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An Unheralded Rookie Give Bucs Hope

Tribune photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Rookie Clifton Smith wasn't even on the Buccaneers' opening day roster, but now he's heading to the Pro Bowl.

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2008

TAMPA - Monday, Bucs defensive end Greg White handed us a copy of the court document announcing petitioner's present name, Gregory Alphonso White Jr., is changed to Stylez G. White.

"Stylez, after the guy in Teen Wolf."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can all change their names if they lose to San Diego on Sunday -- to Mud.

Amid all the doom and gloom, there's hope.

By the way: Teen Wolf?

But there's hope.

In fact, here came Hope into the locker room early Wednesday afternoon, fresh from a nap in the trainer's room at One Buc. As if he has awakened from this dream.

From undrafted free agent, to cut in training camp, to joining the Bucs practice squad, to joining the NFL less than two months ago … and now a trip to Hawaii.

He was nicknamed "Peanut" by Bucs coaches. Now the 5-foot-8 Clifton Smith is the return man for the NFC in the Pro Bowl. He's only the second Bucs rookie to make Hawaii. The other one, Warrick Dunn, phoned Smith to congratulate him after Smith got the news, news Smith didn't believe at first.

"They told me I made the Pro Bowl, and I was OK, is Ashton [Kutcher] supposed to jump out of the bushes and say, 'Clifton Smith, you've been punk'd?'"

It's all real.

He phoned his mom in Fresno, Calif.

"She screamed real loud," Smith said. "She nearly blew my eardrums out."

There's always hope.

"I did think about that a lot last night," Smith said. "Coming in as an undrafted free agent, when after the draft no team really wanted to give me a chance, going practice squad, now going to the Pro Bowl, it's a great story."

He didn't become a Buc until Oct. 25. He only got his chance at returning kicks and punts because highly drafted rookie Dexter Jackson wasn't cutting it. Two touchdowns later, Peanut had a real home.

He didn't ask questions. He just went to work. His time came. When he kept fumbling and Bucs special teams coach Rich Bisaccia told Smith to carry a football everywhere he went, Smith carried it everywhere. "To the bathroom stall," he said.

It's not far from the penthouse to the outhouse. Go ask Dexter Jackson. Or find Michael Spurlock. Last year, it was Spurlock was the talk of the town after becoming the first Buc to ever run a kick back for a score in a regular-season game. Now he's on the practice squad. Tough league.

Tough game for the Bucs this Sunday.

The Bucs have lost two in a row.

The playoffs are in doubt.

But there's always hope.

Hope has a name.

It's Clifton Smith.

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