The Pittsburgh Steelers have been led by their defenses throughout the history of the team. During the 1970s, it was the Steel Curtain that helped capture four Super Bowl victories, and the stifling defense of the Steelers during the mid 2000s led the franchise to two more Lombardi Trophies. Troy Polamalu and James Harrison are some of the guys most remember from those elite defenses, but a key defender was also Ryan Clark - who won Super Bowl XLIII with Pittsburgh.
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Steelers' Ryan Clark (#25) knocks out Baltimore Raven's Willis McGahee (#23) in the AFC Championship game in January, 2009.
Clark is most well known for being a great side kick to Polamalu in the defensive backfield. However, before he got to that point, he was struggling just to find his footing in the league. He was an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2002 season, and he signed with the New York Giants. During his rookie year, he played some, but also spent some time on the practice squad. He was waived by New York after the 2003 season, and was picked up by the then-Washington Redskins.
The safety spent two seasons in Washington, but he almost never even had a chance ahead of his first season. Pittsburgh's current Special Teams Coordinator, Danny Smith was serving in that role for Washington when Clark was there. The safety told a story to Bill Belichick, Chris Long, and Chad Johnson on Inside The NFL about how Smith argued to get Clark on the active roster to play special teams, and how it changed the trajectory of his career.
"Without Danny Smith, I'm not sitting here hosting this show, I don't get opportunities to play against these two great men, or play against the greatest coach of all-time," Clark said. "It's 2004, I was picked up the day before training camp. I was down the first week, the second week I'm up because I'm going to start on every special teams. LaVar Arrington, on the Sunday of the second game of the year against the New York Giants, who had just cut me, goes and he says, 'Hey Coach, I can play, I can play a couple of snaps of defense.'"
The issue with LaVar Arrington saying he could play is that he would have taken Clark's spot on the active roster. Arrington hadn't practiced all week, while Clark was fighting for his life just to get a helmet on game day. Clark needed every rep he could get to prove that he belonged in the NFL and hopefully one day become a starting safety.
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Ryan Clark during his second stint in Washington.
Steelers' Danny Smith Fought For Ryan Clark
Thankfully for Clark, Smith was on that coaching staff. He also happened to be in charge of special teams. Clark told the rest of his story to Belichick, Long, and Johnson, and he detailed how Smith argued for Clark to be the starter on special teams. Of course, this led to an even bigger and better career for Clark.
"Danny Smith and Gregg Williams have a conversation with Joe Gibbs," Clark said. "Danny Smith said, 'Ryan Clark practiced this entire time. He was a guy that busted his tail the entire preseason on special teams. I told him that he would be up, and I want to keep my word.' Danny Smith wins that argument, he keeps his word. It's halftime of that game, I'm using the bathroom next to Steve Jackson and he turns to me and goes, 'Do you know strong safety?' And I said, 'Yes Coach, I do.'"
Steve Jackson was the defensive backs coach in Washington at the time, and Clark had played well enough on special teams to be considered to actually play defense. This was the beginning of a great career for Clark, as he turned into one of the better safeties in the NFL once arriving in Pittsburgh. He finished telling his story about how Smith helped save his NFL career.
"That was the first defensive snaps I played for Washington, and I played the next week, the next week, and the week after I was the starter. If Danny Smith doesn't fight for me to be up, just to play special teams because All-Pro LaVar Arrington said he can go after not practicing all week, I'm probably not sitting in this position."
Obviously, Smith and Clark were able to reunite in Pittsburgh during the 2012 season when Smith joined the coaching staff. Clark left Washington after two seasons and signed with the Steelers, and the rest is history.
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Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith.
He got himself a Super Bowl ring and signed two contracts with Pittsburgh. When he retired from the NFL, he signed a one-day contract with Pittsburgh so he could retire a Steeler.
What do you think about this story from Clark? Let us know in the comments below!
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