Bengals' Former First Round Pick

Andre Smith came loaded with promise. During high school recruiters called Smith "one of the most dominant offensive line prospects in the last 10 years" (Rivals.com). He went on to become only the fourth O-line freshman to ever start for the Alabama Crimson Tide, playing in all 13 games and recording 62 pancake blocks and even a touchdown. This resulted in Freshman All-American honours.

Smith continued to rack up awards in college, culminating in winning the Outland Trophy in 2009 as well as sharing the Jacobs Blocking Trophy and receiving an All-Southeastern conference selection.

What came next was what, in hindsight, I see as the first warning sign. Alabama had reached the 2009 Sugar Bowl and were due to play the Utah Utes. Smith was banned from playing in this game due to dealings with an agent. What strikes me is that Smith was more engrossed in himself and his own prospects and dealings than he was in the success of the team.

It went from bad to worse for Smith, as he turned up to the NFL Combine weighing 332 pounds (you've seen the pictures!), running the 40 in 5.28 seconds and only managing 19 bench repetitions of 225 pounds. Smith then made headlines by leaving the Combine and returning to Alabama without informing his group leader and skipping a workout, ruffling a few feathers in the process and doing nothing to improve his image.

Smith, a former prospect for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, eventually went to the Cincinnati Bengals at pick No. 6 in the first round. To little surprise, Andre Smith held out, but nobody anticipated that it would be for as long as he did considering his Combine and pro day performances.

After missing all of training camp and the preseason, Smith signed a four-year, $21 million contract. Smith made little to no impact in his rookie season, playing in six games after suffering a sidelining foot injury. He failed to recover well from the injury, giving another source of criticism to detractors.

I find it strange that Bengals fans can be more upset about T.O. joining the team than they are that this waste of space is still around and that he used up a first round pick. Andre Smith has shown himself to be immature and having little passion for the game.

Am I wrong in feeling that Smith should have been desperate to prove the Bengals that he is better than his Combine performance and that all of the negative comments are wrong? He obviously doesn't mind the world's press decreeing that he is a bust, as long as he receives his paycheck.

Further solidifying Andre Smith's image as a locker room nuisance, his performance in this year's training camp has proved incredibly frustrating. Cincinnati's first round pick is entering his sophomore year with the Bengals, and he is not practicing with the team because he is not physically capable. Coach Marvin Lewis has gone as far as to suggest that he may be placed on the physically unable to play list come the season's start.

Is it just me, or should a first round pick not have to be monitored hourly? Should a first round pick with a contract like his not have to be threatened with a $32,000 fine for being overweight? It just suggests that Smith has no drive to play the game, that maybe his passion got lost along the way.

If Andre Smith really wants to play football, I expect big things from him this year; if he produces nothing, then I think it may be time to let him fall by the wayside. It's hard for a team to admit that its first round pick is a bust, so I understand the apprehension that Cincinnati will have, but I think Smith may not be the player they hoped he would be.

Andre Smith is the epitome of what is wrong with the NFL: an overpaid diva of an athlete with more money than sense. I wouldn't be surprised if Smith was happy to sit out with an injury last season and watch the money roll in. Smith could learn a thing or two from players like Nate Livings and Kyle Cook, who have already made the Bengals' O-line strong.

Maybe I'm wrong and Smith must be given more time. If this is the case, then surely Smith was not worth a first round pick. Let me know what you think, as my patience and I'm sure the Cincinnati board's patience is running out.

Former world No.1 Dinara Safina celebrated her return to Stade Uniprix with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Germany's Andrea Petkovic at the Montreal Cup on Monday and declared herself 100 percent pain-free after a horror run of injuries.

Russian Safina, who left to a standing ovation with the tournament's crystal trophy two years ago, enjoyed a more humble reception on center court, with a small afternoon crowd greeting her victory with a smattering of applause.

"If I was not 100 percent, there would be no reason to risk because the year is almost finished," Safina told reporters. "If I wasn't healthy, I would take time off."

Injuries have seen Safina's ranking tumble to 70 after the 24-year-old took top spot last year.

Following a back injury that forced her out of Wimbledon, the Russian snapped a run of six consecutive losses by beating Alona Bondarenko in the first round of San Diego earlier this month, but was bundled out in the next match.

Kim Clijsters stalled her comeback run in the second round of the Cincinnati Open last week.

"It hurts [to be ranked 70th], but it's more important I'm here, I'm playing and I am healthy," she said.

The win over the 39th-ranked German on Monday was just her fourth since the Australian Open and none of them have been back-to-back.

Safina expects that to change in Montreal, one of her favorite venues.

"It's a nice feeling to be back, I've played some of the best tennis in my career here," Safina said. "I hope they will put me a bit more on center court so I can feel the crowd. With their support I will try to do my best."

A return to form for Safina would provide a welcome boost for the tournament, which has suffered from the withdrawals of the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova, who sustained a heel injury during her loss to Clijsters in the Cincinnati Open final.

After a rain delay, Estonia's Kaia Kanepi dumped out 14th-seed Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-3.

Belgian 13th-seed Yanina Wickmayer eased past Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-3, 7-6, while 16th-seed Aravane Rezai tamed Czech Petra Kvitova 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.

The Taiwanese contingent had a mixed day in doubles play. Hsieh Su-wei and her partner, Alla Kudyravtseva of Russia, went down in two straight sets to Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, both of the Czech Republic, 6-1,6-3.

Meanwhile, Chan Yung-jan and her partner, Zheng Jie of China, handily defeated Canadian pair Heidi El Tabakh and Rebecca Marino 6-2, 6-1.

Additional reporting by Staff Writer Andy Roddick recovered after losing his temper and the second set in a tiebreaker to reach the second round of the Cincinnati Masters with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 win over the 46th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky on Monday.