Argonauts.ca staff
TORONTO – Much has been written about the Argonauts secondary this season, due much in part to highlight reel plays by corners AJ Jefferson and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah. The two CFL rookies have both tallied an interception in 2015, and both took that interception to the house for a score. The fact that both touchdowns came at pivotal moments in important games didn’t hurt either.
But there’s another defensive back on the Argonauts who hasn’t gotten the shine of players like Owusu-Ansah and Jefferson. That player is Devin Smith.
The first-year Argonaut has gone about his business with little fanfare in 2015, though his impact in Toronto’s secondary has been significant. Smith currently leads all Argonauts with two interceptions and three pass knockdowns, and ranks second on the team with 28 defensive tackles.
“Devin’s a hard worker, an elite athlete with great catch-up speed,” said Argos head coach Scott Milanovich. “He loves the game and he’s great for our locker room. He probably doesn’t get as much attention as he could.”
Playing his NCAA ball at Wisconsin, Smith was a three-year starter and a darling of head coach Bret Bielema. In fact, Smith was so highly regarded by his coach that a foot injury sustained in week two of the 2011 season was named as a reason why that Wisconsin team – which eventually made it to the Rose Bowl – didn’t win the national championship.
“I honestly think if he had played the entire year the way he was playing at the time he got hurt, we probably never would have lost,” Bielema told ESPN Radio in 2012. “Devin was playing as good of football as we’ve ever seen.”
The injury sidelined Smith for nearly his entire junior season, an experience he describes as extremely difficult.
“It was tough just because of the fact that I wasn’t out there, it was hard to stay tuned in week by week mentally,” said Smith. “We had a great team that year, we went to the Rose Bowl, so it was tough trying to still be a part of it, you want to be out there but you can’t do anything, you know you have to wait until next year.”
But a lost season didn’t slow Smith down as a senior, leading all Badgers with four interceptions while adding a sack and finishing sixth on the team in total tackles. That year Smith earned Second-Team All Big Ten honours, though he was still being overlooked.
Smith wasn’t invited to the 2012 NFL combine and didn’t hear his name called in the draft, though he eventually signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent. After being given his walking papers early in camp, Smith latched on with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was given another opportunity to shine.
“I didn’t really think I was going to get picked up again because I was released so early in camp,” he said. “(In Pittsburgh) I played in four preseason games, I believe I got an interception in the second game, so I signed with the practice roster.”
While working on the Steelers’ practice roster, Smith had an opportunity to go up against one of the league’s best, an experience he believes has greatly aided him in his transition to the CFL.
“One guy I used to talk to all the time was Antonio Brown,” he said. “We would go head to head all the time because I was on the practice roster, and I think it helped me going against one of the best receivers there. It built a lot of confidence.”
Smith has started all eight games for the Argonauts in 2015, and he along with the secondary continues to improve, though he admits there is still work to be done.
“I think (the secondary) has been good, but we haven’t been exceptional or to the level we want,” said Smith. “Every single week we continue to find the mistakes we’re making on film, and continue to grow to become the defence we’ve wanted to be since the beginning of the season.”
And Smith says he’s not bothered by the lack of personal recognition he’s received, instead focusing on how he can help the secondary, and the defence, succeed as a whole.
“My mindset is to get better every day and make sure that as a player I’m contributing to the defence and secondary and helping us win, however that may be,” he said. “Whether that’s interceptions or pass breakdowns, if my boys are eating in the process, then I love it. That’s a win for the defence and that’s all that matters.
It’s an attitude and a work ethic that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I certainly have a lot of comfort with Devin back there, and I know how much better of a group we are than we were a year ago,” said Milanovich. “He’s one of the guys you like seeing in the morning. He’s happy to be here, it’s not misery for him, and he loves to play the game. You can’t have too many of those guys.”