What Can The Baltimore Ravens Expect From Steve Smith Sr.
What Can We Expect From Steve Smith Sr. In His Final Season?
Steve Smith Sr. decided that an injury was not going to be the final note on his illustrious career. Recovering from that injury however, will likely keep Steve Smith Sr. off the field until the season opener. The question becomes what will the 37 year old receiver contribute to the 2016 season.
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We know that Smith Sr. will bring things to the table that cannot be quantifiable like passion and leadership. We know that Smith Sr. will give the team every little ounce of effort and energy that lives inside of him. We know that we’re getting the perspective of an NFL veteran chasing his 1,000th career reception. That’s what we know.
What we don’t know is how he will perform. Will the he get back to full health, or will he always be a fighting at least a little pain? Will he be in football shape? You cannot question his work effort, but you can question the endurance of a man who’s conditioning is limited by his injury. These are all questions that have to be answered. There is only one man who can answer them, and we won’t know the answers until he gets on the field.
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In 2003 Smith Sr. saw his career take off. It was his first season with 1,000 yards or more. Since then the worst season (not counting seasons where he missed more than three games) was in 2010. He had 46 for 554 yards and two touchdowns. In every other season since he became a superstar, Smith Sr. has had well over 60 receptions.
Last season Smith Sr. only played in seven games and had 46 receptions for 670 yards and 3 touchdowns. He did better in seven games than he did in 14 games in a down year. That shows you two things. It tells you how incredible Smith Sr. is and also how important he is to the Ravens.
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Smith Sr. needs 39 receptions to reach his 1,000th reception. Smith Sr. will be the Ravens number one receiver. If he stays healthy, he should shatter that mark. With all the help added to the Ravens offense they won’t lean on him as much. I think 60 receptions for 800 yards is a reasonable goal. Knowing Agent 89, he’ll probably exceed it as he continues to put on a show.