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"one Elusive Cat" By John Dudley Via 2005

mountainpantherfan

By mountainpantherfan,
in Carolina Panthers

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mountainpantherfan Newbie

mountainpantherfan

Posted
Posted

Found this great article on Steve Smith back in 2005/2006. After reading this it is hard not to think he will get into the hall of fame.

"On the gridiron this season, no defense has been able to cage Panthers wideout Steve Smith. He led the NFL with 1,563 receiving yards and shared the league lead for receptions (103, tied with Larry Fitzgerald) and receiving touchdowns (12, tied with Marvin Harrison). Since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970, only two other players have captured receiving's "triple crown": Jerry Rice in 1990 and Sterling Sharpe in 1992.

With that performance, Smith has rightly been acknowledged for amassing the fourth-most receiving yards in a playoff game. But only the Cold, Hard Football Facts scratch below the surface. Counting his rushing total, Smith is actually tied for second place all-time for yards from scrimmage in an NFL postseason contest. Only former Minnesota wideout Anthony Carter has had a bigger day. Here's a look at the players who have recorded the most yards from scrimmage in a playoff game:

 

Player (Team)

Season (Opponent)

Att.

Yards

Rec.

Yards

Total

Anthony Carter (Vikings)

'87 (49ers)

1

30

10

227

257

Eric Dickerson (Rams)

'85 (Cowboys)

34

248

1

-4

244

Steve Smith (Panthers)

'05 (Bears)

3

26

12

218

244

Eric Moulds (Bills)

'98 (Dolphins)

0

0

9

240

240

Lamar Smith (Dolphins)

'00 (Colts)

40

209

3

18

227

Reggie Wayne (Colts)

'04 (Broncos)

0

0

10

221

221

Jerry Rice (49ers)

'88 (Bengals)

1

5

11

215

220

 

Smith's postseason heroics have not been limited to 2006, however. He was also a catalyst during Carolina's Super Bowl XXXVIII run two years ago, when he led the team in playoff receptions (18), receiving yards (404) and touchdowns (3, tied with Muhsin Muhammad).

 

It's time to let the cat out of the bag: Smith has dominated the playoffs like no other receiver. Through the first six games of a postseason career, Smith leads all NFL players in both catches and yards. Here is a game-by-game breakdown of the top four:

 

Player

Gm. 1

Gm. 2

Gm. 3

Gm. 4

Gm. 5

Gm. 6

Total

Steve Smith

5-135

6-163

3-26

4-80

10-84

12-218

40-706

Randy Moss

4-73

6-75

5-127

9-188

2-121

2-18

28-602

Anthony Carter

6-79

10-227

7-85

4-102

3-45

4-44

34-582

Michael Irvin

4-83

5-84

6-88

6-86

6-114

9-126

36-581

 

Smith's 22 catches over the last two weeks are the most any player has ever registered in consecutive playoff games. In fact, only two players have ever reached the two-game total of 21, and both of them did so across different seasons. The first is the immortal Rice, who accomplished the feat during San Francisco's mauling of San Diego in Super Bowl XXIX and then in a divisional playoff loss to Green Bay the next season. The other man with 21 receptions over two playoff games will be on the sideline opposite Smith this Sunday: Seattle wideout Darrell Jackson had 12 grabs in last year's wild-card loss to St. Louis and recorded another nine a week ago in the win over Washington.

 

What really sets Smith apart from the competition, though, is the sheer amount of the offense that he generates. Of Carolina's 3,485 passing yards during the regular season, he accounted for a whopping 45 percent of them. In the two games of the postseason, his percentage has risen to a ridiculous 66. Defenses know who will be catching the ball, but they can't catch him."

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UNCrules2187 Mentor

UNCrules2187

Posted
Posted

Went to the link and saw:

In its brief, 11-year history as an NFL franchise, Carolina has already compiled an impressive list of achievements. Now 6-2 in the playoffs, the Panthers own the league's best postseason winning percentage (.750) and will be playing in their third NFC championship game on Sunday when they face the Seahawks in Seattle. Head coach John Fox, who was hired in 2002 following a dismal 1-15 campaign, has posted a 41-29 career record including the playoffs, and his team stands a game away from its second Super Bowl in three years. Quarterback Jake Delhomme has become the highest-rated and least-intercepted postseason passer (among those with 150 attempts) in league history.

Then I got sad thinking of how everything went horribly wrong after that NFC title game. At least we're back on the upswing with Cam now though!

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ClarkCam Newbie

ClarkCam

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Posted

I think if you actually watched Steve Smith, his talent is HOF talent. I don't know if his stats are quite there yet, but he is sure getting close.....

P.S. I'm not so sure that this article makes it clear that Steve is a sure thing. It just kind of said about a really good run he had at a certain time.

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KendrickPanther Apprentice

KendrickPanther

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When you look at Steve there is no doubt in my mind he plays like a Hall of Famer. To actually become one he needs some more numbers or a Super Bowl or both. Steve probably lost 4 solid years between injuries and horrific QB play. I think it would be a shame if he didn't make it because he truly is a dominant player. He was a dominant playoff player as well. They quadruple covered him in 2005 so he lined up for a punt and took it to the house. Even in the 2008 implosion he got on the scoreboard.

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