Steve Smith Sr. returns to Ravens and speaks passionately about his comeback

During Thursday's practice, his first this year returning from a season-ending injury in 2015, wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. lined up against Jimmy Smith and did double-move, leaving the Ravens' top cornerback flat-footed as the 37-year-old jogged toward the end zone. After catching a pass from quarterback Joe Flacco, Steve Smith did his trademark touchdown spin of the ball.&quot;The bully's back, that's all I got to say,&quot; Smith said with a laugh after practice. &quot;Vacation's over for the DBs.&quot;The nine-month rehabilitation from a ruptured Achilles appears to be over for Smith, and it was hardly a vacation. Smith recalled how difficult it was at times.&quot;I'm a perfectionist, so there were a lot of points where I questioned myself,&quot; he said. &quot;I believe there were probably two or three times when I really felt like, 'Man, I'm done with this.'&quot;But Smith is back, and the Ravens are beginning to take shape.If Terrell Suggs' return to practice Monday lightened the mood for the Ravens, then Smith's first appearance in uniform this summer ratcheted up the team's competitive edge a couple of notches.It also made the Ravens seem a little more like the team that will try to rebound from a disappointing 5-11 record last season. Suggs said as much after a walk-through Thursday in preparation for Saturday's second preseason game at Indianapolis.&quot;It just feels like everything that we lost last year, we're getting it all back,&quot; said Suggs, who like Smith is coming back after injuring his Achilles tendon last season. &quot;Now we're starting to get our swag back, our chemistry, and everything is starting to feel good.&quot;Now we're starting to feel like the Ravens again.&quot;Ravens coach John Harbaugh sensed that too.&quot;It was exciting, it was fun,&quot; Harbaugh said. &quot;I saw him when I was standing next to Justin Forsett and it's a walk-through, but he [Smith] snatched the ball and shoved it in somebody's face. I looked at Justin [and said] 'He's back.'&quot;Though Smith came out in a playful mood, he quickly changed gears – at least mentally – when he took his place among the starters later on during an 11-on-11 drill late in the workout.He changed gears again, to a more emotional tone, when talking to media members after practice.In the spring Smith said he was returning for his 16th season mostly to reach 1,000 career receptions – he is currently 39 catches shy of that milestone – but he admitted Thursday that wasn't entirely the case.Smith clarified it had to do more with the faith Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome showed in the five-time Pro Bowl player when the Panthers no longer wanted Smith after the 2013 season. And because of the team's patience with him after Smith was injured in Week 8 of last year.&quot;He had told me some things about why he thought I would be a good fit here,&quot; Smith recalled of a conversation in Newsome's office when he was a free agent in 2014. &quot;He said, 'If you can't be yourself, we don't want you to be here.' When I got hurt…Ozzie and Coach Harbaugh talked to me and told me to take as much time as I want go decide about coming back.&quot;Smith's eyes began to moisten and his words were choked.&quot;I really came back not to set any records but more because this organization gave me an opportunity,&quot; he said. &quot;When I got hurt, I felt I let those guys down in the locker room. For me to come back and play, it's to show them that I am dependable and they can depend on me and to show all [the media skeptics] that at 37 years old I can still play.&quot;Smith, who is entering the final year of a three-year, $10.5 million contract, said &quot;only time will tell&quot; how effective he will be at his age. Of the wide receivers who played at least 16 years and caught 1,000 passes, some were effective while others began to drop off.Of the five receivers in NFL history to catch at least 1,000 passes and play a minimum of 16 seasons, only Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez put up comparable numbers after coming back for his 16th season.After catching 67 passes for 830 yards and five touchdowns in 1999, Rice had 75 receptions for 805 yards and seven touchdowns in 2000, his final season with the San Francisco 49ers. Rice then continued his productivity for three years with the Oakland Raiders. Gonzalez was an All-Pro with 93 catches for 930 yards and eight touchdowns in his 16th season, 2012 with the Atlanta Falcons.Others didn't fare as well.Cris Carter went from 73 catches for 871 yards and six touchdowns while not missing a game with the Minnesota Vikings in 2001 to playing in five games in his final NFL season with the Miami Dolphins, catching 17 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.Tim Brown was still productive in his 16th year, but dropped from 81 receptions for 930 yards and two touchdowns in 2002 with the Raiders to 52 catches for 567 yards and two touchdowns in 2003.Leaving the St. Louis Rams after 14 seasons with the franchise, Isaac Bruce went from catching 61 passes for 835 yards and seven touchdowns while playing the entire season in his first year with the 49ers in 2008 to just 21 receptions for 264 yards and no touchdowns over 10 games in 2009 before retiring.Not many players enter Year 16 coming off a serious injury. Smith learned that doing so takes another level of commitment.During one rehabilitation session with his trainer in the garage at his home in Charlotte, N.C. on a warm day this summer, Smith said that he found himself distracted by the heat.&quot;We had the garage door open and I looked at my trainer and I said, 'The tint is too light on my car, I need it darker,'&quot; Smith said. &quot;That just showed me like, 'My mind is not into this today.' I just kind of grinded it in there…You're going to see guys more and more in the off-season retiring because of what it takes. To work out to look good on the beach, it's easy.&quot;But to run and play football at a high level and be physically fit, it's a requirement a lot of people don't understand. Once you get older, it doesn't respond the way it used it. Guys probably go online and look at their bank account and say, 'I'm good' and shut it down; it's not worth it.&quot;Smith seemed to dedicate this season to the people who have helped get him this far.&quot;I intend to lay everything out,&quot; Smith said. &quot;Not for myself, but for the people who believed in me and who invested in me 16 years ago. The people who thought I was only going to be here [in the NFL] for a minute. This is a chance for me to say 'Thank you' to them and finish what an organization [the Carolina Panthers] allowed me to start.&quot;Smith won't say if 2016 will be his final season.&quot;We're just going to play ball,&quot; he said. &quot;...We're going to have some fun and we're going to make some plays. Oh yeah, and I happen to be 37 years old while I'm doing it.&quot;don.markus@baltsun.comtwitter.com/sportsprof56

Steve Smith Sr. returns to Ravens and speaks passionately about his comeback

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