Column - Josh Looney
THE RETURN OF KOLBY?
October 20th – 6:03 AM
RB Kolby Smith is in the best shape of his life. You don’t have to ask him to realize that, it’s apparent on first look. The former 2007 fifth-round pick has spent the entire offseason rehabbing a season-ending knee injury and his hard work shows. Smith could literally be a model for “after” photos if Chiefs head coach Todd Haley ever wanted to produce a Body By Haley infomercial. He’s lean, he’s cut and he’s fast.
Smith continues to be listed on the reserve physically-unable-to-perform list (PUP) after suffering a season-ending knee injury on November 11, 2008 vs. Tampa Bay. Almost a full year later, it appears that Smith is nearing his return to the Chiefs.
“This is when the window opens,” Haley said yesterday. “We’ve had some side discussions about (activating Smith), but we’ll make the decision later in the week. I know he’s chomping at the bit. He’s been working really hard and I’d sure like to get him there.“
Technically the Chiefs have three options with Smith. They can release him outright, send him to injured reserve and effectively end his season, or activate him. Right now, it seems like the latter is the most likely. They will have to make that decision within three weeks.
To be clear, reserve PUP players have a three week window after Week Six to practice with the team, but a roster decision must eventually be made. Once Smith is cleared to practice, the team would have three weeks from that date to either place him on the active roster or put him on injured reserve and end his season.
Smith offers a wrinkle that the Chiefs rushing attack could certainly use. He represents a runner unlike any others currently on the roster. Smith is a little bit Larry Johnson and a little bit Jamaal Charles, making him a perfect complement to the Chiefs two most active running backs.
The new-look Smith is ready to burst onto the scene once again for Kansas City. In his first NFL start vs. Oakland (11/25/07), Smith turned in a franchise single-game rookie record 31 carries for 150 yards. Overall, he has seen action in 23 games (nine starts) and owns 147 rushes for 507 yards with three TDs and 32 catches for 200 yards. He also owns nine career special teams tackles and can factor into just about any special teams unit.
