

The Facts: Smith called his torn Achilles the toughest injury of his 15-year NFL career and acknowledged that he remains in the early stages of his recovery. But the receiver seemed confident Monday that he would be ready for the start of the regular season. In fact, he poked fun at his targeted return to the field. "In my little world, I would love to be 100 percent and absolutely do nothing in training camp," Smith said. "That would be perfect. I'm not sure how that will flow with [coach John] Harbaugh."
Diehards Line:
Smith, 36, tore his right Achilles tendon against the San Diego Chargers on Nov. 1 and missed what was supposed to be his final season in the NFL. He had surgery on Nov. 9 and announced in late December that he was delaying retirement for a year. His focus is to remain patient and not try to do too much too soon. He's trying to walk without a limp -- according to ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley, he didn't show much of any walking around Monday -- and he has yet to attempt to run. Asked if he would be ready for the start of the regular season, Smith said, "Yeah, I think I'll be fine." GM Ozzie Newsome said last week at the NFL combine that he expected Smith to be ready for the start of the regular season. Dr. Robert Anderson, who surgically repaired Smith's Achilles, gave him a positive report recently. "No setbacks. No real pain where you’d say, ‘Oh, that’s a concern,'" Smith said. "Just all good stuff to start and move forward.”