Wilson Makes Smith’s Day, but Raiders Ruin It : Loss Takes the Edge Off Bronco Free Safety’s Three-Interception Performance

Normally when a player has the kind of day Dennis Smith enjoyed Sunday, there’s a little celebrating in the locker room afterward.

After all, three interceptions against the Raiders is not a run-of-the-mill performance. Even when the Raider quarterback is only Marc Wilson.

But Smith, the Denver Broncos’ free safety, was in no mood to party after the Raiders had beaten the Broncos, 17-14, in overtime here Sunday afternoon.

“It’s pretty frustrating to have a game like this and lose,” Smith said, his voice raised barely above a whisper. “I don’t know, it’s tough. It’s just not satisfying.”

Smith, who had not had an interception all season before Wilson made him his favorite target, has been just another defensive back on a team that also features the likes of Louis Wright and Steve Foley.

Sunday could have been the day Denver noticed Dennis Smith. Sunday could have been the day he escaped the shadow of Wright and Foley. Sunday could have been worth celebrating.

Had the Broncos won.

Instead, they lost, squandering scoring opportunities on each of Smith’s interceptions and rendering them virtually meaningless.

“It’s frustrating,” Smith said. “None of the interceptions I caught turned into points. It’s hard to see that.”

In one instance, Smith had no one to blame but himself and the snow-slickened field.

With the scored tied, 14-14, in the fourth quarter, Smith stepped in front of a Wilson pass intended for Marcus Allen and turned to run it back. His feet had other plans.

“I just couldn’t keep my balance,” Smith said. “Last time we played the Raiders, I was thinking to score every time I got the ball. So I dropped all of them. Today, I was thinking, ‘Hold on to the ball,’ and I fell. I just have to get the two going at the same time.

“I just wanted to catch the ball, I wasn’t concentrating on staying up. I broke on the ball pretty well, I just started stumbling. I think I could have gone in for the touchdown. It’s hard to look at that now and think that it could have made the difference in the game.”

Smith has been the difference for the Broncos before. Three weeks ago against San Diego, Smith blocked a field goal that teammate Wright took in for the winning touchdown in overtime.

But Smith also remembers Denver’s other loss in overtime--two weeks ago against the Raiders. In that game, Smith had several opportunities to intercept, but dropped all of them.

“I felt I played better in the first game,” he said. “I was dropping balls but the coverage was better. This is the game I should have had two weeks ago.”

Smith got even with Todd Christensen of the Raiders Sunday. Christensen had burned Smith in Los Angeles, which didn’t sit well with Smith. Sunday, Smith yanked the ball away from Christensen in the fourth quarter to give Denver the ball on its own 44-yard line.

Again, the Bronco drive went nowhere.

The same thing had happened on Smith’s first interception, early in the second quarter. Wilson threw the ball perfectly--into Smith’s arms--one yard in the end zone and five feet over the head of Marcus Allen. Smith sidesteped several Raiders to take the ball back 39 yards.

“It was a play I had seen them run many times,” Smith said. “Every time they throw that against me, it seems like I just miss an interception. Today, I think he (Wilson) just overthrew Marcus. I was in a good position to make the play.”

Smith, like Allen, went to school at USC. “I’ve been brainwashed, coming from USC,” Smith said. “I never think that we will lose a game. Unfortunately, Marcus feels the same.”