[News] Jimmy Smith's Injured Foot Had 'Huge' Impact

[BR News]

The Ravens cornerback admitted the foot injury that ended his 2014 season impacted his play this year.

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[TruRavensFan52]

Hopefully the injury really was the case and he returns to his 2013/14 form next year and this article wasn't just an excuse. Really hope you rebound next season Jimmy.

[balfan23]

Hopefully the injury really was the case and he returns to his 2013/14 form next year and this article wasn't just an excuse. Really hope you rebound next season Jimmy.

Whether it was or wasn't ... that's what it will sound like. Given that, I don't think it does any good for the team or for Jimmy to talk about it. Instead, go out in 2016, show a return to previous form and then we can review that 2015 was what it was because of a lingering injury. 

[The Greek]

you are paid to be a shutdown cb so thats what we expect to see in the years to come from you

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

Lol...is that what kept him from turning around and looking for the ball?? Sounds like an excuse for bad technique to me

[The Mom Gene]

And yet, I still don't think there are folks out here that understand the impact an injury like this has on a player... They just expect perfection at any cost. Glad that Jimmy persevered through it. You could definitely see an improvement as the season went on.

[ellicottraven]

Why then was he allowed to suit up if his injury made him a liability? Don't understand it.

[757RavensFan]

Like most players coming back from an injury it's harder for them to get over the mental hurdle of them being healthy and trusting their body.  I personally felt Jimmy was 100% healthy but mentally he didn't trust his foot and didn't want to re-injure himself.  Thus causing the poor play.  

[AirforceOne79]

No excuses, the 2015 season is over with no need to rehash about what you didn't do. Because when 2016 comes around and the results end up being same, what will be the excuse then?

[Godfather A]

Sometimes you do not realize the impact of an injury until you play. When I was younger, I knew how much ground I could cover in the outfield to get to a ball. As I got older, I still knew how much ground I used to be able to cover but was not quite as fast as I had been. Until I realized that and adjusted to it, there was a transition period.

[ellicottraven]

When I said earlier why play him if he was injured, I didn't mean that Jimmy was a bad player. I just don't understand the logic of playing someone who is hurt and not playing to his full potential. The only plausible reasoning could be he's better than who we had out there even if injured. However, I don't buy that. Hopefully the extended rest during off season will make him fully heal and mobile and he'll be back full speed and dominate.

[The Mom Gene]

When I said earlier why play him if he was injured, I didn't mean that Jimmy was a bad player. I just don't understand the logic of playing someone who is hurt and not playing to his full potential. The only plausible reasoning could be he's better than who we had out there even if injured. However, I don't buy that. Hopefully the extended rest during off season will make him fully heal and mobile and he'll be back full speed and dominate.

Who else would we put out there with the schedule we had?  It's not like we had an abundance of secondary players or anything.  The only way you improve is to get out there and start doing it.  All the training in the world won't give you the confidence to go full speed and cut and turn when that's how you injured it in the first place.  Ya' just gotta work your way back into it.

[RavensBaltimore]

Like most players coming back from an injury it's harder for them to get over the mental hurdle of them being healthy and trusting their body.  I personally felt Jimmy was 100% healthy but mentally he didn't trust his foot and didn't want to re-injure himself.  Thus causing the poor play.  

Based on his comments, he may have had too much confidence in where he was physically, meaning he was a little naive in thinking that he was going to be the same athlete after not being able to train for so long. It seems as though he was expecting to be able to run and cut like he used to, but he was surprised at how "slow" he was, which explains him getting torched so many times in the first half of the season. Even if you're injury is fully healed, and you feel good mentally, your speed/agility/quickness isn't going to be the same after doing nothing but resting and rehabbing for almost a year.

[ellicottraven]

Who else would we put out there with the schedule we had?  It's not like we had an abundance of secondary players or anything.  The only way you improve is to get out there and start doing it.  All the training in the world won't give you the confidence to go full speed and cut and turn when that's how you injured it in the first place.  Ya' just gotta work your way back into it.

While I agree on the job training is best, is it worth it if it contributes to a losing season? Now that the season is in the rear view, we might at least be happy that he gained confidence in his foot (planting it, pivoting on it and so forth).

[Crusader]

Jimmy Smith foot will NEVER be right and yet they sign him to a big contract.

[Crusader]

No excuses, the 2015 season is over with no need to rehash about what you didn't do. Because when 2016 comes around and the results end up being same, what will be the excuse then?

Half the people on here could never own a business they the way they let their feelings decide who stays and goes. Jimmy and Webb both should be let go along with the coach but they will get another year to prove me right.

[Purple Hazard]

I feel you Jimmy. Every injury to your foot or knee has an impact on your game. I've been through it myself. It takes time to gain the trust again and learn how to deal with the situation. You need to adapt your game sometimes.

[ebonynivory]

Unfortunately I don't believe it. If that was really the case and lets say the team didn't want him disclosing his injury so he wouldn't be targeted. The team should know, if he didn't tell him then he's a poor teammate and needs to go. If the team knew, you would think they would offer more safety help and not leave him on an island. Either way, not sure if I buy this whole story. Jimmy was awful, for his salary this year....Awful! Least he could do is give some of that money back for playing a quarter of the talent he showed the year before.

