Can Eagles TE LJ Smith play?
| 8
|
by user Bleeding Green
The Tight End position has had a resurgence in the NFL over the past few years and a playmaking TE has become an indispensable part of a winning team. There several great TEs in football, but the division most stocked with them is the NFC East. Jeremy Shockey, Jason Witten, and Chris Cooley are all major weapons and top 10 in the NFL at their position. As the eventual replacement for the hard working, but not overly physically talented Chad Lewis, The Eagles drafted LJ Smith out of Rutgers in 2003. LJ, Shockey, Witten, & Cooley were all drafted between 02-04.
Since then LJ has clearly shown that he has talent. Eagles fans have all noticed his speed and ability to run after the catch. However, they’ve also noticed some of his shortcomings…. For one, he’s not the greatest blocker and the criticism I seem to always hear is that he fumbles. First, I would certainly stipulate to the fact that he isn’t the best blocker around. However, very few if any of the top TEs in football are. In fact, the “blocking tight end” as it’s come to be called is almost like an entire other position on it’s own. If LJ delivers the offensive production he’s capable of, the Eagles won’t be terribly interested in his blocking ability. Then, there’s the feeling that he fumbles. Honestly, I had the same feeling. I certainly seemed to remember LJ fumbling in big spots and having a lot more trouble holding onto the football than most TEs. Although a look a the numbers tells otherwise…
LJ has only fumbled twice in his 3 year career according the stats. I found it hard to believe, but I checked multiple sources and it’s true. Only one of those was lost. It's very similar to other TEs who came into the league with LJ. Antonio Gates has fumbled once and lost that fumble in his 3 year career. Jason Witten has fumbled twice and lost one exactly the same as LJ. Shockey has fumbled 5x and lost 3 in 4 years. Chris Cooley fumbled 3 times last year! The great Tony Gonzalez in KC fumbled 5x in his first 3 years, Crumpler has fumbled 4x and lost all of them in his 5 year career including 2 in his first 3 years losing 1 just like LJ. Here’s hoping that it was all in our heads and next year LJ will erase the stigma, right or wrong, from our minds…
In his first year as a starter, LJ had a breakthough year last year. Although with everything else going on, no one really seemed to notice it. He nearly doubled his totals in receptions, yards, & first downs. He tied for the team lead in receptions with 61 & finished 2nd in yards with 682. LJ was also named a pro bowl alternate last year.
He started the year on an incredible pace and seemed really locked in with Donovan McNabb. He had 42 catches until the week McNabb went down for good after 9 games. At the time he was 2nd in the NFL among TEs in catches, behind the great Antonio Gates. He actually went on to have a great game the week after McNabb went down when he caught 7 balls. From that time on however, he only caught 12 balls in the last 6 games, a sharp decline.
With a healthy McNabb next year it’s more than reasonable to expect that LJ can grab 70+ balls. Combine that with the fact that Brian Westbrook has shown that he can easily get to 70 catches when healthy… That’s a lot of completions for McNabb outside of his wide receivers. With the Philadelphia Eagles young WR core, a weapon in the pass game from TE spot like LJ should be one of the most vital parts in the success of this offense next year.
Finally, where does LJ stack up against the top TEs in the NFL? He finished 8th overall in yards & 9th overall in catches. He only had 3 TDs however, which is less than than the 7-10 that the leaders among TEs had. Tight Ends should be most effective in the red zone, so that’s an area he needs to improve on. On the bright side, he did grab 5 TDs in the 04/05 season. Overall, I think it may be safe to say that LJ has made himself one of the top 10 tight ends in the NFL, 4 of which are in the NFC East. He has to learn to run smarter, work on his hands, and stay more consistent... but I, for one, can't wait to see what else this kid has.
Source
Date
Mon 06/19/06, 12:17 pm EST
