What's not to love about 'He Hate Me'?

HOUSTON -- He's a running back who carried the ball only 20 times all season. He played Division 1-AA college football and wasn't selected in the NFL draft. He's been cut by the San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Edmonton Eskimos. Now he makes his living primarily as a special-teams artist.

So why, then, were so many reporters clustered around Rod Smart on the floor of Reliant Stadium yesterday?

"He Hate Me."

That's why.

Smart isn't enough of a star to warrant a podium at the Super Bowl's annual media day, but he was surrounded by notepads and minicams for an entire hour. When it was over, the hungry-for-color reporters were unanimous in their opinion of "He Hate Me."

We Love Him.

Smart gave himself the nickname when he played for the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL in 2001. Vince McMahon's XFL was to professional sports leagues what the Dennis Rodman-Carmen Electra union was to marriages. Come to think of it, the Worm and his short-term wife would have been worthy co-commissioners of the wacky league, which folded after one season. Other than the exotic-dancer cheerleaders, the only thing most of us remember about the XFL is the guy who wore "HE HATE ME" on the back of his jersey.

Now He Hate Me is practically a cottage industry. Smith has trademarked the phrase ("It's all mine") and is considering having his name legally changed so that he can put He Hate Me on the back of his Carolina Panthers uniform. He says there's a He Hate Me website. Before you know it, there'll be a He Hate Me clothing line and action figure doll. Already Jake Delhomme's father, who trains thoroughbreds, has named a filly "She Hate Me."

Smart says he's got the original jersey at his home and he'll sign "He Hate Me" alongside his real name when there's an autograph request.

So tell us, Rod, where did you come up with the name?

"Basically, my brother's my opponent," he started. "After I win, he's gonna hate me. It is what it is. It's a saying I was saying when I'd feel something wasn't going my way. For example, I was on the squad in Vegas and coach was putting other guys in. If I felt I'm better than them, you know, hey, he hate me. See what I'm saying? Give me a chance. That's all I ask. It came from the heart. Within. The way I felt."

He misses having the name on his back. "Smart" is so boring (the name, not the player).

"The fans, they used to love it," he said. " `He Hate Me, He Hate Me.' Got to give the fans what they want. It would be really nice if they would let me do that, but I doubt if they would. I've had to legalize it. I think about doing that a lot. First name, `He', middle name `Hate', last name `Me'. It's all mine. I'm the founder, the cofounder, the CEO, I'm all of the above. I'm the owner, the GM, all those things."

Most teammates call Smart "He," or "Hate." It's sort of like dealing with Meat Loaf. Friends call him Meat, while the stuffy NY Times goes with "Mr. Loaf." Too bad the Times didn't write about "Mr. Me" when Smart toiled for the Outlaws.

It's certainly odd that a team that doesn't have many players with name recognition would feature a running back who's known for a politically and grammatically incorrect name he put on his jersey. Would Smart be in the Super Bowl if not for his old nickname?

"Talent-wise, yes," he said. "But the name helped. You got the name. You got to be able to back it up."

Early in Smart's media session, teammate Jarrod Cooper pulled him aside and the two demonstrated a touchdown dance they've rehearsed. Then a reporter asked Cooper about the Panthers being a "no-name" team and Cooper turned toward running back DeShaun Foster (who was at a podium) and yelled, "Hey, DeShaun. Let's go home. Let's go back to our one-star hotel."

Smart nodded, smiled, and added, "I don't even have a shower in my room."

As the rambling interview took on the feel of a Don King news conference, Cooper said, "We like coming in as underdogs. Don't believe in us. Hate on us. That's what we want. The media loves Hatorade! Like it's liquor!"

Seriously, folks, Smart is the third XFLer to make it to the Super Bowl (joining Fred Coleman and Corey Ivy) because of his play on the Panthers' special teams. He ranked 15th in the league with a 23.1-yard kickoff return average and finished second on his team with 14 special-teams tackles. He had 24 special-teams tackles in 2002. Oh, and he had a 100-yard return against the Saints that might scare Patriots fans still numb from Desmond Howard's MVP performance for the Packers in 1997.

"We're trying to make somebody hate us after Sunday," said Smart.

That would be you, gentle citizens of Patriot Nation.

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is dshaughnessy@globe.com.