The folks at NFL Films do great work with just about everything they do -- tops of the list is the "A Football Life" series. They've been so popular the league's actually focused on some current/active NFL players, which has been a little hit or miss. This Friday at 9 p.m. ET will be a grand slam, though, as the network debuts the Steve Smith episode.

I previewed the episode before it airs and if you are a fan of Smitty -- whether a Panthers fan, a Ravens fan or just someone who loves his old-school, smack-talk approach to the game -- you're going to love this hour of television. I cannot recommend DVR'ing it enough.

Here's some stuff to look forward to in the episode. Warning: Spoiler alert.

1. Quote of the year

Much of the episode focuses on Smith in his home dealing with his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles suffered during the 2015 season. Even with the injury, Smith isn't afraid to trash talk opponents.

In fact, his entire approach on the field is basically driven by the idea that he's going to humiliate you.

2. Always be fighting

Smith was notorious for being hyper-aggressive with opponents, even on the practice field. In August of 2008 he smoked cornerback Ken Lucas in the face during training camp and then got a two-game suspension from the Panthers for it.

According to current Panthers sideline reporter and former Panthers star left tackle Jordan Gross, this isn't new for Smith.

Gross played at Utah with Smitty and said even back then he was a wild guy on the field, consistently getting in scuffles. He lives with a chip, or perhaps a block of wood, on his shoulder.

3. Where now?

Smith detailed how terrible the first two rounds/days of the draft were when he was waiting to be selected, and when his turn finally came around, he literally had no idea where the Panthers played.

"Never even knew where North Carolina was," Smith said, before his wife revealed they pulled out a map.

4. Playoff stud

It better not be forgotten when we start talking Hall of Fame with Smith that he was an absolute animal in the playoffs.

In Carolina's 2004 Super Bowl run, Smith finished with 404 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He straight-up beat the Bears in 2005, posting 218 receiving yards on 12 catches as part of a 335-yard, three-touchdown postseason that ended in the NFC Championship Game.

At the age of 35, he went out and put up 101 yards against the Steelers in Baltimore's opening-round win in 2014.

All told he averaged 91 yards per game in 11 playoff games with nine touchdowns in those appearances.

5. Future friends

This was a story I never knew: when Smith was a rookie, he made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner. He hadn't gotten much action with Carolina as a receiver and he was told to hang out with the special teams players in Hawaii, rather than practice with the receivers. It got him down, but his NFC special teams coach told him he should ignore the soft command and go show the receivers what he could do.

That coach? John Harbaugh, then with the Eagles. It didn't hurt his future decision.

6. Served cold

Also not hurting his decision? The Panthers being on the Ravens schedule that year.

"Every team that called, I looked at their schedule," Smith said. "I didn't know what week. But I knew the Panthers were on that schedule."

We've already seen a bunch of the footage from Smith on the sidelines while destroying his old team, but it's still superb to relive.

7. Quote of the Year, Part 2

"There's nothing more than breaking and feeling a guy's will leave his body and understanding that he surrenders," Smith says at one point. "I like that."

8. Good teammate, too

It's easy when you think about Smith punching people to forget what a leader he was for those Panthers teams. He was the heart, soul and fire for the franchise for a long time.

One great moment was a sideline discussion with Jake Delhomme, who clearly lost his fastball after the brutal loss to Arizona in the playoffs following the 2008 season (Delhomme melted in 2009).

Smith comes to the sideline and grabs a dejected Delhomme after a horrible underthrown pass that was intercepted.

"You could throw 50 interceptions. But you still my guy," Smith says. "You understand me? You understand me?"

Delhomme adds now that "you hurt so much inside ... for him to come and put his arm and say 'I got your back.' You truly appreciate [him]."

9. Butting heads

Maybe the most interesting thing revealed in the show was the dynamic of Smith leaving Carolina. He was released by the Panthers and it's worked out fine for both sides, although there were concerns about the Panthers weapons for a while.

Gross had the best explanation for how the split happened.

"That was a tough dynamic between Cam and Steve," Gross said. "It frustrated Steve being with a young quarterback who maybe didn't get all the terminology down right away. Who would mess up his reads on a hot route, things like that. Steve had no patience for that."

As a result, Gross thinks Panthers management basically wanted to let the franchise quarterback grow and it wouldn't happen as long as Smith was there. It's a fascinating consideration when you consider how Cam developed in 2014 and 2015.

That's a lot of reasons to watch and it doesn't really even cover most of the material. Bottom line? Set your DVR.