Originally posted by TDilvr:
He does throw with a lot of velocity on short to medium throws which causes the ball to bounce harder off of a helmet, hand, shoulder pad etc. giving it more air time for a defender to get to the ball.
I think he's getting better at not putting so much mustard on his shorter throws but it kinda goes in line with the fact that when he 1st came into the league at age 20 he was trying too hard to impress.
Too bad he wasn't afforded clipboard duty for a couple of years behind a solid QB. Oh well. It is what it is and thankfully it seems that he's finally getting it.
I think it has to do with the fact that he is a doofus who does not know how to throw a touch pass after six years in the NFL. Even college QBs like Andrew Luck know how to take something off the ball and still be accurate. Smith is not a playmaker, let's face it. He allows opponents to make plays.
Inaccurate passes to wide open receivers are way more common than with top QBs. Don't point to the occasional inaccurate passes from the top QBs as evidence-- that is a silly argument. What about the incredible throws that Alex simply does not make? Back shoulder passes, looking off defenders, etc. Never see that with Alex. He plays everyone straight up, which is fine in HS and college. Not so good in the NFL.
At any rate, Alex's telegraphing of passes allows defenders to tip balls at the line, and allows defensive backs time to focus in on one receiver. That and the inaccurate balls off his own players' fingertips will get you a lot of "unlucky" picks. This is not bad luck, this is skill on Smith's part. If getting balls tipped and intercepted was a good thing, he would be an All-Pro.