Originally Posted by
rsvman
Haskins could have/should have run for first downs on several occasions in the last game he played, but he chose to throw the ball (unsuccessfully) each and every time. I agree with you that Smith has virtually no mobility, and fares very poorly when flushed out of the pocket. If I were planning a defense against the WFT, it would start and end with flushing Smith. If Tampa Bay can do that successfully, the WFT will be in big trouble, because they have no offense if Smith is flushed.
On the flip side of the coin, though, Tom Brady is also not the most mobile quarterback in the NFL, and is exactly the kind of quarterback against which the WFT has been successful. If the Maroon 4 can get to him/put pressure on him all night long, I think the WFT has at least a puncher's chance of pulling off the upset. The WFT fares very poorly against teams with mobile/running quarterbacks (think Arizona, Seattle, NYGs, Philadelphia when Hurts was taking snaps) but does much better against teams with pocket quarterbacks (Pittsburgh, the Eagles with Wentz, the Lions [a game the WFT should've won], Dallas, etc).
Honestly, if I were Tampa Bay, the LAST team from the weak NFC East that I would want to see come out of the division is the WFT. I think the WFT has the best chance (out of any of the NFC East teams, admittedly a very weak division) to pull off the upset. Let's see how Tom Brady fares against Montez Sweat, Chase Young, et al.
(Afterthought: the WFT might have a better chance to win if they played Heinecke, who is much more mobile, then if they play Smith, although they will obviously play Smith. If TB is getting consistent pressure and flushing Smith all night long, Coach better think about substituting in Heinecke, who is quite mobile and can get some first downs on his feet when a play is broken.)