What did you see from Mazi Smith in the game against the Browns? I didn't hear his name a lot, but I know that doesn't always tell the whole story when talking about defensive tackles. – Les Hoffman/Pell City, AL
Nick Eatman: While Aaron Donald was the exception to the rule, you're really not supposed to hear a lot from the defensive tackles. I know some of them can be playmakers and disrupt the game, but for the most part, the Cowboys just need Mazi to hold his own in the middle and not get pushed back to create running lanes. Anything on top of that is a bonus. The name you did hear was Eric Kendricks, and many times the DTs, such as Mazi and Jordan Phillips and Osa Odighizuwa, were taking on blocks, freeing up the linebacker to make plays - and they did. That's the real job of Mazi Smith and the defensive tackles. They stopped the run and created room for the edge rushers and linebacker to get to the ball.
Mickey Spagnola: After scouring over Mazi's season opening play, this is what I discovered. First, he only played 23 snaps in the game with the Browns in so many nickel formations and throwing the ball 45 times. He's not much of a pass rusher yet, though did a nice job of pushing the pocket. And though did not make any tackles from his nose tackle role, he did a fine job of holding his ground, taking on double teams, which keeps linebackers clean to make plays, and plugging holes against the run. So far, so good.
