Steve Smith played 16 NFL seasons with a chip on his shoulder. That goes a long way in explaining the five Pro Bowls, the 1,031 receptions and the Hall of Fame smack talk that seemed to motivate him -- and demoralize his opponents -- in real time.
And Smith has taken that talent to television, where he serves as an analyst for NFL Network. Hours before the second day of the 2017 NFL Draft on Friday, Smith and former Texans general manager Charley Casserly were discussing quarterback Brock Osweiler, originally a Broncos second-round pick in 2012 who signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Texans last offseason. Things went so horribly in 2016 that Houston dumped Osweiler on the Browns in March and traded up in the first round of the draft to take their next franchise quarterback, Deshaun Waston.
Which brings us back to Smith and Casserly. You're welcome in advance.
"Osweiler has a winning record" is probably not the argument you want to make for a quarterback earning $18 million who completed just 59 percent of his throws (with 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions) and was benched in December. Oh, and he and finished the season as the second-worst passer in the league, according to Football Outsiders' metrics, ahead of only Jared Goff.
But Smith didn't need analytics to make his point.
"Anybody's better than Brock Osweiler. ... That's why Houston got rid of him. They gave him to the Goodwill and the Goodwill was trying to get rid of him."
In related news: The Browns drafted three players in the first round Thursday and not one quarterback. Which means that Osweiler's chances of winning the starting job in Cleveland just increased.