Harrison Smith

[Don Wassall]

Harrison Smith is going to be a star safety in the NFL, joining Eric Weddle. It looks like Smith will be starting as a rookie beginning with his first regular season game.

The article linked to below is a very positive one. It was important for Smith to stand up for himself when the inevitable (implicitly racial) hazing came his way from Percy Harvin and Jerome Simpson (and likely other black "teammates"). Toby Gerhart just took it his first training camp two years ago and was repeatedly brutalized by black Vikings defenders while Brad "The Mangina" Childress and the rest of the coaching staff did nothing to try to stop it even though their second round draft pick could easily have been seriously injured. Fortunately Smith did enough to establish himself. Riley Cooper did the same in his first camp two years ago but alas poor Riley was drafted by a team where he is destined to be a backup at best barring injuries to the players in front of him.

Harrison Smith Brings Much Needed Attitude to Safety Position

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/..._muchneeded_attitude_to_safety_position081612

 

[Thrashen]

Harrison Smith is going to be a star safety in the NFL, joining Eric Weddle. It looks like Smith will be starting as a rookie beginning with his first regular season game.

It’ll be nice to see Minnesota featuring a white defensive back. I don’t believe they’ve had a starting white safety, or even one that’s seen any significant playing time (Dustin Fox never saw the field) since Brian Russell led the NFL in interceptions (9) in 2003...

CAPTION: Brian Russell, NFL INT Leader

The next season, Russell recorded 111 tackles and 2 interceptions. Of course, he wasn’t re-signed by the Vikings and his career was destroyed while playing for an abysmal Cleveland squad and he was later jerked around by the Caste Walrus in Seattle.

With any luck, Harrison Smith can have a long career in Minnesota.

 

[Don Wassall]

"The Eraser" making his mark

Don't know if it'll catch on or not but Smith has earned himself a pretty cool nickname.


Harrison Smith: The Vikings' 'Eraser'

by Kevin Seifert

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- There have been at least two occasions this season when I've felt compelled to pause the DVR, grab my NFC North master roster and confirm what position No. 22 plays for the Minnesota Vikings. Rest assured. Harrison Smith is in fact a safety, and he is already -- by default, if nothing else -- the best safety the Vikings have employed in years.

It's been a while since we've seen a safety make a significant game-changing play for the Vikings, and Smith has two of them in four games this season. In Week 1, he lunged to tip away a third-down pass from Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Laurent Robinson in overtime, forcing the Jaguars into a make-or-break fourth down they failed to convert. And last Sunday at Ford Field, Smith's well-timed hit on Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson broke up a certain touchdown in the end zone.

No penalty flags were thrown. Indeed, as Smith has demonstrated, there is nothing illegal about a safety making a play.

"He was facing one of the best passing offenses in the league on Sunday," coach Leslie Frazier said, "and to make some of the plays he made and to play with the awareness that he played with, we hadn't seen that at the safety position in awhile here. It was good to see a guy play with such poise, play with control, not panic …. It's been impressive watching some of the things he does and the way he practices, the way he prepares, he's doing a good job."

Smith has made his share of mistakes, of course, but he has also made plays that the average observer wouldn't realize he deserves credit for. According to defensive coordinator Alan Williams, Smith broke up a third-quarter deep pass to Johnson on Sunday essentially by instinct.

"That wasn't necessarily his play," Williams said. "He did a great job of coming from the backside and making a play on the football. He does that more often than not. There have been some plays where he's made up for some other people. When I was in Indianapolis, coach [Tony] Dungy would call that, so to speak, 'The Eraser.' He can erase some mistakes that maybe other people make."

Indeed, when you watch the play, you see Smith set to defend the right side of the field from the defense's perspective. Fellow safety Jamarca Sanford was lined up over the top of Johnson and two other Lions receivers on the left side. It appeared Sanford was supposed to bracket Johnson deep while cornerback Antoine Winfield had him short.

