Alex Smith majored in economics at Stanford, but the newest Patriots tight end appeared to be a real student of history when he was asked if he was aware what it meant to wear No. 80 in New England.
“Yes. By no means am I trying to fill Troy Brown’s shoes. He was a great player for this organization,” said Smith, who will be the first Patriots player to wear No. 80 since Brown retired last September. “Unfortunately, I have to follow in the same number. But Troy left his mark on this team, and I’m going to come in and try and make my own mark.
“But by no means am I trying to fill Troy Brown’s shoes or replace Troy Brown. I just want to continue playing, and hopefully represent the number well. “
Smith, who will turn 27 next month, was acquired for a fifth-round pick on April 30 from Tampa Bay. A 6-foot-4, 258-pound tight end who has spent the last four seasons with the Bucs, Smith was a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2005 who’s hauled in 129 catches for 1,252 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career.
The numbers were up and down during his time with the Bucs, which can be partially attributed to Tampa Bay’s constant changes at quarterback -- the Bucs had six different quarterbacks spend considerable time under center in the four seasons Smith was wearing pewter. In that same span, New England has had two. That level of continuity at quarterback is something Smith is looking forward to.
“I’m very excited about it. I’ve played for six different quarterbacks in my tenure with the Bucs, and to just have somebody back there, a familiar face, it’s a big thing,” he said during a Q&A session in between workouts Thursday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. “You can’t underestimate having that chemistry with your quarterback, so I’m definitely excited to get out there and start working with him.”
And then, there’s the attraction of lining up in an offense with guys like Randy Moss and Wes Welker.
“Yeah, anytime you have this many weapons on an offense, it’s hard for a defense to plan around. If those guys are getting all the attention, you have to feel like there would be some possibilities for you,” he said. “I’m definitely excited about playing with those guys and just getting on the field with them.”
While Smith was born in the Bahamas, grew up in Colorado, went to college at Stanford and played pro ball in Tampa, he does have some small connections to New England. He was a college teammate of defensive back Tank Williams, and former Bucs wide receiver Joey Galloway is also readying for his first season with the Patriots.
In addition, he was a childhood friend of former New England tight end Daniel Graham -- Graham's father, Tom, and Smith’s father, Edwin, played together on the Denver Broncos defense in 1973 -- and Graham has been giving Smith advice on his new team.
“Daniel is a good friend of mine, and he was very excited. I think he might have been more excited than myself,” Smith said with a laugh. “He’s just been offering lots of words of encouragement, trying to make sure I get settled in as easily as possible.
“He said it was a great organization. He had nothing but great things to say about it. Just to hear that makes you feel that much more comfortable.”
It’s also an organization with a very crowded tight end spot. Smith joins a cast that includes Ben Watson, David Thomas, Chris Baker, Tyson DeVree and Brad Listorti. The numbers seem to indicate that at least two -- and maybe three -- of the tight ends currently on the roster won’t be with the team when the season starts in September. Smith said Thursday he’s going to do his part to make it a tough decision, starting with the organized team activities early next week.
“It’s kind of that going-to-a-new-school feeling. You just want to get out there and be around the guys and show everybody what you can do,” he said.
“I’m just going to go out here and work hard. Competition is always good. We’re just going to push each other, and hopefully, it all works out in the end.”
Christopher Price covers the Patriots for WEEI.com.
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