Ravens' Torrey Smith just getting started

Second-year wide receiver has all the attributes to be a perennial Pro Bowl player

"My biggest thing was just not being 100 percent confident in my assignments," Smith said. "Being that I understood the pro-style offense in college, it was more like, 'What play do I have this protection or when do I have to worry about this?' Really, I had four weeks to try and get all that. It was just thrown at you. But I'm happy that everything happened how it did. The negative, getting ripped by the media and by the fans, it happens to everyone at some point. I was able to deal with both extremes, the highs and the lows. When I finally did show that I can play here and I belong here, it was a nice feeling."

'What was I doing?'

Last week, Smith was watching tape of the regular-season game last year against Houston and he was appalled by what he saw.

"I'm looking at one play and I was like, 'Wow, what was I doing?,' " Smith said. "Now, it's starting to look how it's supposed to look. I think I'm a completely different player than I was last year in a lot of ways. I'm more polished, definitely more confident. I know what I'm doing, I know what to expect. But I still have a long ways to go."

Smith spent the offseason agonizing over mistakes he made during his rookie year. He watched tape nearly every day, breaking down his own routes and techniques. When he wasn't watching footage of himself and the Ravens' offense, he was studying other NFL receivers, or taking a break to run routes.

"Really, it's the ability to have repetitions and fundamentals that is going to separate you. That's what the offseason does," Hostler said. "It's like, 'OK, I know what I'm supposed to do but now I need enough repetitions built up and I can do it without any thought.' The quarterback sees him doing it all the time the same way. That's what has developed probably more than anything, just the ability to have the repetitions with the proper fundamentals and techniques."

Said Flacco: "I think the biggest part is that he got all the experience last year. Without that, he wouldn't be able to come out here and be as confident and sure of himself as he is. I think that's really why he's able to play so well this year. He's going to be a great receiver. He's right there."

Other teams have taken note. Smith has seen more cornerbacks making checks and safeties rolling over to his side in an attempt to take away the deep ball. Last season, Smith was targeted 41 times on passes of 20 yards or more, catching 12 of them for 456 yards and five touchdowns, according to the web site Pro Football Focus. Through seven games this season, Flacco has thrown 21 passes of 20 yards or more to Smith, and he's caught eight of them for 258 yards and three touchdowns.

Smith acknowledges that he'll probably always be looked at primarily as a "deep threat" even as he works every day to become a more well-rounded receiver. So far this season, 17 of his 25 catches are on throws under 20 yards as the Ravens continue to search for ways to get him the ball.

Smith, meanwhile, continues to hold himself to a high standard. Asked earlier this week about his production in the first half of the season, Smith instead, lamented his first drop of the season against the Texans two days earlier. He was credited for eight drops last year.

That's why he spent so many hours under the Maryland sun this offseason catching balls from Flacco. That's why every day after sprinting out to the field ahead of his mentor Boldin, Smith's first stop is the JUGS machine where he hauls in countless balls before practice even begins.

"I just don't want to be a guy that feels like he's arrived because that's when they get your tail out of here," Smith said. "I'll definitely be loyal to these guys. I owe that to them. They believed in me and my talents and this is where I wanted to play. To be here, I'm definitely thankful for it. I'm going to work and try to be the best player that I can be."

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