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Steve Smith... A Football Life

kornicova

By kornicova,
in Carolina Panthers

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Inimicus Mentor

Inimicus

Posted
Posted

Love it...

Ill never forget the night I met Smitty.

He was on crutches, having broken his leg in the '04 Monday night opener vs Green Bay.  Angie on his arm and stunning as ever. All of us brought together at a Ricky Phroehl charity event.

I was star struck...  This was Steve fuging Smith! 

He was approachable, he was humble, he was small. Im 6'5" and 250 and by that measure Steve is a little guy.  That said there is a ferocity about him.  He may have been little in comparison to me but there was nothing small about the man.

We talked football and life for half an hour.  Xs, Os, Jake, X Clown, and what it meant to be a Pro Football player.  But when the conversation turned to my pre-teen daughter and how she wanted his jersey, he changed. He lit up with a pride that was not hubris, but was genuinely endearing. He promised me that he would make her proud.

Steve hasn't always lived up to that promise, but on the whole he has embodied the idea that we as Panthers fans embraced even before we knew the phrase "Keep Pounding". He has delivered on that promise in his own way. He has shown Carolina fans in particular and NFL fans in general how to succeed when all of the cards are stacked against you, how to be a five foot something wide receiver.

Steve will always have a special place in my heart.  The way he reacted to my child, the photo of him and Mr Richardson, the way he was so humble off the field when he was so fierce on the field.

 

The man is everything that the HOF means. 

 

More than numbers and stats, Steve Smith Sr is the embodiment of what it is to succeed above the measurables that define NFL position roles and he will always be one of my favorite Panthers.

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CPantherKing Grand Master

CPantherKing

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19 hours ago, top dawg said:

The FO was ultimately responsible for that, and no one is changing my mind about that situation.  

Ownership was responsible for that. JR was dragging his feet to sign off on paying Peppers long term. That was the 2009 off season when JR began his CBA crusade and did not want to pay anyone any long term money. He was trying to put most everything off until the 2011 off season , and did not even want to pay any first rounders in 2009 and 2010 forcing the FO to trade away their first round picks.

I believe JR thought he could franchise Peppers for a couple season and give him that contract in 2011. Peppers took it as a slight. That was Peppers personality. He needed to believe people cared and wanted him.

JR was a big reason for 2009 and 2010.

Steve Smith was going to leave as well, but the Panthers cashed in on the loyalty to keep him around for the rebuild.

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top dawg Grand Master

top dawg

Posted
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4 hours ago, CPantherKing said:

Ownership was responsible for that. JR was dragging his feet to sign off on paying Peppers long term. That was the 2009 off season when JR began his CBA crusade and did not want to pay anyone any long term money. He was trying to put most everything off until the 2011 off season , and did not even want to pay any first rounders in 2009 and 2010 forcing the FO to trade away their first round picks.

I believe JR thought he could franchise Peppers for a couple season and give him that contract in 2011. Peppers took it as a slight. That was Peppers personality. He needed to believe people cared and wanted him.

JR was a big reason for 2009 and 2010.

Steve Smith was going to leave as well, but the Panthers cashed in on the loyalty to keep him around for the rebuild.

Thanks for the info, but when I refer to the FO (front office), I am basically referring to J-Rich, Morrison, the GM (Hurney in this case), and maybe the AGM.

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Ivan The Awesome Mentor

Ivan The Awesome

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Hate seeing him in a Ravens Uniform but oh well. It's time he retires though. I know he can hang with the best of them but I remember in an interview once, he said that he didn't want to become that guy that doesn't know when to hang the cleats up. Well, I believe he's become that man now. It's time to hang it up. Time catches up to you Smitty, you've got nothing to prove to ANYONE anymore. You're one of the greatest ever. Period. 

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