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Steve Smith does an interview w/ Dave Dameshek (nfl.com)

Dpantherman

By Dpantherman,
in Carolina Panthers

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mav1234 Grand Master

mav1234

Posted
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DDFP: New guy, #1 in the fold, things looking up?

SS: Things looking real good... We don't have as many wins as we like, but lots to build on, we're missing key players but hopefully we'll keep building on this and maybe next year do even better

DDFP: With a player like Cam Newton is it easier to take the losses, where you have a QB where the future is bright?

SS: No it does not. I don't like losing. It's not that I gotta get used to it, I just gotta temper it and realize it's a process. Rome wasn't built in a day.

DDFP: I hear ya, but things are looking up, but during the summer we were hearing about you wanting to go to a team that would be winning games immediately. Was the moment you go out on the field and see Cam Newton through the ball you say I'm not going anywhere?

SS: Well you know, it's kind of hard to say exactly what happened, but it was a process and for me it was really a thing where home was important and work came second. I keep that in mind and I think that's the best thing I can do.

DDFP: How long were you on the field with him before you realized how special he waas?

SS: You always know a guy is special, but I think what we really start to see is that when a guy starts to play in real football. I played with 176 receivers in my career, whether they were in camp for a day or many years like Moose & Proehl. Seen guys with a lot of potential, but when lights come on, they get strage fright. So I don't pay attention to how guys look in practice. I want to see guys win games, and that's when you tell if a guy has it or doesn't have it

DDFP: Is that 176 real?

SS: That is real, not a number I made up.

DDFP: Why keep that list?

SS: Long offseason, I started to really think about what is important to me... What is going on, how many guys have I played with, have I liked or disliked or felt like didn't take advantage of the opportunity. I went online, looked at all the old rosters, and going into training camp excluding myself we've between 11 to 12 wide receivers for the last 11 years. Give or take a year where I got hurt or a guy got hurt and got put on IR, so it may have been 12 guys I played with then other guys got brought in, so that may be 13 or 14 that year, so it just added up.

DDFP: Mentioned who you liked and disliked? Tally?

SS: Ten or 15 guys I disliked, not cause they didn't play, didn't understand or take advantage of the privaledge, felt entitled. Now they're done playing, broke, have no money, now they're back to saying they didn't get a fair shot or this player didn't help me, it's like a telephone call... it has outgoing, but incoming as well.

DDFP: What about Chad 85? Thoughts on him in NE? Where does Steve Smith rank on the 176 based on performance?

SS: I feel like I've learned from a rookie free agent up to Ricky Proehl and Moose. How can I say that, why can I say that? If you aren't learning you aren't improving your craft, not trying to become one of the best. I can pull up on the computer and look at a receiver for the Titans and I can work on how he releases his press, he may do something I never thought of and I can learn that technique. Always looking to see what I can pick up from other guys. I don't rank.

DDFP: What about Chat 85?

SS: I know Chad a great deal and I know he's probably not happy but I'm not there to say what or why or should or shouldn't, I just know he's put in a difficult situation for whatever circumstance or reason, but at this point in anybody's career, when you can't get on the field, it doesn't help your future employment, but I think he's one of those guys that can turn it around very quickly and can make people forget about the last 12 weeks very quickly.

DDFP: Let's talk about your situation. Always pointed to you, said Smith is one of the best, but he always had to deal with -

SS: Is my height

DDFP - Is your quarterbacks, and with all due respect to Jake Delhomme, what's it like to be with cam Newton? Clearly cuts a different figure... How do you stack this guy up on ability when you rank the QBs you play with?

SS: Cam would be number 3.

DDFP: #3?! Who would be #2, #1?!

SS: Jake would be #1. cam's been in the league 15 minutes. Can't, really can't, one of the things the media jumps on the train too quick, want to say "he's this," but Jake played a number of years, for various teams, various reasons, but in his day he played a long time and made plays. You can't use one guy for 12 games and categorize that over 12 seasons, when this guy hasn't been to the playoffs, superbowl, championship game. #2 would be surprising, Vinny T, Vinny taught me some things that I have at home to this day. Taught me how to run some routes. All the guys he played with, Keyshawn, Wayne, some guys I grew up admiring, he told me some things and I have those notes to this day. I give that same advice to other guys, that's why Vinny is #2.

