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Hmmmm....wonder if he played basketball?
Seriously though....I didn't realize that Smartt had gone through this many position changes. Even though he went to a local college (ODU is about an hour from me), I wasn't familiar with him.
I know his blocking is supposedly suspect but this offense needs the kind of spark he provided in the second half Sunday night. Time to step up and shine. Perhaps there's another UDFA gem waiting to shine.
https://www.chargers.com/news/stone-smartt-fantasy-tight-end-stats
He's a RFA so we should certainly make an offer to him but he's not the H-TE of the future but rather a solid backup, and great teams need solid backups.
@duck07 I think it's possible he could be in a rotation with a stud TE draft pick. 🙂
But for now? He's gonna get snaps and let's hope for more of what we saw on Sunday night.
@buck-melanoma Love it, Buck. If Smartt can have a strong finish to the season, it would be incredible momentum heading into the offseason - almost like an early offseason pickup.
Definitely agree that I'd like to see him paired with a blue chip guy, along with Dissly, and hope that TE becomes a strength as early as next year.
@kylededi If Smartt becomes a solid contributor the rest of the way, the bigger question will be what the staff is evaluating in practice with the roster? We have already seen they favor Pipkins over Salyer and repeatedly seem to alienate Chark since he has returned from injury in favor of Reagor. Let's not forget that Fehoko was a staple earlier in the season and seemed to be a bigger part of the weekly game plans than Palmer. The player evaluation on this staff would indeed start coming into question.
@evolz3737 fair question, IMO.
Perhaps it's taking awhile to realize what you have to work with vs what you want to do? Goes back to the offensive identity question.
@evolz3737 That's tough - because do you praise the staff for developing Smartt, or condemn them for not giving him more opportunities sooner?
I would definitely lean towards praising them. Since Smartt didn't take advantage of his opportunities with Staley either, I'd assume he was just a project player that finally developed, or that they finally found the best use for.
@kylededi If Hurst was healthy would Smartt be getting those reps? That's where I think part of this comes in as well as there's just a level of being a NFL caliber player even if not a star. Of course the guy can play, otherwise why would he be here, right?
Answer to the thread title: No.
@tau837 I bet Smartt does well today.
Is he the complete answer? Not likely and I have TE as a high priority for the draft. But he's going to get opportunities due to injuries and I'm betting he produces.
@buck-melanoma IMO Smartt is good enough to be a TE3 at best.
He made a couple plays today, but he probably will never again play in a situation more conducive to him getting opportunities -- TE1 Dissly hurt, TE2 Hurst hurt, no pass catching RBs, no legit WR1, best WR on the team is a rookie playing at less than 100%, other WRs are all WR3s at best, mostly playing from behind.
Good for Smartt that he has handled his opportunities well recently, but it's not like he is breaking out.
@tau837 he's broken out as much as any TE currently on this roster, including Dissly.
@buck-melanoma I'm happy to agree to disagree with you on that. These are not close to the same:
- Dissly: 55 targets, 43 receptions (2nd on team), 418 receiving yards (4th on team), 1 TD, 19 first downs (4th on team)
- Smartt: 14 targets, 11 receptions, 148 receiving yards, 0 TDs, 7 first downs
And Dissly is obviously a better blocker (run blocking and pass blocking).
Smartt is less like a TE and more like a big WR. He will always be limited in blocking capability (assuming he doesn't have the ability to pack on 40 pounds while also developing his technique). IMO on a normal roster with a normally capable TE room, that will relegate him to TE3 at best. Dissly has several NFL seasons that show he is better than that.
@tau837 there is nothing normal about our receiving unit and the idea that this team has been built as a run first offense is proving to be ridiculous.
Smartt, in the last 2 games, has made catches that Dissly, and probably not Hurst, are likely to make. I'm looking at ability, whether it's at TE or a large WR. Smartt is showing the ability now that he's getting an opportunity. And Herbert certainly seemed quite comfortable and eager to target him.
@tau837 Other than TD's, this is Dissly's best year and he should clearly be the backup Y and I think some of this TE-numeral misses the Y and H positions which I think is very germane to these discussions going forward.
Y is the inline TE who has to be a solid blocker lining up in a 3-pt stance and gets the majority of snaps.
H is when you move that TE (or use another) to play in a 2-pt stance either out wide or occasionally into the backfield.
Frankly we need a starting Y and I think the team will prioritize finding a H who can be a FB because this Matlock stuff has got to end (the big sack after the Smartt catch is on the FB/RB).
Dissly is only a Y, Hurst can play both but is a better H while Smartt is just an H. Right now Smartt can improve upon last years numbers since he's essentially matched them but in the aggregate, that's still far less than Parham's 27-285-4 TDs for us in that H-role.
@duck07 Agree 100%.
Ideally, a team wants a Y who excels at blocking but can also be a solid passing game target along with a H who excels in the passing game but can also be a solid blocker, whether lining up inline or in the backfield. This enables the offense to have flexibility with personnel on the field, since the defense cannot assume that a given TE will either only block or only run routes.
Dissly has provided the former this season when healthy. Smartt is not able to provide the latter.
One of the few highlights from yesterday and as good a reception as I've seen anyone on this team make in 2024.
https://www.chargers.com/video/stone-smartt-highlight-31-yard-catch-vs-buccaneers-week-15-2024
“Another tight end, Stone Smartt, has become a preferred target for Herbert. Over the last four games, the 26-year-old veteran caught 13 passes for 164 yards.”
Smartt got his first start of the year when Dissly was injured and proved to be a clutch pass catcher for Justin Herbert and Harbaugh. He has caught 16 passes on 19 targets for 208 yards and 11 first downs, mostly over the last four games. While he has yet to catch a touchdown, several of his first downs have come on high-leverage situations — keeping drives alive for the offense.
https://www.lafbnetwork.com/los-angeles-chargers/los-angeles-chargers-news/tight-ends-provide-spark/
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