By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Aug. 06 2006
Paul Smith came into the NFL as an unheralded fifth-round pick out of Texas-El
Paso.
In six NFL seasons with San Francisco and Detroit, he has only one touchdown on
his resume.
A fullback-halfback 'tweener, his very modest career totals are 210 yards
rushing and 182 yards receiving. To put that in perspective, Marshall Faulk has
topped those rushing and receiving totals in a single game.
Fittingly, Smith joined the Rams with no fanfare May 6, signing a one-year deal
paying him $585,000 in base salary.
And at Saturday's scrimmage, when the Rams' offensive unit broke the huddle for
its first play - there was Smith, again minus the fanfare, with the starters.
"I guess they like what I've done at practice," Smith, 28, said. "I'm happy for
the opportunity to do that. Hopefully, I'll run with it and do well."
Smith learned Friday that he would work with the starting unit - ahead of last
year's Rams starter, Madison Hedgecock.
Kind of made your day, right?
"Oh yeah," Smith said. "It made my whole year."
Whether Smith holds on to the job remains to be seen. But he has clearly made
an impression with coach
Scott Linehan and his staff.
"A fullback's role is a thankless job," Linehan said. "Paul comes out every
day, and he tries to put it right on the numbers and put a guy on his back. And
that's what you're looking for. Plus, he has the ability to catch the ball."
Previously, Smith had carved out a niche for himself in the NFL as a hard-nosed
special teams player.
"I've always been the wedge-buster, things like that," Smith said. "Setting the
tempo for games. Sticking my nose in there on lead blocks and things like that."
Over the years, Smith has gotten a few chances at halfback and fullback, for
three seasons with Steve Mariucci in San Francisco, and then following Mariucci
to Detroit in 2003.
Smith has been slowed by injuries at times. He missed five weeks in 2002 in San
Francisco with a hamstring injury. He missed the entire 2004 season in Detroit
with a shoulder injury.
On the field, whether it was at halfback or fullback, Smith rarely touched the
football. In 55 NFL games, he has only 46 carries and 18 receptions. His career
high in receptions - five - came in '03, when Smith's Lions upset the Rams
30-20 in a regular-season finale that cost St. Louis home-field advantage in
the playoffs.
But playing fullback, Smith says, "is not about stats. What your running back
does, his stats, you kind of take pride in that. If he's doing well, that means
you're doing well. So that's kind of how you've got to see it. A fullback's
kind of like a glorified offensive lineman."
Smith's only career starts came last season in Detroit. With normal starter
Cory Schlesinger out with a fractured leg, Smith started the first five games.
With Mariucci gone, Detroit did not re-sign Smith once his contract expired
last March and he became an unrestricted free agent.
But in St. Louis, Smith had an ally on the coaching staff in offensive
coordinator Greg Olson, who had worked with Smith as an assistant coach in San
Francisco and Detroit.
"So he was really familiar with what I can bring on the field," Smith said.
"When he found out that Detroit was (not re-signing) me, he gave me a call and
was trying to work a deal out to get me here."
And here he is.
"It's a good opportunity," said Smith, who's 5-11, 234 pounds. "I'm not a real
big guy, but I'm able to move in and out in front of the block. It's a great
offense for a fullback like myself."
But it's only August. The challenge now is to keep what would be his first
full-time starting assignment as an NFL player.
"You're always working to keep your job," Smith said. "Especially in the
'League.' At any time, you can be the man. The next day, you may not be the
man. It's just the way the business is."
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