Winfield began frantically pointing toward Sanford after passing Johnson off, but Sanford got turned around and was near the sideline when Johnson cut inside on a circle post route. Quarterback Matthew Stafford rolled to that sideline and launched the ball. But as he did that, Smith drifted toward Johnson and was in position for an interception before Johnson barreled into him.

"I didn't have a lot of work on my side of the field," Smith said. "The quarterback was rolling left, so I naturally rolled that way and got depth. You never know what's going to happen with the quarterback, and the guys in this league, especially Stafford, have the arms to throw it as far as they want. Just rolled and got depth."

Smith shrugged when I asked him if he realized the context of the plays he has made this season.

"I expect to make plays like that," he said. "I think most safeties that go out there today do. Honestly, I think I should have picked that deep ball off. He did a nice job getting his hands in there, but those are plays I want to make and get better in the future."

Whoa, Eraser, don't go talking crazy there. You don't even realize what you've already erased.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/64501/harrison-smith-the-vikings-eraser

 

[Awake in America]

Don't know if it'll catch on or not but Smith has earned himself a pretty cool nickname.


Harrison Smith: The Vikings' 'Eraser'

by Kevin Seifert

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- There have been at least two occasions this season when I've felt compelled to pause the DVR, grab my NFC North master roster and confirm what position No. 22 plays for the Minnesota Vikings. Rest assured. Harrison Smith is in fact a safety, and he is already -- by default, if nothing else -- the best safety the Vikings have employed in years.

It's been a while since we've seen a safety make a significant game-changing play for the Vikings, and Smith has two of them in four games this season. In Week 1, he lunged to tip away a third-down pass from Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Laurent Robinson in overtime, forcing the Jaguars into a make-or-break fourth down they failed to convert. And last Sunday at Ford Field, Smith's well-timed hit on Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson broke up a certain touchdown in the end zone.

No penalty flags were thrown. Indeed, as Smith has demonstrated, there is nothing illegal about a safety making a play.

"He was facing one of the best passing offenses in the league on Sunday," coach Leslie Frazier said, "and to make some of the plays he made and to play with the awareness that he played with, we hadn't seen that at the safety position in awhile here. It was good to see a guy play with such poise, play with control, not panic …. It's been impressive watching some of the things he does and the way he practices, the way he prepares, he's doing a good job."

Smith has made his share of mistakes, of course, but he has also made plays that the average observer wouldn't realize he deserves credit for. According to defensive coordinator Alan Williams, Smith broke up a third-quarter deep pass to Johnson on Sunday essentially by instinct.

"That wasn't necessarily his play," Williams said. "He did a great job of coming from the backside and making a play on the football. He does that more often than not. There have been some plays where he's made up for some other people. When I was in Indianapolis, coach [Tony] Dungy would call that, so to speak, 'The Eraser.' He can erase some mistakes that maybe other people make."

Indeed, when you watch the play, you see Smith set to defend the right side of the field from the defense's perspective. Fellow safety Jamarca Sanford was lined up over the top of Johnson and two other Lions receivers on the left side. It appeared Sanford was supposed to bracket Johnson deep while cornerback Antoine Winfield had him short.

Winfield began frantically pointing toward Sanford after passing Johnson off, but Sanford got turned around and was near the sideline when Johnson cut inside on a circle post route. Quarterback Matthew Stafford rolled to that sideline and launched the ball. But as he did that, Smith drifted toward Johnson and was in position for an interception before Johnson barreled into him.

"I didn't have a lot of work on my side of the field," Smith said. "The quarterback was rolling left, so I naturally rolled that way and got depth. You never know what's going to happen with the quarterback, and the guys in this league, especially Stafford, have the arms to throw it as far as they want. Just rolled and got depth."

Smith shrugged when I asked him if he realized the context of the plays he has made this season.

"I expect to make plays like that," he said. "I think most safeties that go out there today do. Honestly, I think I should have picked that deep ball off. He did a nice job getting his hands in there, but those are plays I want to make and get better in the future."