DDFP: Surprised to hear Cam is #3 based on physical ability

SS: Can't base it all on physical ability. He hasn't run in a big event yet, you know what I mean?

DDFP: How do you compare him to The Golden Calf of Bristol? Do you think he's elite?

SS: The Golden Calf of Bristol hasn't won anything yet, not trying to take anything away from this guy, but The Golden Calf of Bristol can never be Brees according to what Drew Brees has done to this moment, plenty of guys with lots of potential but that doesn't mean they show it in a game.

DDFP: Cam looks good, but I'm a quality backup.

SS: Yeah?

DDFP: You talk about Jake in Houston, would Texans be wise to go with Jake? Can he take them to Superbowl?

SS: AS a competitor, I hope they don't (go with him).

DDFP: Could he take them to the Superbowl?

SS: I think he could but I really don't know where he is physically, he has been out for a couple of months and not sure what he was doing. I'm not really sure if he could go out and throw 50 or 60 balls. He hasn't been through training camp. Last year when I didn't participate in training camp, man I was hurting and really understood why training camp is important.

DDFP: What team stands out to you that you think team is coming out of the NFC? To the superbowl?

SS: Packers will be up there, the Bears will be right there, and I think the Saints will be right there, not sure which will be there, because all these guys I talk about, these defenses have chance to give up big plays and is suspect, big play offenses, but if they pick the wrong day those defenses can come up short.

DDFP: You can Cam made some noise against them - think someone could torch them?

SS: Torch them? No, but they have some weaknesses that at times you could quickly move the ball down the field, and times you can sit on them. Team like that, if you can make some plays on the defense, and get lucky, you can easily be up a touchdown or be in the game and like with the Saints when they ran the play to lose, running that draw up the middle, if they'd went off tackle or play option pass, woulda been a different result.

DDFP: Packers going undefeated?

SS: I think they will.

DDFP: Aaron Rodgers best QB ever seen?

SS: I don't know, I grew up a 49ers fan, so I wouldn't say ever, Montana, Steve Young.

DDFP: Which one of those two- Hey wait! You're from LA! 49ers fan!?

SS: Raiders games got blacked out so I got 49ers games and jerry rice, obviously. Utah receiver is a relative of a 49ers player (I think he said that)

DDFP: You may be the greatest Carolina Panther in Panthers history

SS: No Sam Mills is.

DDFP: You'd be up there too. But what about if the Rams move back to LA? Would you like to spend a season there?

SS: No, not me. I don't want to play in LA.

DDFP: You talked about Utah - first year in Pac 12?

SS: As a booster and a paying alumni, I have a 250k scholarship that we have donated to the school, I want to see winning. I don't want to see us coming up short, we have moved up, we've gotten money from former players, increased facilities, we need to recruit. Losing off pure speed.

DDFP: What do you think of LSU vs Bama in Nat'l Champ? I think Stanford deserves a shot

SS: Stanford can't knock LSU off, too much speed, they have smart players, great strategists, but they just don't have a secondary and can't keep up with the speed.

DDFP: Carolina uniforms?

SS: We're going in with Nike, I told them to help us out a little bit.

DDFP: I like the black jerseys

SS: I love black and blue, but the white makes a lot of guys look fat.

DDFP: Not the first mind when I think of fat Carolina Panthers. LIke the all white with powder blue?

SS: I think you need more accent of blue, blue looks great, but need a bit more, white is too churchy.

DDFP: What about black pants?

SS: That'd be hot. Black helmet!

DDFP: we'll get you better uniforms. What are you doing now?

SS: Watching Aqib Talib, watching film.

DDFP: Last question - playing with The Golden Calf of Bristol, only 2 targets a game?

SS: Here's the hard about it - you want to win, but you also want to be involved in the winning process, and I think that's the part people misconstrue, when they think players are selfish, receiver doesn't want to run block all day, runner doesn't want to just run all day, when you run a nice route you expect a ball or not a bad ball. but you prepare yourself for failure if you can't adjust, if all you do is run the ball run the ball, you don't know what to do when you have to pass, don't have timing down. Analogy I used with the former coach that was here. I have a well. If you don't winterize it and the water freezes in the pipes, come spring when you try it out it won't work.

DDFP: Passed it on to Fox?

SS: Yeah. He didn't like it.

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