CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dwayne Jarrett played with receiver Steve Smith in college at USC. He’s a teammate now in Carolina with receiver Steve Smith, too.
They’re just different guys.

“I call that Steve Smith ’Smitty,”’ Jarrett said pointing to his Panthers teammate’s locker. “And I call the other Steve Smith ’Scuba.’ That’s his name from SC, ’Scuba Steve.’ Or ’Eugene,’ his middle name. Put that out there.”
While they have the same name, hail from California, weren’t drafted high and play the same position in the NFL, there are plenty of differences between the two as they prepare to face off on Sunday when the Panthers (6-8) visit the New York Giants (8-6).
Carolina’s Smith is six years older, has been to the Pro Bowl four times and has established himself as one of the NFL’s top receivers. He’s also moody, has a fierce temper and his play is fueled on unmatched intensity.
The Giants’ Steve Smith is more laid back, two inches taller and has yet to establish his namesake’s pro credentials. But a peek of the league’s statistics show it’s the younger Smith with better numbers this season. He’s tied for fourth in the league with 90 catches and his 1,090 yards receiving rank ninth.
“He definitely stepped up when they needed a go-to receiver with the Plaxico situation,” Jarrett said, referring to Plaxico Burress’ prison sentence.
Carolina’s Steve Smith, slowed by poor quarterback play, has 60 catches for 922 yards. But he’s coming off his best game of the season, catching nine passes for 157 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ 26-7 upset of Minnesota.
So who’s the better Steve Smith?
“Actually my real name isn’t Steve Smith,” the Carolina receiver said. “That is the name I go by. That is the name that my dad has and people always called me that since I was a little boy. But my mom and my wife, all my family, call me by my birth name. That is really what I go by outside of football.”
OK, so is Stevonne Smith or Steve Smith better?
“I think we’re different receivers,” the Giants’ Smith said. “He’s shorter and he’s done special teams and he’s fast and quick. I think we can both stretch the field and I think his playmaking ability after the catch is something I’m trying to get better at.”
The two Smiths could be — and probably should be — teammates in Carolina.
Looking for a No. 2 receiver to replace Keyshawn Johnson before the 2007 season, the Panthers drafted Jarrett in the second round with the 45th pick. Jarrett had posted better numbers than his USC teammate, including a Pac-10 career record 41 touchdown catches.
The Giants then took Smith with the 51st pick, and the their careers have gone in opposite directions. Jarrett has been a big disappointment. He’s yet to catch a touchdown pass in the NFL and was inactive for last Sunday’s game.
Meanwhile, his former USC teammate is on the verge of his first Pro Bowl selection after becoming the Giants’ top receiving option.
“My personal opinion: he might be a Pro Bowler,” Carolina’s Smith said. “So if you’re a Pro Bowler, you’re doing a great job. There is nothing that I can add to it or take away from it. There is nothing I can say to take away from it and it would be foolish, I think it would be disrespectful to try to take anything away from him. He has a Super Bowl ring, I don’t.”
But the Carolina Steve Smith proved he’s still dangerous against the Vikings. He made an acrobatic 42-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the Panthers ahead to stay. He later had a 45-yard catch and run that set up the clinching TD.
If Jake Delhomme hadn’t struggled so much earlier in the season, Smith would probably be in line for another Pro Bowl selection despite being drafted in the third round out of Utah in 2001 as a kick returner.
“He’s a big play guy whether he’s running reverses or catching the ball short and running or catching it deep,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “He’s always been that way and he deserves extra attention.”
Added the Giants’ Smith: “He’s a great player, really explosive. Big time playmaker for the NFL, one of the best receivers in the NFL in the past five years.”
But after being the “other Steve Smith” for his first two years in the NFL, the Giants receiver is making a case for equal billing.
“He came to us as any young guy who has to learn in terms of pro ball,” Coughlin said. “He’s gotten better each and every year.”