It was just a brief highlight on yet another Falcons day gone bad.
For Antone Smith, though, his 50-yard touchdown run at Tampa Bay on Sunday hinted at his past status as the prep star all college coaches wanted. It prompted Falcons coach Mike Smith to say Antone Smith deserves more chances to run the ball in the future.
In the moment, Smith didn’t show much emotion after scoring — the Falcons (2-8) were being routed, after all, on their way to a 41-28 defeat — but he said it was satisfying.
“It felt good man because it’s been a long time coming for me,” Smith said Tuesday. “I’ve been away from playing running back for some years now. To be out there and actually touch the rock, it felt really good. To do it in front of my family, it felt even better.”
Smith is from Pahokee, Fla., which is about 175 miles by car from Tampa. He had a host of family members at the game, but it seemed unlikely they would see him carry the ball. Before Sunday, Smith had two carries in 43 games over four NFL seasons because he’s made his living as a special-teams ace.
Smith didn’t carry the ball Sunday until the Falcons were hopelessly behind. He still may not have gotten the ball if Jason Snelling hadn’t stayed in Georgia in the aftermath of his arrest on a marijuana-possession charge.
Smith got his chance and ran with it until he was in the end zone. He also had another carry for 38 yards for a total of 88 on two attempts.
Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, who blocked for Smith on the touchdown, marveled at Smith’s speed. Running back Steven Jackson, the team’s star running back, offered his congratulations.
“That was pretty cool for me,” Smith said.
There was a time when it seemed as if those kind of moments would be the norm for Smith in the NFL.
Smith was widely considered the top prep running back in the nation and the best recruit overall in talent-rich south Florida. Smith, Florida’s Mr. Football in 2004, led Pahokee to consecutive state championships in ’04 and ’05.
Smith still remembers the number of yards he rushed for in the 2005 title game (276), though he shorted himself a touchdown.
“Three touchdowns?” Smith said, smiling. “I know we won, and I got a nice ring out of it. That’s about it.”
For a long time Smith appeared ready to sign with the University of Miami. Instead, Smith chose Florida State, just like one of his former neighbors in Pahokee, Anquan Boldin, the 49ers wide receiver.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who starred at Boston College, met Smith at an ACC media-day event. Their teams played each other three times in college, and they’ve been Falcons teammates for four years, so Ryan knows about Smith’s talent, but even he was taken aback by the 50-yard TD run.
“Man, he looked fast,” Ryan said. “I’ve seen that all too many times when he was at Florida State playing against us. So explosive and able to get down the field.”
Actually, Smith had modest production in three games against Boston College, including one after Ryan was drafted by the Falcons. But Ryan’s impression is a good summation of Smith’s time at Florida State: so much potential, but much of it untapped.
Smith didn’t play much during his first two seasons in Tallahassee and had pretty good production over his final two seasons. It was nothing close to what Seminoles fans expected from the player they thought would end the drought of great running backs after Warrick Dunn left campus after the 1996 season.
Smith wasn’t selected in the 2009 draft and spent time on the Falcons’ practice squad that season. He eventually established himself as a key special-teams player. In March, the Falcons signed him to a two-year contract extension.
Smith isn’t an NFL star, but he’s an NFL veteran.
“I still made it to my ultimate goal,” Smith said. “I wanted to play in the NFL. I’m still here. It’s not the route I wanted to take, but I still made it. I can’t complain about that.
“If I had it do do all over, I probably wouldn’t change anything. I probably needed that rocky start to get to where I am today. A lot of guys that get it easy, they are probably not in the league right now.”
About the Author
