Brad Smith article

QB? OR NOT TO BE?
Jets pick MU?s Smith as receiver, but he still sees himself as a passer
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
Quarterbacks changing jobs

Missouri?s Brad Smith is willing to budge a little.

The New York Jets drafted him as a wide receiver Sunday in the fourth round of the NFL draft, but Smith still considers himself a quarterback. So after speaking with Jets officials, Smith reached a compromise.

Just call him a Playmaker.

?I?m coming in as a team player and athlete,? Smith said from Youngstown, Ohio, where he watched the draft, went to church and began preparing for life as a ? wide receiver/quarterback/running back/special-teams player.

?I see myself as a playmaker. I was a playmaker at quarterback my whole college career, and I think that once the ball is in my hands, I can make plays.?

Indeed, Smith became the first quarterback in NCAA history to pass for more than 8,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards in a career, and he even split out as a receiver and caught a touchdown pass in a 2003 victory over Nebraska.

But while most NFL teams questioned his arm strength, accuracy and pocket presence as a quarterback, they had little doubt Smith could use his elusiveness to be more successful catching and running with the ball than throwing it.

And new Jets coach Eric Mangini ? who spent the previous six years as an assistant at New England, where the Patriots creatively used wide receivers in the secondary, linebackers at tight end and defensive ends as fullbacks ? has all kinds of plans to use Smith?s skills.

?We knew that he was hoping to play quarterback,? Mangini said, ?but we viewed him as an athlete. He can catch the ball, and he can run with the ball.

?We?ve done some things with receivers in the past, where maybe they?ve played defense, offense, run the ball, or maybe even they?re behind the center on third down to give you some option ability. When (Smith) is on the field, there are some problems, especially if you do put him behind center and maybe do some things you have to prepare for that?s outside the box with your traditional dropback-type quarterbacks.?

There doesn?t seem to be much room on the Jets roster for Smith as a quarterback. Chad Pennington, who is coming off shoulder surgery for the second straight season, is the incumbent starter. The Jets acquired veteran Patrick Ramsey, a former No. 1 pick, from Washington, and they also have Brooks Bollinger and Kliff Kingsbury, who is playing in NFL Europe.

On top of that, the Jets selected Kellen Clemens of Oregon in the third round of the draft. But Deryk Gilmore, one of Smith?s representatives, called this an ideal scenario for Smith.

?Based on the offense Brad was in at Missouri, he needs some time,? Gilmore said. ?He?s not ready to come in and play (quarterback) right away. What better situation to come in than have the opportunity to learn and develop and not be in a position to go on the field right away.

?He can learn and be groomed as the third or even fourth quarterback but still be on the team and have an opportunity to contribute in other situations.?

Smith could get a better chance by 2007. Pennington is due a $2 million roster bonus next spring, a figure the Jets may not want to pay if his shoulder injury is chronic, and Ramsey?s contract is up after this year.

?Brad is in a great situation,? Gilmore said. ?They want to keep him as that utility guy who can do things, be that quarterback and do other things.?

Smith, who is 6-2 1/2 and 213 pounds, impressed NFL teams when he ran a 4.46 in the 40 at his Pro Day and showed his athletic ability at the NFL scouting combine with a 39 1/2 -inch vertical jump and 10-foot, 8-inch leap in the broad jump, both top marks for quarterbacks.

?We had phenomenal recommendations from all of the scouts and his coaches,? Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. ?He had 45 rushing touchdowns as a quarterback at a big program.?

But ?

?We?re going to try him at receiver.?

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel believes Smith can make the adjustment to quarterback ? or any other position in the NFL.

?He is so multiple athletically,? Pinkel said Sunday. ?There are a lot of guys who can throw, which he can, but his versatility to be able to run with the football is second to none. I?ve been a coach for 29 years, and he is by far the greatest athlete I?ve ever seen.

?As a quarterback, you have to be such a student of the game, and put in all that extra time. That?s Brad. He?ll have great teachers there, he?ll work hard, and the rest will take of itself.?

Smith was the sixth player taken when the draft resumed on Sunday morning ? three spots after another multiskilled athlete, Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson, was selected as a running back by San Francisco.

Gilmore said several teams had called Smith on Saturday night saying they were willing to take him in an earlier round if he would commit to playing another position.

?He didn?t want to do that,? Gilmore said. ?We wanted everyone to know what his goals were, and we wanted a team that will give him an opportunity to compete and learn to play quarterback.?

Smith set 59 NCAA, Big 12 or Missouri records as a Tiger and has been compared to Antwaan Randle El, who made a successful conversion from college quarterback to NFL wide receiver.

?It?s hard to compare anyone with Antwaan because he?s done amazing things,? Smith said. ?The Jets have honored me by picking me, and saying I can help the team out. They said they would love to have me on the team to make plays, and that?s what I?m coming in to do.

?I?m a quarterback at heart, and it?s going to work out the way it?s supposed to.?

 

hey, i'm so excited to see the imagination our hc and oc have with this dude. In due time he can be a wr, rb and qb rolled in one and even a cb if people get injured....whoops, nevermind, i just remembered scott frost...haha