Professional football is a game of controlled violence. For some players like the Carolina Panthers Steve Smith, maintaining control is a constant battle.
Every week NFL players engage their opponents in a personal, physical battle that requires them to push the limits of intensity without crossing the border of insanity. As a Panthers fan I have never questioned Steve Smith's intensity. He plays with unmatched passion and heart. I will never question how badly he wants to win. But my questions about Steve Smith are these:
When will Steve Smith cross the line between intensity and insanity, and how badly will it cost the Panthers?
Steve Smith's Intensity
When Steve Smith is on the field he is quite possibly the most intense player in the NFL. His signature scream-and-dance move after big plays fires up his teammates and Panthers fans alike. These outbursts do not mean Steve Smith is some stereotypical look-at-me, attention-seeking media hog like so many of his wide receiver brethren. Smith's physical demonstrations after big plays seem to spontaneously erupt from somewhere deep within, almost as if he is constantly struggling to keep himself from exploding, but a big play ignites him like a flame thrower hitting a barrel of TNT.
Steve Smith's intensity leads to him constantly talking on the field, normally jawing with the defenders who try but usually fail to cover him. But rather than making him look like an arrogant jerk, the way Smith engages the opposition makes him appear excited and fully invested in the game. His opponents seem to respect this part of Smith's intensity as they voted him one of the funniest trash talkers on the field in a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players.
Smith's intensity allows him to play bigger than his 5'9" frame. Despite his lack of height, Steve Smith regularly goes up and wrestles jump balls away from much taller defensive backs, seemingly propelled by his explosive athleticism and equally-explosive drive to never lose, never back down, and never give up.
Despite playing 11 years in the league, earning four Pro Bowls selections, playing in a Super Bowl, and banking a six-year, $44 million contract, Steve Smith still leaves it all on the field. He plays every game like it is his last. He never quits. He is simply too intense to ever give less than everything he has.
Steve Smith's Insanity
But there is a dark side that emerges when Steve Smith crosses that invisible line separating controlled intensity ans unbridled anger. And when Smith crosses that line, he hurts both himself and his Panthers teammates.
Going back to 2010 the Panthers have a league-worst 5-22 record and you can literally see the losses eating away at the overly-competitive Smith.There are games when the Panthers are losing and Smith is not getting the ball and his anger begins to boil hotter and hotter with each fruitless play.
Sometimes this anger boils over on the field as it did in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans when a frustrated Steve Smith took a cheap shot at the Titans Alterraun Verner(notes), ripping off his helmet in the last minute of the game. Smith drew a penalty on the play and finished the game from the bench after being sat down by coach Ron Rivera. After the game Rivera called the team's behavior "embarrassing", with Smith's actions clearly prompting the comment. These flashes of insanity are shameful to watch and harmful to the team.
In the past Steve Smith has crossed the line between intensity and insanity, causing physical harm to his own teammates. In 2002 he punched out teammate Anthony Bright during film study, damaging Bright's facial structure. Bright sued Smith and the two settled out of court. Then in 2008 Steve Smith punched out Panthers CB Ken Lucas(notes) in a violent training camp fight where Smith's teammates had to physically restrain him from continuing the beatdown of the bloodied Lucas. Smith broke Lucas' nose and was suspended two games by the team for the incident.
There is a reason NFL players voted Steve Smith one of the "meanest" players in the league in a Sports Illustrated poll. In a separate SI poll of NFL players, Smith was among the leading vote getters when players were asked who in the league they would least like to mess with. That nasty side of Steve Smith harms his team when it explodes seemingly out of control.
Steve Smith's intensity, passion, and unmatched drive have made the Panthers wide receiver one of the league's elite play makers, capable of breaking a big play every time he touches the ball. Opposing defensive coordinators spend hours gameplanning schemes to control Steve Smith.
My hope as a Panthers fan is that Steve Smith can simply control himself.
