The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

His role as a player ended in 2015, but after playing on a number of different teams, he ended up back where he started in the National Football League as a professional scout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On Sunday, Alex Smith finally got to feel the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he joined the Buccaneers on the field at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, as they celebrated their stunning Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Smith, the son of Ed Smith - the first Bahamian to play in the NFL with the Denver Broncos as a defensive end from 1973-1975 - said their 31-9 thrashing of the defending champions was one of his most gratifying moments in his career that started in 2005 when he was drafted by the Buccaneers as a tight end out of Stanford University with the 71st pick in the third round.

“Although I wasn’t on the field playing, I felt like I still had a part to play in it,” said Smith, who played with Tampa Bay through the 2008 season before he was traded to the New England Patriots.

“Helping to build the roster, acquiring the right pieces and the talent that we put on the field, took a lot of work behind the scene. So it was certainly gratifying and satisfying to see that all of your hard work has paid off.”

After getting traded again to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and playing with the Cleveland Browns from 2010-2012; the Cincinnati Bengals from 2013-2015 and the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins both in 2015, Smith officially retired. But he returned to Tampa Bay where he spent the past four years as a pro scout.

In season, he’s responsible for advancing their upcoming opponents and reporting back to the coaches. Offseason, he manages the rosters with workouts, injuries, waiver and looking at the draft. “It’s been a long journey, but we finally reaped the fruits of our labour,” Smith pointed out. “So it was pretty special.”

Through his labour, Smith helped Tampa Bay develop a good mixture of youth, veterans, rookies, seasoned players from the NFL draft, trades and retirement to accomplish their first title since their 43-21 rout over the Oakland Raiders in 2003.

The Buccaneers rode the arm of their 43-year-old quarterback Tom Brady, who cemented his claim as the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) as the most valuable player and earned his seventh Super Bowl, the most by any player and more than any NFL team.

What was interesting to note is that Kansas City, led by their youthful quarterback of the future, Patrick Mahomes, didn’t score a touchdown as they relinquished their crown.

“I know our defence was playing well in the postseason, but they had a pretty high-powered offence, so to think that they couldn’t score one touchdown was not something that anyone would have predicted,” Smith said.

“But it was a testament of how good our defence really is. We were clicking at the end of the season and we carried that momentum over to the playoffs, beating Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints 30-20) and Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers 31-26 in the NFC Conference game) on the road. It was an impressive showing,”

More impressive was Brady, who played in his 10th Super Bowl, racking up 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards for three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Two of Brady’s touchdowns were caught by tight end Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement after playing with the Patriots, just to reunite with Brady in Tampa Bay.

“You just see how hard he works and how prepared he comes to practice every day,” said Smith of Brady, who completed his 21st season in the league. “He demands the same attention and details from everybody else.

“He’s just a regular guy, who at the end of the day, just wants to win. He’s far from being a regular guy, but you will never know that. He comes to work every day to get better and he made everybody around him better.”

Now that they have gotten the title, Smith said the goal is to try and come back and repeat as champions.

“I don’t think there are any changes that need to be made. The important thing is to try and get all of our guys back,” he noted. “We have a lot of free agents this season. We might not be able to get everybody back, but the better job we can do to keep this team intact the better our chances to win.”

While they had a chance to participate in an after party, Smith said they are looking forward to a parade through the streets of Tampa Bay before they head to the White House for the series of celebrations. But no date has been planned as yet.

Smith said he just wished that more fans, Bahamians included, could have been in the stands, but the coronavirus pandemic has hindered all of that with little fans on hand.

“They did a pretty good job with our protocol. We got tested every day,” he said. “Florida is kind of wide open, but we managed to minimize our going out and we got through the season.

“Everybody was thrilled. I just wished more people could have been out here. But hopefully we will get a chance to celebrate together. I haven’t seen them in a while, but I know they are anxious to get their Super Bowl gear to celebrate.”

Although he didn’t have a championship season to celebrate, looking back at his playing days now, Smith said he missed everything but playing on Sundays.

“It’s out of my blood now, but being involved with the team allows me to still get that competitive edge out there to do my job without taking all of the beating,” he insisted.

For now, the 38-year-old Smith is just delighted to be a Buccaneer uniform as a member of Tampa Bay’s front office as they celebrate their 2021 Super Bowl championship victory.