You might remember the day last season Titans backup QB Rusty Smith was called into action after the whole Vince Young/Jeff Fisher/walking out on teammates saga and then backup Kerry Collins getting hurt.
It occurred Nov. 28 when the then-rookie Smith went 17 of 31 for 138 yards and three interceptions in a loss to the Texans, and immediately afterward, he was relegated to backup duty once again.
Still, Smith wants to compete for Tennessee’s starting job heading into next season. Especially since, you know, Young isn’t around any more and it sounds like the Titans will look to add a veteran and a rookie QB to the roster before next year. If you think Smith is the forgotten man – and honestly, he probably is; his name hasn’t crossed my mind since that Texans game – he’d like to persuade you that you’re wrong.
"A lot of that has to do with newspaper people talking about that stuff," Smith told the Tennessean. "They tend to forget about small guys like me. I think the coaching staff knows what I can do and that I'm still here and working hard."
Smith obviously is dealing with a new head coach in Mike Munchak (though someone who’s familiar with Smith’s work) and a new offensive coordinator in Chris Palmer, so, in some respects, he’ll get a fresh start.
But if last season was any indication, he’s going to have to be really good early on in preseason practices to convince anybody that he’s ready to handle an NFL starting quarterback role.
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