Here Comes Kolby Smith

Don’t look now but the Kansas City Chiefs running game is about to get some much needed help.

No, Scott Pioli didn’t work out a trade before the deadline or sign another recently released Patriot to help with the struggling offensive line.

This help will come in the form of a newly chiseled Kolby Smith.

Yes, the same Kobly Smith that before yesterday had not so much as practiced with the Chiefs since he tore the patella tendon in his knee last November 2nd at Arrowhead Stadium.

That’s right, the Chiefs new weapon is an old weapon that has not seen the football field in nearly a year.  But when he has been given the opportunity over the past two seasons he has shown flashes of brilliance.  Think of Smith as a poor man’s Priest Holmes-Larry Johnson Frankenstein.

Smith has spent the first 6 weeks of the season the Physically Unable-To-Perform (PUP) list and now Todd Haley has to decide over the next 3 weeks if he wants to promote him to the 53-man roster, end his season by sending him back to the PUP or release him.

But just listen to the Chiefs head coach and you know Smith is coming and coming fast.

“It was great to see him out there.  He’s a guy that I’m really excited to really see.  He’s been working very hard… It looked like he had some fresh legs and he was working hard and there will be some rust, obviously, as far a comeback this has been for him.  But I thought that was a good first day.”

If you’ve been following Haley’s press conference, you know those sort of comments are the equivilant of lavishing praise on a player.  Under most circumstances he would give the standard “He’s out there running the ball”.  But for the coach to specifically say he’s excited to see Smith, you know Haley feels he can really help the offense.

If you need to know why, go back to the end of his rookie season of 2007 when he due to injuries he got a chance to he stuff.

And show he did.

While the Chiefs were struggling through a nine game losing streak, there was Smith ripping the Raiders for 150 yards, cutting up the Chargers for 83 and putting up another 82 against the Titans.  The Chiefs season was long gone, but here was a hungry rookie running like the team was fighting for a playoff spot.

He also showed the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, averaging 6.7 yards on 22 catches.  To put that in perspective, Larry Johnson hasn’t been able to top 6.3 yards a catch the past three seasons as the feature back.  And that is when LJ actually gets involved in the passing game.  This year he has only caught 11 balls in the first 6 games.

I’m not here to say Kolby Smith is better than Johnson.  But he brings a different set of skills and until Jamaal Charles can prove to Haley and the Chiefs that he can hold onto the ball, Smith could get a chance to be the yin to LJ’s yang.

He is no savior, he’ll tell you that much himself.  But look out, because here comes Kolby Smith.

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