Chain Issues For Roller Coaster Ryan Smith
August 27th, 2017
Major highs and lows
Joe really needed two separate bottles of antacid during preseason games: one for the Bucs’ red zone offense and the other for the Ryan Smith Experience.
The latter is not quite in Roberto Aguayo territory, but it’s very close.
The second-year cornerback is a talented train wreck. Just when you think he’s shown he has no business playing on an NFL first unit, he comes back with a strong play.
You should see Joe’s notes from last night’s first half. Complete in front of Smith. Smith beaten for a first down. Smith beaten, pass incomplete. Smith injured and slow to get up.
But the dude is like a good boxer coming off the ropes. Smith responded and made some plays and near plays, and then back to Joe’s notes with Smith. As he’s done through practice and the preseason, Smith was spotted way off receivers on the sidelines giving up easy completions, aka Alterraun Verner disease.
Koetter acknowledged the roller coaster at One Buc Palace today.
“He just needs a little bit more awareness of where the chains are.” Koetter on cornerback Ryan Smith. “Inexperience is the main thing.”
“Little too far off” receivers, Koetter added.
Joe believes the Bucs like Smith and respect his maturation, but the regular season is basically here. Is Tampa Bay really going to let Smith be the backup outside cornerback when it counts? That’s downright scary.
Joe gets that players need a shot and must develop. But man, expectations are awfully high this season for an unproven, fourth-round pick to get tossed in the fire against the beastly receivers of the NFL.
August 27th, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Ryan will be fine. Keep your eye on this year’s first drafted CB. He will be looking silly on more than one occasion bro. Dudes need reps,it helps them perfect they’re craft.
August 27th, 2017 at 3:34 pm
Who was this shut CB that played in the NFL the minute he step onto a NFL football field. Who was this guy???
August 27th, 2017 at 3:35 pm
Smith is terrible should be cut or if the Bucs can put him on the Practice Squad
August 27th, 2017 at 3:36 pm
When did the standard for rookies playing for Tampa get so high. To mt knowledge we’ve been bottom feeders for quite some time. Won’t be that for a long time yea but yal got me scratching my head.
August 27th, 2017 at 3:38 pm
If he had held onto that pick last night you’d be here saying he on his way today. Pssss.
August 27th, 2017 at 4:46 pm
Apparently guys like Josh Norman, a 5th rounder that took 3 years to develop just aren’t worth it to JoeBuc…Ryan Smith is getting his first action at the NFL level and we are ready to kick him to the curb?
Where did anyone write kick him to the curb?–Joe
August 27th, 2017 at 4:55 pm
Ryan Smith has been terrible – based on his tape I see no way he doesn’t make it through the waiver wire. He might be an OK corner in a few years but I’m not sure how long you wait for that to happen – he absolutely can not play when it matters or he’s going to single handedly lose games for the Bucs. Rod “The Toast” Jones in the 80s was a first round pick, he showed talent at times, the Bucs keep him around because he flashed some talent and because of the 1st round label – and the entire time he was here he was awful about 98% of the time. Ryan Smith is The Toast level bad out there – if not worse. He was terrible in the Bengals game, he was even worse last night and he had a quiet OK night versus Jacksonville. That’s not a good 3 game strech. I think you can safely cut him and get him back on the practice squad – but I’m not sure you can waste a roster spot on a guy that won’t play this year (since he’s also not a good kick returner).
August 27th, 2017 at 5:16 pm
He’s and excellent gunner on special teams.. keep him around and let him develop but don’t play him much especially against Saints panthers and falcons
August 27th, 2017 at 5:50 pm
It sucks and he is struggling but he’s someone that needs one or two more years and he will be a strong starter. If we give up on him he will be another one of those that shines elsewhere bc we didn’t give him a chance to mature and develops
August 27th, 2017 at 6:04 pm
Rod Munch you can’t be serious, can you not see the potential Ryan Smith has. I saw some good and some bad but he’s still learning. He will make the team, they are high on him.
August 27th, 2017 at 6:28 pm
Smith broke back on that one out route as hard as any corner we’ve had since Donnie Abraham. That’s all I need to see.
August 27th, 2017 at 6:57 pm
For a rookie- Smith looks good.
He looks better than Heagraves did, last preseason.
I’d be alot less worried about a talented rookie, who is learning his job,
Than I would be about all of our DEs- who know their job, but cant do it.
Thats what will get us sent home in round one of the playoffs.
August 27th, 2017 at 6:58 pm
Don’t waste your time with rod muncher dude is beyond cluekess
August 27th, 2017 at 6:58 pm
Hargreaves*. Damn phone
August 27th, 2017 at 7:22 pm
kid played good last nite… the browns made some incredible throws & catches against both corners… wasn’t like he was totally beaten or out of position… sometimes you just have to give the other team credit
August 27th, 2017 at 7:27 pm
Fairly certain I read an article on here about a month ago that corner was one of the few strengths of this team. No pass rush and weak corner depth? Licht should have seen that coming a mile away.
It was in late July.
https://www.joebucsfan.com/2017/07/strength-bucs-try-corner/
August 27th, 2017 at 8:26 pm
Who is more of a waste of a spot Smith or Fitzpatrick?
August 27th, 2017 at 8:46 pm
He has been up & down maddening but who else we got? Javien Elliot has, in my opinion, been a nightmare! Only other CB I’d even consider backup material would be McClain. Defensive depth is thin but CB is downright “IT” scary!
August 27th, 2017 at 10:25 pm
LOL! People saying Smith played well last night – I’m not sure they’ve ever watched a football game. The kid was getting turned around, playing too far off, he dropped an easy INT and he didn’t even have his head up for another easy INT that would have been a TD. He was the very definition of the word awful last night.
Also just a reminder, he’s not a rookie. He’s a 2nd year player. Yes I get they moved him from corner to safety then back to corner, but that doesn’t make him a “rookie”. Additionally as Rex Ryan said in the Jags practice, going from safety to corner is easy – it’s going the other way around that is a big step.
Look I wish the kid a ton of luck, the Bucs shockingly did not address corner depth in the offseason and they’re counting on Smith – but I don’t see it at all. In a regular season game against good QBs he’s going to be picked apart. Remember that 2003 Bucs defense was rolling, right where they left off in 2002, then starter Brian Kelly got hurt, the backup corner was terrible – it happened on MNF in that Dungy return game (where Dungy completely outclassed Gruden) and Peyton saw it and over and over and over again just threw where Kelly would have been and brought them back. One position of weakness that is that bad can destroy even an all-time great defense. Ryan Smith is WORSE than our backup corners in 2003. Him and Conte gave up big play after big play – you take those away and the Bucs pitch an easy shutout. The defense last night as OK, as you’d expect playing a rookie QB, but Ryan Smith was awful and Conte was only a few steps behind him on the awful scale.
August 28th, 2017 at 5:42 am
@joe
Please lay off this dude.
He is lightnigh quick and hardworking.
He needs time to develop.
Ronde didnt start for 2-3 years.
Please support him.
He’s a Buc!
August 28th, 2017 at 11:00 am
Rod
– nice tirade. But if you spend a year practicing a different position, and never play ONE SINGLE PLAY!
Yeah- you are a rookie.
Hes gonna be fine. Everyone was freaking out over Hargreaves.
We do need experienced back up, but another talented young CB on the roster is a good thing