Za’Darius Smith spoke to the media for the first time since being traded to the Detroit Lions in a high-energy session.
On Friday, Za’Darius Smith faced the media for the first time since being traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Detroit Lions earlier in the week, and the 32-year-old veteran was clearly energized by being in his new home.
Smith was so eager to get to Detroit that he let a little of his anxiety out early on Tuesday morning when the trade hadn’t happened yet. He cryptically tweeted out “SMH,” in a moment he now admits was his own impatience.
“It was just taking too long. It was taking too long,” Smith said. “But obviously they got it done, and I deleted it man. Sorry to the fans that were thinking otherwise.”
That wasn’t necessarily a yearning to get out of Cleveland, where the Browns are off to a 2-7 start. In fact, Browns general manager Andrew Berry let him know weeks prior that the Lions were calling to acquire him, and he appreciated being part of that discussion.
“(I) thank them, man, for just having me for two years—well, a year and a half—and trading me here for basically giving me a chance to go do something great,” Smith said.
Smith also was treated well by his new home. With Smith initially planning for a bye this week in Cleveland, the Lions gave him Wednesday and Thursday off as sort of a mini-bye to take care of some personal things—like checking in on his home in Florida that was impacted by recent hurricanes (nothing too serious, his truck had water in it and some shingles and fencing were displaced).
“Happy that I got a couple days, got a chance to go back home to Florida and see my house from the hurricane, and it’s real bad down there,” Smith said. “But I’m glad he gave me the opportunity to go back home to see that.”
As for this Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans , Lions coach Dan Campbell said the Lions hadn’t made a decision by Friday afternoon. But Smith sure sounded like someone ready to go ASAP.
“It’s more about just getting the plays in, and knowing the blitzes,” Smith said. “They basically want me to be on cue for the blitzes, so hopefully something can work out here in the next 24 hours.”
As for his first taste of the team during his Friday practice.
“Man, the things that we’re doing in practice, I see why this football team is so dominant.”