Jaylon Smith Watch Thread...
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Cowboys taking long view on Jaylon Smith's return to game action
7:00 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
OXNARD, Calif. -- The question is no longer if Jaylon Smith will play a game for the Dallas Cowboys. The question is when.
Is it Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams? He sat out the Hall of Fame Game despite taking part in four of the padded practices leading into that game against the Arizona Cardinals. Will it be in the home preseason opener Aug. 19 against the Indianapolis Colts? Maybe seven days later against the Oakland Raiders, or Aug. 31 against the Houston Texans?
Coach Jason Garrett was asked if Smith would play in the preseason at all and he gave a simple one word answer: absolutely.
Smith wants to play as soon as he is allowed but is at peace with whatever the Cowboys want to do.
"Someone who loves football wants to play," Smith said. "But understanding the circumstance, we've built a great foundation. It's about getting reps. We're definitely in sync with what we want to do."
As the Cowboys navigate this journey with Smith from the serious knee injury he suffered in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, the Cowboys are essentially creating their own path because players rarely make it as far as Smith.
The Cowboys know the torn anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee are healed. They know the nerve that affected his left foot is improving but still not at 100 percent. They are not sure when it will be fully firing or if it will ever be fully firing.
"I think his baseline is where he can play football, so now we've just got to ease him into it because there's fatigue," executive vice president Stephen Jones said. "That's obvious when you don't have a muscle that's had nerves to it for as long as his did. Then it fatigues easier. And so you've got to build that up over time and do it the right way so that we don't have any issues there. Then at the same time give him the reps that he's getting comfortable with. I think his baseline health is at a point where he could play. It's just getting him in that football shape and doing things the right way."
Smith did not practice Tuesday, but not because of some setback that forced the medical staff to hold him out. With Sean Lee not scheduled to practice today, the Cowboys do not want to put too much stress on the linebacker position with two absences.
With Lee sitting, Smith will get more work in practice today. So far in camp, he has taken second-team snaps as the middle linebacker in 11-on-11 drills. His work in seven-on-seven has been a little more limited, but the Cowboys see progress.
"You can see there's a couple plays [Monday] where the ball is in the flat and you can see the burst and acceleration to the hit that we're used to seeing from Jaylon," linebackers coach Matt Eberflus said. "So, it's exciting to see. It's tangible improvement."
It was only until the offseason program that Smith was able to lift his toes off the ground by himself. He wears a custom-made brace to help keep his foot flexed, but there have been times in camp he has run without it. The hope is he might not need it at all in the future, but that time frame is as unanswerable as when he will play in a game.
Teammates marvel at Smith's recovery. So do the coaches, but there's also what Eberflus calls "evaluating the number," as in his uniform, No. 54.
"I certainly have joy and sure I'm happy for him when I see him out there playing and hitting like he's in that goal-line live period [last week]," Eberflus said. "He had some big hits on short-yardage and all that makes me happy to see that for him, just for the man, for him personally. But then you've got to take the emotions out of it."
The Cowboys badly want the decision to pick Smith in the second round last year -- knowing the odds were stacked against him -- to work. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been effusive in his praise for Smith and perhaps raising the expectations too high.
He has not taken any first-team snaps in practice. If the season started today, Anthony Hitchens would be the starting middle linebacker. Eberflus said he is starting to envision different roles for Smith in the Cowboys' defense. He is on a number of special-teams units as well.
Perhaps Lee's absence on Wednesday could allow Smith to see action at other linebacker spots, but until he sees action in a game and tackles an opponent, knocks down a pass or sacks the quarterback, there is no true way of knowing for sure what he will be in 2017.
The Cowboys are taking a long-term view in a sport with short-term vision.
"No need to jump ahead and make a decision on whether it's this week or next week or whatever it may be," Stephen Jones said. "We'll just kind of see how he progresses this week, see how he responds. The big thing about Jaylon so far is that it seems to be better every time he goes out there. He's more and more comfortable with it. At the same time, if you left it up to him, he'd be going every play out there in the Hall of Fame Game. So we've got to protect Jaylon, at the end of the day, from Jaylon.
"He's going to be around here for many, many years to come and we've got to handle this the right way for him."
7:00 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
OXNARD, Calif. -- The question is no longer if Jaylon Smith will play a game for the Dallas Cowboys. The question is when.
