Cowboys Country

Jaylon Smith Signed to Giants' 53-Man Roster - Despite Doing 'Landry Shift' In Loss to Cowboys

Jaylon Smith is a demonstrative guy. That's the best way we can explain this.

Mike Fisher

FRISCO - Jaylon Smith is a demonstrative guy. That doesn't always please observers, including those who wonder why, in Sunday's New York loss to Dallas, Smith - the former Cowboy who'd just hooked up with the Giants - looked like he was doing the "Landry Victory Shift'' in unison with the Cowboys offense.

Nevertheless, he played 17 snaps in the game, a 21-6 Dallas victory, and impressed the Giants enough that on Monday, after having been a practice-squad call-up, he's now on the New York 53-man roster.

In Dallas, of course, Jaylon famously "celebrated'' on the field in moments that sometimes appeared odd to the audience - for instance, his "Swipe'' move, which is sort of his "celebration of life'' but bothersome to some when he "Swiped'' after making a tackle on an opponent's big gain.

Smith was released by Dallas in October, spent a short time with the Packers, and this weekend was signed by the Giants due to their injury and illness issues at linebacker.

The famous Landry Shift - a tribute to legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry - is a Cowboys offensive trademark meant to quietly celebrate the running out of the clock. But in what is surely a defensive first, Jaylon moved in unison with the offense, sort of emulating the up-and-down reset movement by the Cowboys O-line, and then at the end, punctuating it all by pumping his fist into the air.

After the loss at MetLife Stadium Smith posed for pictures with his former teammates Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott and others.

Smith, 26, the former Pro Bowl linebacker who recovered from his last-game injury at Notre Dame to become a "medical and spiritual miracle,'' can sort of be misunderstood. He's no "double-agent spy,'' and he's not betraying the Giants here.

He's ... just Jaylon.

The Giants visit the Eagles on Sunday, and it can be assumed that Jaylon won't be performing any "Fly, Eagles, Fly'' arm motions. ... We think.

Published
Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.

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