Whoa, Eraser, don't go talking crazy there. You don't even realize what you've already erased.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/64501/harrison-smith-the-vikings-eraser

A quick scan of the message boards after his ejection tells me he is winning over the DWFs. I think the ejection will work in his favor. The DWFs will think he was wronged (he was), but he will get DWF points for being a bad@ss. Double win for Harrison Smith. I like how he plays. He's an enforcer that can cover. Just needs to let that hair grow out, and tell his agent to get to work!

 

[sport historian]

Harrison Smith is from Knoxville, TN and Knoxville Catholic High School. He supposedly had offers from the University of Tennessee, but (probably wisely) went to Notre Dame.

I suspect that playing high school football in Knoxville and colege ball at Notre Dame taught him to stand his ground and not back down in dealing with the football players he is thrown in with. Toby Gerhart seems not to have learned this lesson at Stanford.

 

[jaxvid]

A quick scan of the message boards after his ejection tells me he is winning over the DWFs. I think the ejection will work in his favor. The DWFs will think he was wronged (he was), but he will get DWF points for being a bad@ss. Double win for Harrison Smith. I like how he plays. He's an enforcer that can cover. Just needs to let that hair grow out, and tell his agent to get to work!

Right on. When has bad bahavior ever cost an affalete the love of the DWF's? I know the bar is different for whitey but football fans are so freakin' clueless about race sometimes most of them probably don't even realize Harrison Smith is a White guy.

 

[bearclaw500]

Hartman: Harrison Smith best Vikings rookie safety ever

The Vikings have had some great safeties over the years, such as Hall of Famer Paul Krause, who came to the Vikings in a great trade with the Redskins back in 1968, first-round draft choice Joey Browner, Robert Griffith and Darren Sharper, who became a Viking after being a longtime Packer.
I have followed the Vikings closely since their inception. And I'm confident no Vikings safety has had as good of a rookie year as first-round pick Harrison Smith.
He is one of the big reasons the Vikings are much improved defensively.
Smith has made some great plays this year, but none more important than the touchdown he scored on an interception Sunday that was the margin of victory over a stubborn Arizona team.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/175170381.html

 

[Extra Point]

Before the 2012 NFL draft the anti-whites tried to denigrate Harrison Smith as much as possible. Aside from the usual "limited athletically" description they give all white athletes, the anti-whites claimed that Smith wasn't good in man to man coverage.

According to the reports I read Smith didn't give up a single reception his senior year. If he played man coverage, he must have played it well because he didn't give up a single reception. If he didn't play man coverage then there's nothing on which to base an evaluation, therefore there is no basis for making a claim that Smith couldn't play man coverage.

The anti-whites were looking for a way to denigrate a white player so they fabricated the "can't play man coverage" for Smith.

The Vikings wisely evaluated Smith on his own merits and traded up to take him in the first round. They will now reap the benefits.

 

[seattlefan]

It's interesting how the Vikings have changed in recent years. It wasn't long ago that they were a very black-thug type of team. Today they have 4 white starters on defense, and they are probably their 4 best defensive players. I'm pretty sure their GM Rick Spielman is the main force bringing in these white players, to his credit.

 

[jaxvid]

Before the 2012 NFL draft the anti-whites tried to denigrate Harrison Smith as much as possible. Aside from the usual "limited athletically" description they give all white athletes, the anti-whites claimed that Smith wasn't good in man to man coverage.

According to the reports I read Smith didn't give up a single reception his senior year. If he played man coverage, he must have played it well because he didn't give up a single reception. If he didn't play man coverage then there's nothing on which to base an evaluation, therefore there is no basis for making a claim that Smith couldn't play man coverage.

The anti-whites were looking for a way to denigrate a white player so they fabricated the "can't play man coverage" for Smith.

The Vikings wisely evaluated Smith on his own merits and traded up to take him in the first round. They will now reap the benefits.

The phrases "limited athletically" and "not the fastest guy out there" are very thinly disguised terms for "White guy". I have never heard them used for a black player-ever.

After Drew Dileo's big game for Michigan this weekend they interviewed coach Brady Hoke about it and the first thing he said is "he's not the fastest guy out there", coach Hoke should be fired for having the one player on the field who is not faster then every other player on the field.

