Current Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and former Carolina Panther Steve Smith will meet his former team this week and promises to show them that letting him go was a mistake.
Current Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and former Carolina Panther Steve Smith will meet his former team this week and promises to show them that letting him go was a mistake.
The Panthers, who took on the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, are playing against the Ravens with newly equipped veteran wide-receiver, Smith. Smith was a long-time Panther, who had been with the team since he was drafted in 2001. Smith broke a lot of records with Carolina, catching the winning 69-yard pass in the 2003 playoffs against the St. Louis Rams (who were almost unbeatable) to win in double overtime and head to the Super Bowl.
Smith was released by the Panthers this past offseason and the Ravens decided to pick him up and give him a chance. During the Ravens-Bengals game, Smith caught a pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to give the Ravens the lead in the fourth quarter. It was the kind of play you were used to seeing Steve Smith make because he’s known around the league as the guy who will back down to no one. After catching the touchdown, someone recorded a video of Smith calling out the Panthers, saying a little more explicitly, “You think I can’t play? We’re going to find out week four.” That fuels the fire so much more.
The Steelers are going up against a weak opponent Sunday in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were just recently blown out by the Atlanta Falcons 56-14 last week. Pittsburgh is coming off a good win against the Panthers, a tough team who is expected to make the postseason this year. I did not have the Steelers winning that game, but they showed up and might’ve proved that they’re a better team than people give them credit for.
Pittsburgh was expected to make a turnover this year to get back on the right track after missing the postseason last year. The Steelers had a statement win against the Panthers, but I don’t think that is a sign of anything to come. Pittsburgh has a relatively hard schedule this year, and I don’t think one win is enough to say they’re back to their old ways and are going to make a huge postseason run. There is no doubt, however, that this was an impressive win for them going forward.
I’m excited to watch the Ravens-Panthers game; it’s definitely going to be a big one and I’m hoping Smith does well for the Ravens. This is also a chance for the Ravens to show that they can take the Bengals spot at the top of the division. Smith was one of those guys that was awesome to watch while growing up. He was out there with so many good receivers, like Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson, and he was doing it just as well as those guys. As a Bengals fan, I’m pulling for the Panthers in this one, but I’m still hoping Smith sends a bit of a message to Carolina that he wasn’t done playing football yet.
And as for the Bengals and Browns, they have a bye week.
Adam Wondrely is a senior studying creative writing and journalism. Email him at aw922910@ohio.edu.
