Mike McCarthy was asked about Aldon Smith; His answer blew us away

The Dallas Cowboys’ new head coach is very happy with pass rusher Aldon Smith

After spending nearly five years away from the NFL, Aldon Smith was supposed to be rusty. More than that, some questioned whether the Dallas Cowboys‘ new pass rusher would even be able to play in the league again.

After all, very few have been able to return to professional football after such a long layoff and find success. And while Smith’s return has yet to see him play a single game for Dallas, the early reports are beyond encouraging.

A first-round selection (seventh overall) by the San Francisco 49ers out of Missouri back in 2011, Smith exploded onto the NFL scene with 14.0 sacks as a rookie. The following year, he’d earn both Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro nominations after posting an incredible 19.5 sacks.

But just as quickly as the young Mr. Smith rose to prominence, his fall was just as rapid. Recording a total of 10.5 sacks over his next two years in San Francisco, a litany of off-the-field issues would eventually force the 49ers to release the talented pass rusher in 2015.

Although Smith would reemerge with the Oakland Raiders, a league suspension would limit him to just nine games. And while he last played in the NFL back in November of 2015, the Raiders wouldn’t actually release him until 2018 hoping he’d be reinstated at some point.

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The Cowboys shocked the sporting world in April when they signed Smith, presumably as a replacement for the loss of their sack leader from last year, defensive end Robert Quinn, in free agency.

According to FOX’s Jay Glazer, Smith was now clean and sober and had completely turned his life around. Glazer also reported that the former All-Pro was in incredible physical shape as well, weighing in at 287 pounds, adding more than 20 pounds of apparent muscle since he last played in the NFL.

The early signs for a positive Aldon Smith return are encouraging

But until Smith is actually able to return to the field, no one will know for sure whether the gamble of signing him has any real chance of paying off. And while a worldwide pandemic postponed his ability to practice with his new teammates, Smith has gotten that chance now with phase two of training camp kicking off.

And according to new Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy, Smith has made an early positive impression. In fact, his response to a recent question about Aldon during a virtual press conference that appeared on the team’s official YouTube page on Thursday absolutely floored us.

"“I would say that if you walked away from practice you’d say, ‘Hey, the who hell was No. 58?’ That’s my thought when he walked out on the field for the first time. He looks good. I think his process back has been not a gradual one, but he’s hitting all the targets. You can see his power, his length is extraordinary. I’m very, very happy with where Aldon is right now. … Aldon’s off to a very good start. He’s impressive.”"

While it’s far too early to predict whether the 30-year old Aldon Smith will return to his All-Pro form with the Dallas Cowboys this season after such a long layoff, the early returns are more than promising. And while the Cowboys bought themselves some pass-rushing insurance by signing free agent defensive end Everson Griffen recently, Smith’s return to the NFL is trending towards becoming potentially very special.