Krieger: Time Catching Up With Smith

[bloodsunday]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...196280,00.html

December 7, 2006
ENGLEWOOD - These are hard times for the most prolific wide receiver in Broncos history.

At 36, Rod Smith is on pace to finish the season with fewer catches and receiving yards than he's ever had as a starter. After a decade as the team's No. 1 receiver, he's now No. 2, and No. 3 is gaining on him.

Smith has caught at least one pass in 120 consecutive games, but he might be happier if the streak had come to an end at 119. It was kept alive Sunday by a single catch for 6 yards that became a fumble and a turnover when Seattle cornerback Marcus Trufant knocked it free.

More ominous, the best play of the day came from rookie wide receiver Brandon Marshall, a 6-foot-4, 22-year-old poised to grow into the offense with fellow rookie Jay Cutler.

Smith declined to speak with the wretches after the game and declined to speak with me Wednesday, so I don't know if he's been contemplating the beginning of the end. But it's easy to imagine him facing the Jerry Rice option next summer - competing against a bunch of kids for the No. 3 receiver job.

Just last year he was still No. 1, putting up 85 catches for 1,105 yards, the eighth 1,000-yard season of a career that defies credulity all these years later. Find an anonymous, undrafted free agent on somebody's practice squad somewhere. That was Rod Smith.

This year, through 12 games, he has 39 catches for 388 yards. His per-catch average is the lowest of his career.

"As an offense, any time you're down in numbers everybody's going to be affected by it," coach Mike Shanahan said. "The thing that's encouraging to me is Rod Smith knows how to win.

"Even though I know he is so disappointed that he doesn't have his normal numbers, he understands what it takes to win and he's one of our best leaders to explain to guys that everybody's got a role and everybody's got a piece of the puzzle. And one person not doing that affects everybody. So even though he's quite disappointed, he's still the leader that he's always been."

One of the tensions in the Broncos locker room is the transition to rookie quarterback Jay Cutler while veterans like Smith, John Lynch and Tom Nalen watch their windows of opportunity closing.

"I'd be lying if I told you sometimes I don't scratch my head about this new generation, but I think everyone goes through that," Lynch said.

"But I thought really that would be a strength of this team in preseason, when some of these young guys really started stepping to the forefront. Because I think when you study the teams that have success in this salary-cap era, that's what you need. You need a great veteran presence, but you really need your youth to come to the forefront also."

I suggested that some ambivalence about the youth movement must remain among veterans looking to win right now.

"It's hard to say that, because you see a guy like Brandon Marshall go out and give us an opportunity to win," Lynch replied. "So those guys are contributing. Do you want more out of them? Always. But we need more out of myself, more out of everybody."

Smith has always been the ultimate team player. The question now is when it will be best for the team for Marshall to move ahead of him into the starting lineup. My guess is next summer.

"It's always tough to make a decision between a guy that's been a great player for you and a guy coming in, if you're going to make the change," Shanahan said.

"But a guy like Brandon is almost in a perfect position with our offense to play sparingly in different personnel groups because he's not ready to play every down. It takes time in terms of knowing what he's doing and understanding everything that we have in.

"Not that he couldn't handle it, but for us to be as effective as we need to be, it would be better for him to come in like he is, spotting Rod or Javon (Walker) when they get tired. And then the process, when a guy you can see is really starting to flourish, which he is right now, he's getting better each week, then he deserves more playing time and you've got to make a decision as a coach on which personnel groupings are going to be most effective."

In other words, look for more of the three-wide-receiver set. In what is suddenly a long shot bid for the playoffs, the Broncos need Walker and Marshall on the field.

In all fairness, Smith's lack of production is not even mostly his fault. The Broncos' dirty little secret is they can't pass protect, especially since Matt Lepsis went down. Even Walker, their leading receiver, has only 53 catches.

Still, for whatever reason, Smith has all but disappeared from the offense. He's been so good for so long, it's hard to see him like this.

Perhaps Cutler will settle in quickly enough to make use of him yet. Perhaps not. Either way, the end is quite suddenly in sight for the best wideout the Broncos ever had.

[bloodsunday]

I highlighted what I thought was the most interesting part. The youth of this team not contributing. Why has Shanahan not been able to take guys like Marshall, Darrent, Meyers, Kuper, Pears, Cutler (and on and on) and find instant success? Despite being almost 10 years removed from our Super Bowl years we are still a veteran team built in large part through FA. How is that? Why can't we draft a decent DL man instead of importing 5 cast offs?

These are the kinds of questions that will haunt this team if they don't find a way to make the playoffs. Such a horrific collapse will cause people to ask very hard questions. It may even shape the decisions of players like Nalen, Smith, and Lynch in the off season.

[Garcia Bronco]

Smith will be fine once the QB gets going and we start throwing the ball. That fumble this week was a great play by the defender or he was completely lucky. Either way it was a fluke.

[watermock]

highlighted what I thought was the most interesting part. The youth of this team not contributing.

Of course they are not...Marshall's 71 yard TD brushing off would be tacklers was a complete illusion.

Dumervil doesn't have 7 sacks, it's 6 hurries.

Tatum is injury prone (Portis is on IR with double surgury).

Cecil Sapp is a bust.

Why has Shanahan not been able to take guys like Marshall, Darrent, Meyers, Kuper, Pears, Cutler (and on and on) and find instant success?

