Welcome to the Redskins, Alex Smith

[FrFan]

Please Mr Smith you have until March 14th to change your mind, you'll be better off in AZ.

[ThomasRoane]

20 minutes ago, bobisimo said:

 

Smith hasn't had a losing season since 2010. His worst season since then is 8-7. He's won 11 games 3x, and 13 1x. I know, I know, it's a team sport. But I have trouble imagining a 5-11 record with Smith as a 15/16-game starter.

 

Smith had great running games and damn good defenses with SF and KC.  He has neither with the Redskins!  He also had dependable weapons in the passing game.  He loses Travis Kelce for a half and can't beat the Titans with a 21-3 lead at halftime!!!

 

  I can't believe how many of you are falling for the same old stupid pet tricks that Dan keeps rolling out.  Jeff George, one and done Marty, aging superstar mercenaries (Bruce Smith and Deion), Spurrier, Patrick Ramsey, Gibbs 2.0 (only to chase him off by forcing him to accept Al Saunders and his 700 page playbook), Zorny fever, nostalgic hire of Bruce Allen - (who destroyed his father's good name), Super bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan, Donovan McFlabb, RG ME, and now the quintessential game manger - Alex Smith!  For a third round pick and a young, top notch cover corner!

 

Woohoo!  Call Tony Kornheiser.  Tune up the band wagon.  I'm sure this will work out great! 

[Est.1974]

I like the move. Welcome to the Redskins.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

7 hours ago, pjfootballer said:

Since the trade thread is just madness, this is a good thread to let go of some rational thought.  I'm not really mad at the trade itself.  I understand what the FO is thinking:

 

They get an older but more mobile Kirk Cousins at half the cost. Instead of paying 30+ million a year, he costs half that.  Smith won't see the whole 5 years.  He's a bridge. Either we've found his replacement within 3 years and cut him or we renegotiate a deal before the 5 years is up. 

 

That extra money will now be able to possibly keeping Zach Brown in uniform.  The FO will have to make a decision to tag Brown or possibly Cousins (see below).

 

I don't mind giving up the 3rd round pick (more on that below), but I really HATE that we gave up Kendall Fuller.  Dude is a baller and eventual starter and replacement for Breelend at half Breeland's cost.

 

My understanding is we can STILL transition tag Cousins. If so, maybe the FO is thinking they can let him sign offer sheets, refuse and get draft picks back. 1st and 3rd? or a possible negotiated price of other picks since we've lost leverage by signing Smith long term and the other team knowing we won't match.  But with the transition tag, they'd still owe us something.

 

In order for Smith to succeed (just like Cousins), they need to address WR, RB and continue to build the defense.  Smith can succeed in this style of offense, but he needs a running game and not just him running.

 

 

 

Not terribly mad about this, but somewhat disappointed in the timing and Fuller.

 

 

I hate losing Fuller, really that's about it for me.  I mean, the overall per year average in salary could have been lower, but until all the specific details of his contract come out (March 14) I'll hold off on even discussing that, kinda pointless to.  We already knew we needed to fix the running game and that Fat Rob isn't cutting it and Perine wasn't either, however, I'd like to keep Perine around.  CT is too fragile to be an every down back and carry the load, but fantastic as a receiver out of the backfield.

 

So, if we can manage to get a stud RB and keep Brown and possibly Breeland, it would help.  I just hate losing a young stud who panned out to be the best slot corner in the league.  Time to get that jersey though....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bobandweave]

 

 

Welcome Welcome Welcome to Washington Alex!!!

 

I am very excited to see moves like adding you because it’s the right thing to do and shows the teams moving in the right direction. 

[bobisimo]

39 minutes ago, ThomasRoane said:

 

Smith had great running games and damn good defenses with SF and KC.  He has neither with the Redskins!  He also had dependable weapons in the passing game.  He loses Travis Kelce for a half and can't beat the Titans with a 21-3 lead at halftime!!!

 

You may be right. We'll see. But I'll add one more thought, from NFL.com's situational stats:

 

In the last 2 minutes of a half:
Alex Smith 66% completion, 5 TDs and 1 INTs.

Kirk Cousins 58% completion, 3 TDs and 2 INTs.

 

4th quarter when within 7:

Alex Smith 64%, 4 TDs and 2 INTs.

Kirk Cousins 63%, 2 TDs and 2 INTs.
 

