Steve Smith’s NFL playing career was shaped by tenacity and cuss, perhaps more than any player in history. I believe that he truly hated every defensive back he ever faced, and hated even more any wide receiver who claimed to be better than he was.
Steve Smith said he’ll whup Michael Irvin’s ass for mocking his pants, and he was NOT joking. At all.
Steve Smith still refuses to take crap from anyone, even after he has retired.
Last season he announced his retirement, a turning point in many players’ lives that often mellows them out. But the best receiver ever under six-feet tall doesn’t know mellow. So when Michael Irvin ribbed Smith for his (very stylish imo) plaid pants, Smith told Irvin, in all dead-ass-seriousness, that he was going to whup his ass the next time they see each other.
Smith is a bad man to be on the wrong side of. My favorite memory of Smith’s playing career was during the 2014 season, his first with the Baltimore Ravens. He was cut by the Carolina Panthers after 13 incredible, spite-filled, Hall of Fame seasons, and he did NOT take kindly to it. In Week 1, he predicted that he would get his revenge when the Ravens played the Panthers in Week 4.
You think I can’t play? You’re gonna find out Week 4, M——- F———.
Smith then had seven catches for 139 yards against his old team — with five of those catches, 122 yards, and both touchdowns coming before halftime. He relished it.
The lesson being: When Steve Smith promises something, he is very, very good at following through. I hope you’re making amends, Michael. The only person allowed to take the piss out of Steve Smith is Smith himself.
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