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Steve Smith finished with just four receptions and 20 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, although the Baltimore Ravens were able to pick up a 19-14 victory.
The loss didn’t stop Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick from reminding everyone that Smith had a bad day against a secondary he insulted a year ago. During a game with 186 yards and two touchdowns, Smith had a lot to say about the Cincinnati defensive backs, including Kirkpatrick.
“Eighty-nine said I was trash,” Kirkpatrick said, via the Baltimore Sun. “If I’m trash, what did he do today? [Expletive], clean that up. Who was trash today? He said what he had to say last year. I just wanted to let him know, am I trash now? Eighty-nine looked to trash me, but he didn’t do anything.”
During Smith’s big game in 2015, he was seen on the sideline yelling about players in the Bengals secondary. Among them Kirkpatrick (No. 27) who he called trash.
Smith has a habit of getting under the skin of defenders and is doing it better than ever in 2016. Early in the year he got into a battle with Jacksonville Jaguars rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and then a week ago Dallas Cowboys rookie Anthony Brown said he “lost all respect” for Smith after playing against him.
"I can really give a flying f---,” Smith said of the comments made by rookies. “Older guys, they understand the respect game. These young guys, these new millennium guys, they don't really get it.”
Smith was close to retiring after the 2015 season before a torn Achilles convinced him he needed to come back in 2016, so retirement seems likely after this year. That means a New Years Day game in Week 17 could be his last matchup against the Bengals, and both sides will have plenty of pride to play for.