SPARTANBURG Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith rolled into training camp at Wofford College late Friday morning wearing aviator-style sunglasses, a beard and a cap that read “I (Heart Symbol) My Life.”
This is Smith’s 12th training camp, his second with Cam Newton as his quarterback and his first in which a teammate – in this case All-Pro center Ryan Kalil – has published a full-page, pre-camp advertisement declaring the Panthers will win the Super Bowl this season.
Standing in the shade of oak trees in front of the dormitory he will call home for most of the next 19 days, Smith endorsed the message Kalil delivered on Wednesday.
“I thought it was fantastic,” Smith said of Kalil’s message. “I wouldn’t necessarily say he put any added pressure on any of us. Everybody wants to be champions. When you come to training camp, everybody believes their team has the right formula and the right guys to ultimately transfer over into the season and you’ll be that team.
“Why is that wrong to have that high standard? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Why should we lower our standards? I love it. I’m right there next to him. I think it’s phenomenal and I think the right person thought about it. It was calculated and I love every bit of it.”
A year ago, Smith arrived at training camp with a pronouncement that he had made mistakes earlier in his career, hadn’t always been an ideal teammate and was intent on making amends. He had raised the possibility of being traded after the Panthers’ 2-14 season but, as much as any player, Smith excelled under the new Ron Rivera regime.
Smith is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career, with 79 receptions for 1,394 yards and seven touchdowns. He was rewarded with a Pro Bowl appearance and a contract extension in the offseason.
After a series of meetings Friday and early Saturday, Smith and his teammates will have their first official practice Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Smith said it’s natural to be excited about the start of another season even if the extended stay in Spartanburg is mentally and physically challenging.
“Training camp is meant to be a grind, when you work hard and you’ve got your teammates with you and you get to see how they deal with adversity,” Smith said.
“Here in South Carolina, 3 o’clock in the afternoon, there’s a lot of adversity called humidity. That’s really going to allow guys and coaches to see what they’re made of. I don’t care what year you’re in, training camp is meant to bend and break and put people in uncomfortable positions no matter what.”
Before coming to Spartanburg, Smith and his family made a $100,000 donation to a fund for the victims of the Aurora, Colo., theater shooting. Though Smith has preferred to keep many of his charitable contributions private, he chose to announce this one in hopes of inspiring others to follow his lead.
“The reason why I made it public and my agent sent out a press release is because I think it’s important for certain people at the right time to use their platform to challenge other people,” said Smith, who said his son, Peyton, attended a “Dark Knight Rises” premiere in Charlotte the same night as the Colorado shooting.
“Economic times right now are tough. We have the means so I think it’s an opportunity to kind of lead and, hopefully, other people will see that, say you know what … and people get prideful and say if this guy did that, then why don’t I do more? Imagine all the people that passed away or were injured, imagine all those people that experienced that hardship, imagine if another 100 people or so decided to give $50, $20, $10,000, $20,000, whatever the case may be.
“That’s the end result of true capitalism. You get to make money and you get to spend it the way you want to. That’s how me and family decided to spend the money that Mr. Richardson has given us. I don’t think it’s a publicity stunt. I think it’s a challenge for other people to think about what are you here for. Are you here to enjoy your treasures here and do whatever, or are you going to give it and serve people who are obviously in need right now?”
Now 33, Smith owns the major receiving records in Panthers history. His 59 receiving touchdowns, 699 receptions and 10,278 receiving yards are all franchise bests and he’ll again be a primary weapon in an offense that excelled at times last season. The Panthers averaged 389.8 yards per game and 25.3 points, numbers Smith suggested might be a baseline for the second year under offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.
The next step, Rivera said, is for Smith to sustain what he did last year.
“What we did offensively suits him very, very well. I think it really uses his talents and abilities,” Rivera said. “Now for him it’s just a matter of sustaining that level of play he had. He set the bar very high. He’s always set it very high but last year really showed he’s got a lot of football left. I’m excited to watch him this year. I think he can really excel.”
Smith isn’t bashful about setting goals.
“We know what we can do,” Smith said. “It’s can we build on it? Can we double the numbers? I think it’d be great to double the numbers. That’d be good.”
As for his new bearded look, Smith said he shaved once after a summer football camp and then decided to see how a beard might look. He joked that he’s having trouble growing hair in spots on the top of his head but he’s done a good job with a beard.
He was tempted to shave recently but a friend was so impressed by Smith’s new look he decided to stick with it, at least for a while.
“I was inspired to grow it,” Smith said.
The message on Smith’s hat suggests he’s ready for another season.
“I do love my life,” Smith said. “Just all the people going through the things they’re going through, sometimes you need to push back a little.”
