Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith causes sleepless nights for opposing defenses.
The All-Pro receiver undoubtedly has been the focus all week of mostly closed-door practices for the Ravens, who will host the Panthers Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
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Smith, hampered by a hamstring injury earlier in the season, appears to be returning to the form of 2005, when he earned NFL MVP consideration after posting 103 catches, 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“I don?t see any hamstring [injury] on him,” Ravens head coach Brian Billick said. “He looks very impressive, and he does a lot of things.”
Smith missed the first two games of the season for the Panthers (3-2) but has returned to catch 23 passes for 261 yards. He was joined in the offseason by Keyshawn Johnson, who is having a stellar year so far with 27 catches for 373 yards for two touchdowns.
Smith is a speedy, shifty dynamo who is just 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds. Johnson, meanwhile, is 6-foot-4, 211 pounds.
The challenge in covering both receivers will fall to Ravens cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. McAlister is expected to take on Smith more.
“[It is] a great combination, and two different types,” Billick said. “You are talking about the speed and quickness of Steve Smith and the sheer physicality of Keyshawn Johnson. It?s a challenge for our corners because ? and they can be matched up on either side ? all of a sudden, you are playing one style and then a dramatically different style.”
On Wednesday, McAlister sounded as if he was approaching the matchups with Smith and Johnson as business as usual.
“Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson are great receivers, and every week there is somebody out there just as good as them,” McAlister said. “This is the NFL, and for corners, it is always a big matchup.”
Johnson, now in his 11th season, was once the top draft pick in the NFL, but he has floated around the league in recent seasons, including high-profile, turbulent stops in Tampa Bay and Dallas. After signing with the Panthers in the offseason, Johnson has kept his media time relatively low and production high.
Few would argue that the Panthers? duo is best receiving tandem the Ravens have faced this season. McAlister said Smith gets motivation from the critics who doubted his size early in his career. Smith?s 62-yard performance in a 20-12 win over the Browns last week only added to the chip on his shoulder.
“I hold myself to a high standard, and I didn?t play up to par today,” Smith told reporters after the game.
“A lot of it has to do with his attitude, and a lot of it has to do with his ability to run after the catch,” McAlister said. “Like I said before, he is probably the best receiver in the league when he is at 100 percent.”
