tk13
09-09-2004, 03:22 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/9613836.htm
A prized catch
Wide receiver Richard Smith, a rookie free agent out of Arkansas, has become a trophy the Chiefs treasure
By IVAN CARTER The Kansas City Star
Samie Parker and Jeris McIntyre were wearing blue pullover jerseys and working as scout-team cornerbacks as the Chiefs' offense went through a walk-through Wednesday morning.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage was Richard Smith, lining up with Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Priest Holmes, Willie Roaf, Will Shields and the rest of the offense's big guns.
That scene, more than anything else, illustrates the odds Smith has overcome since the Chiefs opened training camp in late July. Unlike Parker and McIntyre, Smith did not hit the practice fields at River Falls with the built-in reputation attached to a draft pick.
He didn't even receive a signing bonus when the Chiefs picked him up as an undrafted free agent, and he was handed jersey No. 2 during the preseason — usually a sign that a receiver should not plan on sticking around long.
“I guess you could say that I was unknown,” Smith said. “But I've always looked at it like this: It's not where you start. It's where you finish.”
While Parker and McIntyre have been slowed by injury, Smith stayed healthy, familiarized himself with two receiver positions, caught everything thrown his way and earned a spot on the Chiefs' 53-man regular-season roster.
Depending on how quickly Johnnie Morton's Achilles' tendon heals, the 5-foot-10, 191-pound Smith will be the team's third or fourth wide receiver when the season opens Sunday night at Denver.
If Smith does get on the field, no one should be surprised if he handles himself well.
“Well, you're never real comfortable with a rookie, but (Smith) has played with great poise with no game plan during the preseason, just very, very limited offense,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “Now, with the expanded offense and the game plan — like I saw him make a mistake out there today — you have a little more concern. But he has tremendous poise. The game is not too big for him. That's what has impressed me the most about him, other than some of the obvious athletic ability.”
That's pretty heady stuff considering that Smith was not one of the 31 wide receivers taken in April's NFL draft. He wasn't even one of the six Arkansas players who heard their name called during draft weekend.
Smith began turning heads during the off-season program and continued to flash skills during training camp. When Morton, Eddie Kennison and Marc Boerigter went down during the second week of camp, Smith made the most of his chance to run with the first-team offense.
He was the team's second-leading wide receiver during the preseason with eight receptions for 190 yards (23.8 yards per catch) and scored a 53-yard touchdown in the finale at Dallas.
Smith ran crisp routes, flashed ability to run after the catch and even showed he could take a big hit when he got up from a crunching blast by Keith Davis in the final seconds against the Cowboys.
“He's done everything we've asked him to do,” Chiefs quarterback Trent Green said. “We've thrown a lot at him in terms of learning the offense, and he was forced to take a ton of reps during camp with all of our injuries, but he's taken it all in stride. You saw again (on the touchdown against Dallas) that he has the ability to make big plays. He's someone who can be counted on.”
Smith and Benny Sapp, a cornerback out of Northern Iowa, each made the 53-man roster after not getting drafted in April. They join an impressive list of Chiefs who began their careers as undrafted rookie free agents.
In fact, it could be argued that no NFL team has gotten more mileage out of undrafted players than the Chiefs. The list includes running back Priest Holmes, center Casey Wiegmann, left guard Brian Waters, offensive lineman Chris Bober, fullback Tony Richardson, defensive end Eric Hicks and defensive tackle Lional Dalton.
Linebacker Mike Maslowski, who is out for the season because of a knee injury, began his career as an undrafted rookie with the Chargers in 1997 and remembers well the odds stacked against him.
“It can be a very frustrating feeling because your reps are few and far between,” Maslowski said. “You don't get a lot of chances to show what you can do like the guys who were drafted. I think the key for (Smith) was getting on the field and getting a lot of reps early. He had a chance to learn the offense and gain confidence in what he's doing out there. Unfortunately, you're not always able to control how many opportunities you get.”
Smith learned that at the University of Arkansas, where he was a member of some solid football teams but was better known for what he did as a member of the track and field squad.
As a senior in the Razorbacks' run-heavy offense, Smith caught 30 passes for 573 yards and seven touchdowns, numbers that hardly caused a ripple in a draft class filled with wide receivers. On the track, Smith received two All-America honors as a long jumper while helping Arkansas win the national championship.
“The draft is all about where you play and what kind of stats you put up,” Smith said. “I wasn't able to show what I can do in football because of our offense, so nobody knew about me. I went (to Arkansas) for track, but looking back on it, I probably should have gone to Florida or Miami, someplace where they throw the football more.”
Not that Smith's college choice matters much now.
“I'm here,” Smith said. “Now, I'm going to try and stay around for a while.”
