Tag: Harrison Smith

Harrison Smith joins illustrious NFL group with a sack on Sunday

Hall of Fame Harrison coming soon?

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star safety [autotag]Harrison Smith[/autotag] has had an amazing NFL career.

Drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, the Georgia native who played high school football in Tennessee, has spent his whole career with the Minnesota Vikings and has put up some impressive stats. Smith has been selected to the Pro Bowl six-times, making the All-Pro first-team in 2017 and the second-team in 2018.

He’s been a play-maker his entire career, and on Sunday morning in London, England, Smith entered elite NFL territory. With his twentieth career sack, this one taking down future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, he joined just six other players who have 30 career interceptions and 20 career sacks.

While this stat line is impressive, it almost guarantees that Harrison will eventually be enshrined into the Hall of Fame. Five of the six other players who have achieved these numbers have their molds in Canton, Ohio.

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22)warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Hopefully, Harrison has done enough to earn that status.

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Vikings’ Harrison Smith makes history in first half again the Jets

On Sunday against the Jets, he made another play that earned him entry into an exclusive club in NFL history.

Vikings safety Harrison Smith has been known to make a play or two during his 13-year career for the team. He has made enough plays that he has always been considered a potential for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On Sunday against the Jets, he made another play that earned him entry into an exclusive club in NFL history. All but one club member is currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

With a sack on Aaron Rodgers of the Jets, Harrison Smith became the seventh defensive back in NFL history with 30+ interceptions and 20+ sacks in a career. That note was shared by the Vikings Communications department and provided a graphic with the names he joins in that elite club.

Being placed alongside the likes of Rodney Harrison, Ronde Barber, Leroy Butler, and Charles Woodson is always a good thing. Vikings fans aren’t sure how much longer he will be in purple, but they enjoy having him every Sunday.

WATCH: Tyrann Mathieu gets career interception No. 35 in the end zone

Watch Tyrann Mathieu snag the 35th interception of his career — in the end zone. He’s now tied for second-most among active players:

The New Orleans Saints defense is off to a hot start so far, with Alontae Taylor getting his fourth sack of the season, and then Tyrann Mathieu getting the 35th interception of his career to save the Saints from at least a three-point play. He correctly read Jalen Hurts’ eyes and intercepted the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback in the end zone.

Mathieu is now tied for second among active players in career interceptions, tied with Harrison Smith at 35 and behind Patrick Peterson at 36 (pending an interception from either of the others or another one from Mathieu in Week 3). He has been exceptional for the Saints in his time here, and is a much playmaker addition to the safety group.

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Vikings safety Harrison Smith has been playing with a torn muscle since 2015

One of the best safeties to ever play has revealed he’s been playing with a torn muscle since 2015 with the Vikings.

If you need any other reasons to think Harrison Smith is one of the toughest NFL players, here it is. Back in 2015, Smith returned from an MCL injury but he was also playing with another injury — a tear. Smith told Alec Lewis with The Athletic how he was playing with a torn gracilis in his left leg.

“This was my first game back from a pretty bad MCL injury,” he says. “I had also torn a muscle called the gracilis in my left leg. It’s still torn.”

“Yeah,” he says, “we just left it alone.”

The backstory: In early December 2015, the Vikings played the Seattle Seahawks. Smith had already hurt his MCL, and on one of the first plays, he swooped in for a tackle for loss. “A sick TFL,” he says. The next play, on a pass to the flat, the muscle snapped, but Smith says it was “only 90 percent torn.”

Doctors said he could undergo surgery, but then he’d miss time. Smith says they also told him he could tear it himself and keep playing. He tried to tear it on his own by jumping up and down. The pain brought him to tears. He still practiced. “It hurt like a b—-,” he says. One afternoon, after a play in practice, he was walking backward and bumped into a teammate’s foot. The gracilis fully popped.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I’m good now,’” Smith says. “It was fine after that.”

