While Smith (three of 11, 34 yards) was harassed most of his time in the game, there is no denying that he looked too pumped up. Aside from two swing passes with good touch, most every other pass was rocketed to his intended receiver, making catches close to impossible.
There were occasions when he moved well in the pocket to find a clear passing lane, bought time and had open men. Yet he would rocket the ball, leading to high passes. His rookie counter part, Kevin Kolb, looked more like the former Heisman Trophy winner than Smith did and Kolb had purple bodies flying all around, from all angles. Smith did have a nice scramble up the middle to pick up a much needed first down, but he rarely showed composure.
Aside from his first attempt to pass, which ended up being a sack and fumble, Drew Olson looked calm, smooth relaxed and in control. Even though he was playing in the fourth quarter of the first preseason game, Olson completed seven of nine passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Those stats equate to a 142.6 passer rating that bested McNair?s 142.2 rating.
There were times when the pocket was collapsing, with the offense needing a big play to keep a drive alive. And in those times, Olson simply came through. More time is needed to sort out the third quarterback position, as with many other positional battles, but Olson outperformed Smith in this game.
