Andre Smith Is Getting Pulled In Many Directions

Despite being a big guy, Bengals tackle Andre Smith is apparently more malleable than Stretch Armstrong. A league source with knowledge of the dynamics involving the sixth overall pick in the draft tells us that Smith is being pulled in many different directions regarding his ultimate choice of an agent. One unlikely source of the tugging and the pulling, we’re told, is Bengals assistant head coach/offensive line Paul Alexander. Per the source, Alexander is aggressively pushing Andre Smith to stay with Rick Smith of Priority Sports. For now, Rick Smith is taking the position that he is still Andre Smith’s agent, and that he never was fired. “Unfortunately this was never a story. Nothing’s changed,” Rick Smith tells Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Curiously, Andre Smith’s former agent said the same thing exactly one month ago -- not long before he learned that Andre Smith had fired him. It remains to be seen whether Rick Smith is merely expressing blind optimism, or whether whatever fire started Tuesday has been extinguished. However, we stand by our report as to the fact that something went down between the Smiths on Tuesday; we assume that Jim Trotter of SI.com and Steve Wyche of NFL.com stand by their stories as well. So if, in our opinion, Andre Smith ends up sticking with Rick Smith, it only means that Rick Smith was able to get the situation back under control, possibly with the help of Paul Alexander. Despite the suggestion by Andre Smith’s former agent, Alvin Keels, that agents have no impact on a player’s draft status, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals’ official web site explained after Andre Smith was drafted that the selection of Rick Smith helped seal the deal: “One of the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place Tuesday night when Smith decided to go with agent Rick Smith and Priority Sports,” Hobson wrote last month. "[Paul] Alexander indicated that decision greatly impressed the Bengals because Priority has a long history of representing first-class offensive linemen that includes Levi Jones’ representation with Kenny Zuckerman.”