White safety Jordan Kovacs, also of the Wolverines, is routinely castigated because he "can't play in man coverage". He was 2nd in tackles in the Big 10 last year but he is "limited athletically" and not "the fastest guy out there". Why can't the coaches, who can't "teach speed" get their faster guys out there to make as many tackles as the poor athlete? No one ever gives me an answer for that.

 

[Don Wassall]

Why Harrison Smith Is the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year


The Minnesota Vikings' success this year has been attributed almost exclusively to star running back Adrian Peterson, but it has been a resurgent defense—particularly the secondary led by rookie free safety Harrison Smith—that has the Vikings in playoff contention.

The Vikings secondary has long been the laughing stock of the division and suffered a terrible season in 2011. Because of new faces in the secondary, specifically Smith on the back-end, the Vikings DBs are no longer a liability, but a strength.

Smith has shown that he was well worth trading up in the 2012 NFL Draft to obtain, and his contributions to a team that no one thought would be a contender should have him in consideration for a Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.

His three interceptions—two for touchdowns—and one fumble recovery would be impressive for any rookie safety, but for Smith it doesn't stop there.

Not only is he tied for first on the team in interceptions and passes defensed, Smith is fourth on the team in tackles—as a free safety. And if that is not enough, Smith has more touchdowns than all of the Vikings wide receivers who are not named Percy Harvin.

The rookie has completely changed the culture of this Vikings secondary.

In two games against the league's most dominant receiver, Calvin Johnson, the defense held him to a total of 17 receptions for 261 yards and one touchdown. After a big hit from Smith in the end zone at Ford Field early in the year, Megatron showed what is commonly known as, "alligator arms" and could barely haul in a reception for the rest of the day.

Smith's great hands and field vision give him the makings of a star "center fielder" that the Vikings haven't seen since Darren Sharper or hall of famer Paul Krause. His aggression and great tackeling form give this team an enforcer the Vikings have never had in recent memory.

Simply put, Harrison Smith is largely responsible for the revolution of this secondary—and really a defense—that has the Vikings in playoff contention.

Along with MVP candidate Adrian Peterson, Smith is surely a player that will be considered for the Pro Bowl, and he most definitely should be called the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...son-smith-is-the-defensive-rookie-of-the-year

 

[bearclaw500]

Brandon Marshall Calls Harrison Smith the Hardest Hitting Safety

COMMENTARY | When thinking of the hardest hitting safety in the NFL, most fans would be quick to point out players like Bernard Pollard, Kam Chancellor, Laron Landry, or even Dashon Goldson. But the Minnesota Vikings have an up-and-coming safety of their own.
Minnesota Vikings' second-year player Harrison Smith is the hardest hitting safety in the NFL, according to Chicago Bears' wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
On Monday afternoon, Marshall responded to a tweet from former NFL safety Hamza Abdullah (Hamza's brother, Husian Aduballah, played four years with the Vikings). Hamza posed the question "Who's the hardest hitting safety in the NFL?" via Twitter. Marshall was quick to respond with "Minnesota's 22."
Of course, Harrison Smith wears the number 22 for the purple and gold.
Here is what the full conversation looked like:
Abdullah: "Who's the hardest hitting safey in the NFL?"
Marshall: "Minnesota's 22"
Adbullah: "Harrison Smith hitting like that?!?!"
Marshall: "Every play"
Yes, Brandon Marshall believes Harrison Smith is the hardest hitting safety in the NFL right now. Of course, he may be a little biased as he did just play Harrison and the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday, but Smith has made his fair share of bone-crunching hits.
There is no question Harrison Smith is stud in the making. Last season, he recorded 104 tackles and three interceptions. So far this season, Smith has already recorded 18 tackles and intercepted Jay Cutler on a pass intended for none other than Brandon Marshall. Smith is a very underrated player and will likely be in the Pro Bowl sooner than later.
In a league that seems to give out fines almost every week due to hard and illegal hits, Harrison Smith has had his wallet open a few times. Smith was fined $21k back in the preseason of the 2012 season for a hit on a defenseless receiver. He was also fined for a horse-collar tackle on Washington Redskins' quarterback Robert Griffin III that same year. So far in the 2013 season, through two games, Harrison has kept his wallet closed and his play clean.
As for Marshall, he won't have to face the Vikings and Smith until Week 13 of the regular season. The Bears defeated the Vikings 31-30 in their Week 2 matchup.


