[img_r]http://www.espnmilwaukee.com/includes/news_items/40/4576/smith.jpg[/img_r]GREEN BAY Anthony Smiths experience with the Green Bay Packers has been one surprise after another.

First, the former/new Packers safety was taken aback when the team cut him on the final roster reduction before the 2009 season, then he was surprised again when he learned Sunday night that general manager Ted Thompson had reacquired him from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.

I was excited. A little shocked, but excited, said Smith, who likely would have been starting for the Jaguars at safety Monday night against the Tennessee Titans, having started the previous two games. Im happy, man, excited. I know what to expect. Im just here to help.

As for getting released last year, well, that he didnt expect.

I was a little bit surprised, but they made some decisions upstairs and it wasnt anything personal, Smith said. That was what they wanted to do, and I just had to go with it.

Its never anything personal unless you make it personal. I thought itd be hard to come back, but Im happy to be here.

The Packers signed Smith as a free agent in March 2009 after the Pittsburgh Steelers chose not to make him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. He had a strong training camp but was cut in favor of 2007 third-round pick Aaron Rouse. Rouse then flopped when pressed into starting duty by an injury to Atari Bigby and was released himself.

Smith, meanwhile, was claimed on waivers by the St. Louis Rams after the Packers cut him, and when the Rams waived him a few weeks later, the Packers actually tried to claim him. But the Jaguars also put a claim in, and because Jacksonville had a lesser record at the time, the Jaguars were awarded Smith.

I coach. I dont make personnel decisions. They ask for my input, I give it, and after that Im out of the loop in terms of who stays, who goes, Packers safeties coach Darren Perry said when asked Monday whether he wanted to keep Smith over Rouse at the time. We felt real good about (Smith) coming in and giving us a guy who had experience in what we were doing scheme-wise, terminology-wise, communication-wise all those things you look for at the safety position. When youve got a guy thats got experience in what youre doing, he becomes somewhat of a coach on the field and he can help ease that transition. And thats kind of what he did when he was with us.

Because Smith is familiar with the Packers system he also played for Perry in Pittsburgh he could be ready to play Sunday night against Minnesota at Lambeau Field. Coach Mike McCarthy said Smith could play on special teams or on defense, meaning he could replace fill-in starter Charlie Peprah alongside two-time Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins. Peprah has started the last two games in place of rookie Morgan Burnett, who suffered a season-ending knee injury Oct. 3 against Detroit.

Knowing the system, thats a big thing. And they already know what I can do; they have confidence in me. So itll be an easy transition for me, Smith said. Im just going to go out there and do whatever they ask me to do, whatever role they ask me to play. Im just here to help, get this thing rolling.

Said Perry, whose group also lost backup Derrick Martin to a season-ending knee injury at Washington on Oct. 10: Hes going to have to help us in some phase, whether its special teams, maybe our defense. We just have to wait and see how things go in practice, how well he practices, how well he picks up on things. And obviously theres some other people involved with Atari and Charlie. We just have to wait and see.

Bigby, after spending the first six weeks of the season on the physically unable to perform list, will begin practicing Wednesday but may not be ready to play against the Vikings. Smith said even though he hasnt been in Green Bay, hes well acquainted with the Packers injury problems from following the team while rooting for friends Charles Woodson, Al Harris and Collins.

I was watching even when I was in Jacksonville because Im friends with a lot of the guys, and seeing a lot of the guys go down, I was like, Man, theyre taking a lot of hard hits, Smith said. But theyve got some guys coming back and they added me, so well get this thing back going.