Tag: jimmy smith

Combat Rewind, April 9: Top highlights include Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley and so much more

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

  • Strikeforce – Diaz vs. Daley: [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tatsuya Kawajiri[/autotag] – April 9, 2011
  • SuperBrawl 39: [autotag]Falaniko Vitale[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Masanori Suda[/autotag] – April 9, 2005
  • Shooto Japan: [autotag]Naoya Uematsu[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Eric Payne[/autotag] – April 9, 1999
  • SuperBrawl 39: [autotag]K.J. Noons[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Malik Williams[/autotag] – April 9, 2005
  • Gladiator Challenge 36: [autotag]Jimmy Smith[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mario Ackerbert[/autotag] – April 9, 2005
  • SuperBrawl 4: [autotag]Danny Bennett[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jay R. Palmer[/autotag] – April 9, 1997
  • SuperBrawl 39: [autotag]Mark Moreno[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kevin Barber[/autotag] – April 9, 2005
  • Strikeforce – Diaz vs. Daley: [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] – April 9, 2011

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.

How Jimmy Smith signing affects Ravens’ depth chart

Where does recently re-signed cornerback Jimmy Smith fit on a Ravens’ roster and depth chart that has Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters?

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The Baltimore Ravens got the guy they’ve said they wanted to re-sign all offseason, adding cornerback Jimmy Smith back to the team on a one-year deal. But you wouldn’t be alone if you’re scratching your head on just how he fits into a lineup that features two All-Pro cornerbacks in Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters.

Where I think Smith factors into the Ravens’ 2020 plans best is as insurance. Oh, he’ll get plenty of playing time this upcoming season but he provides Baltimore insurance in a couple of ways that will prove invaluable as they hunt for their third Super Bowl.

The most obvious is insurance against injury to Peters or Humphrey. Smith is still a starting-caliber cornerback capable of doing whatever the Ravens ask of him. He might not be in his prime any longer and I’d question how well he could handle the league’s top receivers one-on-one for an entire season but Baltimore could do much worse than Smith as a depth piece. If either Humphrey or Peters was to miss a few games and Smith had to start in their place, the Ravens wouldn’t be at a huge disadvantage. Given the Ravens’ injury issues at cornerback over the last five years, having this type of insurance can be the difference in making the playoffs or not.

Smith is also insurance for Baltimore’s young cornerbacks. Both Anthony Averett and Iman Marshall are guys the Ravens like and both have plenty of upside. But with Smith now on the depth chart, Baltimore can take their development a little slower and won’t feel the need to shove them on the field as often. That will ultimately pay off for both players as they can continue to learn and grow without having their confidence killed by being thrown into the fire too early.

If Averett, Marshall or a 2020 NFL Draft pick ends up supplanting Smith this season, that’s probably a good sign actually. It likely means they’ve taken a leap forward in their play and can be another long-term answer for the team.

As I noted earlier, Smith will still get plenty of playing time this season. In today’s pass-happy league, defenses are regularly putting more than five defensive backs on the field at a time. With the AFC North alone having serious weapons like Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Eric Ebron, and A.J. Green to contend with already (much less any draft picks that’ll be selected this year), having another solid cornerback to lean on and create more favorable matchups is imperative. As we saw last season, a solid secondary can also make up for a less than stellar pass rush and if the Ravens can get better on that front this offseason as well, they’ll definitely have one of the best defenses in the league.

The additional plus to re-signing Smith is that, while he’ll get plenty of playing time, he won’t have to play every down of every game. Having him in a slightly reduced role will hopefully help keep him healthy for the entire season, which has been Smith’s biggest issue since being drafted in 2011. He’s played a full 16-game season just twice in his nine-year career and has missed 20 games over the last four seasons. If Smith can remain healthy throughout the entire season, Baltimore’s secondary looks to be the best in the league and could be the thing that propels them to another Super Bowl.

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Ravens re-signing CB Jimmy Smith to 1-year deal worth up to $6 million

The Baltimore Ravens are bringing back a player they love in cornerback Jimmy Smith, adding to their already stellar secondary.

The Baltimore Ravens have been transparent about their desire to re-sign cornerback Jimmy Smith this offseason. And now they’ve pulled it off. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and the team’s Twitter account, the Ravens are re-signing Smith to a one-year contract worth up to $6 million.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager Eric DeCosta said he wanted to re-sign Smith but expected him to evaluate his options on the open market. That’s exactly what Smith did and for a while it looked as though he would get offers well out of Baltimore’s price range. However, recent deals for cornerbacks apparently lowered the cost enough to get a deal done.

When healthy, Smith has been a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback for the Ravens. The problem there is Smith hasn’t been able to stay healthy throughout his career. Over just the last four years, Smith has missed 20 games due to injuries and suspensions. Still, he’s been productive over that time as well, snagging six interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), defensing 48 passes, and securing a fumble recovery (returned for a touchdown).

Though Smith missed seven games last season, he allowed just 28-of-50 passes to be completed his way (56%) for 329 yards and no touchdowns. Quarterbacks posted a paltry 67.8 passer rating when targeting Smith in 2019.

While Smith might be beyond his starting days, especially with Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey in front of him on the depth chart, the Ravens love having experienced depth at cornerback. Smith provides Baltimore the level of continuity and experience they appreciate in the secondary while potentially being able to finish out his career with the same team that drafted him.

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11 best remaining free agents the Ravens should be interested in

The Ravens made some noise in the early part of free agency but could still be looking for help. These 11 free agents could be the answer

With the first wave of high-profile free agents being signed, we now enter the next phase of free agency. This is where the second and third tier of players end up getting short-term contracts as a way to finish out their careers or hopefully rejuvenate them. This is also when the Baltimore Ravens typically are a little more aggressive in signing free agents.

While many of the big names are off the market, it’s these smaller deals that help round out a roster and can actually make a bigger overall impact for a team. For Baltimore, this is where they’ve added guys like Robert Griffin III, Mike Wallace, John Brown and Brandon Carr over the last three years.

So who is still available and who makes sense for the Ravens to sign? I picked out 11 free agents still on the market that could be on Baltimore’s radar still.

Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images

OLB Jadeveon Clowney

Clowney was the top free-agent outside linebacker this offseason, largely thanks to so many others getting tagged instead. With such a shallow market, Clowney doesn’t seem to be getting the type of attention he was hoping for, which might have lowered his value considerably.

While the Ravens are a little cash strapped at the moment, teams have a way of finding the money to get deals done when they need to. If Clowney is looking at a bunch of one-year deals, Baltimore being so close to a Super Bowl and having a major need at outside linebacker might be able to boost his value for next offseason.

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Reunion potential abound as Ravens’ free agents remain unsigned

The Baltimore Ravens could turn to their own free agents now that the NFL free agency period has slowed down and money has begun to dry up.

The Baltimore Ravens entered free agency with 13 unrestricted free agents set to hit the open market. And after the two-day legal tampering period and a full day of free agency, not many former Ravens have signed elsewhere. Only defensive tackle Michael Pierce and wide receiver Seth Roberts have agreed to terms with other teams, which seem to be partly Baltimore not being very interested. The lack of deals leaves a bunch of former Ravens available for a potential reunion.

Top among them is cornerback Jimmy Smith, who general manager Eric DeCosta had previously said the team would like to re-sign. While it was initially thought the market for cornerbacks would price Smith out of returning to Baltimore, especially after the Buffalo Bills signed Josh Norman. However, some of the deals done for cornerbacks during free agency indicate that might not necessarily be the case after all. Just take a look at these few deals for prime examples of the market being a little stunted.

If the market for cornerbacks remains a little stagnant, Baltimore might be able to woo Smith back on a short-term deal with terms they like. And if not, Brandon Carr — who the Ravens are set to let go by not picking up his 2020 option — remains a viable option to return on a more cap-friendly deal.

The same could be said for linebackers Josh Bynes, Pernell McPhee and safety Anthony Levine. All were solid players last season and with Baltimore tending to favor continuity instead of shaking the boat, all could be low-cost options that fill important roles as stop-gap solutions until draft picks can supplant them.

Bynes was a godsend last season, joining Baltimore prior to Week 5 and quickly earning a starting spot and a hefty percentage of the defensive snaps. In his very first game with the Ravens in 2019, Bynes recorded an interception in what was a very close game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With his experience and good play came more stability not only at linebacker but on the defense as a whole.

McPhee showed he was still a capable pass rusher, actually beating out several other players including Shane Ray for a spot on the 53-man roster. Through seven games, McPhee started each one and accounted for three sacks and nine total pressures.

Levine might be Baltimore’s most versatile player. While many casual fans might not realize it by looking at his stat sheet but Levine is asked to play all over the defense and is one of their top special-teams players.

While none of these players is really at a starter caliber at this point in their careers, they all provide valuable experience and flexibility while bringing the type of familiarity with the scheme very few outside free agents would have. If the Ravens are eyeing up some low-cost veterans to help round out their roster, looking past their own free agents would be a mistake as long as the money side of things makes sense.

Baltimore was so close to a Super Bowl last season and simply bringing back most of their own guys would give them a solid roster and another good chance at a trophy. With free agency being a little slower for the Ravens’ free agents, a reunion for many of them seems to be shaping up.

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Report: Ravens not picking up CB Brandon Carr’s 2020 option, making him a free agent

The Baltimore Ravens needed the cap space after making a ton of moves. Not picking up CB Brandon Carr’s 2020 option frees up $6 million.

The Baltimore Ravens are not picking up cornerback Brandon Carr’s option for 2020, according to Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson. The decision will make Carr a free agent.

Baltimore has been busy before free agency officially even begins. During the legal tampering period, the Ravens have agreed to terms on two different trades, on a deal with defensive tackle Michael Brockers and have re-signed some of their own players. With all the moves, Baltimore is likely hurting for some cap space right now.

By not picking up Carr’s option, it frees up $6 million on the Ravens’ 2020 salary cap, according to Over The Cap. That would get Baltimore back into the positive on the salary cap and leave them with just $3.58 million, according to OTC’s records. However, the Ravens are set to rework Calais Campbell’s deal and could still re-sign outside linebacker Matthew Judon to free up some additional space on their salary cap for this season.

Carr played three seasons for Baltimore, starting all 48 games and notching six interceptions, 29 passes defensed and two sacks. Carr played both inside and outside at cornerback and even got some playing time at safety this season with the Ravens stacking their cornerback depth chart thanks to the trade for Marcus Peters.

Though Carr is effectively being cut, Baltimore could still be in the mix to re-sign him at a lower contract if they wanted. But the Ravens have also shown interest in re-signing cornerback Jimmy Smith as well.

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Josh Norman signs with Bills, helps set market for Jimmy Smith

With Josh Norman signing a one-year deal, the Baltimore Ravens have a better idea of what CB Jimmy Smith will get in NFL free agency 2020

NFL contracts can be difficult to forecast. Depending on when they enter free agency, how many teams show interest and how much money one or more of those teams have to burn, what a player ends up signing can be pretty illogical from the outside looking in. That’s why teams often let players hit the free-agent market to set their value if they can’t come to an agreement ahead of time.

The Baltimore Ravens find themselves in a similar situation with cornerback Jimmy Smith. At the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager Eric DeCosta noted the team was in talks with Smith on a contract extension to keep him in Baltimore but that he expected Smith to head to free agency to test his value.

In the case of both Smith and the Ravens, the one-year deal signed by cornerback Josh Norman before the start of free agency might make setting the terms a little easier. Norman signed a one-year contract with the Bills worth $6 million in base value, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

There, Norman will reunite with the coach that helped make him an All-Pro back in 2015 which ultimately got him a big contract from the Washington Redskins. Norman will have a legitimate shot at a starting role opposite cornerback Tre’Davious White and is likely viewed as a year-by-year investment at this point in his career. A good 2020 campaign could see him get another short-term deal while another poor showing could signal the end of his career.

Smith is in a pretty similar situation this offseason as he looks for a new contract. At his best, Smith was a Pro Bowl-caliber outside cornerback. However, Smith has struggled with injuries and suspensions over his career, missing 20 games over the last four seasons and only playing a full 16-game schedule twice in his nine-year career. He also had a pretty rough 2018 campaign coming back from a torn Achilles tendon before bouncing back somewhat last season in spite of missing six games early with a knee sprain.

Given that Smith will be 32 years old next season combined with his injury history puts him in a similar boat as Norman. They’re both stop-gap starters or higher-end backups with starting experience, which caps their value. That’s especially true for Baltimore considering they have their starters in place with Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey under contract.

Though Norman’s deal might not really change what Smith is ultimately looking for or what the Ravens are willing to pay, it makes the picture a little clearer for both sides. It seems unlikely Smith will sign for less than what Norman is getting and points to a contract worth around $8 million a year, which matches our free-agent preview prediction.

Whether Baltimore is willing to pony up that type of cash for a backup cornerback is up to them, as is the decision by Smith to accept a lesser role than he could probably get from another team. But as the Ravens head into free agency, they’ll likely have a better idea of what to expect for Smith and potentially Brandon Carr as well.

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4 cornerbacks the Jets should avoid in free agency

Jets Wire takes a look at four free agent cornerbacks Joe Douglas should avoid.

The Jets struggled at multiple positions in 2019, but no unit was worse than New York’s cornerbacks.

Aside from Brian Poole, who is set to hit free agency, the Jets got little to no production out of their corners throughout the season. Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts were downright awful. Bless Austin showed some flashes of potential in his rookie year, but found himself benched by season’s end. Arthur Maulet and Maurice Canady had their moments, but are not exactly proven starters that New York can rely on entering 2020.

Fortunately for Joe Douglas and the Jets, there are plenty of solid free agent cornerbacks available this offseason. Likewise, there are some he should avoid at all costs. Who are those players? Let’s take a look.

Josh Norman

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Norman is on the wrong side of 30, has been declining the last couple of seasons and is a zone corner who would not fit in Gregg Williams’ man-to-man heavy scheme.

It’s clear as day why the Jets should avoid targeting Norman this offseason. He’s not the player he once was and he’s not going to magically revert to All-Pro form playing in a defensive scheme that does not match his strengths. Douglas can do much better than the 32-year-old Norman.

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GM Eric DeCosta: Ravens in talks to re-sign Jimmy Smith

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said the team is in talks with CB Jimmy Smith but he expects him to test his value in free agency

The Baltimore Ravens are working on re-signing several of their own players ahead of the start of free agency. One such player is cornerback Jimmy Smith apparently.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said the team is in the midst of contract talks with Smith, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. However, DeCosta noted that he felt Smith was going to test his value on the open market still.

For many fans, it seemed like Smith was definitely on his way out of Baltimore this offseason, so this news might come as a bit of a shock.

The Ravens don’t seem like Smith’s ideal situation. They already have top outside cornerbacks in Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters alongside slot cornerback Tavon Young. That would likely relegate Smith to a backup role in Baltimore. Though Smith’s extensive injury history is problematic — he’s missed 20 games over the last four years –, he’s capable of being a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback when healthy. For a team that needs a starting cornerback, Smith could be an affordable but solid option in free agency. With that role likely comes more money and a longer-term contract.

Baltimore has to make a decision on cornerback Brandon Carr this offseason, who is due a $1.5 million roster bonus on March 22, according to Over The Cap. Cutting Carr before the roster bonus would free up another $6 million on the Ravens’ salary cap this season but they’d be a little thin if Smith leaves in free agency as well.

Baltimore is set to lead the league in spending at cornerback for the 2020 NFL season, according to OTC. Though cutting Carr would push them down to the second-most money spent at cornerback, the Ravens have invested heavily at cornerback over the last few years. In addition to giving Peters a three-year extension last season, Baltimore gave Young a three-year extension prior to the 2019 season.

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1 pending free agent Dolphins should avoid from each AFC North team

Who should the Miami Dolphins avoid targeting in free agency from the AFC North? Here’s one player from each team.

The Miami Dolphins roster rebuild isn’t just about the players added to the roster via the draft and free agency. No, some of the most important moves are the ones that the Dolphins decide not to make. Because one wrong decision can hinder on the field play, it could hinder the team’s salary cap situation, it could sour the chemistry in the locker room and more. The Dolphins have an embarrassment of assets at their disposal, but that doesn’t mean the team should spend like gangbusters and sign anyone that moves to a deal.

Looking across the NFL landscape, there’s a ton of potential contributors set to hit the market. The Dolphins will need to choose their spots wisely. Here’s one pending free agent from each team in the AFC North that the Dolphins should pass on calling:

Baltimore Ravens – Cornerback Jimmy Smith

Dec 22, 2019; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) catches a pass in front of Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith (22) during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

This one feels pretty straight forward — even though the Dolphins have a dire need at the cornerback position, they’re in the midst of a youth movement. Adding aging veteran players is going to be a selective process for Miami and they’d be well served to attack youth first and foremost at the premiere positions (quarterback, offensive tackle, defensive end, cornerback) and get their veterans elsewhere.

Smith endured an abbreviated season in 2019, playing in just 9 games. That’s unfortunately par for the course with Smith — he hasn’t played 16 games since 2015 and will be 32 years old this summer.

Right idea, wrong player.

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