Aldon Smith’s Story with the San Francisco 49ers: A Brilliant but Tragic Rise. And Fall.

By John Turney 

Aldon Smith immediately became one of the most explosive pass rushers in the league, but off-field struggles with substance abuse and legal issues cut short what could have been a Hall of Fame career. It is near the top of any "what if?" list in NFL history based on how he started and how fast it was gone. 

The term "freak" is too often applied to NFL players. Once reserved for rare athletes, it has sometimes become overused, but for Aldon Smith, it might have applied, especially in terms of arm length and quickness and natural strength.

His collegiate production and those rare physical gifts the 49ers took him with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Missouri, and he was like a meteor in the NFL sky.

Tragically, Aldon Smith passed away on June 13, 2026, at age 36 in Northern California. Yesterday, the 49ers released this statement:

We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith. Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen. Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.

No details have been given on his death.  

"What might have been?," we have to ask. Maybe you ask the same question.

As a rookie situational pass rusher. In 2011, he recorded 14 sacks—an official 49ers rookie record at the time—helping the team reach the NFC Championship. He earned PFWA All-Rookie honors and finished second in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Per Pro Football Focus he achieved a 90.2 pass rush grade (third among edge rushers) and 77 pressures which ranked tenth in his position group.

In 2012 (after surviving being stabbed at a house in late June), he exploded for a franchise-record 19-½ sacks, earning First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors and he helped lead the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII (a loss to the Ravens) and won the Bill Walsh Award for exemplifying the organization’s standard of excellence.

He was poised to be an All-Pro for years. Until he wasn't.

Injuries and personal troubles mounted. Smith played in only 11 games in 2013 (8½ sacks) and 7 in 2014 (2 sacks).

Legal problems included multiple DUIs, a false bomb threat at LAX, and NFL suspensions for substance abuse/personal conduct violations. The 49ers released him in August 2015 after another DUI arrest. He was signed by the Raiders for a stint (2015, totaling 3½ sacks), but troubles abounded, and he received an "indefinite" suspension that lasted four years, cut

Smith was reinstated before the 2020 season at the age of 31 and started 16 games and recorded five sacks. Not bad for a guy who had not played since he was 26 years old. Remarkable, really, for a guy to sit out and still show flashes of his old self. However, he never recaptured his early dominance.

He signed with the Seahawks for the 2021 season but was released in early August of that year.

In recent years, Smith found purpose in recovery coaching and mentoring, achieving sobriety since late 2021, after an arrest for DUI, for which he served jail time. He reflected on his journey with humility, noting he was "good at playing football, but wasn’t a good football player," due to his off-field choices. 

In his six NFL seasons, he recorded 52-½ sacks. All-Pro tackles Trent Williams and Joe Staley both maintained that Smith was the toughest guy they had to block. Williams was never Smith's teammate, but Staley was. 

Williams and Staley (among others) report that his incredible strength—both upper and lower body—allowed him to take on the blocks of much larger man and his quickness, mixed with his arm length and flexibility, made him extremely slippery. Tackles couldn't power him, and when they did get their hands and pads on him, he would wiggle away.

RAYMOND BERRY: "The Most Prepared are the Most Dedicated"

By  TJ Troup 

Credit: Merv Corning

Has taken me a week and many revisions before writing this dedication. Boys have athletic heroes, want to play like they do, and though growing up a Bears fan in the late '50's by far my favorite player on another team was Raymond Berry. So much has been written about him that was exaggerated about his "lack of", size, speed, his body, his eyesight. 

The man could just flat play football. We will never know how many passes Raymond Berry would have caught if George Shaw had been the Colts quarterback from '55 through '67? When a Bear pass rush forced Ewbank to send Johnny Hightops into the game in October of '56 the identity of the Colts would change forever. There are phrases in the English language we can read and sort of define, but "work ethic" sure has a different meaning to some more than others. 

Berry & Unitas built a synergy on the field that was a joy to watch for BALTIMORE Colt fans, and a nightmare for defensive  coordinators, and defenders whether they be corners, outside linebackers or safeties. Berry learned from Unitas what he was about as a quarterback leader and with his deep insight into understanding how to run pass routes in a way that used as much of the field as he needed. We can all look at his game by game stats, read countless stories about his performances, but is that all there is about Raymond Berry the player? Hell, no! 

