#58 Derek Smith | LB
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Position: LB College: Arizona State Height: 6-2 Weight: 240 Age: 33 Experience: 12 Acquired: FA -'08 Hometown: American Fork, Utah |
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Career StatsThe Chargers made a key signing in February when Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith inked former 49ers and Redskins linebacker Derek Smith to a two-year contract. That move proved to be even more shrewd in April when it was learned that starting inside linebacker Stephen Cooper, the team’s leading tackler in 2007, would be suspended for the 2008 season’s first four games. Smith is the man who will be looked upon to fill Cooper’s shoes.
Smith will be playing his 12th NFL season in 2008. He has nine 100-tackle seasons under his belt. When Cooper returns, Smith most likely will back up he and Matt Wilhelm in the Bolts’ 3-4 defense. Last year when Wilhelm injured his calf in the Sept. 16 New England game and missed the following two contests, the Chargers went 0-3 in his absence. Smith will help shore up any holes should either Cooper or Wilhelm be injured again.
A workout fanatic, Smith trains in San Diego with a personal trainer, along with the team’s strength and conditioning staff. While playing in San Francisco, Smith had the 49ers’ strength coach help him design a replica of the 49ers weight room in the garage of his home.
A true outdoorsman from rugged American Fork, Utah, Smith’s favorite pastimes include hunting and fishing. He recently purchased a kayak so that he can fish off the San Diego coastline. Smith’s biggest-ever catch is a 76-pound sailfish that he caught during a trip to Mazatlan, Mexico.
Smith’s wife, Taryn, is a San Diego native and for the last few years, the couple made their offseason home in the San Diego coastal suburb of Encinitas.
TRANSACTION HISTORY: Third-round choice of Washington Redskins (80th overall) in 1997 NFL Draft, April 19, 1997…signed three-year contract with Redskins, July 12, 1997...re-signed one-year contract with Washington April 11, 2000…signed contract with San Francisco 49ers, March 23, 2001...re-signed renegotiated contracts with 49ers Feb. 18, 2002 and March 2, 2004…signed three-year contract with San Francisco, March 5, 2006…released by 49ers Feb. 19, 2008…signed two-year contract with Chargers, Feb. 28, 2008.
2007: Finished year with 98 tackles…tallied 10 stops against Arizona Sept. 10 and Seattle Sept. 30…season-high 12 tackles against Baltimore Oct. 7…intercepted lone pass of season against New York Giants Oct. 21, leading to 49ers touchdown on ensuing possession…did not start Dec. 15 at Cincinnati as team opened in nickel package…inactive Dec. 30 with shoulder injury originally suffered in Bengals game.
2006: Finished year with 93 tackles, first season of career under 100 stops…forced fumble by Lions’ Roy Williams at Detroit Nov. 12…season-high nine stops against St. Louis Sept. 17, Chargers Oct. 15 and at Rams Nov. 26…left New Orleans’ game Dec. 3 with hamstring injury and inactive for following games against Green Bay Dec. 10 and Seattle Dec. 14…played but did not start Week 15 vs. Arizona…inactive for season finale at Denver Dec. 31 with foot and hamstring injuries.
2005: Co-recipient of team’s Bill Walsh Award as Most Valuable Player…shared award, which is voted by coaches, with kicker Joe Nedney…led team with 160 stops…recovered fumble in end zone for touchdown against Arizona in game played in Mexico City Oct. 2…also tied for team high with 11 stops vs. Cardinals…intercepted pass against Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning Oct. 9 and tied for team-best with 10 stops…racked up season-high 17 tackles Dec. 4 against Arizona to go over 100-tackle mark for ninth-straight season…led team with 14 stops at Jacksonville Dec. 18…counted tackle for loss among 11 stops at St. Louis on Christmas Eve, stopping Steven Jackson for one-yard loss on fourth-and-one play in fourth quarter of 24-20 win over Rams.
