Carolina Panthers legend Steve Smith Sr. got to play opposite former New Orleans Saints (and Atlanta Falcons) wideout Joe Horn quite a few times. Unfortunately, however, he’ll never get the opportunity to go head-to-head with his son, Jaycee.
But what if he did? In fact, what if Horn got the chance to face . . . Horn?
Smith Sr. posed those questions to the second-year cornerback himself, as he was on the scene for Panthers training camp last week on behalf of NFL Network. So when the franchise’s all-time leading receiver first asked the young buck how many catches his father could reel in on him over 10 targets, he gave Pops a little props.
“I’d give him maybe three or four,” Horn said with a smirk.
And how many for Smitty . . . ?
“Same thing,” he then replied. “Three or four.”
Although we didn’t see much of Horn in his rookie campaign, that’d be a better success rate than he allowed in 2021. The eighth overall pick was thrown at five times last season and relinquished just one reception—an 8-yard touchdown catch by New York Jets receiver Corey Davis. (And to be fair, it was a good play by Davis.)
Luckily, we’ll get to see more of Horn in 2022—even though he won’t be matching up against 89 or his dad.