Smith takes first small steps
Alex Smith stepped all the way up to the line, barked out signals and flawlessly took the snap. An instant later, the ball was on the ground when Smith bumped into his fullback.
But just getting that first snap from under center was an accomplishment for the San Francisco 49ers’ top pick during his first NFL practice Friday.
“I’ve been looking forward to this day for so long,” Smith said. “It felt like it was never going to get here. It couldn’t get here fast enough, and it’s finally here. That’s the best thing, to get out there and throw, be part of the team.”
Smith hopes his days will be filled with many small victories before September. He’s expected to help change the fortunes of a rebuilding franchise – and the former Utah quarterback must learn the West Coast offense while getting used to taking snaps from center after two years in an offense mostly featuring shotgun plays.
Smith worked out with Tim Rattay and Ken Dorsey, who shared the starting job last season, and third-stringer Cody Pickett, while coach Mike Nolan ran his new club through a lively minicamp workout at its training complex. Smith and Rattay each got a third of the snaps, with Dorsey and Pickett splitting the final third.
Nolan won’t pick a starting quarterback any time soon, but Smith – who will celebrate his 21st birthday today – will be given every opportunity to earn his yet-to-be-completed contract from opening day.
“It will be determined by how quickly he grasps the offense,” Nolan said. “It’s no different for him than it is for any other quarterback. … I’d like to bring him along quickly. I’d like to see how much he can handle. We’ll expose him to the entire offense in the next month.”
Hilliard adds depth to Bucs’ receiving corps
Former New York Giants receiver Ike Hilliard signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Hilliard, a former University of Florida star, started 92 of 98 games he played for the Giants after getting drafted No. 7 overall in 1997. He has 368 career receptions for 4,630 yards and 27 touchdowns.
“Ike has proven what he can do in this league, and we are excited to have him here,” Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. “He is a versatile player, and we expect him to help us. He is a guy that we are really going to lean on.”
Hilliard started 15 of 16 games for the Giants last season, finishing with 49 catches for 437 yards but no TDs. His best season was 1999, when he caught 72 passes for 996 yards and three TDs.
Saints, receiver Horn, agree on extension
Receiver Joe Horn signed a six-year contract extension with the New Orleans Saints.
The deal, worth about $42 million, includes a $7 million signing bonus.
“I’m looking for a bigger house,” said Horn, who had one year left on a three-year, $13 million deal.
Horn, a nine-year veteran, has been selected to the Pro Bowl in four of his five seasons with New Orleans.
He led the Saints in receiving last season with 94 catches for 1,399 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Eagles cut Mitchell
Freddie Mitchell has talked his way out of Philadelphia. In a move that was no surprise, the Eagles released Mitchell, cutting ties with the wide receiver after four seasons in which he never lived up to his promise as a first-round pick.
Mitchell, picked in the first round out of UCLA in 2001, made more news off the field than on it, labeling himself with a seemingly endless list of self-promoting nicknames like “The People’s Champ,” “FredEx,” and “First-Down Freddie.”
Before the Super Bowl, Mitchell offended some New England Patriots when he berated their secondary in a television interview.
Mitchell played in 63 career games and had 90 catches for 1,263 yards and five touchdowns.
On the field, he was best known for his catch on a fourth-and-26 play that kept Philadelphia’s season alive in the NFC divisional playoff game against Green Bay in January 2004.
Notes
St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little was sentenced in Clayton, Mo., to two years probation for speeding last year. Little was convicted last month of misdemeanor speeding but was acquitted of driving while intoxicated following his arrest April 24, 2004.
“Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson is being treated for cancer at a Houston hospital. Stephanie Dedeaux, spokeswoman for MD Anderson Cancer Center, said that Ferguson was receiving treatment but declined further comment at Ferguson’s request.