Thursday, Nov. 15, 2001

What’s in a name?

If the name is ‘Smith,’ a lot more than you might think

By Dan Arkush, Executive editor

Why would anyone in his right mind choose such a topic, you ask? I’ll give you four quick reasons:

1. Because I was stuck at birth with a last name that usually results in a fair amount of tongue-twisting by people when they first try to pronounce it, I’ve always been a little bit envious of all the Smiths, Joneses, Jameses and Williamses of the world. I used to work with one guy who referred to me as "Dan August" for an entire year before he finally got my name straight, and while I must admit that I did bear a striking resemblance to the old Burt Reynolds TV character who actually had that name (unlike these days, when I am often more commonly mistaken for either Jed Clampett or a much skinnier Kenny Rogers), the fellow employee’s constant bungling of my name really stuck in my craw.
2. I actually have three guys named Smith on my Pro Football Weekly inter-office fantasy team — Denver WR Rod Smith (God love him!), New England RB Antowain Smith and Dallas RB Emmitt Smith — and am in the process of figuring out how I might use them this weekend, if at all.
3. The task of trying to come up with ideas for this weekly column has admittedly become increasingly difficult, which is why I’m thinking about doing next week’s column on guys whose last names are also musical instruments (Joe Horn, Doug Flutie???).
4. I have never, ever, been accused of being in my right mind.

Actually, it turns out there really are quite a few guys named Smith capable of making a fantasy impact. It should be noted that Bengals QB Akili Smith is not included in the mix, since he has fallen off the depth chart behind Jon Kitna in Cincy. Also not included are FBs Terrell Smith and Detron Smith, who are primarily blocking backs for the Saints and Broncos, respectively, or 49ers RB Paul Smith, who isn’t expected to get much action with Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow doing such a dynamite job sharing San Francisco’s rushing load this season.

As for the Smiths worth mentioning, we present them alphabetically, by first name:

Antowain Smith — He’s been on my taxi squad all season, but I’m very seriously thinking about incorporating him into my starting lineup this Sunday along with my featured back, the Steelers’ Jerome Bettis. A solid, slashing, north-south runner when the spirit moves him, Antowain has six rushing touchdowns for the Pats, including a pair last week in New England’s victory over Buffalo, his old team. He goes up against a dramatically improved Rams defense this Sunday night, but it looks like he has become a key weapon in the Patriots’ attack, especially with the offense expected to play it closer to the vest with bad weather just around the corner.

Emmitt Smith — As I’m sure is the case with some of you readers, I thought I lucked out when I tabbed one of the game’s all-time great running backs to be my primary No. 2 guy along with "the Bus." It turns out, though, that the venerable old pro really looks like he’s on his last legs, with no touchdowns and just one 100-yard rushing game all season. After being held out of the last two games with a knee injury, he is listed as questionable for this Sunday’s game vs. Philly. But even if he’s able to suit up, the combination of the Cowboys’ weaker-than-weak attack and the emergence of Troy Hambrick figure to make Emmitt a fairly weak fantasy link from here on out.

Jimmy Smith — While most people already consider Hearst a lock for Comeback Player of the Year honors, this quality Jaguars receiver is certainly worth considering for the honor. Despite three separate abdominal surgeries that reportedly had him near death at one point this offseason, Smith is on pace to grab 116 catches for 1,444 yards and score eight touchdowns. Look for him to be a big-play guy for the Jags the balance of the season.

Lamar Smith — Not all the guys named Smith are doing well. Lamar has been a major disappointment in the Miami attack, averaging only 2.9 yards per carry this season after emerging as one of the most potent fantasy running backs in the league last season. His longest carry so far is 18 yards, and the Dolphins are hoping that he’ll be more effective from here on out by staying mainly inside the tackles. Lamar hasn’t been helped at all by an offensive line that has had problems.

Maurice Smith — Don’t look now, but the Falcons’ second-year replacement for the injured Jamal Anderson is suddenly on pace for a 1,000-yard season and is coming off a career-best 148-yard rushing effort in the victory over the Cowboys last Sunday. While he isn’t as strong and doesn’t block nearly as well as Jamal, he’s got more speed and is capable of being a big-play threat in the coming weeks.

Rod Smith — How good has he been? With 72 catches through nine games, he’s on pace to break Herman Moore’s league record for receptions, in addition to scoring about 15 or 16 touchdowns. After fellow WR Ed McCaffrey was lost with a season-ending injury, most people thought Rod’s numbers would go downhill. But despite being constantly double-teamed and forced to overcome nagging injuries (like the ankle ailment that has resulted in him being listed as questionable for the Redskins game this Sunday), he has emerged as a bona fide candidate for Fantasy MVP honors. Clearly, he’s already saved my butt more than a few times this season.

Steve Smith — While the third-round pick of the pathetic Panthers is primarily a return specialist, he is probably the team’s steadiest scoring threat at the moment, with a pair of kickoff returns and a punt return for touchdowns already this season, including a 99-yard score on a kickoff against the Rams last Sunday. He also has been worked into the lineup on occasion as a runner or receiver and has the ability to go all the way every time he touches the ball.

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