2004: Led 49ers with 167 stops…inactive for games against Arizona Oct. 10 and at New York Jets Oct. 17 with shin injury…led team with 15 stops and added half-sack against Seattle Nov. 7…scored first-career touchdown on 46-yard fumble return in fourth quarter against Miami Nov. 28…also added eight-yard sack against Dolphins and led team with 12 stops…led team with back-to-back season-high 16-tackle games against Washington Dec. 19 and Buffalo Dec. 26.
2003: Logged career-high and team-record 189 tackles…tallied half-sack to go along with 13 stops against Chicago Sept. 7…added seven-yard sacks in consecutive weeks at St. Louis Sept. 14 and against Cleveland Sept. 21…paced squad with 15 stops against Detroit Oct. 5…led team with consecutive 15-tackle games at Green Bay (Nov. 23) and Baltimore (Nov. 30)…collected half-sack for 7.5 yard loss Dec. 7 against Arizona…matched career-best with 18 tackles and added half-sack for -6.5 yards Dec. 14 at Cincinnati.
2002: Paced squad with 138 total tackles…counted tackle for loss among team-high 11 stops against Rams Oct. 6…another tackle for loss among game-high 12 stops vs. Chargers Nov. 17…posted season-high 17 tackles, including one for loss, Dec. 15 vs. Green Bay…followed up with 15-tackle effort to lead team and one stop for loss at Arizona Dec. 21…closed out season with sack at St. Louis Dec. 30…led team with 10 stops against New York Giants in Jan. 5 NFC Wild Card Playoff game…forced fumble and led all players with 11 stops week later in Jan. 12 Divisional Playoff game at Tampa Bay.
2001: Led team with 126 tackles during first season with 49ers…opened year with season-high 15-tackle game Sept. 9 against Atlanta…shared sack with Jason Webster and led squad with 11 tackles at New York Jets Oct. 1…sprained knee during week in practice and missed Carolina (Oct. 7) and Atlanta (Oct. 14) contests…recorded solo sack against Detroit Nov. 4…solid all-around game at St. Louis Dec. 9 with team-high 10 stops, pass defensed, fumble recovery and half-sack…spearheaded remarkable goal line stand against Philadelphia Dec. 22, intercepting pass in end zone on sixth play run from inside two-yard line…also recorded sack and 10 stops vs. Eagles.
2000: Finished second on Redskins’ defense with 128 stops…opened season with sack against Carolina Sept. 3…posted season-high 12-tackle games at Giants Sept. 24 and against Tennessee Oct. 30…forced fumble in second game vs. Giants Dec. 3…recovered fumble in Dec. 24 season finale vs. Arizona.
1999: Switched from MLB to OLB and led Redskins with 11 tackles for loss and finished third on team with 123 total stops…racked up season-high 18 stops Nov. 7 against Buffalo…led squad with 11 stops in NFC Divisional Playoff game at Tampa Bay Jan. 15.
1998: Second-leading tackler in Washington with 145 stops…tallied half-sack among 14 stops at Philadelphia Oct. 11…recorded season-high 19 stops at Arizona Nov. 8.
1997: Became first Redskins rookie since Andre Collins (1990) to start all 16 games…finished fourth on squad with 126 stops…collected first sack of career for nine-yard loss at Pittsburgh Sept. 7…had breakout game Sept. 14 against Arizona, recovering fumble in overtime to set up win over Cardinals and collecting first double-figure tackle game with 10 stops…posted season-high 15 tackles at Giants Dec. 13.
COLLEGE: Honorable mention All-Pac-10 as senior while also earning academic all-conference honors with 3.5 GPA in finance…spent first two years at Snow (UT) Junior College, earning honorable mention All-America honors, along with all-region and All-WSFL accolades…played at Snow from 1993-94 and Arizona State from 1995-96…majored in finance.
PERSONAL: Born in American Fork, Utah…lettered in football, baseball and wrestling at American Fork High School…football team captain and all-state and all-region pick as senior…married, Taryn…couple has son, Carson, and daughter, Cassidy.
