RedskinsVision
07-28-2004, 12:02 AM
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031776951368&path=%21sports%21redskins&s=1045855935462
BY PAUL WOODY
ASHBURN If Fred Smoot played football as well as he talked, he would be a perennial Pro Bowl selection, have the biggest contract in the NFL and be a matinee idol.
The problem for Smoot is that no one ever could play as well as he talks.
Smoot, however, is making a determined run at it.
And if Smoot wants to show that he is an elite cover cornerback in the NFL, this is the season to do it.
When the Redskins traded Champ Bailey to the Denver Broncos for Clinton Portis, Smoot was ready to be the Redskins' star cornerback. True, they signed Shawn Springs during free agency, but Springs is 30, and Smoot is 25. Springs has had some injuries that have sidelined him, while Smoot has shown the past two seasons that he can play with pain.
Springs at times has been a top-quality cornerback in the league. Smoot might be one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. Certainly, he thinks that is the case. All you need to do is ask him.
"I love pressure," he said. "I might have been under more pressure when Champ was here, playing opposite him.
"I waited my turn. I waited behind Deion Sanders and Darrell Green. Now, me and Champ have split. I thank Champ for everything he did for me. It's my time now."
Truth be told, Smoot believed he has been ready for this since the moment he was drafted in the second round of the 2001 draft, out of Mississippi State.
"I've always been ready," he said.
The thing to remember about Smoot is that while he's an accomplished talker, and a go-to guy for the media, his conversations do more than just waste oxygen.
He displays confidence without bragging and common sense that always is tinged with humor. He's sharp enough to understand what is necessary to succeed in the NFL.
Each offseason, Smoot has made a point to improve at least one facet of his game. Last year, he focused on strength.
This winter and spring, he focused on technique. He has studied the masters.
"The Troy Vincents, the Ty Laws, they're not just going out there and run a 4.3, 4.2, 40," Smoot said. "They backpedal. They're reading three-step [of the quarterback's drop], they use what the quarterback tells them, and it puts them in position to make plays.
"This is the part of my game I'm trying to get to, and I'm getting better every day."
Smoot, 5-11 and 174, probably will not lack for opportunities to make plays this season. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' schemes constantly are described as "aggressive" by his new players. Williams wants to blitz early and often, and blitzes almost always mean cornerbacks are engaged in man-to-man coverage.
Williams also keeps his cornerbacks on the field for every down, and at times will have five or even six cornerbacks in coverage.
Smoot is ready for anything Williams wants him to do.
"I'm refreshed, well-rested," Smoot said. "Everybody is real crisp with the playbook. I feel good about the team, period."
BY PAUL WOODY
ASHBURN If Fred Smoot played football as well as he talked, he would be a perennial Pro Bowl selection, have the biggest contract in the NFL and be a matinee idol.
The problem for Smoot is that no one ever could play as well as he talks.
Smoot, however, is making a determined run at it.
And if Smoot wants to show that he is an elite cover cornerback in the NFL, this is the season to do it.
When the Redskins traded Champ Bailey to the Denver Broncos for Clinton Portis, Smoot was ready to be the Redskins' star cornerback. True, they signed Shawn Springs during free agency, but Springs is 30, and Smoot is 25. Springs has had some injuries that have sidelined him, while Smoot has shown the past two seasons that he can play with pain.
Springs at times has been a top-quality cornerback in the league. Smoot might be one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. Certainly, he thinks that is the case. All you need to do is ask him.
"I love pressure," he said. "I might have been under more pressure when Champ was here, playing opposite him.
"I waited my turn. I waited behind Deion Sanders and Darrell Green. Now, me and Champ have split. I thank Champ for everything he did for me. It's my time now."
Truth be told, Smoot believed he has been ready for this since the moment he was drafted in the second round of the 2001 draft, out of Mississippi State.
"I've always been ready," he said.
The thing to remember about Smoot is that while he's an accomplished talker, and a go-to guy for the media, his conversations do more than just waste oxygen.
He displays confidence without bragging and common sense that always is tinged with humor. He's sharp enough to understand what is necessary to succeed in the NFL.
Each offseason, Smoot has made a point to improve at least one facet of his game. Last year, he focused on strength.
This winter and spring, he focused on technique. He has studied the masters.
"The Troy Vincents, the Ty Laws, they're not just going out there and run a 4.3, 4.2, 40," Smoot said. "They backpedal. They're reading three-step [of the quarterback's drop], they use what the quarterback tells them, and it puts them in position to make plays.
"This is the part of my game I'm trying to get to, and I'm getting better every day."
Smoot, 5-11 and 174, probably will not lack for opportunities to make plays this season. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' schemes constantly are described as "aggressive" by his new players. Williams wants to blitz early and often, and blitzes almost always mean cornerbacks are engaged in man-to-man coverage.
Williams also keeps his cornerbacks on the field for every down, and at times will have five or even six cornerbacks in coverage.
Smoot is ready for anything Williams wants him to do.
"I'm refreshed, well-rested," Smoot said. "Everybody is real crisp with the playbook. I feel good about the team, period."