Justin Smith

[Larry]

Was it just me or was Justin playing like a man on fire last night. I know he has always had a good motor but last night he was everywhere...

[Stripes]

He was awesome yesterday. Given the state of his contract and the new beef on the interior line... He's out of excuses.

[aaronburr]

2 sacks in 1 game. Considering he's never broken into double digits for the year, I doubt he's done that before.

[Stripes]

2 sacks in 1 game. Considering he's never broken into double digits for the year, I don't he's done that before.

I do think he had two sacks in one game against Denver on Monday Night two years ago... Even had them on consecutive plays. Great times.

[HairOnFire]

He was awesome yesterday. Given the state of his contract and the new beef on the interior line... He's out of excuses.

I don't think he's ever offered an excuse for his play, nor does he need to. From the moment he signed his rookie contract he's been the Bengals best defensive lineman.....by far.

[Stripes]

I don't disagree. I'm no Justin Smith basher.

[WretchedOne]

Justin...has his problems.

But he's still a really good DE.

His intenisty and nastyness on the field are awesome to watch. When Justin Smith get ahold of someone, I'm paying attention to how hard that someone hits the ground. He's a great DE against the run.

He could really eleveate his game and become that double digit guy if he would learn more moves other than that bull rush.

Has anyone EVER seen Justin put a spin move on someone??? Or Pull some s**t like Pollack last year against the Texans???

[Spain]

He has been alone for along time, the real ? is , if he pans out this year do we franchise him?

[ShulaSteakhouse]

He has been alone for along time, the real ? is , if he pans out this year do we franchise him?

Doubtful. We've seen what Justin can do for many years now, he was great last night, ecspecially against back-up tackles. Last night he rushed so deep the Bills just took advantage of it on a running play for a first down, cutting back to the left where he wasn't, and he ended-up jumping on the tackle 10 yards downfield. This seems typical of him, a smallish DE who really doesn't posess great quickness, lacks pass rushing moves, and doesn't hold his ground or read plays well at all (instead doing his hyper active bull rush every down regardless of the circumstances it seems). I'm pretty tired of it. He plays like a LB, not a DE.

The LB's on this team did not do a very good job last night, other than Landon again. Simmons is junk more often than not.

Time to weed out the old and in with the new - including Simmons and Smith who hopefully won't be back next year.

That said, I sure as hell both have big years this season, help them go to the SB, and get a nice deal for another club as a result. They were/are both "good" players.

[derekshank]

He has been alone for along time, the real ? is , if he pans out this year do we franchise him?

Doubtful. We've seen what Justin can do for many years now, he was great last night, ecspecially against back-up tackles. Last night he rushed so deep the Bills just took advantage of it on a running play for a first down, cutting back to the left where he wasn't, and he ended-up jumping on the tackle 10 yards downfield. This seems typical of him, a smallish DE who really doesn't posess great quickness, lacks pass rushing moves, and doesn't hold his ground or read plays well at all (instead doing his hyper active bull rush every down regardless of the circumstances it seems). I'm pretty tired of it. He plays like a LB, not a DE.

The LB's on this team did not do a very good job last night, other than Landon again. Simmons is junk more often than not.

Time to weed out the old and in with the new - including Simmons and Smith who hopefully won't be back next year.

That said, I sure as hell both have big years this season, help them go to the SB, and get a nice deal for another club as a result. They were/are both "good" players.

He doesn't lack pass rushing moves. Go back and watch some of his rookie year. The coaching staff doesn't allow him to sell out on the pass rush anymore. They want him to play the run, which he does pretty well. I didn't have the luxury of seeing the game yesterday... so I can't speak to the specific play you are referring to... but last year he played strong against the run.

As for franchising him... no way. He's not a top 5 DE. He's definetly adequate, and the best that the Bengals have, but he's not worth that much money. We can offer him a contract, but if he chooses to go elsewhere, so be it. We'll draft someone else... and as you say "in with the new."

[Spain]

With help you might se a nw J Smith, th thing is we ar hading to a 3-4, we could franchise then trade. I really expect a monster year from him this year. The guy has been alone let me repeat. No one can put up numbers alone!!!!!

[ChadJohnson-85]

Didn't Justin say he would be one of the top 3 d-linemen in the NFL this year?

Who Dey!!!

[ArmyBengal]

Didn't Justin say he would be one of the top 3 d-linemen in the NFL this year?

Don't get me wrong, I like Justin, but what the hell has by been waiting on ?? Was he waiting for his contract year to be a top 3 D-lineman ?? If in fact he said that, I for one think it's stupid...

WHODEY !!!

[cover2]

Has the guy ever sat out.......70 straight games.

[semiotter]

Hey he has help now and the cream always rises to the top...10-4!!!!!!!

[tibor75]

Bustin can do well against crappy talent. Look at how well he "dominated" the Texans last year and the Dolphins the year before that.

Against decent competition, he disappears. His inability to learn even 1 move shows his laziness and stupidity.

If somebody is willing to pay him big money, let the loser walk. It is comical how many Bengal fans will stick up for the mouth-breather. Gee, why didn't they stick up for Big Daddy who was "average" as well? nah, won't answer that one.

He has been alone for along time, the real ? is , if he pans out this year do we franchise him?

Doubtful. We've seen what Justin can do for many years now, he was great last night, ecspecially against back-up tackles. Last night he rushed so deep the Bills just took advantage of it on a running play for a first down, cutting back to the left where he wasn't, and he ended-up jumping on the tackle 10 yards downfield. This seems typical of him, a smallish DE who really doesn't posess great quickness, lacks pass rushing moves, and doesn't hold his ground or read plays well at all (instead doing his hyper active bull rush every down regardless of the circumstances it seems). I'm pretty tired of it. He plays like a LB, not a DE.

