Q+A: Cam Smith is pushing to be more than a good story
Vikings LB missed last season with heart surgery and how he's in the fight for a role
By Matthew Coller
One year ago, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Cam Smith had bigger things on his mind than football.
When he arrived at 2020 Vikings camp, he tested positive for COVID, which resulted in doctors discovering that he had a major heart issue that required surgery.
Smith missed the entire 2020 season recovering but he spent the year around the team. The former USC linebacker took in meetings and practices, helping the team in any way he could as he worked toward getting back on the field.
Three days into 2021 camp, Smith isn’t just back as a feel-good story. He’s been mixing in with the team’s base package on the first team, splitting time with veteran Nick Vigil.
“Cam's done a great job getting back into it,” co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer said. “Mentally, he's one of the smartest guys we have in the linebacker room. I thought he was a little rusty when he came back in OTAs, and then he came back yesterday and the day before and I thought it was his two best days moving around and in a lot better shape and I like where Cam's heading towards.”
Smith stopped to chat with Purple Insider after practice on Friday and talked about competing for the job and how much has changed in the last year…
Matthew Coller: Well Cam, how does it feel to be getting back to full-speed action for the first time since 2019?
Cam Smith: It feels so good. I was thinking about it today how it’s been about a year since I found out and I was talking to [trainer Eric Sugarman] and I was like, ‘what a crazy deal,’ it’s flown by and after it happened and it was done, I didn’t even think about it again. It feels so good to be back and be back on the field with everybody here. It’s such a special team, it’s such a special group of guys. I just feel happier being out here.
Matthew: I know you’re competing for a job and you’re focusing on playing but it has to be an emotional experience to walk back out on that field after the long road you’ve taken to get back.
Smith: Oh yeah. From one of the darkest times of my life to a year later, it feels like a totally different me. It feels like a totally different time. I was talking to some friends like, thanks for sticking around and sticking with it. I’m so thankful to Rick and Zim and the entire organization here for allowing me to come back here and give it another shot. I feel good. I feel like everything is kind of taken a turn for me, I’m feeling really comfortable around here so, like I said, I’m just excited to be back. I couldn’t be more blessed to have this opportunity.
Matthew: So what do you make of this battle? When you first arrived, it was tough to stand out with a lot of talent there but now there are a lot of young players and it seems you have a chance to carve out a role.
Smith: Right. Opportunities my rookie year, those were slim. We had such a deep room. Coming in as a rookie, it was like, all these players are phenomenal. Looking back to Eric Wilson and Ben Gedeon who had played for four years and had a lot of experience, ‘oh man this is deep.’ Feeling like there’s an opportunity is all I’m asking for and all I wanted and all anyone wants, something to work for. That in itself feels so good to be here and have motivation to want to take that spot.
I feel like it’s wide open and I talked to a bunch of the guys in our room and what a special room it is. Even thought it’s the NFL and it’s competitive, everyone’s looking out for each other and wants the best for each other. You could say that for the entire team. It’s a special group of guys.
Matthew: So how much different are you from the Cam Smith who showed up here as a fifth-round pick in 2019? Did last year’s experience of being around the team help you take a step forward mentally ?
Smith: It’s night and day. I’ve talked to some of the other guys like Tuf Borland, I know exactly how you feel right now. You’re just running around with your head cut off and you’re just like, ‘What do I do? Where do I go?’ and you don’t want to mess up. That’s where being around even last year helped a lot for me. Coming in here and and actually taking reps and stuff, that hesitant don’t-mess-up Cam is not here anymore. I feel so much more comfortable. I feel like I know exactly what’s going on and what’s needed of me and the reps are really important and seeing everything live is really important. I feel like that time is now and it feels really good.
Matthew: It also has to feel good to take reps with Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. What’s it like to be on the field at the same time as two Pro Bowlers who have the type of chemistry they’ve built over the years?
Smith: It’s pretty funny to be around them the last three years and see how different they are as players but how well they compliment each other. You have Anthony who is this physical specimen and is so strong and fast and extremely intelligent and you have this other guy who’s kind of a little spaz and so instinctual and does anything you need him to do and he’s really good at it. When I say really good, he’s really good at it. Everyone in this organization knows how good he is. I think that’s what’s cool, to be around them the last three years and be like, man, you guys got it figured out and are really good at working together. They’ve been together for what, 12 years since UCLA?
Matthew: Awhile back Mike Zimmer talked a little about how you had a coaching type mentality last year, what have you taken away from him now that you’re fully back on the player side of things?
Smith: Just hearing him speak he has this presence about him. From his experience and how he talks about the defense and what he wants and his expectations. I think that’s great because you have a group of guys that want it just as bad as he does and trust in him…we all learn what each one of us needs to do and he’s so good at explaining his defense and what he wants and how it’s supposed to look and the expectation of where it should be. He’s done a great job of creating this environment here…we’ve been talking about it, it feels like a great year.
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All the best to Cam Smith. It would be a great story if he can make the team.