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Alphonso Smith: Nickelback or Caped Crusader?
Published: June 23, 2009
Of all the Draft day moves made by the Denver Broncos, the one that seems to be getting the most heat is trading next year’s first round pick to Seattle in order to grab Wake Forest’s Alphonso Smith early in the second round.
They say he is too short, doesn’t play a position the Broncos need, will play on nickel and dime packages at best, and that even if those things weren’t true…nobody in their right mind trades a first-round pick for a second.
Throughout this article I will set the world straight, showing once and for all that they are wrong on all counts and will soon be seeing this guy leap tall buildings in a single bound.
At 5’9″ he lacks the size to be a dominant defensive back:
How do we judge a defensive back? While it is true that some of the best defensive backs don’t get thrown at much (e.g. Champ Bailey), for the purposes of this article I will be focusing on the illustrious interception. Let’s take a quick look at the top 10 INT hawks from last year.
*85 percent are under 6′ tall
*INT Leader Ed Reed ~ 5″11″
*Troy Polamalu, Cortland Finnegan, DeAngelo Hall, and Andre Goodman ~ All 5’10”
*Jason David- Tied for sixth in the NFL in interceptions is an inch shorter at 5’8″
In light of this I think one needs to reconsider what role height plays in being a great defensive back.
Well then, if they are a little short what is a vertically challenged DB to do?
It’s all about the back peddle. Alphonso Smith has the ability to run backwards, while at the same time crouching like a cat, ready to pounce. Seeing it is believing.
He doesn’t play a position of need:
Au contraire mon fraire.
There is this ridiculous notion that since the Broncos are switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme, they must reach for the sky to grab a Nose Tackle and Defensive Lineman, even if they have more pressing issues. Yes I said it..they have more pressing issues.
Where do I get that notion? None other than the famed architect of the Orange Crush. Joe Collier thinks that while the line is important you don’t have to break the bank.
“Variety is what the 3-4 can give you.You can play the 3-4 without having superstars, so to speak, in the defensive line.” Joe Collier
What could possibly be more important then?
Lack of turnover production was the single biggest weakness for the Denver Bronco’s defense in 2009. How could that be? Well lets take a gander at last year for Denver.
*31st in the NFL in interceptions ~ They had six…no that’s not a typo
*T31st in Turnover Differential ~ -17…even Detroit was better
*32nd..Dead Last…in Overall Takeaways
But hey the Defensive Line was way more important even though….
*26th in the NFL in total Sacks ~ Not great but consider that Elvis Dumervil played half the season wearing a cast
So yes, we did need help in the backfield. In 2009 Denver had possibly the worst secondary in NFL. Was it reaching then, if the greatest ball hawk to come out of college in years fell to the second round because he was two inches shorter than your “prototypical” defensive back?
He will play on Nickel and Dime packages at best:
Lets just play make believe and assume that Alphonso Smith will only be a nickel and dime defensive back. For whatever reason the common conception, misconception at that, is that nickel and dime packages play a small role. That might have more credibility if the team you are playing has no passing attack.
But that is not the case for the the teams Denver is playing in 2009. So for Denver having a great nickelback on 3rd-and-long will be invaluable. Lets take a look at where Alphonso Smith might come in handy in 2009.
*Of the Top 10 Passing Attempting Teams in 2008- Denver will face over 30 percent of them
*Of the Top 10 Passing first Down Teams in 2008- Denver will face 50 percent of them
So you tell me…how is this guy not the best thing since sliced bread?
You don’t trade a first round pick for a second, ever:
This aspect of the argument is really the one that is up in the air. Alphonso Smith can be Defensive Rookie of the Year, but if the Broncos have a losing season and the Seattle pick is high, it will be regarded as a bad move no matter what.
In reality, this will not be settled until we see how the player Seattle drafts turns out. Just because it is in the 1st round, is no guarantee of success. So really at this point it is all semantics.
But mark my word, within a few seasons Alphonso Smith will be wearing a cape.
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