Steve Smith Sr. showed he's up for the AFC North when he slammed Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones to the turf on his way into the end zone during Week 1.
But the Ravens-Steelers matchup is a whole other animal.
So what are the new wide receiver's expectations for his first game against Pittsburgh?
"It's going to be a physical game, but at the end of the day, it's about football," Smith said. "It's going to be the guys who make the most plays."
It wasn't the amped-up sound bite Smith often delivers. It seems the wide receiver hasn't yet bought into the often jovial trash talk (out of respect) between the two teams. In other words, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs hasn’t rubbed off on him.
But Smith did say teammates have talked with him about the rivalry.
"That was one of the big things that were explained to me," Smith said. "Every team has its rival; every team has a team that makes things very interesting – a little chippy. [It's a] big game Thursday … I'm looking forward to it."
Smith was asked if he embraces the physical style of the AFC North.
"I try to do the best I can," he said with a grin.
Smith is coming off a debut in which he caught seven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. He also dropped two passes, however.
Smith played the Steelers three times during his 13-year career with the Carolina Panthers. He had 13 catches for 130 yards and no touchdowns, and hasn't caught any passes over 25 yards.
Smith will be looking for his first big game against the gold and black, but he's mostly focused on getting better since last week.
"The way the receivers started off as a group – we pretty much screwed up every which way you can," Smith said. "We have to minimize that and just continue to keep improving and just play better. If we start faster and end the way we played [against Cincinnati], we'll have a great outcome."