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/brando...th-hardest-hitting-safety-221500710--nfl.html

 

[backrow]

such a shame, as he was having a great season but Smith has been put on IR with a designated to return tag, meaning he could potentially come back for their last two game when he's eligible.

 

[dwid]

such a shame, as he was having a great season but Smith has been put on IR with a designated to return tag, meaning he could potentially come back for their last two game when he's eligible.

Thats how you know how good he is. A White safety put on the partial IR, I think there is a limited number of players you can put on there, right?


edit just looked it up, it says its limited to one player per team. They are bringing him back for 2 games, I don't think they are making the playoffs

 

[RTTAS]

Smith resigns to a $51.3mil extension over 5 years, making him the deservedly highest paid safety in the league. Hopefully his dominance, following Weddles, encourages more high school coaches, college recruiters, college coaches, and NFL recruiters to give white DBs a chance.

 

[Don Wassall]

Sports Illustrated (From a Cultural Communist Perspective) has a piece on Harrison Smith in the current issue. The gist of it is that despite being the key cog on Minnesota's strong defense, Smith remains "under the radar" and is the NFL's "most anonymous star."

This is attributed to Smith being low-key and not seeking publicity. But "after one game last season a national radio station asked Minnesota's pr staffers if they could corral one of their 'high-level guys' for an interview. When the Vikings said Smith was on board, the station declined -- he wasn't high level enough."

Vikings GM Rick Spielman is quoted as "expressing mild disgust that it took until last year for Pro Football Focus's top-rated safety of 2015 to make his first Pro Bowl (and as an injury replacement at that)."

Smith was the very rare White high school football star who received offers from several big-name programs, but only Notre Dame promised him that he could play safety, the rest wanting him to bulk up and play linebacker. I don't know what position he played in high school in Knoxville, but I would imagine it was cornerback given his speed and athleticism, but maybe even at that level he was racially slotted to safety.

Smith isn't interested in social media and still works out in the off-season at his high school gym. He's a licensed pilot and loves to fly. Seems very well grounded and sure he doesn't seek out the media spotlight, but that's no excuse for the media ignoring him. Given that he and Eric Weddle are the only two White stars at their position -- and it took Weddle a ridiculously long time to be reluctantly acknowledged as such -- it would be like the media ignoring Russell Wilson and Cam Newton if they were the only two starting black QBs.

 

[backrow]

Turns out that Harrison is a top safety in NFL through midway of the season.

https://thevikingage.com/2017/11/05/smith-nfls-top-graded-safety-midseason/

 

[celticdb15]

Enjoy watching this guy play, truly a gifted athlete!

 

[RTTAS]

According to Pro Football Focus, Harrison Smith wasn't just the best safety in the NFL for 2017 - he was the best-graded player at any position...and the highest graded-safety in the history of PFF.

There has been no better player across all positions than Minnesota’s Harrison Smith, who has been the field general for the league’s best defense over the course of the year. Smith’s overall PFF grade of 98.8 was the best mark in the league not only among safeties, but at any position, and is the highest mark we have ever given a safety over 10 years of grading. His ability to play all over the defense for the Vikings – lining up at both free and strong safety on more than a third of his defensive snaps and even covering the slot against both tight ends and receivers – allows that defense to scheme up virtually anything they want, knowing that they have the moveable chess piece to make it happen and get the right players in the right spots.

And yet he still wasn't good enough to make the pro bowl in the eyes of the DWFs. His regular season 2017 stats: 78 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5 interceptions, 12 pass defenses.