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Footballguy
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Steve Smith heard the rumor: He's coming back slowly from his hamstring injury as a ploy to get a new contract.
"There are a lot of other things I can be doing if I'm holding out. I can go home. I can go to the lake house with my family. I can do a lot of things more important than to make a [fool] out of myself and the organization. You're foolish to think that."
-- Steve Smith
The wide receiver shredded that theory Wednesday as he tries to work his way back onto the field for the Carolina Panthers.
"For the people who are insulting me and this organization, who think I'm going to stoop down to that level, that's not me," Smith said. "There are a lot of other things I can be doing if I'm holding out. I can go home. I can go to the lake house with my family. I can do a lot of things more important than to make a [fool] out of myself and the organization. You're foolish to think that."
Still listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Smith did agility drills and some light running on an adjacent field while his team practiced Wednesday. It was the closest he's come to returning to the field since straining his right hamstring in practice Sept. 5. Before that, Smith missed more than two weeks of training camp with a strained left hamstring and another week with an ingrown toenail that required surgery.
Without Smith, the league's top receiver last season, the Panthers have managed just one touchdown and 19 points in an 0-2 start.
Last week, an Internet site speculated that Smith might be sitting out to gain leverage for a new contract. The Tampa Tribune repeated the rumor this week.
Smith, who signed a six-year, $28 million contract in March 2004, lashed out Wednesday when asked about the rumors.
"If I want to sit out, if I'm trying to make a point, Deion Branch is a great example of making a point," said Smith, referring to Branch's holdout in New England that led to his trade to Seattle earlier this month. "Sitting out with a real pulled hamstring, that's not the way to go. It's sickening, actually. All the stuff I had to go through -- the treatments, the surgery on my toe. There's a shorter route to go than all the stuff I went through the last 10 weeks."
Other than his anger over the rumors, Smith appeared calm after practice and insisted he hasn't been overly frustrated with the injuries. He said his experience in 2004, when he missed all but one game with a broken leg, has helped.
"It's not very difficult because in 2004 I missed 15 games," Smith said. "I take this as a phase in my life that's temporary. It's not permanent."
Jake Delhomme, who hasn't thrown a touchdown pass this season, can't wait to get his favorite target back. He isn't questioning Smith's desire to return.
"He knows his body and I know what kind of guy he is. I know it's absolutely killing him not to be out there fighting and competing," Delhomme said. "That's the guy I know and that's what makes him so good. He just has that burning desire to be great. He's working his tail off, doing what he can do to get back out there."
Smith, who had 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns last season as the co-Comeback Player of the Year with New England's Tedy Bruschi, warned that he alone can't revive an offense that ranks 30th out of 32 teams after two weeks.
"I'll make mistakes when I get back," he said. "Who am I to cast a stone when I'll be messing up sometimes, as well?"
Smith wouldn't speculate if he'll return to the field this Sunday against Tampa Bay and downplayed the significance of the light running he did Wednesday.
"I'll be excited when I line up on Sunday," he said, "so all the haters can go back and put their [number] 89 jerseys back on."
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
"There are a lot of other things I can be doing if I'm holding out. I can go home. I can go to the lake house with my family. I can do a lot of things more important than to make a [fool] out of myself and the organization. You're foolish to think that."
-- Steve Smith
The wide receiver shredded that theory Wednesday as he tries to work his way back onto the field for the Carolina Panthers.
"For the people who are insulting me and this organization, who think I'm going to stoop down to that level, that's not me," Smith said. "There are a lot of other things I can be doing if I'm holding out. I can go home. I can go to the lake house with my family. I can do a lot of things more important than to make a [fool] out of myself and the organization. You're foolish to think that."
Still listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Smith did agility drills and some light running on an adjacent field while his team practiced Wednesday. It was the closest he's come to returning to the field since straining his right hamstring in practice Sept. 5. Before that, Smith missed more than two weeks of training camp with a strained left hamstring and another week with an ingrown toenail that required surgery.
Without Smith, the league's top receiver last season, the Panthers have managed just one touchdown and 19 points in an 0-2 start.
Last week, an Internet site speculated that Smith might be sitting out to gain leverage for a new contract. The Tampa Tribune repeated the rumor this week.
Smith, who signed a six-year, $28 million contract in March 2004, lashed out Wednesday when asked about the rumors.
"If I want to sit out, if I'm trying to make a point, Deion Branch is a great example of making a point," said Smith, referring to Branch's holdout in New England that led to his trade to Seattle earlier this month. "Sitting out with a real pulled hamstring, that's not the way to go. It's sickening, actually. All the stuff I had to go through -- the treatments, the surgery on my toe. There's a shorter route to go than all the stuff I went through the last 10 weeks."
Other than his anger over the rumors, Smith appeared calm after practice and insisted he hasn't been overly frustrated with the injuries. He said his experience in 2004, when he missed all but one game with a broken leg, has helped.
"It's not very difficult because in 2004 I missed 15 games," Smith said. "I take this as a phase in my life that's temporary. It's not permanent."
Jake Delhomme, who hasn't thrown a touchdown pass this season, can't wait to get his favorite target back. He isn't questioning Smith's desire to return.
"He knows his body and I know what kind of guy he is. I know it's absolutely killing him not to be out there fighting and competing," Delhomme said. "That's the guy I know and that's what makes him so good. He just has that burning desire to be great. He's working his tail off, doing what he can do to get back out there."
Smith, who had 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns last season as the co-Comeback Player of the Year with New England's Tedy Bruschi, warned that he alone can't revive an offense that ranks 30th out of 32 teams after two weeks.
"I'll make mistakes when I get back," he said. "Who am I to cast a stone when I'll be messing up sometimes, as well?"
Smith wouldn't speculate if he'll return to the field this Sunday against Tampa Bay and downplayed the significance of the light running he did Wednesday.
"I'll be excited when I line up on Sunday," he said, "so all the haters can go back and put their [number] 89 jerseys back on."
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
