Domowitch: Marcus Smith thinks this will be his year
After two disappointing seasons, the former No. 1 pick knows he must perform.
THE WORDS that have been used to describe Marcus Smith during his first two NFL seasons haven't been very flattering.
Bust.
Mistake.
Disappointment.
He has seen them on social media. He has read them online and in the newspapers. He has heard them on the radio and at the Linc on game day.
Bust.
Mistake.
Disappointment.
Imagine somebody doing that to you. Imagine them coming to your place of employment, insulting you and telling you in very explicit language that you suck.
It would hurt. It would sting. It would make you angry. It has done all of those things to Smith. But he's a professional athlete and understands that it comes with the territory when you don't perform well.
He's being paid nearly $2 million a year to deal with the abuse. He also knows there's a very simple way to silence his critics.
Start playing better.
"I understand why Eagles fans and everybody" aren't happy with him, Smith said. "They want their first-round draft pick to play.
"I learned a lot of things from my first to my second year. And I think I've grown and matured from my second year to now.
"I think you'll see a different Marcus Smith in my third year."
If Smith expects to be on the Eagles' season-opening, 53-man roster in September, we'll need to. His two-year, we-can't-cut-him-because-he's-a-first-round-pick grace period is over. He'll arrive for training camp in late July in the same boat as Travis Long and Alex McCalister and Connor Wujciak and all of the other guys who will need to play well in August and early September to make the team.
If he can't convince new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz that he can be a serviceable part of a four-man defensive-end rotation with Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry, the Eagles will show him the door.
As an outside linebacker in Bill Davis' two-gap, 3-4 scheme the last two years, Smith couldn't get on the field. He played a total of 194 defensive snaps in two years. Had eight tackles and just 1
Smith is hoping Schwartz's new 4-3, Wide-9 scheme will kick-start his career. It certainly will be much simpler for him to conceptualize than playing outside 'backer in a 3-4. But it remains to be seen whether the 6-3, 258-pound former quarterback has the explosiveness to be a factor as a nine-technique edge rusher.
"Let's reserve judgment on all of these guys until the pads come on," Schwartz said this week. "But this is a scheme that greatly limits what he's asked to do. It's very easy in theory, but difficult in execution.
"It should allow him to play fast, attack spots and give him a little bit less responsibility, but allow him to make a greater impact. He's very athletic. He has great size. He's done very well so far. But like I said, let's reserve judgment until they get the pads on."
Said Smith: "(Schwartz's) message to me was just play fast and forget about everything that has happened before. Focus on the future, play fast and play with reckless abandon. That's what his defense is based on. The defensive linemen playing fast.
"If you go look at the Buffalo Bills two years ago when Schwartz was there, they had so many sacks (an NFL-high 54) and made so many plays, when I look at them, I see us the same way. I see us making those plays and being able to just go out there and have fun with less responsibility."
It should be pointed out that the Bills' 54 sacks in 2014 were just five more than Davis' Eagles had that year. So, there clearly is more than one way to get to the quarterback in the NFL.
Smith kind of identifies with one of the defensive ends Schwartz had in Buffalo — Jerry Hughes.
Like Smith, Hughes was a first-round pick, taken No. 31 by the Indianapolis Colts in 2010. And like Smith, he struggled early in his career. He started just seven games his first three years and had five sacks.
Then he was traded to the Bills in 2013 and things changed. He had 10 sacks in '13, and 10 again in '14 for Schwartz. Ended up signing a five-year, $45 million contract extension ($22 million guaranteed) before last season.
"It took him a while, but he got a second shot with the Bills and made a name for himself," Smith said of the 6-1
If Smith can be as productive for Schwartz as Hughes was two years ago, Howie Roseman — who along with Chip Kelly made the decision to draft Smith with the 26th pick two years ago — will buy drinks for everyone down at Xfinity Live!
"I've grown a lot the last two years," said Smith, who wasn't just talking about the nine pounds he's put on since his rookie year. "You take those two years and you say, 'Hey, you did not play as much (as you had hoped). You didn't live up to expectations.' But now I think I'm ready to go.
"These coaches that have come in, they're trying to make me play as good as I can play."
@Pdomo Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog