Overheard During Training Camp

via cdn2.sbnation.com

"Mmmmhmmm....that place has good ribs, but go over two blocks...see that church steeple?  Across the street is the best Waffles and Fried Chicken in town."

Found this today.  Amusing, unless you're a Bengals Fan on the eve of the 2009 season:

'My summer vacation,' the Andre Smith edition

Wednesday September 2, 2009 12:54 AM By La Monica

We're going to kick it old school here and harken back to the days of going back to elementary school.

Remember that third-grade assignment to write about what you did during the summer? Well, here go with the Andre Smith remix of "My Summer Vacation."

For my summer vacation, I got a job. It is a very, very, very, very fun job. I like it a lot. Except, I didn't want to go to my job, so I didn't. I stayed at home and ran back and forth between some cones. I blocked air to show I can block people, too.

Then the big kids in the schoolyard made fun of me. On cable television. In more than 50 million homes. That wasn't very nice. I didn't like that. I almost cried.

Then I finally decided to go to my new job that I got a few months ago. The nice people in Cincinnati gave me a lot of money to work. I think it was about 42 ka-billion trillion million gagillion dollars.

Three days into my job, I broke my foot. And that is how I spent my summer vacation. Work is hard. Can I come back to school?

Early reports have Smith missing anywhere from three days to three weeks. Child, please.

(AP Photo)

(Editor's note: Great o have you back, La Monica.) 

from: http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/glauber-s-nfl-hot-reads-1.811959/my-summer-vacation-the-andre-smith-edition-1.1415438

You know we'd all feel much better having Smith ready to go, at least in uniform.  Still, I believe the Front office is loving it, because they don't have to pay him as much, cause you know he is not on TrimSpa.  Could this have been avioded with an early signing?  Will this send a message to Mikey Brown to be more aggressive and sign your 1st rounder earlier rather than later?  Time will tell.

The one thing that I do like is that they named Collins the starter early, and that it was his job to keep or lose when (if) Andre actually begins practicing.  I am hoping that Smith is able to heal quickly, get out there and be hungry to show his team mates that he WANTS to be there, and equally as important, DESERVES to be there.  Perhaps he can look towards Rey - Rey for inspiration about how a rookie handles himself and earns the spot on the starting squad.