Idiotic post of the year.

[bloodsunday]

And now reality...

Originally Posted by watermock

Of course they are not...Marshall's 71 yard TD brushing off would be tacklers was a complete illusion.

We heard all preseason about what a stud Marshall is and he has been just short of disappearing in games. Marshall has 7 catches in 11 games. Todd Devoe had a great play in a similar game against the Eagles last year and he is looking for work right now.

Tony Scheffler 7 catches in 9 games.

Originally Posted by watermock

Dumervil doesn't have 7 sacks, it's 6 hurries.

Well I guess you must be one that loved Reggie Hayward. Five of Dumerville's sacks have come in two games. Sacks can be a deceiving statistic. Pressure is more valuable and he has been just as inconsistent as every other pass rusher on the team.

Originally Posted by watermock

Tatum is injury prone (Portis is on IR with double surgury).

Not sure this even deserves a response, but here's the stat that matters IMO: Tatum Bell has 2 TDs in 9 games. Tatum is fine if your definition of a run game is 125 yards that comes largely on 3 - 5 big runs in a game. Its no secret that good offenses run the ball in the redzone.

Originally Posted by watermock

Idiotic post of the year.

Second only to every thing you post... third if we count Boob's.

[bloodsunday]

I am not suggesting that these players are failures. I am suggesting that they have not acclimated themselves into our schemes and found instant success. Lynch's point is that you need these players that you hear about in training camp to step up to be a playoff caliber team. You inevitably have holes to fill with lost starters and injuries through out the season. If your young guys don't step up, you get exposed. Not having a reliable receiving threat at TE is a HUGE handicap for our offense.

Young guys are also a large part of the ST and I don't even need to go there.

[ludo21]

I still think B Marsh and Doomervill will be good contributors in the long run.

I really expected more out of Sheffler for some reason, but he is just a rookie.

[watermock]

I highlighted what I thought was the most interesting part. The youth of this team not contributing.

Oh...so Dumbervil's 7 sacks don't count because many were against two teams. STFU. They count dimwit.

I guess Marshall's 71 yard TD to tie the game was another example of rookies not contributing.

Some guy named Cutler threw for two TD's when the Pro Bowler Hasslbeck threw for one.

Tell me again how the rookies are not contributing?

Of course the youth of the team isn't contribuiting...We just moved Foxworth to starting Safety, and DWill is the starting corner.

That is 5 young players right off the top of my head.

[bloodsunday]

Originally Posted by watermock

Oh...so Dumbervil's 7 sacks don't count because many were against two teams. STFU. They count dimwit.

I guess Marshall's 71 yard TD to tie the game was another example of rookies not contributing.

Some guy named Cutler threw for two TD's when the Pro Bowler Hasslbeck threw for one.

Tell me again how the rookies are not contributing?

Of course the youth of the team isn't contribuiting...We just moved Foxworth to starting Safety, and DWill is the starting corner.

That is 5 young players right off the top of my head.

If Marshall's 71 yard TD (in a loss) is an example of contributing, where is Devoe? Why isn't that stud on our team?

Cutler was atrocious in that game, flat out. Popps' "source" was right. When was the last time Jake lost a game in which we out rushed the opponent 2 - 1?

Dumerville has made a contribution, but let's not anoint him the next Reggie White, Dwight Freeny, or Lawrence Taylor. He needs to bring it on every play in every game for that to happen. If we were faced with the same decision we had with Hayward on Dumerville today, I would guess we would make the same decision. He has not proven himself to be worthy of a $25 million contract.

Foxworth is stepping in for another young guy that is struggling -- Cox.

Darrent's struggles have been well publicized. But I'll grant you that both he and Foxworth are at least starters.

The problem is for every Foxworth and Williams, there's a Lelie, a Foster, a Marcus Nash. This team is comprised of FA players right now.

[Spider]

Originally Posted by bloodsunday

If Marshall's 71 yard TD (in a loss) is an example of contributing, where is Devoe? Why isn't that stud on our team?

Cutler was atrocious in that game, flat out. Popps' "source" was right. When was the last time Jake lost a game in which we out rushed the opponent 2 - 1?

Dumerville has made a contribution, but let's not anoint him the next Reggie White, Dwight Freeny, or Lawrence Taylor. He needs to bring it on every play in every game for that to happen. If we were faced with the same decision we had with Hayward on Dumerville today, I would guess we would make the same decision. He has not proven himself to be worthy of a $25 million contract.

Foxworth is stepping in for another young guy that is struggling -- Cox.

Darrent's struggles have been well publicized. But I'll grant you that both he and Foxworth are at least starters.

The problem is for every Foxworth and Williams, there's a Lelie, a Foster, a Marcus Nash. This team is comprised of FA players right now.

How about Peppers can we annoint Dumerville the next peppers

[AFCWestFan]

Must be a slow news day when guys write about age catching up with a 36 year old reciever.

[bloodsunday]

Originally Posted by AFCWestFan

Must be a slow news day when guys write about age catching up with a 36 year old reciever.

Guess you didn't read the posts.

[broncsyanks]

Smith declined to speak with the wretches after the game and declined to speak with me Wednesday, so I don't know if he's been contemplating the beginning of the end.
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this part said it all. he refused to talk to the guy so the guy wrote a bull $hit article about this. its media bullcrap thats all. what he didnt mention is how many attempted passes was to him. that does add on to those stats