Antowain Smith not doing his job?

[Michael82]

Apparently, since he got his big contract...he has shown up overweight and out of shape. He failed his physical and has had a terrible offseason this year...now i just read that he has competition. The Patriots signed Jamal Anderson....

Patriots | Anderson in Transit - posted at KFFL (http://nfl.kffl.com)
10:26 PT: Updating earlier reports, RB Jamal Anderson’s agent, James Sims, has confirmed to KFFL they have agreed in principle with the New England Patriots. Terms of the deal are not yet available. Anderson is currently in transit to New England and could begin practicing with the team as early as tomorrow.

[mybills]

I don't get it. Antowain Smith looked like he was doing his job Friday night when he played.

[BambinoSux]

I think Belichick is going crazy. First trades Pro-Bowl caliber QB to division rival and now gives up on his starting RB midway through the preseason. I guess he don't care much about offense.

[The Undertaker #59]

WOW...this thread is blown WAY out of proportion. First, Smith did not fail a physical. He failed his first conditioning test in which he was required to run 60 yards in 8 seconds 20 times in a row with 30 seconds of rest between. He failed on the 18th attempt, and passed the test 2 days later - so he was not "out of shape" or "fat"....How much conditioning can you do in 2 days?


Terrible offseason? Where do you get that idea? He showed up regularly to the off season workouts.

Finally, the signing of Anderson does NOT mean the end for smith....one thing BB has done since he took over as HC of the Pats is create DEPTH. The Patiots may not have the top 22 players compared to a lot of other teams, but I would put thier bottom 22 against anyone.

Anderson is a depth signing. He is insurance against Smith getting hurt. He pushes Smith. He can relieve Smith. And he can be effective 3rd down player. And at minimum salary with incentives, where is the risk?

[venis2k1]

the undertaker hit the nail on the head

[mybills]

like I said, I didn't get it! I thought he was doing fine Friday night, and he was! Thanks undertaker.

[Stewie]

The problem is, it backfired now because JA backed out and Smith now knows the coaching staff thought that a washed up 32 year old back with bad knees could "push" him. You'd have to think that Smith wants to go into the season with the mindset that he is the man, and this coulda bruised his ego..

[northernbillfan]

Good point paulB, and welcome to the boards.

[Gunzlingr]

I read in more than place that the Bill said that he had no intention of replacing Smith, that JA would just be good insurance.

[casdhf]

Their bottom 22 against anyone elses? It's like Marv said, "Depth is great, until you have to use it." I'm glad their 22 scrubs are better than our 22 scrubs.

[The_Philster]

Originally posted by casdhf
Their bottom 22 against anyone elses? It's like Marv said, "Depth is great, until you have to use it." I'm glad their 22 scrubs are better than our 22 scrubs.

I wouldn't be...there's always injuries to deal with.

[itsandthings]

Keep in mind depth plays a much larger role than you think. For instance, the Pats have several players they carry just for their ST ability, which is why they are good in that area.

On defense, the Pats only play about 3 players every snap, and the other positions they rotate in several different guys depending on the situation. Nobody in the NFL uses more sub packages than the Patriots, especially with extra secondary guys. That is one of the hidden reasons they won the Super Bowl.

On offense, the depth at WR and TE allows the Pats to give a lot of different looks and adjust to what the defense is doing. They are much younger on offense, but they have some solid veterans around as insurance policies.

[casdhf]

Well, I wouldnt wanna cycle 22 Eric Moulds' with 22 DaShon Polks for anything