Cincinnati Bengals: The Andre Smith Saga Gets Off on the Wrong Foot

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Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Andre Smith has been quite the popular topic this offseason in his first season in the NFL.

After being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2009 draft, the Bengals and their fans seemed excited to add a player like Smith to a line that finished third in the NFL last season when it came to giving up sacks (51).

Unfortunately, the Bengals seem to have a recent history of things not going there way in Cincinnati. That trend continued this offseason when it came to the team trying to sign their first-round draft pick Smith.

Even though training camp started at the end of July, it took until the end of August for Smith to end his holdout and come to terms with the Bengals. Smith had been holding out from training camp in hope of receiving a larger contract from the Bengals. Last weekend, he agreed on a four-year deal worth $26 million, which guarantees him $21 million.

While his teammates spent the majority of August in Georgetown, Kentucky preparing for the 2009 season by participating in head coach Marvin Lewis' intense training camp, Smith did his best to stay in shape by working out on his own with a trainer.

Smith may have found a way to stay in shape by working out on his own, but there's a difference between a player staying in shape physically and staying in shape from a football perspective.

The purpose of training camp is to prepare players for the upcoming season to gain a feel of the type of shape they need to be while on the field. Smith put himself at a disadvantage by holding out of training camp, which could have an affect on his rookie season.

After ending his holdout, Smith finally showed up to practice this week with the rest of his new Bengals teammates in hopes of showing that he was worth every penny of his contract. Unfortunately, Smith's return lasted a mere few days before he suffered a fracture in his foot—during a non-contact drill.

Smith's injury is expected to keep him out for opening day against the Denver Broncos. Whether or not he will miss more time past that can only be told over time.

Could Smith's injury have been prevented if he participated in training camp throughout the month of August? It's a possibility.

However, the recent injury to Smith brings nothing but frustration to the Bengals' organization and their fans. The fact that he is missing more time now because of this injury brings up the question on whether or not the Bengals should have spent their first-round pick on another offensive tackle, such as Eugene Monroe (Jaguars) or Michael Oher (Ravens).

When Smith does finally return to the Bengals, he may not be able to provide the type of impact from him they were hoping for during his rookie season considering all of the time he will have missed between his holdout and foot injury.

Unfortunately, Smith has appeared to get off on the wrong foot with the Bengals and the fans of Cincinnati.

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