Brown over Smith for 4th CB

[Lawrence Owen]

So far in camp, Jalil Brown has had a multitude of impressive plays, including vrs. starters while Davis has been out.  Coming in as a free agent from Miami. - Flash back to Vonte Davis-.

 

But D'Juon Smith thus far has been a let down considering the hype of OTA's.  He has been burned a great many times by our rookie/young receivers.  These are guys on the same learning curve he is on, not Vets like Hilton or A.J. .

 

Looks like Brown may have 4th CB locked up.  But preseason is starting, so perhaps Smith can pull it together and make a run for that spot.

[CR91]

youre basing this assumption on a rookie going up against most likely the top passing team in the league this upcoming year without playing a single game. 

[Lawrence Owen]

youre basing this assuming on a rookie going up against most likely the top passing team in the league this upcoming year with playing a single game. 

Granted.  But the philosophy is who is playing better now.  and Brown is playing starters, while Smith has played rookies.   Yet Brown has performed better.  So thus far, Brown is getting the edge.  Smith is just a rookie, and has a learning curve to deal with, so I am optimistic he catch up to it in the long run, but can he do it by the end of preseason? 

[CR91]

Granted.  But the philosophy is who is playing better now.  and Brown is playing starters, while Smith has played rookies.   Yet Brown has performed better.  So thus far, Brown is getting the edge.  Smith is just a rookie, and has a learning curve to deal with, so I am optimistic he catch up to it in the long run, but can he do it by the end of preseason? 

 

performing well in TC imo is meaningless. mariota didnt throw a pick in TC and looked terrible last night

[Defjamz26]

To his credit, his level of competition was really low coming out of FAU. That school plays in the conference USA against teams like Old Dominion, Rice, and North Texas. He was probably the best player in the entire conference.

Now he's dealing with receivers with NFL speed and skill sets, so it's probably a huge adjustment for him. This is his first real challenge in years probably. I'm not too worried about him.

[IAColtsFan]

I'd agree that Jalil Brown looks better than D'Joun Smith right now... but he should be.  He has been in the Colts system for a year and been used to the NFL speed for a few more years on top of that.

 

I really don't get the reasoning behind everyone thinking he is a wasted pick already.  Is it just because he came in confident in himself?  Although he has given up his fair share of TDs, it seems he is only a step or two behind from changing that.  That will just come with time and the game slowing down for him once he doesn't have to think about his assignment and just plays the game.

 

Like Defjamz26 posted while I was typing... he is getting used to NFL speed.

[RockThatBlue]

Brown probably has the edge so far, but let's see how they look in games first.

[spartancolt]

Smith is a 3rd round pick..Obviously u want him to perform..If Brown balls out i'm fine with it.. As long as they perform I don't care where they are taken..Brown or Smith give me the one who is better.. Not like they are high draft picks.. If it is Brown as reported be glad we found a gem and maybe Smith will develop..Colt fans this is a good thing when an unknow challenges a draft pick!! Good job Grigson!!

[Bluefire4]

I want to see these guys in a preseason game.

[Smonroe]

Granted.  But the philosophy is who is playing better now.  and Brown is playing starters, while Smith has played rookies.   Yet Brown has performed better.  So thus far, Brown is getting the edge.  Smith is just a rookie, and has a learning curve to deal with, so I am optimistic he catch up to it in the long run, but can he do it by the end of preseason?

We know what Brown can do, this is his fifth season. It's possible that Smith has more potential even though he may not be showing it yet.

Patience.

[Dark Superman]

I wouldn't call Smith a disappointment. He's a rookie - who hasn't even played in one preseason game yet. I understand that Jalil Brown is impressing everyone while having a solid camp, but in time I think Smith will be our third guy. It may take a year or two, but having Brown step up gives me A LOT more confidence in our CB depth.

 

Unlike the two previous years, if someone goes down, at least we have the depth to manage a somewhat decent rotation at CB. It's still early.. Smith is a rookie going against some of the games best receivers.. Getting beat by guys like Hilton, Johnson and Dorsett is expected. Be patient.

[weslo1812]

Some folks have just have no clue at all!!! Smith is a ROOKIE!!! Not all rookies are gonna come in and shine and stand out right away. He's gonna have a learning curve to go through. Just because he had some hype to him does not mean he's gonna be instantly great or good. Gove him a season or so to learn and adjust to the speed and physicality of the NFL as well as the mental part. And as others have said... Brown has been in the league for a number of years already so he best be ahead of smith right now.

[Superman]

Is it really that surprising that a four year veteran is outplaying a mid round rookie through two weeks of camp? Jalil Brown was a mid round pick himself. He's not chopped liver. He's a relatively young player with some notable talent. 

 

Smith will be fine. If someone else is better than him right now, that's okay. It's probably a good thing for the team, overall.

[ruksak]

performing well in TC imo is meaningless.

That's highly inaccurate in many cases. I'm not applying it to Smith, but let's not overreach here. TC performance is FAR from meaningless. 

[CanuckColt]

Sounds reasonable to have Jalil Brown as the 4th CB.

The rookie Smith has a heck of a lot to learn and a lot of reps to get up to speed in this league.

