I covered Aaron Smith through his entire career, watched him grow from a skinny basketball player to a, well, skinny basketball coach. Aaron’s looking fit and strong these days, and his basketball team, Eden Christian Academy, went 20-6 in his first season.
Let’s roll the notes:
• Drafted in the fourth round of the 1999 draft out of Northern Colorado, Smith may have been the quietest player in the locker room at the time. I recall him sitting on his stool on a daily basis in front of his locker and just observing. The skinny 4-3 end eventually grew into a player Dick LeBeau would call “the greatest 3-4 defensive end I ever coached.”
• Smith became the starting left defensive end in 2000 and didn’t come out of the lineup until a couple of injuriesside) after a 21-yard gain. The tackle led to a missed 50-yard field goal in the third quarter.
