Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Jonnu Smith doesn’t quite fit the profile of a mailman. But that was the sort of job he took on late in the first half of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 34-32 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.
With 37 seconds to go before halftime, Smith was motioned from left to right to take an Aaron Rodgers pop pass from the 3-yard line. He was too quick for Jets linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball to get a hold of, grabbing at Smith’s feet as he bowled into and over safety Andre Cisco, who was also grappling with Smith’s fellow tight end, Pat Freiermuth.
As Smith toppled into the end zone, he reached the ball past linebacker Jamien Sherwood and knocked down the pylon.
“I love that that goes down as a touchdown reception,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “That’s a unique rule. But he’s a hard guy to tackle. We’ve got a couple guys that are ‘yards after contact’ guys. Having a physical player like Jaylen (Warren) allows you to use him as a lead blocker. Guy had a terrific block on that.
“I call it that last-mile delivery, guys that can get in at the 1- or 2-(yard line). When you’ve got guys like that, you’re gonna be a little bit better in the red zone. And certainly, Jonnu is one of those guys.”
Jonnu Smith said after practice on Thursday that he was making sure not to bobble the ball at the finish line.
“I made sure (to) protect the ball. That’s key,” the tight end said. “I gotta take care of that ball. Obviously, things can get hairy around that pylon, man. When guys reach the ball out, we’ve seen a lot of things happen. But, yeah, man, my number was called and I had to make sure it counted.
“Ball security was prominent on that play. That’s kinda been what I’ve been hanging my hat on (during) my career, is fighting for extra yardage and going the extra mile.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Versatile TE Jonnu Smith Going the ‘Extra Mile’ for Steelers
