Eric Smith: Stay or Go?

by John B on Feb 26, 2010 1:09 PM EST

It's very nice to have power in my home again after the storm knocked it out last night.

Eric Smith was a pleasant surprise for the Jets in 2009. It didn't seem like the new coaching staff had a ton of faith in him right off the bat. The Jets matched the offer sheet Abram Elam signed from Cleveland and signed Jim Leonhard as a free agent. It seemed like that would take away Smith's playing time. Then the Mark Sanchez trade sent Elam to Cleveland, and Smith became the primary backup at safety. He saw extensive time in subpackages and played well starting in place of Kerry Rhodes after Kerry's midseason benching.

Smith is an overachiever. He's not very gifted naturally. I get the feeling the way Eric Mangini reached for him in the third round of the 2006 Draft has probably hurt the perceptions of him. If he had gone in the mid to late rounds like he should have, people would probably be impressed by the way he's overcome his physical limitations to become a productive player. Because he went so high, his inability to lock down a starting job has become something of a disappointment.

There are certain things Smith does well and certain things he does not do well. Rex had him blitz more than any other defensive back on the roster, which is telling considering he wasn't a full time player. He's aggressive and registered 8 pressures and 2 hits. He's also strong against the run. Where his lack of athleticism comes into play is in coverage. You can hide him underneath if he's got help, but he's in trouble in space against a fast running back or covering a good tight end over an extended period. While he is fundamentally sound, he's really not a starter.

Smith is a restricted free agent, and the Jets will tender him. I'm inclined to hope the team lets him walk for a Draft pick. The Jets can use that pick to fill a hole. Smith is useful, but he's really a spare part on the defense. Rex seems to like him so I do expect the team to bring him back. I don't have a big problem with that. Smith does some good things on the field.

Poll

Should the Jets bring back Eric Smith in 2010?

Yes

212 votes

No, take the Draft pick

146 votes

358 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I wanna keep him. I have a feeling he’ll continue to pleasantly surprise us.

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by dvdvil on Feb 26, 2010 1:42 PM EST reply actions

I agree, we saw marked improvement in his first year under Rex Ryan, and even Ryan did. He was in danger of being traded or cut last off-season, and worked his way into the rotation, and then Ryan had enough confidence in him to start him for a couple of games. Pre Rex Ryan I thought Smith was lousy, a good waste of a potentially valuable draft pick, but in 2009 he really came to play, and if he continues that, I want to see him back in green and white next season.

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by David_Wyatt on Feb 26, 2010 2:13 PM EST up reply actions

What will he be tendered for, a 3rd?

by Crackback on Feb 26, 2010 3:22 PM EST reply actions

As much as i like him I might let him go for a 3rd. Would be a tough call though.

by Crackback on Feb 26, 2010 3:27 PM EST up reply actions

Pure guess, but I would think he’ll get a tender for the round he was drafted, which would be a third.

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by John B on Feb 26, 2010 3:46 PM EST up reply actions

I think i’d take a 3rd for him in this year’s draft. We could easily get a starter on D with a 3rd round pick. Actually, we could probably get a good RB with a 3rd and not miss TJ a whole lot.

by Crackback on Feb 26, 2010 5:25 PM EST up reply actions

We have to remember that we don’t have much depth at the safety position, and although the chances of finding a good player in round 3 are good this year, it’s still a risk, and Smith is proving himself to be a good player. Inhedigbo is also a RFA, not heard much about him this off-season. However it leaves us with our starters Rhodes and Leonhard, and one back-up Brannon Condren who was just signed to the practise squad, our other two are both RFA’s.

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by David_Wyatt on Feb 26, 2010 5:37 PM EST up reply actions

I can’t really see Dig going anywhere. I think if someone offers a 3rd for Smith we have to take the pick this year. There’s always going to be a hole somewhere, backup safety i can live with. We definitely will need another back if (when) TJ is cut, and that is more pressing than back-up Safety. We still need a corner. If worse comes to worse we could probably draft a pretty good safety with much more upside with a 3rd in this year’s draft.

by Crackback on Feb 26, 2010 5:49 PM EST up reply actions

we don’t have much depth at any position actually. And if we can get a 3rd round pick and draft someone that do more than just start …perhaps shine(as all the draft pundits seem to be indicating), then why should we keep smith who people already have admitted is not starting material?

We can draft more CBs and maybe move Lowery to S. The point is, according to this post, is that we can probably get more to help the team in a third round pick as opposed to keeping Smith.

by PowerBar on Feb 27, 2010 12:46 AM EST up reply actions

I like Eric Smith but we are not going to let him shine here, that boy can hit!!! So just let him go I sure he can start somewhere

by bllackkman on Feb 26, 2010 5:35 PM EST reply actions

Stay.

I don’t think the Jets need to worry about finding new FS if they lose Rhodes and Smith.

He is solid on special teams.

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by Max Strauss on Feb 26, 2010 6:19 PM EST reply actions

He hits hard..

and is bound to improve with more playing time. How many 3rd round picks are bust? My guess would be more often than not. (Has any one studied that?)

by smoke1 on Feb 26, 2010 7:36 PM EST reply actions

I feel in today’s NFL….4th round is the money sleeper round.

Brandon Marshall and Jerricho Cotchery to name two wide receivers.

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by Max Strauss on Feb 26, 2010 11:31 PM EST up reply actions

Good analysis of the Eric Smith and where the Jets sit with him. The main reason I would lean towards keeping him around is the Jets overall lack of secondary depth. He’s not a cb of course, but his presence would be missed if the Jets didnt upgrade a few other parts of their secondary and lost him.

by Ozone on Feb 27, 2010 4:11 PM EST reply actions