FWIW, the Jets were 7-1 in games when Smith ran the ball 4 or more times. In those games he averaged 37 ypg and 5.6 ypc.
When I watch his highlight reel for the season you come away more impressed by the runs than any of the throws. Don't know what to make of that.
So we just need to make sure he runs 4 or more times? :smile: Seriously, he is so much better of a passer than a runner, he just doesn't look to me to be comfortable or natural doing it. I'd much rather he get a few red zone targets and throw for TDs than run. Of course I'll take TDs any way we can get them, but he's going to get hurt if he starts to run a lot. Again, a designed run in the first drive or 2 to keep the defense honest where he runs out of bounds without taking a hit is what I'd like to see. Or when a play breaks down and he has a clear running lane. Not 5-6 designed runs a game. It's not his forte, he's a passer, not a dynamic runner. _
I get the opposite. He throws a beautiful ball given time and the ability to plant his feet. He looks awkward running. JMHO. _
I agree that he doesn't look like Wilson, RG III or Kaepernick when he is running. But the threat of him running may be why the Jets had success in those games when he actually did run -- or could be a complete coincidence. Personally, I would like to more read option next year. Smith just seems more comfortable in the shotgun.
I'm impressed by the runs because for the most part they were effective despite the awkwardness. With regards to the throws, I agree that he does throw a beautiful ball when able to use proper mechanics. However, this is not a beauty contest. IMHO there were very few throws of Geno's that impressed me this season. Off the top of my head I can only think of 2. The TD to Cumberland in garbage time at Tennessee was a big boy throw; he a very tight window and he put it there on the money. #2 was the throw to Nelson in the 1st quarter of the final game of the year against Miami rolling right 2 defenders running straight at him he throws a 20 yard dart to the sideline (30+ yards if you consider how far off the LOS he was). Aside from that his throws were meh. A lot of people are enamored by his arm strength which IMO is very overrated.
Whatever one thinks of Smith and his strengths and shortcomings, there should be no doubt in the discussion of him running the ball that doing so increases the odds of your Qb getting injured. I remember Daunte Culpepper coming in the league, and wondering if he was big enough and durable enough to consistently run the ball. Maybe he is/was, I thought. And while he was an above average Qb throwing the ball, he clearly supplemented that with the run. His rushing total over five seasons from 2000-2004 was only the fourth time a Qb rushed for over 2,300 yards, the others being Vick, McNair and good ole Randall Cunningham. Perhaps one could argue the threat of the run aided his passing game. Makes sense. And Culpepper had an awesome year in 2004. This awesome career went straight down the toilet due to an event in the very next season. "The veteran signal caller sustained damage to the three major ligaments in the knee on the final play of the first quarter in Sunday's 38-to-13 loss at Carolina. He was hit low and from the side by Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble while scrambling for a first down." http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/51080/0/Daunte-Culpepper-Suffers-Serious-Knee-Injury I also see his house was in foreclosure last year. Yeah, you run the ball often enough, you'll soon be living on the street. But even if the specifics of Culpepper do not play out in another Qb's case, look at how plagued by injury Vick has been. Or McNair, too. Season ending injuries in multiple seasons. We don't even need to talk about his death and personal life to paint a bad picture. A Qb running the ball is taking a chance. A Qb running the ball too frequently is running the ball too frequently.
Culpepper was a fantasy QB, put any pressure on that guy to win a big game and he folded. I was doing cartwheels when Miami got him and I bashed up and down for it. No one was winning anything w/ Culpepper and I hope Geno doesn't become another Culpepper.
Unless you are an extemely dynamic runner--like a Kaep--or extremely smart and opportunistic--like Wlson--I agree with you. Especially with Geno's frame, it's a recipe for disaster. Sit back and pick people apart with your arm. _
Comparing Kaepernick with Wilson was discussed last week, and I tend to agree Wilson seems to be more careful, if that is part of what you are driving at, than Kap. That may help his odds in the long run, but Kap's being dynamic will not. He is in great shape and all that, but being in great shape does not make your knees impervious to the big hit. Griffin was a very dynamic runner last year, before he got hurt. At this point we may very well not see that from him again. There are many examples of this. But yes, I get the feeling Wilson may avoid injury longer than some others.
Definitely agree with the concerns, and that Geno running it a ton isn't a good reciepe for success. Also agree that it pumps up the team and the fanbase that he's willing to lower the shoulder and run into contact (Q1 @ Miami), but it's a dumb move that could hurt his career and the franchise. That being said, it doesn't bother me if he made smart, lower-risk runs (e.g. getting a few yards then running out of bounds instead of throwing the ball away). It's also not out of the question that he could turn out like Wilson, who also didn't run much in college -- if he's got the capacity to be smarter then why not give it a shot?
geno has HORRIBLE mechanics & throwing motion, if he doesn't change it he's not going to last too long, he'll be throwing pick 6's his entire career, what little of it there'll be. :/
Some of hte moves Smith has made when running the ball show quite clearly to me that he does not use Wilson's approach. No need to get into the whole football smarts thing. Maybe Smith feels more comfortable taking risks. But whatever the reason, he does not run like Wilson.
recall him breaking some defenders ankles so to speak a few times. he cuts like a RB, fools defenders and gets the separation he's after. but thats an auxiliary feature, one that might help open up his passing game if used correctly and timely but still. so long as he doesn't play gunslinger all the time he should be fine.
I agree that a QB that runs takes a big chance of injury, but in Geno's case, I don't really care. He's a better QB when he runs with it and he isn't good enough to worry a whole lot about him getting injured. So I say, run Geno run.. because that's when he's successful. If he gets hurt - oh well, his ceiling probably isn't as a franchise QB anyway..