Almost 10 years later, Smith is still going strong. A team captain and one of the best safeties in the league, Smith is a force to be reckoned with. While his time in the NFL is approaching, Smith will always be remembered as one of the best Vikings to ever play.

Smith leads all active players with 34 interceptions, 766 tackles, 175 games started, 42 quarterback hits, and 12 forced fumbles.

Pair of Vikings listed among the league’s most underrated players

Running back Aaron Jones and safety Camryn Bynum were listed among the most underrated players in the NFL by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin.

Despite losing their starting quarterback mid-season, the 2023 Minnesota Vikings came surprisingly close to making the playoffs. One of the major contributors to them falling short was an inability to run the ball on offense all year. Conversely, the play of their defense was one of the key factors in the Vikings even having a chance to make the playoffs at all.

The Vikings made moves in the off-season to address the lack of a running game, and it should come as no surprise that one of those additions, running back Aaron Jones, is listed by CBS Sports’ NFL analyst Cody Benjamin among the most underrated players in the league entering 2024.

Jones has a long history of being productive in the NFL, notching 1,000+ yards in three of the past five seasons, and also adds an element to the passing game out of the backfield that was missing in the Vikings offense last season. Though he’ll be 30 by the end of the season and does have an injury history, he “retains top-flight speed”, writes Benjamin.

Part of the problem with the running game last season was the lackluster blocking up front. Even if that situation doesn’t improve, Jones should be able to make more of it than any of the Vikings’ running backs last year, including Ty Chandler, who can now provide a nice change-of-pace to Jones rather than be relied upon for the bulk of the carries.

On the other hand, the Minnesota Vikings’ defense remains largely the same, and that’s a good thing. They kept Minnesota in a number of games they really had no business being in last season, and it was largely due to Minnesota’s other underrated stud: Safety Camryn Bynum.

Bynum has blossomed into the perfect safety complement to long-time stalwart Harrison Smith. As Smith reaches the twilight of his career, it’s time for Bynum to step up and take charge of the Vikings’ secondary. He’s done that with his play over the last two seasons, accounting for four interceptions and 15 passes defended.

The range that Bynum has from the safety position really opens up other defenders to play to their strengths. Smith can be more of a factor up towards the line of scrimmage. Josh Metellus can be moved all around the field and be a chess piece in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ defensive scheme. Corners can be more aggressive and take chances, knowing they have a rangey safety covering their back.

With these two commanding presences on each side of the ball, expect the 2024 Vikings to be competitive all year long, even with an uneasy situation at quarterback. They did it last year, don’t be surprised if they do it again this year.

Justin Jefferson and Harrison Smith healthy scratches from preseason opener

The Vikings announced that wide receiver Justin Jefferson and safety Harrison Smith both will be healthy scratches against the Raiders.

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Thursday that wide receiver Justin Jefferson and safety Harrison Smith both will be healthy scratches against the Raiders.

Coach Kevin O’Connell made the announcement during his media availability on Thursday. He mentioned that neither player has anything wrong with them, just that they are veterans and not needed for this preseason game, so there is no need to risk injury.

This allows other players to step up and get some reps in in their absence.

On offense, wide receivers Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell will have more targets and snaps to compete for the WR3 spot. Nailor has had a strong camp, but Powell and his versatility seem to have the coaching staff holding out hope.

With Smith resting, Joshua Metellus is expected to start in his place, but we can also expect to see Theo Jackson in more.

It may diminish the viewing experience, but it gives much-needed reps to players fighting for specific roles, which helps the team in the long run.

Vikings safety trio’s overall ratings revealed for Madden 25

Minnesota Vikings fans now know what the Vikings safeties are rated when Madden 25 launches.

Death, paying taxes, and Harrison Smith’s high ratings in the Madden video game franchise are certain in life, and they’ve happened once again this year. The popular video game franchise has released overall ratings for different positions daily.

The safeties overall ratings were revealed and once again, Smith is considered one of the top in the game. He is considered the No. 11 safety in the game with an 87 overall rating. But Smith is a strong safety and there are only four strong safeties who are rated higher than him.

