Player Spotlight: Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens (1 Viewer)

[silentcoach]

There's a reason he didn't have many targets in some games - He couldn't get open. He was great on the deep routes where he could use his speed, but he didn't seem to have that explosiveness in short and intermediate routes (nor did he seem to run crisp routes).

One aspect that people are over looking is that he's now going to be treated like a #1 WR and coverage is going to be aimed in his direction. Will he be able to handle that coverage and get open without a legitimate threat on the other side of the field? Plenty of #2 WR's suffer this fate when they are put into the #1 role without actually having the skills and ability to be that #1 WR that can handle getting all the attention from the opposing defense. Food for thought.

Not really what I saw. The routes they ask TSmith to run were mostly deep routes. They need to diversify his routes if the they want to maximize his talents which will lead to a better fantasy output. He's rarely in the slot, he never runs crossing routes. Geez, run more hitches as the defense has to respect his speed--they won't. Mix it up, but they constantly ask for posts and deep routes which are easier to cover with a safety over the top. It's hard to predict this change unless we see some of this in the preseason. Until then I find it hard to buy on him given how the Ravens currently use him.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

It's interesting that people downgrade Mike Wallace because he is just a deep threat (even though he's shown he can actually run short & intermediate routes), but Torrey Smith is given the benefit of the doubt by some and positioned as "not just a deep threat" (even though he is a subpar route runner). Very odd.

 

[therokie0070]

J. Jones shows up to camp out of shape and is placed on the active/NFI list, so much for people's predictions that he would steal a huge chunk of the targets boldin got. I think now the coaches will be forced to focus even more on players like smith and pitta/rice, if smith can handle the pressure and perform I really think he is locked in as a solid WR2 with upside. By no means am I saying he is a superstar or elite but I think he is a lock to break into the top 10-15, hell he has finished 23 in his first two years and no reason he won't see close to 40 more targets!!

160 targets 75 rec 1360 yards 11 TD

 

[steveski]

If they have no other receivers the safety will always have an eye on Smith going deep. It's been stated before, but the guy can't run any route besides the Go route. He'll average out to about a top 25 WR, but that will be some huge games and some terrible games. I'll pass.

 

[Bayhawks]

J. Jones shows up to camp out of shape and is placed on the active/NFI list, so much for people's predictions that he would steal a huge chunk of the targets boldin got. I think now the coaches will be forced to focus even more on players like smith and pitta/rice, if smith can handle the pressure and perform I really think he is locked in as a solid WR2 with upside. By no means am I saying he is a superstar or elite but I think he is a lock to break into the top 10-15, hell he has finished 23 in his first two years and no reason he won't see close to 40 more targets!!

160 targets 75 rec 1360 yards 11 TD

Those aren't solid WR2 numbers, nor are they top 10-15 numbers. Over the last 5 NFL seasons, those numbers would have made Smith the #6,5,3,3, & 4 FF WR.

 

[Bayhawks]

There's a reason he didn't have many targets in some games - He couldn't get open. He was great on the deep routes where he could use his speed, but he didn't seem to have that explosiveness in short and intermediate routes (nor did he seem to run crisp routes).

One aspect that people are over looking is that he's now going to be treated like a #1 WR and coverage is going to be aimed in his direction. Will he be able to handle that coverage and get open without a legitimate threat on the other side of the field? Plenty of #2 WR's suffer this fate when they are put into the #1 role without actually having the skills and ability to be that #1 WR that can handle getting all the attention from the opposing defense. Food for thought.

Not really what I saw. The routes they ask TSmith to run were mostly deep routes. They need to diversify his routes if the they want to maximize his talents which will lead to a better fantasy output. He's rarely in the slot, he never runs crossing routes. Geez, run more hitches as the defense has to respect his speed--they won't. Mix it up, but they constantly ask for posts and deep routes which are easier to cover with a safety over the top. It's hard to predict this change unless we see some of this in the preseason. Until then I find it hard to buy on him given how the Ravens currently use him.

His "job" the last few years was to "take the top off" the defense, opening up the underneath for Boldin, Rice, and the TEs. With Boldin gone, that could change in 2013. That being said, those who are predicting this change, should also take into account that his YPR will probably drop. Projecting a huge increase in catches and catch rate, due to a possible changed role in the offense, shouldn't expect 17+YPR anymore.

 

[therokie0070]

J. Jones shows up to camp out of shape and is placed on the active/NFI list, so much for people's predictions that he would steal a huge chunk of the targets boldin got. I think now the coaches will be forced to focus even more on players like smith and pitta/rice, if smith can handle the pressure and perform I really think he is locked in as a solid WR2 with upside. By no means am I saying he is a superstar or elite but I think he is a lock to break into the top 10-15, hell he has finished 23 in his first two years and no reason he won't see close to 40 more targets!!

160 targets 75 rec 1360 yards 11 TD

Those aren't solid WR2 numbers, nor are they top 10-15 numbers. Over the last 5 NFL seasons, those numbers would have made Smith the #6,5,3,3, & 4 FF WR.