The LB's on this team did not do a very good job last night, other than Landon again. Simmons is junk more often than not.

Time to weed out the old and in with the new - including Simmons and Smith who hopefully won't be back next year.

That said, I sure as hell both have big years this season, help them go to the SB, and get a nice deal for another club as a result. They were/are both "good" players.

He doesn't lack pass rushing moves. Go back and watch some of his rookie year. The coaching staff doesn't allow him to sell out on the pass rush anymore. They want him to play the run, which he does pretty well. I didn't have the luxury of seeing the game yesterday... so I can't speak to the specific play you are referring to... but last year he played strong against the run.

As for franchising him... no way. He's not a top 5 DE. He's definetly adequate, and the best that the Bengals have, but he's not worth that much money. We can offer him a contract, but if he chooses to go elsewhere, so be it. We'll draft someone else... and as you say "in with the new."

Bustin plays the run well?

If you consider making tackles 5 yards down the field playing it well, you are right.

I love how Bengal fans defend him by saying it's the coaching staff's fault he doesn't do this or doesn't do that. Comical.

[HairOnFire]

His inability to learn even 1 move shows his laziness and stupidity.

I'm surprised you don't like Smith more. After all, you've always been a lazy and stupid one-trick pony, but it never stops you from posting.

[derekshank]

His inability to learn even 1 move shows his laziness and stupidity.

I'm surprised you don't like Smith more. After all, you've always been a lazy and stupid one-trick pony, but it never stops you from posting.

I read Tibor's response to my post a few hours ago, and considered arguing with him... but then I remembered that this thread was about Justin Smith. If there's one thing you can count on, it is HairOnFire rushing to the aid of any Smith supporter... especially after the irrational and stubborn hatred of a good player manifests itself in a post like the one above. Good to know I can count on you man!

But just for fun... here's my argument:

Smith is good against the run. You may not like to see him making tackles 5 yards up the field... but that is 5 yards further up the field you'll see most other DE's go. He always stays with the play, and follows the ball. I like that.

He also has more than one move... he used multiple moves his rookie year, I do not blame the coaches for his "poor play" but I do believe that they told him to not sacrifice the run for the pass rush.

The best example of this today is Dwight Freeney. He sells out completely to get to the QB, totally ignoring the run. Teams often run right at him, and he runs right past the RB attempting to put pressure on QB who is no longer part of the play. You'll also see screen passes designed specifically for him, thrown in his direction and they can often gain more than 20 yards... all because the over-rated Freeney is completely sold out to get the over-rated "sack" stat.

After Smith's rookie season the coaching staff decided that this was not a fair trade... especially given our lack of safety talent to minimize the damage. Smith has never panned out to be worth the early draft slot he was given... but let's not act as if he is mediocre. Had he been drafted in Round 2, we'd be singing his praises. Be angry at those who drafted him so early if you like, but don't be upset with him for not being elite. Although he's definitely more than average. IF we choose to let him test free agency, I imagine you'll see how many teams believe he is "lazy" and "stupid."

[HairOnFire]

I read Tibor's response to my post a few hours ago, and considered arguing with him...

The only bad thing about the Huddles message board imploding is the migration of asshats like Tibor to other boards.

That said, I still find the implosion of the Huddles board to be personally gratifying and a great source of hilarious comedy.

[HairOnFire]

If there's one thing you can count on, it is HairOnFire rushing to the aid of any Smith supporter... especially after the irrational and stubborn hatred of a good player manifests itself in a post like the one above. Good to know I can count on you man!

I've come to accept the fact that stupid people will never get over the fact that Justin Smith was the 4th overall pick. That, or they know absolutely nothing about defensive line play.

Example: Several years ago, before I was ritually booted from Huddles, I got in an argument with a poster named Lima who repeatedly claimed that Smith sucked so badly that opposing teams never bothered to double team him. He actually went so far as to claim that in the Brown game that had just been played that he never took his eyes off of Smith the entire game. He counted exactly zero double teams. Smith was a bum. Smith was a stiff. He never makes plays that matter. Huzzah!!!!

But the funny thing about it is this. I taped the game. So I replayed the game and took a few notes, which I then posted online. Among the results, 28 double teams, two triple teams, and 8 or 9 plays where Smith dropped into pass coverage instead of rushing the passer. And last but not least, a 1st half sack of the QB that pushed the Browns out of FG range. Oh, and he was rock solid against the run on all but a play or two.

Now here's the kicker. As misguided as he was, I think it's fair to say that Lima isn't half the asshat that Tibor is.

[tibor75]

His inability to learn even 1 move shows his laziness and stupidity.

I'm surprised you don't like Smith more. After all, you've always been a lazy and stupid one-trick pony, but it never stops you from posting.

Last I checked the Bengals aren't paying me millions of dollars a year.

I love the ignorance of comparing a football player to somebody who posts on message boards. If you are arguing that Bustin is as useless as me, I've made my point.

[HairOnFire]

His inability to learn even 1 move shows his laziness and stupidity.

I'm surprised you don't like Smith more. After all, you've always been a lazy and stupid one-trick pony, but it never stops you from posting.

Last I checked the Bengals aren't paying me millions of dollars a year.

I love the ignorance of comparing a football player to somebody who posts on message boards. If you are arguing that Bustin is as useless as me, I've made my point.

Tibor, I've read your posts for a couple of years, and in my opinion...nobody is as worthless as you. But let's try to get past your remarkable lack of worth. Simply put, if you've got a point to make about Justin Smith then make it. But so far, all you've done is make statements so over the top that they do little but confirm how little you know.

[Spain]

Tibor is just lost in the bungholes other nick!