Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith takes full responsibility

Torrey Smith’s slow start hasn’t been lost on anyone, least of all Smith himself.

Talk about being your own worst critic. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith hasn’t been waiting on anyone to call him out on his slow start to the 2017 season. He’s taken it upon himself to own things.

On March 9th, Smith signed a one-year deal that could eventually swell to a three-year deal if his option is picked up. Each year could result in a $5 million salary. First thing’s first however. He’s focused on turning things around.

Here’s a tweet from earlier in the week:

We often hear athletes state that they’re cool with seeing a slight decline in their numbers as long as the team is seeing overall success. Who are we kidding though? These guys are competitors, and they want to know they have a direct effect on the team’s win total. Smith is no different. It’s not about being selfish. It’s about wanting to be a difference maker.

Here’s a quote from the Eagles wide receiver about the tweet:

"When I looked back and thought about it, I exaggerated a little bit. Obviously, there’s some plays I’ve left on the field that I could have made, should have made. It’s more just frustration with that, more than anything, but we’ve been winning, so it’s been able to mask that a little bit. If our offense is able to be productive, and I haven’t even played the way I’m supposed to play. When I get rolling, hopefully this Sunday, it’ll change our offense."

Here’s another quote from Smith on the same subject:

"It’s frustrating because I had a great camp, a great offseason, period. I was building off of that momentum. It wasn’t a bad start to the season versus the Skins, and then these last few weeks I’ve left some plays on the field that really hurt us in those games. I’ve just got to back on track, which I will. I’m not panicking…not in the tank or anything. I’m a little embarrassed by it more than anything. It’s not the start that I wanted. I’ve let my teammates down."

Smith’s got the support of his teammates and coaches. Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich and starting quarterback Carson Wentz both spoke with the media recently. Both were asked about Smith. Both were optimistic.

Here’s a couple of quotes, first from Reich:

"No concern. When you play enough and you get enough balls thrown to you, you’re going to have your miscues. Sometimes they come in bunches. In the immediate term, we’ve got a lot of confidence in Torrey. He’s been around a long time and has made a lot of plays"

One from Wentz:

"I have all the confidence in the world in him. You know, drops happen, things happen. I miss throws. The first couple of weeks I was overthrowing and then underthrowing and so those things happen. I don’t get too caught up in it. I talked to him today to make sure we are on the same page, and we are. Those things happen. I’m always very optimistic about those things and kind of keep pressing on. At the same time, I know Torrey. I know he’s a competitor, so to some extent, you don’t talk and harp on it too much because I know he’ll take care of what he needs to take care of."

Perhaps the best quote comes from Smith. He hasn’t given up on himself either.

One for the road:

"I know who I am. That’s the biggest thing. I never lose sight of that. It’s not the first or last time that I’m going to fail to make a play. For me, I know who I am, my teammates know who I am and that probably means more to me than anything. I just know what I need to do to pick it up."

That’s good enough for us Mr. Smith.