Vikings starting free safety Camryn Bynum is the 31st-ranked safety in the game. When Madden 25 launches, he will have an 81 overall rating. Then Minnesota’s Swiss Army knife, Josh Metellus, has a 77 overall rating and is considered the 53rd-ranked safety in the video game.

These ratings are subject to change as the year goes on. Madden will continue to update ratings based on how players perform.

Vikings S Harrison Smith ranked in NFL top 100 for 7th time in his career

Harrison Smith is ranked on the NFL top 100 players list for the seventh time in his career.

For the seventh time in his career, Vikings safety Harrison Smith is on the NFL’s top 100 players list. Every year, NFL players vote on the best players in the league, and the top 100 is revealed.

Entering his 12th season in the NFL, Smith is ranked as the No. 93 player.

Smith posted 93 combined tackles and a career-best six QB hits in 2023. He also finished with three sacks, which all took place in Week 4 win over the Panthers. With six Pro Bowls and an All-Pro honor under his belt, the 35-year-old has cemented himself as one of the best safeties in the league and remains so as he enters his 13th season with the Vikings.

Smith’s NFL journey is more than likely coming to a close within the next couple of seasons, but he is still one of the more dominant safeties in football. The Vikings have a couple of other safeties to help take the load off of Smith, such as Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus, but when you think about the Minnesota defense, you usually think of Hitman.

Smith was ranked for five straight seasons in the NFL top 100 (2016-2020) and then found his way back on the list last season.

Despite their trio of safeties, PFF is not kind grading the Vikings’ secondary

Despite having one of the better trio of safeties, PFF is not high on the overall secondary room of the Minnesota Vikings.

Pro Football Focus liked the Minnesota linebacker room but did not like the Vikings defensive line whatsoever. Now onto the secondary rankings, once again, PFF is not high on this group for Minnesota either.

Despite having three good safeties in Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, and Josh Metellus, PFF has ranked the Minnesota secondary at No. 27 in the NFL.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores introduced an exotic defense in 2023, and it came with mixed results. Safety Camryn Bynum was the top-graded player in the secondary (73.2), while Harrison Smith’s 68.9 grade was the fourth-best on the team. Here, you get solid but not great players in the secondary, but no superstar players are taking this unit to higher levels.

Going away from the grades, Bynum led all corners and safeties last year with 104 tackles, and Metellus was 10th in the NFL with 86 tackles. While that’s just two players within a whole secondary unit, it feels like Minnesota has a top-10 safety room with some work-in-progress at corner. Byron Murphy is a legit corner for the Vikings, but when you get past him, there are some major concerns.

Minnesota signed Shaq Griffin, who had a few good seasons in Seattle. After Griffin, you get Andrew Booth Jr., Akayleb Evans, and Makhi Blackmon, who have potential but are very unproven.

Is safety the strongest position group for the Vikings?

Position can have a sort of renaissance that sometimes occur when they bring in a new coordinator, for the Vikings safeties that happened.

Position groups can have a sort of renaissance that sometimes occurs when they bring in a new coordinator for the Vikings safeties that happened. The talent has always been there on paper, but in 2023, we saw them take a big step forward, and others have noticed.

Mike Clay of ESPN says the Vikings’ safety group is the biggest strength on the roster. The group, led by Harrison Smith, has also seen the emergence of Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus.

“Minnesota is the only team with three safeties on the roster who played at least 900 snaps last season. Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus (who got some work at slot corner) were all on the field for at least 94% of the Vikings’ defensive plays, and the trio combined for 342 tackles. Smith is still playing solid ball as he enters his age-35 season.”

The defense really shined during the 2023 season with the emergence of Bynum and Metellus. Smith was an established difference-maker on that side of the ball, but the youth infusion will lead this defense into the next generation.

The team brought in more youth in the draft and in free agency. They brought in a franchise rookie quarterback who is poised to be the guy for the next ten years, with a strong defense led by the safeties they can have faith in things going the way they want.