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Former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. might not have made the final nomination list for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he might be inducted into the Twitter Hall of Fame after his latest comment about Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield drew attention on January 6 by criticizing reports from Cleveland local media about “differences with [Browns head coach] Kevin Stefanski,” referring to them as “clickbait.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth so you can put food on your table,” Mayfield continued, “I’m not your puppet.”
Mayfield’s comments earned a response from Smith on January 7, who joined others in criticizing Mayfield for attempting to play through a shoulder injury despite the consistent struggles of the Browns offense.
“The way you play is clickbait,” tweeted Smith, “Son, the way you play is taking food off the table of your teammates & coaches.”
Smith concluded by saying that Mayfield was “holding this team back and everyone knows it,” as documented by a Ravens fan before Smith deleted the tweet.
“Steve Smith Sr. should’ve went first ballot based off this tweet alone,” tweeted the user, referencing the former Carolina Panther’s recent Hall of Fame snub.
Smith was one of the 123 “Modern-Era Nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022” announced on September 22, but he was not one of the 15 finalists announced on December 30.
Smith 1 of 2 Ravens Hall of Fame Snubs
Smith wasn’t the only ex-Ravens receiver to be snubbed by the Hall of Fame this year.
Also missing the cut was Anquan Boldin, who played a key role in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XLVII victory in 2013. Both players have strong cases to make the Hall of Fame, making it surprising that neither was a finalist this year.
Smith was selected to five Pro Bowls over his 16-year career, and he retired in 2017 with the eighth-most receiving yards and ninth-most all-purpose yards in league history. He recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in a season eight times, and did so with a brash, outgoing personality that made him a fan favorite during his time in the NFL.
Boldin played in two Super Bowls, first with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 and later with the Ravens in 2013. He made six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII as part of a sterling postseason with 22 receptions, 380 yards and four touchdowns.
Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame monitor calculated that Smith’s score was 98.41, while the average Hall of Fame wide receiver has a score of 104.62. That means Smith might be able to make the Hall of Fame after a year or two of eligibility, though Boldin’s 79.52 score might be too low for him to ever make it in.
Ravens Close to Another 1,000-Yard Receiver
Smith recorded 1,065 receiving yards during his first season in Baltimore in 2014, making him one of very few Ravens receivers to ever reach the thousand-yard mark in a single season.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown could become the next to reach the milestone, and the first Ravens receiver since ex-Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Mike Wallace in 2017. Brown has 981 receiving yards this year, needing only 19 more to his 1,000 in a season for the first time in his career.
Tight end Mark Andrews already reached 1,000 yards against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, and he also set a Ravens franchise receiving record in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams. But he needs 141 yards to set a new NFL single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end, which would surpass Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce’s record that he just set last season.
Andrews has recorded over 100 yards in three of his last four games, two of which came with Tyler Huntley starting, as he will again against the Steelers on January 9, making it possible for him to break Kelce’s record this season.
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