Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Shame Jerry Smith is overlooked imo.

His numbers vs Jackie Smiths and Charlie Sanders
Jerry Smith 421-5496-60
Jackie Smith 460-7918-40
Charlie Sanders 336-4817-31

Jerry Smith held the TD record for TEs for almost 30 years until Sharpe broke it. He had 1 All Pro and 3 Pro bowls but deserved more imo. Especially 1967.

1970
Jerry Smith 43-575-9
Jackie Smith 37-687-4 pro bowl
Charlie Sanders 40-544-6 pro bowl all pro

1967
Mackey 55-686-3 pro bowl all pro
Jerry Smith 67-849-12 pro bowl

Jerry Smith is overlooked but like Pete Retzlaff, everyone looks at him more as a wide receiver than a tight end. Aaron Thomas of the Giants was viewed that way as well ...
Whether the Skins used Smith for blocking or not, he was too good a receiver to keep on the bench, even with HOF teammates in Taylor and Mitchell. I never felt Billy Kilmer went to Smith enough ...

If the ball had arrived (as John Facenda would have said) in Super Bowl VII maybe he would have a bigger case.

Teo wrote:If the ball had arrived (as John Facenda would have said) in Super Bowl VII maybe he would have a bigger case.

Maybe part of the reason he hasn't gotten his due is the confusion regarding the two J. Smith TEs in the same era...

Or it might have to do with Jerry's sexuality...
Some people still aren't very accepting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Smi ... _football)

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... itJe01.htm

Brian wolf wrote:Jerry Smith is overlooked but like Pete Retzlaff, everyone looks at him more as a wide receiver than a tight end..

cannot agree there--never thought of him as anything but a TE, but maybe I am wrong

back then, fairly often tight ends were out a yard or more, but he played some receiver in early days, made his mark as a TE, IMO, at least

You've seen him alot more than I have John, he just looked lanky and fluid and always made catches rather than blocked from the films and few games that I saw. If everyone considered him a true tight end rather than a tall, inside receiver he should have made the HOF already.
Charlie Sanders could catch and block as well but I wasnt sure he was a HOF tight end because alot of players had similiar numbers and impact like Raymond Chester, Riley Odoms, Russ Francis, etc ...

Brian wolf wrote:You've seen him alot more than I have John, he just looked lanky and fluid and always made catches rather than blocked from the films and few games that I saw. If everyone considered him a true tight end rather than a tall, inside receiver he should have made the HOF already.
Charlie Sanders could catch and block as well but I wasnt sure he was a HOF tight end because alot of players had similiar numbers and impact like Raymond Chester, Riley Odoms, Russ Francis, etc ...

I think your eval is as good as mine would be, but I go by where they aligned in the formation ... but in terms of him being a smaller guy compared to the others, certainly agree.

i will leave this here if anybody has any other matchups vs jerry smith ill be glad to post them R. Ewing


Rec

Pete Retzlaff 452

Jerry Smith 421

YDS

Pete Retzlaff 7412

Jerry Smith 5496

Y/R

Pete Retzlaff 16.4

Jerry Smith 13.1


TD's


Jerry Smith 60

Pete Retzlaff 47

Pro Bowl's

Pete Retzlaff 5

Jerry Smith 2

All Pro's

Pete Retzlaff 4

Jerry Smith 2

I think Pete Retzlaff suffers from the same things Jerry Smith does. Pete Retzlaff had a Hall of Famer McDonald steal some spotlight the few years his teams were good. Smith had 1 or 2 Hall of Famers getting the spotlight in Mitchell and Taylor. Most of the times Retzlaffs teams weren't very good. Smith were bad the first 4, the next was okay, then 6 years were good. When Coach Allen got there, the pass game was de emphasized.

There weren't any big TEs around that caught passes in late 50's, some more came in the mid 60's but as has been mentioned, they get looked at more so as a WR type

1960 Stickles, Gibbons, Dewveall. Dee Mackey is another but he had only had 12 catches that year

Mackey and Jackie Smith in 63, Ditka and Ron Kramer in 61

I think the lack of exposure hurt Retzlaff because he's good enough to be in the Hall of Fame.

Jim Mutscheller of the Colts is another receiver of the '50s who was nominally a TE but is viewed as being a WR. He wasn't HOF material but it might be argued that he belongs in the HOVG. A consistent 30-40 catches and 6-8 TDs each year for several 12-game seasons. His problem was being overshadowed by Ray Berry and Lenny Moore.

He also wore that single-bar helmet that looked like it was 2 sizes too small for his head.