Jaylon Smith Watch Thread...

[skidadl]

He certainly seems to be moving well. I personally don't think we will know how comfortable he will feel until he plays. He could still be somewhat limited while he gets comfortable with the knee. Those things have mental/confidence implications.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

He certainly seems to be moving well. I personally don't think we will know how comfortable he will feel until he plays. He could still be somewhat limited while he gets comfortable with the knee. Those things have mental/confidence implications.

Well and that's sort of the unknown. It takes lot of players sort of a season to get back to feeling comfortable after tearing up their knee. While Jaylon may be 100% physically and structurally it is completely possible that we don't really see what he is capable of until 2018. I hope that's not the case but certainly it's possible. Either way I can't see him not being a significant contributor in 2017. Maybe not at his full potential but certainly an upgrade.

 

[L.T. Fan]

Jeff Sullivan @SullyBaldHead

Not sure why folks are still discussing whether Jaylon Smith will be healthy for next season. He's going to be 100 percent for camp.

Based on what?

 

[boozeman]

Based on what?

This guy is a smarmy turd who writes for the Star Magazine and feels he has a finger to the pulse because he actually cashes a check from Jerry.

Ignore him.

I would probably rather decode Spagnola's bullshit than listen to this guy.

 

[boozeman]

He certainly seems to be moving well. I personally don't think we will know how comfortable he will feel until he plays. He could still be somewhat limited while he gets comfortable with the knee. Those things have mental/confidence implications.

He is running around with an orthotic.

 

[Joe Fan]

As long as he's still requiring the brace then I'm not buying it. Don't get me wrong, I hope to heck I'm wrong and he returns close to the pre-injury player.. I'm just not counting on it considering all indications is that he still needs it in order to walk around.

 

[ravidubey]

Should we be alarmed that Khali Mack was almost coming to a full stop or any of the other LB's at the combine?

There is no way the Smith I saw could do what Mack was doing around the :20-26 second mark. Mack is going for broke and risking slipping or falling. Smith is carefully planting his feet.

Look at both move... how can you not see the difference?

And don't get it twisted, what I said was looking at these drills makes me sad to see he's clearly not ready.

I never said he wouldn't be cleared to play. I did say to temper expectations in what will be his rookie year and first back from a major injury.

How's that living in my own world?? Sheesh.

 

[lostxn]

There is no way the Smith I saw could do what Mack was doing around the :20-26 second mark. Mack is going for broke and risking slipping or falling. Smith is carefully planting his feet.

Look at both move... how can you not see the difference?

And don't get it twisted, what I said was looking at these drills makes me sad to see he's clearly not ready.

I never said he wouldn't be cleared to play. I did say to temper expectations in what will be his rookie year and first back from a major injury.

How's that living in my own world?? Sheesh.

He's looked plenty agile in the drills. Mack is going all out since it's the combine. Smith is just doing drills. You're just seeing what you want to see to fit whatever agenda you have in your head.

 

[DLK150]

I was not a fan of the pick even though I"m also a Notre Dame fan. I wouldn't care if he was drafted out of 'Bama and I happened to be a Crimson Tide fan, I *hate* using higher value draft picks on high risk/potential high reward types. That said, Dallas has a rich history of doing such things in the last twenty years so it's not as though it's anything new. It just hasn't happened quite as often in the last five years or so.

I hope the kid lives up to the hype but he needs to back off of social media for awhile because sometimes it seems like he's trying too hard to justify himself. Prove it on the field, period. I'm sick of workout warriors, I want to see football players.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I hope the kid lives up to the hype but he needs to back off of social media for awhile because sometimes it seems like he's trying too hard to justify himself. Prove it on the field, period. I'm sick of workout warriors, I want to see football players.

I actually totally disagree with you. It seems like it was almost a year before we heard anything about his rehab. And what we did hear was bits and pieces from Jerry and the organization who none of us trust.

I think it's great to not only hear about his progress but to also see first hand that he is ready to play. Not sure why that bothers you. Saves us from an entire offseason of speculation and argument about if he will play again or not.

 

[Simpleton]

Smith looked decent in that COD drill but the fact of the matter is he is still wearing a brace and nobody knows how he will look after such a long layoff, nor do people know if there will be any long-term effects from the drop foot.

I'm hopeful that he will be perfectly fine but it's a question mark, there's nothing else you can really say about it.

Speaking of which, this Haason Reddick guy may be a solid pick at 28.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Speaking of which, this Haason Reddick guy may be a solid pick at 28.

Agenda

 

[ravidubey]

He's looked plenty agile in the drills. Mack is going all out since it's the combine. Smith is just doing drills. You're just seeing what you want to see to fit whatever agenda you have in your head.

