Veteran pass rusher Za'Darius Smith has already made his impact on the Atlanta Falcons' defense on the field, and now he's making sure that that extends to off the field. Not only has he been out in the community trying to do some good, he's putting in work to forge relationships with his teammates.
His teammates in the locker room have quickly responded to his infectious energy as a leader, and clearly he's embracing the role as the veteran of the room--and apparently his duties include hosting his new teammates at his house for Thursday Night Football. Talk about making yourself at home.
According to Will McFadden, Smith said he has already bought a house in Atlanta and plans to host the defensive line for tonight's TNF game between the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions, and Daniel Flick reported that Smith will have a chef there cooking lamb chops and lobster tails for the group.
If that's not an attempt to build team camaraderie I'm not sure what is. It's a fun story, but there is something bigger behind it… Smith is clearly making an effort to bring the defensive line room together, and that fits perfectly with what Atlanta has been trying to build under Kevin Stefanski.
Za'Darius Smith is owning the culture this new regime wants to build
Za'Darius Smith doesn't have to be the best player in the room every day to influence it - He has already been through 11 NFL seasons, played for multiple teams and experienced the highs and lows that come with a long career. As the veteran in the room full of youngsters, Atlanta has several players who can benefit from having somebody like that around.
Stefanski made that part of Smith's value clear when Atlanta signed him.
"I think a veteran presence can be helpful in any room," Stefanski said. "And we certainly have some younger guys in the edge room."
The Falcons need that experience, especially with Jalon Walker out for the season and James Pearce Jr. suspended for the first eight games. The interesting part of Smith's Thursday night plans is that it feels like a natural extension of what the Atlanta Falcons have been trying to create.
Nobody asked him to buy a house and invite the defensive line over for dinner. Nobody is forcing him to spend preseason games studying film on an iPad while helping younger players with their technique. He's choosing to do it.
And now he's apparently bringing the group together for a night of football, lamb chops and lobster tails.
Smith's impact also showed up immediately when the games started as he recorded both of Atlanta's sacks in the Falcons' 20-13 Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Falcons still have plenty to prove under Stefanski, and one dinner isn't going to change that. But if Smith keeps bringing the same energy to the locker room that he brought to the Steelers game, Atlanta may have found one of the more important veteran pieces on its defense.
And if lamb chops and lobster tails are part of the team-building, the defensive line probably won't complain.
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