Steve Smith love from the NY/NJ press

Panthers receiver 'the Man'
Thursday, January 5, 2006

By VINNY DiTRANI
STAFF WRITER


EAST RUTHERFORD - High school kids who want to know what football is all about should just watch a tape of Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith, says Giants safety Brent Alexander.

"The total package," Alexander said about his team's No. 1 concern Sunday when the Panthers come to town for the NFC wild-card playoff game. "You get your full money's worth with a guy like that. He plays a lot, he goes out there and doesn't back down. He blocks, he catches the ball, he runs with the ball - he does everything."

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Smith is Carolina's one-man-show answer to the Giants' Tiki Barber. He became the NFL's first receiving "triple crown" winner since Green Bay's Sterling Sharpe in 1992 by leading in receptions with 103, yards with 1,563 and touchdowns with 12. He had nearly as many catches as the next four Panthers receivers combined (107). He became the first player since Washington's Art Monk in 1984 to lead the league in receptions playing for a team that ran the ball more than passed it.

No wonder the Giants on Wednesday gave Smith's No. 89 jersey to two members of the scout team, Willie Ponder and Michael Jennings. At times there appear to be more than one Steve Smith racing around the football field.

"Every team tries to do something about him," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "And that's the scary thing. He still sits there atop the board for yardage by a non-running back. They do a good job of getting him the ball every way they can."

"He's high-energy, a 60-minute guy," added Alexander. "He calls for the ball, he wants the ball every single snap. He's always looking to make a big play, make something happen with the ball. He wants to get in the end zone; that's his goal every time he steps on the field."

Smith has rebounded in this, his fifth NFL season, after breaking his left fibula in the 2004 opener and sitting out the rest of the season. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie return man in 2001, then was suspended for a game and sent for anger management counseling after punching out teammate Anthony Bright in the locker room in 2002.

Off the field he has settled down as a husband and father of three. On the field, he has exploded as one of the most feared players in the league who actually credits the time spent recovering from his broken leg to his success this season.

"I really missed playing," he said on a Wednesday conference call. "I felt like I was starting to come into my own, but at the same time there was a cockiness coming toward me that [contributed] to my injury. I didn't watch a lot of film, prepare enough for my opponents.

"This year I really watched a lot of film, did a lot of extra play study, took care of my body, iced down my knees even though they didn't hurt, as a precautionary measure."

And the results have been a return trip to the Pro Bowl, this time as a receiver.

"He plays a lot bigger than he is," said Giants right corner Will Allen, who will match up with the Panthers' split end most if not all the time Sunday afternoon. "He's an excellent route-runner, and runner after the catch. He goes up and attacks the ball. He's not afraid to go in there and slug it out with you."

How will the Giants try to contain this firebrand? Smith says he has seen a lot of different schemes designed for him this year.

"I've seen double teams, triple teams," he said. "They've lined a linebacker over me, put the corner behind him and a safety over the top. I've seen variations. I take that as respect, but it's still a challenge to me, I still have to get open.

Dallas did the best job against Smith, limiting him to one catch in a 24-20 win two weeks ago. The Cowboys rolled their zone coverage to Smith's side in their regular defense, and doubled him in nickel situations. His only catch, an 18-yarder, came on a play-action pass when a linebacker failed to cover the correct zone.

"Obviously with the yards and stuff he's done this year, not too many teams have been successful against him," added Allen. "I think you have to mix it up on him and make sure you have people near him all the time."

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Smitty is around 200. thats what he says anyway.