No one represented the Steelers quite like Anthony Smith.
How will they ever replace his predictions of wins over unbeaten teams and crappy play in the secondary?
Smith, a safety chosen by the Steelers out of Syracuse in the third round of the
2006 draft, agreed to a contract with the Packers Friday.
Steelers
fans who feel they didn't have the chance to give Smith a proper sendoff, fear not. The Steelers happen to be hosting
the Packers next season, and they're already planning Anthony
Smith Day at Heinz Field.
The Steelers don't retire
numbers. But they might want to consider altering that longstanding policy in this case. I mean, this is Anthony Smith we're talking about here.
In three seasons, Smith had 106 tackles,
four interceptions and one prediction of a win over the 12-0 Patriots
in 2007. Wise beyond his years, Smith made that prediction knowing that the Patriots never, ever use stuff like that as bulletin
board material. Truly his finest hour.
Even if the Steelers
don't retire the number 27 on Anthony Smith Day, they are certain to retire his sweat shirt and sweat pants, the very
same ones he wore when he was inactive for all three of their postseason
wins during the run to their sixth Super Bowl title.
Besides
the sight of Troy Polamalu's flowing locks on interception returns, no image pleased Steelers fans more than Anthony Smith
wearing sweats on the sideline. That's how he earned his Super Bowl ring, by staying the fuck off the field.
As indicated in the above link, the Fighter Weapons
School that inspired the movie "Top Gun" was established 40 years ago today.
How fitting, then, that the departure of Steelers wide receiver Nate Washington to the Tennessee Titans inspires
some bastardization of "Top Gun" dialogue.
Instead
of Commander Tom "Stinger" Jordan, picture Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. And instead of Maverick, picture Limas Sweed,
who might be just a hair taller than Tom Cruise.
TOMLIN:
Sweed, you did an incredibly stupid thing in the AFC championship game. There's a minute left in the first half, and we're
clinging to a 13-7 lead. Roethlisberger throws a pass to you that would have been a touchdown. Then you look at yourself on the JumboTron. What you should have been doing was catching the ball! You
don't own that JumboTron, the taxpayers do! Then after you drop the ball, you fake an injury, costing us a timeout.
And you're lucky to be here. Let's not bullshit. The only reason we drafted
you is because Roethlisberger said he wanted a tall receiver, and no one else wanted you in the first round and a half. You
need to be doing it better and cleaner than the other guy. SWEED: Just want to serve my team, sir.
TOMLIN: Don't screw around with me. I'd
like to bust your butt. But I have another problem here. I've got to do something. I can't believe it. I have to give
you your dream shot. I have to put you on the field with the best, with
Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. You were the Number 4 receiver. Washington was Number 3. He turned in his wings. You're
Number 3. But remember one thing. You screw up, you'll be catching passes from a hung over quarterback in a Sunday morning flag football league. SWEED: Yes, sir!
TOMLIN: That is all. Tell me about the fake injury some other time. ... Sweed?
SWEED:
Yes, sir.
TOMLIN: Good luck.
SWEED: Thank you, sir.
That's right. Get used to seeing Limas Sweed on the field a lot more often
with Nate Washington gone as a free agent.
In this day
and age, a sports fan shouldn't get too emotional about players leaving their favorite teams. It's a reality. But
when I read the story about Washington, I felt a pang of sadness when I came across the words "Division II Tiffin College." That unlikely path to the NFL sets Washington apart a little bit from all
the other athletes getting their big payday. An undrafted free agent, Washington's first career catch came in the 2005
AFC championship game against the Broncos. How's that for a baptism
by fire?
Washington also had a huge catch in perhaps the
Steelers' most important win of the 2008 regular season, a 13-9 victory at Baltimore in Week 15. This happened to be Washington's
100th career regular-season reception, and I swear I meant to use
this expression then, so I'm using it now:
Washington
faked Samari Rolle into Hagerstown on a 24-yard reception, giving the Steelers a first down at the Ravens' 14 with 1:12
left. The Steelers, trailing 9-6 at the time, went on to score the winning touchdown.
The Steelers are going to need Sweed to do that kind of stuff now. He'll be side by side with the best of the
best in Ward and Holmes. But if Sweed doesn't get better, the Steelers could be on a highway to the danger zone.
