Kolby Smith's motto is straight from the Boy Scouts handbook: Be prepared.

It served the one-time Rickards High standout well in college at Louisville. It's keeping him on the fast track for a career in the NFL, too.

Smith, a bruising running back, plays in his first pro game today when the Kansas City Chiefs are in Cleveland for their preseason opener.

He's prepared. He's eager to prove it, too.

"They say you have to be an available player to be evaluated, and I'm available," Smith said earlier this week during a telephone interview from the Chiefs' training camp in River Falls, Wis. "I hope my evaluation is going good."

If the reports out of the Kansas City camp are to be believed, Smith is quickly making a name for himself on a team already blessed with three Pro Bowl backs.

It certainly helps his cause that Larry Johnson is holding out for a new contract and Priest Holmes is still on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Only Michael Bennett is ahead of Smith on the depth chart going into today's game versus the Browns.

Who could have guessed that fortune would be smiling so brightly on Smith when Kansas City selected him in the fifth round with the 148th pick - 12 spots ahead of William Gay, his high school and college teammate? A year ago this time, the odds of Smith even being drafted were less than favorable.

Not that he didn't have game. Smith was third on the team in rushing as a junior at Louisville, but the Cardinals coaching staff had positioned the 5-foot-11, 219 pounder at fullback where he was expected to open holes for Heisman candidate tailback Michael Bush.

When Michael Bush suffered a broken leg in Louisville's season opener, Smith moved back to his natural spot - where he shined. He ended up rushing for 862 yards in 13 games, averaging 5.6 yards per carry as the Cardinals finished 12-1 and posted an Orange Bowl win over Wake Forest.

He was prepared. Always.

Smith, who graduated with a degree in sports administration, insists he isn't intimidated fighting for a roster spot on a team with three all-star backs.

"I look at the situation I'm in. I have a chance to speak to three Pro Bowl running backs on one team. I'm able to get a lot of knowledge," he said. "I don't look at it as an obstacle. If anything, it's great for me."

Algie Hendrieth, Smith's coach at Rickards, isn't surprised his one-time star is on the cusp of earning a handsome salary playing football. As a senior, Smith was ranked the nation's 10th-best all-purpose back by TheInsiders.com and was one of a handful of Big Bend players chosen to play in the CaliFlorida All-Star game.

"Kolby has always had the capability of doing something like this," said Hendrieth, now a teacher at Fort Braden Middle School. "He'd start off slow because he was looking for those holes, but once he hit the hole, he was gone.

"What was even more impressive was what kind of young man Kolby was. As a coach you had to chase behind some kids, but I never had to worry about Kolby. He kept himself in order."

Kolby is the son of Gloria and Thomas Smith. She's a schoolteacher and he's a retired police officer. They expected their boy to be well behaved and to graduate, she said.

Smith has wasted no time impressing Kansas City head coach Herm Edwards. "This guy is going to be a really good football player," Edwards told the Kansas City Star. "He's got some power, but he's also got some niftiness and some really good feet. He's what I call a no-nonsense runner."

Smith's primary challenge - in addition to making the team - is adjusting to the speed of the pro game.

"Everyone is fast. You have D-ends running 4.3s, you have D-linemen just as fast as you," he said. "You have to make your decision that much quicker. It's noticeable, believe me."

It seems inevitable that Larry Johnson, a Pro Bowler last season, will resolve his contract issues with the front office and return to the Chiefs' active roster. Smith insists he's ready for whatever comes next.

"You can't always worry about who's in front of you or what's going on around you. You have to roll with the punches," he said. "You just have to be ready. You have to be available."

He's prepared.

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