The Curious Case Of Jason Smith

by Ryan Van Bibber on Feb 17, 2012 12:07 PM CST in 2012 NFL offseason

Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network has a look at some of the offseason's potential cap casualties. One familiar name for TST regulars is St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Jason Smith, who is due some $10 million in 2012. LaCanfora cites a league source who says that Smith will not return to the Rams at his current rate.

That jives with a report from Pro Football Talk in January that said the Rams would cut Smith if he was unwilling to restructure his deal.

Clearly the Rams have to do something with Smith and his contract. After three seasons and three concussions, his play is no better than it was when he first put on a Rams uniform.

In 331 snaps last season, Smith allowed two sacks, two hits and 11 pressures. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall rating of -6.2 and a woeful -3.2 in pass protection along with a -1.5 in run blocking. He was even worse in 2010 with 1,060 snaps and an overall rating of -16.7 along with ratings of -7.6 as a pass blocker and -6.6 in the running game.

There are two different reports as to just how much it would save the Rams if they cut Smith. The January report from PFT said that cutting him would save the Rams $9 million against this year's cap. A report today from Howard Balzer at ESPN 101 says that cutting Smith would leave them on the hook for far more against the cap.

Whatever the cost, the Rams probably need to move on from Smith entirely, avoiding the franchise killing mistake of giving top draft picks more chances than they have earned. Even with an incentive-laden deal, Smith seems unlikely to be more than a league average blocker. His contract, even renegotiated, would still pay him better than another league average blocker and eating up more cap space than necessary.

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Bye

He needs to go…I’ve never liked this guy even when we drafted him…I hope he leaves

@JBarznas

by RamTX on Feb 17, 2012 12:12 PM CST via mobile reply actions

cut him

he sucks

by joemammaz on Feb 17, 2012 12:14 PM CST reply actions

Smith....

Alex Barron 2.0 What did the scouts see in Smith at Baylor that made them think he was the number 2 pick in 2009?

by Ricksome on Feb 17, 2012 12:16 PM CST reply actions

they seen

the great four pillars duhhhhhhhh

by Paparro8 on Feb 17, 2012 12:24 PM CST up reply actions

I never liked the pick from day one a converted tight end give me a brake so many real LT out there and Devaney picks a TE shows what a dick he was

by Rammon105 on Feb 17, 2012 2:08 PM CST up reply actions

I just looked back at the 2009 Draft to see who the Rams could've ended up with instead of Smith.

And honestly, that was a terrible draft to have a top-ten pick in. Raji and Stafford are the only ones living up to their potential.

by EthanN on Feb 17, 2012 12:19 PM CST reply actions

To further expand upon this: there is one Pro-Bowl appearance amongst the top-twelve picks.

by EthanN on Feb 17, 2012 12:22 PM CST up reply actions

one pro bowl out of ten players does not mean they were no good players some rookies dont start and others get injured

by Rammon105 on Feb 17, 2012 2:18 PM CST up reply actions

I'm not using the lack of Pro Bowls as my biggest point of the lack of talent. If you break it down pick by pick, most of the top half of the 2009 draft haven't lived up to expectations.

1st – Stafford. Turning into a very good quarterback
2nd – Jason Smith. Terrible.
3rd – Tyson Jackson. Brought in to be a premiere defensive end, he has just 2 sacks in 44 games.
4th – Aaron Curry. Already out of Seattle.
5th – Mark Sanchez. Incredibly underwhelming and hasn’t lived up to his contract at all.
6th – Andre Smith. Was a holdout until the last week of preseason his rookie year. Has only started 19 games in 3 years.
7th – Darrius Heyward-Bey. Began coming on last season and still has a chance to be a solid pick, as long he doesn’t regress to the Heyward-Bey of his miserable first two seasons.

It goes on, with the exception of Raji, Orakpo, Cushing, and Jenkins.

by EthanN on Feb 17, 2012 2:31 PM CST up reply actions

Curry and Bey have the best shots at turning it around out of that list.

by Da Rams! on Feb 17, 2012 2:34 PM CST up reply actions

Oher was the best OT

I wanted Oher. He is still out there starting. Ravens got the best OT available in what was to be a deep OT draft. Raji would have been the DT we are missing today. others of note: Cushing LB Hou, Maclin wr, Clay Mathews lb. I hate Devaney!!!

RAMS RULE!

by fearsomefoursum on Feb 17, 2012 2:46 PM CST up reply actions

I wanted Loadholt in the 2nd round.

But we never would have drafted Animal Jr.

by Da Rams! on Feb 17, 2012 2:59 PM CST up reply actions

What a Beast

and he has started every game!

RAMS RULE!

by fearsomefoursum on Feb 17, 2012 3:47 PM CST up reply actions

That was a pretty bad draft.

