Aaron Smith is concurrently regarded as one of the most beloved and most underrated players in Pittsburgh Steelers history, at least of the past quarter center. A dominant defensive end for two Super Bowl champions, he was honored by the organization yesterday through his inclusion in its 2023 Hall of Honor class.
A fourth-round draft pick out of Northern Colorado in 1999, Smith spent 13 seasons in Pittsburgh before retiring following a series of injuries late in his career. He recorded 481 tackles with 44 sacks and seven forced fumbles. He even got himself an interception in 2005. The year before that is when he made his first and only Pro Bowl—but it’s not the only one he attended, thanks to his teammates.
“I played 10 years with him and every linebacker that played with him tells you how much they appreciate him, because he commanded the double team, he did his job, didn’t complain about it”, former Steelers QB Charlie Batch said on KDKA’s All-Access from training camp. “And he was always rewarded. Anytime that somebody made the Pro Bowl, they always took him alongside, because they said, ‘We truly appreciate you’”.
For almost all of his career, the Pro Bowl was located in Hawaii. And Smith had plenty of teammates in the Pro Bowl over the years. Jason Gildon, albeit an outside linebacker, made it in 2000-02, with Kendrell Bell making his only one as a rookie in 2001. Joey Porter found himself in Honolulu in 2002, 2004, and 2005. Fellow defensive lineman Casey Hampton was a Pro Bowler five times between 2003 and 2009.
Then there are James Farrior, who made it twice in 2004 and 2008, Troy Polamalu the perennial Pro Bowler, and James Harrison, who was in the game every year between 2007 and 2011. With all of those honors, I would guess Smith got a free trip to Hawaii pretty much annually.
That’s assuming Batch’s anecdote is to be taken literally, as in, for example, Farrior brought Smith along to the Pro Bowl in 2008 (Smith himself made it in 2004 so of course he would already be going). And it’s certainly plausible. Players regularly bring teammates along with family and friends—especially back when you got to go to Hawaii.
Still, it really speaks to the nature of the 3-4 defensive end position as it was at the time Smith played that he could have been so great at it, as he was, but with so little broader recognition. Just one Pro Bowl? It’s perhaps a minor miracle that he even made one at all while being compared against edge rushers in a 4-3 front.
