By Lisa Zimmerman | Engagement Insider
Preparing for the transition from NFL player to a post-playing career brings lots of options and many decisions. Honing in on what the appropriate next step should be can be daunting. Former New York Jets safety Eric Smith had contemplated a variety of ideas over the years, but coaching was something that had continually crossed his mind. As he moved through his playing career, which began when the Jets drafted him out of Michigan State in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft, the thought of coaching was always there. All the while he was studying his on-the-field responsibilities he kept an eye on how his coaches developed their plays and game plans.
Although he always had his role on defense, Smith made his mark as a member of the Jets special teams unit. It was a group that put up prolific numbers under special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff, considered one of the most pioneering and legendary special teams coaches in NFL history.
Among the records set were the Jets’ 15 kickoff return touchdowns from 2001-10, which ranks first in the NFL during that time period and the team scored at least one kickoff return of a touchdown in 11 consecutive seasons (2002-2012). Westhoff was Smith’s special teams coach for his entire seven-year career and it proved to be critical to Smith’s overall development.
“The first couple of years you learn what we’re doing, then you start looking at why we’re doing it,” Smith recalled. “Being around Westhoff for that long I was lucky enough to be able to put the whole picture together.”
Being able to put the whole picture together is critical for a coach. A player must focus on his own on-the-field responsibilities, but a coach is responsible for setting up and intertwining all the pieces. They must ensure that all 11 players receive the appropriate individual assignments and then determine how those will come together as a complete package.
In addition to his on-the-field production, Smith’s intellect and proficiency in the classroom didn’t go unnoticed by Westhoff and it was he who served as the catalyst for Smith to make his entrée into coaching.
Upon retiring from the NFL, Smith still wasn’t sure what direction he was going to take. He enjoyed the first few months being able to spend time with his wife who at the time, was pregnant with their first child, and not having a schedule to adhere to. However, the charm of that freedom began to wear off. In the spring of 2014, Smith began working for a friend and neighbor in New Jersey who owned a tree-trimming business. He enjoyed the physical labor and was learning and being trained on the various aspects of that business, but Smith still wasn’t sure what the future held. Then fate intervened.
Smith received a call from Westhoff, who wanted to know his true interest level in taking the first step in a coaching career. Smith was interested. The next call he received was from then Jets head coach Rex Ryan. In short order, Smith was offered, and accepted, a position as a seasonal intern coach in 2014.
“Eric is a guy that’s going to take extra steps to be prepared. He did that as a player and as a coach preparation is paramount,” Westhoff said. “He would pay attention to detail and handle that. He’s very smart and he always had players’ respect. You put those qualities together and think, ‘this guy should be a pretty good coach.’”
In fact, Westhoff, who retired from coaching following the 2012 season, added, “I thought if I was going to go back (to coaching), Eric would have been my first choice to be my assistant.”
In 2015, Smith was hired by the Buffalo Bills as assistant special teams coach under special teams coordinator Danny Crossman. With one season under his belt, Smith’s comfort level in his new role as a coach is growing. At the Jets, some of his players were former teammates; at the Bills he is known only as their coach, which he thinks will be a positive as he moves forward.
“I think it will help,” he said of the difference he sees in his establishing his reputation as a coach with the Bills players. “I think I had a joking relationship with the Jets veterans, but the rookie players did see me just as a coach.”
A humble man of few words, Smith contemplated his current situation as he begins to lay the foundation for his coaching career.
“I’m definitely enjoying it,” he said. “I feel like I made the right choice.”