One of our favorite hobbies at Arrowhead Pride is to whine about how Pioli botched that draft, when in reality there just wasn’t very many good players.

by wustl_chiefs_fan on Feb 17, 2012 12:45 PM CST up reply actions

See ya....

Don’t let the door CONCUSS you on the way out!!!!!

by Rcoon1307 on Feb 17, 2012 12:30 PM CST via mobile reply actions 1 recs

hahaha good one

by Rammon105 on Feb 17, 2012 2:19 PM CST up reply actions

Wow...Reality check - looks like we should keep our top FA signing dreams in a drawer till next year?

Make sure to go to the link to Howard Balzer’s report on the 2012 cap situation.
http://101sports.com/category/hbalzer-blogs/20120217/Try-the-Rams%27-Cap-on-for-Size/
Seems like we won’t gain much by releasing the overpaid underachievers… ughh

Thanks for the info Ryan!

by RadicalRamsFan on Feb 17, 2012 12:45 PM CST reply actions

I bet he lost

Quinn took him to school in that drill more than sure..

@JBarznas

by RamTX on Feb 17, 2012 12:49 PM CST via mobile reply actions

thats not quinn

thats victor adeyanju .. i remeber this pic back then when this was jason smith during training camp.. i heard he had a lazy issue somewhat like brandon gibson

by Ramfest on Feb 17, 2012 5:40 PM CST up reply actions

"cutting Smith would leave them on the hook for far more against the cap."

uhm, how much is far more? Another Million? 5 Million? ~~The key to St. Louis?~~ oops, wrong sport.

Haikus are easy,
but sometimes they don't make sense.
Refrigerator.

Follow @Sergey_Konyshev

by sergey606 on Feb 17, 2012 1:04 PM CST reply actions

Kalil will do his part and yours jason

Dnt worry about us

by Ram_Redemption on Feb 17, 2012 1:41 PM CST via mobile reply actions

Get The scissors out and cut his ass!! He suqs harder than a brand new vacum.

by kevio3000 on Feb 17, 2012 2:04 PM CST via Android app reply actions

I was so disappointed when they drafted him. The #2 overall pick wasted...

on converted TE turned left tackle. He was way too raw to be drafted that high. I know that the entire 1st round sucked minus a small handfull of players, but his selection that high was a major head scratcher. I still thought we should have drafted Glenn Dorsey. He’s languishing as a Chief in their 3-4 defense, but I think he would have played worlds better for the Rams as a 4-3 DE. What a waste!

by Da Rams! on Feb 17, 2012 2:14 PM CST reply actions

yes sir

by Rammon105 on Feb 17, 2012 2:20 PM CST up reply actions

He was an All American.

There were plenty of “experts” who hailed him as a top 5 pick. Even a possible #1 overall pick. The guy has massively under-performed and can be classified as a stereotypical “bust”. At the time, however, he looked like a great replacement for Orlando Pace, and that wasn’t just Rams nation looking through rose-colored glasses. Alex Barron, by that point, was already proving to be

I’ve been overly critical of the previous drafts, and rightly so. But the Smith pick wasn’t a head scratcher at the time. The team needed an OT, and Smith appeared to be the answer. Oher, despite a Sandra Bullock movie made about his story (and a great story at that), has not exactly been the second coming of Jonathan Ogden. Eugene Monroe hasn’t fared much better.

"Fac Fortia et Patere"

by FailureDrill on Feb 17, 2012 2:27 PM CST up reply actions

Oops.

Alex Barron, by that point, was already proving to be a disaster.

"Fac Fortia et Patere"

by FailureDrill on Feb 17, 2012 2:28 PM CST up reply actions

I still hated this selection. I knew he was gonna be a project and not worth his draft value. But he turned out to be worse.

Not Barron worse, but he was still worse than even I projected.

by Da Rams! on Feb 17, 2012 2:49 PM CST up reply actions

I'm with you, hindsight being what it is and all.

The only value Smith brings to my eyes is that of a cautionary tale. He had all the makings of “Can’t Miss!”, yet when you really look at it there were red flags.

- All American tackle at Baylor: poor competition, both in conference play as well as national competition.
- Stellar combine: He can run a fast 40 and rep a bunch of weight. Great?
- “Killer instinct” his final college year: This now appeared to be “Better look good so I can get my money” instinct.

I can honestly say I’m a more cynical football fan now because of Jason Smith.

"Fac Fortia et Patere"

by FailureDrill on Feb 17, 2012 3:07 PM CST up reply actions

Oh, almost forgot about Andre Smith.

His career to this point can best be described as “train wreck”.

