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--> --> Broncos' Smith keeps rolling up big numbers DENVER (AP) - Pass routes and past roots. Rod Smith is devoted to both. Peek over the fence surrounding Denver's practice field and No. 9 is catching every pass thrown his way. Smith wore the jersey number in college at Missouri Southern, long before he established himself as a perennial 1,000-yard receiver wearing No. 80. When the temptation to let success go to his head beckons, Smith only has to think back seven years ago when he went undrafted out of college and fought his way onto Denver's practice squad. "I remember when Rod came in, an undrafted player on the practice squad. Whatever they asked him to do, he did it," said Baltimore Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe, who played with Smith for six years in Denver. "He did everything he possibly could to make himself better." Smith started by attending every voluntary offseason workout. His diligence gradually led to a full-time starting job in 1997, when he recorded the first of four straight 1,000-yard seasons. With 223 yards in Denver's first two games this year, Smith is well on his way to extending Streak 1K. "Rod is a great receiver, a great athlete and a tough guy. When he's hit, he gets back up," Baltimore safety Cory Harris said. "I've watched the guy mature into one of the top five or six receivers in the league." The Ravens and their highly regarded defense will present Smith and the Denver offense with their first major test of the season Sunday. After fellow receiver Ed McCaffrey broke his left leg in the season opener, Smith figured to be a marked man last week against the Arizona Cardinals. When the dust cleared on a hot night in the desert, Smith had a team-record 14 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Gee. The Ravens might want to keep close tabs on Smith and take their chances with Eddie Kennison and Kevin Kasper. "Then somebody else will catch 14," Smith said. "Somebody will catch the ball, it's just a matter of who." Broncos defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes knew what Smith was capable of before he came to Denver during the offseason, but he had trouble finding him on practice film when dissecting the liabilities of his new defense. "Who's this No. 9 guy?" Rhodes asked his coaching staff. "He's killing us." Wearing his NFL regulation No. 80, Smith could not sneak up on Baltimore in the playoffs last year. He was held to three catches for 54 yards in Denver's 21-3 loss. Smith has been waiting nine months for redemption. "It's nothing personal. I just don't like to lose," Smith said. "The thing is, when I get the chance to right something that has been wrong before, I take it personal. It's nothing personal against anybody on their team or anything like that, that's just me. "Last year we fell apart. We were like 11 individuals out there instead of one team, one offensive unit. It was not one particular person, it was the whole group. We didn't get it done. Now we have a chance to." Kasper, a rookie who has not made a catch in two games, Kennison, and tight ends Dwayne Carswell and Desmond Clark can take some pressure off Smith with some early game success. The quartet combined for seven catches last week. "The good thing is if they double-team Rod, we're going to throw the ball to Eddie," Kasper said. "He can most definitely have a week that Rod had last week if they double-team him." If and when teams finally clamp down on Smith, he will continue to attend every offseason workout in an effort to get better. After all, he still hasn't been voted as an All-Pro. "A lot of people, once they have a little success, they kind of go a different direction," coach Mike Shanahan said. "They go to banquets or maybe miss offseason workout programs, but he's never done that. It's nice to have guys with that type of mentality." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing