Aldon Smith

[Cubbiebum]

Think he deserves his own thread.

1. He now owns the most sacks in first two seasons record, passing Reggie White. He's got 31.5 at this moment with 4.5 games left.

2. He is on pace to set the single season sack record.


My question, just how good is he and how much do the sacks come from having Justin Smith in front of him? To me, Justin Smith obviously helps but if you watch the games (I've watched all but one) he beats lineman 1-on-1 constantly. He does well in a speed rush but a lot of his sacks come from his great bull rush. He's got ridiculously long arms which makes it hard for lineman to get hands on him.

Is he better than Clay Mathews?

 

[Versatile]

Aldon Smith also benefits from having the best run stopping linebacker pair in the league to alleviate a lot of those duties. But he's very, very good.

Because I like being yelled at almost as much as I like making lists, Versatile's NFL pass-rusher power rankings:

1. DeMarcus Ware
2. J.J. Watt
3. Von Miller
4. Clay Matthews
5. Aldon Smith
6. John Abraham
7. Cameron Wake
8. Jason Pierre-Paul
9. Mario Williams
10. Geno Atkins

 

[LongTimeListener]

Aldon Smith is the best insane and socially unacceptable player the 49ers have had since Charles Haley. I'm even skipping right over TO.

 

[Steak Snabler]

When Reggie White came into the league, teams weren't passing 70 percent of the time.

 

[Double Down]

Vers, the fact that sorry ass Mario Williams makes your list and Terrell Suggs doesn't is absurd.

 

[Versatile]

Vers, the fact that sorry ass Mario Williams makes your list and Terrell Suggs doesn't is absurd.

Suggs is playing third downs only right now, right?

Obviously, at full strength, he'd be top two.

 

[Double Down]

Ok, I thought we were talking of the last few years.

Suggs is back to playing full time, I believe.

 

[TigerVols]

The Smith "Brothers" are proof Mizzou can churn out SEC-caliber talent.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I think he's top five. I think it obviously helps that he plays on a defense with so many top-level players.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Aldon Smith is the best insane and socially unacceptable player the 49ers have had since Charles Haley. I'm even skipping right over TO.

TO was crazy when he was with the 49ers, but most people didn't see that until he got to Philly.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Aldon Smith is the best insane and socially unacceptable player the 49ers have had since Charles Haley. I'm even skipping right over TO.

TO was crazy when he was with the 49ers, but most people didn't see that until he got to Philly.

Weeping uncontrollably after catching the game-winning TD vs. Green Bay in the '98 playoffs should have been a tip-off. I remember thinking, "WTF is wrong with this guy?"

 

[LongTimeListener]

People knew he was crazy in SF -- dancing on the star and his first coach and QB feuds were out here.

But with Haley, I think the 49ers to this day feel somewhat fortunate that he did not severely injure or kill someone. And Smith is displaying some of those early tendencies -- he has had four eyebrow-raising incidents this year alone. My fave was his house party that ended with him getting stabbed and another person getting shot.

Good traits to have in a pass rusher, though. Last thing you want there is a normal human being.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

People knew he was crazy in SF -- dancing on the star and his first coach and QB feuds were out here.

But with Haley, I think the 49ers to this day feel somewhat fortunate that he did not severely injure or kill someone. And Smith is displaying some of those early tendencies -- he has had four eyebrow-raising incidents this year alone. My fave was his house party that ended with him getting stabbed and another person getting shot.

Good traits to have in a pass rusher, though. Last thing you want there is a normal human being.

Agree completely on TO. I remember seeing a Sunday Conversation with him just as he was becoming a star in SF where it was clear that this guy is bat**** insane. I think he was overshadowed enough in SF that people didn't notice as much until he got to Philly and became "The Guy"

His last year in SF he was kind of given a pass because everybody knew he and Garcia were gone after the season and that was also when the Niners were hitting rock bottom and you were hearing about how cheap the franchise was getting.

 

[qtlaw]

TO was not the most mature person but he's the classic case of taking a guy from a very small community, with a less than ideal upbringing, then thrusting him into the spotlight in a big city. He was so innocent when he was here, that was the tears showing up in '98. Unfortunately for him, he then got deluded into thinking he was a star who deserved king treatment. He's been a great performer, perhaps even HOF'er, but sadly has suffered a rocky road in stardom (and the fall back to reality.)

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I know both of them had less than stellar endings to their careers, even though Moss is still playing, I would hope both make it to Canton. I would put both in over Carter, Reed, Brown and Harrison.

 

[qtlaw]

I know both of them had less than stellar endings to their careers, even though Moss is still playing, I would hope both make it to Canton. I would put both in over Carter, Reed, Brown and Harrison.

Totally agree. Moss was (unfortunately cannot still say is) the ultimate deep threat with great hands. Sure he had alligator arms over the middle and dogged it (last and only Raider game I went to in '06, watched him literally jog plays, zero effort), but when he was on, boy was he on.

TO was a more devastating threat than either of those guys.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

For Moss, I just think of the Monday night game against the Packers during his rookie season...