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Football Outsiders: Key To Alex Smith’s Success In Washington Will Center On Curl Routes

we should do things he likes for sure

skinsdad62 said:

Football Outsiders: Key To Alex Smith’s Success In Washington Will Center On Curl Routes

we should do things he likes for sure

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We should play to his strengths. You should always play to a QBs strengths. Jay did a lot of things that Cousin's liked. Of course Jay bitched that Cousin's didn't do all the things Jay wanted him to do and that could well happen with Smith.

Many said he threw a lot of shorter routes (CDC) and this article supports that. Cousin's threw a lot of out routes and a lot of slants, dig routes, crossing route in the 10 -15 yards as well as check downs. Every QB has their strengths. We will have to wait and see how it works out for Alex. I know for sure he did not throw a pass over 10 yards last Thursday but that was a small sample size and shouldn't be an indicator of what he will be.

Sportster 72 said:

We should play to his strengths. You should always play to a QBs strengths. Jay did a lot of things that Cousin's liked. Of course Jay bitched that Cousin's didn't do all the things Jay wanted him to do and that could well happen with Smith.

Many said he threw a lot of shorter routes (CDC) and this article supports that. Cousin's threw a lot of out routes and a lot of slants, dig routes, crossing route in the 10 -15 yards as well as check downs. Every QB has their strengths. We will have to wait and see how it works out for Alex. I know for sure he did not throw a pass over 10 yards last Thursday but that was a small sample size and shouldn't be an indicator of what he will be.

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I will add that every time Kirk threw that long out, I held my breath!

skinz2winz said:

I will add that every time Kirk threw that long out, I held my breath!

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You may have but he threw it pretty well. I think his best pass was the intermediate routes between the hashes. Only QB to throw for 13,000 yards, 25TDs and 90+ QB rating between 2015 and 2017. Smith will throw less picks but he doesn't throw the ball down field. As long as you are making 1st downs that is fine.

Just to add a bit more most of Cousin's picks came against zone when he didn't see the safety coming from the opposite side that the pass was going in.

I believe it's time to dispel the whole CDC charge. I know that it's a 2013 statistical analysis, but you'll get the idea, considering most of the OC's and HC's and QB's are still in the league operating as such. Take note of where most passes are thrown.


Pass Atlas: A Map of Where NFL Quarterbacks Throw the Ball
grantland.com/the-triangle/...of-where-nfl-quarterbacks-throw-the-ball

I did not say CDC, I commented on the article. The site you showed it the basic west coast offense. Which Gruden runs a form of. Now I will say that more than a few bitched about Cousin's not throwing the ball down field the past three years.

Sportster 72 said:

I did not say CDC, I commented on the article. The site you showed it the basic west coast offense. Which Gruden runs a form of. Now I will say that more than a few bitched about Cousin's not throwing the ball down field the past three years.

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Then the message was not designed for you!

What you cannot deny is that handle being thrown out in reference to Alex Smith. BTW: The article incorporated every NFL pass thrown in the league. There is no differentiation regarding which offensive system generated them.

Stymietee said:

Then the message was not designed for you!

What you cannot deny is that handle being thrown out in reference to Alex Smith. BTW: The article incorporated every NFL pass thrown in the league. There is no differentiation regarding which offensive system generated them.

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True it was not designed for me but I felt a need to reply. Clearly (ehb has my back on this one, I think LOL) the short pass which was a staple of the West Coast offense has replaced handing the ball off in many cases.

I cannot deny that reference has been used for Alex Smith and his yards per attempt and yards per catch back that up for the most part. As I pointed out many here said the same about Cousin's, especially in his first year. We will see how the year plays out this year to see if Alex is CDC or just running the WC offense well. I don't care much how far the ball travels in the air. What matters is the end result of the play and that is what the WC offense was designed to do. Shorter, accurate passes designed to create running room for the offense.

dad and a few others pointed out that many here are already supporting Smith in areas where some have said may he isn't so good as compared to how they did not support the previous QB. Just an observation.

Alex Smith is known as CDC because that is what he historically is. He throws to the RB, a true check down, more than anybody we have seen. He throws the check down because he is afraid to throw to open WRs because they are not open enough.

i have used CDC quite a bit and for good reason . alex smith rep has been to take the checkdown particularly when it came up short on 3rd down rather then pass the ball to the marker

last season he went more away from that and hopefully he will continue that trend

Sportster 72 said:

You may have but he threw it pretty well. I think his best pass was the intermediate routes between the hashes. Only QB to throw for 13,000 yards, 25TDs and 90+ QB rating between 2015 and 2017. Smith will throw less picks but he doesn't throw the ball down field. As long as you are making 1st downs that is fine.

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Um, his long outs were terrifying but yeah, he was very effective between the 20's.

Sportster 72 said:

We should play to his strengths. You should always play to a QBs strengths. Jay did a lot of things that Cousin's liked. Of course Jay bitched that Cousin's didn't do all the things Jay wanted him to do and that could well happen with Smith.

Many said he threw a lot of shorter routes (CDC) and this article supports that. Cousin's threw a lot of out routes and a lot of slants, dig routes, crossing route in the 10 -15 yards as well as check downs. Every QB has their strengths. We will have to wait and see how it works out for Alex. I know for sure he did not throw a pass over 10 yards last Thursday but that was a small sample size and shouldn't be an indicator of what he will be.

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I've said from the beginning that Smith can do well in DC. He's a very underrated scrambler and runner.

It's not just the curls and sech that he can hit. He also excels at throwing the quick check down to RBs if the LBs are back--it's not a bad thing, essentially a 4-5 yard running play. When the Lbs creep back up, he hits the TE on the shallow cross or the seam route up the middle for a big gain. That was THE play combination for he and V.Davis in Davis's best years in San Fran. The Skins have the right personnel for that to work well for Smith again.

His drawbacks, like @gkekoa have said, is his caution. He'll throw fewer picks than Cousins--significantly fewer--but he's reluctant to throw on the outside if the WR isn't "open enough." In the NFCCG, Smith has D.Walker open on a wheel route up the sideline that is a likely TD early in the 2nd half (super close game, could've been a game-winner), but Smith doesn't throw the ball. Against the same opponent the next year in the divisional round, the CBs are playing lots of man/man and are mauling the Niner WRs and Smith won't throw it up grabs to see if the WR can make a play. Despite the seasons he had, he got replaced the next season.

I'll grant that after several years in KC, the guy broke out of his usual mold last year in KC. Is that an aberration or the beginning of a new, more gunslinger Alex Smith?

skinz2winz said:

Um, his long outs were terrifying but yeah, he was very effective between the 20's.

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Much like the Redskins were last week in a 5 FG game.

Sportster 72 said:

Much like the Redskins were last week in a 5 FG game.

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Yep, in a preseason game.

skinz2winz said:

Yep, in a preseason game.

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So the idea of a preseason game is to not score TDs. Now I understand.

Sportster 72 said:

So the idea of a preseason game is to not score TDs. Now I understand.

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No, the idea of the last preseason game was to get McCoy some work. He did well enough for me to continue liking him as our backup QB.

we still seem to have a red zone issue . fortunately preseason is where you can work that out

I would have liked to see Smith play a quarter last game and a half this coming Friday.

Sportster 72 said:

I would have liked to see Smith play a quarter last game and a half this coming Friday.

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i would too but they wont play him the last game