He guided Lenny Moore concerning John (Raymond never called Unitas Johnny), due to that fact that Moore was literally an offensive force to be reckoned with. Raymond Berry was not an offensive force to be reckoned with, he gave Unitas something special, when it is time for the key catch, he made that play. 

The game against NYG to win the title in '58 was compelling drama but Unitas & Berry scorched a Redskin pass defense the year before in '57. Having the entire game film you can easily see what they were capable of. Watching Raymond Berry play after his injury in early '61 there was no doubt he now had limitations in gaining yards after the catch, getting behind defenders, and scoring. His stats bear that out, yet he still was a vital part of the Colt offense through '66. There have been many men who were meant to coach the game, and he sure was one of them. 

His book "All the Moves I Had" is a must read for many reasons! His ability to dig deep into people and situations was sure a reason for his success as a coach. His catching drills were significant for me as a community college receivers coach. 

As I called them,"the catching drills." A few were modified yet was the foundation for me on the practice field EVERY DAY! Will end my dedication to him with a lengthy story about our meeting face to face. Had written to him when he became head coach of the Patriots, and his letters to me were a joy to read (still have them). There was always the "spiritual" aspect in the letters, and of course discussion about coaching/leadership. 

The Patriots were going to practice at Orange Coast College in preparation for their playoff game with the Raiders in '85. When he got off the bus he walked right towards me even though we had never met. His classic east Texas accent he explained NO ONE was allowed to watch the Patriots practice; especially the media, but Coach Berry told me to go find a place to hang out for about 20 minutes and then a ball boy would come find me. Was the only one watching the Raymond Berry Patriots practice that day. Was like a college practice; enthusiasm, brisk drills, lots of hustle, and you could feel what was coming. 

Yes, that Patriot team beat the Raiders that Sunday, then took another "mystical" step into history by beating the Dan Marino/Don Shula Dolphins in Miami. We all can read about what transpired in Foxboro but much more important was that Raymond Berry was not finished yet as a coach. During the summer of '91 we again corresponded and he shared that the Detroit Lions of '91 were going to not only going to surprise teams, they were going to win. He shared his thoughts on the quarterbacks he coached, and the passing game knowing what an impact Sanders would have on defenses. 

Raymond Berry has no doubt corresponded with many (am so honored to be one of those he wrote to), and his interviews with Steve Sabol are enlightening and fun, especially when he would say something and laugh. RIP Raymond Berry and thanks!

Vic Fangio: 2026 PFWA Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award Winner

 By John Turney 

There is no doubt that Vic Fangio deserves the Dr. Z award, that honors lifetime achievement by an NFL assistant coach. He's earned the distinction. However, while we give kudos to him, we wish the class would have included some assistant coaches who have so far been overlooked.

One is Floyd Peters, one of the top pass rush coaches ever. Also Jim Hanifan, one of best offensive line coaches ever. Be that as it may, that is a topic to address with the younger crowd of PFWA members, who we suspect are not up to snuff in NFL history.

Fangio becomes the 28th winner of the prestigious award, or "prestigious ass award" if you quote Jon Gruden. 

Fangio, one of the most respected defensive minds in the NFL, completed his 39th season in professional football in 2025. In his second stint as Eagles defensive coordinator, he orchestrated a top-ranked defense that powered Philadelphia to a Super Bowl LIX victory.

Over his decorated career, Fangio has mentored five Pro Football Hall of Famers—Kevin Greene, Rickey Jackson, Ray Lewis, Sam Mills, and Patrick Willis—and was named PFWA NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018.

His coaching journey began with four years at the high school level and a graduate assistant role at North Carolina before breaking into pro football with the USFL’s Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars (1984-85). He entered the NFL as linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints (1986-94), where he helped develop the legendary "Dome Patrol." He later served as defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers (1995-98), Indianapolis Colts (1999-2001), and Houston Texans (2002-05).

