DE Will Smith (National Champion, Super Bowl Champion, Pro-bowler; R.I.P.)

[Buckskin86]

SMITH SUSPENSION DELAYED: Judge Gary Larson ruled to extend a temporary injunction that prevents the implementation of four-game suspension against Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams until their appeal is resolved.

Based on Larson's ruling, there's chance that the suspension ultimately will be scuttled. Until the appeals are resolved, Saints's defensive end Will Smith will also be permitted to keep playing.

It's very good news for Saints and Vikings fans. And also for NBC, which will have all three players available when the season kicks off on Sept.. 9 with a nationally televised game between the Vikings and the Saints at the Superdome.

It's highly unlikely that the Smith and the Williamses will be suspended at any point in the 2010 season.

New Orleans Saints: Will Smith, Vikings Gary And Pat Williams Suspension On More Appeal

 

[dragurd]

This is getting really lame. The judge just needs to but out and let the NFL handle their business.

 

[billmac91]

This is getting really lame. The judge just needs to but out and let the NFL handle their business.

Because the NFL will then suspend the starcaps users, even though it wasn't identified in their banned substances list. The legal system is supposed to be a fair way to settle disputes, come to a ruling, etc. Each side has a good case in this situation, so I don't believe the NFL should be judge and jury.

 

[BB73]

Judge Gary Larson ...

Justice will be rendered from The Far Side.

 

[Buckskin86]

New Orleans Saints DE Will Smith gets on-field advice from the U.S. Army
By James Varney, The Times-Picayune
June 05, 2010

When the New Orleans Saints fanned across the field the field to stretch Saturday morning, defensive end Will Smith, who leads the defensive linemen unit, found himself flexing in front of a grandstand filled with U.S. Army soldiers.

The soldiers, mostly Louisiana National Guardsmen out of West Monroe, have been based down in Venice since May 1 to help with the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. They got a day off for relaxation Saturday and elected to spend it in the broiling sun watching the Saints practice at their Airline Drive facility.

When the time for stretches came, and several prominent players like Smith and quarterback Drew Brees wound up in front of the filled Airline Highway bleachers, the fans and the soldiers began to call out to their athletic heroes.

Capt. Josh Culp, once a Saints season ticket holder a lifelong Who Dat, rose to his feet and urged Smith to convey greetings to quarterback Brett Favre, should Favre return to the Minnesota Vikings this fall. The Saints and the Vikings, who played a memorable NFC Championship game in 2009 that the Saints won in overtime after pounding Favre all night, will meet again in the NFL's 2010 season opener Sept. 9 in the Superdome.

"Hey, Will!" Culp shouted, "you gotta hit Brett Favre for me!"

Smith looked up from his stretch, searching the nearby stands for the military advisor..

"That's right, get that old man out of the game!" Culp continued, as Smith and a couple of other black-and-gold defenders broke into wide grins and shook their heads.

New Orleans Saints DE Will Smith gets on-field advice from the U.S. Army | - NOLA.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Super Bowl Champ & Proctor Alum Will Smith gets key to city of Utica
WKTV News
Story Created: Jun 11, 2010

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - He's an example of local talent coming from humble beginnings and making it to the top of his game. Now, he can say he has the keys to the city of Utica.

Multimedia Watch The Video
Proctor High School alum and Super Bowl champ Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints was given the keys by Mayor David Roefaro Friday morning at City Hall.

Smith is back in the area as he's going to be holding a football clinic through his non-profit Where There's a Will,There's a Way Foundation.

He says helping the kids of the area is his way of giving back, "I thought it was my job really to come back to Utica and do something for this community since I grew up here and this community has done so much for me. Anything I could do to help the kids out here, I'm willing to do."

Smith's camp is happening on Saturday June 12th from 10:00am to 4:00pm at his old stomping grounds, Proctor High School. He's been holding these training camps for five years. They help to train kids not only in football but also academically.

Super Bowl Champ & Proctor Alum Will Smith gets key to city of Utica | NBC-WKTV News Channel 2 - Utica News, Weather, Sports - | Local News

Will Smith wants to resolve his StarCaps situation
Posted by Mike Florio on June 12, 2010

Lost at times in the legal odyssey that has landed in more courtrooms than Pacman Jones, Saints defensive end Will Smith continues to face a four-game suspension for taking StarCaps in 2008.

