Smith Bros. Still Seeking Respect

Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith are well aware of how at least one pundit ranked them among edge-rushing tandems.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s almost as if Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith have an unofficial third brother.

Rodney Dangerfield.

Mr. “No Respect” himself would feel right at home alongside the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback-sacking Smith Bros.

The Smiths signed monster contracts with the Packers last offseason despite not being household names. Za’Darius Smith had 18.5 sacks in four seasons with Baltimore while Preston Smith was coming off a season of just four sacks despite being lined up opposite Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan.

The Smith Bros. earned their paydays, though, as they combined for 25.5 sacks. In last year's Week 16 game at Minnesota, they combined for four sacks (3.5 by Za'Darius Smith) and 13 quarterback hits (nine by Za'Darius Smith).

“I still think we’re underrated,” Za’Darius Smith said during a tag-team Zoom interview before Thursday’s practice. “P, did they come out with something for the best duos?”

“Yeah,” replied Preston Smith, “we weren’t even mentioned in the top 10.”

“We weren’t even mentioned on that list,” Za’Darius Smith continued, “so we’ve still got the same mind-set and that same hunger to go out there be the best duo as possible.”

While players like to say they don’t read stories, it’s clear they read this one – or at least were aware of it. Somebody by the name of Cody Benjamin ranked the Smith Bros. as only the 12th-best edge-rushing duo in the NFL.

Minnesota’s newly minted Danielle Hunter (14.5 sacks for the Vikings last season) and Yannick Ngakoue (eight sacks for the Jaguars last season) was No. 2 on the list.

“It definitely added fuel to the fire,” Preston Smith said. “Because we feel very highly of ourselves and, of course, those guys feel very highly of themselves, but they don’t make the list and we don’t make the list. But we feel like if you’re going to mention duos, you should mention the Smith Bros. because we cause havoc out there every week. How can you talk about duos and not mention us? That’s how we feel. But it’s fuel to the fire. We’re going to come out and keep on improving, keep on doing our thing and take it to another level this year. so they don’t forget on the next list.”