Steve Smith at the Pro Bowl...

[jtnc]

This is a moment where I'd be happy to see Fiz post, cause jesus this thread.

[Mr. Scot]

Give us 2 more seasons, and he will go down as the best draft pick the Panthers ever had, if not the best player.

He may already be that.

Worth remember,Bering he's had his fair share of injuries over the past few seasons. Who knows what toll the next one could take on a body that isn't as young as it once was? :(

[rayzor]

when he slows down he'll probably get moved to the slot where he'd still dominate for a few years.

also, the dude is the toughest WR in the league. he'll last longer than most.

i give him 5 years before we start seeing a real drop in effectiveness.

steve smith is not someone i'm worried about.

[jtnc]

Sometimes Mr. Scot makes very informative threads, but every once and again you see one like this.

[Mr. Scot]

Smith readily admits he is slowing down but that is not what makes him great and never was. He is quick in and out of breaks and an excellent route runner. That doesn't require flat out speed but quickness and knowledge of defenses. The reason Ricky Proehl was so good for us was not his speed (he was slow) but his ability to find openings in the defense and know how to set up the defender. Look at the pass to Smitty in the endzone. He set up the pass with a double move and still has great body position and the ability to hold onto the ball. Those things will allow him to be good for 3 or 4 more years. And honestly that is plenty of time to find his successor.

You willing to bank on him staying healthy and productive for another four years?

Maybe he can, but if I'm the Panthers no way I'm counting on that.

They need to make sure they have a backup plan just in case....And sooner rather than later.

[j2sgam]

Noticed that too. Most were half-assin it, except the d-line during the 2nd half...

[Kevin Greene]

Just what sort of a season does smitty have to put on the books where an exhibition game doesn't indicate Smitty has been caught by father time? Smitty dominated this season and will do the same next.

Dont know if you saw him interviewed in Hawaii but he indicated Chud had some special packages for him to work on this offseaaon.

To coin a phrase: "Cant wait!"

Father Time caught me years ago.

As to Smith though, i wish it were just the Pro Bowl, but it isn't.

He's still lightning fast, but the lightning doesn't quite flash like it used to.

You saw more penalties on him than usual this season because his losing a step sometimes means he has to take a shortcut or two.

He's winding down. I doubt next year will be his last year, mind you, but I don't think it's far off.

[rayzor]

You willing to bank on him staying healthy and productive for another four years?

Maybe he can, but if I'm the Panthers no way I'm counting on that.

They need to make sure they have a backup plan just in case....And sooner rather than later.

with the plethora of needs on defense and even on OL, you can't afford to start worrying about "OMG! steve smith might break!"

he's not a major concern at the moment. we have little choice than to wait and cross that bridge when we get to it or at least put it on th back burner for now.

with the talent level of WRs coming out and the way that we and the league is turning into more of a spread offense, steve smith becomes less of a worry.

there is lots of good talent available in the draft (verrrrry deep and talented class) and a deep FA WR class (whose prices will be low because of the depth of the draft class) so if we do want to pick up a good WR, we can easily without having to give up too much.

also, with us spreading the ball around more as time goes on, we are going to be less and less reliant on a elite WR. spread teams in the NFL don't really need one go to WR because the favorite target is always the open guy and when you are sending out 4, 5, or 6 targets on a continual basis and you have an RB that is as good at running the ball as he is, there are going to be options a lot more often than not.

i've got enough faith in this system and cam's abilities to not worry about smitty missing time. it will hurt, but it won't be the death of the offense like it was in the past. they'll still be able to get the ball down the field and into the end zone pretty well.

[CRA]

Smitty has some years left......but he soon will take on a role like Donald Driver has done the past few years. Most here seem to assume if r can play he will be our #1 for years going forward. We need to find Cam's Jennings sooner rather than later. A QB like Cam flat out needs the stud #1 WR

[Clicheking]

I see the idiocracy from Sunday's Pro-bowl still remains. I'll check back again tomorrow

[Guest BigA3723]

I disagree with a lot here, I think Smith played pretty hard and had a good showing. Actually on the first catch from Brees when the defense was still playing very soft, Smith turned upfield and knocked down first defender with a nice stiff arm.

[beastson]

Smith on that TD smoked that field

[Miguel O'Hara]

Do other teams fans criticize their players pro bowl performance as much as this place does? This is getting ridiculous.

[thefuzz]

Good lord you guys, Scot is just stating the obvious. At some point SS will not be what he once was/is. He has played at a superstar level for 10 seasons in the NFL.

Even the best of the best slow down, and have to hang them up. Could anyone have invisioned how fast Moss would fade, and burn out. For goodness sakes, not too long ago he broke the record for TD's in a season. Also think Torry Holt, one of the best WR"s to ever play the game.

Nobody is saying SS is washed up, but adults can only play this kids game for so long.