PHILADELPHIA – Nolan Smith has a unique way of putting things in perspective when it comes to football and how grateful he is to be playing a game he absolutely loves to play.
After posting the first multi-sack game of his career, and doing it in a playoff game no less, he was asked about the grimy, gritty, nasty way he plays, and he went in a very different direction than you might think.
“I’m supposed to be on a port, I’m supposed to be on the graveyard shift right now, anchoring down boats, so I go out there and I just want to make my momma proud and the 10 guys next to me proud,” he said. “When they turn on the film they know (number) 3 is gonna be flying to the ball. I try to do that every day in practice.”
Give him points for not spouting cliches.
Give him points, too, for the season he's having. He may very well be the Eagles’ biggest personnel surprise in a season full of them, with players such as Zack Baun, Mekhi Becton moving to guard, rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean playing like vets, and Jalen Carter becoming an iron man when it comes to his snap count.
Smith went from playing just 16 percent of the defensive snaps to 52 percent this year with Vic Fangio in charge of the defense.
“I didn't have any expectations,” said the defensive coordinator. “I shoot high. Put no limits on anybody and let's just see where he went, and he kept improving.”
Smith had one sack last year after being drafted 30th overall. This year he posted 6.5 sacks during the regular season and now has 8.5 after his devastating game against the Packers and their quarterback Jordan Love. Think that’s easy dragging down Love, think again. The QB had been sacked just 14 times in 15 games.