My prediction is what I see as his ceiling and I stated with 40 extra targets he would be a WR2 with upside, I see his floor around 65 rec 1050 yards and 7 or 8 TD. my main point is the offensive will rely on him even more if they can't count on jones and the last two years he was only asked to run the deep route so until the end of this year I don't think he can be labeled a one trick pony. He can only do what is asked of him to the best of his ability and entering his third year he has done that pretty damn well hint finishing 23 twice in FF and winning the Super Bowl ain't bad either.

 

[Leonidas]

One aspect that people are over looking is that he's now going to be treated like a #1 WR and coverage is going to be aimed in his direction. Will he be able to handle that coverage and get open without a legitimate threat on the other side of the field? Plenty of #2 WR's suffer this fate when they are put into the #1 role without actually having the skills and ability to be that #1 WR that can handle getting all the attention from the opposing defense. Food for thought.

According to Torrey (don't have the link handy) he doesn't think [his defensive attention] will change very much.

I don't know that Boldin was really getting "#1 WR attention' while Smith wasn't.

 

[ImTheScientist]

Pita is done. How does that change things?

 

[Sweetness_34]

I see Baltimore O suffering all over. Flacco is not elite to cover for the loss of Boldin and Pitta

 

[FF Ninja]

Pita is done. How does that change things?

This team will need to lean on Rice and Pierce. Maybe they should look into Brandon Lloyd, too.

 

[Grahamburn]

If they have no other receivers the safety will always have an eye on Smith going deep. It's been stated before, but the guy can't run any route besides the Go route. He'll average out to about a top 25 WR, but that will be some huge games and some terrible games. I'll pass.

He looked pretty good taking that slant to the house.

 

[cowboymouth]

Do you bump Smith tonight with Bailey ruled out? Seems like he could put up some solid numbers tonight.. ??

 

[Winning IS Everything]

Do you bump Smith tonight with Bailey ruled out? Seems like he could put up some solid numbers tonight.. ??

I am currently starting him at WR2 over Nicks Britt and Hilton. Not saying much but Torrey did have 2 TD against them in the playoff game last year. I think he will do ok.

 

[mphtrilogy]

T Smith will be in my lineup, expecting a big year from him:

No Boldin

3rd year

Hard Worker

More rapport with Flacco

I expect more routes coming his way..

Classically year 3 has been the magic year for WRs, with the way the NFL has been the past few years, sometimes we see and expect superstars from the moment they step on the field in the NFL (see RGIII), but historically, year 3 for WRs has been the big step up year.

I am hoping, my season is riding on him following that historical trend and making that big final jump into "very good" top 15 status..

The signs have all been there, we might all be asking, why didn't I draft T Smith this year?

 

[The_Man]

It's a misnomer that opposing defenses considered Boldin Baltimore's #1 last year. By the end of last year, Smith was clearly defended as the #1, which explains why Bailey was the guy covering him in the playoff game. One factor in Boldin's late-season surge was that he was no longer being covered as Baltimore's top WR.

There will be a lot of boom and bust with Smith, but the Ravens seem committed to getting him the ball much more this year, rather than just sending him deep every play and hooking up one of those bombs once every 4 or 5 attempts. The long TD he scored in preseason was scored on a shallow crossing route that Smith converted into a 77-yard score thanks to his great speed. It was the kind of play that Cam Cameron never called for Smith - I think Caldwell will be much more creative about getting him the ball.

I think his numbers last year are his absolute floor for this year, and that 1100 yards and 9 or 10 TDs is a reasonable expectation.

 

[Biabreakable]

The man knows stuff. He didn't forget to have his doughnuts.

 

[Grahamburn]

You have to be excited about the TD potential with 7 and 8 TDs respectively on only 95 and 110 targets in his first two years. Clearly he can get behind the defense.

There is a perfect storm in Baltimore right now for Torrey to monopolize the targets in the Ravens' passing game. For him to take the next step toward being a consistently high end WR2 it's obvious those target totals from his first two seasons will need to go up.

I could see a Vincent Jackson 2012 season here as far as the target distribution and receptions go. VJ finished with 147 targets, 72 receptions, 1,384 yards, and 8 TDs. I doubt TS averages 19.2 per catch, but I can see him being used similarly to VJ in the sense that he'll be the deep target and see a big increase in his shorter looks.

An increase in intermediate targets while still being the deep threat will make Smith a solid WR2.

 

[Man of Zen]

Made a lot of sense with the makeup of that team last year to have him running mostly flies and other assorted deep stuff. Flacco throws a nice deep ball, so you almost need to give some deep help against a legit deep threat at WR, but the bulk of their targets were guys who eat up space underneath -- Pitta, Boldin, and Rice when he's out in space.

Get guys chasing downfield, and with that kind and variety of short targets, you're bound to have somebody open. Commit to stopping them, and Smith becomes a terror downfield.

With 2/3 of those guys gone or on the shelf, using that strategy for Smith doesn't seem optimal any longer. People want to say he's a one trick pony, and in terms of perception, they're not wrong...so far. I'd just argue that we're not sure yet what all he has in his bag full of receiving tricks. This'll be the year we either see that he's versatile enough to be a true #1, or that he's Alvin Harper in slightly different clothing.