Lions coach Matt Patricia and ex-Red Wing Darren McCarty before FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, June 9, 2019. Chris Nelsen, Special to the Detroit Free Press
Kevin Smith never thought he’d get into coaching, but the former Detroit Lions running back believes he’s found his calling four years after stumbling into the profession while trying to decide what to do with his life after football.
For five NFL seasons — and almost a decade before that in high school and college — Smith lived within the structure of football. He practiced every day in the fall for that week’s game, trained in the offseason for the next year ahead, and enjoyed whatever downtime his schedule provided.