Bad to Worse for Andre Smith

So much for redeeming himself from the ugly combine performance. GG on costing yourself millions.

We haven't lived in the Kiper era of endless NFL draft information for very long, but in that time, I can't recall anyone's draft stock falling quite like Andre Smith's.

It hurts to even think about this guy. Put yourself in his shoes. A month ago, he was on track to become a household name, had won just about every major award for which he was eligible, and was set to become one of the wealthiest people on the planet ... and now he's a guy without a college degree (he left Alabama after his junior season) who might not even have a future in the game.

I feel like giving him a hug, but I'm afraid I'd knock him down and scouts would send him even farther down scouts' lists.

Come on, Andre. Get it together, baby. Nothing's over, nothing's decided. You can still be the stud you were intended to be.

ed moyer wrote:So much for redeeming himself from the ugly combine performance. GG on costing yourself millions.

We haven't lived in the Kiper era of endless NFL draft information for very long, but in that time, I can't recall anyone's draft stock falling quite like Andre Smith's.

It hurts to even think about this guy. Put yourself in his shoes. A month ago, he was on track to become a household name, had won just about every major award for which he was eligible, and was set to become one of the wealthiest people on the planet ... and now he's a guy without a college degree (he left Alabama after his junior season) who might not even have a future in the game.

I feel like giving him a hug, but I'm afraid I'd knock him down and scouts would send him even farther down scouts' lists.

Come on, Andre. Get it together, baby. Nothing's over, nothing's decided. You can still be the stud you were intended to be.

Yeah my boy is killin me and it's just a shock for me. I mean you know the guys that come in. They have loads of talent but they cause problems off the field or their ego alienates teammates etc. Andre was never like that at all. He was a Rivals top 5 recruit that came in and started from day 1. Didn't miss a game I don't think until Tulane this season and you could tell it on the field because Alabama didn't score an offensive TD. Thanks to Arenas and the defense for winning that one (and oh yeah the Utah game too). He was one of those talents that you knew the day he signed with Alabama that he would be there 3 years and then gone.

I think the problem for Andre is immaturity and having been told "Yes" since he started playing football. He has allowed the wrong people to whisper in his ear (aka family members) and I think he thought, like it's always been, that he could just walk in and dominate like he always has. Sorry Andre but this is the NFL now man. You may be freshman all american, all american, outland trophy winner, given up like 1 sack in your whole career at alabama practically but you still have to put the work in. I don't think it's problem of him not wanting to either. Andre is just one of those guys who needs a strong presence leading him, like Saban, and he'll do what he's told.

I still believe that Andre is an incredible talent and if he gets on the right team and gets the right coach back in his corner he'll be a Pro Bowler for years to come. He's just gotta work like crazy right now and get a chip on his shoulder to prove himself again. It's not gonna be given to you anymore, you have to earn those millions of bucks that a team is gonna shell out for you.

I think it shows he cant handle the pressure. Late 4th round, LOL.

How much worse can it get for this kid? Now he's holding out and won't report to camp. They're saying the hold out could go into the regular season. Frankly, if I'm the Bungles, I tell him ok. have fun. you're our property until next year's draft. Go try your luck again there and see if anyone will give you much more than league minimum and performance based bonuses.

techierick wrote:How much worse can it get for this kid? Now he's holding out and won't report to camp. They're saying the hold out could go into the regular season. Frankly, if I'm the Bungles, I tell him ok. have fun. you're our property until next year's draft. Go try your luck again there and see if anyone will give you much more than league minimum and performance based bonuses.

Not sure what happened to Andre really. I've heard around the Bama boards from people that know people that he regrets even trying to go pro this season and wishes he would've stayed for his senior season at Alabama. He was extremely hyped coming out of high school and started from day 1 at Alabama where he pretty much dominated his whole career. He was probably the most ready offensive linemen i've ever seen coming out of college. In other words he was raw but then again it was amazing to see a guy come outta high school and be able to step right in as a starter and already show such ability.

I think he could be a pro bowler in the NFL without question. All of that being said he has made and has allowed others to make some of the worst decisions i've seen a player make coming out of high school. It turned out that he did nothing wrong before the Sugar Bowl when he was suspended but Saban had to take no chances when Andre came to him and told him the situation one week before the game. That was his first mistake then it began snowballing from there. He took too long to fire his stupid agent, hired another one then it got crazier when he went back and rehired that same idiot.

