Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
Probably, but maybe not.
If a guy goes out there and in his very first game in the post-season plays a hell of a game, it doesn't say that's what he'll always do, but it does say that the moment isn't too big for him.
As a Cardinals fan, I'm not afraid of Michael Wacha going out there and being cowed by a showdown with Clayton Kershaw. Sure, he may go out there, not have his best stuff that day and just flat lose - but it won't be because he's afraid of the moment.
It's the same thing with Alex Smith. I don't believe any player is capable of flipping on the 'pressure' switch and playing better in the clutch. I believe over large enough sample sizes, virtually everybody's post-season performance will mirror their regular season performances. However, I maintain an exception to that rule in that believe that players are sometimes unable to handle the pressure of the post-season and those players will fold because of that pressure.
I don't think we have to worry about that with Smith. The pressure won't unravel Smith in the post-season. That's a pretty damn handy bit of information to have for a team that intends to win around him and not through him. It means they can rely on a baseline performance from him in the post-season and build from there.
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I agree with your overall sentiment that "clutch" doesn't exist but "choking" absolutely does.