Mayock said that a lot of teams took him off their boards, because of the interview at the Combine, but he is a very good player to pick in the 3rd round.
I wonder if you could stand him up and run him on 1st and 2nd down as a Mike. Maybe have him loose 10 lbs. He's definitely slow, but he really is very focused and persistent pursuing the ball, and he is very tenacious and persistent. He definitely seems exceedingly slow getting out of a 2 point stance. And as slow as he is, his combine numbers still look about like those of Manti Te'o.
Antonio Smith coming out of college: 6'4" 272lbs Montgomery: 6'3" 262lbs He's only 22 y/o. He can absolutely grow into the roll. BTW, he beat Smith in virtually every measurable at the combine except for bench reps (22 vs 24). http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/sam-montgomery?id=2540149 http://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Antonio&l=Smith&i=6949 This guy will be a great fit on the outside, hand in the dirt or not.
This was the most odd pick to me. When I originally saw the selection, I was excited cause he is a relatively big name. But after doing some more research, I am just not sure how he is going to fit into this defense. With all the "character" issues aside, I just dont know if Montgomery has the athleticism to play OLB in this defense. I didnt realize Montgomery and Antonio Smith's measurables were so close. Maybe they would consider him at DE, although they mentioned him as a strong side OLB.
After thinking about this more and the fact that they took Travardo Williams in the 4th, I think Montgomery is absolutely a potential replacement for Antonio rather than OLB depth.
Smith is making 9.5 million this year (the final year of his contract) and will be pushing 33 by the time the 2014 season starts. You have to think with Watt (2014), Cushing (2013), Reed (2014), and Kareem's (2013) reups coming due... they're going to let Antonio walk. Montgomery seems like a natural replacement.
This, I think what the Coaching staff was trying to do was have continuity for JJ Watt this year on the DL without completely starting from scratch... Antonio Smith was just as disruptive if not better than any other person in the front 7 not named JJ Watt... The Texans most likely will be moving on from Antonio after this year, but he may be able to be had cheap...The Texans paid him well, and he performed...He likes the city and the area, and I do think that if push came to shove, the Texans would bring back Antonio for a cheap contract. The OLB move was made primarily, bc i think , as much as they dont want to admit it...Arthur Brown was extremely high on their radar, and then the Ravens did the nasty and jumped on that pick...He wouldve been our 2nd round pick...when that happened, the Texans had the option route ready to go in regards to getting the best available safety(groom him, and have him play certain packages)...This kinda forced their hand in moving Reed inside to help Cushing, and forced them to draft OLB...Mercilus, Trevardo, Brahman should man the fort for a bit... If I would like to see Montgomery play behind Antonio in year one...rather have him groomed and ready to go...bc i personally think he is way too slow on the outside...
In one of the press conference videos on the texans website, they said (I think it was Wade) that Montgomery and Williams would be 1 and 2 at the SAM position, moving Brooks Reed inside. But then i just found this from Kubiak saying that Reed would stay at SAM: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Texans-may-turn-eye-toward-offense-61181261 ''Brooks is our starting Sam (strongside) linebacker, and he is a great player, so we are not doing anything to impede the progress of Brooks Reed,'' Kubiak said. ''He is a guy who can give us flexibility. He's done that for our football team. What we have done is add more quality players to the depth at our linebacker position. Brooks is lined up at our Sam position, and we expect him to be a great player there. We have to get these other guys to fit what they do best and what they're going to do best for this football team.'"
Smith was in the NFL for 6 years before he became a 34 DE. He is a lot stronger now than he was then. Smith is a good comparison for Montgomery as I think Montgomery will be an OLB like Smith was a 43 DE. Great against the run on 1st, 2nd downs, but could slide inside on passing downs.
Interesting point on the radio this evening. Lance Z was saying he thought the team may have realized that Mercilus is just flat terrible against the run and that Montgomery may be insurance if Mercilus if he doesn't improve.
Antonio Smith's first Texan tv interview I can remember was during a preseason game and he didn't come off so well either.
The most painful part about him speaking was him trying to find the words to use...I don't pick up on much else like he's trying to deceive or fool anyone. He's trying to answer well but it just isn't coming out well. As for the other issues in his interviews , ie him taking it easier against lesser opponents and having friendly wagers with teammates, I just don't think too much of it other . There may be more warning signs but from what I've heard I think it's being overblown. Hopefully it can just be chalked up to a young guy being a bit immature and naive
I nominate Sam Montgomery (Sammy?, Monty?) as the 2013 Houston Texan official Red Headed Step Child. Let the beating begin.
