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Steve Smith is one of Hakeem Nicks' idols.
No, not the one that lockers right next to him, the one Nicks calls, "My dog." We're talking about that fast, fleet guy who catches all those touchdown passes for the Panthers. Nicks and Smith have never met, even though Nicks played at the University of North Carolina. But Smith reached out to him when he was drafted, and the two have had a couple of phone conversations after his Carolina teammate, Panthers defensive end Hilee Taylor, hooked them up.
"I was a big fan of Steve Smith in high school, actually," said Nicks, who grew up in Charlotte. "I never met him, but we talked on the phone before. After the draft, he heard in passing that he was my favorite receiver, and he reached out to me because I had a Carolina teammate who went to the Panthers.
"He just gave me some advice after the draft. Just stuff about preparing to go to training camp and staying on top of things. Just normal advice."
Smith said he had no problems reaching out to Nicks.
"Hakeem is from Charlotte and he went to school here and obviously he played up in Raleigh," Smith said. "So I have known about him a lot and I know some people tha
t have had very good things to say about him; he is a high character guy. And so I just kind of reached out to him. I think we talked for about an hour.
"I just told him the sky is the limit. He has a great opportunity in New York. It is a big market. He has a lot of opportunities to play. They drafted him. His performance – he played down here. The Meineke Bowl was outstanding. Just take that same mentality up there in New York and I think he will be a star. Only time will tell if he listened or not."
Apparently, he did. Nicks has become a big-play name in a very short time with the Giants. And he plans to seek out Smith after the game. They had actually met once, but only for a brief period. "Not enough to sit down and talk," Nicks said.
Should be quite a show, providing Nicks' tender hamstring allows him to perform. He said he expects to play, and said he had intended to go back in for the second half against Washington. A trainer's decision kept him sidelined, however.
EP
No, not the one that lockers right next to him, the one Nicks calls, "My dog." We're talking about that fast, fleet guy who catches all those touchdown passes for the Panthers. Nicks and Smith have never met, even though Nicks played at the University of North Carolina. But Smith reached out to him when he was drafted, and the two have had a couple of phone conversations after his Carolina teammate, Panthers defensive end Hilee Taylor, hooked them up.
"I was a big fan of Steve Smith in high school, actually," said Nicks, who grew up in Charlotte. "I never met him, but we talked on the phone before. After the draft, he heard in passing that he was my favorite receiver, and he reached out to me because I had a Carolina teammate who went to the Panthers.
"He just gave me some advice after the draft. Just stuff about preparing to go to training camp and staying on top of things. Just normal advice."
Smith said he had no problems reaching out to Nicks.
"Hakeem is from Charlotte and he went to school here and obviously he played up in Raleigh," Smith said. "So I have known about him a lot and I know some people tha
t have had very good things to say about him; he is a high character guy. And so I just kind of reached out to him. I think we talked for about an hour."I just told him the sky is the limit. He has a great opportunity in New York. It is a big market. He has a lot of opportunities to play. They drafted him. His performance – he played down here. The Meineke Bowl was outstanding. Just take that same mentality up there in New York and I think he will be a star. Only time will tell if he listened or not."
Apparently, he did. Nicks has become a big-play name in a very short time with the Giants. And he plans to seek out Smith after the game. They had actually met once, but only for a brief period. "Not enough to sit down and talk," Nicks said.
Should be quite a show, providing Nicks' tender hamstring allows him to perform. He said he expects to play, and said he had intended to go back in for the second half against Washington. A trainer's decision kept him sidelined, however.
EP
That's good news. We need him. It's probably for the best that we kept him out in the Washington game. It was a blowout anyway. We need Nicks for the future...meaning the playoffs! Go Giants!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go out on the limb and say the kid, barring serious injury, will end up being the greatest WR in Giants history. The flashes of raw talent he has shown as a rookie are amazing. Once he REALLY knows the game and the teams he will face, the kid will Eli's equivalent of what Marvin Harrison was to Peyton. Outstanding pick by Reece.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would be good for the Giants or Nicks to get any advice from crazy ass Steve Smith no matter what he can tell him about being a wr.
ReplyDeleteSo what receiver would you like Nicks to get advice from? How about Marvin Harrison, wait didn't he shoot somebody?
ReplyDeleteHow about the Bengals receivers? Chad Johnson? Maybe. Or would you like to have had Chris Henry as a mentor?
But I guess there's always Randy Moss -- isn't he the one that's known for his hustle and love of the game?
I'm sure Plaxico Buress has some good advice and he's a pretty good role model.
How about Michael Irvin? I would cosider his cocaine addiction a trivial matter.
Oh and how could I forget T. O. The guy is the perfect example of a model wide receiver. He should be Nicks' role model.
Hold on....did I just prove Wayno so lost that he needs a GPS and the reincarnation of Magellan to help him find the path?
Ouch...has to hurt.
How about Wes Welker, Eddie McCaffrey, Jerry Rice or Amani Toomer. Happy Kwanza jerk!
ReplyDeleteOh I'm sorry...I didn't realize we were grooming Nicks for a position as a slot receiver.
ReplyDeleteAnd Toomer? I love the guy, but why would he take advice from someone who NEVER made it to a Pro Bowl. He was a great Giant, but 13 years and not once was he ever considered one of the top receivers in his conference.
Interesting selection with Jerry Rice. You realize he's almost 50. What exactly would him and Nicks talk about? How great Jerry's life was before Nicks was born?
And what's so bad with Steve Smith anyway?
Here's part of his bio: He has three kids, he coaches his son's soccer team and is a partner in Athletes United for Youth.
Yeah this guys a real bad ass. Don't talk about stuff you have know nothing about. You make other Giant fans look bad.
Happy Festivus!!