Justin Smith

[Don Wassall]

Justin Smith has played at a consistently high level since entering the NFL as one of the very rare white defensive linemen to be drafted in the first round. He gets a fair amount of sacks but his greatest strength is the huge number of tackles he gets year in and year out as an end.

He has never received the recognition he deserves and in fact has often been criticized for not getting enough sacks. Typical treatment of a white defensive player, which is why it was nice to read this about his play last week:


Niners defensive coordinator Greg Manusky was gushing over the play of defensive lineman Justin Smith, who played almost every snap in the opener. After the 49ers' coaches' film review, Smith was credited with 13 quarterback pressure and nine hits on Kurt Warner to go along with his one sack.<?: PREFIX = O /><O></O>
<O></O>
Said Manusky, "I've been in the league for a long time and I haven't seen a defensive lineman do what he did in all 20 years of playing and coaching. . . . I've never seen a guy play at that high a level for that amount of snaps and be as effective as he is. He had a good game."<O></O>
<O>
</O>When told of Manusky's remarks, Smith said wryly, "He's full of crap."

http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers/2009/09/competition-waged-at-right-tackle.html<O></O>

 

[backrow]

this was a great read, i loved Justin's reaction. he's a top DE, always has been. 13 QB pressures, wow!

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

It was about time this guy got a thread. Yeah, he plays at a Pro Bowl level other than being only just above average for sack totals. I think he gets a great amount of QB pressures every year though, so he's very underrated. This guy is quick, agile and strong and great against the run.

 

[backrow]

praise from rotoworld!?

49ers DE Justin Smith was "arguably the 49ers' best defensive player last season," according to beat writer Matt Maiocco.
That's high praise considering Smith plays on the same defense as Patrick Willis. Smith recorded a career-high nine sacks last season while playing in all 16 games for the ninth straight season. While that's the limit of his IDP upside, he remains one of the best 3-4 ends in the game.

 

[TwentyTwo]

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d822c9593/GameDay-49ers-vs-Eagles-highlights

*Very last play of the highlight clip*
Nasty D-Lineman Justin Smith comes from behind to stop WR-Jeremy MacLin...then the announcers call it a "nice hustle play"...

Great to see one of my favorite D-lineman still playing at such a high level at age 32!

 

[backrow]

he is a beast. i hope he can notch few more sacks and be more prominently on display, this guy is so underrated...

 

[backrow]

from rotoworld:

According to CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, RE Justin Smith was the 49ers' "unquestioned team MVP" in 2011.

Our last Rotoworld blurb on Smith had Maiocco calling him the 49ers' "best defensive player" in 2010. He took it to another level in 2011, earning his first All-Pro pick and third straight Pro Bowl trip. Maiocco points out that Smith often commanded double teams, freeing up Aldon Smith to make plays. Smith was especially dominant in the 49ers' playoff upset of the Saints.


Source: CSN Bay Area

 

[TwentyTwo]

RB-Frank Gore said he will take a 75% healthy Justin Smith ahead of anybody...at 75-80% he's better than anybody at his position! Aldon Smith has 19.5 sacks with Justin Smith playing...and NO sacks without him in the line-up! The vaunted 49ers Defense is not the same when Justin Smith is not on the field!

Justin Smith had started 185 consecutive games dating back to rookie season in 01'.....Until the missing final two games with partially torn tricep. The 49ers are hoping to have him on the field today in the playoffs vs Packers.

Good article...
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/cas...cle_4d42ab56-5b4d-11e2-a1ff-0019bb2963f4.html

 

[Don Wassall]

Justin Smith is one of the great ironmen in the NFL. It's a shame he's in the twilight of his career (and that it took until the twilight of his career before he started receiving some way overdue recognition of his consistent excellence). He's the only player worth rooting for on the 49ers.

From Weenieworld:

49ers RE Justin Smith admitted Wednesday he's risking a full tear of his triceps by suiting up for the playoffs. "It's like anything, if it's half-torn or whatever, it could tear the rest of the way," Smith said. "I'm not really concerned about it." Smith played 55-of-60 snaps against the Packers on Saturday, and expects to be "even better" against the Falcons. It will be impossible for Smith to play at his peak effectiveness before he gets a chance to heal up, but he'll remain a major asset up front as long as he's drawing double teams.

 

[Don Wassall]

The 49ers' only overachiever on defense just happens to be the best one on what is a highly touted unit.


The 49ers opened last season with seven defensive linemen, including Tukuafu and Dobbs, who also had roles on offense. When Dobbs went on injured reserve with a knee injury, the 49ers promoted Jerod-Eddie from the practice squad. If anyone needed evidence to support the argument that Smith is the most-important player on defense, just look at how the 49ers' fortunes changed with his partially torn triceps tendon late in the season. In the first 13 1/2 games with a healthy Smith, the 49ers' pass defense allowed 183.0 yards passing per game and a passer rating of 74.6. After Smith's injury, the 49ers averaged 300 yards passing per game, including the playoffs when he returned at far-less than full strength. The opposition passer rating rose to 102.1. http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/matt-maiocco/49ers-position-position-breakdown-defensive-line

 

[FootballDad]

Justin Smith just decided to call it a career, retiring from the 49ers today. With the early departure of Chris Borland, that should be just about it for white players on the 49ers D.

I note in the story that the new head coach, Jim Tonsula, says ''As a football coach, you will always be searching for the next Justin Smith, knowing full well you will never find a player quite like him."

Of course not. Players like Justin Smith aren't allowed to play in the D1 schools from which almost all NFL players come from. They're easy to find on Fridays nights, but after the recruiting "services" ignore them all, most opt to go into other careers. Persistent walk-ons like Smith and JJ Watt are rare exceptions, not the rule.

The article does denote him as a "star defensive lineman". Rare praise indeed from the media for a white defensive player.

 

[Leonardfan]

That's some bad news. Smith was never a highly regarded player when compared to his contemporaries when in reality he was one of the dominant linemen of the past generation - especially when he transitioned to a 3-4 de.

The 49ers drafted that bum Armstead from oregon. I guess Tomusula wasn't looking that hard to find the next potential Justin Smith as Henry Anderson from stanford was more dominant player in the same conference as Armstead yet he lasted late
into round 3.