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Stepping Up In The Pocket ....

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Dec 21, 2009 at 3:43 PM
Originally posted by Joecool:
Originally posted by LeadFarmer:
I don't think smith realizes there is a left side of the field. Every time he gets pressure he roles right. And what happened to scrambling. He's a good runner yet he doesn't utilize that part of his game anymore.

He scrambles away from our best blocker and throws at their best DB.

LOL
Dec 21, 2009 at 3:48 PM
This is less of a problem than his unnecessary desire to roll out on a constant basis. The pocket usually collapses to where he cannot step up. However, I have seen him roll out on wayyy too many passes, uneccessarily, and then rush the pass when defenders were several yards from him. Can this be corrected with experience? For our sake, I hope so...
Dec 21, 2009 at 3:52 PM
Originally posted by LeadFarmer:
I don't think smith realizes there is a left side of the field. Every time he gets pressure he roles right. And what happened to scrambling. He's a good runner yet he doesn't utilize that part of his game anymore.

This is a great point.

This demonstrates beyond doubt, that Smith isn't thinking, "move away from pressure" but rather, "move away from pocket".

He sprints to the right consistently no matter where the pressure is coming from.

If he understood pressure, he would move around to different parts of the field, instead of always to one side.
Dec 21, 2009 at 4:08 PM
He tried once toward the end of the game and got creamed. Sometimes you can't step up in the pocket if there is none
Dec 21, 2009 at 4:15 PM
Originally posted by BrianGO:
Originally posted by WillistheWall:
He tried on that 4th and 7 and got sacked for it. QB can't step up in the pocket when there's no space to do so and it's falling apart.

I would say 30% of the time Smith has NO chance to step up and stay in the pocket.

But a LOT of the time he DOES have space to step up, he just doesn't know where or how to do it. He has never had the EXPERIENCE in college or anywhere that allowed him to develop pocket presence. He sprints out of the pocket, races to the sidelines and throws the ball out of bounds. About 30% of the time it is absolutely warranted. But most of the time it is not.

Smith plays better in the shotgun because he feels less PRESSURE and has more SPACE. But when the pocket closes around him he gives up on the play too easily.

Teams with poor quarterbacking ALWAYS blame the O-line, but good quarterbacks CONSISTENTLY bail out and hide the fact that their lineman get beat.

The best quarterback (IMO), is Tom Brady. If he had a DB blitzing at him free from the left, he wouldn't try and sprint to the sideline directly away from the DB, instead he would play AGAINST THE GRAIN and step forward and let the DB run right past him, all the while looking down field to make a play. Most likely he WOULD make a play, or at WORST throw a purposely incomplete pass at someone's feet. He would NOT sprint out of the pocket and try to outrace an NFL DB.
All of this comes from two things, raw DESIRE and CONFIDENCE.

Its almost like he has a HATRED of being sacked or not completing a pass, and Brady gets genuinely ANGRY with his players at times. THAT is what it takes to be a great quarterback in the NFL.
Brady is the ideal example, but other good quarterbacks are similar. Alex Smith has a long way to go before he gets there. Has Smith EVER gotten openly angry at another player on the field of play?

Two things show the signs of a solidified group of individuals, humor and anger. A friend you can laugh and get angry with, is probably a close friend. I don't see much of either from Smith, or several other players we have.

Its not just about a strong arm with accuracy, or even who you decide to throw to, its so much more.

Since Smith has been injuried for two years we only have the last 8 games. I figure he didn't want to be a dick in his first few and felt like he couldn't say much until he got the respect of the team. Yesterday you could tell me was pissed.
Dec 21, 2009 at 5:56 PM
  • tn9er
  • Veteran
  • Posts: 4,893
Originally posted by PA9erFaithful:
Why does he not step up in the pocket? Because our guards are constantly giving up pressure up the middle.

guards, tackles and center excell in the whiff.

at least HWY77 could run block..
Dec 21, 2009 at 5:58 PM
Originally posted by Joecool:
Originally posted by WillistheWall:
He tried on that 4th and 7 and got sacked for it. QB can't step up in the pocket when there's no space to do so and it's falling apart.

