Harrison Smith Is A Fox In A League Full Of Hens

Harrison Smith had two cuts on his face after the Minnesota Vikings’ 23-17 win over the New York Jets in London. He had a horizontal cut across his forehead from his helmet while blocking for Andrew Van Ginkel’s pick-six.

“I guess my helmet was kind of – I was getting a block in,” he said, referring to a block he laid during Van Ginkel’s 63-yard pick-six. “We'll have to address this.”

Smith suffered a wound but was no worse for the wear.

"If he doesn't make that block," said Van Ginkel. "I don't think I score."

Smith had another vertical cut across the brim of his nose from Josh Jacobs’ cleats.

“The toe cleat was random,” he added, laughing. “That's never happened to me in, I don’t know, 25 years.”

There isn’t much that Smith, 35, hasn’t seen or experienced. He’s a 13-year veteran who has played football since he was 10. However, he’s doing things NFL fans rarely have seen before. Smith’s sack of Aaron Rodgers on a blind-side safety blitz was the 20th of his career.

Smith is now one of seven players in NFL history to record 20 sacks and 30 interceptions. Rhonde Barber, LeRoy Butler, Brian Dawkins, Rodney Harrison, and Charles Woodson are the only other players in the 20-30 club. Of them, only Harrison is not in the Hall of Fame.

After sacking Rodgers, he pantomimed Rodgers’

“It was kind of spur of the moment,” Smith admitted. “I actually meant to hit the Jared Allen because he was here.”

Allen, 42, was in attendance because the NFL named him and Osi Umenyiora to the London Games Ring of Honour. Smith played two seasons with Allen, who’s in the Vikings Ring of Honor and a borderline Hall of Famer, which speaks to Smith’s longevity. Allen is a five-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, and 2011 Defensive Player of the Year. He also retired in 2015.

It’s almost unfair that Smith has lasted this long in the league. He’s not the only defensive player making an impact in his mid-30s; Stephon Gilmore, 34, picked off Rodgers to seal the game. But it’s more common for quarterbacks like Rodgers, 40, to play into their 30s than it is for defensive players. League rules protect quarterbacks, where defensive players are frequently exposed.

However, Smith has preserved his time in the league by rigorously preparing his mind and body before games. He doesn’t drink coffee on gamedays to avoid dehydration and uses a medieval contraption to prepare his body to endure physical stress while it's in compromised positions.

“Training in that state of being vulnerable and at your limit,” he told the Star Tribune, explaining why he used the contraption, “while also accepting force.”

Smith mostly relaxes on gamedays and doesn’t watch NFL games before night games because he wants to preserve energy.

“One thing I’ve learned over the years, especially with a night game, is guys can peak too early in the day,” he told the Star Tribune. “It’s hard to not get excited. You only have so much [emotion]. You can’t ride this roller coaster all day long.”

By preserving his body, Smith has married the perfect combination of athleticism and football IQ. He’s not the same player he was in his prime from 2015 to 2021 when he made six Pro Bowls, one All-Pro, and received Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2017. However, Smith has a better mastery of the game. He has a coach’s smarts and can still make an impact on the field.

The Vikings have faced Brock Purdy, C.J. Stroud, and Jordan Love on their 5-0 run. However, Rodgers is a more experienced quarterback with a better idea of how Brian Flores and the defense were trying to attack him. Smith is the biggest counter Minnesota had. Flores moves him all over the field, creating opportunities for sacks, pass breakups, and interceptions.

“Within the constructs of our defense, we try to adjust to our opponent,” said Smith. “We know [Rodgers has] pretty much got it all figured out. We try to match that and get in some checks when he gets in some checks and things like that.”

Late in the second half, Smith lined up alongside seven teammates on Flores’ Bengal Hawk blitz. Flores uses simulated pressure from that formation, meaning not all of the players at the line are rushing. Sometimes linebackers and players from the secondary blitz while the linemen drop back in coverage, confusing the quarterback and offensive linemen.

Rodgers didn’t account for Smith when he set his protections because Smith often doesn’t blitz when he’s at the line. However, Smith was coming after him this time. Arif Hasan was sitting beside me during the game. We both saw the sack coming from the moment Rodgers dropped back. Arif described it as a lion taking down a calf.

“It's everybody kind of working together,” Smith said. “When you get an op, take advantage of it.”

Smith was calm and matter-of-fact as he said that. But a photo of the play surfaced after the game that showed the excitement in his eyes. A lion hunting his prey is a good description of the play. He’s a wily old fox in a league full of spring chickens, a medieval warrior on a modern battlefield. Smith outsmarts almost everyone on the gridiron and has the battle scars to prove he can still make an impact play.