Fred Smerlas Thinks the Jets 'Are Frauds', Dolphins 'Absolutely Suck'

Fred Smerlas is a five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle who played 11 of his 14 NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He retired in 1992, and now spends his falls talking football on Boston sports radio.

So it should come as no surprise that the Massachusetts native likes the Bills and Patriots to compete for the AFC East title, even with Tom Brady now in a wheelchair. According to NFL Nation blogger Tim Graham, Smerlas has already grown weary of the media falling over itself to anoint the Jets "the new team to beat." Evidently, he's not as impressed about what Brett Favre means for New York as, say, Peter King.

"The Jets are frauds," Smerlas said from his office in Marlboro, Mass. "They barely beat Miami, a team that absolutely sucks. I've watched tape of [the Dolphins], and they're in trouble. The Jets had a hard time with them.

"Brett Favre is going off the cuff in the huddle. Favre, that pass he threw [a 22-yard desperation lob to Chansi Stuckey] was a punt. It turned into a touchdown, and they win by six points."

Wait, the Dolphins are in trouble? I mean, more trouble than going 1-15 a year ago? I don't expect them to make the playoffs, but Chad Pennington, Jake Long, and a healthy Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown are certainly upgrades over the crew general manager Randy Mueller cobbled together last season.

As for the Jets, well, maybe Smerlas is right. They won just four times last season, but we'll certainly know more about them after tomorrow. And while adding high-priced free agents doesn't necessarily correlate to more wins, Favre, Alan Faneca et al certainly make this club more competitive than the 2007 version.

Whatever, Smerlas ain't all that dazzled with that New York team.

Compared to Favre, Smerlas said Bills QB Trent Edwards "is a much more structured player. [Marshawn] Lynch is a good running back. Their O-line is good. Their defense is better. Buffalo is balanced on offense, defense, special teams."

Can't argue with any of that; the Bills throttled an injury-depleted Seahawks team last week, but we're one week into this thing. We'll know more after tomorrow's game against the Jaguars, but I wouldn't be surprised if Buffalo won the division.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

9-16-2008 @ 4:56AM

brian said...

fred ,you are mellting the icecaps with your hot air,go find a dark spot and hug yourself

9-13-2008 @ 5:53PM

Rick said...

Just wait Brian, there will soon be talk of how the eventual SuperBowl Champion this year should have an asterik because they won in a "non Brady" year. I've long thought that the run by the Patriots was worthy of being considered among the 4 or 5 greatest teams in League history but without question they are the least classy of that group. That's saying something when you consider the Cowboys of the 90s are in that group too. While many will disagree with me, I'm convinced the Football Gods have spoken loud and clear in the last 2 meaningful Patriot games. Watching the Kraft/Belichick balloon deflate over the last 9 months has been priceless.

9-16-2008 @ 3:58PM

Mayday said...

The balloon is deflating? Are you kidding? This is the best run franchise in the sport, with the best owner, the best coach, the best QB, and once again they will demonstrate that they have the best team depth in the league. This is just another opportunity to shut all you haters up. The wins against KC and NYJ aren't that impressive because both teams suck. NY bookies must have made a fortune this weekend off of Jets fans. Also, like you know the other dynasties and their level of class. This is "the classiest" organization in the game for the last 10 years. All those Cowboys in the '90s cheating on their wives, while partying at "The White House" are REALLY CLASSY! Rick, your a joke.

9-13-2008 @ 7:01PM

4Favre said...

First off Fred Smellass,The Pats didn't win to easily either against KC.I don't take to much stock in the first game and neither should you and YOU played the game.Another thing,as far as Favre's pass goes,the 22yd desperation pass,what choice did Favre have? It was 4th down and 13!! What are his options? Take a sack,throw it out of bounds,heave one up.Maybe Miami intercepts and gets the ball on the 20 or yet they pick it off and get tackled inside the ten.Incompletetion gives it to Miami at the 22.Maybe the Jets catch it down at the 1 or 2 then it's Miami's ball there or maybe, just maybe the Jets catch it and score..MY GOD!!!..that's what happened.TOUCHDOWN JETS!! He took a chance.Call it luck but it resulted in a TD.Favre will be the first to tell you it was lucky.Fred,for someone who played the game,you sure have no clue as to what's going on.