Is it Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams? He sat out the Hall of Fame Game despite taking part in four of the padded practices leading into that game against the Arizona Cardinals. Will it be in the home preseason opener Aug. 19 against the Indianapolis Colts? Maybe seven days later against the Oakland Raiders, or Aug. 31 against the Houston Texans?
Coach Jason Garrett was asked if Smith would play in the preseason at all and he gave a simple one word answer: absolutely.
Smith wants to play as soon as he is allowed but is at peace with whatever the Cowboys want to do.
"Someone who loves football wants to play," Smith said. "But understanding the circumstance, we've built a great foundation. It's about getting reps. We're definitely in sync with what we want to do."
As the Cowboys navigate this journey with Smith from the serious knee injury he suffered in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, the Cowboys are essentially creating their own path because players rarely make it as far as Smith.
The Cowboys know the torn anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee are healed. They know the nerve that affected his left foot is improving but still not at 100 percent. They are not sure when it will be fully firing or if it will ever be fully firing.
"I think his baseline is where he can play football, so now we've just got to ease him into it because there's fatigue," executive vice president Stephen Jones said. "That's obvious when you don't have a muscle that's had nerves to it for as long as his did. Then it fatigues easier. And so you've got to build that up over time and do it the right way so that we don't have any issues there. Then at the same time give him the reps that he's getting comfortable with. I think his baseline health is at a point where he could play. It's just getting him in that football shape and doing things the right way."
Smith did not practice Tuesday, but not because of some setback that forced the medical staff to hold him out. With Sean Lee not scheduled to practice today, the Cowboys do not want to put too much stress on the linebacker position with two absences.
With Lee sitting, Smith will get more work in practice today. So far in camp, he has taken second-team snaps as the middle linebacker in 11-on-11 drills. His work in seven-on-seven has been a little more limited, but the Cowboys see progress.
"You can see there's a couple plays [Monday] where the ball is in the flat and you can see the burst and acceleration to the hit that we're used to seeing from Jaylon," linebackers coach Matt Eberflus said. "So, it's exciting to see. It's tangible improvement."
It was only until the offseason program that Smith was able to lift his toes off the ground by himself. He wears a custom-made brace to help keep his foot flexed, but there have been times in camp he has run without it. The hope is he might not need it at all in the future, but that time frame is as unanswerable as when he will play in a game.
Teammates marvel at Smith's recovery. So do the coaches, but there's also what Eberflus calls "evaluating the number," as in his uniform, No. 54.
"I certainly have joy and sure I'm happy for him when I see him out there playing and hitting like he's in that goal-line live period [last week]," Eberflus said. "He had some big hits on short-yardage and all that makes me happy to see that for him, just for the man, for him personally. But then you've got to take the emotions out of it."
The Cowboys badly want the decision to pick Smith in the second round last year -- knowing the odds were stacked against him -- to work. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been effusive in his praise for Smith and perhaps raising the expectations too high.
He has not taken any first-team snaps in practice. If the season started today, Anthony Hitchens would be the starting middle linebacker. Eberflus said he is starting to envision different roles for Smith in the Cowboys' defense. He is on a number of special-teams units as well.
Perhaps Lee's absence on Wednesday could allow Smith to see action at other linebacker spots, but until he sees action in a game and tackles an opponent, knocks down a pass or sacks the quarterback, there is no true way of knowing for sure what he will be in 2017.
The Cowboys are taking a long-term view in a sport with short-term vision.
"No need to jump ahead and make a decision on whether it's this week or next week or whatever it may be," Stephen Jones said. "We'll just kind of see how he progresses this week, see how he responds. The big thing about Jaylon so far is that it seems to be better every time he goes out there. He's more and more comfortable with it. At the same time, if you left it up to him, he'd be going every play out there in the Hall of Fame Game. So we've got to protect Jaylon, at the end of the day, from Jaylon.
"He's going to be around here for many, many years to come and we've got to handle this the right way for him."
ravidubey
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Of course he does. They have to be careful with him though, so it will be a challenge.
If he were 100%, he would have played last week. He needs PT just as much if not more than Lael Collins or Cooper.
But he's still using that brace and hasn't had any real hitting contact or game speed pursuit/change of direction in over a year.
Last edited:
DLK150
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According to this article he's expected to play on Saturday against the Colts. I don't expect him to play many snaps though.
http://notredame.247sports.com/Bolt/Report-Jaylon-Smith-Ryan-Switzer-expected-to-debut-vs-Colts-106116069
http://notredame.247sports.com/Bolt/Report-Jaylon-Smith-Ryan-Switzer-expected-to-debut-vs-Colts-106116069
DLK150
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I wouldn't be one bit surprised if you're correct. I imagine he'll be announced on TV every single time he enters the game and the cameras zoom in on him.
