Steve Smith?

[Montana_god 0]

I thought he looked great in their playoff run - Any thoughts of him being a good #2? Ideas???

[nobody 2,044]

I was hoping he'd fly under the radar, but it looks like the hype machine is already gearing up.

[xenophobe 1]

Steve Smith is going to be an exceptional receiver in this league. He’s quick, good hands, and is a fantastic route runner. He’s extremely polished for a rookie and it’s hard to believe he missed all but five games of the regular season. That said, I would not count Toomer out just yet. He and Eli have tremendous chemistry, and there is a reason he was the team's leader in receptions, receiving yards, and TDs throughout the playoffs.

[Big Blue 06 195]

I think that he'd be a decent #2 right now and a very good #2 in the future. However, I love him coming out of the slot as a 3, and I hope that Toomer sticks around for another couple of years.

[BigDaddy1978 0]

Steve Smith (NY) is Eli's Bernard Berrian. Every once in a while he makes an impact play, but he flubs more passes than he catches. He's solely responsible for the Eli's only INT the entire post season. I think he's a chump right now and hasn't done enough to earn the #2 spot. Maybe in a year or two when he pulls his head out of his ass, he might actually live up to expectations, but for now, I think he's a flop.

[Wildman 0]

He was hurt most of the year and made some typical rookie mistakes, but I disagree that he did a bad job overall. He's going to be an quality starter in 2-3 years. It may not be next year like everyone hopes based on flashes of talent, but he's worth holding onto...

 

My view from last winter (although written in the spring)

 

Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett were the marquee receivers at USC, but in my opinion the guy who operated opposite them is going to be the better NFL player. When it comes to pure skills I honestly don’t understand what people have been watching to think otherwise. Williams and Jarrett are taller and bigger and personnel types see these big frames on receivers and think Terrell Owens-Keyshawn Johnson-Cris Carter—can’t-miss players with long, productive NFL careers that had a physical advantage against defensive backs.

 

When I think of Steve Smith, I see a player who fits along a continuum of talent-skill-style spanning Hines Ward, Jimmy Smith, Donald Driver, and Marvin Harrison. Smith is 6-0 and 200 lbs, more than adequate height and weight to be an outside receiver. The former Jaguar, Jimmy Smith, was 6-1, 202 lbs. Hines Ward and Steve Smith are the same size. Harrison is 6-0, 175 lbs. I’ve heard people peg Steve Smith as a slot receiver—that is a huge mistake.

 

Maybe the Giants rookie will begin his career in the slot, but he’ll finish it as a productive veteran on the outside. If there was a wide receiver that really made John David Booty, Matt Leinart, and Carson Palmer look good in situations where that had no business doing so it was Smith. The USC alum has a knack for adjusting to the ball in the air—not like Randy Moss in the sense of timing his leap, but running down the ball and changing the direction and pacing of his spring to the pass—and there were several games where this receiver made passes look far more accurate that they really were. After surprising everyone with 4.45-40-yard dash time at the combine, there were fewer questions about his speed. It is really Smith’s initial acceleration or ability to use quick bursts of speed to separate from defenders that makes him dangerous. I routinely saw him separate from the 2nd and 3rd level of the defense while running a route or after the catch.

 

What really makes Smith one of the most NFL-ready players in this draft class is his ability to run good routes and catch the football in traffic. Smith is, pound-for-pound, one of the toughest rookies in the 2007 draft class. As an evaluator of game film, one of the truest tests to see if a receiver has what it takes play in the NFL is how he executes a skinny post. This route is one of most difficult to complete because the coverage is generally tight in two areas: the corner is often playing press coverage and there is safety waiting over the top. If the coverage is zone, then there’s often a linebacker trailing the play so he can make a receiver sandwich with the safety. The timing of the route between the receiver and the quarterback has to be impeccably good. Even so, the receiver knows he is going to take a hit from the blind side or a run straight into kill shot.

 

There were higher rated, or higher drafted prospects that could not execute this route or other routes in tight coverage: Robert Meachem, Sidney Rice, Ted Ginn, and Craig Davis were the most prominent examples. In my opinion, based on what I saw on film, Steve Smith was the best prospect at this route. His timing, hands, and toughness are excellent. This is a receiver who will not be intimidated by NFL safeties. He does not shy away from contact when he has to make a catch. One of the problems Eli Manning has faced is he lacked the receivers with this type of mentality and talent rolled into one. Early reports out of Giants camp is that Steve Smith will not only be the favorite to be the slot receiver, but he’ll also have a very good shot to compete for a starting job on the outside versus Amani Toomer, who is coming off a season-ending knee injury. Toomer is a solid veteran, but I believe Smith will push him.

 

Smith may not be as exciting a prospect as the guys that look good when using a tape measure, stopwatch, and scale, but I see him at the very least as a consistent, #2 WR in fantasy football for a long time. You can wait for Meachem, Rice, or Jarrett to be the “next” prototype, or you can have Steve Smith. Personally, I don’t want to wait.

