Be prepared for the holdout that could very well spill over into the regular season.

On Sunday Alvin Keels came and left Cincinnati without sealing a deal for Andre Smith, first round draft pick.

Keels met with Mike Brown and Katie Blackburn for four hours without making any progress. Judging by Keels posts on Twitter, it sounds as though both sides are still entrenched in their respective positions. He wrote leaving Cinci and not any closer on an Andre Smith deal.

Sunday was the 24th day that Andre Smith, Cincinnati’s number 6 pick, has been unsigned. He along with San Francisco’s 10th pick Michael Crabtree are the two first rounders who still are unsigned.

Cincinnati’s last offer to Andre Smith was a base of $28 million for five years and a $33 million maximum. That amount is lower than a contract that was offered to Vernon Gholston of the Jets, last year’s sixth pick, who had a base of $32.5 million as well as the seventh pick this year, Darrius Heyward-Bey with Oakland with a base of $38.25 million.

Cincinnati’s 2001 first round pick, Justin Smith, went unsigned for 51 days and in 1984 Ricky Hunley went unsigned until his rights got traded mid season to Denver.

When earlier in the week Tony Dungy said that Michael Vick would be signed within the week, there was as a lot of speculating going on about what team Vick would wind up on. There were quite a few rumors of him ending up in either New England or Pittsburgh. That was probably due to the fact that these franchises are strong and have excellent coaching staffs, which is after all what Vick really needs.

When the announcement came that Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles had come to a two-year agreement, it sounded like a good fit.

They have a very good head coach in Andy Reid, and the organization is very strong. Starter Donovan McNabb is solid, which will give Vick the opportunity to get his game up to speed.

There was another rumor coming out of profootballtalk.com that there was another team that had also been interested in signing Vick.

In turns out, according to Jay Glazer, that the team was none other than the Cincinnati Bengals.

Who could not see that coming.

Mike Brown, the Bengals owner and notorious for being cheap, offered a two-year $2.3 million dollar contract to Vick.

The Bengals have reportedly been trying to get their organization cleaned up. Sure Vick might deserve another chance of playing in the NFL. However, the last team in the league that should sign Vick would be Cincinnati.

The Bengals team seems to target players with problems and then breeds even more problems. Just ask Chris Henry.

If Vick had ended up in Cincinnati, he might not have ever gotten into trouble. However, alcoholics shouldn’t get a job in a bar. You wouldn’t be forced drink, but that temptations would always be there.

The very best thing that Vick could have done for himself was sign with Philadelphia.

The Eagles fans are to be congratulated. This season will be exciting. Congratulations to Michael Vick as well, who is already showing signs of making better decisions.

On Wednesday Reggie Kelly was placed on injured reserve after he underwent surgery on his left leg to treat his ruptured Achilles tendon.

The injury for the Bengals starting tight end occurred two days prior during one of the team’s non-contact drills. A full recovery is expected for the 11-year veteran by the beginning of next season.

Kelly’s injury was Cincinnati’s first significant one of training camp. Last year he caught 31 passes on 207 receiving yard, and was the Bengals’ third leading receiver.

Two other Bengals tight ends were injured on Wednesday. Ben Utecht, a reserve, suffered a concussion during Wednesday’s evening practice. As a precaution he was sent to the hospital. The injury occurred during one of the team’s full speed drills. It appeared that Utecht hit head to head with Darryl Blackstone, a linebacker. Utecht crumpled to the ground and was unconscious temporarily.

Utecht’s teammates knelt beside him as he was being strapped onto a stretcher and placed into an ambulance to be taken to the hospital. He was kept overnight for observation. Jack Brennan, Cincinnati spokesman, said that Utecht had full movement in his legs and arms.

Another reserve tight end, Daniel Coats, wound up with a sprained ankle, suffered in the morning workout and showed up at the evening session on crutches. After these injuries there are only two tight ends remaining- rookies Chase Coffman, a third round pick and Dairus Hill, a free agent.

After some of the things that Chad Ochocinco, wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, said last weekend it is time for the Bengals offense to start concentrating on what they need to do to be efficient for 2009. The key to the Bengals offense is quarterback Carson Palmer coupled with new wide receiver Laveranues Coles. Chad, it is time for you to move over.

