Rod Smith Answers 7 Questions About Life After Football
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Throughout his NFL career, Rod Smith worked his tail off every day, and on this weekend's episode of the CBS Sports show The 19th Hole that classic Smith work ethic is on full display.
Smith does his best to out-work Vic Lombardi at Blackstone Country Club in Aurora.
Catch the show on CBS4 Saturday afternoon, after Round 3 of the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, and check out some of Smith's responses to Lombardi's questions from the show below:
When did you start playing golf?
"My rookie year Ray Crockett needed some guys for his tournament in Dallas and I said 'Dude, I don't play.' He said 'They don't care. You play for the Broncos.' He flew me down -- because I didn't have no money -- and I got hooked! Offseason one year, 27 straight days I went golfing. I'd go work out -- you know I never missed a workout ... I'd leave and go straight to the course."
If you had to pick one quarterback, Peyton Manning or John Elway?
"I'm going with John Elway. Honestly, I saw John Elway in the offseason, and most people saw John or Peyton during the season. I know Peyton's a very hard worker and I would never take anything away from him. I love the fact that we have him on our team. But I saw John Elway in the offseason work like a dog because he was hungry. This was late in his career, too."
What was your first NFL reception like (against the Washington Redskins on Sept. 17, 1995)?
"My very first catch. Game winning touchdown. No time on the clock. I remember all my boys calling me up (saying) 'Dude, you made it! You're in there. You're going to be playing all the time!' I didn't catch another pass for seven weeks."
What's it like being a grandad?
"It's awesome, man. I have three grandchildren. Three boys -- two of them are 3 and one is 4. They call me Papa. It's always Papa this, Papa that. I say 'What do you want?' They say 'Candy.' They just gave me hugs this morning and I said 'This is why I work so hard.' "
Are you surprised that John Elway has been able to make the transition from player to general manager?
"If you want to be great you can't be afraid to make big decisions. Here's the deal: You have a goal, and you're looking at every part that moves you towards your goal. ... He wanted to move forward."
Do you have any head issues? Trauma?
Absolutely. I took hits for a living. I'm not stable!
Can you imagine being a receiver today where you don't have to worry about your head getting taken off going down the middle?
The game is always going to be hitting hard and this and that and I think the league is just in trying to protect as many people as they can. Guys are conscious of the cheap shots.
See previous episodes of The 19th Hole on a special section of CBSDenver.com.
