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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > November > 11 > Entry
Bengals rewind: April 17, 1999 — Darkest day in club history (Akili’s drafted)
THE FOLLOWING STORY RAN IN THE APRIL 18, 1999, EDITIONS OF THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS
CINCINNATI — Akili Smith came to the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday dressed fittingly for the occasion — black suit and orange tie.
Nothing was going to stop his marriage with the Bengals. Not even New Orleans’ blockbuster trade offer of nine draft picks to move up from the 12th slot to the Bengals’ No. 3 position.
Bengals president Mike Brown spurned the Saints and grabbed the Oregon quarterback with the third overall pick of the NFL draft. He then chose West Virginia cornerback Charles Fisher in the second round (33rd overall) and Fresno State safety Cory Hall in the third round (67th overall).
Informed that Cincinnati turned down all six Saints’ picks in 1999, their No. 1s in 2000 and 2001 and their second-rounder in 2002, Smith was surprised.
“Wow! Man!” he said. “Evidently, these guys are really high on me. I’m thankful that they are and that they picked me. They turned down a lot of picks for the future of the Bengals to get me. It becomes a burden on me to respond to something like that.
“My gut feeling told me Cincinnati. I’m proud to be a Bengal. Now it’s time to get out there and really try to get (wide receiver) Carl Pickens signed and be ready to roll. If he’s watching (ESPN), ‘We need you, baby.’
“I want to start. I want to be an on-the-job learner and not a learner from the sidelines. It depends on how quickly I learn the offense. I need to get there and get that big playbook going and sit down with (offensive coordinator) Ken Anderson every single day and just talk football.”
Brown said he’ll release QB Neil O’Donnell this week. That will free up about $3 million in salary cap room needed to sign Smith, who told agent Leigh Steinberg he doesn’t want to hold out. Smith said he’ll plead with Brown to get a deal done.
His contract won’t be as much as Tim Couch’s 7-year, $48-million pact with Cleveland that includes a $12.5 million bonus. But Smith will become a rich man. Last year’s top three picks — Peyton Manning, Ryan Leaf and Andre Wadsworth — got bonuses of $11.6, $11.2 and $10.5 million.
“I know it’s going to be expensive,” Brown said. “It comes with the territory. We are going to have to step up and we will.”
It’ll be worth it if Smith’s success continues. He passed for 3,763 yards with 32 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in 1998, and was named Pac-10 co-offensive player of year with UCLA’s Cade McNown.
Smith, 23, spent 2 1/2 years as an outfielder/first baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, then turned his attention to football. He played two years at Grossmont Junior College in California before moving to Oregon.
His talent, maturity and confidence offers hope for a franchise with the NFL’s worst record (39-89) since 1991.
“We have gone a long time here trying to solve our quarterback problem,” Brown said. “I am convinced that’s our principle problem. We now have an opportunity to solidify that position up to the standard that it’s got to be if we’re going to have a winning team.”
Brown called the Saints’ offer “as good an offer as any ever put in front of us. It was hard to turn down, but it speaks even more to the fact that we think Akili will be a good, long-term player for us. We’re counting on him not just for the immediate future, but for many years to come.”
Smith, who was courted by the Browns, was told by Steinberg on Saturday morning that Couch had reached agreement with Cleveland.
“They were using us as a bargaining chip,” Smith said. “I was leveraged all the way. All along, I really believe they knew they were taking Couch. I don’t think it was fair for them to do that, but they did. It’s just part of big business. That’s a motivation factor for me now.”
Smith looks forward to facing Couch.
“It’ll be a rivalry that’s going to go on for a long time with me and him being in the same division and battling for the No. 1 pick all the way through,” Smith said. “As a true competitor, you want to be number one. I went number three, but I’m number one for the Bengals. I need to live up to that.”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By psychostats
November 11, 2008 9:24 AM | Link to this
The cynical view at the time was that it didn’t matter: Mike Brown would simply have had more draft picks to screw up. That probably explains why there wasn’t much of an uproar from Bengals fans in ‘99. As we know, with this team, the biggest cynics usually turn out to be right.By larry
November 11, 2008 10:03 AM | Link to this
9 draft picks! ” it’ll be a rivalry that’s going to go on for a long time with me and him”and so it goes….jeez!By Brian
November 11, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this
To help put this into historical and present day perspective, I’ve translated Mike Brown’s quote from Chick’s story: Brown called the Saints’ offer “as good an offer as any ever put in front of us. It was [not really] hard [for me] to turn down, but it speaks even more to the fact that [I] think Akili will be a good, long-term player for us. [I’m] counting on him not just for the immediate future, but for many years to come.” Just ask Bruce Coslet how much THEY thought Akili was the way to go with that pick…By Ironmike
November 11, 2008 10:01 PM | Link to this
This is another painful reminder of the futility that has been the Bengals since the death of Paul Brown.By joe
November 12, 2008 6:59 AM | Link to this
The sad part of this episode is that the Couches, the A. Smiths, and the Ryan Leafs became millionaires at the expense of the ticket paying fan!By Rob
November 12, 2008 12:17 PM | Link to this
Wonder how Akili and Tim Couch renew their rivalry these days?By Brian
November 12, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this
Cornhole. Or pin the tail on the donkey if it’s raining outside.