He needs to get in camp and get to work or he could be one of those players with tons of talent that washes out because he continued to make the wrong decisions. He needs to look at Glen Coffee his former fellow teammate. That guy went to camp with the 49er's and has worked hard from the beginning and will probably be #2 behind Gore. Anyway i'll stop ranting on this but of course with Andre being a Bama boy it hits close to home for me.

Well said. Dude really needs to evaluate what's going on. Get to camp before you become the punch line to a joke. or the next Ryan Leaf.

Well my boy Andre finally signed. Glad he didn't let it drag on until the season started but he'll still be pretty far behind. Now it's time for him to really get down to business.

We'll see about 'getting down to business' He really hasn't shown any inclination toward that type of thing since before Thanksgiving last year. Let's hope he's got his head straight, otherwise he'll be calling Cryin Ryan for career advice.

Trips to Waffle after the bars close could really cost this dude...should be interesting!

Andre Smith is going to want to stay under 350 pounds
By MJD

If Bengals rookie offensive lineman Andre Smith(notes) doesn't keep himself relatively light, the Bengals are going to make sure they keep his wallet light. There's a clause in his new contract, according to Pro Football Talk, dictating that Smith's paychecks will be cut in half if he fails to keep his weight below 350.

Smith held out through training camp and possibly submarined his entire rookie year ... for this? All that time and struggle, and they couldn't get a clause that potentially halves his earnings taken out of the contract? Who's the super-agent that negotiated this one? Master P? What did the Bengals originally propose, that if Smith showed up out-of-shape, that his entire contract would be voided, he'd be stabbed in the throat and that he'd owe Mike Brown(notes) $54 million?

Not that I feel sympathy for anyone here. Smith has a history of questionable work habits, so I don't blame the Bengals for looking out for themselves. And Smith agreed to the contract, so that's on him. And in the long run, maybe it'll be a good thing for him and help to keep him at his ideal playing weight. I'm glad he feels confident that he'll be able to do that.

I just can't get over the fact that Smith and his agent staged a long contract holdout and still agreed to this. It feels odd to even type it, but score one for the Bengals organization here. Some poor agent just got paddled. By the Bengals.

Andre's agent is a complete moron. I hate Boras but man he sure could've used someone that at least knew what they were doing. Andre made the right move firing the guy then he rehired him. He needs to get Saban to be his agent lol. Saban and the university have actually put together a class for the players now to help them better understand hiring an agent. They have definitely learned from watching Andre stumble over mistake after mistake. Hopefully it'll help some of the other Alabama players going into the draft in the future and I think you should see a few good ones in the next few drafts. Terrence Cody and Rolando McClain are two you might start hearing more about next year when draft experts start putting out draft predictions.

Wow talk about karma. Sounds like Andre broke his foot. Looks like he'll be out for some weeks but no surgery involved. Might as well chalk up this season for him. You should've stayed at Alabama one more year you punk! Seriously I wish him the best, hopefully he'll get his mind right and get going on the field instead of the agent shenanigans that i've had to witness the last 5-6 months.

Rick F wrote:Wow talk about karma. Sounds like Andre broke his foot. Looks like he'll be out for some weeks but no surgery involved. Might as well chalk up this season for him. You should've stayed at Alabama one more year you punk! Seriously I wish him the best, hopefully he'll get his mind right and get going on the field instead of the agent shenanigans that i've had to witness the last 5-6 months.

not only that but good luck staying under tree-fiddy with a broken wheel. Can you say bye bye 50% of your paycheck?

techierick wrote:

Rick F wrote:Wow talk about karma. Sounds like Andre broke his foot. Looks like he'll be out for some weeks but no surgery involved. Might as well chalk up this season for him. You should've stayed at Alabama one more year you punk! Seriously I wish him the best, hopefully he'll get his mind right and get going on the field instead of the agent shenanigans that i've had to witness the last 5-6 months.

not only that but good luck staying under tree-fiddy with a broken wheel. Can you say bye bye 50% of your paycheck?

He'll need to go on that Rex Ryan "water diet" if he wants to achieve that. Break out the tuna packs.