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Smith story smells fishy Vikings' star RB unlikely to walk away from big payday
Updated: Wednesday February 07, 2001 11:18 AM
It's hard to know for certain if there is any truth to the rumors that Robert Smith is contemplating retirement, since the Vikings running back has yet to publicly weigh in on the topic. But little about the story makes sense. As one who covered Smith for four seasons in Minnesota, I would be shocked to find out Smith is preparing to walk away from the biggest payday of his eight-year NFL career. On more than one occasion this season, Smith talked eagerly about testing his value on the market, and how signing a contract extension with the Vikings before free agency just didn't make sense. One of the most pro-union of players, Smith believes firmly in letting the open market establish a player's value. "Anybody who signs a contract extension is just doing the club a favor," Smith likes to say. "You have to go through the free-agency process, otherwise you're just throwing away your leverage." Smith learned that lesson first-hand in the spring of 1998, when he signed his last contract, a five-year, $25 million package that included the right to void the 2001 and 2002 seasons. It wasn't until Smith was on the road, visiting Seattle and Kansas City that Minnesota got serious and struck a deal. For Smith to not want to go through that process again this spring, something must have dramatically changed. Yes, Smith missed last Sunday's Pro Bowl because of some arthroscopic knee surgery that corrected a nagging late-season problem. But Smith has had far worse knee injuries in the past and overcame them all to become one of the most productive and durable backs in the league. Smith's first four seasons in the NFL were marred by injuries. He was known as a brittle, injury-prone player whose body couldn't take the pounding of a 16-game season. In those four years, Smith averaged just 457 yards per season and endured two major knee surgeries, an ankle injury, a hip injury, a case of chicken pox and an inner ear infection. But Smith has more than made up for it in his past four seasons. In that span he has rushed for more than 1,000 yards each season, and averaged 1,247 yards per year. Last season, Smith put together his career year as free agency approached, leading the NFC in rushing for the first time with 1,521 yards. His 1,869 yards from scrimmage ranked fourth in the NFL and second in the NFC, trailing only league MVP Marshall Faulk of St. Louis. Smith, who won't turn 29 until early March, has a lot mileage on his body already. No one would be surprised if he only played two more years, called it a career at an even 10 seasons, and went on to pursue some of his many and diverse off-field interests. He'd be out of the game before he turned 31, and would have a cache of cash, coming off his five biggest salary seasons. But if Smith strolled off into the sunset now, he'd be walking away at the top of his game. And he'd be bidding farewell just before he appears set to sign a contract that should fall between $5 million and $6 million per season, with a signing bonus of at least that much. How many NFL players exhibit that kind of discipline?
Smith's agent, Neil Cornrich, scoffed at the retirement rumors last week, and assured the Vikings there was nothing to them. Vikings head coach Dennis Green has included Smith in his team's plans for 2001 in every public utterance, and Minnesota vice president of football administration Rob Brzezinski said Tuesday that he is operating under the salary-cap assumption that Smith will be playing next season and will return to Minnesota. Still there are those in the Vikings organization who believe that the retirement talk isn't completely without substance, and that the rumors are coming from somewhat reliable sources. The bottom line is the longer Smith remains silent on the topic, the longer the story will linger. The Vikings for one have the need to know. Smith remains their top free-agent priority, and despite his past stances, they have hopes of re-signing him even before the March 2 opening of free agency. So will he stay or will he go? Only Smith seems to know.
Deion is playing the game againSources in Washington say Redskins cornerback Deion Sanders has told associates that he will retire after this season. As for Sanders making another baseball comeback with the Cincinnati Reds, don't hold your breath. "He's getting everybody's goat again," said one source. "He isn't going to do it. He just loves to stir it up. That's all that is. He was telling people that last October."
Green has no time for a friendBetween Stanford and the Minnesota Vikings, Brian Billick worked on Dennis Green's staff for 10 consecutive seasons (1989-98). Billick was Green's offensive coordinator for the past six of those seasons. Before the national media, Green has no bigger champion than Billick, who refers to Green and Bill Walsh as his mentors and repeatedly lauds the role both men played in his development as a coach. So it might come as a surprise to some that as of four days after his Super Bowl victory, Billick had not yet received so much as a congratulatory phone call or email from Green. While calls, notes and emails flooded into Billick's office last week, Green was too busy with the hustle and bustle of coaching the NFC's losing Pro Bowl squad in Hawaii to pick up a phone offer any kudos to his very successful former protégé. Green has never been known as a man big enough to enjoy the success of others at his own expense. But his snubbing of Billick, who fairly well idolizes him, is the height of pettiness. Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that Billick is now 4-0 in career playoff games, with a Super Bowl ring, compared to Green's pedestrian 4-8 postseason mark, could it? Nah.
Did Parcells turn down the Bucs?The Bill Parcells -to-Tampa Bay story was roundly shot down during Super Bowl week, and it undoubtedly cost Parcells any chance he had of being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. But there are those within the NFL coaching community who still believe that Tony Dungy's job was Parcells for the asking. "He could have had it if he wanted it," said one current NFL assistant. "They were in contact at some level and [Parcells] was well aware of what was being offered."
Looking for some fresh legs in TenneesseeAl Del Greco's long tenure in the Oilers/Titans organization isn't over yet, but he's a longshot to be Tennessee's kicker in 2001. At the very least, the Titans will bring some stiff kicking competition to training camp and hope somebody beats Del Greco out. Del Greco, of course, slumped in November and then had the worst day of his career in the Titans' divisional round playoff loss at home to Baltimore, missing from all over the field. Del Greco was a huge part of the Titans success during their 1999 Super Bowl season. But he was also a big part of Tennessee's disappointment of the 2000 playoffs. As one league source said: "After the Baltimore game, it'd be hard for [Tennessee] to bring him back."
Quote of the weekFrom Billick, when asked what he has most enjoyed in the aftermath of his team's Super Bowl victory: "For me it's the feeling that, yeah, professionally, regardless of friend or foe, people have to acknowledge that at least for a year, what the hell, he kind of knew what he was doing." Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
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