Fangio also held roles with the Baltimore Ravens (2006-09), spent the 2010 season as Stanford’s defensive coordinator, and returned to the NFL as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers (2011-14) and Chicago Bears (2015-18). He served as head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2019-21, calling defensive plays during his tenure. 

After a year as a consultant with the Eagles in 2022 and a season as Miami's defensive coordinator in 2023, Fangio returned to Philadelphia in 2024. and coached in two Super Bowls—Super Bowl XLVII with San Francisco and Super Bowl LIX with Philadelphia, the latter resulting in a championship.

Further, Fangio's innovative defensive concepts have become one of the most widely adopted systems across the league in recent years.

At the heart of his scheme is its heavy reliance on two-high safety shells before the snap. This pre-snap look provides tremendous post-snap flexibility, allowing defenses to mix coverages while disguising intentions and limiting explosive plays downfield. Rather than aggressive blitzing, the system emphasizes disciplined gap control, using what is known as "gap-and-a-half" technique to stop the run. It's more or less a hybrid of one-gap and two-gap techniques. 

It's bend but don't break philosophy and use of quarters/match quarters coverages that force offenses into short, methodical throws meant to frustrate offenses and take away deep passes and chunk through in the seems. 

The scheme’s influence is still evident league-wide: Many teams incorporate his scheme and most wholly and others, most others, use portions of it. Without doubt, Fangio’s fingerprints remain visible on defensive playbooks around the league. What started as a niche philosophy has evolved into a foundational blueprint for success in the modern game.

Another 'Lawrence Welk Trade' for the Los Angeles Rams. Sort Of.

 By John Turney

AI Image

Back in the day, there was a term used for a trade that involved multiple picks. In 1974, the Rams received a boatload of picks for John Hadl when they shipped him, mid-season, to the Green Bay Packers. The line in some papers was that it was a "Lawrence Welk Trade" meaning ah one, ah two, ah one, two three." That referred to the five picks the Rams got, a two firsts, two seconds and a third ovfer the next couple of years.

However, the first time we can find it in print was several years after the trade, suggesting it was something discussed but not published in papers, or maybe a late nickname for it. Folklore is funny that way. Though there may have been talk about Mel Blount being part of the driving force of the 1978 rules changes in the NFL that changed the way defenses could cover, the term "Mel Blount Rule" didn't appear in print until a decade later but is now cited all the time. 

We remember when Monte Jackson was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1978 and the gams getting a first, second and third-round pick for him. We've heard that referred to as "ah one, ah two, a three."

Today, according to major media reports, the Rams were involved in yet another one of these 1-2-3 deals, only this time it goes the other way, sending a trio of picks plus former first-round pick Jared Verse to the Cleveland Browns for future Hall-of-Famer Myles Garrett.

So, the question is (in terms of Welk) what is Verse's value? A first at least, making it "ah one, ah two, a three, ah one." However, given Verse's skill set, on the open market he'd have commanded a first and a second (if not more), so we're going with that ... the full 1,2,1,2,3. 

As for the substance of the deal, Garrett has been a 4-3 end his entire career and goes to the Rams, who are a base 3-4 team. However, with teams in nickel/dime so much these days, it is fair to say Garrett has been in a 4-2-5 as much as anything. The thing the Rams run most often in passing downs is a 4-1-6. So, as for passing downs, his role won't change.

However, teams may copy the Rams and use more 13 personnel this year, which will dictate to the Rams that they need to be in base more often, a 3-4 or maybe even a 6-1. With the Rams' pass rush, it would make sense to try to run on the Rams' defense until they can prove they can stop it and that is the weakness of Chris Shula's defense—stuffing runners.

But it is fair to suggest that Garrett, at some point will be asked to cover a hook zone and have to cover a back or tight end at times and that is not his forte. The Rams obviously feel it won't be an issue. Garrett is elite athlete, smart and can pull that off once in a while.

Till then, though, we will have to wait and see what tweaks are put in the Rams' scheme to accommodate the best defensive player in the NFL.

As far as the Browns, they made a good deal. Verrse is a young star and they get three other picks. It will give them scheme flexibility as well since Verse can be an OLBer in a 3-4 or a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, which is all dependent on what new Browns defensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg wants to do.