Behind by 1-8 points:

Alex Smith 69%, 10 TDs and 1 INT.

Kirk Cousins 56%, 2 TDs and 6 INTs.

 

All "behind" situations:

Alex Smith 71%, 15 TDs and 2 INTs.

Kirk Cousins 61%, 8 TDs and 9 INTs.

 

Playing with any lead:

Alex Smith 67%, 9 TDs and 1 INTs.

Kirk Cousins 68%, 8 TDs and 3 INTs.

 

Stats never tell the whole story, they can be skewed to tell any story, but... Alex Smith's stats in these crunch situations show he's not merely along for the ride.

[gooseneck]

welcome MR. Smith. with the extra money, we sign brown, a guard, a receiver And draft Vea in the first, RB in second, db iin 4th, super bowl here we come.  We will sign fuller as a f.a. In about 3 years

[Burgold]

10 minutes ago, Dont Taze Me Bro said:

 

I hate losing Fuller, really that's about it for me.  I mean, the overall per year average in salary could have been lower, but until all the specific details of his contract come out (March 14) I'll hold off on even discussing that, kinda pointless to.  We already knew we needed to fix the running game and that Fat Rob isn't cutting it and Perine wasn't either, however, I'd like to keep Perine around.  CT is too fragile to be an every down back and carry the load, but fantastic as a receiver out of the backfield.

 

So, if we can manage to get a stud RB and keep Brown and possibly Breeland, it would help.  I just hate losing a young stud who panned out to be the best slot corner in the league.  Time to get that jersey though....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If we assume that Smith's cap hit this year is comparable to his 17m KC salary then we saved probably 11m over the minimum of what I think it would have taken to keep Cousins. I can't imagine that Cousins would return for less than the transition tag as a Redskin. I can imagine him signing elsewhere for less, but he and McCartney wanted a huge premium to re-sign.

 

11m extra may give us room to try to keep both Bree and Brown. Then again, it may not be enough.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Just now, Burgold said:

If we assume that Smith's cap hit this year is comparable to his 17m KC salary then we saved probably 11m over the minimum of what I think it would have taken to keep Cousins. I can't imagine that Cousins would return for less than the transition tag as a Redskin. I can imagine him signing elsewhere for less, but he and McCartney wanted a huge premium to re-sign.

 

11m extra may give us room to try to keep both Bree and Brown. Then again, it may not be enough.

 

If I have to pick one who to sign and let go, it's going to be Breeland to sign and Brown to go.  I hope it doesn't come to that though.

[ThomasRoane]

6 minutes ago, bobisimo said:

 

 Alex Smith's stats in these crunch situations show he's not merely along for the ride.

 

So Alex Smith is good when playing from behind?  He'd better be, because that will happen regularly with this team. 

[Burgold]

Just now, Dont Taze Me Bro said:

 

If I have to pick one who to sign and let go, it's going to be Breeland to sign and Brown to go.  I hope it doesn't come to that though.

Man... that's a tough call. Right now at lb, we have Foster who's a good blue collar guy, but limited and coming off injury and no one else really while at DB we have Norman and a bunch of potential. I think Dunbar has proven himself good enough to be a spot starter, but I still don't know if I trust him. Moreau and Holsey may be good, but who knows.

 

As I said, tough call.

[MahomesII]

4 minutes ago, ThomasRoane said:

 

So Alex Smith is good when playing from behind?  He'd better be, because that will happen regularly with this team. 

Chiefs fan here, not to be a debbie downer, but he generally doesnt play well from behind.  Not sure if it is a scheme thing from Andy Reid or Smith play though.

[dahibachi]

Sorry, I like Alex Smith and it’s not his fault what’s happening, but I’m not in the mood to welcome anyone. I hate everything about this deal. I did not want to lose Kirk cousins but if we had to lose him, I would have preferred not making this deal at all. It’s not that I believe in McCoy but where does smith put us? 7-9... 8-8 if we make all the right moves this offseason (which obviously is far from a guarantee). We traded a young talented CB and a third round pick for a limited 33 year old game manager and paid him what we should have given Cousins last year. It’s been 20 years of the same old dan Snyder crap... we aren’t even officially out of the 2017-18 season and I’m already down about the next season.

[bobisimo]

45 minutes ago, MahomesII said:

Chiefs fan here, not to be a debbie downer, but he generally doesnt play well from behind.  Not sure if it is a scheme thing from Andy Reid or Smith play though.

