Steve Smith Becoming Ravens' Best Offensive Weapon in Resurgent 2014 Season

Through three games this season, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith has compiled 18 receptions for 290 yards and one touchdown.

For a 35-year-old receiver who limped to 64 receptions, 745 yards and four touchdowns in 15 regular-season games last season, that is an excellent start. Smith has more yards and receptions than any of his teammates this year, but maybe more significant to him is the fact that he has more receiving yards than anyone on the Carolina Panthers—his former team and Week 4 opponent.

The Panthers released Smith after last season because of a bulky cap hit. After 13 years with the same franchise, he was forced to find a new home to try and prove himself all over again.

In Baltimore, he landed in the perfect situation to be productive. Not only did the Ravens have a field-stretcher in Torrey Smith to complement Steve Smith's declining explosiveness, they also had a ready-made possession receiver role to fill in Gary Kubiak's offense.

Steve Smith was initially expected to be the complementary piece to Torrey Smith and Dennis Pitta in the passing game. However, Torrey Smith has just six receptions for 85 yards through three games, while Pitta was effective but left the Week 3 game with what seems like a significant injury.

Against the Browns alone in Week 3, Steve Smith had five receptions for 101 yards as he showed off a masterclass in route-running and resilience.

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Early in the first quarter, Smith is lined up in the slot against Joe Haden. Haden is in press coverage, and he aggressively jams Smith at the line with his arms when the ball is snapped. However, Smith is much too strong for Haden and is able to comfortably fend him off to release into his route.

That route is sending Smith down the seam, and Flacco is going to throw the ball in his direction quickly.

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Although Haden was incapable of disrupting Smith's release at the line, he was able to stay with him when he initially worked down the seam in his route. Haden's presence prevented Smith from running clean downfield, so instead he needed to make a subtle movement within his route.

Smith pushed past Haden, before fading outwards for a moment to cut sharply back upfield. This completely negated his coverage and sent the receiver free into the end zone.

Had Flacco not rushed his pass and badly overthrown the ball, Smith's first target in this game would have been an easy touchdown reception that would have come about because of his strength, quickness and precise route running.

Flacco missed Smith again later in the first quarter when he was open on a crossing route. The duo eventually connected late in the second quarter.

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On 3rd-and-10, Kubiak called the perfect route combinations to take advantage of the coverage the Browns defense was playing. Smith is lined up to the top of the screen with Haden again across from him.

On this occasion Haden is in press coverage again, but it's important to note that Smith isn't lined up on the line of scrimmage. This means that Haden can't get his hands on him without being more aggressive at the snap.

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Smith releases inside, and Haden drops backwards instead of getting tight to him. This space becomes the catalyst for the success of this play, as Kubiak's route combinations create a natural pick of Haden. Because the Browns rushed six defenders after the quarterback, Smith was running into a vast amount of space.

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As Smith catches a high pass, Haden is still trying to recover position from being picked. Haden does eventually get to him, but not before Smith has a first down and a 26-yard gain.

For long stretches of this game, Smith wasn't being targeted by his quarterback. His gain on the pick play came late in the second quarter, but his next reception and target didn't come until the start of the fourth quarter.

Even then, it wasn't exactly a play that was designed to go to the receiver, as Flacco found him with a heave down the field after Smith extended his route when Flacco broke into the flat. Smith had initially been covered on a post route, but the deep safety took a poor angle to the ball before the veteran receiver made an impressive catch.

That was a 30-yard reception, but it was a good amount of the 75 yards Smith gained in the fourth quarter.

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Against Buster Skrine on a 2nd-and-9 play, Smith ran an outstanding slant route that turned the cornerback in completely the wrong direction to create space inside. He didn't get the first down, but he created a huge throwing window for his quarterback and set up a manageable 3rd-and-1.

For 10 more minutes of game clock, Smith wouldn't see the ball. Yet when the Ravens needed big plays to win the game, the offense turned to him.

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Losing by one point with less than two minutes to go while lined up at midfield, Smith got the two-minute drill going with another slant route. However, this time he executed it perfectly against Haden rather than Skrine. This play gained five yards on 1st-and-10.

It was Haden again who Smith beat for his biggest play of the game. In fact, it was a play that came immediately after his slant route, and that slant route played a role in setting it up.

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Smith hesitates at his release point, and Haden overplays the slant by setting his feet up inside, with his shoulders facing the sideline. This gives Smith a free release down the sideline, but again, the older receiver doesn't have the speed to simply run away from Haden.

Instead, Smith inverts the route that he ran on his very first target of the game. Rather than fading out to go in like he did that time, he pushes infield before angling back down the sideline.

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Haden's poor footwork and lack of strength through Smith's route has given the receiver the chance to run free down the sideline. When the ball arrives from Flacco, it arrives in a spot where only the receiver can catch it.

Now, this wasn't a perfect throw from the quarterback. It was too far in field and led the safety to the football, but Smith's route created so much separation against the cornerback that it wasn't a tough throw, while his strength at the catch point allowed him to comfortably complete the catch.

This was the biggest play of the game because it set up Baltimore's game-winning score. The Ravens couldn't score a touchdown, but they didn't need to, as Justin Tucker kicked the field goal.

Smith may have limited explosiveness at this stage of his career, but he still has the precision and timing in his routes to consistently get open. With reliable hands and an offense willing to rely on him, he should easily surpass his production from his final season with the Carolina Panthers.

As ESPN writer Jamison Hensley notes, Smith still expects to play like this whenever he steps on the field:

"

John [Harbaugh] brought me here to make plays. That’s what I’m going to do. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It doesn’t matter what division or what conference. When I accept that jersey, I’m expected to make plays. That’s what I expect out of myself.

"

For most players, excelling against division opponents is the pinnacle of regular season play. It's second only to excelling in the postseason and it endears you to your team's fanbase as much as anything. However, for Smith personally, the Browns game was likely just a prelude to what is going to happen in Week 4.

In Week 4, Smith and the Ravens will welcome the Panthers to Baltimore. Smith promised revenge when the Panthers initially released him and his knowledge of the team should aid him in his quest for that this weekend.

As Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer proclaims, "Smith knows what buttons he could push with Carolina's defenders."

Even though there are some new faces in the secondary that Smith didn't play with last season, the veteran was a leadership figure for many of his upcoming opponents.

It may not be the blood and guts that Smith promised, but receptions and yards will hurt the Panthers just as much.