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TXBRONC
08-03-2009, 09:52 AM
I thought you all might enjoy this.

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_12980414

Krieger: Plenty riding on rookie corner
By Dave Krieger
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/03/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT


Tom Brandstater's bomb for Brandon Lloyd fluttered in Sunday's hot morning air like a duck in need of medical attention.

Alphonso Smith, the Broncos' highest draft choice to have found his way to training camp, gathered in the wounded bird like a center fielder and took it the other way.

His reward was carting three helmets off the field when practice was over, not counting his own, which remained on his perspiration-soaked head.

"They just say, 'Where's my helmet?' " Smith explained. "That's a code. 'Where's my helmet?' "

Rookie hazing has calmed down quite a bit over the years.

"It's not like they're forcing it on you — 'Rook, get the helmet,' " Smith said. "It's a sign of respect."

The fire hydrant-shaped defensive back learned his respect early. When you're from Pahokee, Fla., a town of about 6,000 people, and you claim to be a cornerback, you're going to run into Anquan Boldin sooner or later. For Smith, it was sooner.

"His brother D.J. and I went to the same school," Smith said. "We grew up together. When you're coming out of high school, all the college guys, we all go out on the field and have one-on-ones. After Anquan's Pro Bowl year, which was his rookie year, I was going to Wake Forest, and I was just talking. I was like, 'Yeah, I'll lock you down. Lock you down.' And he was like, 'I'm going to catch every pass one-handed. If I don't catch it one-handed, it doesn't count.' "

Smith laughed. "So he did me pretty good."

Through no fault of his own, Smith has become one of the controversies in the dramatic start of the Josh McDaniels era.

The new coach traded one of the team's two first-round picks next year — the Broncos' own pick — for a second-round pick this year, No. 37 overall. He used that pick to select Smith. So the franchise has quite a lot riding on the 5-foot-9 cornerback, especially if the first-round pick it traded turns out to be a good one.

"He's made some rookie mistakes like he did in the spring, but he's also making some plays on the ball," McDaniels said following Sunday morning's practice. "He's fixed some things. He was here quite a little bit in the summer, and that's a credit to him. He had a lot of ball production coming out — that's one of the things we really liked about him."

Smith set an ACC career interception record with 21. The record he broke belonged to Dre Bly, whom the Broncos just jettisoned. So one man's ballhawk is another man's gambler, but Smith could do worse than to replicate Bly's 10-year NFL resume.

The pressure to make it would be enough without knowing that McDaniels' trade will ultimately look smart only if Smith turns out to be as good as whomever Seattle drafts with the Broncos' first-round pick next year.

"I wouldn't say pressure because I really don't try to think about it as much," Smith said, skating gingerly around his early NFL claim to fame. "The only thing that I'm concerned with is trying to help this team win and not try to put pressure on myself."

The NFL learning curve is steep for rookies generally, but especially so for rookie defensive backs, who can be isolated and embarrassed.

"You have to be a smart guy," Smith said. "You can't only be good. It's 80 pretty good football players out here. What separates everyone is the mental part, the brains. You have to know what you're doing in order to play fast. That's the mental part of it."

"He definitely has some learning to do, but you can see the playmaking potential that he has," said veteran safety Brian Dawkins. "It's all about him learning his role, learning the scheme, understanding 100 percent what he's supposed to do so he can let his athletic ability shine through."

After a morning practice of more than two hours, Smith and a handful of teammates caught punts while the rest of the team escaped the hot sun. When he finally came off hauling those helmets, he was beat.

If Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman stay healthy as the starting cornerbacks, Smith should have a chance to ease into the league as a nickel back and possible punt returner. If not, he could get an early trial by fire.

Either way, he has a one- year head start on the guy he is destined to be measured against.

Dave Krieger: 303-954-5297 or dkrieger@denverpost.com