When the Raiders signed a former undrafted free agent named Willie Smith it seemed like he was going to be another camp body – someone to provide competition and to spread out the many reps that everyone gets in training camp but not someone who was likely to make the team.
Not only did Smith make the team but when starting RT Khalif Barnes went down with a groin injury, head coach Dennis Allen and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp turned to Smith to man the right tackle position over former 3rd round pick Joseph Barksdale or 3rd round rookie Tony Bergstrom who played right tackle in college.
Smith struggled fairly quickly but so did the entire offensive line as the players struggled to learn how to run the zone blocking scheme and adapt to Knapp’s offensive gameplans.
Recently, however, the offensive line has appeared to improve and so my curiosity was piqued sufficiently to warrant a mid-season tale of the tape on Willie Smith.
What I found surprised me. Because Sm...
Found October 31, 2012 on
Thoughts from the Dark Side:
PLAYERS:
Willie Smith,
Khalif Barnes,
Tony Bergstrom,
Denarius Moore,
Elvis Dumervil
TEAMS: Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos
TEAMS: Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos
Original Story:
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