 

Could you be more specific? Because, as I posted above, the stats are impressive:

 

All "playing from behind" situations:

Alex Smith: 71% for completions, 15 TDs and 2 INTs.

 

Also, he has 19 4th-quarter comebacks, so far as I'm aware. Maybe that's not stellar, but it doesn't seem bad.

[Boss_Hogg]

Sorry Alex, you've reached the depths of NFL Hell with the Washington Redskins. 

 

We don't have any talent at the skill positions to help you succeed, our defense is trash, and the front office builds a team like a 12 year playing Madden. 

 

 

[88Comrade2000]

Those expecting an improvement in 2018 with Smith are deluding themselves.

 

The Skins still have a crappy front office.  Are they going to be able to address the major weaknesses on offense in one year?

I have no confidence in this team to surround Alex with players; so he can succeed. 

 

The Skins still have a mediocre head coach.  Even if Jay's offense is similar to what Andy did in KC, Alex will need a little time adjust

to Jay and the team we surround him with.

 

Alex has his own limitations. Can he overcome his own limitations and perform on a mediocre team?.  The Skins have to play both

South Divisions.  NFC South had 3 playoff teams.  The AFC South had 2 playoffs teams and it could be a 4 team dogfight if Indy and Houston bounce back.

We have Dallas and Philly in our own division to contend with and you know New York will be better.

 

That's alot to ask for in one year with this franchise.  Alex may eventually lead to us to a playoff birth or two but that's a tall order for 2018.

 

The team went all in for Alex because of desperation move by Bruce to attempt to win now, to save his job.  I thinking at best, maybe we go 8-8 but 6-10 seems more reaslitic for 2018 and the firing of Jay.

 

The best move for the franchise to move post Kirk was to play the season with Colt, build up other areas of the team and then find your long term QB in 2019. Yes, that would probably mean a double digit losing in 2018 but you would've gotten rid of a mediocre head coach and maybe Bruce.

 

Players don't come to the Redskins to succeed. Not under Snyder. Just to line their pockets. Alex will find that out after playing here one season, maybe even a half season. 

[FrFan]

8 minutes ago, Rdskns2000 said:

Players don't come to the Redskins to succeed. Not under Snyder. Just to line their pockets. Alex will find that out after playing here one season, maybe even a half season. 

He seems to be one of them : "The Browns did offer one of their second-round draft picks to Kansas City for quarterback Alex Smith, according to a league source. But the four-year, $94 million contract that Washington gave Smith, who will be 34 this season, was not something the Browns were willing to do"

[G-Love]

Alex " The Winner" Smith is a Bad Ass,  Professional , Starting NFL QB!  Who lead the entire NFL in QBR Last Season! 

I have followed and rooted for him his entire career and will now be following and rooting for him as a Redskin!

 

I understand how some of you may feel regarding Cousins, etc. But Smith is a HUGE Upgrade.

 

More to follow

 

[MahomesII]

4 minutes ago, G-Love said:

Alex " The Winner" Smith is a Bad Ass,  Professional , Starting NFL QB!  Who lead the entire NFL in QBR Last Season! 

I have followed and rooted for him his entire career and will now be following and rooting for him as a Redskin!

 

I understand how some of you may feel regarding Cousins, etc. But Smith is a HUGE Upgrade.

 

More to follow

 

I warned you guys

[Rocky52Mc]

25 minutes ago, bobisimo said:

 

Could you be more specific? Because, as I posted above, the stats are impressive:

 

All "playing from behind" situations:

Alex Smith: 71% for completions, 15 TDs and 2 INTs.

 

Also, he has 19 4th-quarter comebacks, so far as I'm aware. Maybe that's not stellar, but it doesn't seem bad.

 

He is abysmal in situations where the offense has a chance to take the lead either before halftime or before the end of the game. These stats are hard to pull but have been discussed extensively today and throughout his career from local experts in San Fran and Kansas City. This guy is purely a game manager and if you don't know that about him now, you're in for a rude awakening. 

 

Pro's - Doesn't commit many turnovers, helps run a balanced offense when handed a running game, short to intermediate passer. Executes game plans (first 15 plays) well, offensive leader, holds players accountable, finds the holes to run for yards.