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Completely agree.
To be honest, even when he was completely healthy I've always took a cautious approach when assessing Jaylon Smith's pro potential. In college I saw a great athlete and a very good player, but I didn't see this generational talent who would revolutionize his position. Which is the picture that a lot of people want to paint when discussing his ability and potential.
My thing is this. We've seen many "can't miss" prospects washout through the years. Remember Aaron Curry from Wake Forest? He was widely touted as the safest pick in his draft class. He only lasted about 2-3 years before Seattle ran him out of town.
So while I'm hopeful that he'll develop into a perennial Pro Bowl caliber player, I'm going to taper my expectations. Especially for this year. Hopefully he makes it through this year injury free and with no setbacks, because the 2018 and 2019 seasons are the years where we'll get a real look at the type of pro player that he'll be.
ravidubey
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A very reasonable take. Thank you.
dallen
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Jesus
Angrymesscan
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No, he already came; this guy seems to be his big brother...
ravidubey
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Smitty
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Breaking down all 12 snaps Jaylon Smith took in his Cowboys debut
By Bob Sturm , Special contributor Contact Bob Sturm on Twitter: @SportsSturm
The object of the exercise on Saturday night was to let Jaylon Smith return to game action and then quickly move on to the next one.
I acknowledge that. So, let me say at the top that it is unfair to then scrutinize his every move. If the threshold of success was to merely participate, then we don't need to look at the 12 snaps more closely and see what we can see.
But, since I love to look at video every week and pick the topic that seems most interesting to you the studious video-watching Cowboys fan, I kept coming back to the idea that I would rather do this than break down Kellen Moore/Cooper Rush again. Rod Smith for RB was another interesting idea, but let's carefully and gently look at Jaylon's night. My hope is we look back at this in November and see how far he has come. Maybe that will be a great problem to have.
OK, I expect more video in this post than words, so let's get started.
Drive 1
1st and 10:
Not much to see here. Middle zone in a pass drop. Drops 5 yards to cover No. 85 in the middle.
2nd and 3:
Same job as last, but this time he gets near the action on the right. This is generally the job of the Mike LB, to patrol the underneath and then rally to the ball. You often hear sideline to sideline. We also use the numbers and the hash marks as landmarks to measure range. The best are said to be able to cover sideline to sideline. Incredibly rare to actually have that ability.
3rd and 3:
Here, on 3rd down, you will often see the LBs up closer to the line as they "sugar the A-Gaps" which is a fancy way of saying they are faking a blitz-look on either shoulder of the center and then will quickly peel out (most of the time, sometimes they really are blitzing those A-Gaps). This time, Jaylon is the "rat in the hole" which means the Cowboys are in man coverage elsewhere and he is able to rove the shallow area (the free safety is doing the same in the deep area) in a form of the Cover 1 which we see so much on 3rd down. The Colts know this and have a half-hearted rub-route which the Cowboys stop short of the sticks and bring on the punt team.
Drive 2
1st and 10:
Look at all the LBs fly downhill as they are sitting on run on 1st and 10. You may notice this posture on most 1st and 10 plays which is why this is the down where 90% of play-action passes happen. Here, he has 75-Mewhort on him as guards get to the 2nd level to take on dive-bombing LBs and Smith circles around him to force the cutback.
Here we get another view and you can see if you circle toward the sideline, you are leaving a hole inside that needs to be filled as well. Smith goes to the outside of the right guard and has play-side pursuit in the B-Gap that Gore sees rather quickly. But, DeMarcus Lawrence defeats his block so soundly that the LBs actually didn't really factor in much until Hitchens is in on the play after the cutback.
2nd and 9:
Here #54 is on the run fake. Orlando Scandrick's blitz ends the play off the edge when it turns into a pass.
3rd and 9:
Here is a 3rd down where the Cowboys want to stop the play before the sticks and the TE is in Jaylon's zone underneath. It is a crosser so the target needs to be headed off by the outside corner and Scandrick is doing his job nicely which allows Jaylon to close the deal. Outside the numbers and several changes of direction for Smith after starting tight with the A-Gap. If there is any moment to suggest that he is headed back in the right direction, this is a real good sign.
