Baseball Guru
07-30-2002, 07:03 PM
Syracuse LB Smith is back at full strength, rarin' to go
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For any linebacker who thinks he's tough, who believes the mere mention of his name can make a quarterback refuse to come out of the locker room, we give you Syracuse senior middle linebacker Clifton Smith .
As a sophomore in 2000, Smith made first-team All-Big East. A year ago, Smith repeated the feat while playing with one arm tied behind his back. Figure of speech? Yes. Exaggeration? Not much. In the Kickoff Classic last August against Georgia Tech, a blocker's helmet got under Smith's pad and tore his left pectoral muscle, rendering his left arm all but useless. "At the end of the year, I don't know if he could have bench-pressed the bar," coach Paul Pasqualoni said. Smith smiles at the recollection. "I couldn't do 135 pounds," the 22-year-old said, reaching up with his right hand to point to where his upper chest and his left arm meet. "I tore tendons."
With one good arm, all Smith did was record 106 tackles and lead the surprising Orangemen to a 10-3 record, including a 26-3 rout of Kansas State last December in the Insight.com Bowl. Smith made 12 tackles, two of them sacks, in the one-sided bowl victory. "I had to adjust," he said. "I couldn't take too many hits to my left side. I had to play a little more team defense."
Smith underwent surgery after the season and has been slowly rehabbing ever since. Despite being held out of contact during spring ball, he didn't fall behind. "Clifton went to all the meetings. He was at practice. He went through drills," Pasqualoni said. "He might have missed reps in scrimmages but he never missed a rep mentally."
Only in the last couple of weeks, Smith said, did he feel as if his left arm had returned to normal. He is rebuilding it with care. He won't bench-press more than 225 pounds this season; that's the recognized measuring stick of strength and stamina that the NFL uses at its annual scouting combine in Indianapolis. The NFL gets excited when a prospect can push 225 pounds 20 times. Smith could do 15 reps at that weight before he got hurt a year ago. He is back up to six and working hard. "My arm feels good," he said. "Last year was taken from me. I want to go show everybody that I can play. I wasn't able to be more destructive last year because of the pectoral tear."
With quarterback R.J. Anderson one of only two returning starters on offense, Smith and the defense will have to carry the Orangemen this season. He is playing to redeem himself and to carry on the memory of his father, Clifton I, who died earlier this summer at age 62 of a heart attack. "He was a big fan of mine," Smith said, shifting into present tense. "He's been sick. He's a diabetic. He was actually feeling good. One day, his heart valve gave out. With the rehab and then [his father's death], this summer has been very frustrating."
When Syracuse starts practice in August, Smith will race out to the blocking sled and launch his left shoulder and arm into the padding to see what happens. He expects to feel no pain and perhaps will begin to cure himself of a bad habit. "I hit with my right side a little too much last year," Smith said. It was the only side he had.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers college football for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For any linebacker who thinks he's tough, who believes the mere mention of his name can make a quarterback refuse to come out of the locker room, we give you Syracuse senior middle linebacker Clifton Smith .
As a sophomore in 2000, Smith made first-team All-Big East. A year ago, Smith repeated the feat while playing with one arm tied behind his back. Figure of speech? Yes. Exaggeration? Not much. In the Kickoff Classic last August against Georgia Tech, a blocker's helmet got under Smith's pad and tore his left pectoral muscle, rendering his left arm all but useless. "At the end of the year, I don't know if he could have bench-pressed the bar," coach Paul Pasqualoni said. Smith smiles at the recollection. "I couldn't do 135 pounds," the 22-year-old said, reaching up with his right hand to point to where his upper chest and his left arm meet. "I tore tendons."
With one good arm, all Smith did was record 106 tackles and lead the surprising Orangemen to a 10-3 record, including a 26-3 rout of Kansas State last December in the Insight.com Bowl. Smith made 12 tackles, two of them sacks, in the one-sided bowl victory. "I had to adjust," he said. "I couldn't take too many hits to my left side. I had to play a little more team defense."
Smith underwent surgery after the season and has been slowly rehabbing ever since. Despite being held out of contact during spring ball, he didn't fall behind. "Clifton went to all the meetings. He was at practice. He went through drills," Pasqualoni said. "He might have missed reps in scrimmages but he never missed a rep mentally."
Only in the last couple of weeks, Smith said, did he feel as if his left arm had returned to normal. He is rebuilding it with care. He won't bench-press more than 225 pounds this season; that's the recognized measuring stick of strength and stamina that the NFL uses at its annual scouting combine in Indianapolis. The NFL gets excited when a prospect can push 225 pounds 20 times. Smith could do 15 reps at that weight before he got hurt a year ago. He is back up to six and working hard. "My arm feels good," he said. "Last year was taken from me. I want to go show everybody that I can play. I wasn't able to be more destructive last year because of the pectoral tear."
With quarterback R.J. Anderson one of only two returning starters on offense, Smith and the defense will have to carry the Orangemen this season. He is playing to redeem himself and to carry on the memory of his father, Clifton I, who died earlier this summer at age 62 of a heart attack. "He was a big fan of mine," Smith said, shifting into present tense. "He's been sick. He's a diabetic. He was actually feeling good. One day, his heart valve gave out. With the rehab and then [his father's death], this summer has been very frustrating."
When Syracuse starts practice in August, Smith will race out to the blocking sled and launch his left shoulder and arm into the padding to see what happens. He expects to feel no pain and perhaps will begin to cure himself of a bad habit. "I hit with my right side a little too much last year," Smith said. It was the only side he had.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers college football for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.