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+---- Thread: *Comparing year 1 and year for Chathack'rius Smith IV (/showthread.php?tid=31890)
*Comparing year 1 and year for Chathack'rius Smith IV - Rockiesfan4ever - 05-05-2021
The biggest thing for Chathack’rius Smith IV going back into the DSFL for his second season was, you gotta stand out and make plays. Did he do it? Let’s take a look at how the second year safety out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln progressed in his second season at the DSFL. In case you forgot these were his stats in his rookie year, 2042 with the Bondi Beach Buccaneers.
2042- 14 games started, 48 tackles, 10 missed tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 0 sacks, 3 interceptions, 8 pass deflections, and 1 blocked punt.
Let’s see how that compares to his 2043 stats.
2043- 14 games started, 74 tackles, 2 missed tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 3 sacks, 0 interceptions (1 postseason interception), 7 pass deflections, and 1 blocked punt.
First, let’s talk about the wacky stat that stands out. Chathack’rius Smith IV is the first player in DSFL history with a blocked punt in both of their first 2 seasons (stat not verified against DSFL record books). It’s amazing that he was able to consistently make an impact on special teams without being a returner. These are the types of plays that head coaches and GMs love to see because it’s a semi-star player continuing to give maximum effort even when the odds are against them. The average DSFL team punted 5 times a game, so that means Smith IV lined up for a punt block 70 times and only succeeded 1 time; they said baseball is hard!
Now, let’s look at the consistency that Smith IV displayed between seasons. Smith IV forced a singular fumble (and recovered it) in both 2042 and 2043 as well as nearly having as many pass deflections in 2043 as he did his rookie year. However, is the consistency what you want to see or would you rather see those number have doubled? Tripled? With the DSFL being as run heavy as it is, it is expected to see passing numbers decreased on defense, but for Smith to come away with 0 regular season interceptions is disappointing. This is a kid who thrived off of the interception in college and was held to a goose egg for 14 games. Granted, he did grab an interception (that led to a touchdown) in the DSFL conference championship game.
The biggest improvement to Smith’s game was his tackling. Coming out of college he was definitely a “business decision” type of DB; someone who was not about the tackling lifestyle. However, the coaching between year 1 and year 2 completely changed Smith’s attitude and play. Numerous times during the season we heard the hit from Smith echo throughout the stadium as he laid out another RB/WR/TE. His 74 tackles were over a 50% increase from his 2042 season and he was able to drop his missed tackles from 10 to 2! If he put his hands on you, you weren’t getting away. Those 74 tackles led all DSFL free safeties and placed him 20th in the DSFL overall in tackles. Now, we can’t talk about improvement without noticing his 3 sacks for the season. Maybe it was a change in scheme, playcalling, or just Smith’s increased speed that allowed him to bring down the quarterback. Now, let’s see if he can use some of those forced fumble skills to pry free some balls in the backfield.
What is in store for Chathack in the 2044 season? Hopefully more impact plays, even more tackles, and another blocked punt or 2. Looking at how his stats changed this year and extrapolating them out would give him 114 tackles, 1 missed tackle, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 6 sacks, 0 picks, 6 pass deflections, and 1 blocked punt. Would he be satisfied with that season? This writer doesn’t think so, but, more importantly, would Bondi Beach and Austin accept that type of season? Only time will tell.