Is Steve Smith the best Panther ever?
December 30
Charlotte Observer
"I would like to see Steve Smith in a slam-dunk contest. I would like to see him in a decathlon. I would like to see an NFL cornerback try to single-cover him in a phone booth.
We have come to take Smith a little bit for granted, because he's been so good here for so long. The Carolina Panthers receiver is electrifying, yes. But we take electricity for granted, too, until the next winter storm.
DeAngelo Williams is the new-new thing for the Panthers. He scored an NFL-high 20 touchdowns this season; he ran for 1,515 yards and he carries none of Smith's baggage. Fans are enthralled with Williams, and rightfully so.
But Smith still gets my vote to edge out Williams as Carolina's most valuable player for the 2008 season.
Smith averaged a career-high 18.2 yards per catch in 2008. He had 1,421 receiving yards - third in the NFL even though he was suspended for the first two games. And of his 78 catches, the most important was No.78.
Smith's 39-yard grab in double coverage late in the fourth quarter pivoted Sunday's game on its axis. New Orleans was ahead 31-30 before Smith's catch and about to win.
But after Smith leapt above two defenders to catch Jake Delhomme's latest "Let's-just-heave-it-up-there-and-let-No. 89-go-get-it" toss, it was only a matter of time until the Panthers won instead.
The catch allowed the Panthers to complete a 12-4 regular season and clinch a first-round playoff bye. They don't play again until Saturday, Jan.10, at 8:15 p.m., when they will host only the third home playoff game in franchise history.
A noted trash-talker on the field, Smith used to carry that into the locker room as well. He has mostly resisted that urge this season, but Smith couldn't help taking a dig at Saints cornerback Jason David after the game.
"Jason David is a shutdown corner - in the popcorn league," Smith said.
Smith always has been a complicated, emotional man. I've been around him for his eight years at Carolina.
He can be an absolute jerk - he has struck a teammate in anger and been suspended for it not once, but twice, while with the Panthers. During a 10-minute interview, he can be moody, insightful, childlike, deep and mischievous. Few on the Panthers do more hands-on charity work than Smith, especially for kids.
In a league full of clones, he's an original."
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