BearcatReport.com - Smith returns from Dallas Rookie Camp

May 7, 2009

Scott Springer
BearcatReport.com Staff Writer

It wasn't difficult spotting Deangelo Smith outside of locker room on Thursday. He was the one sporting the brand new team-issued Dallas Cowboys t-shirt and Cowboys hat. (Much like I'd put the garb on of my new employer if they were paying me Jerry Jones dollars!)

Right off the bat, Deangelo made it clear that he wasn't speaking about the "downed bubble" incident in Dallas. Undoubtedly for insurance purposes, the Cowboys have asked him not to.

Suffice it to say, it's been good to see both "Delo" and Mike Mickens back in town safely this past week. And, it's good the guy Smith helped out is doing well--Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News. (As a Bengal beat reporter with the Cincinnati Post, Todd once gave me a ride from the Pittsburgh airport to the hotel where I stayed covering the Bengals and Steelers the next day. Plus, he's a good writer.)

So, beyond dramatic rescues, how does Deangelo Smith like being a Cowboy?

"Just being on 'America's team' is exciting," Smith said. "And, having the star on the helmet?it was important to me because it was my childhood team. It feels good just to wear it."
Already, Smith has been surrounded by many of his boyhood heroes.

"Even the veteran players come back," he said. "I saw Michael Irvin out there during the rookie camp. They say Deion (Sanders) comes out there, Troy (Aikman), Emmitt (Smith), it's just nice to see them coming back and watching practice."

While not necessarily satisfied with his draft position, Smith is very satisfied that he's been reunited with his "pick-off partner", Mike Mickens.

"It was real cool, I was excited," said Smith of the Cowboys taking Mickens in the seventh round, after choosing him in the fifth. "It was like, 'We're teammates again! We can go down there and show what we've got!'"

I mentioned to Deangelo, the possibility of teaming up again for scoreboard/billboard signage with Mickens as they did in '07 after picking off a combined total of 14 passes. This time in Cowboy garb.

"That'd be nice, 'They giveth and we taketh away', that'd be a nice billboard down there." Smith said. For their college career, Smith and Mickens teamed up on 26 interceptions.

Signage or not, Smith thinks the UC tandem will be on the field.

"It looks pretty good," said Smith. "When I go back, all of the veterans will be in and I'll be able to see who I'm competing against. At the end of the day, we're all a team and we're going to be competing against each other. It'll be nice to be able to compete with the other players."

Smith is also hoping to return punts as he did here.

"I think I've got a good chance," he told me. "I've got to get back there and work on catching with the special teams coach. I didn't get to score any (at UC) but I showed some ability. Hopefully, at the next level I can put that touchdown at the end of it."

Given their past history, it won't be shocking at all to see "Delo" or Mike Mickens paying a visit to the hallowed ground known as "the endzone" at Texas Stadium.

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