Everything you need to know about new Rams DL coach Giff Smith

Leadership is critical quality for him

Leadership is a commonly cited term that many use but few truly understand. To lead in one definition is to take by the hand and guide someone in a forward direction. In another form of the phrase, it can mean to take the initiative. In still another form, it means to be in charge, to direct the actions or activities of others, or to simply hold an advantageous margin or superiority over others.

But I like to define the term as someone who sets a high expectation of others to align their actions to a single unified goal or goals, who is willing to adhere to acting in a way to achieve those goals as an example to others, and is openly communicative and responsible to aid others in accomplishing those goals if they struggle to do so.

Coach Smith has coached plenty of talented players over the course of his career. He has coached Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Melvin Ingram while with the Los Angeles Chargers. He coached Kyle Williams and Mario Williams while with the Buffalo Bills. And he even helped Tennessee Titans DL Jurrell Casey earn an NFL Pro Bowl nod.

Perhaps best of all, he is highly respected as a coach that players and an NFL organization can count on when the going gets tough.

The quality of a leader is not measured in a period of success, but rather in the face of adversity. Nobody enjoys playing for or following someone who despairs at the first setback, who points a finger and plays the blame game, or who worries about himself when the going gets tough. Coach Giff Smith harnessed the challenges of the final three games of the Chargers 2023 season, and earned the respect of his players and of his opponents in the process.