Skip to content

Ravens' Wallace plans to curse more people out with Steve Smith gone

Tim Heitman / USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens didn't just lose a valuable player when Steve Smith retired this offseason - they also lost one of their emotional leaders on the offensive side of the ball.

The veteran receiver brought an edge to the Ravens with his never-back-down attitude and propensity to get in his opponents' faces. Now, Mike Wallace intends to fill the void by channeling his inner Steve Smith.

"I just have to curse a couple more people out, choke a couple more people out," Wallace said, making reporters laugh, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "I was telling (wide receivers coach) Bobby (Engram) last meeting that I've got to come back in with a different attitude and I've got to start pushing people around a little bit more because Steve isn't going to be here and somebody has to do it. So, I'm going to take over that role. Breshad (Perriman), if he gets out of line, I'm going to smack him up a little bit."

Wallace, 30, is now the de facto leader of Baltimore's receiving corps. Perriman, Chris Moore, Michael Campanaro, and Vince Mayle are all 26 or younger, meaning Wallace will be relied upon to play with a consistency he has lacked in the past - something he says will be much easier in his second year in Baltimore.

"I know the offense and I know what's going on," Wallace said. "Last year was just scrambling around and trying to learn a whole new playbook and things like that. But this year, it's much easier for me. I'm comfortable, I know all my teammates, I know all my coaches. So, it's just like coming into home. It's great, and just to have continuity, coming back to the same spot, and everybody knows me and what to expect from me, I just want to be a leader for this team."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox