Comments on: Aldon Smith passes Reggie White as fastest NFL player to 30 sacks

By: baymac408

baymac408 — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:20:02 +0000

Straight up Aldon is a beast!! He will go down as a great !! Shout out to Justin Smith for constantly commanding double team and moving bodies wherever he wants!! These 2 Aldon and Justin Smith pull the best d line stunt in the game today!! Lets GET IT NINERS!!

By: themagicfanguy

themagicfanguy — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:26:56 +0000

Aldon is a very, very good pass rusher. I would love to have him on the Pack opposite of Mathews. However, to compare him to White is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Aldon is still a little too inconsistent stopping the run and covering TE’s much of the time. Plus, due to the higher amount of passing in today’s league he gets many more opportunities to rush the passer. PLUS, he has Willis, Bowman, and J. Smith playing right next to him. The Minister could wreck the O-line by himself.

By: vikescry1

vikescry1 — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 01:14:19 +0000

aldons a beast no doubt, let’s wait a few more years before we compare him to reggie white. no offense but reggie was more than just a pass rusher. that meaning a run stuffer a leader on and off the field. give him a few more years he seems to have a chance to be great though. time will tell.

By: hmpennypacker

hmpennypacker — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:05:36 +0000

Aldon’s a beast! If the team we have can be kept together and the drafting is done right I can see another decade of multiple super bowls. It’s been too long and I don’t see a team in the NFC who can stop us, Giants included!
49ers – Pats would make for a great super bowl I think. Would love to see how we match up against Brady and Belichick.

By: tindeaux

tindeaux — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:02:38 +0000

Merriman? this article should add an (*) denoting that “while Merriman was still on juice”

By: cags777

cags777 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:30:45 +0000

Great player. I just hope he avoids trouble and stays away from the wrong crowd in order to help his career flourish.

By: crazysamoan

crazysamoan — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:28:48 +0000

@iloveflorio

That’s funny I don’t ever remember Reggie dropping back covering TE’s and RB’s. A bunch of pocket passers back in his day. Randall was scrambler way ahead of his time. Give Aldon his props.

By: judsonjr

judsonjr — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:25:18 +0000

As a Packer fan he reminds me of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, they both had the long lean body type with a lot of speed.

Two things killed KGB after he racked up 50+ sacks in his first 4 full seasons. #1 was that he was a bit of a liability against the run. #2 was that he was only good when the Packers were good. Once the Packers were playing from behind in ’05, 06, and ’08 he wasn’t that helpful because the other teams were not in a situation where they were forced to pass. He was still a very good situational pass rusher until he suffered a knee injury.

Aldon on the other hand seems to be a competent run defender. I guess his success will probably be predicated on:

Can he keep it going when Justin Smith retires? Can he stay healthy for that many years? Can the Niners keep up their success, which in turn forces the other team into must-pass situations.

By: Andre's Johnson

Andre's Johnson — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:48:23 +0000

Take a look at the current NFL leaders in sacks. The top three are from last year’s draft class. And fourth place isn’t particularly close.

Those GM’s knew what they were doing at the top of last year’s first round.

By: 93warchant

93warchant — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:28:53 +0000

you do know aldon is 6 foot 5 and stronger than people think. he set a school record for sacks as a freshman at mizzu. he is speed power and relentless all in one package and as a 49er fan I’m glad he’s become elite so fast….. p.s. the all-time sack record doesnt belong to Reggie White it belongs to Bruce Smith. 200 career sacks.

By: sschmiggles

sschmiggles — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:24:10 +0000

He’s a great player, but you can’t just look at sacks. Reggie White got there in a league that didn’t pass nearly as much as they do now.

By: redwoodking

redwoodking — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:51:07 +0000

Just watching him, he is gonna be a playmaker for a while. Unlike Bruce Irving, Aldon is a 3 down LB who plays the run really well. Watching him hold a tackle in place and grab a RB is a thing of beauty.

I love watching the best LB core in football.

By: cosanostra71

cosanostra71 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:45:12 +0000

To those who say he is just a pass rusher in this comment section.. He has made strides in the run game this year. He is becoming well balanced. Just enjoy watching him, he’s such a great player.

By: lbcoach34

lbcoach34 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:31:07 +0000

Passing league means more opportunities -

By: thereisfootballwestofjersey

thereisfootballwestofjersey — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:28:37 +0000

If you don’t know by now, Niner GM Trent Balke is the league’s premier talent evaluator. Under his watch the Niners have produced the following draft picks – Bowman, Kaepernick, Aldon Smith, Bruce Miller, Kendall Hunter, and the list goes on.

I remember Niner fans as well as the Bay Area media whining and complaining they wanted Michael Lombardi instead of Balke…LMAO

By: nesuperfan

nesuperfan — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:21:57 +0000

Only 6.5 more this season to break Strahan’s single season record. If you are Aldon Smith, it is looking pretty good to fall.

