Steve Smith Goes Down Fighting; Achilles Injury Fitting End to Warrior's Career

All fans want Steve Smith Sr. on their team, and every team would be better with Smith on it. When it became obvious his Baltimore Ravens weren't going to win many games this year, speculation ran wild that the 36-year-old—who'd already announced his intention to retire at the end of 2015—would soon be traded to a contender.

"If they would trade me, I would quit," Smith told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. "I like to finish what I started."

This fire, passion and relentless drive are exactly what make Smith one of the most special players in the NFL. He gives his all every play, every game, no matter the score or situation. He does his job with zeal and relish and holds those who don't accountable. He speaks without a filter, leads both with his voice and by example.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Like Achilles, the hero of ancient Greek legend, it seemed Smith was invincible: At 36, he was the oldest wideout in the NFL and playing some of the best football of his life. In six games, he was on pace for 102 catches and 1,470 yards. Each would have been the second-highest total of his career.

Time and again, Smith defied his stature, his age and his doubters. Across a fantastic 15-year career, he was named to five Pro Bowls and twice earned first-team All-Pro honors. He stands 10th on the all-time passing-yardage list.

At the outset of this season, Smith announced to reporters it would be his last—and if Smith were anyone else, we'd have all marked him down for a lackluster season, a farewell tour taken with one foot (and maybe his heart) already on the sidelines.

But this is Steve Smith. Giving the NFL his last, best shot while going down with the doomed Ravens ship isn't how we'd have written the final chapter of Smith's epic career...but it's better than watching his skills erode, his impact lessen and his fire go out. The last receiver driven to greatness by this kind of unquenchable thirst for excellence, Jerry Rice, was also driven to stay in the league until he was a token contributor on some forgettable offenses.

When Smith's Achilles tendon ruptured Sunday, per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, it ended his 2015 season. If this is indeed how Smith goes out, he goes out undiminished, undefeated.

He came into the league as a special teams sparkplug, a third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers immediately tabbed for return duties. The first play of his first game in the NFL was a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Smith finished his rookie season with the fourth most all-purpose yards in the NFL, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. Only Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk and Derrick Mason compiled more. Smith was named first-team All-Pro returner that year—the consensus best in the business.

The 5'9", 185-pound fireball always looked bigger than he was, played bigger than he looked and stood tall among his peers. In 2003, he led the Panthers in targets, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns as he led Carolina to the only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

A fractured leg suffered in 2004 didn't stop him from leading the NFL in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,563) and receiving touchdowns (12) in 2005. The Panthers got back to the NFC Championship Game, and Smith was again named first-team All-Pro, this time as a receiver—certifying his place as the top wideout in the game.

Though the Panthers went through ups and downs (and quarterbacks like Jimmy Clausen, Chris Weinke, Matt Moore and David Carr) during Smith's time there, he was never anything less than relentless—even with his own teammates. Smith's production dipped in 2010 during the Clausen experiment but perked back up with the drafting of Cam Newton No. 1 overall in 2011.

Smith was an obvious crutch for the supremely talented rookie. Newton's understandable reliance given his lack of better options—not to mention his still-developing accuracy—made Smith's job tougher than it needed to be. When general manager Dave Gettleman released Smith in the wake of the 2013 season, Smith let the world know exactly what he thought of it, per CBS Sports' Will Brinson:

"

"Every time I keep reading stuff and reports come out, I just think I was stabbed in the back," Smith said. "Just like coach Rivera said he wasn't a sore loser, but yet he never even spoke to me through the whole ordeal. Not one time. He didn't look at me man-to-man and said this was going down. He said he's a players' coach but he never came in and said 'Hey Smitty, this is going on. Wanted to give you a heads up.' He hid in his office.

"Then you come at the end of the game and I play decent and then you come and shake my hand and say, 'Congratulations. I hope your family's well. Good luck.' But we were supposed to be boys and respected me. You would have done it from the jump. You don't do it at the end. And then you tell the media. Why? So you can look a certain way."

Smith ripped Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman, too, claiming the GM told Smith when the two met he was a "shadow" of his former self and that Smith was "jealous" of Cam Newton.

"

It's no wonder Smith famously promised "blood and guts everywhere" on WFNZ radio when his new team, the Ravens, faced the Panthers—and it's no wonder he delivered, with seven receptions, 139 yards and two touchdowns that week.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Smith was exactly the catalyst the Ravens needed in 2014. He led the team in receptions and receiving yards, pulling in the tough catches and making the clutch plays while deep threat Torrey Smith burned people deep. His fiery leadership on a team missing legends such as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed propelled the Ravens to—and very nearly through—a classic divisional-round playoff contest in 2014.

This year, with Torrey Smith gone, first-round rookie Breshad Perriman unable to stay healthy and tight end Dennis Pitta potentially unable to play ever again, the situation suddenly looked eerily similar to the 2013 Panthers, where an aging Smith was asked to do the impossible.

He did.

Against all odds, Smith was on track to challenge personal statistical bests for a cursed Ravens squad already playing for nothing but pride. He was Pro Football Focus' No. 3-ranked wideout going into Week 8. It's only fitting that Smith went off on his shield, towel covering his face out of respect—and the Ravens gutted out a last-second 29-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday to honor his effort.

The only more fitting way for Smith to retire, as Florio reported is a possibility, is for Smith to not retire after all.