9-14-2008 @ 12:01AM

Dan said...

You know, the Dolphins are probably a better team, and the Jets as well because of Farve, BUT!!!!! The Jets were nothing to fear before Farve and even with him shouldn't put them at the top of anyones list. Lat year is last year, the Dolphins have a better chance to exceed their 1 win I'm sure. As for the Patriots, Brady would not have survived playing on any other team than the Patriots. Brady has had more time in his career than any other great QB his compared with. Cassel most likely will struggle but if he can stand back there like Brady and have sandwhich, dink and dunk all day, he'll be considered a GOD to. New England will fail because of their old defense, they'll hang, they'll still win games but towards the end of the season they'll also run out of gas. Watch Rodney Harrison these days, He's usually the first guy to the ball after the play is over. Go Bills, I say no more

9-14-2008 @ 1:03AM

Don said...

Wow Smerlas you are an idiot. Without Brady the Pathetics are done and the Bills never stood a chance in the first place. Edwards a much better QB than Favre??? Puleese!!! You need to get off the drugs man and come back to the real world. Miami is a better team than the Bills and they aren't really that good. But they will probobly beat the Bills when they play. LOL

2d2a0e30 said...

Classy, huh? That's the chick who doesn't have a razor burn when she drops the thong, right?

Football is a money sport, Rick. "Classy" ain't in it. The Pats threw down everything they had on everyone they played ALL the time.
Maybe they should have taken a knee for the poor little guys on the Skins last year when they crushed them, that would have been "classy", huh? "Hey, we feel sorry for you, we'll treat you like a high school team and not like fellow professionals."
Yeah, that would be real classy.
Brady got his leg mangled. Tough shit. Play ball.
THAT'S the way the Patriots play, I don't hear them crying about it.
It's a big tough sport, full of mean angry guys who just want to make big bucks beating the crap outa each other, all for my amusement.
"That's the way Dad did it, that's the way America does it; and it's worked pretty good so far."

9-14-2008 @ 9:01AM

Did I hit a nerve #6? That's quite the analogy, equating the word "class" to a woman's preference for shaven or not. Did Dad teach you that? Psssssss........I still hear the air leaving the balloon. LMAO

lk said...

Rick can you give a specific example of why the Patriots players are not classy? Please don't say they ran up the score, because even football players think that is bunk. I don't see anyone pissing on the eagles for not taking a knee when they were up mad points against the Rams and believe me there are many other examples. One question that came up last year on sports shows was the surprise of how humble the Pats were. They give credit to every team they play to the point that it is laughable when they are talking about how good the Dolphins are, so please give specifics on why they have no class because I really hate it when people just throw out statements with no facts..

9-14-2008 @ 6:53PM

kRAzY Eddie said...

FRED SMERLAS WHO THE HELL IS FERD SMEELASS OH I REMEMBER WASNT HE SOME HASBEEN TRYING TO BE THE BIG MAN ON WHATEVER TEAMS HE WAS RELEASED TO OH YOU MEAN THAT GUY FOR A MOMENT THERE I THOUGHT YOU WERE REFFERING TO A LEGITAMENT PL AYER AND JUST AS BACK THEN AS HE IS NOW HE IS JUST A BIG BAG OF HOT WIND

WHO THE HECK IS FERD SMERLAS OH YOU MEAN FERD SMELLASS OH I REMEMBER HIM ISNT HE THAT HASBEEN THAT PLAYED FOR I DONT REMEMBER HOW MANY TEAMS LIKE 12 YEAH I REMEMBER JUST LIKE THEN AS HE IS NOW HE IS JUST A BIG BAG OF WIND