The league received during the 2009 season clearance from the civil justice system to suspend Smith for four games. But the league opted to defer the penalty, given that Vikings defensive ends Pat and Kevin Williams continue to have far greater success in staving off the suspensions.

Still, Smith hopes to find a way to resolve the situation, even as it appears that the suspensions will continue to be delayed for at least another full season as the Williamses appeal a decision to permit the league to proceed.

"It's a thorn in your foot," Smith recently told Alex Marvez and Jim Miller of Sirius NFL Radio. "It's just always there and everybody keeps talking about it. At the end of the day, we feel like we didn't do anything wrong because it wasn't like we were using steroids. We're like, 'We know we made a mistake by taking something on the banned substance list.' We want to try and resolve it the best way we can and move forward. We don't want it to stain our careers that any time we talk about those guys that everybody refers to the StarCaps."

Smith said that former Saints defensive end Charles Grant, unsigned after being cut by the team after the 2009 season, feels the same way -- they both want to find a way to put it behind them.

But for the same reasons that the league opted not to suspend Smith and Grant when Pat and Kevin remained insulated by the law, the NFL probably won't be inclined to work out a deal with only some of the players who tested positive for the prescription diuretic that secretly served as the active ingredient in StarCaps. To resolve this mess with one of them, the league likely will feel compelled to resolve it with all of them.

It's not impossible, but it won't be easy. And so the situation Smith has called "the never-ending story" won't be ending any time soon.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/06/12/will-smith-wants-to-resolve-his-starcaps-situation/

 

[Buckskin86]

.....Youngsters learn from best at Will Smith?s camp
By JOHN PITARRESI
Observer-Dispatch
Posted Jun 12, 2010

DAVE LONDRES / Observer-Dispatch.
Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints speaks with Nick Hubbell, 17, Little Falls, center, and Rob Graham, 16, Utica, during the "Where There's a Will, There's a Way Foundation" football camp, Saturday, June 12, 2010, in Utica.

UTICA ? Cory Williams was going through his paces at D?Alessandro Stadium on Saturday, and learning some important lessons.

Such as?

?How much footwork is important,? said the John F. Kennedy Middle School freshman.

He was learning that from some of the best at the third annual Where There?s a Will, There?s a Way youth skills camp and football combine led by Will Smith, the former Thomas R. Proctor High School star, Ohio State All-America and star defensive end of the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

?He is a great athlete and a great player and a great person all around,? an appreciative Williams said of Smith, who brought along teammate Jo-Lonn Dunbar, a former Syracuse Corcoran star and now a Saints teammate, and New Orleans secondary coach Tony Oden to help with the camp.

Youngsters learn from best at Will Smith’s camp - Utica, NY - The Observer-Dispatch

 

[Buckskin86]

Posted: Wednesday, 04 August 2010
Will Smith: Underrated - but not underappreciated by the Who Dat Nation
Kristian Garic Reporting

Will Smith has been with the Saints since 2004. He has led the team in sacks from 2005 to 2007. Smith has a career total of 49.5 quarterback sacks and yet he's not considered one of the top flight defensive ends in the league "It simply has to do with the fact that before the Saints won the Super Bowl nobody knew who he was because he played in New Orleans," WWL's Bobby Hebert said. Smith is one of the quiet leaders in the locker room. He's survived a coaching change and is one of three remaining players from the previous coaching regime still on the roster. That is no coincidence. "There is a reason he's around. He's highly productive. He's a tremendous leader and a good character guy something that Coach Sean Payton places a lot of emphases on," Hebert explained.

Smith might be getting better with age. Last season the former Ohio State Buckeye posted a career high of 13 sacks including 7.5 from November through the Super Bowl in February.

"He's is a cornerstone player without question. He makes their defensive line so much better," WWL's Hokie Gajan said. So why isn't he mentioned in the conversation of "elite" defensive ends in the NFL? "He's not flashy. He doesn't have one of those patented sack dances that you see so many defensive ends craft," Gajan said. In the same time frame, Minnesota Vikings defensive end, Jared Allen, has amassed 72 QB takedowns, but only 332 tackles over his career. Sure Allen's sack totals are higher but defensive ends are supposed to stop the run, too. Smith has tallied 419 tackles in his 6 years in the league. By comparison Allen has 332 tackles during the same 6 year period.