Drive 3
1st and 10:
Into the second quarter we go. Here is a 1st down pass where Jaylon has middle/shallow and deals with an underneath play with solid movement again. I was hoping to see a little man-coverage with 54, but the Cowboys clearly weren't worried about that in Game 1.
2nd and 4:
On this play, they put Jaylon into action as he is dive-bombing the outside lane with 90-Lawrence opening up space for him with a slant of his own. Jaylon is right on the play and 23-Frank Gore does a fine job of diverting his direction to at least keep the play alive for a quick moment. Once this happens, Smith turns into backside pursuit and you can see 96-Maliek Collins making this run a short one as well. This is what we want to see.
I really like watching Jaylon on this play, with a small qualifier. We should remember that straight line speed is the smallest issue for a guy returning from a major injury. It is cutting and changing direction that are the real hurdles. He certainly looks stiff there. This is the flash that he is known for and although he comes close to over-running the ball and that first lateral step is the issue, overall I liked this quite a bit.
3rd and 1:
If there was a poor play from Smith, this would likely be it. As the Mike, you can't get beat inside on 3rd and 1. I wish we had the end zone view, but I don't believe he can allow himself sealed off by #67 there.
1st and 10:
This is demonstrating that the Colts had almost no success on the ground against the Cowboys. Jaylon is coming downhill and flashes at the snap and then stalls a bit trying to get off his block, but 96 and 93 are there quickly and it is over before the LBs can get home.
2nd and 13:
Without my beloved All-22's, we can only wonder what took Smith so deep here, but he is off the screen the entire snap, so let's save our commentary here a bit.
3rd and 5:
Once again, he is the rat in the hole (rover for the shallow area) and you see some reluctance from his legs to smoothly move him to the ball as his turn seems a bit wide, but all in all no big deal.
So, there you have it. 12 snaps and we looked at each of them.
I would say that there was some good. He definitely knows where to be. He now knows a little more about trusting that leg. Can he move like he once did? Not yet. Did they play him too early? I would have to say now after several more looks that I am not as concerned as I was on Saturday night.
He did labor and run a bit differently than I remember at Notre Dame, but given that we are watching with no intimate knowledge of the medical situation, let's continue to be patient.
I would say overall that 54 in a Cowboys uniform is no longer a fictional idea. It has happened. Whether he plays more next week or they slow-play things is anyone's guess. But, I am pretty interested in what happens next.
Let me know what you thought down below.
By Bob Sturm , Special contributor Contact Bob Sturm on Twitter: @SportsSturm
The object of the exercise on Saturday night was to let Jaylon Smith return to game action and then quickly move on to the next one.
I acknowledge that. So, let me say at the top that it is unfair to then scrutinize his every move. If the threshold of success was to merely participate, then we don't need to look at the 12 snaps more closely and see what we can see.
But, since I love to look at video every week and pick the topic that seems most interesting to you the studious video-watching Cowboys fan, I kept coming back to the idea that I would rather do this than break down Kellen Moore/Cooper Rush again. Rod Smith for RB was another interesting idea, but let's carefully and gently look at Jaylon's night. My hope is we look back at this in November and see how far he has come. Maybe that will be a great problem to have.
OK, I expect more video in this post than words, so let's get started.
Drive 1
1st and 10:
Not much to see here. Middle zone in a pass drop. Drops 5 yards to cover No. 85 in the middle.
2nd and 3:
Same job as last, but this time he gets near the action on the right. This is generally the job of the Mike LB, to patrol the underneath and then rally to the ball. You often hear sideline to sideline. We also use the numbers and the hash marks as landmarks to measure range. The best are said to be able to cover sideline to sideline. Incredibly rare to actually have that ability.
3rd and 3:
Here, on 3rd down, you will often see the LBs up closer to the line as they "sugar the A-Gaps" which is a fancy way of saying they are faking a blitz-look on either shoulder of the center and then will quickly peel out (most of the time, sometimes they really are blitzing those A-Gaps). This time, Jaylon is the "rat in the hole" which means the Cowboys are in man coverage elsewhere and he is able to rove the shallow area (the free safety is doing the same in the deep area) in a form of the Cover 1 which we see so much on 3rd down. The Colts know this and have a half-hearted rub-route which the Cowboys stop short of the sticks and bring on the punt team.
Drive 2
1st and 10:
Look at all the LBs fly downhill as they are sitting on run on 1st and 10. You may notice this posture on most 1st and 10 plays which is why this is the down where 90% of play-action passes happen. Here, he has 75-Mewhort on him as guards get to the 2nd level to take on dive-bombing LBs and Smith circles around him to force the cutback.
