SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Aldon Smith might be more grateful than most to be playing in Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. It wasn’t long ago that Smith couldn’t play at all.
Three games into this season, the 49ers linebacker was suspended after a DUI arrest. He missed five games before coming back to complete the second half of the season. He wound up sharing the team lead with 8¹/₂ sacks and continued his development into one of the league’s premier pass rushers. He has 42 sacks since entering the league in 2011, which ranks second in the NFL over that span.
“I had some adversity and I battled through it at the beginning of the year,” Smith said. “It means a lot to be back a game away from the Super Bowl. That’s all I’m focused on.”
Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh initially took some heat for playing Smith, who voluntarily entered a rehab facility, as soon as he returned. Critics didn’t think the suspension was enough after Smith’s second DUI arrest since 2012. But Harbaugh has liked the way his player has taken accountability for his actions.
“I feel very good for Aldon,” Harbaugh said. “He’s carried the water, the bigger share himself. There have been a lot of people that have helped. He’s got a great family, and he’s handling his business. We all tend to forget that the reason we got smart is because we learned from our mistakes. He’s been really good as a teammate and on the field he’s been outstanding.”
Smith had two sacks in the first meeting with the Seahawks in Seattle, a 29-3 loss, but didn’t have a sack in the rematch, won by the Niners, 19-17, at Candlestick Park in December. He had 1¹/₂ sacks in the playoff win at Green Bay a week ago. It has become common for teams to double-team Smith, and the Seahawks may as well.
“Teams that want to block Aldon Smith one-on-one are whistling Dixie,” Harbaugh said. “That’s the way he’s playing right now. He’s really playing well.”
Smith calls the 49ers a family and is grateful for their support.
“We have each other’s backs when things go certain ways,” he said. “It’s good just being back around guys who look at you like a brother. Everybody makes mistakes. You just have to learn from them and move in the right direction. That’s what I’ve been doing.”