Andre Smith Injured...Already!

This didn't take very long. Tackle Andre Smith, now of the Cincinnati Bengals injured himself in practice, roughly his 3rd practice with the team after a "Very" long holdout.

The story from Cincinnati.com here.

((Andre Smith is large//Courtesy: Cincinnati Enquirer File))

Smith, already renowned for his weight issues and an infamous video clip where his "Man Boobs" seem to be overwhelming his oversized body as he runs the 40 yard dash; injured himself in a non-contact drill, though the injury was not discovered until the end of practice on Tuesday.

As for the Bengals. Well, if it were any other team, this injury would probably be classified as "unfortunate". Because it is the Bengals, a team not known for either their "Draft Prowess" or their players of "Sterling Character"; Smith may just turn out to be another in the long list of head scratching moves by a team beloved in its hometown and a team who needs to have their heads examined by pretty much everyone else.

Bengals Agree To Terms With Andre Smith

((HT: Cincinnati Enquirer/Reedy))

It is a four-year deal worth $26 million with $21 million guaranteed. The Bengals have an option after the 2010 season that would push the deal $42 million over six years with the maximum worth $50 million.

The team and Smith’s agent, Alvin Keels, met throughout the weekend at Paul Brown Stadium, with the deal being announced a half hour before practice. Smith ((pictured, thanks Cincinnati Enquirer file)) arrived in Cincinnati Sunday morning and was waiting in the locker room as the deal was being completed.

“We’re excited to have Andre with us now,” coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. “He has a lot of work to do, but he knows the challenge ahead of him to make an impact on our team as soon as possible. Our vision of him is simply as a physically dominating player on our offensive line, and we know that this guy wants to be very, very good.”

Smith was on the practice field for the first time since the last minicamp session on June 20. During the first 30 minutes, which were open to the media, Smith did do some line work with the second unit.

“Andre is a very powerful man,” said offensive line coach Paul Alexander. “He can knock ’em back better than anyone who was in the draft, and that’s why we took him. And it was a very good year for offensive linemen.”

Here's one of the reasons the Bengals took Smith...
Skip forward to the :40 mark... and hide your eyes...
((HT: Tide Sports Video))

Andre Is Fitting In As A Bengal

((HT: PFT/Florio))

Some might call it sour grapes. Others might call it just desserts.

Either way, the folks at Priority Sports aren’t messing around when it comes to former client Andre Smith, who officially has re-hired his original agent, Alvin Keels, after firing Keels and hiring Rick Smith of Priority Sports in the days preceding the 2009 draft.

In a statement sent exclusively to PFT (yep, these guys are geniuses), Priority Sports had this to say about the Bengals’ latest first-round pick:

“In regards to Andre Smith, we are moving forward and devoting all of our attention on the high character, hard working and honest clients of Priority Sports.

“We were asked to come in at the last minute to provide credibility to his draft status and we succeeded in that task. Soon after the draft, Andre Smith became a tremendous distraction to our company. What we have subsequently determined is that Andre Smith does not match the culture of Priority Sports and the character of the clients we take so much pride in representing.

“This will be our final statement on this matter.”

W. O. W.

A fair inference to be drawn from a between-the-lines reading of the statement is that those rumors of Andre Smith and Keels deciding that Smith would fire Keels and hire Priority Sports merely to enhance Smith’s draft status, with the intention of firing Priority Sports after the draft and re-hiring Keels, are right on the money. (Keels has denied that Smith fired him with the intention of re-hiring Keels later.)

At a minimum, the folks at Priority Sports seem to be suggesting that Andre Smith doesn’t have high character, isn’t hard working, and isn’t honest.

The Priority Sports statement is certain to spur debate in the agent community. Some agents will criticize Priority Sports for taking a bare-knuckled approach to a man who could have been the first overall pick but for a bare-chested 40-yard dash.

But, frankly, some agents criticize anything any other agent does, because that’s simply the way many agents are wired. We like the approach, and not just because Priority Sports opted to send the statement to us.

Then again, it helped.

Monday SEC Tackle Football Update

Not much, but important...

Stop One: Atlanta through Red Stick

Looks like John Chavis ((pictured, thanks Knoxville News-Sentinel/Amy Smotherman Burgess)) will be the new LSU Defensive Coordinator after serving with Phillip Fulmer in Knoxville...

From WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge...

"Asked if he could confirm whether he had interviewed for the job, Chavis said “I’d rather not at this time, if that’s OK. I don’t know what all is out there.”

When asked if there was a comfort level with staying in the SEC, where he’s been the Tennessee defensive coordinator for 14 seasons, Chavis said “There’s no question. But I don’t want to comment on anything until Coach Miles has.”

From Atlanta, LSU coach Les Miles issued the following statement on his coaching staff:

“There will not be any announcement regarding our coaching staff until we return to Baton Rouge. Right now the only thing we are focused on is getting ready to play Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and I don’t want to do anything to take away from the opportunity our team has here in Atlanta. We have a chance to win our eighth game and finish the season on a positive note ,and that's our focus.

“I will not make any additional comments regarding my staff until we return to Baton Rouge.”

The Knoxville News-Sentinel version is in black...
Have a great day, sir... you have a damn fine football team...

Stop Two: Tuscaloosa
From Ian Rapoport of the Birmingham News, the reason the Tide's Andre Smith will not be participating in the Sugar Bowl...? Looks like there was the possibility of "improper contact with an agent."

There will be no Outland Trophy winner or All-American pushing the Utes around in New Orleans. Yes we know... "What is a Ute...?"

Mike Johnson and David Ross were working the left side of the offensive line at practice in New Orleans in Smith's absence.

Saban's statement:
"Andre Smith has been suspended from participating in the Sugar Bowl due to a violation of team rules and policies. The University of Alabama, the team and the football program are more important than any individual player. Everyone on our team depends on each other to be responsible, to make good choices and decisions relative to their actions.

Andre Smith has done an outstanding job in our program as a person, student and a player and we will do all we can as an institution to support him in all future endeavors.

Our priority and focus as a team is to play the best football game of the season in this Sugar Bowl, and to support our players to overcome any adversity this unfortunate situation has created."

John Parker Wilson's reaction is below...
((HT: al.com))

John Parker Wilson on suspension of Andre Smith