Former NFL lineman Chuck Smith paves way for next generation of pass rushers

Chuck Smith couldn’t turn away from the television. His eyes focused intently on No. 56 in blue and white, Lawrence Taylor.

In 1983, Taylor was at the peak of his Hall of Fame NFL career. He was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and an inspiration for many young athletes.

As an eighth grader, Smith emulated his pass-rush moves. He watched Taylor strategize against offensive linemen and took inventory of his technique. Most importantly, Smith fell in love with becoming a pass-rush specialist.

"When I saw LT, it motivated me," Smith told USA TODAY Sports. "At that time, he had changed the game as far as a pass rusher is concerned. When I saw him, it lit a fire under me."

The fire still burns today.

After a nine-year NFL career, Smith is now a well-known trainer helping players learn the fundamentals of pass rushing.

His clients will be among the teams fighting for NFL playoff spots Sunday. Superstar names Smith has worked with include Von Miller and Aaron Donald early in their careers. He also assists collegiate and high school athletes.

"In the offseason, that is someone that I am always going to connect with," Atlanta Falcons linebacker Arnold Ebiketie said. "I love working with Chuck Smith. He has that grind mentality and helps you get better all the time."

Chasing the dream

Smith grew up in Athens, Georgia, and played collegiately at the University of Tennessee. He shined as a pass-rusher and led the SEC in sacks during the 1991 season. He played for the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers and finished his career with 58.5 sacks.

He spent time learning from Hall of Famers Derrick Thomas, John Randle and Reggie White. He often studied different ways to attack offensive linemen with head fakes, hand placement and body positioning.

However, it was working alongside Falcons teammate Chris Doleman that helped him visualize how to take his game to the next level.

"We signed a Hall-of-Famer whose skill level was beyond what I can dream," Smith said. "His IQ was on another planet. So, I studied him and watched him by his example."

Doleman played for the Falcons in 1994 and 1995. During those two seasons, Smith had 16.5 sacks starting opposite Doleman.

Smith built on his experience and continued to train local players in Tennessee during the offseason. As his playing career was winding down, he wanted to be a full-time trainer.

In 2000, Smith began his pursuit after watching an “Inside the NFL” segment on HBO.

"I remember watching and they were talking about a new trend that is going on," Smith said. "It was quarterback training. … They showed them training all these NFL players. My wife was on the couch and she told me, 'You been doing that.' People always said it couldn’t be done."

Smith set out to make it possible and soon founded Chuck Smith Training Systems in Atlanta. Since 2002, he has welcomed athletes to improve their game.

The V.G.H.H method

Five years ago, NFL defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson was evaluating his options. Anderson had finished his collegiate career at Bucknell University and was preparing for the NFL draft. He stumbled upon Smith training players online and flew out to Atlanta for a session.

"I saved up all my money to go down there and met up with him," Anderson said. "He is a real great guy and taught me how to play the position. … Going to him was a real big help especially leading up to my first year leading up to OTAs and training camp."

Smith helped Anderson focus on his technique. He showed him how to set up his stance and get the most leverage at the point of attack.

Smith's secret is the V.G.H.H. method, which stands for vision, get-off, hands and hips.

It starts with how a player recognizes a visual key before the football is snapped. It’s important to have good eye discipline to understand the point of attack, he said.

Smith teaches players to always watch the quarterback's hands or an offensive linemen’s knee. Usually, that is a good visual key to begin their rush, he said.

"It always struck me that having great vision is how you will have great reaction time," Smith said.

The next step is get-off. Smith noticed good eye placement helps facilitate the speed a player needs to explode off the football. He teaches having a proper front-loaded stance that allows a player to generate more power from their pressure foot.

"It’s like the gas pedal," Smith said. "You push the gas pedal, and the car is going to go."

The third step is having great hand placement. Smith teaches players to engage in their pass rush by having “speed on their hands.” This helps players develop a quick strike in between the wrist and the elbows.

The final step is hip positioning. Smith works with players to focus on controlling their body and bending throughout the rush. It helps prevent becoming loose and sideways at the top of a particular move.

"Every pass-rush move has vision, get-off, hands and hips," Smith said. "Every technique and every drill, those four vital keys are going to show up."

A game of chess

There is an art to becoming an NFL pass-rush specialist.

Anderson likens it to a chess match, having multiple moves — with names like bull rush, speed rush and cross-chop — ready to throw off offensive linemen and then counteract their blocking schemes.

NFL veteran Lorenzo Carter agrees. He said  a pass-rush mentality is what separates players within the league.

"It’s really just all type of moves," Carter said. "Having moves ready for pass rush and throwing them all of the time."

In recent years, pass-rush specialists have ascended into high-paying roles within an organization. NFL teams need them to keep up with top quarterbacks, such as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

Miller, Donald, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt headline the contingent of sack artists. However, guys like Crosby, Micah Parsons and Bradley Chubb are quickly emerging as future standouts.

The next generation is benefiting by veterans sharing their knowledge.

In 2017, Miller created his Pass Rush Summit for players to learn from each other. Miller held his sixth annual event in Las Vegas this year, which featured over 20 NFL defensive stars.

Smith plays a key role at the event as field director and also hosts a film session that was virtually attended by more than 500 players and coaches this year.

"He had this vision of everybody coming together to learn for the greater cause of pass-rush," Smith said. "We did the first one at Stanford and we were linking and learning."

Educate and inspire

Smith enjoys giving back and expressing his love for the game. While he calls his football life a “pass-rush journey,” he admits there were some bumps in the road.

People didn’t always believe in his journey. Some even counted him out along the way.

Affectionately known as "Dr. Rush" by clients and players across the league. Smith has now been training athletes for nearly 30 years. He still has the same enthusiasm and excitement as he did watching No. 56 in blue and white.

Pass rushing is his love, and he doesn’t take it for granted. His success is tied to helping pave the way for athletes on and off the field.

And he sums up his love for football with one inspirational phrase.

"Live life everyday like it’s 3rd and 8," Smith said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former NFL lineman Chuck Smith teaches fundamentals of pass rushing