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9 Sacks sunday.And remember what happened last year when he was out a couple of games.That D line couldn't do squat,i think it was like,"0 sacks in 2 games".And when BS came back,BAMM! We were doing it again.
Is it me,or is he means a hell of a lot more than i though he did?

He is honestly the most underrated player on our defense for a number of reasons.

Having Brady Smith in the game allows us to play Kerney in his natural position because Chauncey Davis can't play RE...The scheme our D-Line uses is dependant on every person on the line to play well...I think that if we lost any one of our starters the play of our D-line would drop off signifigantly...Brady is a heady player and plays his position, he doesn't make mistakes and his presence and discipline allow our other D-linemen to do their jobs...that's why if we replace him next year I hope it's with a FA instead of a rookie...

It also makes it so that the opposing O-Line can't stack up on the strong side, which allows the others an easier access to the QB

the tough stretch we had last year was when Coleman was out. i wonder how liquored up he was when that 'deer' ran out in front of his caddy.

... and we also had the 9 sacks against a very, very disinterested Viking squad.

That is definitely true. He's not a great individual player, but his presence upgrades the defense so much. I think part of that is that the Falcons really haven't had a decent #3 DE since Pellom McDaniels and Chuck Wiley. Davis is coming on, but he is not very good vs. the run. Neither is Kerney, although he'll make some good plays from time to time.

Smith won't be a guy that is ever going to get more than 8 sacks in a year (he did so in 2001), but in his 4 years as a starter in the 4-3 scheme, has averaged 6 sacks per year. But he's a very good role player. Not a great pass rusher, but can put pressure on the QB. Not the best run defender, but can hold the point of attack.



Well since he wasn't charged with DUI, I guess we could easily say that he wasn't that liquored up (but it would take quite a bit more to get a 285-pound guy to .08). But then again, of course that coulda been a cover up...

I have always felt that Brady is a steady, aggresive player for us that makes the other guys better. However, we have seen him make some huge plays like blowing by Pace several times in a row ending in a stripped football in the endzone for a TD. He has the burst to blow by the best of the best. I think he's probably faster than Kerney and works just as hard sometimes. When Kerney and Brady are in with Coleman, they create a balanced attack that will fold any OL. Not having him for the SEA game was huge because Kerney was stuck on the right side against a dominating Walter Jones, and we got no consistant pressure from the left. Our DL is best when all 3 pieces are in place. When/if we look for a replacement for Brady, they will have to be at least as solid a contributor in order for this DL to be as effective.

I read an article saying that Babineaux is being moved to RDE to back up Brady. Davis only plays LDE, so our DE rotation hasn't been very effective of late. If Babs works out well spelling Brady, I'd like to see them bring Shropshire in to fill in at DT. I think he'd be a solid backup with much more size, which would help out against the run.

Age and cap figure go against Brady coming back in 2006. I'd like to keep him, but not at his current price. I also think McKay wants more Davis/Kerney type players that have speed and can chase. Brady has some quickness, but he's not a guy that is going to run down a RB in pursuit. The Falcons can save $2.5 million against next year's cap if they dump Smith after the season.

Babs could fill that spot theortically...I've never seen him play DE really, but he's got the burst of the ball and the strength to do it...he may not be super fast but then neither is Smith or Kerney...

The one thing I have learned from Brady Smith's injury time is that we need a bigger, run stopping defensive end opposite Kerney. Of course you want a pass rusher, but the fact is if the other team runs all over our ends with sweeps & off tackle plays, then we won't have much of a chance to work a pass rush. Does anyone have information on what free agents are available next year?

I don't think it's that Brady Smith is that important more then Chauncy Davis has that far to go or isn't that good.

However, Brady Smith is important because he protects the backside of the defense. Kerney & Coleman force offenses to go the other way. They get the Quarterback and runningback moving towards Brady Smith. Brady is good enough to beat the tackle or at least lock down the corner so the back is slowed enough or the quarterback frustrated enough to let our defense setup to stop them.

Brady has a quick first step and can beat most tackles in the NFL with it. The biggest difference in our defense with out Brady Smith is that runningbacks have run all over us on that side of the defense. Davis is not a run stopper like Brady Smith is. Davis isn't even as good as Brady is at getting to the QB when they are flushed by Coleman/Kerney. However, without Coleman or Kerney the value of Brady Smith goes through the floor.