Onterrio Smith = Overrated?

[dgroundhog_ffc]

I don't look at it as the next 'Clinton Portis', but the next rookie RB to have a breakout year. Because Smith is going fairly late in drafts and Portis was a later round pick last year, the comparisons are being made.

The comparison isn't unproven rookie Smith to 2nd year stud Portis, but a comparisonm to their fantasy potential based on their draft status. Starting at RB for either the Vikings or the Broncos is a desirable fantasy position. Denver has a history of RB success, and Minnesota has a dominating O-Line.

Who else would you call this years Portis? The only other likely candidates would be LJ, McGahee, and Toefield. None of them is starting.

Smith should be about a 7th rounder. If he can pick up the blocking assignments, he could make a big impact. Moe will probably steal most of the TD's, but he could me a solid #3 RB option, with a big upside.

Bennett is not going to be back week 8. He is more likely to miss the entire season than be back anywhere around week 8. It's no guarantee the new, unproven surgery is even going to work, and additional surgery is not ruled out at this point.

[awwchrist]

Moe better hope that OSmith doesn't get reps..

break em off U of O!

[StAlEfReNcHfRi91]

i got o. smith in the 13th

[BraveBevo]

A lot of interesting points here. I'm surprised nobody has suggested that Tice is simply looking to motivate Smith by saying publicly that he may not play him much. Coaches do that all the time when dealing with players who have had attitude issues, or who seem to get a little too satisfied with how they're playing. Look at what Parcells did in bringing Murell to the Cowboys. I'm sure he had every intention of using Murell if Murell outplayed Hambrick, but lighting a fire under Hambrick was surely not inadvertent. Interestingly enough, Hambrick has lost weight and seems to have regained a little focus.

Just a 2-cent theory.

[BigBlueMarbles]

If by not playing him much you mean not at all. then I guess he's the most motivated person out there...

[Payne Dailey]

Rookie trying to learn the playbook, I'm going to hold on to him for a month maybe more before I drop him for a Toefield/Gordon/Jordan type of player.

[BraveBevo]

Certainly ... I really wouldn't have thought it would shock anyone to hear that a coach benched a player for an entire game partly to motivate him. Not saying that's what Tice dide, but haven't we all been on teams where a coach benches a talented teammate just because he wasn't do the little things (hustle, block, dive after balls, run out plays)? I'm just surprised it didn't get mentioned at all.

That said, I think Tice really wanted this win pretty badly, and he didn't want to put a rookie into such a pressure situation when he had good veterans he could use. Motivation may be an intended or unintended result - I'm sure Smith wants to prove that he can be relied on in pressure-packed big games.