On the day he was drafted, Akili Smith was set up to fail.
The Cincinnati Bengals took the elusive quarterback from Oregon with the third overall pick in 1999, then demonstrated again that they have no clue about the most important position on the field.
They tried to turn him into a pocket passer. They lined him up with two rookie receivers. They gave him a mentor who quit three games into his first season as a starter.
Finally, they gave up on him after only 10 games, deciding he'd never amount to anything. Instead of the franchise's future, he was a thing of the past -- just like that.
The Cincinnati Bengals took the elusive quarterback from Oregon with the third overall pick in 1999, then demonstrated again that they have no clue about the most important position on the field.
They tried to turn him into a pocket passer. They lined him up with two rookie receivers. They gave him a mentor who quit three games into his first season as a starter.
Finally, they gave up on him after only 10 games, deciding he'd never amount to anything. Instead of the franchise's future, he was a thing of the past -- just like that.
Comment