CATCH A RISING STAR TALKATIVE SMITH HAS STEPPED UP HIS GAME ON, OFF FIELD FOR CAROLINA.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

HOUSTON - Steve Smith would wake up at the crack of dawn at his mother's home in the Athens Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles. He would take two buses and a rail line to reach Santa Monica College for an 8 a.m. class. If the first bus didn't show, he'd walk a couple of miles to the Green Line.

After school and after football practice, he often worked at a nearby Taco Bell, where he earned as much as $5.75 per hour. He finished his job about 8 p.m., returned home the same way he left, and woke up the next morning to do it again.

``It was a long way, a long trip,'' Smith said. ``But sometimes when you want something you've got to be willing to take that long trip.''

Smith's path to the Super Bowl, and to his spot as Carolina's up-and- coming receiver and kick returner, has been a long trip, too.

On it Smith, 24, has battled to control a fierce temper, questions about his character and his adjustment to a life that is worlds apart from the one he knew growing up.

``I've had a couple of guys from that area,'' Carolina offensive coordinator Dan Henning said. ``Those are amazing guys to come out of that environment and be what they are and accomplish what they have.

``Probably 75 percent of the guys he grew up with are still down and out, and maybe in jail or have not been able to do what Steve Smith has been able to do. He's had to fight his way right through everything to get where he is.''

Fight is an apt description. Smith has fought for so much in his life that he hasn't yet mastered the art of knowing when to walk away.

Last season he punched then-teammate Anthony Bright when they got in an argument in a film session. Bright was hospitalized for two days, required plastic surgery and wears a shield on his face mask while he plays in the Arena League. Smith was suspended for a game.

This season, Smith blasted Carolina management in an expletive-peppered rant when it wouldn't begin negotiations on a new contract, saying the team told his agent Smith was a ``marginal receiver.''

Then, in November, he drew a personal-foul penalty when he kicked an opponent late in Carolina's 14-10 loss to Houston. The penalty came after Smith's 41-yard catch and killed their best chance to win.

``We all come from different backgrounds,'' Carolina president Mark Richardson said of Smith. ``For some people, they're dealing from a different plane than they've been used to. We've tried to get people to understand that and they can get much further by approaching things in a different way.''

Smith enrolled in anger-management classes after punching Bright and says marriage and fatherhood have been leveling agents.

``I'm learning,'' Smith said. ``Everything's new. You go from living in the hood in L.A. to having a nice house, a wife, two kids, a nice car. The car I'm driving is my first-ever car. So, I'm taking things one step at a time. I'm making mistakes but I'm learning.''

After the Panthers' well-publicized string of off-the-field troubles in the late 1990s - the most notorious being receiver Rae Carruth arranging the killing of his pregnant girlfriend - Carolina management made steering clear of bad characters a point of emphasis. Richardson says Smith is not.

``We do a lot of research and try to figure out if people have a problem or if they made a bad decision,'' Richardson said. ``We don't think Steve's a bad guy. He's very competitive. He speaks his mind. He's maturing and developing and he's made a lot of progress. Not one of us, including myself, are at the end.''

The beginning for Smith came when he finished his high school career, at University High in West Los Angeles. He was a defensive back and running back, but his grades were so poor he never even bothered to take the SAT.

``I knew what I wanted to do ... I just didn't have the drive,'' Smith said. ``My mind was saying one thing, but my body was doing another. A lot of guys were sitting around, like, what are we going to do?''

When Smith arrived at Santa Monica College, he was converted to receiver and lined up opposite Chad Johnson, now with the Bengals. They, along with Rams receiver Isaac Bruce - who like Johnson and Smith have made been named Pro Bowlers - are the only players who have made it to the NFL in coach Robert Taylor's 20 years at the school.

``The odds of playing in the NFL aren't as good as being a coach or a school teacher or an accountant,'' Taylor said. ``When he realized he could possibly get a college scholarship, he went to work and did his job.''

Taylor said Smith never missed a day of school in two years, nor did he ever have to keep on Smith about his studies. The only pr Taylor benched Smith for frequently fighting.

``I brought him in the office and said, 'Steve, your behavior on the field is not what I want. What's the matter?' '' Taylor said. ``He said 'I'm mad.' Mad at what? I'm sitting your (rear) down this week. I might lose this football game, but I'm not going to lose you. It was a lesson in life for him that you can't do everything you want and have the rewards. I never had a problem with him again.''

Smith went to Utah, enjoyed first-team All-Mountain West Conference seasons as a punt returner and receiver, then was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2001 draft as a return specialist. He ran back two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns and was the only rookie chosen to the Pro Bowl.

He won a starting receiver spot last year and led the Panthers with 54 catches, though their offense was one of the league's worst. This season, he caught 88 passes for 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns - all team highs.

Smith has been just as good in the playoffs. He's caught 11 passes for 302 yards, including his biggest - a 69-yard scoring pass that lifted Carolina to a 26-20 victory over St. Louis in double overtime.

When reporters gathered around his locker afterward, he told them it wasn't such a bad play for a marginal receiver.

One thing Smith will do, though, is talk. And when he does, what he has to say is raw, without a football or social etiquette filter.

When he was asked whether the past few games were a breakthrough for him, he barked back: ``I'm fourth in the NFL (in catches). What are you talking about, these last few games? I don't need you to define me. You just haven't seen me yet. That is your fault, not my fault.''

His teammates say he's no different with them. Nor any different with his coaches.

``He's not hard to relate to,'' Henning said. ``He's very emotional. He's very paranoid over certain things because of the way he grew up. Steve Smith's not hard. Sometimes he's hard-headed, but so am I.''

The one thing that does seem clear is that Smith is a work in progress.

``He's really a good person,'' Taylor said. ``Now he's a clown and has some anger-management problems, but I think the people around him see the good qualities.

``He's a commodity to Carolina, let's be true about that, but if you put that aside, Steve Smith is a good person, he wants to work hard for his family and he's working to be better at life.''

Good enough to enjoy this ride to the end of the line.

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Carolina receiver Steve Smith had 1,110 receiving yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

(2) Carolina receiver Steve Smith, who grew up in South Los Angeles and played at Santa Monica College, never seems to be at a loss for words.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press