02-22-2009, 06:42 PM
Smith discusses draft chances
Posted by JoeReedy at 2/22/2009 2:41 PM EST on Cincinnati.com
A look at how UC cornerback/safety DeAngelo Smith sees his draft chances:
-- You played corner and safety at Cincinnati. How are most teams looking at you?
"They're looking at me at both, kinda -- a corner, but they know I can play safety."
-- Do you have a preference?
"I like corner a lot, but I'll do whatever to help the team. Me playing safety,
it shows I can do multiple things."
-- When you worked with coach Zimmer (Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer)
at the Senior Bowl, did you get a sense of how important it is to be versatile? Did he stress that?
"Yeah, that's what most of the coaches talk to you about. They say, `The more you can do,
the better you are.' So I try to adjust myself and know all the plays -- free safety,
corner, nickel, anywhere in the defensive secondary."
-- Where did you play and practice at the Senior Bowl?
"It was split reps. We all played inside nickel. I played some safety in practice, but
I didn't play it in the game. So corner, nickel."
-- Who have you talked to this weekend?
"I can't remember. I've talked to a good amount of teams. I can't remember all of 'em."
-- What did you take from the Senior Bowl experience?
"You just learn different styles of coaching and how different people approach the game.
Other players are out there working to get to the same goal I'm getting to,
so there's competition out there."
-- What do you hope to accomplish this weekend?
"I want to run a fast 40 and do pretty good in my position drills, just show them that
I'm not necessarily what my time said before."
-- Where have you been training?
"I've been with Tom Shaw down in Orlando."
-- What do you want teams to know about you as a person?
"That you get the total package. You get a returner, a corner, corner/safety, nickel back.
I can do a lot of different things. You get a total package."
-- Twenty interceptions in high school and 12 at Cincinnati. Where did you develop those ball skills?
"I played receiver in high school, too. Being able to play receiver, you work on your
ball skills. Converting over to defense, it helps a lot when you're looking for the ball up in the air."
-- It's been said that receivers with bad hands play corner.
(smiles) "Nah. Some people think that, but not in my case."
-- Did you line up much in the slot in college?
"Some of my (sophomore) year I did. My last two years I didn't."
-- Do you think that will be much of an adjustment in the NFL?
"No. The way our defense played, we kind of played the slot because we played `over' corner,
so you had to play the slot at the same time. So I don't think it will be a big adjustment.
You just have to get used to it."
-- Did Ohio State recruit you? (Smith is a Columbus native)
"No."
-- Did you want to go to Ohio State?
"Not really."
-- Want to get out of Columbus?
"Just whoever had interest in me, that's who I had interest in. I just looked at what was
best for me, and that was Cincinnati."
-- When you got an interception, you usually took it back a long way.
"After you make the interception, your approach is, `Get to the end zone.' I guess I got there pretty good."
-- Was there much competition between you three? (UC DBs Mike Mickens and Brandon Underwood
also are here; Smith and Underwood split time b/w safety and corner.)
"It was very competitive. We even challenged each other in practice. If you dropped a pick,
you got 10 pushups. We all know we're here competing against each other. We're still friends,
but at the same time we're here competing against each other for a job. We know we have to
play ball and see what's best for each other."
-- What was your major?
"Criminal justice/psychology."
-- What is your backup plan if football doesn't work?
"Probably DEA or going into coaching."
-- What does it mean to have so many UC guys here and at the Senior Bowl?
"It means a lot. It just shows UC ain't a small-time school. They've got players, too. Sometimes
UC gets the one-star, two-star recruits, but a player is a player. If he can make plays, he'll
be able to get himself to the combine and the Senior Bowl."
-- When teams talk to you about playing corner, are they looking at you more in the Tampa 2,
where you're looking into the backfield more, or more man?
"I really haven't got that question, but I can play both man scheme and a Tampa 2-type."
-- What did you play at Cincinnati?
"We played zone and man. It was pretty even."
-- Did you practice at both positions?
"Summer practice I did. My first three games, I played safety. Then they moved me back to corner."
-- You played the slot at the Senior Bowl, right?
"Yes."
-- It looked like you struggled in the game. Will that be a tough adjustment for you?
"Nah, I don't think I struggled that much. I think I did pretty good. Just the deep ball, but hey, that happens to all corners."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...innati.com
Posted by JoeReedy at 2/22/2009 2:41 PM EST on Cincinnati.com
A look at how UC cornerback/safety DeAngelo Smith sees his draft chances:
-- You played corner and safety at Cincinnati. How are most teams looking at you?
"They're looking at me at both, kinda -- a corner, but they know I can play safety."
-- Do you have a preference?
"I like corner a lot, but I'll do whatever to help the team. Me playing safety,
it shows I can do multiple things."
-- When you worked with coach Zimmer (Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer)
at the Senior Bowl, did you get a sense of how important it is to be versatile? Did he stress that?
"Yeah, that's what most of the coaches talk to you about. They say, `The more you can do,
the better you are.' So I try to adjust myself and know all the plays -- free safety,
corner, nickel, anywhere in the defensive secondary."
-- Where did you play and practice at the Senior Bowl?
"It was split reps. We all played inside nickel. I played some safety in practice, but
I didn't play it in the game. So corner, nickel."
-- Who have you talked to this weekend?
"I can't remember. I've talked to a good amount of teams. I can't remember all of 'em."
-- What did you take from the Senior Bowl experience?
"You just learn different styles of coaching and how different people approach the game.
Other players are out there working to get to the same goal I'm getting to,
so there's competition out there."
-- What do you hope to accomplish this weekend?
"I want to run a fast 40 and do pretty good in my position drills, just show them that
I'm not necessarily what my time said before."
-- Where have you been training?
"I've been with Tom Shaw down in Orlando."
-- What do you want teams to know about you as a person?
"That you get the total package. You get a returner, a corner, corner/safety, nickel back.
I can do a lot of different things. You get a total package."
-- Twenty interceptions in high school and 12 at Cincinnati. Where did you develop those ball skills?
"I played receiver in high school, too. Being able to play receiver, you work on your
ball skills. Converting over to defense, it helps a lot when you're looking for the ball up in the air."
-- It's been said that receivers with bad hands play corner.
(smiles) "Nah. Some people think that, but not in my case."
-- Did you line up much in the slot in college?
"Some of my (sophomore) year I did. My last two years I didn't."
-- Do you think that will be much of an adjustment in the NFL?
"No. The way our defense played, we kind of played the slot because we played `over' corner,
so you had to play the slot at the same time. So I don't think it will be a big adjustment.
You just have to get used to it."
-- Did Ohio State recruit you? (Smith is a Columbus native)
"No."
-- Did you want to go to Ohio State?
"Not really."
-- Want to get out of Columbus?
"Just whoever had interest in me, that's who I had interest in. I just looked at what was
best for me, and that was Cincinnati."
-- When you got an interception, you usually took it back a long way.
"After you make the interception, your approach is, `Get to the end zone.' I guess I got there pretty good."
-- Was there much competition between you three? (UC DBs Mike Mickens and Brandon Underwood
also are here; Smith and Underwood split time b/w safety and corner.)
"It was very competitive. We even challenged each other in practice. If you dropped a pick,
you got 10 pushups. We all know we're here competing against each other. We're still friends,
but at the same time we're here competing against each other for a job. We know we have to
play ball and see what's best for each other."
-- What was your major?
"Criminal justice/psychology."
-- What is your backup plan if football doesn't work?
"Probably DEA or going into coaching."
-- What does it mean to have so many UC guys here and at the Senior Bowl?
"It means a lot. It just shows UC ain't a small-time school. They've got players, too. Sometimes
UC gets the one-star, two-star recruits, but a player is a player. If he can make plays, he'll
be able to get himself to the combine and the Senior Bowl."
-- When teams talk to you about playing corner, are they looking at you more in the Tampa 2,
where you're looking into the backfield more, or more man?
"I really haven't got that question, but I can play both man scheme and a Tampa 2-type."
-- What did you play at Cincinnati?
"We played zone and man. It was pretty even."
-- Did you practice at both positions?
"Summer practice I did. My first three games, I played safety. Then they moved me back to corner."
-- You played the slot at the Senior Bowl, right?
"Yes."
-- It looked like you struggled in the game. Will that be a tough adjustment for you?
"Nah, I don't think I struggled that much. I think I did pretty good. Just the deep ball, but hey, that happens to all corners."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...innati.com