Aldon Smith and Von Miller exchanged jerseys after game
By Mike Dyce
After the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos preseason game pass rushers Aldon Smith and Von Miller met at midfield to exchange jerseys. While this practice might seem odd and uncommon in American Football, it is a tradition in European Football.
“It was his idea,” said Smith, the 49ers sack leader last season, per the team’s official website. “We talked about it before.”
The San Francisco 49ers ultimately fell to the Broncos in the game 10-6. In the game the Broncos debuted a pistol formation.
I personally think it is a great tradition and it would be awesome to see it carry over to the NFL. Usually players seek out opponents of a similar stature, sometimes players after a game rush to the big star and they fight over it. Those instances are rare but embarrassing.
The tradition though is a sign of mutual respect. The two have been friends since entering the league in 2011. The past two seasons they’ve used friendly banter to push and motivate one another. Smith has 33.5 career sacks so far, an NFL record for a player in their first two NFL seasons. Von Miller wasn’t too far behind with 30 sacks of his own.