But Smith, the mighty-mite return man for the Buccaneers, has a different answer (and units of measurement, apparently) for anyone who asks how someone his size could possibly be playing on Sundays.

"I tell 'em I'm 6-foot-2 -- 6-2 1/2 with shoes on -- and weigh about 210," he said.

Smith is really about 190, but it's a burly combination of heart and attitude.

"He may be short, but most guys you call 'small' who are short want to fight," said Bucs assistant head coach Rich Bisaccia, who goes about eye-to-eye with Smith. "I've been there myself."

Smith, aka "Peanut," had a fight on his hands just to get to the NFL. He wasn't drafted out of Fresno State, received just two free-agent offers from pro teams, got cut in the preseason and spent nearly two months on the practice squad before being promoted to the Bucs' active roster in Week 8.

Now he's a special teams star -- the first Tampa Bay player ever to return a kickoff and punt for touchdowns -- with the only fight on his hands the one with his hands.

"I still have a lot to prove," Smith said. "I have a ball-security problem."

Four games, four fumbles -- one in each game; each in the second half; three of the four recovered by the opponent. That's the kind of problem that gets undrafted free agents cut.

But game-changing kickoff returns of 97 yards (at Kansas City, the longest in team history) and game-icing punt returns of 70 yards (just last week in Detroit) are plays that make coaches and personnel types exercise patience.

Smith is tied for the NFL lead at 30.3 yards per kickoff. With only 11 punt returns, he doesn't qualify for the official statistics, but he's averaging 18.1 per attempt.

"Maybe we're onto something here," Bucs Coach Jon Gruden said. "But we have to take better care of the ball."

Sudden field-position change wins Football games. Turnovers lose them. Smith knows that. The Bucs (8-3), tied for first in the NFC South, know what Smith's splash plays can do for them as they enter a three-game run against divisional foes, starting with today's home showdown against the New Orleans Saints (6-5) at Raymond James Stadium.

After each practice the past few weeks, Smith and Bisaccia have stayed late and worked on ball-security drills, emphasizing ball-position techniques (wrist above elbow is key to preventing fumbles) in contact.

Smith understands. His recitation of one of Gruden's creeds -- "When you hold the Football, you hold the hopes and the dreams of the organization in your hands" -- says as much.

"It's something I have to keep working on," he said.

Smith wasn't a fumbler in college, but rather a dynamic play-making back and return specialist. In 2005, he set a single-game NCAA record with 189 yards (and two TDs) against Weber State. Smith rebounded from a torn ACL to put together an incredible finish to his redshirt senior season, when he rushed 18 times for 152 yards in an upset of Georgia Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl.

"Every one of us had a chance to draft him," Saints Coach Sean Payton said.

No one did. Smith, though, didn't let that deter his goal of playing in the NFL.

"You can't let anyone stand in the way of what you want to accomplish in life," he said. "You just have to go into it with a big ol' Dorito on your shoulder."

Ironically, the Bucs used a second-round draft choice (the 58th overall) to select Dexter Jackson, out of Division I-AA Appalachian State, to become the team's return specialist. Jackson was ineffective and even more indecisive through the season's first half, leading to his deactivation and Smith's opportunity.

"Special teams used to be laughed at around here," Gruden said.

If Smith can win the fight with his hands, the Bucs' special teams will be feared.

"The touchdowns don't matter," he said. "Taking care of the ball . . . it's weighing heavy on my mind."