We hope looks ARE deceiving

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This article was published 28/06/2009 (5942 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We hope for his part that Dorian Smith has a little Mr. Hyde in his personality.

The 23-year-old Smith will start at defensive tackle for the injured Tyrone Williams Thursday when the Blue Bombers travel to Edmonton to face the Eskimos. After meeting Smith, well, let’s just say there’s a lot more Mr. Nice Guy on the surface than any Dr. Evil.

Sure, he’s big at 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds, but so is his smile. Wow. We’re talking 100-watt dentures and great, big, doe eyes to boot. This is a face any mother would love and not the ‘bad-dude’ look some want with their men in the trenches. No matter, the proof will come from Smith’s play and he’s making his CFL debut this week.

"I’m so excited. I thank God every night to be able to put pads on for a profession. To be able to go out and hit people. You can’t do that at many jobs," said Smith, a native of Van Nuys, Calif., who played for coach Mike Riley with the Oregon State Beavers. "I got released last year and I was working a full-time job and I have to admit I got a little down. But I was able to refocus and here I am today."

Bombers coach Mike Kelly announced in his media chat on Saturday afternoon that Smith would get the start against the Eskimos.

"It looks that way. He had a real good camp," said Kelly. "He was very active in there against both run and pass and has handled himself real well."

Veteran lineman Shawn Mayne and Winnipeg-born rookie Don Oramasionwu will also get some work at tackle according to Kelly.

"I’m not certain what the rotation will be but we are going to make sure we keep our guys as fresh as we can," said Kelly, who will have one of the league’s best in Doug Brown anchoring his line at one of the tackle spots. "We have good depth in that front seven and we can move people around as well as use some different fronts to give people a rest. It’s very important to us that our front seven, especially our linebackers, have an impact on special teams, so we’ll do our best to keep them fresh."

Smith worked with at-risk youth in Oregon for most of last year before signing on with the Bombers as a member of the practice squad late in the season.

"We have three guys here that were teammates in Oregon — Alex Serna, Yvenson Bernard and myself. We’re Beavers. Don’t say Ducks around me," laughed Smith, explaining the difference between his Oregon State Beavers and University of Oregon Ducks. "It’s nice to have guys around that you know."

Smith is stepping in for an established CFL name in Williams, but says the veterans surrounding him on the line have been helpful.

"I’m grateful we have guys like Gavin Walls, Doug Brown and Fred Perry to help me out and everyone’s been great," said Smith. "We have great coaches and teammates trying to get me ready for my first start. That’s why we’re going to be a great team. Everyone wants to make sure we’re ready to win and not just worrying about doing well themselves."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca