Add another storyline to the Ravens-Jets game.
As Anquan Boldin prepares for his Ravens debut, he also must be ready to meet the man who broke his skull, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Two years ago, Eric Smith, a special teams star for the Jets, led with his helmet and knocked Boldin out on a pass play. The NFL suspended the backup safety for a week and fined him $50,000.
Smith didn’t agree with the punishment.
“I thought it was pretty stupid,’’ Smith told the Star- Ledger.
But Smith believes that that both he and Boldin have moved on from the play.
“That was just — we were both playing hard, and it was an unfortunate event,’’ Smith said. “It’s behind us now. I don’t think either one of us holds a grudge toward anybody.”
The horrific helmet-to-helmet hit left Boldin unconscious with a fractured sinus. He was out for three weeks. Smith suffered a concussion.
Both players are healthy now, and with Jets starting safety Brodney Pool slowed by a sprained ankle, Smith could see plenty of action against the Ravens and Boldin in the season opener.
“I’m just going to go out there and compete,” Smith explained. “He’s a guy that’s going to go hard every play. So that’s what I expect from him.”
The Jets and Ravens kick off Monday night at 7 p.m.
