| Show Miners Choose Smith No 1 Rodgers to Packers Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times For months they stood side sideby sideby sideby by side Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers so similar in inso inso inso so man many ways Both were MIJ U UV V Jill 1 III cut clean-cut California a lc kids J s a all I but overlooked out of high school fresh off brief but dazzling dazzling dazzling daz daz- careers as college Which one did NFL teams prefer It changed by the day But Saturday the narrow gap grew to a crevasse with Utah's Smith going to San Francisco at No 1 and California's Rodgers tumbling to 24 where he was selected by Green Bay After learning he wasn't headed for the his lifelong lifelong lifelong life life- long favorite team Rodgers had to wait offstage at the Javits Center for more than four hours to hear his name If the 2005 draft is remembered as the least sexy in years the yawning Smith-Rodgers Smith divide was the bland canyon In terms of money the chasm between the No 1 and 24 picks is staggering Last year top pick Eli Manning signed a year six-year million 45 deal whereas No 24 Steven Jackson signed for 7 million over five years When Rodgers was finally chosen nearly five hours after Smith was a boisterous cheer erupted from more than NFL fans who filled the building and dressed in the garb of their favorite teams His consolation and its it's a big bigone bigone bigone one is hes he's headed for a play play- off-caliber off team where he willbe will willbe willbe be groomed to one day take takeover takeover takeover over for Brett Favre a future Hall Hail of Fame quarterback v ll The f Lords orris v I b been n te teaching ct ni nime me a lot about humility and patience and he kind of threw both in my face today Rodgers said sounding sub sub- dued Obviously Id I'd have loved to be the first pick and be able to stay in California But I wanted to go to a team that wanted me The obviously obviously obviously didn't want me Within the last week the zeroed in on Smith who was 21 1 as a starter for forthe forthe forthe the Utes and was the only Heisman Trophy finalist in school history Two vo weeks shy of his birthday Smith is the youngest second-youngest player to be chosen first overall overall overall over over- all and is two months older than Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick was when he was the No 1 I pick in 2001 Smith had a strong feeling the night before the draft about which way the were leaning While at dinner with 20 family members he received a call from new San Francisco Coach Mike Nolan I asked him if hed he'd made his decision and he told me that he made his decision a along along along long time ago Smith said So I felt good about that I felt like I am their guy I Iwas Iwas Iwas was the one they were going after the whole time That wasn't obvious to many others least of all Rodgers Two weeks ago he was convinced he was the I runner front-runner for the l N No o 9 1 spot pot i 1 V t 1111 V r- r i iv That feeling faded within the die thelast thelast last week when Smiths Smith's agent entered into yet unsuccessful contract negotiations with the By Friday night Rodgers was convinced the would either take Smith or trade the pick But he certainly certain certain- ly didn't think he would fall 23 spots He said he thought he might be chosen at No 2 by Miami at No 5 by Tampa Bay at No 8 by Arizona or at atNo atNo atNo No 9 by Washington Its not so funny when youre you're the last one in the green room he said As it happened Rodgers wasn't the second quarterback selected That was Arkansas' Arkansas Matt Jones chosen by Jacksonville who will play receiver in the pros It was one of several peculiar first- first round twists on a day when the No 1 I pick was a kid who earned his college degree in two years the player chosen second Auburn running back Ronnie Brown wasn't even a starter on his college team and the only Pacific 10 Conference player selected in inthe inthe inthe the top 20 Mike Williams selected by Detroit hasn't played in 15 months Smith who was overshadowed overshadowed overshadowed owed at San Diego's Helix High by future running back Reggie Bush was an outstanding student who liadi nad i a chance chance to play football at at Harvard but received only two offers for football scholarships scholarships scholarships scholar scholar- ships one coming from his uncle John L. L Smith then coach at Louisville and now coaching Michigan State Things didn't work out right away for Smith at Utah The schools school's coaching staff one that was eventually replaced frittered away his freshman season by inserting him in a game at San Diego State The Utes were backed up deep into their own territory ry in that game and Smith completed two of three passes before a fourth was intercepted intercept intercept- ed and returned for a touch touch- down He watched from the sideline sideline sideline side side- line the rest of the season and afterward considered transferring transferring transferring transfer transfer- ring although no one was rushing to make him an offer He wound up staying at the school when there was a coaching change and worked his way into the starting lineup lineup lineup line line- up the following season Last season he completed percent of his passes for 2952 yards with 32 touchdowns and only four interceptions |
