Rod Smith praised at retirement

The praise was overflowing for former Missouri Southern State University standout Rod Smith when he officially announced his retirement from professional football Thursday. From the Denver Post:

Smith arrived in Denver as an undrafted rookie out of tiny Missouri Southern State in 1994, just hoping for a chance to play, and left here being hailed by owner Pat Bowlen as one of the franchise's two best players of the past 25 years and by coach Mike Shanahan as a Hall of Famer.

"Rod, in the locker room, became over a period of time by far the most influential voice in this organization amongst the players," Bowlen said. "There was no question that in his career every player in that locker room was listening to him and respecting his opinion and what he said."

That respect was evident Thursday as several veteran Broncos, including safety John Lynch and receiver Brandon Stokely, arrived at Dove Valley a day early — they report to camp today — to watch Smith say goodbye. Former linebacker Keith Burns, a rookie with Smith in 1994 and still one of his closest friends, sat to the side of the auditorium, simultaneously smiling and wiping tears from his face during Smith's speech.

"It will be a rare deal when the next Rod Smith comes through, not just this organization, but the NFL," said Burns, now the Broncos' assistant special-teams coach.