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Jonnu Smith – December 22, 2024 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Postgame – San Francisco 49ers

Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith

It seems like you and Tua have really been able to create a bond as the season has progressed. Can you take us through what you guys have been able to build off the field that has kind of translated into what we see?

JONNU SMITH: Absolutely. Getting in here, I think I signed in March or something.  I actually signed before free agency officially opened up, and I just knew the kind of player that I was going to be having the pleasure to play with, and that was awesome and everything but didn’t know the man. When I got to meet him and just be around him, it’s a lot more easier to go out there and establish the connection that we have when we build a relationship like that we have off the field. Whether it be talking about family or just situations that we go through in life, man, like just to dive beneath surface level and just grow and build that camaraderie with one another. He’s a great man. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about Tua, just the type of leader he is, the type of father he is, husband. He’s an ace of a man, and I’m honored to come in here and help him achieve success for himself as well. He alluded to that earlier with me coming in here and obviously getting a record, but he’s got just as much to do with that as I do. Again, just extremely appreciative for him. That’s my guy.

First year on the team, FIU Panther, but when you think about it, when you saw your name on the jumbotron and the ovation from fans when you got the record for receptions and receiving yards for a tight end, what was going through your mind?

JONNU SMITH: God it good all the time. All praise is due to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s been an eventful year for me, man. You know what I mean? From the standpoint of individually obviously, but just from the standpoint of coming in here and kind of going through OTAs and training camp and knowing the plan, but just over exceeding the expectations. And I put the work in. I do, man, but I hang my hat on the word of God. As man can plant and man can water, but it’s God that gives the increase. So I can put all the work in, stay after practice like I do. I work my butt off, man, because I understand I’ve been given a gift, and it’s up to me to continue to cultivate that. But at the end of the day, God is either going to continue to progress it if he chooses to. And he’s been doing that in my life. I’ve just got a heart of gratitude right now, a heart of thankfulness for this entire organization for believing in me, for my teammates, the entire offense, and just trusting in my ability to say, ‘listen, man, this is a guy that we’ve got to implement on a consistent basis in this offense.’ This is the first time that I’ve been able to really come into my own in my career and it’s Year 8. And God’s timing is perfect, not complaining about anything, anything in my past. I’ve been around a lot of great coaches. Speaking of coaches, man, I talk a lot about – I give a lot of guys credit up here, Tua and Mike (McDaniel), but let me talk about Jon Embree for a minute. ‘Embo’ (Jon Embree) has been such a huge part of this thing right here, man. I had a lot of great coaches. You talk about Arthur Smith, he’s doing his thing over there in Pittsburgh. ‘Embo’ has just taken my game to another level, you know what I mean? Just the standard that he holds me to every day. Obviously you look at the list of guys that he had, it’s no secret, the type of coach he is. You go from (George) Kittle to Tony Gonzalez, and the list goes on, just Pro Bowlers that he had. Just his belief in me has allowed me to take my game to another level. ‘Embo’ like the OG, like the ‘unc’ (uncle) that you don’t want to let down. I had a play, it wasn’t a bad play, but Embo knows the ability I have. He want me to get everything to help me be better as a player. I run out of bounds on one play, and he’s going crazy over there, man, because he knows, like ‘listen man, you get the ball in your hands, you can do damage.’ So just him holding me to certain standards like that and having that in the back of my mind, I never really had that push in my career and I had a lot of great coaches and been able to build a lot of great relationships, but Jon Embree has been a huge part of all my success. I’ve got a lot of love and appreciation for ‘Embo.’

What was going through your mind as the 50-yard De’Von Achane touchdown run was developing?

JONNU SMITH: Made a hell of a play. It was a hell of a play. We understand the game of football. Listen, man, when you’re out there in the heat of the moment and you’re in between the white lines and you see opportunities to make a big play, it’s kind of natural instinct to make a big play. That’s what we’re trying to do. That’s what we train all year round for. That’s what we grind and make a lot of sacrifices for. Great, the O-line went out there and executed a great scheme and great play call by Mike (McDaniel) and ‘Von’ (De’Von Achane) saw a lane. And ‘Von’ did what he does and he got loose, and it just happened. We’ll get to the other stuff later. We got the win. Let’s celebrate, hell of a game by ‘Von.’ Happy for him as well.

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