ALAMEDA — Malcolm Smith has experienced the greatest peaks the NFL has to offer as a Super Bowl MVP two seasons ago for the Seattle Seahawks.
That wasn’t enough to make him a fixture on that deep Seattle defense and he signed a modest two-year deal with the Raiders this offseason with a starting linebacker job in mind.
Smith, who has started all six games, made his biggest impact to date in Sunday’s win over the San Diego Chargers. His 11 solo tackles were a season-high and his interception that he returned to the 2-yard line set the immediate tone for the emphatic 37-29 victory.