Derm
slippery when wet
Cards' Smith a throwback
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 16, 2007 12:00 AM
FLAGSTAFF - For someone who spends his work day slamming into 250-pound linebackers and whose job is going the way of typewriter repairmen, Terrelle Smith is a happy guy.
The Arizona State product is back playing football in Arizona, for the Cardinals. It is a day trip "door to door" to drive home to Bakersfield, Calif., and he's playing with a team that places a high value on a blocking fullback, which isn't that common into today's NFL.
"This is something I've always dreamed of and talked about in my career," said Smith, who spent his previous seven NFL seasons with New Orleans and Cleveland.
This is a perfect time for Smith to be in Arizona for a few reasons. Professionally, he's playing for a coach, Ken Whisenhunt, who makes the fullback an integral part of the offense. And it's important personally. Smith's three children live with his ex-wife in Bakersfield, and his mother, who lives there also, is battling breast cancer that has spread to her brain.
His father passed away from cancer a few years ago. Smith dedicated his senior season to him and takes great satisfaction that his father lived long enough to see him play five NFL seasons.
"When you deal with that type of stuff and you come out here, you bring a good attitude," Smith said. "You realize what life is about. There is more to life than football. When you can put it all in perspective, you appreciate what your job is."
ASU tough guy
Having a good attitude has never been a problem for Smith. When he entered Arizona State as a linebacker, former ASU coach Bruce Snyder and his staff had high hopes for Smith.
But coaches had a hard time finding a spot for him. He moved from linebacker to defensive end and finally to fullback. How Smith handled the years when he wasn't playing made him one of Snyder's all-time favorite players.
"Seriously, I've not coached a kid in 30 some years who remained so positive and had such a belief in the coaching staff," Snyder said. "I've seen guys stick with it, but they turn sour. Normally after three years . . . you say, 'OK, this thing is a wash, hey, get your degree and go on about your business.' "
Not Smith. He waited his turn and excelled at fullback his senior year. The Saints were impressed enough to draft him in the fourth round in 2000.
A few years ago, Smith spotted Snyder at an airport baggage carousel. Smith sprinted over and gave his old coach a bear-hug.
"As a coach - I know it sounds corny - one of the main things you do it for is the relationships," Snyder said. "It really is. I feel really strongly about him as a person."
Rare bird
The Cardinals are pleased with Smith's performance in training camp, although they were worried when they signed him last spring to a two-year deal that will pay him $750,000 this year and $850,000 in 2008. Smith was heavy when he showed up for off-season workouts but is now down to 246 pounds.
Smith knew the weight would come off. When he was with the Browns, he worked with strength and conditioning coach John Lott, who came to Arizona with Whisenhunt.
"I just bring my body and he does the rest," Smith said.
Smith's talents, however, are on the endangered list in football.
Fewer colleges use a fullback, preferring to go with two tight ends or three receivers. In the NFL, the prototypical blocking fullback is nearly a thing of the past.
"I'm almost to full extinction," Smith said.
Not in the Cardinals offense. It seems odd, because as a player, Whisenhunt grew up in the offensive systems of Dan Henning and Joe Gibbs, one-back sets that featured a tight end/H-back who would occasionally serve as a lead blocker. Whisenhunt spent most of his nine NFL seasons in the that role.
But when Whisenhunt joined the Steelers coaching staff in 2001, he quickly saw the value of having a fullback. That player is usually a better lead blocker than a tight end because he's adept at making his way through the line of scrimmage to block linebackers. Tight ends often end up running into the backs of their own linemen.
That blocking is a valuable skill to have when your team is trying to protect a lead in the fourth quarter, Whisenhunt said.
"If you're blowing into the line and knocking guys back, it's going to allow your tailback to get 3 or 4 yards," Whisenhunt said. "If it's at the end of the game and you can continually do that, it gives you a chance to establish a drive, to keep your defense off the field. Make sense?"
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/0816cards0816.html#
I'm a fan of fullback's and I think he's a good one. Being a Sun Devil doesn't hurt either...
