S. Smith: Panthers paying for my bye vacation

Steve Smith fired some shots Tuesday night. (Showtime)

Steve Smith rarely holds back when it comes to speaking his mind, so it's no surprise he was willing to take some shots at the Carolina Panthers when he appeared on Tuesday's Jim Rome on Showtime (watch here on Showtime Anytime).

Asked by Rome what his response to being called a distraction is, Smith simply said "a $5 million cashed check" while pointing out he was planning to use the money Carolina paid him this season to take a vacation on the Ravens bye week.

“A $5 million dollar cashed check. When I got pushed out the door, or shoved out the door, they owed me $5 million dollars and that's what I received," Smith said. "And I'm planning on taking one of those vacations from that money this weekend on our bye week.”

Even if Smith's not still putting up career numbers, the Ravens are 6-4 and coming off a win, which is a lot more than the Panthers can say at 3-6-1.

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Cardinals QB Carson Palmer feared to have torn ACL, tests planned for Monday



Just days removed from inking a new three-year, $50 million deal, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is believed to have torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the team's 31-14 Week 10 win over the St. Louis Rams, according to team sources. The 34 year-old Palmer was injured early in the fourth quarter when he was sacked on a third-and-7 play. The team said tests will be run on Monday to confirm the feared diagnosis. Palmer tore the same ligament in the same knee during a 2006 playoff loss.Backup QB Drew Stanton replaced Palmer and completed three of five passes for 85 yards, including a 48-yard hookup with rookie receiver John Brown on a go-ahead touchdown. The game was iced when the Cardinals' defense took two turnovers -- one interception and one fumble -- for touchdowns. If Palmer has indeed torn his ACL, Stanton will take over.



Well, this is unfortunate all the way around. While Stanton did fill in for Palmer for a few weeks while Palmer was getting over a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder, he was anything but consistent. He threw for just 529 yards in those three games, completing just 48.8 percent of his passes. He didn't throw a touchdown in two of those games. The Cardinals went 2-1.This is especially bad news for the fantasy value of Arizona's top receivers, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. Expect RB Andre Ellington to get an increase in action, but defenses will also be more likely to game plan against Ellington.