Chase
 

I brought up Martin Chase in another thread (Gravey retirement) and no one commented on him. I thought that he showed some quality play in some games last year. I know he wasn't a starter but for such a big man he amazed me with his spped. I recall him running down a running back from behind, after a 10 yard gain, on one play. Is he still with us and if so what is everyone's thoughts on him stepping up for us on the D-line?

Chase
 

I think Matin Chase needs more respect, I mean he might not be the best but he can get the job done.

Chase
 

He\'s still with us. He\'s listed as a backup.

Chase
 

And rightfully so. He has size, and does make some plays but then he disappears. He never seems to be a factor for several plays together. Its good to be able to contribute at all but what makes a player special or a starter is the ability to maintain a level of productivity over a whole game, a whole season. Something Chase has never shown, perhaps he will develop more consistancy this season ,but untill he does his butt will be on the bench.

Chase
 

I think this kid has the same problem Kenny Smith did...motivation and devotion to excellence.

The only thing stopping Martin Chase from being a stud is Martin Chase.

He will be as good as Martin Chase wants him to be. Unfortunately the NFL is littered with potential studs like him that just didn\'t get it, and ended up wondering why it never happened for them.

Chase
 

92 Martin Chase
Height: 6-2
Weight: 310
Birthdate: 12/19/1974
Years Pro: 6

STATISTICS
Year Team G GS Sacks Int Yds TotTD
1998 Baltimore Ravens 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
1999 Baltimore Ravens 3 0 0.0 0 0 0
2000 New Orleans Saints 9 0 0.0 0 0 0
2001 New Orleans Saints 16 3 1.0 0 0 0
2002 New Orleans Saints 13 1 0.0 0 0 0

Totals 6 NFL Seasons 41 4 1.0 0 0 0


KENNY SMITH
New Orleans Saints | DT | #90
College: Alabama Rookie Yr: 2001
Ht., Wt.: 6\'4\", 295
Contract Status: Active
NFL Exp.: 2

CAREER DEFENSIVE STATS
Year Team G Tk Ast Sck PD Int Yds TD
2001 NO 6 7 1 0.0 0 0 0 0
2002 NO 9 16 3 3.5 1 0 0 0
Totals: 15 23 4 3.5 1 0 0 0


Martin Chase has played in the NFL for 5 seasons and has a sack total of 1. Kenny Smith has played for 2 seasons and has 3.5 sacks. Motivated or not one sack just shows a lack of athletic ability.


Martin Chase has no upside and considering he has been in the league for 5-years and not produced, he can only be considered a back up at best.

Kenny Smith on the other hand has only been in the league for 2 years. In college he was considered a stud who needed a little time to develop. He seems to be coming along nicely.

To compare Martin Chase to Kenny Smith is like comparing apples to oranges.

Chase
 

Apples and oranges are both fruits, both round, loaded with vitamin C, and can supplement a crash diet quite effectively. Whats your point?

Chase
 

My point is you seem to think Martin Chase can be as good as he wants to be and considering he has been in the league for 5-full seasons and produced a whopping 1 whole sack, you would think it\'s more than a lack of motivation holding him back.

He just doesn\'t have what it takes athletically to be the player that Kenny Smith can be. At some point a player is what he is. You\'ve seen what Chase brings to the table.

The story on Kenny Smith was he lacked motivation also, yet he produced 3.5 sacks with limited playing time. His athlectic abilty is much greater than Chase.

[Edited on 26/7/2003 by BillyCarpenter1]

Chase
 

Yes you are 100% correct. But chase has never been given as much playing time as he\'ll see this year. He was a developmental player from day1. Everyone knew he\'d be a project player who may develop into a starter in 3-4 years, if he develops for the better.

The main difference in Smith and Chase is Smith is a MUCH better athelete capable of playing all 4 spots. Chase will always be a DT. I wasn\'t comparing talent between the two, only their work ethic.

If Case works his butt off, he could be a starter quality DT. \"Stud\" may have been a reach, but you get my point.

If Smith works his butt off, he can be a borderline pro-bowl quality DT or DE.

Same probs, different level of expectation.

Chase
 

Maybe he could develop into a starter, but I have my doubts. You would think once a player acheives his dream of playing in the NFL that motivation would not be a problem.

Maybe the money causes complacency. Whatever the reason is that Chase is taking so long to develop, if it was lack of motivation, I would show him the door and work on another project. One that didn\'t take so long.

Chase
 

Martin Chase is a gap control player. If that is what you want he will do it better than Kenny Smith. One sack means nothing really because his play strength is filling and maintaining rush lanes. Everyone probably hoped when he was brought in that he would develop more push to disrupt the backfield, but he does what he has shown he can do, control the center of the line and stop the run in there. Is he great at it, no.
I just felt comparing his sack total to Smith is no indication of his value considering they have opposite styles as a DT. That would be like comparing Ted Washington to LaRoi Glover, sure Glover has more sacks, but is he a more valuable tackle? Both execute their strengths in different ways.

Chase
 

Ok, since I\'m a big Kenny Smith fan. Why do you say that Chase is a better gap player than Smith? Chase only has 15-pounds on Smith, which is not a great deal. Smith is also stronger than Chase.

I\'m not saying your wrong but I\'m not saying your right either. Smith was one hell of a player in college. You\'ll see why the coaches are so high on him this year. He\'s a good all around player that can play pretty much every position on the line.

Chase
 

Billy I\'m not trashing Kenny. He has way more potential than Chase and at this point in both their careers they have hit a cross roads. I base that opinion from the spot duty I have watched them in. Chase seemed more effective in controlling his gaps at the line of scrimmage, while Smith seemed to have more of a push towards the QB. He got into the backfield and changed the play direction. Even though Kenny is measurably stronger, he didn\'t seem to hold as well at the point. Whether 15 pounds makes that difference, technique, or lower body strength, I don\'t know. Given the two players I would rather see Smith in there simply because I\'d rather have opportunity for forcing plays.
It\'s like the Waskington/Glover arguement. Both are good players, they are just good at different things, even though in this case size is the blatant difference as to why.
Chase or Smith, I take Smith. Chase is good for depth to rotate in on early downs, or to get into a jumbo package.

Chase
 

OK LummOx. I\'ll take your word for it. I wish I would have taped the games from the last couple of years, so I could go back and look at things like that. I will tape them this year.