After Falcons brass woke up and said, "Thanks, but no," to the former second-round pick, L.J. appeared destined to land in Detroit, the only place he's still good enough to start. Apparently some things are more important than playing time, as the former Eagles tight end finally wound up signing with the Baltimore Ravens for one year.
It was awkward watching L.J.'s name bounce around like an L.J. Smith fumble between Atlanta and Detroit, and at one point it was thought he had reached a deal with the Falcons, who in turn decided they wanted somebody with some actual skill, preferably in the areas of catching the football and blocking. In the end, either the Lions amazingly felt the same way, or Smith still wanted Sundays to mean something and only used the hapless club as leverage in negotiations.
Baltimore probably is not an altogether bad fit, as they are a quality team with an up-and-coming quarterback in Joe Flaaco, but he is expected to back up Todd Heap. That's admittedly a step up from backing Brent Celek, though it can't be what he hoped for from a free agent market devoid of top flight talent at the position. Then again, when that was said about the marketplace, it applied to Smith as well.
There were some complaints about L.J. Smith receiving the franchise tag last offseason, but the consolation prize is it ultimately backfired for the player. Coming off an injury-plagued season in '07, it seemed like the best fit for both sides. The Eagles got a tight end for at least one more year, and Smith had the opportunity to build his value should he hit the market. Obviously neither was the case.
I wouldn't necessarily call Smith a bust during his time here. He was a servicable starter for several years, he just never took his game to the next level and actually seems to have already started regressing. It's a shame he didn't turn in to something great, but this is one departure the Eagles won't miss.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/03/lj...