Will Smith doesn't care about recognition and isn't a self promoter. "We're about winning games over here," he responded when asked if he feels slighted by the lack of recognition. Smith's leadership qualities don't go unnoticed but by his head coach. "He's a leader. He's one of our captains. Shoot, I'm glad he's with us," Sean Payton told me.

Will Smith: Underrated - But Not Underappreciated By The Who Dat Nation - WWL - AM870 | FM105.3 | News | Talk | Sports

 

[Buckskin86]

Smith sits out

Saints defensive end Will Smith missed his first game since the end of the 2006 season when he sat out Sunday?s game with a groin injury.

Smith, a seven-year veteran, who was injured in last week?s game with the Carolina Panthers, had started 57 straight games ? 52 in the regular season and five in postseason ? since missing the 2006 regular-season finale. He sat out that one because the Saints had already clinched a playoff berth and first-round bye.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/104686059.html

 

[Cornerback6]

Worth mentioning that Will has 2 sacks in the first half tonight. Against Doucheberger...even better.

 

[Buckskin86]

Defensive end: Will Smith, Saints. After a 13-sack season last year, Smith has been held to 2.5 so far. Part of that is because the Saints haven?t been playing with the big leads they had last year and opponents aren?t forced to pass. But Smith still has the ability to be the most dangerous pass-rusher in the division.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/15163/midseason-all-nfc-south-defense

 

[Buckskin86]

New Orleans Saints DE Will Smith picks Kitna - NFL.com video

 

[Smooth Olaf]

Saints DE Will Smith charged with domestic abuse

NEW ORLEANS(AP) ? New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith was arrested Saturday in Louisiana after he was accused of grabbing his wife's hair and pulling her down the street.
Police in Lafayette, which is about 50 miles west of Baton Rouge, said Smith and his wife had gotten into an argument just after 2 a.m. while leaving a nightclub. Police Cpl. Paul Mouton said in a press release that officers on patrol saw the argument escalate, and then saw Smith grab the woman's hair.

continued...

 

[Buckskin86]

Smith calls his arrest 'unfortunate misunderstanding'
Saints defensive end faces charges
Brad Biggs
November 30, 2010

New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith, who was arrested Saturday morning and charged with domestic battery in Lafayette, La., has released a statement through the team.

?During the past weekend, my wife Racquel and I were visiting her family in Lafayette, Louisiana for the holiday weekend," Smith's statement reads. "Early Saturday morning, an unfortunate misunderstanding led to my arrest.

?My wife was not injured as reported and this was not a domestic issue. I am confident that the legal process will bear this out. Both Racquel and I look forward to having the legal process play out and will cooperate fully. Until then, and based upon legal counsel, I will not be able to make any further comment on this matter.

?Racquel and I are both extremely thankful to everyone that has offered support through this trying time.?

Reports indicated that Smith was dragging his wife down the street by her hair outside a night club at 2 a.m. Officers witnessed Smith arguing with her before the altercation. Smith was released on $1,000 bond.

Stay tuned to see how this one plays out.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Will-Smith-calls-his-arrest-unfortunate-misunderstanding.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Saints defenders Will Smith, Malcolm Jenkins hope for Buckeyes to shine in Sugar Bowl
Sunday, 02 January 2011
By: Les East

METAIRIE ? New Orleans Saints defenders Will Smith and Malcolm Jenkins will find themselves in the unfamiliar position of standing on the visitor?s sideline during the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Tuesday night in the Superdome.

Both are proud alumni of the Ohio State Buckeyes program and will be rooting their former team on when it plays Arkansas. Smith, a defensive end that New Orleans selected in the first round of the 2004 draft, is confident in the sixth-ranked Buckeyes.

?I expect the Buckeyes to go out there and play a great game and kick Arkansas? butt,? Smith said matter-of-factly. ?Looking at both teams this year I think Ohio State has the best team if those guys show up and play.?

The Buckeyes have never proven to be the better team when they have played a team from the Southeastern Conference, such as the No. 8 Razorbacks, in a bowl game. OSU is 0-9 in bowl games against SEC opponents. Smith said it would be ?huge? for OSU to break through and knock off an SEC team.

?I haven?t actually talked to the coaches about it,? Smith said, ?but I?m sure that?s something they may be talking about in the locker room. I know they?re aware of it and that they have this reputation. They probably want to show everybody they can beat an SEC team.?

http://www.neworleans.com/sports/lo...hope-for-buckeyes-to-shine-in-sugar-bowl.html