Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith has been bigging up one of his favorite teammates amid a revival of sorts in South Florida.
The Dolphins had a disastrous start to the season that left their hopes of ending a more than two-decade long wait for a play-off victory hanging by a thread.
The loss of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for four games and a slew of other injuries left them winning just two of their first eight games.
But with Tua back and head coach Mike McDaniel seemingly ironing out some of the offensive issues that plagued them earlier in the season, the Fish have won their last two games, beating the Los Angeles Rams and the Las Vegas Raiders, with a very winnable home game with the New England Patriots this weekend.
The Dolphins are now in with an outside chance of securing a wildcard spot, although they will likely need to win six of their last seven games to overcome the likes of the Denver Broncos.
The Phins only really have three difficult games left on their schedule, facing the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans and the San Francisco 49ers, but they can likely afford to lose one of those, as long as they beat the New York Jets twice, the Patriots this weekend and the Cleveland Browns on December 30.
Smith picks out star man
Jonnu Smith has been key to the Dolphins’ revival, playing a key role in the receiving game and taking advantage of the cloud coverage teams often play in a bid to stifle star receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Smith ranks ninth among tight ends when it comes to receiving yards, but more than 200 of his 448 receiving yards have come in the last three games alone, including a 101-yard game against the Raiders.
The veteran is the tight end the Dolphins desperately needed last season, but he is not the only vital addition. Calais Campbell has four sacks, nine tackles for loss, a forced fumble and many more play-wrecking moves.
That has led to Smith comparing him to NBA great LeBron James. “Calais is one of my favorite teammates in all the sports that I’ve played,” Smith said on The Pat McAfee Show.
“He’s like the LeBron James of the NFL right now as far as his age and the production that he brings to the game, still playing at a high level. I mean, the guy is 1,000 years old and playing like he’s 21.”
