a tight end. Did you know he played quarterback in high school – check his profile at longsnap dot com? That should be enough for you guys to estimate his stats for this year…with great optimism. He needs a nickname, Slash is taken so how about Crouch?
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GREENBLOOD says:
Let’s be real gents, guy is a joke. He is not as half as good as Kordel Stewart and we all know how that experiment went.
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Bent says:
Didn’t he help the Steelers get to the Superbowl? I’d take that.
Plus Stewart was a second round pick, but Brad was a 4th rounder.
Maybe Cotchery was seen as a joke too after his second season by some people.
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Cotchery broke most of Tory Holt’s records At NC state. That should stand for something, right ? Ironicaly enough Phillip Rivers got all of the rewards, and the high draft pick as well.
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Bent says:
No question. Of course one of the main reasons JC didn’t put up numbers until year three was because Herm didn’t use him as much as the fans called for him to.
I’m not saying Brad will defintely continue on the same upward curve, I just said don’t rule it out. If anything, the fact he has achieved what he has so far without JC’s prior experiences may give us hope that he can continue to improve.
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Bent, I like your way of thinking. I hope you are right for all of us. I do not see a guy in Brad S. that would help us get over the top. He is a good athlete with good footbal IQ and a young man with good head on his shoulders. IQ and conduct guarantee his franchise that he is accountable and ready for the challenge, hence he is a low risk investment. It is his athleticism that ultimately makes him worth what he is, which in my uneducated opinnion is not enough to be spoken of. I think that we run out of stories in the offseason, so this ends up being the hot topic.
Bent one more thing, Cotchery’s YAC is 20% of Clemens’s yardage (I am not great at this – yet). Could you double check that for me please. -
Bent says:
I’m not sure what point you are trying to make here, but Cotchery apparently averaged 5.4 yards after the catch (YAC), which adds up to almost 500 on the season. However, some of that would have been Chad’s yardage.
Clemens passed for 1529 yards, so if Cotchery’s YAC in those games was around 300 (which seems reasonable) then yes that would be 20%. I don’t know where you got the stat from, but it sounds like it is probably pretty accurate. Still not sure what point you are making though!
I’m sure a lot of Chad’s yardage is YAC too, because he throws a lot of short passes.
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No point Bent, just long offseason, that is all. I came across that as I was trying to find bright spots in Kellen Clemens’s game. That was prompted on possibility of Matt Rayan falling in our lap, or Flacco or Brohm in 2nd. Kellen worries me greatly.
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Mike says:
The word here is “Upside” but potential is a good word as well… more letters in it though. Brad had very good numbers when he was in the I formation so he car run it so why not 3rd RB and 3rd WR and 3rd QB? That a roster spot for a kickoff specialist and ironicly another reciever athough a speedy deep threat one. Aside from his Upside is his Value…
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jvsvn says:
I don’t think there is really a justifiable comparison between the Cotchery situation and that of Smith. Cotch has been a great WR from the start. He broke receiving records in college and was making great plays from the moment he stepped onto the field in his first training camp with the Jets. He didn’t get on to the field in his first couple of years because Herm held him out (something he later admitted was a mistake). Cotch is one of those players who gets undervalued in the draft because he didn’t reach some magical threshold in the 40. The Smith situation is totally different. Given is total lack of experience at WR, his production in the first couple of years has been fine and as good as anyone could have expected. From a draft perspective, he’s the definition of a player “with a big upside.” It’s still an open queston whether that upside will be reached. In he meantime, he’s be a great special teams performer and a solid contributer to the team.
I’m a big Brad Smith fan. His athletic ability and potential have been obvious from day 1. Having said that, I agree that he needs to significantly progress in his third year and show he can be a consistent, reliable option at WR if he wants to break out of the “change of pace” box. Given the Jets situation at WR (with the Coles era winding down), there is a big opportunity for him. This upcoming year willl be really important for him if he want to turn the corner (so to speak).