[Lawrence Owen]

I wouldn't call Smith a disappointment. He's a rookie - who hasn't even played in one preseason game yet. I understand that Jalil Brown is impressing everyone while having a solid camp, but in time I think Smith will be our third guy. It may take a year or two, but having Brown step up gives me A LOT more confidence in our CB depth.

 

Unlike the two previous years, if someone goes down, at least we have the depth to manage a somewhat decent rotation at CB. It's still early.. Smith is a rookie going against some of the games best receivers.. Getting beat by guys like Hilton, Johnson and Dorsett is expected. Be patient.

Absolutely. Last years game vrs. the Steelers is prime example of that.  3 starters go down,and Big Ben took advantage, lighting us up.

 

I never said Smith was trash and we need to move on, just he seems to have a wider learning curve than some of the other rookies we have. Dorset, Carter, Geathers have had non-stop compliments starting back in OTA's.  And Anderson -and last few TC days Robinson- have been impressive.  To have so many rookies impressing already is a blessing.

I think Smith will end up a good player for us, But right now seems Brown is the man who will be doing the job on the field.

[akcolt]

Absolutely. Last years game vrs. the Steelers is prime example of that. 3 starters go down,and Big Ben took advantage, lighting us up.

I never said Smith was trash and we need to move on, just he seems to have a wider learning curve than some of the other rookies we have. Dorset, Carter, Geathers have had non-stop compliments starting back in OTA's. And Anderson -and last few TC days Robinson- have been impressive. To have so many rookies impressing already is a blessing.

I think Smith will end up a good player for us, But right now seems Brown is the man who will be doing the job on the field.

How about we see these guys in at least one preseason game before we start deciding who will be doing what?

[Stephen]

How about we see these guys in at least one preseason game before we start deciding who will be doing what?

if smith didn't hype himself up so much talking about how he thinks he can be the best cb in the league and how he studied the tape of revis and sherman this would be a non issue. The way he talked people thought he'd come in and impress immediately, I guess we will have to wait and see what he becomes.

[braveheartcolt]

That's highly inaccurate in many cases. I'm not applying it to Smith, but let's not overreach here. TC performance is FAR from meaningless.

Yup. Although it is probably meaningless for forum members to rate players on a handful of tweets, if you get my drift....

[CR91]

That's highly inaccurate in many cases. I'm not applying it to Smith, but let's not overreach here. TC performance is FAR from meaningless. 

 

I said in my opinion. you dont have to agree. I dont see the point in putting weight in TC when theres barely any hitting and completely no game plan and scheming

[IndyD4U]

That's not surprising. I think a lot of people got a reality check on Smith. Give him a year or two.

[Defjamz26]

Absolutely. Last years game vrs. the Steelers is prime example of that.  3 starters go down,and Big Ben took advantage, lighting us up.

 

I never said Smith was trash and we need to move on, just he seems to have a wider learning curve than some of the other rookies we have. Dorset, Carter, Geathers have had non-stop compliments starting back in OTA's.  And Anderson -and last few TC days Robinson- have been impressive.  To have so many rookies impressing already is a blessing.

I think Smith will end up a good player for us, But right now seems Brown is the man who will be doing the job on the field.

It's not really fair to compare him to other rookies. CB is one of the hardest positions to transition from out of college. It's why rookie CBs always struggle and after picked on by QBs. Tray Waynes looked pretty bad against the Steelers. But that's okay, he's supposed to. Ronald Darby also got picked on a lot against the Panthers. There is a steep learning curve for CBs entering the league.

If you compare him to anyone, it should be other rookie CBs;all of which are also struggling. But Smith has Pagano, who is now a proven DB guru. He'll be fine. Pags it's probably happy he's getting burned. He needs it to happen to him so he realizes how hard he needs to work.

[RockThatBlue]

Jalil hasn't looked that great this preseason imo

[krunk]

Smith should turn out to be alright, but I'm not going to lie and say I haven't had some small doubts about him.  Sometimes in my mind I wonder if we should have went with Randall, Rollins, Darby, or someone else.  Sometimes I can tell just by looking at the guy a few times, but certainly I"ve been wrong before.  I'm going to do like I said originally and give him some time to develop.

[OffensivelyPC]

Jalil hasn't looked that great this preseason imo

In 16 passing downs, he's been targeted once and it went for 20 yards.  So he hasn't been that bad either.  He could be better, but we're talking about a guy who's seen, really only 1 preseason game.

[chad72]

"Dijon" Smith reminds me of Dwayne Allen on the defensive side. Both came out of the draft disappointed how they fell to the 3rd round. Hopefully that chip on the shoulder makes him work harder and make all the adjustments he needs to make to ramp up his learning curve. This league is quick to serve you humble pie, and as long as he recognizes it and works on it, he will be good.

 

But for now, I agree that Brown seems to be in line for that 4th CB spot.

[krunk]

Sheldon Price has been making a play here or there lately too.

[Buck Showalter]

Assuming they both make the 53, I'm sure they'll both see plenty of playing time...

[Carlos Danger]

Who starts if Toler misses real games?