"Fac Fortia et Patere"

by FailureDrill on Feb 17, 2012 2:33 PM CST up reply actions

Van was thrilled when we got J.S. hahaha

by Rammon105 on Feb 17, 2012 2:14 PM CST reply actions

Does anyone think there is a chance that Jason Smith could be better than he’s ever been next year? Obviously he hasn’t performed any where close to what was expected. Maybe he could be moved to guard or center? Maybe, I don’t know? We are going to either salvage what’s left of his contract and make something out of him or we will take a salary cap penalty. Take your pick. If we get rid of him then that’s one more roster spot to fill on a roster that needs everything but the kitchen sink. So maybe this new coaching staff will be able to coach him up and if he stays healthy then there you go. But for the record I’m not addvocating for keeping him and I definatly wouldn’t take my chances at keeping him at RT next year. Those were just some thoughts to ponder.

by TRexRam on Feb 17, 2012 2:14 PM CST reply actions

thats a good point im sure we all hoped he would work out at least at Guard but im sure Fisher will take care of business lol

by Rammon105 on Feb 17, 2012 2:22 PM CST up reply actions

I say restructure his contract and target a LT in the 2nd round of the draft.

Give him one last chance to turn it around. The Rams need Blackmon. Hopefully they can trade down and grab Reiff. Kalil offers the team a good tackle, but theres way too many leaks to patch up on this team to devote all the plaster on one spot. They need to be smart about how they handle this situation. Everyone wants to lob Smith’s head off, but is it the right time yet? Next season could be the opportunity to season Smith’s replacement w/o having that person being thrown in the pool to sink or swim.

by Da Rams! on Feb 17, 2012 2:25 PM CST up reply actions

I think another reason why the Rams scouting department didn’t scout Smith proplerly is the fact that he played is a some what soft college offense at Baylor. Correct me if I’m wrong. Also, when it comes to Kalil and Reiff. There are two fellas coming out of a smash mouth offense and are both battle tested unlike Smith was coming out of college.

by TRexRam on Feb 17, 2012 2:31 PM CST up reply actions

You're a Longhorn, aren't you?

by Da Rams! on Feb 17, 2012 2:36 PM CST up reply actions

No actually I’m an Illni fan. But I did say correct me if I’m worng? Do you think what I said was foolish? About calling Baylor’s offense at the time, “soft”.

by TRexRam on Feb 17, 2012 2:38 PM CST up reply actions

Nah. Just wondering. I thought there might have been in-conference trash talking going there.

I wasn’t too familiar with Baylor’s offense. I know the team was fodder for the entire Big 12 around that time. So the best tackle on a suck-hole team can’t really be measured that well sometimes. I just don’t understand how someone so highly regarded can peter-out so meekly at the next level.

by Da Rams! on Feb 17, 2012 2:45 PM CST up reply actions

I say soft becasue I consider spead option and shotgun offenses softer to play. I view I formation and under center formations to require more physicallity. Instead of pass blocking for a shorter window of time.

by TRexRam on Feb 17, 2012 2:41 PM CST up reply actions

Good logic.

And I definitely wanted the Rams to target Phil Loadholt in the 2nd round in that draft instead of Animal Jr., but its funny how things work out in the end.

You gotta be careful though with judging lineman to be soft based off of the offense they play under. Loadholt is doing well in Minnesota and the Sooners played the spread as well.

by Da Rams! on Feb 17, 2012 2:58 PM CST up reply actions

I think..on the offensive side of the ball

all The Rams have been victim of poor coaching. Spags seemed to have brought in coaches with less experience than himself. Where as a good HC would bring in coaches with as much experience as can get. Like Fisher seems to be doing. And I really don’t like Fisher but he knows what he’s doing.

"SJAX" - The extra strength cleaner that fights off that Stubborn, Stingy Defense

by moy on Feb 17, 2012 10:44 PM CST up reply actions

any player like Smith that we keep has to play up to Fishers standard if not he will be gone before you can say what happened to him

This is not Spagnolos team any longer this will be a very serious disciplined smash mouth football team and there is no room for Smiths its shape up or ship out

by Rammon105 on Feb 17, 2012 2:29 PM CST reply actions

Yeyyy!!

Make it So Fisher!
NO more weak ass B.S. football!!

by RadicalRamsFan on Feb 17, 2012 3:50 PM CST up reply actions

Too much of a downside to risk keeping him.

I’d say the repeated issues with concussions is reason enough to cut him.

We’d be far better off paying an average guy that can stay on the field a fraction of what his contract was… even if we take a large cap hit.

I feel better at seeing how crappy his draft class was. It’s a crime to have to suffer through a lousy season only to be rewarded by overpaying a crappy player. Thank god the new system has put a stop to those outrageous contracts for rookies.

by Sggladden on Feb 17, 2012 3:40 PM CST reply actions

+1, +1, +1, and +1

It seems most concerned folks don’t realize how much time this guy has missed due to the concussions. One more inevitable serious one and his career is/should be done… from his p.o.v., as well as those of the FO, Coaching staff, and even the league eventually.

Minus the missed injury time, and managing through related issues while on the field, he probably develops into a player that is more appreciated than complained about. Right?

by RadicalRamsFan on Feb 17, 2012 4:01 PM CST up reply actions