A prized catch
Wide receiver Richard Smith, a rookie free agent out of Arkansas, has become a trophy the Chiefs treasure
By IVAN CARTER The Kansas City Star
Samie Parker and Jeris McIntyre were wearing blue pullover jerseys and working as scout-team cornerbacks as the Chiefs' offense went through a walk-through Wednesday morning.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage was Richard Smith, lining up with Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Priest Holmes, Willie Roaf, Will Shields and the rest of the offense's big guns.
That scene, more than anything else, illustrates the odds Smith has overcome since the Chiefs opened training camp in late July. Unlike Parker and McIntyre, Smith did not hit the practice fields at River Falls with the built-in reputation attached to a draft pick.
He didn't even receive a signing bonus when the Chiefs picked him up as an undrafted free agent, and he was handed jersey No. 2 during the preseason — usually a sign that a receiver should not plan on sticking around long.
“I guess you could say that I was unknown,” Smith said. “But I've always looked at it like this: It's not where you start. It's where you finish.”
While Parker and McIntyre have been slowed by injury, Smith stayed healthy, familiarized himself with two receiver positions, caught everything thrown his way and earned a spot on the Chiefs' 53-man regular-season roster.
Depending on how quickly Johnnie Morton's Achilles' tendon heals, the 5-foot-10, 191-pound Smith will be the team's third or fourth wide receiver when the season opens Sunday night at Denver.
If Smith does get on the field, no one should be surprised if he handles himself well.
“Well, you're never real comfortable with a rookie, but (Smith) has played with great poise with no game plan during the preseason, just very, very limited offense,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “Now, with the expanded offense and the game plan — like I saw him make a mistake out there today — you have a little more concern. But he has tremendous poise. The game is not too big for him. That's what has impressed me the most about him, other than some of the obvious athletic ability.”
That's pretty heady stuff considering that Smith was not one of the 31 wide receivers taken in April's NFL draft. He wasn't even one of the six Arkansas players who heard their name called during draft weekend.
Smith began turning heads during the off-season program and continued to flash skills during training camp. When Morton, Eddie Kennison and Marc Boerigter went down during the second week of camp, Smith made the most of his chance to run with the first-team offense.
He was the team's second-leading wide receiver during the preseason with eight receptions for 190 yards (23.8 yards per catch) and scored a 53-yard touchdown in the finale at Dallas.
Smith ran crisp routes, flashed ability to run after the catch and even showed he could take a big hit when he got up from a crunching blast by Keith Davis in the final seconds against the Cowboys.
“He's done everything we've asked him to do,” Chiefs quarterback Trent Green said. “We've thrown a lot at him in terms of learning the offense, and he was forced to take a ton of reps during camp with all of our injuries, but he's taken it all in stride. You saw again (on the touchdown against Dallas) that he has the ability to make big plays. He's someone who can be counted on.”
Smith and Benny Sapp, a cornerback out of Northern Iowa, each made the 53-man roster after not getting drafted in April. They join an impressive list of Chiefs who began their careers as undrafted rookie free agents.
In fact, it could be argued that no NFL team has gotten more mileage out of undrafted players than the Chiefs. The list includes running back Priest Holmes, center Casey Wiegmann, left guard Brian Waters, offensive lineman Chris Bober, fullback Tony Richardson, defensive end Eric Hicks and defensive tackle Lional Dalton.
Linebacker Mike Maslowski, who is out for the season because of a knee injury, began his career as an undrafted rookie with the Chargers in 1997 and remembers well the odds stacked against him.
“It can be a very frustrating feeling because your reps are few and far between,” Maslowski said. “You don't get a lot of chances to show what you can do like the guys who were drafted. I think the key for (Smith) was getting on the field and getting a lot of reps early. He had a chance to learn the offense and gain confidence in what he's doing out there. Unfortunately, you're not always able to control how many opportunities you get.”
Smith learned that at the University of Arkansas, where he was a member of some solid football teams but was better known for what he did as a member of the track and field squad.
As a senior in the Razorbacks' run-heavy offense, Smith caught 30 passes for 573 yards and seven touchdowns, numbers that hardly caused a ripple in a draft class filled with wide receivers. On the track, Smith received two All-America honors as a long jumper while helping Arkansas win the national championship.
“The draft is all about where you play and what kind of stats you put up,” Smith said. “I wasn't able to show what I can do in football because of our offense, so nobody knew about me. I went (to Arkansas) for track, but looking back on it, I probably should have gone to Florida or Miami, someplace where they throw the football more.”
Not that Smith's college choice matters much now.
“I'm here,” Smith said. “Now, I'm going to try and stay around for a while.”