Antowain Smith

Antowain Drurell Smith (born March 14, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), most notably with the New England Patriots, with whom he won two Super Bowls, and the Buffalo Bills. At 6'2", 232 pounds, Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles.

Early life Smith attended Stanhope Elmore High School in Millbrook, Alabama and played football only in his senior year.

In his senior season, Smith rushed for 1,239 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also catching 28 passes for 201 yards and another score.

Professional career Antowain Smith was drafted in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills. In his rookie season Smith ran for 840 yards and 8 touchdowns with also catching 28 passes. The next season Smith ran for 1,124 yards and again scored 8 times, although his yards per carry dropped from 4.3 to 3.7. Smith gained just 27 total yards in the Bills first round playoff loss in 1998. The next season was disappointing and saw Smith score 6 times while rushing for just 614 yards. He did manage to run for 79 yards and two scores in the Bills' first-round playoff game, but the Bills still lost to the Titans. Having fallen out of favor with the coaching staff, Smith ran for just 354 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2000.

The next season Smith rejuvenated his professional career when he joined the New England Patriots. He ran for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season. He also ran for 204 yards in the playoffs as the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI. Smith's numbers dropped off a bit in 2002 as he ran for 982 yards and 6 touchdowns. He did get more involved in the passing game however, and caught 31 balls including 2 touchdowns. 2003 was Smith's final season in New England and he managed just 642 yards, although he still led the team in rushing. His play improved in the playoffs that year as he ran for 252 yards and 2 scores as Smith and the Patriots won their second Super Bowl championship, Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Smith joined the Titans for 2004 and he ran for 509 yards. It was the only season in his career in which he failed to record a single 100 yard game. Smith played his final NFL season in 2005, with the New Orleans Saints, running for 659 yards and 3 scores. For his career Smith played in 131 games, running for 6,881 yards and 54 touchdowns, good for 50th and 44th on the all-time lists respectively.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the Super Bowl Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1997 BUF 16 0 194 840 4.3 56 8 28 177 6.3 19 0 1998 BUF 16 14 300 1,124 3.7 30 8 5 11 2.2 9 0 1999 BUF 14 11 165 614 3.7 52 6 2 32 16.0 23 0 2000 BUF 11 3 101 354 3.5 59 4 3 20 6.7 9 0 2001 NWE 16 15 287 1,157 4.0 44 12 19 192 10.1 41 1 2002 NWE 16 15 252 982 3.9 42 6 31 243 7.8 35 2 2003 NWE 13 6 182 642 3.5 30 3 14 92 6.6 16 0 2004 TEN 13 4 137 509 3.7 43 4 22 169 7.7 31 0 2005 NOR 16 7 166 659 4.0 42 3 12 46 3.8 8 0 131 75 1,784 6,881 3.9 59 54 136 982 7.2 41 3

Playoffs Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1998 BUF 1 1 7 15 2.1 7 0 1 12 12.0 12 0 1999 BUF 1 0 14 79 5.6 44 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 2001 NWE 3 3 53 204 3.8 19 0 1 4 4.0 4 0 2003 NWE 3 3 64 252 3.9 35 2 2 9 4.5 8 0 8 7 138 550 4.0 44 4 4 25 6.3 12 0