Smith (knee) missed his second straight practice Thursday, but said he remains optimistic that he'll be ready to play Sunday against the Ravens, Bryan Strickland of the Panthers' official site reports.
A decision on Smith's availability for Week 8 won't ultimately be up to him, but the wideout noted that his track record of rarely missing games -- even with limited practice time in advance -- gives him confidence he'll be ready to go by Sunday. With a matchup against one of his former teams on the docket, Smith probably has more incentive than usual to fight through the right knee injury and play, though he would likely be less than 100 percent healthy if he does so. The Panthers will reveal whether Smith carries an injury designation into the weekend at the conclusion of Friday's practice.