Rusty Smith QB TEN
No, I haven’t gone off the deep end. Well, maybe I have but I assure you that the picture for this story isn’t a mistake.
This story writes itself doesn’t it? Until noon last Sunday, if I asked any of you “Who is Rusty Smith?” I will hazard a guess that 95% of you return nothing more than a blank stare – the other 5% of you lying through your teeth in hopes that you didn’t just get caught missing out on the hottest waiver wire claim since Miles Austin. Truth be told, I didn’t even know who Rusty Smith was … or is.
I have to write this story. Not because I am a big Rusty Smith supporter. Not because I believe he’ll be the next Tony Romo. And not because while searching for an image for our Week 12 Lineup Advice article I happened to notice that Rusty Smith had only one image in our database of thousands. Well – maybe it was mostly the latter.
But regardless of the reason, doesn’t the next chapter in the Rusty Smith story not make you want to read further? Isn’t Rusty someone that we can all rally behind and, in some way, live out our own dreams of being in the NFL where all odds are stacked against you as you fight to be not just another three and out? I can’t help but.
But who IS Rusty Smith? To be sure, I picked up Smith this week and did my research following.
In four years with the Florida Atlantic Owls, Smith tallied over 10,000 passing yards and 76 TDs. A 6th round choice by the Titans in 2010, Smith has the prototypical NFL size and arm strength. At 6’5″ and roughly 235 pounds, Smith looks the part. Smith throws a nice ball but won’t remind anyone of Michael Vick; as would be expected from a QB of his size, Smith is not mobile and reminds me a bit of a Arizona’s Derek Anderson in size, mobility and arm strength. The biggest negative to Smith’s game is his slow release, but then again, Tennessee seems to make their living by identifying QBs with odd or less-than-ideal releases.
I’m not going to draw this story out longer than it needs to be. Kenny Mayne and his crack staff would do a much better job doing justice to Mr. Smith this week and I have to believe that it is at least on their drawing board as a possibility. Again, this story does write itself.
I’ll confess, the catalyst to this story was more about the fact that I could only find a single image of Rusty Smith in our database and to make it fit in our page design, which requires landscape images for the most part, I had to orient it like I did. But that in itself is something that we can ALL get behind and perhaps even watch on Sunday. It’s not often that a complete unknown finds himself at the help of a playoff contending NFL team, taking the field with such names as Chris Johnson and Randy Moss. Perhaps we’ve found the new “triplets” (Aikman, Smith, Irvin) of the next decade?
But I digress.
How about everyone reading this forgets, if just during this Thanksgiving week, your own team allegiance, colors or 2010 prospects and wish Rusty Smith well with a comment here!? Here’s hoping that he can hold off Chris Simms this week and does get the start.
Isn’t there’s a little Rusty Smith in all of us.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. From all of us here at DLF, we hope you have a safe and happy holiday giving thanks for those things that we take for granted every day.
Got get’em Rusty, I’ll be watching!
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Go Rusty!
Sincerely,
A Chris Johnson Dynasty Owner
I actually came 2 this site because I knew you were
I actually came to this site because I knew you were 1 of the few sites who would have some sort of write up for Rusty Smith. Tennessee doesn’t really finish high enough in the draft to get a guy, so Smith may get to earn the QB of the future tab for them.
I was able to grab Rusy in all my dynasties as a FA this morning. Had a few empty spots where I could drop guys, now I wouldn’t drop anyone really valuable but he’s worth the risk to just see.
The Max Hall era didn’t work out all that well, but I doubt many people saw Romo coming either.
Just grabbed him in all my leagues he was available. I play in large leagues so I didn’t sacrifice anyone I was really a believer in.
Good luck Rusty!!
Good luck, Rusty!
And he DOES have a chance. He’s not a hopeless case here. I had him ranked right around the Max Hall zone before the draft. Here was my scouting report on him from kinda limited viewing (online highlights and the Texas vs. the Nation game and practices). Great size. Average speed and athleticism. Good footwork. Has experience under center. Has good touch, but his accuracy is questionable. Tends to lock onto receiver. Has shown toughness, playing through separated non-throwing shoulder for whole season. Productive. Plays well in big games — was MVP of two bowl games. In Texas vs. the Nation practice, throwing mechanics were very inconsistent, though they had improved from the season, showing he can learn — and they reportedly looked even better on his pro day. Late on reads. Sidearms it sometimes. Ball sails on occasion. IN Texas vs the Nation game, looked better when he ran 2-min drill — was playing instead of thinking perhaps. Threw well on run. With Young, Collins and Simms ahead of him, is destined for another team or the practice squad.
He got off to a slow start, and a slow finish, I think he’s ahh, a little, ah “rusty.”