OXNARD, Calif. — It appears no one is harder on Mazi Smith than himself. As he enters his third year in the NFL and for the Dallas Cowboys, the former first-round pick does so with another change at defensive coordinator, literally a new one every year of his career, the latest being Matt Eberflus in his reunion with the organization this offseason.
With that comes a new scheme and set of demands regarding his weight, which as now fluctuated downward from Year 1 under Dan Quinn, to upwards with Mike Zimmer and now down again — as Eberflus seeks to fit him into an attack front.
The union is off to a slow start to start the preseason though, as Smith left SoFi Stadium with no tackles in 14 defensive snaps; and it led to the former Wolverine being brutally honest about what he saw on film and in real time on Saturday.
"I just have to keep getting better," Smith said. "The first [preseason game], I wasn't happy with at all, to be honest. I didn't do anything. I just need to keep learning the scheme and keep getting off the ball.
"I just didn't do anything, you know? Like, you gotta do something. I'm a first-round pick. There's expectations, and all that.
"This is my third year."
But exactly how difficult has it been to try and adjust to a different coordinator, literally annually?
"It's not hard, bro." said Smith. "It's just that everybody sees things a little differently. You gotta [understand] it's my job to get on the same page with each and every person that comes in this building."
Credit him for the self-awareness and accountability, and for remaining hellbent on making an impact for the Cowboys, still holding his head high as he sticks to the grind of trying to figure out how to be a key piece of what Eberflus does on a weekly basis — at a huge position of need, no less.
Smith has maintained his smile despite the road ahead, and though you could say he has 99 problems, letting social media determine his mood and work ethic isn't one of them.
"The only people that should be expecting anything out of me is our fair base and the people in this building, you know?" he said. "If you ain't that, I ain't trying to hear it. And even with a lot of people on social media, I really ain't trying to hear it."
It's back to practice this week in preparation for the Baltimore Ravens in the second preseason outing, and Smith isn't content to simply collect a paycheck.
As he so eloquently stated, he has to do something, and that's all he's focused on.
