Steelers’ Smith quietly emerging as star
PITTSBURGH (AP) – When Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith pressured Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey into fumbling Sunday, even Smith couldn’t believe what he did. A sack dance – and, Smith said, not much of one, either.
“It was a one-time thing and it will never happen again,” Smith said. “It was for Duce (Staley). He showed me what to do, but I’m not a dancer.”
He is a pass rusher and an excellent run stopper, a rare combination that has helped Smith quietly enjoy one of the best seasons by any NFL defensive lineman. In Smith’s case, quiet is the operative word.
In a league where personal image and self-gratification sometimes seem to drive players more than winning, and a routine play is the cause for on-field celebration, Smith rarely brings attention to himself. He’s not much of a talker or one to launch his own campaign for the Pro Bowl.
So far, his numbers are making a good case by themselves. He has eight sacks, two off the NFL lead shared by the Colts’ Robert Mathis and the Cardinals’ Bertrand Berry, plus four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was credited with an extra sack earlier this week when one mistakenly given Sunday to teammate James Farrior on the Ramsey fumble was credited to him.
Smith is also among the team leaders in pressuring the quarterback, a stat coach Bill Cowher considers important because a rushed quarterback sometimes makes bad plays – a fumble, interception or hurried pass on third down – that can prove bigger than a sack.
“Aaron Smith has played more than just pretty well,” Cowher said. “I think he is one of the best defensive ends in the game. When you watch this guy, he never comes off the field – and it takes two people to block him. If there is one guy, he is usually two or three yards into the backfield. He is having a big-time year.”
To the 6-foot-5, 298-pound Smith, it’s no bigger year than those he had the last few seasons, only one that has been more magnified as he plays on the NFL’s top-ranked defense amid a nine-game Pittsburgh winning streak. The Steelers (10-1) play Sunday night in Jacksonville (6-5).
“I’ve had more opportunities to make plays, and I’ve done that,” Smith said. “I don’t even know how many ends they take to the Pro Bowl, but the chances of me making it in that group, being from Pittsburgh with our 3-4 scheme, I don’t think are very good.”
The Steelers’ system is designed for outside linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans to get most of the sacks as they pressure on blitzes. But Smith has repeatedly fought his way to the quarterback before they do.
“Plays are just coming to me,” he said. “Sometimes you make plays, you beat a double-team or something, but sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time.”
Two games ago, Smith pressured Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer into an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, a safety that proved important as the Steelers’ offense struggled during a 19-14 victory.
He also created scoring the week before, knocking the ball loose from Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia to set up Russell Stuvaints’ 24-yard fumble recovery touchdown.
Smith wasn’t a big-reputation college player at Northern Colorado, one reason why he fell to the fourth round of the 1999 draft – unusually low for a quality defensive end.
But while he missed out on the big draft money, he made up for it by getting a $5.5 million signing bonus in 2002, part of a five-year contract. His 2004 base salary of $3.55 million is the second highest on the Steelers defense to cornerback Chad Scott’s $3.85 million.
“I have better statistics (this season), but I think I’ve been playing consistent the last couple of years,” he said.