Melick: Andre Smith gets introduced to the real world
Posted by rsims February 23, 2009 06:57AM
Associated Press
Everyone seems to agree that Andre Smith has just blown millions of dollars with his NFL Combine nonperformance.
The "yes" years are over for Andre Smith. You know, the ones he's lived in for most of his life. The years in which all the big guy with the big football talent ever seemed to hear was the word "yes."
As in, "Yes, Andre, we desperately want you at our school" and "Yes, Andre, you can start at left tackle immediately" and "Yes, Andre, you look fine at that weight" and, ultimately, "Yes, Andre, you can do that."
Now, the big left tackle from Huffman and the University of Alabama is finding out what it's like to have someone tell him "no."
It started at the Sugar Bowl, when Smith was not willing to cooperate with Alabama coach Nick Saban when questioned about possible contact with an agent.
Smith found out there were consequences for his actions, although being held out of the Sugar Bowl was not the worst thing that could have happened. In fact, Smith could argue the suspension worked in his favor. Since he was already projected to be a first-round draft pick, avoiding the opportunity to get injured in a relatively meaningless game was probably the best thing that could have happened to Smith.
But the negativity continued in an even bigger way when Smith rolled in for the NFL Combine.
By "rolled," I mean physically. Hoping to become the first offensive tackle drafted and potentially the first player taken in the NFL draft, one look at Smith and the scouts, coaches and player personnel guys all started shaking their heads.
Rumors started flying that he was hovering around 380 pounds. Apparently, the always big-looking Smith actually came in at 332, which he laughingly told everyone was well below the 345-pound mark that was his top weight while in college.
But it made NFL evaluators uneasy that he looked out of shape - which, Smith admitted, he was. Asked about his conditioning, Smith said he hadn't started working out yet to prepare for the NFL.
Bad answer. People who are getting ready to pay a guy millions of dollars based on his athletic ability want to be convinced he takes that possibility as seriously as they do.
So the negatives started building. They said Smith didn't interview well. They said he wasn't dressed appropriately. They said he came across as immature and lazy.
And then came the disappearing act, when Smith not only failed to show up for his workout, but neither he nor his agent remembered to tell anyone Smith was leaving.
Out of shape, immature, lazy and irresponsible are a bad combination for any job interview, much less for one of the elite jobs in the entire world.
Suddenly people started saying "No" when asked about Smith. Teams reportedly began to drop him down their draft board. Other left tackles moved ahead. Everyone seemed to agree that Smith had just blown millions of dollars with his NFL Combine nonperformance.
Don't feel too sorry for Smith, however. The NFL is still a business based on getting the best players at every position. And Smith is one of the few top-rated left tackles who played three years in a pro style offense, which makes him proven as a run-blocker as well as pass-blocker, unlike the tackles from the spread-style offenses that play 90 percent of the game from a two-point stance.
Besides, Smith's position, left tackle, is one of the game's new glamour positions. Eight offensive tackles were chosen in the first round of last year's draft, including the top pick overall, Jake Long. Seven offensive tackles have gone in the top five picks of the draft in the past eight years.
So a bad showing at the Combine hardly spells doom for Smith. He's still going to be a top-15 pick. He's absolutely going to be a millionaire.
But after a lifetime of people rushing to tell him "yes," Smith is getting his first taste of people willing to tell him "no."
It's called the real world. Only time will tell if he's ready for it.
