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Smith explodes by adjusting his after-the-catch approach

Sporting News, The, Dec 30, 2005 by Brian Baldinger

There generally isn't much positive you can say about breaking your leg and missing almost an entire season, but Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith owes some of his current success to the pain he endured a year ago.

It started in January, when he began his rehab. He did a lot of drills that emphasized explosive movement--making cuts around cones and that type of thing. Now, he says, he's faster and more explosive than he was before his injury.

When he got back on the field, Smith changed his approach to running after the catch. He was injured in the 2004 opener when his foot got stuck beneath a defender as he started to run. Smith is paranoid about breaking his leg again, so now he does one of two things after he makes a catch. One is to explode the moment his feet touch the ground--he wants to be moving before anybody can roll on top of him.

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His other option is to stop before he makes any move. That deliberate pause allows him to balance his legs, survey the field and then decide whether to juke a defender or just get tackled. Either way, he believes he's less likely to get hurt.

He's also quite likely to gain some serious yardage. Smith is sensational after the catch, largely because of his pedigree as a punt returner. When many receivers catch the ball, they focus on the nearest tackler. But to a punt returner such as Smith, that first guy is just a shadow at the front of a bigger image--that of the whole field. He is trained to make the first guy miss--that much is instinctive--and then it's a matter of outmaneuvering the next wave of tacklers and putting his speed to good use. The most exciting wide receivers to watch are those who were groomed as punt returners, and Smith is one of the best.

The Panthers would be wise to get the ball in Smith's hands as much as they can. He got only 10 touches Sunday in a win over the Saints, but two of those went for touchdowns--including a 20-yard run on a reverse, only his third carry of the season. Carolina should do even more of that. It doesn't matter whether the entire defense is keying on Smith because he makes people miss and outruns them. What more could you want?

(S) Brian Baldinger, an offensive lineman for 12 NFL seasons, can be heard on Sporting News Radio and seen on FOX Sports. Listen online at radio.sportingnews.com.

Smith explodes by adjusting his after-the-catch approach

Sporting News, The, Dec 30, 2005 by Brian Baldinger

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