Ravens' L.J. Smith Is Falling Apart

When L.J. Smith signed a one-year deal with Baltimore in the offseason, he did so determined to prove that the "injury-prone" label affixed to him in Philadelphia was a misnomer.

Keep trying, L.J.

Smith, who missed six games with a sports hernia in 2007 and four games plus a postseason contest with injuries in 2008, has barely been able to stay on the field during Baltimore's training camp. What's wrong? Try everything -- the latest being a hamstring pull suffered on Monday night against the Jets. But as head coach John Harbaugh explains it, this is hardly a one-time problem.

"He had the hip flexor, the groin, the sports hernia, the upper hamstring," Harbaugh said after practice Wednesday. "It's like these things, you compensate and they tie into one another"

Yes, I would agree that if every part of your body is hurt, it's going to make it difficult on you to stay healthy.

Smith isn't approaching Dusty Dvoracek territory yet -- the Bears' defensive tackle is about to miss his fourth straight season due to injury -- but he's not setting any longevity records either. He's like that kid in school that was fun to hang out with, but you couldn't be great friends with because he had 40 absences a year.

The tough thing for both Smith and the Ravens is that this union has the potential to be a solid one. Todd Heap's still the unquestioned No. 1 tight end in Baltimore, but his numbers have dropped off dramatically since 2006. On top of that, the Ravens' grind-it-out offense leaves plenty of room for multiple tight-end sets, and with the team's lack of dominant wide receivers, a guy like Smith could be a red zone threat.

He's got to stay on the field first, though.

"He's been working incredibly hard to try to get it right, and he's going to have to continue to do that," Harbaugh said. "But like I told him today ... 'Don't get down about it.' It's a long season, and we're going to need him to be a really good player for us.

"We need to get him ready for, hopefully, Atlanta [in Week 1]. And if not Atlanta, Kansas City."

That's all Harbaugh can do is hope. But Smith's spot on the weekly injury report, which lists every banged-up player's status and ailment, could be really special come that opening game:

Out: L.J. Smith (Everything)