Harrison Smith: Vikings have to take it to level we haven't hit before

Safety Harrison Smith is back for a 14th season with the Vikings, but he isn't looking for more of the same.

Smith has made All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams while helping Minnesota make the playoffs six times, which has made him a face of the franchise. None of those trips to the playoffs have resulted in Super Bowl appearances and Smith said on Monday that now is the time for the Vikings to push themselves beyond where they've gone in the past.

"There's a foundation that’s been set that, you can notice it — things operate pretty smoothly, and the people here are giving high-level effort and winning a lot of ball games," Smith said, via the team's website. "But there's another level that we need to get to, and in this business, you have to do it right now. It's not like, 'Oh, you know, year one was good. Let's just keep trying,' It's got to happen right now. I think moving forward, that emphasis of, 'Turn it up a little bit to a level we haven't been before' — that is necessary to get where we want to go."

Smith and the defense will be a big part of anything the Vikings do this season, but their ultimate ceiling may have more to do with how quarterback J.J. McCarthy fares in his first season running the offense in Minnesota.