PITTSBURGH — The Heisman Trophy Troy Smith won at Ohio State in 2006 lays in storage somewhere in Cleveland.

The quarterback is hoping his career avoids the same fate.

Smith is trying to break back into the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who signed him in the offseason as an insurance policy during organized team activities and training camp.

The 27-year-old who dazzled while leading the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and a berth in the national title game during his senior season is now a journeyman trying to beat out established veterans Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch for a spot behind Ben Roethlisberger.

The odds are long. Time is short. Yet Smith hardly seems stressed.

“I’ve always had to do a little bit more,” Smith said. “That’s the only way that I’ve approached working. That’s the only way that I’ve approached life. You get out what you put in.”

Maybe, though Smith acknowledges this isn’t where he expected to be at this point in his life. Selected in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by Baltimore, Smith made the team and started two games, including a 27-21 win over the Steelers in the regular season finale.

The victory capped an otherwise miserable 5-11 season for the Ravens, who promptly drafted Joe Flacco the following spring. Smith welcomed the competition, but it was over before it barely began when he developed Lemierre’s syndrome.

The illness starts as a sore throat then blossoms into an infection. In Smith’s case, the disease attacked the pain receptors in Smith’s lungs. A bout with tonsillitis followed and he dropped 45 pounds off his 6-foot frame.

Smith never did compete with Flacco for the job and when Flacco led the Ravens to the playoffs as a rookie, Smith was rendered a backup.