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With 40th INT, Harrison Smith creates the kind of special moment he came back for
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- With 40th INT, Harrison Smith creates the kind of special moment he came back for
Harrison Smith was at a celebrity golf event this summer in Maine when he had a conversation with a Hall of Famer that may have set him on the path towards returning for a 15th season with the Vikings.
Also at the event was Buccaneers legend Ronde Barber, one of the all-time greats at the safety position. The two ended up spending a long time together one day, bonding over shared experiences from slightly different eras (Barber's final NFL season was in 2012, when Smith was a rookie).
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"We were supposed to be at a function," Smith said. "We ended up having beers for like four hours and just talking ball and stories."
For over a decade, there have only been two players in NFL history to officially record at least 40 sacks and 20 interceptions in a career. Barber was the first to do it. Charles Woodson joined him a few years later. Larry Wilson is also in the club, but he played before sacks became an official stat.
This offseason, Smith was at 39 interceptions and 21.5 sacks. Barber was surprised that there was any question about whether or not he was going to come back for another season to try to join the club.
"He was like 'Man, go get it. What are you doing here playing golf?'" Smith said. "And I kind of left there and that was the start of me being like 'I'm definitely gonna stay in shape.'"
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About a week before this regular season began, Smith announced that he was coming back. And on Sunday, he got his moment. With just under a minute left and the Vikings protecting a six-point lead over the Colts, Smith sealed their sixth straight win by picking off Daniel Jones for career interception number 40.
The 40-20 club now includes Wilson, Barber, Woodson, and Smith. The other three are all enshrined in Canton, OH.
"The guys have been on me about it for a while," Smith said. "It was fun. It was at a big moment in the game, which I've kind of always prided myself on. It was good to seal a win."
Smith said reaching the 40-pick mark wasn't the main reason he came back, but he admitted he'd be lying if he said it wasn't a factor at all. Getting that interception has undoubtedly been on his mind this season — he was distraught after dropping an opportunity in Week 1 — but he said he's been trying not to chase it.
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"I was talking to Richard Sherman this week actually about getting interceptions," Smith said. "He had a lot of them, I have a lot. We both were like 'They don't come around when you chase 'em.' You just do your job, opportunities will present themselves — and then you gotta be a ballplayer and make the play."
On this particular play, linebacker Blake Cashman — who had an unbelievable game — came a few inches away from a deflection that could've unintentionally kept Smith from making the play.
"Cash did a good job getting depth," Smith said. "I thought he was about to tip it, I was like 'Please don't touch it.' I think he already had four PBUs, so he didn't need a fifth."