 

Con's - Weak arm, doesn't see well downfield, doesn't take good opportunity risks, doesn't hit receivers well in stride, causes receivers to be prone for safety and linebacker collision, deep passes often require receiver short adjustments, his arm cannot win you a football game. Misses open receivers often once the play breaks down.

 

Here's why this trade doesn't work well for us; you're making the Redskins transition to do too many things that we're not capable of currently (running the ball). The Redskins are one of the worst running efficient teams in the NFL. Smith has had the running game behind him in all scenarios when he's been successful. Defenses play him close because his lack of deep threat ability, which means the backs have little to no space to work with. Kansas City was successful with this because their west coast offense featured so many shifty receivers and backs. Currently, Crowder and Thompson are the only players similar enough in physique that are instant givens for him. He abuses his tight ends frequently and often leaves them directly exposes to body and head shots (ask yourself how long Reed will last).

 

If the Redskins fail to stay healthy along the offensive line and don't upgrade at RB, we'll be in a lot of situations where Smith will run on 3rd and long for punt yards with people screaming to chuck it up.

[MahomesII]

29 minutes ago, bobisimo said:

 

Could you be more specific? Because, as I posted above, the stats are impressive:

 

All "playing from behind" situations:

Alex Smith: 71% for completions, 15 TDs and 2 INTs.

 

Also, he has 19 4th-quarter comebacks, so far as I'm aware. Maybe that's not stellar, but it doesn't seem bad.

 

It's the eye test.  You just have to watch him play to understand it.  The man will throw the ball 5 yards on 3 and 9, he doesn't keep his eyes down field, he tends to leave a clean pocket to often, feels phantom pressure on every snap. The stats on him look good, they really do, but what is his play off record?  What is his 3rd down percentage?  

[MahomesII]

I don't want to come off as a troll, he just isn't as good as the numbers show. 

[Rocky52Mc]

2 minutes ago, MahomesII said:

 

It's the eye test.  You just have to watch him play to understand it.  The man will throw the ball 5 yards on 3 and 9, he doesn't keep his eyes down field, he tends to leave a clean pocket to often, feels phantom pressure on every snap. The stats on him look good, they really do, but what is his play off record?  What is his 3rd down percentage?  

 

This is too true. What can't be said enough though is how his play style will not flow with Gruden. Smith has the weakest starting QB arm in the league, and that is not an exaggeration. 

 

If the Redskins wanted to pay a guy $24,000,000 a year, they could have saved some serious cash by approaching any of the Vikings FA QB's, Bortles, Tyrod Taylor, etc. but they chose to offload youth in exchange for an aging guy that just can't get it done.

 

Look at the simple math here, the Chiefs are a loaded team capable of winning a Superbowl and Alex Smith was the guy holding them back. That's all you have to know. Now he heads to Washington where we're not quite as talent or ready for that and we're riding with him. Talk about two franchises heading in different directions. 

[Rogue Jedi]

I like Alex Smith. I think he has a good skillset, doesn't throw picks, has intangibles such as leadership, and is a selfless guy.

 

Having said that, he basically traded better weapons (Hunt, Hill, Kelce) for a better O-Line. Only time will tell how that plays out, but I'm willing to give a chance to show what he can do here. 

 

It's losing Fuller what upsets me the most. He is a future stud with a rookie contract. I don't know why the FO thinks they can get by by getting rid of young cheap homegrown talent, because that's what turns teams into contenders. Real head scratcher there.

[MahomesII]

13 minutes ago, Rocky52Mc said:

 

This is too true. What can't be said enough though is how his play style will not flow with Gruden. Smith has the weakest starting QB arm in the league, and that is not an exaggeration. 

 

If the Redskins wanted to pay a guy $24,000,000 a year, they could have saved some serious cash by approaching any of the Vikings FA QB's, Bortles, Tyrod Taylor, etc. but they chose to offload youth in exchange for an aging guy that just can't get it done.

 

Look at the simple math here, the Chiefs are a loaded team capable of winning a Superbowl and Alex Smith was the guy holding them back. That's all you have to know. Now he heads to Washington where we're not quite as talent or ready for that and we're riding with him. Talk about two franchises heading in different directions. 

 

Smith is a short to intermediate thrower. He takes his initial read, if it's not there, he immediately looks to run or dump it off. He had the fastest release time last year because he didn't wait for the longer routes to develop and instead checked down to the RB for 2 yards.  So yes his completion percentage was off the charts. Shovel and screen and dump off passes inflate that number.