Originally posted by DaveWilcox:Originally posted by Memphis9er:
It is totally ridiculous how some of you can bag on Smith after the way the former regime handled his development. You guys act like it is his fault that he didn't succeed, when it has everything to do with the way he was mishandled. As far as the talent level being the same as it was when he last played...anyone that thinks it is the same (or worse) needs to take a minute and try to regain their touch with reality. Hill didn't outplay Smith this preseason, in fact he mostly looked worse than Smith, and he definitely has not lit up the world to this point, he hasn't even looked as good as he did last year. I give him credit for not making mistakes to this point, but Smith could do everything that Hill has done to this point and probably more, and may be the better long term option of the two. I just hope he keeps on working with the QB coach to get back into game shape. Like it or not Hill barely won the starting spot from a guy that had been out for 18 months with a major shoulder injury, and kinda got it by default. He surely didn't play any better than Smith, in fact, he looked more confused than Smith in the second preseason game. If Smith is so bad, then why couldn't Hill blow him away? The answer is that Smith is not as bad as some of you proclaim him to be, some of you guys are just knee jerk reactionaries that are predisposed to wildly overreact to even minor occurrences.
Such a tired excuse... I agree that throwing him into the fire from the get go wasnt helpful for him (it is for some people - like it was for Peyton Manning who actually told Nolan to do it) - but in the end, we are all responsible for our own success or lack there of in life.
Smith didnt a sense of pocket presence then, nor did he possess the ability to go through a progression... and he still doesnt today.