Smith obviously hopes not, but he has to know the score by now. Barring some unforeseen developments, he's not going to training camp as the starting quarterback, so the team is looking for ways to get him as many snaps as possible.
"I'm not opposed to it," he said. "I didn't get here catching balls. ... I play quarterback. That's what I do. I guess sometimes when you're blessed to a certain extent to do different things, the power of the pen and pad takes over."
If the point wasn't already made, he proceeded down a long list of Ravens receivers who will be hoping to get playing time this season but are not taking part in this minicamp.
"When those guys aren't here," Smith said, "you've got to fill the void."
If you've been paying attention for the past year or so, you can't help feeling a bit sorry for Smith. He appeared to be ahead of Flacco on the depth chart when Kyle Boller got hurt in August, but he came down with a serious throat infection that prevented him from stepping into the starting role. By the time he recovered and was ready to return to action, Flacco had established himself as the starter - a year ahead of schedule.
Now, Smith has to get his reps where he can find them. He remains confident that he can be a successful NFL starting quarterback if the opportunity should arise, but stops short of advocating a change of scenery.
"The thing about it is, being a part of this organization has made me who I am so far," Smith said. "We don't think about things like that. This team is what's most important right now, and that's the way it's handled.
"Coming from where I come from in Ohio - Columbus and Cleveland - it's about taking care of business with the task at hand. Everything in front of you is the most important thing. All of that stuff on the side will take care of itself. What's most important now is the Baltimore Ravens."
Listen to Peter Schmuck weeknights at 6 on WBAL (1090 AM) and check out "The Schmuck Stops Here" at baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog.
