For Steve Smith, Facing Old Team Is Just Another Chance to Prove People Wrong

As he drove to his daughter’s soccer practice Wednesday evening, former Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme hadn’t heard a single sound bite from his friend and former teammate Steve Smith Sr.

Delhomme, though, predicted the play.

“You can try to downplay it—and Steve will try to downplay it—but it is a different game,” Delhomme told Bleacher Report. “It means something more. It’s personal.

“He won’t say that—and if I was in his shoes, I wouldn't say that—but it is.”

On Sunday, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Smith’s current team will host his previous team, the one that drafted him in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft and employed him until March.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

A day after his release from the Panthers, Smith, 35, signed a three-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens and vowed that there would be “blood and guts everywhere” if he faced his old team.

Through three games, Smith has 18 catches for 290 yards, more than any of the Panthers receivers.

The Charlotte Observer even dubbed Week 4 “Steve Smith Week.”

But during a conference call with reporters in Charlotte, Smith was understated and even catty.

Asked about the possibility of providing the Panthers bulletin board material, Smith said, “You all are going to make something up anyway, so what’s the sense?”

Later, in an interview with Baltimore-area reporters, Smith was more cordial, though diplomatic.

“I just want to get the game over with and move on, to be honest,” Smith said.

Delhomme predicted such a response from his friend, with whom he still stays in touch. In fact, on Wednesday, Smith said Delhomme was the best quarterback he’d ever played with, noting the two led the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

“It will be beyond emotional, and (Steve) will try to stay away from it as much as possible,” Delhomme said, “but it’s human nature. He’s going to feel like he’s never felt before.

“And Steve is a very emotional guy.”

Delhomme, a native of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, reflected on his first game at the Superdome as the Panthers quarterback. He’d spent the bulk of his first six NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but he only played in six games. On Oct. 26, 2003, as the Panthers’ starter, Delhomme returned to Louisiana.

“I was up so early, and I was dying to play,” Delhomme recalled. “Any other game—even the Super Bowl—I slept like a baby the night before.

“But I was so ready to play (against the Saints).”

Delhomme said Smith will be hyperfocused in practice this week, and he’ll challenge his teammates to stay sharp this week.

“He’ll demand that everyone else be on their game,” Delhomme said. “But that’s him.”

Smith said he’s not bitter about the Panthers’ decision to release him because he’s still playing.

“Do I want to show certain individuals that I can still play? Honestly, I don’t have to,” Smith said. “They’re game-planning for me, so (they know what I bring) to the table, and I also know what they bring to the table.”

Marty Hurney doesn’t mask his appreciation of Smith.

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Hurney was named general manager of the Panthers in 2002, Smith’s second pro season, and he remained in that position until 2012. Hurney understands the point of view of the club as well as the player.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft, has a contract that expires after the 2015 season. Expecting to allocate a significant portion of their salary cap for Newton, the Panthers likely decided to focus on developing young complementary players, Hurney said.

“Obviously, they made a decision to go in a direction with Cam being the franchise quarterback of the team,” Hurney said, “and looking down the road, they decided to rebuild the offense with younger players who can grow.

MIKE MCCARN/Associated Press

“It was a move for the future.”

As a general manager, Hurney said making tough personnel decisions is “extremely difficult.”

“Looking back, I might not have done it enough. But players like Steve Smith—who bring passion every day to the stadium and do everything they can to help you win football games—you grow an attachment to those guys,” Hurney said. “Nobody brings more passion than Steve Smith.”

Smith, though, isn’t one to hold his tongue or, literally, pull any punches; he injured two teammates during altercations.

“Steve and I argued a ton,” Delhomme said. “But we demanded a lot out of each other. He was someone you wanted on your team.

“We had a lot of guys in Carolina like that.”

But the culture in Carolina may be changing.

Most notably, Newton wasn’t shaped by tough-love coaches, responding more to positive reinforcement.

The Ravens, however, boast a locker room full of Type A males. Although Ray Lewis retired after the 2012 season, the Ravens have never shied away from players with strong personalities.

“I think it was a good fit for Steve,” Hurney said. “He’s passionate, competitive. And that competitive edge—that drive—has made him the great athlete and football player he is.”

The Ravens have embraced Smith, with quarterback Joe Flacco even jokingly calling the veteran receiver a “maniac.”

Nick Wass/Associated Press

“I enjoy playing ball, and I play with a passion,” Smith said. “I know when I’m on your team, you love me; when I’m not on your team, you despise me.”

The approach of the Panthers is to downplay the Smith angle.

“Steve’s playing very well for them,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said, “but it’s going to be the Carolina Panthers versus the Baltimore Ravens.”

Added Newton, “It’s not about that—the rematch with us—for Steve.

“It’s more about us bouncing back from a bad loss.”

Delhomme and Hurney didn’t hesitate when asked how the 5'9" Smith has defied the odds to remain so productive at the age of 35.

“He always took care of his body,” Delhomme said. “He didn’t drink or smoke, and he’d be at work at 5 a.m.”

Added Hurney, “He always played big.”

But all the diplomacy aside, Hurney said Smith will be motivated to play his best against the Panthers Sunday.

“All his life, he’s heard what he can’t do, and he’s proven everybody wrong,” Hurney said. “Now this is just another situation like that.

“He wants to be able to prove people wrong, and he can still play at a high level.”

For 16 years, Sean Jensen served as a beat writer or NFL columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, (St. Paul) Pioneer Press and Chicago Sun-Times. He has also been an NFL contributor or columnist for AOL Sports, Yahoo Sports, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine.