Alouettes’ new cornerback is used to overcoming odds
Since high school, Chris Smith told he was too small, but says ‘I’m never going to give up’
The Alouettes’ newest cornerback might not intercept a pass this season, although that’s unlikely. He might not make any particular standout plays either, as remote as that possibility seems.
But know this about Chris Smith — he has spent his career, and life for that matter, overcoming odds. So he’ll never give up.
“Whatever I do in life, I’m never going to give up,” Smith said Tuesday, following the Als’ first regularseason practice of the year, conducted under a constant rainfall on a soccer field in St-Léonard. “You can do whatever you put your mind to.
“I told myself to never give up,” said Smith, who turned 27 on Monday. “And I told grandmother I was going to play football — somewhere.”
That somewhere will be Montreal this season, although Smith originally wasn’t going to leave the Arena League’s Tampa Bay Storm. He was leading the team, with six interceptions — the third-highest total in the league — before signing a two-year contract with the Als on May 17, two weeks before the start of training camp.
And now, following the release on Saturday of second-year pro Ed Gainey, Smith should start at field corner for the Als, this Saturday afternoon against the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium. Gainey had been expected to replace veteran Byron Parker, released over the winter.
Although only 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, Smith’s a physical player who excels at bump and run, the defensive scheme preached by Als assistant head coach and defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe. Indeed, Smith has been called one of the best bump-and-run players in the Canadian Football League by general manager Jim Popp — before he plays a game.
“He’ll get in your face, jam you and ride you — and be right on your hip,” Popp said. “That’s why he makes picks. He’s very headsy and very aware.”
Since his high school days in Palmetto, Fla., Smith has been told he was too small. Nobody was knocking on his door back then. In fact, Smith failed to graduate, eventually having to obtain a certificate of General Educational Development, forcing him to sit out a year.
He enrolled at Highland Community College in Kansas, a junior college, receiving a scholarship only after his uncle called the head coach. Smith transferred to Northern Illinois University in 2009, but first had to attend summer school before becoming eligible.
During his senior season, Smith earned first-team all mid-American Conference honours, after recording 50 tackles, knocking down 15 passes and producing three interceptions.
Undrafted, he nonetheless cracked the St. Louis Rams’ roster, playing three games before suffering a torn meniscus, making him expendable. Smith also was
“I told grandmother I was going to play football — somewhere.”
CHRIS SMITH
selected in the fourth round of the United Football League, by Omaha.
With 14 career interceptions with the Storm, it’s easy to understand Smith’s reluctance to venture north. But he wants to return to the National Football League before it’s too late, and figures stellar play in the CFL will provide that opening.
Playing in the frenetic pace that is Arena football, where it’s not uncommon for a team to score 60 points per game, should serve him well in his transition to Canada.
“I didn’t want to leave. I was leading the league in interceptions,” Smith said. “I wasn’t going to come. But I wanted to keep playing, thought about it, woke up the next morning and said I was going to Canada.
“I’m a playmaker,” added Smith, who can also return punts should the Als get in an emergency pinch. “If I see the ball in the air, I’m trying to go get it. I want the ball. But I’ll focus on making tackles and guarding my man.”
Thorpe said he saw Smith exude confidence since the opening day of camp and, because of that, has no concerns over his size. Thorpe didn’t want to compare Smith to Gainey — or Gainey to Parker, for that matter — but said he’s seeking players who demonstrate the ability for tight man coverage, make plays on the ball and consistent tackling.
“He demonstrated in preseason and in camp that consistently he’s going to get up and challenge receivers and make plays on the football,” Thorpe said. “He’s confident in his abilities, confident he’s going to put his hands on people and put himself in the right position. That’s what you see.
“Size-wise, we’re not worried about that.”
The Als should be at full strength against the Stamps. Weakside linebacker Kyries Hebert, recovering from a concussion, practised with the starters — as did tailback Brandon Whitaker, who missed the final exhibition game with a leg injury.
Montreal lost both its exhibition games, but head coach Tom Higgins said evaluating personnel took precedence over the final outcome.
“When you put your team together, it’s a lot different than playing in preseason,” he said. “You want to win, but those aren’t the games that are the most important.”