By: mrlynch33

mrlynch33 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:18:58 +0000

I loved the Aldon Smith draft pick by the Niners. Believe it or not its because before the draft, NFL network had a segment with both Von Miller & Aldon and they were both saying they think they are the best pass rushers coming out. It’s a friendly competition between the two and hopefully it keeps them both motivated

By: kgbdk

kgbdk — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:07:35 +0000

You can give half the credit for most of Aldon’s sacks to Justin Smith. Together they form a lethal rushing attack without needing an extra man to blitz like most teams, allowing extra DB’s to drop back into coverage, blanketing potential receivers…then a QB sits in the pocket, scratching his head just before getting crushed like a tin can by the Smith Bros. But Aldon can do far more than sack the QB. Watch a running back try to bounce outside of Aldon on the edge. Not even Adrian Peterson can get away from his freakish range. If Aldon doesn’t contain, you know that Bowman or Willis will be there.

By: Nevis

Nevis — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:54:47 +0000

But, the Niners “reached” for him. They should have drafted Gabbert, they said.

They also erred when they moved up for Kaepernick.

Remember all this when AJ Jenkins and LaMichael James get their opportunities, who were also questioned picks by pundits.

By: turboreattore

turboreattore — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:50:04 +0000

Aldon Smith is a great player, but he’s not even close to Reggie White. White was a 4-3 Dlineman who was double teamed if not triple, every single play, both in passing and running game and he made all those sacks anyway. Aldon Smith is a 3-4 pass rushing LB who plays more than half of the snap near Justin Smith who is always double teamed allowing Aldon to go almost untouched to the QB. Last week tv analyst showed perfectly how Justin Smith made his move to allow Aldon to go often to the QB untouched. Not to mention that it was almost impossible to run against Reggie, instead Aldon is not so good in run stopping.

By: bobhk

bobhk — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:47:02 +0000

blacknole08 says:
Nov 26, 2012 1:00 PM
I don’t think Aldon Smith will break the great Reggie White’s record. I think some of Smith’s success has alot to do with Justin Smith and Ray McDonald doing their job up front as well. Reggie White was a beast and did all the dirty work too.

Not saying that he isn’t spectacular — he is clearly a top tier pass rusher — but he’s purely a pass rusher.
———-
Hardly. He’s playing all 3 downs and is good at stopping the run. Remember he’s only in his second season. We know he has a long way to go before being compared to White but he’s off to a great start.

By: trollhammer20

trollhammer20 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:40:37 +0000

A very talented player, yes, but right now, how many sacks are coming as a result of Justin Smith bull-rushing and Aldon using the fact Justin commands a double-team to cut inside and get a free shot at the QB?

Aldon Smith, Willis, and Bowman put up the sack and tackle numbers, but the best player on the defense is Justin Smith.

By: eaglesw00t

eaglesw00t — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:38:20 +0000

Aldon Smith is a fantastic player. I would be thrilled with my defense if the Eagles had both Smiths, Bowman and Willis.

Its possible that Aldon will end up with more over his career, but I honestly believe Reggie was the greatest DE of all time. He lost 2 seasons to the USFL, and would have had 25 more over his career had he gotten those 2 years.

And not only could Reggie rush the passer, but he played the run from the left side extremely well.

I will forever hate Norman Braman for not keeping Reggie. You dont give up a once in a lifetime player without even giving the guy an offer.

RIP Reggie and Jerome, 2 alltime fantastic players

By: schmitty2

schmitty2 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:35:24 +0000

rd3777 says:Nov 26, 2012 1:04 PM

With Kaepernick at QB,Aldon is a lock to break Whites record. The 49ers have the ability now to start fast and let the defense pin their ears back and Brooks is starting to shine too! Awesome defense with great talent.

So you’re assuming

1. Kaepernick is the new franchise qb after a whopping 2 games and that he will be there for years and years

2. That Smith will keep up this rate for years and years

That’s a LOT of assuming

By: richiesaurus310

richiesaurus310 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:34:43 +0000

I was just glad we drafted Aldon and not his teammate… Blaine Gabbert

By: boyshole25

boyshole25 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:33:30 +0000

One trick pony though let’s see him do something besides rush the passer. Oh and ill def take him on redskins roster

By: niner13

niner13 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:32:33 +0000

My bad, Miller plays in AFC. No coffee yet.

By: circuscivics

circuscivics — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:31:21 +0000

Well Smith should be able to challenge Reggie White’s sack record. Not only because he is younger than Reggie was at this point in his career, but he is also getting more opportunities for sacks considering the increase in passing attempts by NFL teams. Back in Reggies day, the NFL was mostly composed of run heavy offenses, or at the minimum, more balanced offenses. Now you regularly see guys chuck it 40-50 times per game.

By: oaktown49er

oaktown49er — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:29:15 +0000

Aldon does more than rush the passer. My only complaint is that he was in that car that hit the deer. Yes….he wasn’t driving….exactly my point….he could have easily rip moved out of the car and bull rushed the deer out of the road. Keep up the good work.

By: billhicks666

billhicks666 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:25:55 +0000

direwolf748 says:

“and everyone thought the niners reached on this draft pick”

A lot of draft pundits did indeed think that Smith was a reach so high, but not the Houston Texans. The Texans coveted Smith as much as the Niners but had to “settle” for JJ Watt. Nice consolation prize!