Arena Football | Palmetto's Chris Smith still living the dream

For Chris Smith, the dream never dies. It morphs into acronyms that describe the journey his life has taken.

"I am still chasing the dream. It's never too late. When I hit 30, I might have do something else, maybe coach," he said.

NFL, AFL, CFL and even USFL dot Smith's football career. He played his last game for Palmetto High in 2004.

He has played in the National Football League, Arena Football League, Canadian Football League and was the 17th overall pick in the failed United States Football League.

Now 28, Smith says he is even up for Major League Football (MLFB), the new league with headquarters in Lakewood Ranch and hopes to begin play next winter.

Have cleats, can hit, will travel.

"I am going to keep playing football until I can't do it anymore. It doesn't matter if it's the NFL or AFL. I just love the game," Smith said from Jacksonville, where he is playing with the AFL's Jacksonville Sharks.

The defensive back is not just a guy hanging on. In the AFL, he is considered an elite talent.

In 2013 as an AFL rookie, he led the Tampa Bay Storm in tackles with 70.5 and interceptions with eight. In only six games last year with the Storm, he had six interceptions before heading north to play for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes.

His professional career began in 2011, when he signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent. He got a taste of the big time playing in three NFL regular season games, including a Monday night affair against Seattle.

"That was fun," Smith said.

The changes from the CFL's big field to the garage-size AFL field after playing in the NFL hasn't affected the confidence of the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder. He has proven to be adaptable.

"It's all football. You just have to have your head on straight and stay with it," Smith said. "I can't give up on the game. You always have a chance to get to the NFL, but I am not worried about that. I just want to play and help us make the playoffs."

Disappointments are part of the game, but Smith has shown a knack for shrugging them off going back to his senior season at Palmetto when he was forced to get a GED and go to two junior colleges before transferring to Northern Illinois, where he earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors.

Former Palmetto head coach Ray Woodie helped him get into junior college, and Smith took care of the rest.

"Chris is my cousin. He is a unique player who has all the intangibles to play at the highest level," Woodie said. "Not everyone can play in the NFL. But he loves the game and plays hard. He has always been that way."

Smith started the 2015 season for Montreal, but was released in training camp. He said the Alouettes told him it was a numbers game and they had to led him go.

AFL teams were fighting for his services, including three-time defending league champion Arizona. Smith said he chose Jacksonville because he wanted to stay in Florida to be with his three children and liked the Sharks' defensive line.

"In arena ball, the defensive line is crucial if you are a defensive back. Everything happens so fast. You need a line to put pressure on the quarterback," Smith said.

Last week in just his third game with the Sharks, Smith showed he is still a dynamic player in a 74-41 victory over Cleveland, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble in earning Defensive Player of the Game honors. Smith says he didn't need an award to prove he is still among the best in the AFL.

"This is my third year in the league, and I know what is going on," Smith said. "In Canada, the field is so big they use 12 players on each team. In arena ball, it's small, and receivers can go in forward motion before the ball is snapped. You need speed to play defensive back."

The victory over Cleveland was emotional for Smith. He spent a good part of the game covering his cousin, Amarri Jackson, who played at Riverview and USF and ranks third in the AFL in kickoff return yardage.

Smith intercepted a pass intended for Jackson and picked up a fumble by Jackson on a kickoff return taking it to the Cleveland 10-yard line. "I play football and train during the offseason. I don't have another job," Smith says. "The money is not too good here. It's better in the CFL, but I am having fun. I am playing football."

This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Arena Football | Palmetto's Chris Smith still living the dream ."