Sammie Smith Gets Fresh Start

Sweat pouring off his body after his first full-scale workout as a Denver Bronco, Sammie Smith was determined that neither searing lungs nor aching legs would spoil his outlook.

Smith, anxious to make a fresh start in Denver after his trade last week from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Bobby Humphrey, saw nothing but positives in the swap of disgruntled running backs.

Even Denver’s thin air didn’t bother him, he insisted Tuesday.

“I really haven’t noticed the difference in the altitude yet,” he said, although still gasping for breath several minutes after the workout.

Smith likes his situation here. He likes the fact that Denver’s offense is more run-oriented than Miami’s. He likes the fact that he’ll get a chance to use his receiving skills, something he rarely tapped at either Florida State or with the Dolphins. He even likes the off-season conditioning program.

“The drills they do for speed and agility here are better than what we did in Miami,” he said. “I can see this off-season training is really going to pay off.”

With 1,000-yard rusher Gaston Green returning at tailback, the 6-foot-2, 237-pound Smith would seem to be an ideal candidate as the fullback in the Broncos’ offense.

But Smith isn’t eager to be pigeonholed at one position. He expects to play at a lighter weight, and he knows his 4.45 speed makes him a breakaway threat.

“I played at 230 last year,” he said. “I gained most of this extra weight in the weight room this off-season. I would like to get down to 225. I’d feel a lot quicker at that weight.

“I feel I can run inside or outside, it really doesn’t make a difference. Wherever they want me.”

When the trade was made, the consensus was that the Dolphins got the better of the deal. Humphrey, after all, had put together consecutive 1,000-yard seasons before missing virtually all of last season because of a contract holdout. Smith had rushed for 659 yards and 831 yards his first two seasons in Miami, but had slumped to 297 last year as fumbles and injuries cost him a starting job.

Smith attributes his problems in 1991 to trying to play too soon after a preseason knee injury.

He fumbled three times on opponents’ goal lines, and after fumbling into the end zone at home against Houston on Oct. 20, he was the target of a derisive chant from Dolphin fans.

“Calling me a fumbler is an unfair tag,” he says. “I never had a fumbling problem in college or high school. Last year, there were some critical moments when I coughed the ball up, just like there are going to be times when a quarterback throws a critical interception. It happens.”

He knows he’ll enjoy a brief grace period from such criticism in Denver. But he has his sights set much higher than just eliminating fumbles.

“I just know within my heart that I’m going to add a lot to this football team,” he said. “I feel I can be one of the best running backs in this league. In my eyes, I’m just as good as Bobby. I intend to prove to everybody -- the fans and the media -- that this is going to turn out to be a great trade.”