Mr. Smith Goes to Houston
March 3, 2009 – 7:00 am by Doug Farrar
One of the more underrated moves in this free agency period was the Houston Texans bagging former Cardinals defensive end Antonio Smith, who played at a dominant level as the Cards drove their way to the Super Bowl. Smith was regarded as an above-average defender before, but it is amazing what a hot postseason will do for your finances. Smith knows this after signing a five-year, $35 million contract with $12.5 million guaranteed. On Monday, Smith talked to Gambo and Ash on KTAR in Phoenix about his new digs.
On who was in the hunt for his services:
“I got a call at midnight of free agency from Tampa Bay. Next morning, the first team calling was New York (Giants). And then, out of the blue, the Houston Texans came in and were determined to get me down there for a visit before I went anywhere else. It just felt good — the environment felt good. The coach is a good person, the GM is a good person, and you got that vibe from them. The main thing, though, was that I just felt wanted.”
On reuniting with former Cardinals defensive coach Frank Bush:
“It helped a lot. He was able to give them a lot of information about me, coming up early in the league and knowing him all these years, and then, he was able to give me information on them. What kind of guy the head coach was. What kind of guy the GM was. (Everyone) was just so comfortable with each other.”
Nice thoughts, though I’m still waiting for one signed free agent to flat-out say: “The main reason I signed with Team X? Straight cash money!’”
Ah, well. Click here to listen to Antonio Smith with Gambo and Ash on Sports 620 KTAR!
Tags: 620 KTAR, Antonio Smith, football interviews, Frank Bush, Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans, NFL, sports radio interviews
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