Justin Smith retires

[Shake n Blake]

(05-19-2015, 04:02 AM)Toy Cannon Wrote: Yes, fans expected more sacks from a #4-overall pick.  He was seen by many as a disappointment.

I think that's unfortunate. MJ has averaged 5.3 sacks as a Bengal and Dunlap has averaged 7.1, yet those guys are loved by the fans. I think guys like Wilkinson and Justin Smith were doomed by their draft status. Both were very good players, but they couldn't match the (perhaps unreasonable) expectations of the fan base. Fwiw, Justin is 2nd on the Bengals all-time sack list. If he'd spent his entire career with the Bengals, he'd be 1st with 87 sacks. Eddie Edwards would be 2nd with 47.5.

(05-19-2015, 07:49 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: It was also a different position.

I get that, but ultimately he was producing exactly the same. I guess for a 3-4 DE those numbers are slightly more impressive, but 67 tackles and 6+ sacks for a 4-3 DE is still very good production. The 49ers had a solid foundation when Justin arrived and they were on their way up.

(05-19-2015, 12:02 PM)BengalFanInNJ Wrote: Smith did put on some serious muscle as a Niner (hmmmm).

Justin was listed at 285 on the 49ers official site, and that's pretty close to what he weighed here.

(05-19-2015, 01:30 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: Smith would have been viewed similarly if he played under Zimmer here

Agreed. If Smith put up the same numbers for an elite defense, I think he'd have more fans around Cincy.