Here we get another view and you can see if you circle toward the sideline, you are leaving a hole inside that needs to be filled as well. Smith goes to the outside of the right guard and has play-side pursuit in the B-Gap that Gore sees rather quickly. But, DeMarcus Lawrence defeats his block so soundly that the LBs actually didn't really factor in much until Hitchens is in on the play after the cutback.
2nd and 9:
Here #54 is on the run fake. Orlando Scandrick's blitz ends the play off the edge when it turns into a pass.
3rd and 9:
Here is a 3rd down where the Cowboys want to stop the play before the sticks and the TE is in Jaylon's zone underneath. It is a crosser so the target needs to be headed off by the outside corner and Scandrick is doing his job nicely which allows Jaylon to close the deal. Outside the numbers and several changes of direction for Smith after starting tight with the A-Gap. If there is any moment to suggest that he is headed back in the right direction, this is a real good sign.
Drive 3
1st and 10:
Into the second quarter we go. Here is a 1st down pass where Jaylon has middle/shallow and deals with an underneath play with solid movement again. I was hoping to see a little man-coverage with 54, but the Cowboys clearly weren't worried about that in Game 1.
2nd and 4:
On this play, they put Jaylon into action as he is dive-bombing the outside lane with 90-Lawrence opening up space for him with a slant of his own. Jaylon is right on the play and 23-Frank Gore does a fine job of diverting his direction to at least keep the play alive for a quick moment. Once this happens, Smith turns into backside pursuit and you can see 96-Maliek Collins making this run a short one as well. This is what we want to see.
I really like watching Jaylon on this play, with a small qualifier. We should remember that straight line speed is the smallest issue for a guy returning from a major injury. It is cutting and changing direction that are the real hurdles. He certainly looks stiff there. This is the flash that he is known for and although he comes close to over-running the ball and that first lateral step is the issue, overall I liked this quite a bit.
3rd and 1:
If there was a poor play from Smith, this would likely be it. As the Mike, you can't get beat inside on 3rd and 1. I wish we had the end zone view, but I don't believe he can allow himself sealed off by #67 there.
1st and 10:
This is demonstrating that the Colts had almost no success on the ground against the Cowboys. Jaylon is coming downhill and flashes at the snap and then stalls a bit trying to get off his block, but 96 and 93 are there quickly and it is over before the LBs can get home.
2nd and 13:
Without my beloved All-22's, we can only wonder what took Smith so deep here, but he is off the screen the entire snap, so let's save our commentary here a bit.
3rd and 5:
Once again, he is the rat in the hole (rover for the shallow area) and you see some reluctance from his legs to smoothly move him to the ball as his turn seems a bit wide, but all in all no big deal.
So, there you have it. 12 snaps and we looked at each of them.
I would say that there was some good. He definitely knows where to be. He now knows a little more about trusting that leg. Can he move like he once did? Not yet. Did they play him too early? I would have to say now after several more looks that I am not as concerned as I was on Saturday night.
He did labor and run a bit differently than I remember at Notre Dame, but given that we are watching with no intimate knowledge of the medical situation, let's continue to be patient.
I would say overall that 54 in a Cowboys uniform is no longer a fictional idea. It has happened. Whether he plays more next week or they slow-play things is anyone's guess. But, I am pretty interested in what happens next.
Let me know what you thought down below.
ravidubey
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Smith is high stepping a lot kind of like in his drills, I guess to allow him to minimize contact with the ground when changing direction.
OK for straight on tackles in space where you build up speed but not so much for close in action where you rely more on immediate changes of direction.
His enthusiasm is infectious for sure.
OK for straight on tackles in space where you build up speed but not so much for close in action where you rely more on immediate changes of direction.
His enthusiasm is infectious for sure.
ravidubey
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The higher off the ground your foot is the more time you have to change where your foot is pointed before it hits the ground. This takes more steps to go the same distance, but reduces torque on your leg. I don't know, maybe he just has long legs.
Look how stiff he appears on the 2nd and 4 play where he knifes ahead and Gore cuts inside. It takes an extra step or two for Smith to cut to his right, and he ends up taking more of a circular path to pursue the play.
If he's fully healthy I think he makes that cut in fewer steps.
L.T. Fan
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Dunno. If I was watching for a sign I would look at the way the toe points but it's so quick it would be hard to follow.
NoDak
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