Za'Darius Smith Named NFC Defensive Player of the Month

It looks like Za’Darius Smith left Green Bay at the perfect time. Since the former Wildcat’s departure, the Packers have fallen down the NFC North pecking order. Aaron Rodgers’ crew is just 3-5, while Big Z’s squad has climbed into first place with a 6-1 record. Vikings fans owe plenty of credit to Za’Darius.

Thursday morning Za’Darius Smith was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for his performance in the month of October. In four games over two continents, the former Kentucky star outside linebacker tallied a league-high 6.5 sacks. He also tied for the league-lead in tackles for loss with eight to propel the Vikings to a 4-0 record. His 22 quarterback pressures ranked second among all NFL defenders.

The award is on the heels of another award. On Wednesday he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for recording seven tackles, 3.0 sacks, four tackles for loss and one pass defended in a win over the Cardinals.

The Minnesota Vikings’ top pass-rusher is the NFL’s top pass-rusher. He’s tied atop the league in sacks with New England’s Matthew Judon (8.5) and he leads the NFL in tackles for loss (13).

“He’s had a great year — everything we hoped for Z. and then some,” said head coach Kevin O’Connell. “I think you guys saw last week with the versatility of rushing over four or five different spots with a really detailed rush plan that [Defensive Coordinator] Ed [Donatell] and his staff put together that involved Z. getting to the quarterback, but we did not want to allow Kyler to really impact the game, getting out and causing a lot of stress outside the pocket.

“Getting him on the ground three times, that not only speaks to Z., and I think he deserves that award this week. I was really excited for him to win that thing, but it speaks to those other guys,” O’Connell added.

Za’Darius Smith was a team captain in Green Bay, but after dealing with a couple of injuries, they opted to sign Preston Smith to a long-term deal instead. It’s a decision that’s making Minnesota Viking fans smile from ear-to-ear this year.