For a long time, he was the other Steve Smith.
But now, the former Giants receiver isn’t even the most famous member of his own football family.
The once-explosive wideout whose career wasn’t the same after a knee injury is the older brother of Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith, and said he told his brother to relish this time.
“I just told him to enjoy the moment, go out in pregame and take some pictures because you never know when it could end and you may never be back again,’’ Steve Smith said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “I think he took a lot from my experience and just savoring the moment and knowing it can be done any time, things change in a minute. He really took advantage of his opportunity.’’
Steve Smith at one point seemed to be challenging the Panthers wide receiver as the best with that name, after winning a Super Bowl as a rookie in 2007 and catching 107 passes in 2009. But a knee injury the following season cut him down, and he never recovered his old form in stints with the Eagles and Rams.
Malcolm Smith was the star among a constellation of them for the Seahawks, with a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown and a fumble recovery.
But as his brother knows, that kind of fame can be fleeting.