Edited January 4, 2016 by ebonynivory

[BmoreBird22]

Half the people on here could never own a business they the way they let their feelings decide who stays and goes. Jimmy and Webb both should be let go along with the coach but they will get another year to prove me right.

I just want to clear this up for the entire board and for you as far this foot injury is concerned since most of you are seriously underestimating the hindrance of a Lisfranc injury.

 

The Lisfranc is considered one of the most serious injuries in all of sports. The University of Pennsylvania did a study and found that the average time to return to action was 11.5 months. The range was 9 months to 15 months. Jimmy returned to training camp in about 7 months. He didn't reach 11.5 months until about the bye week, which happened to coincide with week 9. Hey, what do you know- PFF graded him as the sixth best cover corner in the league over the last eight games.

 

So, Smith returned about 4.5 months earlier than most players, and returned to his normal level of play at around the same time that most players would be returning to the field.

And here's the real kicker- UPenn found there was no statistical drop-off in the second year back from injury forth. Meaning that next year, we should see much of what we saw in weeks 10-17.

[rpolla72]

I just want to clear this up for the entire board and for you as far this foot injury is concerned since most of you are seriously underestimating the hindrance of a Lisfranc injury.

 

The Lisfranc is considered one of the most serious injuries in all of sports. The University of Pennsylvania did a study and found that the average time to return to action was 11.5 months. The range was 9 months to 15 months. Jimmy returned to training camp in about 7 months. He didn't reach 11.5 months until about the bye week, which happened to coincide with week 9. Hey, what do you know- PFF graded him as the sixth best cover corner in the league over the last eight games.

 

So, Smith returned about 4.5 months earlier than most players, and returned to his normal level of play at around the same time that most players would be returning to the field.

And here's the real kicker- UPenn found there was no statistical drop-off in the second year back from injury forth. Meaning that next year, we should see much of what we saw in weeks 10-17.

Didn't Wagner also suffer a Lisfranc last year too? I know they play completely different positions, but Wagner had a rough start but came on at the end of the year.

[Raven'evermore]

 I had stated in an earlier post that I wondered if his foot had completely healed.  Something he had said in an older interview this past season, or tried to avoid a question regarding his injury.  Can't remember right now.  If he says he was playing hurt then he was playing hurt.  I'm not going to call him a liar.  Makes sense as far as this season went; we had people off the field with injuries so of course we would have some on the field with injuries too.  Can't wait to see him play next season so we can get our shut down corner back. 

[Crusader]

That lazy man hit Jimmy put on the receiver had nothing to do with his feet.

[BmoreBird22]

Didn't Wagner also suffer a Lisfranc last year too? I know they play completely different positions, but Wagner had a rough start but came on at the end of the year.

Yes, and RT is a huge position to rely on footwork

[NNITRED]

rubbish.. getting burned in consecutive games starting week 2 against Amari Cooper shook his confidence. he installed this excuse 2 weeks ago before facing the Steelers and even earlier when pees called him out for plaing scared.  Not playing the ball all season has nothing to do with a foot injury. 

Edited January 5, 2016 by NNITRED

[NNITRED]

Ozzie made a huge and expensive mistake letting Drew Rosanhause threaten him with the open market. It was just stupid extending Smith before he was even clear to practice and with no idea what player he was getting despite only 1 season of quality production.

[BmoreBird22]

Ozzie made a huge and expensive mistake letting Drew Rosanhause threaten him with the open market. It was just stupid extending Smith before he was even clear to practice and with no idea what player he was getting despite only 1 season of quality production.

He didn't threaten him with the open market because Jimmy had one more year on his contract due to the fifth year option. Ozzie just wanted to sign him.

[BmoreBird22]

I don't know why I bother in these parts. I post some statistics done by University of Pennsylvania's School of Orthopedics and people want to ignore it and call this an excuse. It's incredible. Haters gonna hate.

[BmoreBird22]

That lazy man hit Jimmy put on the receiver had nothing to do with his feet.

Not sure what you're talking about, but have you ever tried to drive through a tackle without your feet? I bet not.

[RavensBaltimore]

Unfortunately I don't believe it. If that was really the case and lets say the team didn't want him disclosing his injury so he wouldn't be targeted. The team should know, if he didn't tell him then he's a poor teammate and needs to go. If the team knew, you would think they would offer more safety help and not leave him on an island. Either way, not sure if I buy this whole story. Jimmy was awful, for his salary this year....Awful! Least he could do is give some of that money back for playing a quarter of the talent he showed the year before.

There is nothing that says he still had an injury this year. He says he lost some speed and quickness because he couldn't train all year, which is to be expected. As someone else pointed out, the average recovery time for a Linsfrac injury is 11.5 months, and Jimmy came back in 7. Besides not training, he missed the preseason and was thrown right into action. Expecting him to be anywhere close to 100%(athletically, not health wise) is unrealistic. However, he was not going to get in football shape unless he played, and we didn't have strong depth in the secondary, so he wasn't hurting the team by working through it.

 

Also, Rick Wagner has the same injury and played like garbage as well at the beginning of the year, and like Jimmy played much better later in the season.

[RavensBaltimore]

I don't know why I bother in these parts. I post some statistics done by University of Pennsylvania's School of Orthopedics and people want to ignore it and call this an excuse. It's incredible. Haters gonna hate.

When people who have absolutely no clue what they're talking about make stuff up and accuse someone else of being a liar, it says a lot more about them than it does about the person they are accusing.