9-14-2008 @ 12:26PM

Well Ik, I frankly don't care about running up the score. America seems to take a dim view of the whole cheating thing. The Patriots were fined but unfortunately the public was spared the specifics no doubt because of the public relations disaster that would result. I don't care for Belichick and his classified secret opps approach to the the game. It's a football game not a prisoner of war rescue mission in Iran. Sorry if you disagree but that's ok. It's not my opinion that matters, it's the NFL fanbase as a whole and their opinion of the New England Patriots is not as positive as it could be. That's a shame as there are only a handfull of teams in League history that were special and yours was one of them. I've been through that whole dynasty thing where everyone hates you but it speaks volumes when the masses relish an injury to your highest profile player. We're never gonna get to sit down over beers and hash it out so I guess we'll just have to be on different sides of the fence here.

9-14-2008 @ 12:35PM

please the cheats are exactly what they are a bunch of cheats and theres no way to get around for as long as there is pro ball you will never be able to live it down for as long as there is fans ,we will always shove it in your face ,and you guys will never get away with it cause you dont derserve it if you look at it not only did you diservice the football community but all who truely love the game i for one have always instilled true morales in all you do to bad you guys dont have teh guts to be the same and that my friend you will never get away with it as long as i can come in here and remind all of you

9-14-2008 @ 8:13PM

Doug said...

kRAzY Eddie, did you just get out of rehab or are you 12 years old? Smerlas, a five time Pro Bowl nose tackle, wall of fame in Buffalo and a football analyst on radio. He never left the game mentally. Apparently you did.....

9-14-2008 @ 10:20PM

bill said...

First off, let me say I am no fan of the Patriots. But it does seem Smerlas's words were prescient. The Jets with Favre could not beat the Pats w/out Brady. And the Dolphins.... are still the Dolphins we've been watching for the past decade. Not bad analysis for a man out of the league for twenty years. One other thing, Fred did not say Edwards was better than Favre, unless you think structure is better than free form. Not sure if Buffalo can beat New England, hope to find out soon; but I'm certain that Miami couldn't do it w/out several acts of God.

9-14-2008 @ 10:22PM

oh yeah your right doug now i remember he was one of the conerstones of that infamuos bills super bowl craps your rihgt hahahahahahahaha so is there anything else you would like to remind me of hahahahaha thank god i almost forgot about crap like that thanx doug for remind me now i can get some sleep at night hahahahahaha

9-14-2008 @ 11:04PM

Karen said...

kRAzY Eddie: Funny how at the end of the year, when the Pats were vindicated about the 'whole tapping' issue, people can't seem to accept it. Don't know who your team is, but they will have a very tough Pats team to get through. Cassell is not Tom Brady but he's backed up and learned from the best. The Pats are still the team to beat to get to the super bowl. It's too bad their 'classless' coach doesn't let the players say what they really feel about the fans of the rest of the league.

9-17-2008 @ 8:46PM

karen;to bad the league was more harsh on the new england cheaters, if i were the comish first i would really make it hurt all the way around, first take all the 1st,2nd,and fine them 3mil, suspend the troll of a so called coach,and that is giving him to much credit , i played ball and never and i mean never has a descent coach ever coached me to cheat, he always coached to win and when you loose take it like the athete that yuo are and my dear is called "GOODSPORTSMENSHIP"and thats a lot more than i can say about the new england cheaters and all the staff and the players for doing some against the other players in the league that got robbed from the deceifulness of the cheaters,what ever the comish did wasnt enough cause you cant make it go away, i for one will never play it down i will always shove it in your cheater faces hahahahahahaha

9-15-2008 @ 5:35AM

How is being fined and docked a draft pick vindication Karen? Seems to me a penalty of that magnitude suggests they were guilty to some degree of the alledged offenses.