The Browns released veteran fullback Terrelle Smith today thereby avoiding paying him a roster bonus he was due this week. This move all but assures Lawrence Vickers the starting FB spot in 2007. Despite the stigma of being Maurice Carthon's "boy toy", Vickers showed the same tenacity and toughness Smith did last year in addition to being younger, a much better athlete and showing he can be an asset in the passing game rather than a hindrance. As long as the patented Vickers Toss Sweep on Third-and-1 doesn't reappear in the playbook I don't see this as much of a drop off by any means.
I remember Smith's first play in 2004 versus the Ravens when he threw Ray Lewis over the pile after the first play of the season. I was instantly smitten due to the lack of toughness the Browns had shown the previous years (and being an ex-FB myself). But it was brutally obvious from that point on that Smith was more of a third guard then a true fullback as defined by today's game. He's slow, can't get you a yard on third and one when you really need it, and is horrendous in the passing game when actually having to run a route and not block.
All that being said I hope he hooks on with a team that utilizes the FB as grunt which is his strength. He's a stand up guy (he changed his number to 42 in honor of Arizona State college teammate Pat Tillman), active in the community, and a good guy off the field. One of the few guys who came to play every week, 16 weeks, for 3 years as a Brown. Those things were not unnoticed by Browns Fans, Terrelle. Thanks and good luck!
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