Drafted 15th overall out of USC by the Denver Broncos in the 1981 NFL Draft, safety Dennis Smith was one of the hardest hitting safeties of his time.
Joined by fellow safety Steve Atwater later in his career, Atwater and Smith formed one of the best safety tandems of their generation and one of the Broncos best secondary tandems ever, possible only matched by that of John Lynch and Champ Bailey in the 2000's.Named to the All-AFC teams in 1984 and 1988, Smith was apart of three Super Bowl (XXI, XXII, XXIV) teams with the Broncos and earned six Pro Bowls selections.
With 184 games played, Smith Ranks 4th all-time amongst Denver Broncos, behind kicker Jason Elam, quarterback John Elway and linebacker Tom Jackson.
When he retired in 1994 he had recorded 15.0 sacks and 30 interceptions over a 14-year span, all with the Denver Broncos.
In 2001, Smith was inducted in the Broncos Ring of Fame and has been eligible for the Hall Of Fame since 1999.
Dennis Smith was very good, I think Randy Gradishar and Louis Wright (from your list) are the most deserving of HOF honors.
ReplyDeleteThe HOF is a laughable joke. Unless you played for the Cowboys, 9ers, or Raiders, and you are West of the Mississippi, you might as well have played in the Canadian Football League, because that's how much people give merit to your accolades. Ronnie Lott is great, he is on the Mount Rushmore of Safeties, but if they really made one, I guarantee that Steve Atwater would be on it too. Is there a better Defensive Safety combo as Atwater, Smith?
ReplyDeleteAtwater belongs in, he should have been a 1st ballot entry, but he's waited long enough. He was on two SB winning Denver Bronco teams, and the one against GB was one of the best Super Bowls by a DB of all time.
But then again these are the same idiots voting that have failed to put Cris Carter in. Oh you of course 1101 receptions 130+ TD's and being only behind Rice when you retire, why on earth would you be enshrined in the HOF. What a bunch of biased idiocy.
And for that matter Smith needs some serious consideration.