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Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith, left, and Cam Newton, right, share a laugh during the first half of a preseason game against Pittsburgh last Thursday. Smith said Wednesday then-offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski got cute with his play calling last season.

(Mike McCarn, Associated Press)

BEREA, Ohio -- Carolina Panthers veteran wide receiver Steve Smith on Wednesday blamed former offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski for some of the team's issues on offense last season.

"The prior offensive coordinator (Chudzinski) really was positioning himself to just apply for that head coaching job," Smith said Wednesday on a conference call with Seattle reporters, according to profootballtalk.com. "I think our offense suffered a little bit because of that.

“At times, we got cute. We did things that weren't necessarily us, like the under-utilizing of (running back) Mike Tolbert. But we're out of that. The past is the past.''

Chudzinski is in his first season as head coach of the Browns. Former Panthers quarterbacks coach Mike Shula is the the team's new offensive coordinator.

“I think Coach Shula is going to change things up, and he has so far,” Smith said. “He just does little different things. Some of it looks small, but we're focusing more on the details, and that's the difference.''

Chudzinski was not available to reporters in Berea to comment after Smith's statement was published.

Carolina ranked 12th in total offense last season (360.7 yards per game), 16th in passing (230.2 yards), ninth in rushing (130.5 yards) and 18th in scoring (22.3 points per game).