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Falcons RB Smith on Jadeveon Clowney hit: Nothing 'special'

Houston Texans rookie Jadeveon Clowney introduced himself to Falcons running back Antone Smith in a big way on Saturday, flattening Smith with a huge hit behind the line of scrimmage in the first quarter of a preseason game.
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Houston Texans rookie Jadeveon Clowney introduced himself to Falcons running back Antone Smith in a big way on Saturday, flattening Smith with a huge hit behind the line of scrimmage in the first quarter of a preseason game.

But Smith, for one, isn't much impressed by Clowney, the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft. In an interview with 610 Sports Radio in Houston, Smith called Clowney "just a guy" and said his play wasn't "anything special."

“Just a guy,” Smith told the radio station. “I don’t see anything special. He’s just a guy. He’s a guy who plays defensive end. He plays pretty good. Made a good play.”

"Just a guy" is one way to put it. Texans coach Bill O'Brien put Clowney's play into another category on Sunday.

“I think that Clowney has come in here and worked hard, he’s a very instinctive player for a rookie,” O’Brien told reporters on Sunday, according to Pro Football Talk. “He’s a hard working guy. He’s a guy that when he’s played in these games, he’s played well. He’s been able to show his pass rushing abilities. He’s been able to show his defense against the run ability. He’s dropped into coverage, so he’s done a lot of different things for us and he just needs to keep improving and that’s what he’s going to do.”

You can choose your own word to describe the hit. Here's a GIF:

Jadeveon Clowney hit GIF

MORE: See Clowney's two big hits Saturday night 

-Brett LoGiurato