Reeder's Take

  The frustration of starting the season 0-3 has emotions running hot.

   Fiery WR Steve Smith barked at rookie QB Jimmy Clausen both on the sidelines Sunday, something Clausen later attributed to Smith being a “competitor.”

   In the locker room after the game, Smith had less to say about the exchange.

   Smith didn’t catch a pass until the fourth quarter and finished with three catches for 22 yards.

   “It’s not really my call,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter. They throw me the ball, they don’t throw me the ball — I’ve still got a job to do. I think I ran some pretty good routes. You’ve got to evaluate yourself. I’m a horrible quarterback, a terrible defensive back. I’m not going to tackle a linebacker so my best job is wide receiver. I’m going to run routes they call. Hopefully they are sufficient. If the ball comes I’ll try to catch it and if it doesn’t you can’t catch air. I’m going to continue to do my job.”

   Clausen said of Smith’s frustration: “Smitty is a real competitor. Those are the type of guys you want to have on your team and right by your side when you’re in that foxhole. I’m trying to get Smitty the ball as many times as we can. He’s our biggest playmaker on offense. It’s tough sometimes trying to get him the ball when there are two guys double Steve. He’s a fiery guy, kind of like myself. He’s just being competitive, wanting the ball and trying to make plays.”

   Smith also said it’s “not fair” to blame Clausen or Matt Moore for the team’s struggles.

   “There are a lot of people involved in this thing,” Smith said. “I think to try to blame two or three guys — when there’s eleven on the field — there’s the guy that calls the play, there is the guy that has to hear the play and recite the play, there are a lot of moving parts. So I don’t feel it will be fair to blame Jimmy or blame myself. There’s a lot that goes into it prior to today.”

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