An article in the Denver Post this week examined the first Denver Bronco workouts in the last decade and a half that did not include long-time wide receiver Rod Smith, who most likely will soon officially announce his retirement. Smith, of course, is the most famous football player to come from Missouri Southern State University:
For the first time in more than a decade, the Broncos were sweating it out in the off-season and Rod Smith was nowhere to be found.
Talk about a rite of passage. By his own count, Smith had shown up for more than 600 workouts over the span of 13 years.
"It's a number somewhere around that, and I'm very happy about it," Smith said late last season.
And now he's gone. And he has taken his work ethic and his no-nonsense approach with him. The leading receiver in Broncos history never spiked the ball after a touchdown, never danced in the end zone and never missed an off-season workout. Not once, not ever.
Technically, Smith hasn't retired, but it seems only a matter of time before the official announcement. He was placed on the reserve/retired list after undergoing hip surgery after the 2007 season.
He has been spotted at Dove Valley a few times, but when his teammates gathered Monday to run and lift, he wasn't among them.
Yes, said Scheffler, it seemed strange.
"I was lucky enough to be right next to Rod in the locker room and kind of soak up everything he had to give," said Scheffler. "So I figured I got two years worth of his knowledge. It's definitely something I cherish.
"It's hard walking in here and him not being here. I know he's still going to be around and he'll always be there to talk with. But at the same time, I definitely feel a loss not having him next to me in the locker room."
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