FOXBORO -- Put yourself in the sensible shoes of New England Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and head coach Bill Belichick. Now choose your poison.
You can either load up to stop Denver Broncos quarterback Danny Kanell Monday night and take your chances with running back Clinton Portis. Or you can try to eliminate Portis and roll the dice with Kanell.
Bear in mind that last fall Portis was on his way to becoming NFL offensive rookie of the year, while Kanell was raking leaves.
So you choose Portis. You unleash the same defense on the Broncos you used on Miami. The one geared to stopping Ricky Williams should work fine on Portis. And Miami quarterback Jay Fiedler is, in essence, Kanell with a better arm and a heavier wallet. Fiedler couldn't beat the Pats. Think Kanell will?
But what happens when Kanell -- as he most assuredly will -- pops one through the arms and the pressure and the confusion and hits wide receiver Rod Smith in the hands?
If you are Crennel or Belichick, you choose that moment to look at your shoes and hope the roar of the crowd doesn't go on for too long.
You knew at some point Rod Smith would make his presence known. You couldn't make him priority one -- not with Portis in the backfield and Kanell doing the throwing. And now he has the ball and the crowd's still yelling and the players haven't slowed and you just hope.
"Rod Smith looks good," Belichick said when asked how the 33-year-old from Missouri Southern is managing. "I don't like Rod Smith. He's a good player and he's killed us before. Other guys have too, but he's especially been a problem and continues to be a problem."
So far this year, Smith has 35 catches for 429 yards. His usual running mate, Ed McCaffrey, has been slowed this season and is questionable for Sunday's game. But Smith will still be flanked by tight end Shannon Sharpe (31 catches, 351 yards, 4 TDs) and second-year man Ashley Lelie (19, 341, 2).
But the 6-foot, 215-pound Smith is the Patriots' major annoyance.
"He's a go-to guy, a real confident receiver," said Belichick. "He knows he's going to be open, he knows he's going to make a play and I think they know it too and they're not afraid to go to him. And they're not scared of double coverage."
Will the Patriots opt for that on Smith? That's a subplot to watch. Because if they do, they'll be leaving themselves light elsewhere, whether that's on Lelie, McCaffrey (if he plays), Sharpe or Portis.
Generally, the Pats haven't doubled too many receivers and their man coverage has been better than adequate. Chances are they'll stay in man-to-man with Smith. Which means Ty Law will see his share of him.
"They list Rod at 6 feet, but that' a lie," Law said. "He's got to be at least 6-2. The size and speed combination is unusual. I've had battles with a lot of the really good receivers. Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Keyshawn Johnson. My battles with Rod are among the best when we had an opportunity to play each other one-on-one, me following him all over the field. I consider him one of the best. He knows what to expect out of me. I know what to expect out of him."
So does Belichick.
"The opening play of the game last year, they run a bootleg, we're right in (quarterback Brian) Griese's face, he hits Smith on a 3- or 4-yard pattern. It could have been a sack, it could have been a good play to start the game. They gain 20 yards on it. Smith made most of it on his own. That's the kind of problem Rod Smith brings. He can bring nothing and turn it into a big play or take something and turn it into a great play. Two years ago, he took a 2-yard crossing pattern and went 70 yards."
There came a point in yesterday's discourse when Belichick felt he'd said enough about Smith. He was willing to throw a few roses to the receiver, not entire bouquets.
"Rod Smith is kind of a sensitive area around here," Belichick said eventually. "It's a game-plan thing and he's right in the middle of the game plan, but he's a player that defensively you've got to stop. He'll beat you. He'll definitely beat you. And they're going to him. It's not like he's some secret weapon. They're going to him. He's a big part of the offense and right in the plan."
