It will be hard for anyone to question Shelley Smith's commitment to football after the sacrifices the 26-year-old made to sign with the Miami Dolphins.
Smith, who had been mainly a reserve offensive lineman in Houston and St. Louis the past few years, knew that he could have the opportunity to start in Miami. And so when the Dolphins offered him a two-year, $5.5 million contract, he jumped at the chance.
Unfortunately for Smith and his fiancee, Ashley, the deal went down during their wedding weekend. As Smith told reporters, he had to be absent at some inopportune times.
"It was an absolute whirlwind,” Smith said. "Me and my wife didn't expect things to quite work out that way. I ended up missing my rehearsal dinner, I missed some different wedding events. But at the end of the day, it all worked out great. I made it back for my wedding day, I made the wife happy, and I got to sign with the Dolphins."
Smith, who has only started seven games in his career, comes into an offensive line that had four holes at the beginning of free agency. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as one of the best run-blocking guards in the league, and seeing as the Dolphins just signed Knowshon Moreno, it would appear that Miami has big plans for Smith.
Plus, if his wife is happy, that's all that really matters, right?
