End of the line may be near for Rod Smith

A columnist for The Denver Post reports that former Missouri Southern State College standout Rod Smith may be near the end of his All-Pro NFL career:

Age has robbed Smith of most everything except his pride. Anyone with a heart admires his warrior spirit, but that fine appreciation doesn't make it any easier to watch Smith hobble in a race against the clock on one bad leg, knowing he is weeks from being anywhere near ready to play football again.

Here's betting the Broncos have a better chance of making it to the Super Bowl this season than Smith has of making a meaningful contribution to the team.

Now, I sincerely hope the old, graying receiver proves me 100 percent wrong. Why?

For a moment, forget how much that Smith grabbing a pass in traffic on third down could help young quarterback Jay Cutler and the Broncos. Just seeing him strut around the Denver locker room, calling out the skeptics, would be priceless, because Smith performs the cranky act as endearingly as anybody since Redd Foxx portrayed Fred Sanford on television.

There are names on Denver jerseys from those Super Bowl years that are better known across the country, and I could argue a stronger case that linebacker Randy Gradishar, tight end Shannon Sharpe and maybe half a dozen other former Broncos should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ahead of Smith.

But, in a city where football is religion, Smith is one of the few Denver players who loves this team even more than Broncomaniacs do.