Actually, on that one, there was space. His problem was that he kept moving forward after avoiding the edge rusher. All he had to do on that play was take on step up and then move over instead, he kept moving towards the LOS. He needs to learn that the edge rusher is coming so fast that all he needs to do is dodge him and reset. Smith, for some reason, keeps moving in the direction he starts in similar to his scrambling towards the sidelines.

haha, you say that as if he's walking down a street.
Dec 21, 2009 at 5:58 PM
Originally posted by LeadFarmer:
I don't think smith realizes there is a left side of the field. Every time he gets pressure he roles right. And what happened to scrambling. He's a good runner yet he doesn't utilize that part of his game anymore.

he is probably afraid to get injured again..
Dec 21, 2009 at 6:04 PM
  • tn9er
  • Veteran
  • Posts: 4,893
Originally posted by NinerGM:
I'm straddling the fence here. I don't know. Alex looked lost yesterday. It just seemed like he didn't know what was going on out there - what the defense was doing. When that happens, he gets that deer-in-the-headlights look. That's what I saw yesterday.

You're never going to have the perfect situation ever, and teams that do are able to get to the big dance. I absolutely think the OL is just horrible and I attribute one turnover to poor pass protection. However the throw to Davis was overthrown - clearly. Yes Davis could have helped, but the ball was overthrown.

Smith confuses me sometimes and seems like he doesn't understand the difference between trying to "make" a play and "smart" play. He'll tend to lock-on to one target and look all the way giving the safety enough time to get over. Smith rarely looks off the coverage at the snap of the ball and immediately come over to his quick read. Oftentimes he'll just float to the check down.

He's still pretty raw to me and still hasn't learned this part of the game. I'm wondering if he's getting proper coaching again because in this day and age, you can't constantly throw against defenses without looking off coverage. I really believe this is why our WRs don't "appear" open.

I'm a Smith supporter and don't think he "sucks" I just think he needs a QB camp where he's taught how to move secondary players with his body language (ala Brees and Young).

Thoughts.

remember, Alex was still hurt through out training camp. He needs a full off season with the REAL QB coach that we have now at he will correct alot of those things.

As for the game against the Eagles, I started looking to see if the receivers were recognizing the blitzes and giving Alex a quick target but they didn't. They just seemed to take off on their designed routes which forced him to run away from the pressure [always to alex's right and there was no receiver].
Dec 21, 2009 at 6:14 PM
Originally posted by PA9erFaithful:
Why does he not step up in the pocket? Because our guards are constantly giving up pressure up the middle.

Joecool, apparently, missed the commentators on the broadcast who mentioned the unblocked blitzers running straight up the middle. On multiple occasions, Moose said one of the O-linemen should have blocked a different blitzer on the inside, and that would give time to Gore to block the outside blitzers.

Dec 21, 2009 at 6:18 PM
Originally posted by ttime1:
Originally posted by Joecool:
Originally posted by LeadFarmer:
I don't think smith realizes there is a left side of the field. Every time he gets pressure he roles right. And what happened to scrambling. He's a good runner yet he doesn't utilize that part of his game anymore.

He scrambles away from our best blocker and throws at their best DB.

LOL

why is that funny?
Dec 21, 2009 at 6:34 PM
Originally posted by WillistheWall:
He tried on that 4th and 7 and got sacked for it. QB can't step up in the pocket when there's no space to do so and it's falling apart.

Seriously. The few times he's tried he was knocked over by the back of one of the Oline that was getting pushed back a yard every half second.
Dec 21, 2009 at 6:38 PM
Originally posted by NinerGM:
You're never going to have the perfect situation ever, and teams that do are able to get to the big dance. I absolutely think the OL is just horrible and I attribute one turnover to poor pass protection. However the throw to Davis was overthrown - clearly. Yes Davis could have helped, but the ball was overthrown.

You obviously aren't watching the game very closely. It was underthrown (by about a foot). Davis didn't even see it until it was too late and he would have had to come back for the ball (which he is horrible at). If it were overthrown no one would have caught it and Davis obviously would have seen it because it would have fell in front of him, not right behind him.

And with all that, a great receiver goes and gets that ball or at least makes sure no one else does.
Dec 21, 2009 at 6:59 PM
because when he steps up in the pocket he is just stepping into a defender. Have you not noticed Baas's and Rachal's ability to block?
Dec 21, 2009 at 7:04 PM
Start asking this question if it's still happening when there is a pocket to step up into.
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