Little things add up for Smith
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Defensive end Aaron Smith sacks Giants quarterback Rhett Bomar Saturday at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
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They say it's the little things that tell so much about a person ...
Just about everybody knows Aaron Smith is a terrific defensive end, the best 3-4 defensive end in the NFL. "One of the greatest players in Steelers history," teammate Brett Keisel gushed last week. "The key to our defense," captain James Farrior added, aware that All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu and sack masters James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley also play on that unit.
But it's the little things ...
When the Steelers played the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field Aug. 14, their exhibition game was delayed for 73 minutes by lightning late in the second quarter. By that time, Smith and the other starters were finished for the night, their work limited to two series. But when the teams prepared to resume play, there was Smith, warming up with the reserves, doing the stretching, doing the running, doing all of the drills.
"Those guys had to do it. Why shouldn't I?" Smith asked. Told that he was the only Steelers' starter to do the warm-ups, he shrugged. "That's just me."
Selfless.
A star who doesn't think he's any better than the team's second- and third-stringers.
That explains, as well as anything, why Smith is such a great player.
The physical tools are invaluable, sure. Smith is a massive man -- 6 feet 5, maybe 300 pounds. His run-stopping techniques are superb. "He's unblockable," Keisel said, still gushing. Smith's knowledge of the defense is second to none. "He never does anything bad out there," Farrior said. "The coaches never have to yell at him."
But Smith's low-key, low-maintenance personality also factors into his success.
Here's another of those little things ...
After working his way through a media scrum the other day, politely answering every question as always, Smith said in a quiet moment: "I don't like the attention. I don't mind doing the interviews. I just don't like the attention. I don't need it."
First Published August 23, 2010 12:00 am
