First clawing his way onto the Panthers’ roster in the 2001 draft, Mr. Smith became the Cats’ main man in 2005 — the “O” in its injury-plagued Offense, the “play” in the NFC Playoffs. QB Jake Delhomme looked to Smith 150 times last season, connecting 103 of those passes. The end result: a staggering 97.7 yards per game, 12 touchdowns for the season and — get this — 1,563 receiving yards for the year, making him the NFL’s top wide receiver, a full 80 yards ahead of the second-place runner-up. Compare that to the league average 406 yards and, well, there is no comparison. No wonder Street & Smith’s Pro Football Yearbook has picked the Panthers to win Super Bowl XLI. Note to Keyshawn: You better give Smith his props; he’s huge in the hearts of Panthers fans.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2006.
