Another fresh start, this time with the Lions

ALLEN PARK, MICH. - This is the NFL, where one man's headache can be another man's shining example of how the game should be played and practiced.

"You know how the league works," said safety Dwight Smith, the former Vikings starter who's now starting in Detroit. "New Orleans got rid of me [in 2006]. But the Vikings came along because they had [defensive coordinator] Mike Tomlin, who was familiar with me from Tampa. Mike left and they got rid of me a year later.

"Now, I'm here with [Lions coach] Rod Marinelli, who is familiar with me from Tampa. And [Vikings defensive coordinator] Leslie Frazier's got [safety] Madieu Williams because he was familiar with him from Cincinnati."

The Vikings released Smith in February even though his eight interceptions the past two seasons tied him with fellow safety Darren Sharper for most on the team.

"Teams send a letter saying why they released you," Smith said. "The Vikings said they got guys who were better than me behind me."

The reality is the Vikings acquired Smith's replacement (Williams) and their top two backup safeties (Michael Boulware and rookie Tyrell Johnson) long after Smith was released. Of course, Smith didn't believe the Vikings actually felt the players behind him were better.

"Well, I led the team in interceptions two straight years there, and Darren Sharper was there with me," Smith said. "So you tell me if they had better players behind me."

At the time of his release, Smith said he didn't think it had to do with his off-the-field issues. He changed his mind at Lions camp on Tuesday.

"It probably always does have to do with off-the-field stuff," he said.

Smith played his first four seasons in Tampa. The highlight came when he returned two interceptions for touchdowns as the Bucs beat the Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Smith moved on to New Orleans in 2005 but was released after only one season. The lowlight came when he was charged with aiming a pellet gun at two fans who approached him at a fast-food drive-through window. The charges were later dropped.

With the Vikings, Smith was cited for indecent conduct on Aug. 26, 2006, after police found him and a woman having sex in a Block E stairwell. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and also was benched for the 2006 season opener at Washington.

Smith also was benched at the start of two games, once because he was late to a meeting and the other time for arguing with coach Brad Childress during practice.

In January, Smith pleaded guilty to obstructing traffic, a petty misdemeanor. He also was cited for marijuana possession a month earlier, but the charges were dropped.

Childress had seen enough, much to Marinelli's joy.

"I know Dwight Smith and what kind of person he is," said Marinelli, the former Bucs defensive line coach. "He's a rock-jawed tough guy, great ball skills, instinctive. He knows how I want the game to be played."

Smith is happy to be in Detroit, where he'll be in the same Tampa-2 scheme he played with the Bucs and the Vikings. And he loves Marinelli.

"You really don't compare coaches because you know they're all going to have different styles," Smith said. "Rod Marinelli and I won a Super Bowl together, so naturally our comfort level is better.

"But I'll say the one difference is we're early in camp and we haven't tackled to the ground yet. In Minnesota, we would have had five, six days of full contact to the ground by now. Why? We're professionals. You shouldn't beat yourself up in camp like that."

Asked if he was still bitter, Smith laughed.

"Bitter? For what?" he said. "My family ate good off the checks Minnesota gave me. I don't get mad about nothing. The world goes 'round. Everything happens for a reason. In the NFL, you're here one year, there the next."