So you notice the difference and agree Smith isn't going full speed.

He doesn't seem the kind to do anything less than full speed, especially when showing the world where he is on social media.

So it's clear to me he can't go "all out."

 

[Simpleton]

Agenda

Yea I'm mostly screwing around but I'm 100% serious about Reddick at 28, especially if he runs in the 4.5's at the Combine.

 

[ravidubey]

Yea I'm mostly screwing around but I'm 100% serious about Reddick at 28, especially if he runs in the 4.5's at the Combine.

Deep DL class reaches the end of the 2nd round? Don't know. But a LB corps of Smith, Lee, and Reddick could be something to build around.

 

[Simpleton]

Deep DL class reaches the end of the 2nd round? Don't know. But a LB corps of Smith, Lee, and Reddick could be something to build around.

I think it does.

You might not get your ideal edge rusher like a Charlton or McKinley but there should be plenty of good DL available in the 2nd like DeMarcus Walker, Tarell Basham, Montravius Adams, Jaleel Johnson, Carlos Watkins, maybe even Caleb Brantley or Carl Lawson if we get really lucky.

I think Reddick's natural ability to pass-rush/blitz differentiates him a bit from most "4-3 LB's". He's way more advanced in that regard than almost any elite LB prospect I can remember, he can actually pass-rush in a traditional sense off the edge and not be completely out of his depth.

 

[L.T. Fan]

So you notice the difference and agree Smith isn't going full speed.

He doesn't seem the kind to do anything less than full speed, especially when showing the world where he is on social media.

So it's clear to me he can't go "all out."

To me the brace means that the nerve isn't firing or firing sufficiently enough to attempt full speed workouts. He does seem to be mobile and agile with the brace but that won't hold up in game conditions for long.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

To me the brace means that the nerve isn't firing or firing sufficiently enough to attempt full speed workouts. He does seem to be mobile and agile with the brace but that won't hold up in game conditions for long.

Players wear braces all the time after injuries. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure it's just as much a precautionary thing as anything. There is going to be a period of time where the nerve is firing fully but your body just hasn't caught back up to using it as efficiently as it use to. That's just going to take some more time.

If the guy is running 4.5's, cutting like that and cleared to practice. Seems a bit silly to be worrying about a brace. Especially when he has another 6 months before real football starts.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I think it does.

You might not get your ideal edge rusher like a Charlton or McKinley but there should be plenty of good DL available in the 2nd like DeMarcus Walker, Tarell Basham, Montravius Adams, Jaleel Johnson, Carlos Watkins, maybe even Caleb Brantley or Carl Lawson if we get really lucky.

You're stretching real hard with that list of names to justify Reddick. Makes way more sense to hope Reddick falls to the second round. The guy was a third day pick before the Senior Bowl. I like him but I think your love may be over the top. Reddick was a good player at Temple but I don't think he did anything that makes me think he is a high impact NFL guy. He had 9.5 sacks at Temple this past year as a 230 pound guy who is faster then anyone trying to block him. And as much as I love Jaleel Johnson, he isn't going to make up for passing on a top notch pass rusher in the first. He is a 315 pound DT. Neither will Brantley and his 2.5 sacks from Florida. Or really any of the other DT's you mentioned.

If you pass on a pass rusher in the first. Then in the late second you're basically praying that Carl Lawson, Jordan Willis, or Demarcus Walker makes it to your second round pick. I'm not so sure any of those 3 make it. Walker is an interesting guy though. Seems like he would be right up our alley. 6'4" 280 pound guy who is probably a LE/DT tweener. Someone who can play any position on the D-line. He was crazy productive this last year at FSU with 16 sacks.

You know what would make all of this really easy? An extra second round pick from Romo... I think a second round pick on a guy like Reddick is perfect. You can afford sort of the luxury pick then.

 

[L.T. Fan]

Players wear braces all the time after injuries. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure it's just as much a precautionary thing as anything. There is going to be a period of time where the nerve is firing fully but your body just hasn't caught back up to using it as efficiently as it use to. That's just going to take some more time.

If the guy is running 4.5's, cutting like that and cleared to practice. Seems a bit silly to be worrying about a brace. Especially when he has another 6 months before real football starts.

You are overlooking the 18 month window for this process to have any hope of recovering fully. The fact that he is stlll wearing a brace would seem to indicate that the nerve and impulse transmission isn't sufficient enough to try full speed without the brace. This brace isn't like the knee braces some wear. They are for protection from joint damage. This brace is to hold the foot up and might be suspect in game conditions when the moves require pressure to be exerted above structured workout exercises.

He may in fact be fine at some point in time but you must admit that the window is closing and since he is still wearing a brace that deserves a certain amount of concern.