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| Omarr Smith desperately wants a ring for his thumb |
ON THE LINE: OMARR SMITH Each week during the offseason, sanjosesabercats.com will be “On the Line” with a member of the 2009 SaberCats squad. The interview with the player will be presented in a question and answer format, inquiring about anything from offseason activities to a look ahead to next season. If you would like to submit a question to ask your favorite SaberCat, please send it to scooley@sanjosesabercats.com I hear that you’ve started up a new radio show, how is that going? SMITH: “It’s an internet sports talk radio show. Me and a buddy of mine that I went to college with, James Hodgins, are broadcasted weekly on the VoiceAmerica Network online. The show is called The O and Hodge Show and can find it online at www.oandhodgeshow.com. We are on Monday at 12:00 p.m. (PST) for an hour where we mainly focus on the NFL. He played for nine years in the NFL and I have nine years in the AFL so we have a lot of experience between us.” What do you guys talk about on the show? SMITH: “It’s basically a talk radio show from a true player’s perspective. We touch on everything sports but try to focus on the NFL. A lot of times you turn on sports radio and listen to guys who have never played the game, don’t know the ins and outs and are just journalists or sports fanatics that sound good on the radio. We are trying to give people a feel of what athletes are really thinking and feeling as well as interactions they have on and off the field. “It’s informative and definitely entertaining. We’ve done about six shows so far and we have definitely gotten better each time. Our personalities really mesh together well and I encourage people to definitely check it out. We are trying to get our name out there and receive any type of feedback. It is really going well and I hope all of the SaberCats fans can check it out.” You have done broadcasting before but James is new on the scene, was it tough finding a rhythm when you guys first started? SMITH: “Before we started we would do practice shows. We have a tape recorder and two microphones and we would script them with NFL topics to practice. But once we did our first show it got easier and we had so much stuff to talk about we almost ran out of time. When you have guys sitting around the locker room talking about sports that is the feeling we are going for. In those locker rooms it doesn’t get quiet when there is a hot topic and it is relentless conversation. Even sometimes when we are talking about something we know we have to go out and practice but we’re excited just to get practice over with so we can get back into the locker room and finish the conversation we were having.” I know you have also been doing some TV and radio broadcasting, how is that going? SMITH: “I have been doing some high school football games for Cox Communications which is a cable TV company down here in Arizona. I have also done some radio in the area and have a few more so it has been busy. Ever since I moved out here I have been waiting for the opportunity to get on, almost two years, and basically the guys they had have been there for 10 or 20 years so you just have to be patient. So out of the blue I got an email saying the guy that usually did the games was busy so they wanted to use me. I did one game for them, then they had me back for another and I have a playoff game to call next Friday on November 28.” You haven’t been doing this that long, are you getting comfortable being in the booth? SMITH: “It is like riding a bike, once you get the feel of it you continue to progress. I still have a lot of work to do in regards to fine-tuning my craft. I just want to be the best I can be so when I watch sports I really pay attention to the people that are talking much more than I use to. This is what I want to do when my playing career is over so I am trying to hone my skills so when I am on air I can play back in my mind what worked well for others as well as some of the things that didn’t work so well. It is a work in progress but like anything the more you do of something the better you get.” You and Clevan Thomas have lost the third member of your secondary, Marquis Floyd, how do you replace a guy like that on the field? SMITH: “It is tough. Marquis is a special player and special talent. He came to San Jose in 2006 and after the first practice you could tell why he was Ironman of the Year in the af2. We’ve all been together the last two years and I feel we were the best secondary in the league because we all have different things we bring to the table. Marquis not being there is going to be a definite void. There is no one that you can just put in his place that is automatically going to be that type of player. We have our work cut out for us as an organization to find someone to produce the play-making ability that Marquis had.” The SaberCats had a great season last year, as did you, but your personal defensive statistics took a dip from previous years, is that something you want to improve upon? SMITH: “More pass breakups and interceptions would be great. But you know what…I would sacrifice both of those for another ring. If you told me I would have no INTs and PBUs the entire season but we win the ArenaBowl, I will take that any day. I need a ring for the thumb. I am still a little distraught and heartbroken because we were so close last year and I still don’t have any jewelry for my thumb. The stats and accolades are great but I’ve had those in previous years and didn’t win an ArenaBowl, so I know what that feels like. I want to win another ring and that is my main objective.” You are known to be creative with your celebratory antics on the field, have you been working on any new touchdown moves? SMITH: “I have been reaching into the vault, piecing some things together for sure. The celebration lab has been busy and I do have a few new tricks up my sleeve. People need to come out to HP Pavilion or watch us on TV while we’re on the road because I have some special treats for the fans in 2009.”