Brad Smith article

[Kentucky Jet]

Jets getting most out of versatile Brad Smith

Published: Sunday, October 10, 2010, 5:00 AM

Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

The Jets’ special teams coordinator knew he found it when he worked out the university’s star quarterback — at running back, receiver and punt returner. Westhoff immediately realized the immense versatility of Brad Smith, and coveted him.

The longtime coach turned in his scouting report with an emphatic final sentence: “Get him here.”

The Jets took care of that by using the 103rd pick in that year’s draft to take Smith. In the 4 1/2 years since, Smith has held roles as ubiquitous as his last name: He’s a wide receiver. He takes direct snaps. He returns kickoffs. He’s the personal protector on the punt team. He covers kicks. He pressure rushes on punt returns.

After throwing a 3-yard touchdown to Dustin Keller against the Bills last week, Smith has scored for the Jets by passing, rushing, receiving and returning. In the NFL, that’s a rare superfecta. But the 26-year-old — tabbed by his high school coach as “the most unassuming person I’ve ever encountered” — is motivated by what he hasn’t done.

“I just feel like it gets so much better,” Smith said.

Smith’s first love is quarterback, and coach Rex Ryan is fond of mentioning that Smith was the first player in NCAA history to pass for 8,000 yards and run for 4,000. Smith said he didn’t actively think about the NFL while doing so, but Westhoff wasn’t the only coach to eye his versatility.

After his senior season at Missouri, Smith visited the Rams, where current Jets receivers coach Henry Ellard was an assistant. They had a conversation Smith still remembered when they united on the Jets three years later:

“Your heart may be at quarterback,” Ellard told him then, “but you can do so many things. Stay open to that.”

Smith did, buying in wholeheartedly when the Jets slid him to receiver, even when he nearly passed out on the practice field running routes the first few times.

Westhoff remembers the conversion, and admits at first Smith “was probably a little disappointing” as a receiver. Now, in his myriad roles, Smith is averaging nearly 20 all-purpose yards each time he’s had the ball in his hands this season — far from disappointing by any measure.

“When you put him on the field,” Ellard said, “you get excited.”

That’s the way it was at Chaney High in Youngstown, Ohio, too, where coach Ron Berdis said Smith helped the school pioneer a version of the spread offense. Gary Pinkel first recruited Smith to Toledo. When Missouri hired Pinkel, he decided Smith would be the cornerstone. After his visit, Westhoff almost felt like the university would shut down after Smith graduated, that’s how beloved he was.

Smith’s humility and integrity have accompanied him through each stage of his life, values rooted in his faith and family. Smith’s mother, Sherri, raised three college graduates on her own, after she and their father divorced when Smith was in elementary school. She still works at Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church, where her children grew up around strong male mentors in their father’s absence.

“All of us,” Smith said, “are trying to do right by her.”

In July, Smith became a father himself. He and his wife, Rosalynn, welcomed their first son, Bradley Alexander Jr. They call him Alex.

As he was raised to do, Smith counts his blessings on and off the field. That’s why he never grew disgruntled about not having the opportunity to play quarterback in the NFL. The next best thing: taking a handful of direct snaps each week in a Wildcat package designed just for him.

In this season’s thriving Jets offense, the change-up has never seemed to work better. On those throwback option plays, and an occasional snap under center, Smith gets to relish having once been a quarterback. Westhoff, of course, makes sure Smith is also a permanent presence on every special-teams unit, where the coach’s stars are the “Smith brothers.”

Brad and Eric Smith share the same last name, seniority, home state and enthusiasm for bass fishing at local ponds. (They have a running tournament based on the fish they catch, which Eric Smith claims to lead by two points.)

In the Week 3 game against Miami, they teamed up to block a punt: Brad Smith engaged the player on the right edge, allowing Eric Smith to loop back inside through an open lane and get a hand on the ball.

“Brad Smith in that play had an absolute key role and executed it perfectly,” Westhoff explained. “You’re not allowed to grab and yank (the player). The way he drew him, Brad was absolutely perfect.”

Smith understands the number of snaps he takes on offense will shrink moving forward, now that receiver Santonio Holmes has returned from his four-game suspension. But that doesn’t mean his role is any less important.

Each week, as he studies more than others have to and shrugs off the fatigue of his multiple roles, he’s driven by that simple belief that he hasn’t done anything great yet, and that simple desire to change that.

“Like, Super Bowl. A Santonio play. A game-winner,” Smith said. “That’s what I would call the best play that I’ve had. Obviously, we haven’t gotten there yet.”

Jenny Vrentas: jvrentas@starledger.com

[JetsFanInDenver]

The Jets’ special teams coordinator knew he found it when he worked out the university’s star quarterback — at running back, receiver and punt returner. Westhoff immediately realized the immense versatility of Brad Smith, and coveted him.

The longtime coach turned in his scouting report with an emphatic final sentence: “Get him here.”

Nice article.

It also shows why Tanny and Rex give a lot of credence to Westhoff's opinion.

[Bruce Banner]

My memory is a little vague on this, but I seem to remember that during their glory years the Bills would have Thurman Thomas line up as RB then shift out to WR to catch the defense short of defensive backs, meaning using an offensive formation best defended by the nickel while the defense was in a normal four DB formation. Other times they would have TT line up as a WR and then shift him to RB and run it.

I think Brad Smith should be used like this, have no RBs on the field and have him switch back and forth between RB and WR to catch the defense in the wrong personnel and formation.