Brad Smith

One second he's lined up at quarterback. Moments later he's split out at wide receiver. And just when you thought you had your eye on him, he's on the other end of the field running with the special teams unit.

If Brad Smith didn't wear a red jersey -- amid a sea of white and blue -- during training camp, it might have been hard to keep tabs on him. The Bills' recently acquired multi-threat is rarely in the same place for too long.

"That's who I am," Smith said. "I do what it takes to win. Whatever coach (Chan) Gailey wants -- offense, special teams, defense -- it really doesn't matter, I just want to help my team."

And help the Bills he should. Smith likely will adopt a role similar to what he had in New York with the Jets, but getting a few reps under center during the preseason and once again being listed as a quarterback has the 27-year-old smiling.

"They're letting me grow and get my fundamentals back as a quarterback," Smith said. "Once you're a quarterback, you're always a quarterback. It's just a matter of timing, but it feels good to be able to take some drops and let the ball fly a bit."

Smith was a star quarterback for the University of Missouri -- a preseason Heisman candidate as a junior -- before making his way to the NFL as a fourth-round pick by the Jets in 2006, where he was converted into a wide receiver, but used as a utility player.

Smith returned and covered kicks and punts, lined up at running back and quarterbacked the Jets' version of the Wildcat formation.

"Brad is a very good athlete and was a very good quarterback coming out of college," said Bills head coach Chan Gailey.

The day he signed with the Bills, he was reunited with his former job title and to a much lesser extent, a few of his former collegiate duties.

"It's kind of like that first girlfriend you had," Smith said. "You miss her, but then you come back and she's still there and it's just that much sweeter."

The NFL this year instilled a rule allowing the No. 3 quarterback to be active during the game without penalty. Translation: Smith, listed third on the quarterback depth chart, will see quite a bit of action -- wherever the team needs him. And in the case of an emergency, he can fill in at quarterback.

So while he might be smitten over his new title, not much else changes for Smith, less the team, of course. And for the Bills, that's certainly not a bad thing.

"He has proven he can make plays on the football field in a lot of different ways," Gailey said. We love his versatility and what he is going to bring to our football team."

During the Bills' 41-7 win at Kansas City Sunday, Smith wasn't a big part of the equation, but still flashed his versatility. He returned a kick, threw a pass and ran the ball three times.

The Bills host the Oakland Raiders (1-0) Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.

 

 

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