[shovelheadt 62]

Steve Smith (NY) is Eli's Bernard Berrian. Every once in a while he makes an impact play, but he flubs more passes than he catches. He's solely responsible for the Eli's only INT the entire post season. I think he's a chump right now and hasn't done enough to earn the #2 spot. Maybe in a year or two when he pulls his head out of his ass, he might actually live up to expectations, but for now, I think he's a flop.

 

LMAO at your use of chump and flop for a rookie that was injured part of the year.

[Fumbleweed 426]

Steve Smith (NY) is Eli's Bernard Berrian. Every once in a while he makes an impact play, but he flubs more passes than he catches. He's solely responsible for the Eli's only INT the entire post season. I think he's a chump right now and hasn't done enough to earn the #2 spot. Maybe in a year or two when he pulls his head out of his ass, he might actually live up to expectations, but for now, I think he's a flop.

 

This post is absurd. He was a productive down the stretch for the Giants. A rookie who can accomplish that is hardly a chump. Surely you realize that.

 

As for the Super Bowl, Smith made a host of clutch third down catches including the one that preceded Burress's game winning grab. He played great minus the one play you mentioned.

[flat_earth 0]

Steve Smith (NY) is Eli's Bernard Berrian. Every once in a while he makes an impact play, but he flubs more passes than he catches. He's solely responsible for the Eli's only INT the entire post season. I think he's a chump right now and hasn't done enough to earn the #2 spot. Maybe in a year or two when he pulls his head out of his ass, he might actually live up to expectations, but for now, I think he's a flop.

 

Sincerely,

 

An owner trying to trade for Steve Smith

[What is the deal? 1]

Steve Smith is going to be an exceptional receiver in this league. He’s quick, good hands, and is a fantastic route runner. He’s extremely polished for a rookie and it’s hard to believe he missed all but five games of the regular season. That said, I would not count Toomer out just yet. He and Eli have tremendous chemistry, and there is a reason he was the team's leader in receptions, receiving yards, and TDs throughout the playoffs.

what a retarded post. Smith changed direction and Eli threw a heat rock from 6 yards away that happened to bounce off his hands. It's ridiculous to blame that pick on Steve Smith. While he could have caught the ball it would have had to be an amazing catch considering the velocity and short distance

[Dr. Octopus 0]

what a retarded post. Smith changed direction and Eli threw a heat rock from 6 yards away that happened to bounce off his hands. It's ridiculous to blame that pick on Steve Smith. While he could have caught the ball it would have had to be an amazing catch considering the velocity and short distance

 

Not to mention that even if that play was 100% Steve Smith's fault to make an assesment on a rookie player's chance for future success on one isolated play is to put it as nicely as possible, foolish.

[xenophobe 1]

what a retarded post. Smith changed direction and Eli threw a heat rock from 6 yards away that happened to bounce off his hands. It's ridiculous to blame that pick on Steve Smith. While he could have caught the ball it would have had to be an amazing catch considering the velocity and short distance

 

Just a suggestion, you might want to try reading the post you're quoting before calling it retarded. I didn't even discuss that play.

[Dr. Octopus 0]

Just a suggestion, you might want to try reading the post you're quoting before calling it retarded. I didn't even discuss that play.

 

I think he just quoted the wrong post and the reply was really meant for post #5.

[xenophobe 1]

I think he just quoted the wrong post and the reply was really meant for post #5.

 

Most likely.

[What is the deal? 1]

Most likely.

yep, misuse of the quote function my bad.

 

I agree with what Doc Oc said, even if that play was SS2's fault still shouldn't judge a rookie by 1 play.

[BigDaddy1978 0]

Maybe I'm overstating a tad, but you'll notice, I said he does make a few good catches every once in a while. But, from when he came off injury as the #3 guy, I didn't see anything that impressed me. There were games prior the playoffs that he did absolutely nothing to help the team and dropped more balls than he caught. Maybe, MAYBE, his performance in the Superbowl was a sign of improvement, or maybe, like Tyree, it was just a string of luck. We'll see. Once again, as I said before, right now, based on what I've seen, I don't think he's a #2 receiver, but MIGHT be able to work up to it in the next couple of years.

[jgcrawfish 232]

The assertion that he's a flavor of Berrian is ridiculous at best and plain stupid at worst. Smith was a legitimate part of their offense toward the end of the season and in the playoffs, and played a critical role during that span, as a FREAKIN ROOKIE. What has Berrian done during 4 years in the league? I'll take a guy that has the chance to develop into a heck of an all around WR like Waldman pointed out with his comparison to Ward, Driver, Jimmy Smith and freaking Marvin Harrison. I sure hope the intent was to drive down his price so you could get him later on, but if not, well, don't you look foolish now after getting undressed by everybody responding thus far?