Steve Smith not impressed with Dwayne Jarrett

PANTHERS’ SMITH NOT IMPRESSED WITH JARRETT?
Posted by Michael David Smith on June 5, 2008, 3:22 p.m.

Steve Reed of CarolinaGrowl.com has an interesting story about Panthers wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who is coming off a rookie year in which he caught just six passes.

Most of the story is about the way Jarrett is working hard at making the transition to the NFL and becoming the contributor the Panthers thought he’d be when they chose him in the second round of last year’s draft.

But the most interesting part of the story comes from Jarrett’s teammate, Steve Smith. When asked if he’s seen a change in Jarrett’s approach to the game, Reed writes that Smith “dodged the question and bypassed lavishing praise,” instead simply saying, “We’re all here to play football. That’s what we’re here to do.”

That’s just the latest sign that Smith isn’t impressed with Jarrett. Previous signs include Smith saying of Jarrett in April, “You’re here to play football. You do the party scene at your own discretion, but on Sundays, we’re here to play football.” And Smith saying to Jarrett in October, “Why don’t you go watch some film?”

Jarrett might some day be a good enough receiver to justify that second-round draft pick the Panthers spent on him. But Smith won’t hide the fact that he doesn’t think Jarrett is there yet.

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