Loading ...When you think of receivers under six feet tall to catch over 100 passes in a season, the first to come to mind is the New England Patriots Wes Welker. However, Steve Smith -the New York Giants version- put together a remarkable season of his own in 2009.
There have been many questions swirling Steve Smith as of late amid contract speculation and his recovery from a serious knee injury this past season. But, the real question lies in whether or not Smith can replicate a season similar to his record breaking 2009 campaign.
He burst on to the scene in 2009 when he had to step up and fill in for the departures of Plaxico Burress, and Amani Toomer. He set the single season record with 107 catches in a season to go along with 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns, becoming the first Giant with over 90 catches in a season. For his efforts he was named a Pro Bowl replacement for the Arizona Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald.
Fast forward to this season with Hakeem Nicks delivering a promising rookie season, the Giants looked on their way to establishing one of the best young receiving corps in the league. The top Giants pass catchers in Mario Manningham, Steve Smith, and Nicks each have less than five years of experience in the league. Conversely, things did not go as planned in 2010. Smith caught the injury bug, slightly tearing his pectoral muscle and then sustaining a knee injury which required dreaded micro-fracture surgery in December. Prior to the injury Smith he was second on the team with 47 receptions for 517 yards through the first eight games.
The crucial thing about Smith’s injury is the damage that was sustained to the articular cartilage in his left knee. Cartilage cannot regenerate itself on its own therefore calling for micro-fracture surgery which is the most popular procedure for the injury today.
There have been many athletes that have recovered 100% from this surgery. The procedure calls for tiny fractures to be made in the bone of the knee. This causes new cartilage to formulate from the cells of the tiny holes made in the knee. The only risk is that the knee may be stiffer than before and the newly formed cartilage is not as strong as the original cartilage in the knee. The good thing is that many people have recovered in about four months from this surgery.
With Nicks looking like one of the premier young receivers in the league today, no one is asking Smith to go out and catch 107 passes annually. Nevertheless, if he can play close to his 2009 form and sustain it for an entire season the Giants offense has the potential to give opposing defenses nightmares.
Barshay Graves is a student at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and an acting intern at Giants 101.
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