In Joe Reedy’s report in the Cincinnati Enquirer were comments made by Ochocinco that teammates would not want to hear. Ochocinco admitted that he basically mailed in the 2008 season and did nothing to prepare himself for the season. Last season Ochocinco only had 53 catches and 540 receiving yards.

NFP’s Michael Lombardi probably said it best in his Sunday Post column when he noted that Ochocinco’s comments had probably turned off all the teams in the league.

It’s hard to know what this guy’s story is. If I were in the locker room I sure would want an explanation. That is if he even shows up for the offseason workout. To state publicly that you didn’t even prepare for the upcoming season is laughable. As a professional athlete it is your job to prepare. When you just mail it in without preparing yourself, you are not only letting your teammates down, but your coaches, the entire organization and all of the fans of the city.

Ochocinco is old news, an old story. It is time for Palmer and his team to start focusing on the upcoming 2009 season. They will probably get some production out of Ochocinco, but why rely on it when you have the new addition of Coles who definitely has the potential to emerge as the number one receiver? It’s true that Ochocinco still does have enough talent to be productive at the NFL level. However if you are not doing the work or are refusing to work at your craft and game as well as your role on your team, then you need to step aside and get out of the team’s way.

There is no time in the NFL to wait for individuals who think that they deserve special treatment. Summer has arrived. It is time to work. Ochocinco may have once again mailed in his ticket for the upcoming 2009. I expect that Cole will take takeover the number one spot as Palmer’s first option.

The Bengals have a tough road ahead of them, having to compete against the Ravens and Steelers. The Bengals made some great additions to the team through the draft. Bringing in Coles might turn out to be the biggest addition now that it is clear how dedicated to the organization Ochocinco is.

Coles will almost surely put up good numbers in 09. He was quite productive in Washington under Joe Gibbs and Steve Spurrier. When he made his return to the New York Jets, he had no problem making plays.

He is older now and probably a step slower. However Coles still plays hard and plays hurt. He also dedicates himself to the upcoming season. He is one of the league’s tougher players.

Coles has also been in Cincinnati working out with Palmer. Quarterbacks and receivers do need time to develop their on the field relationship. This should result in productivity on fall Sundays. This is precisely what has been occurring this spring with Palmer and Coles.

Members of the offense don’t need to worry about Ochocinco. The comments he has made have clearly shown that he is not a reliable teammate and plays for his own good, not his team’s.

This fall Ochocinco will undoubtedly be in the lineup. He will give us all of the sound bites he thinks we want to hear. However, Palmer is healthy and he needs a reliable outside receiver if the Bengals are to have a chance of competing in their tough division. Look for Cole to emerge as that guy. No. 85 has let us know that he is not the right choice for the Bengals.

Boomer Esiason says he sees no reason at all why the Bengals can’t do what the Arizona Cardinals did last year. That is the good news. The reality is that there are still plenty of questions remaining.

Esiason thinks that with their quarterback and three wide receivers: Laveranues Coles, Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry, that the Bengals can be just as exciting offensively as the Cardinals if they can get every rolling just right.

However, Esiason, the Bengal’s former quarterback and holder of four team records that he set in 10 years of play in Cincinnati (1984-92, 1997), is concerned about first round draft pick Andre Smith’s maturity and the Bengals’ overall team psyche, particularly if they get off to bad start again.

Esiason thinks Smith was a good player while he was in college, but there were some strange things surrounding him. He stated that you need to be certain the guys you are giving money to really are going to do what it takes to earn it and not disappoint you in any way.

Boomer is also worried about right tack Carson Palmer stepping in and going up against the league’s best pass rushers. Whether or not the Bengals attempt to move the ball using running back Cedric Benson, they will be for the most part a passing team given their talented wide receivers Coles, Henry and Ochocinco.

Boomer was on hand to discuss the Bengals and the AFC conference during a break last week at Esiason’s Big Bang, a pro-am event taking place over two days at Owenton, Kentucky’s Elk Creek Club that benefits Boomer Esiason’s Foundation for cystic fibrosis research.

Esiason, who is returning to CBS’ NFL Today as an analyst and will also do Monday night games on radio, stressed the importance of the Bengals getting a fast start out of the gate. He noted a good start was important because the Bengals had wacky players, and they get even wackier when a team starts losing. Esiason does feel that the Bengals have a mentally strong coaching staff and some mentally strong players, but when times get tough there will be players who will break out.

Esiason, a former star quarterback with the Bengals, empathizes with quarterback Carson Palmer’s trials. He considers Palmer to be one of the league’s leading five quarterbacks.

Palmer, recovering from an elbow injury he suffered last year, has looked good, but the supporting cast is what will determine the Bengals ultimate success.

It’s not just offense, it everything, including the defense and special teams, Esiason noted. It is the team’s mindset and the organization. He hopes that Marvin Lewis, the head coach, can continue his work in these areas and help to bring a positive attitude.

Looking at the AFC North, Boomer sees Baltimore and Pittsburgh as league favorites. For the conference he views New England as the leading contender, with Indianapolis and the Steelers following.

Boomer thinks the Jets, along with the Bengals, could be the surprise teams while Buffalo with Terrell Owens and Kansas City and Matt Cassell, to be teams worth watching.

Gunnar Esiason graduates in two weeks from high school and then in August will be attending Boston College. He hit the golf course with Jack Cassidy, Cincinnati Bell’s President on Wednesday.

At the time of Gunnar’s diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in 1993 the median life expectancy for someone with cystic fibrosis was 19. Today the expectancy is 36. As life expectancy for cystic fibrosis patients grows longer, treatment for adults has become the most recent challenge for Boomer’s foundation.

Esiason noted that as the organization has grown it has evolved to support the adult side as well. He said they have a problem, but that it is a good problem to have due to the progress on the disease made by medicine. The University of Cincinnati has an excellent adult center, and money has been given by the foundation to the Columbia Presbyterian in greater New York as well.

The Pro-Am last week was a benefit for the Gunnar Esiason’s Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Center located at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The event has raised over $2 million in 11 years. This year 65 teams participated, which is a record.

Ten years ago doctors told parents like the Esiason’s not to worry about college. Today there are several drugs in the pipeline, and Boomer encourages parents to start saving. Just use that to motivate you, he said.

Gunnar is now 18 years old and everything has been planned by Cincinnati Children’s doctors. Esiason says its just like giving you a road map to follow, and that they are very grateful to have it.

The Cincinnati Bengals know practically all there is to know about hard knocks. The football team will be documenting their training camp results on television.

The Bengals will be featured on the fifth season of “Hard Knocks,” HBO’s popular reality show this summer. The show debuts on August 12th and runs through September 9th. The show will chronicle the rigors and struggles of a pro football training camp, with a rare all-access, inside look at an NFL team.

Ross Greenburg, HBO’s Sports President, says they are delighted that the show “Hard Knocks” will return this summer and focus its spotlight on the Cincinnati Bengals. He notes that there will be a lot on the line for rookies, free agents and veterans, and that HBO is very eager to document all the heartache, passion and achievement that goes on inside an NFL training camp.

Last year it was the Dallas Cowboys who were the subject of a five-part documentary. The television program highlighted a football team that was full of colorful characters, enormous talent and fraught with flaws. There are not the same Super Bowl aspirations and expectations for the Bengals as there were for the Cowboys, but it should be just as interesting to watch.

Steve Sabol, NFL Films president, says the Bengals are a fascinating team that has a lot to prove, not only to their fans but to themselves as well. Football training camp with its full spectrum of emotions, along with the Bengals cast full of interesting and compelling personalities, should make this season’s show quite dramatic.

Chad Ocho Cinco, the team’s star wide receiver, has been a controversial subject with his repeated demands to be traded and his clashes with management and the Bengals’ coaching staff. Bengal quarterback Carson Palmer is attempting to return from a serious elbow injury. Palmer and Ocho Cinco have not always agreed.

Andre Smith, the team’s first round draft pick, has been at the center of controversy ever since he was suspended from the Sugar Bowl and leaving prematurely from the Indianapolis Combine. Rey Maualuga, the team’s second round pick, could contend for a starting spot alongside Keith Rivers, a college teammate.

Then there are several other Bengals who have had all sorts of run-ins with the coaching staff and the law. The Bengals are no less colorful than the Cowboys. In addition, the recent struggles of the Bengals have really turned up the pressure on head coach Marvin Lewis and the coaching staff.

Lewis says the show “Hard Knocks” will give Bengals fans a great inside look at their favorite team. For NFL fans all over the country, the show will offer an expert production and inside look into how a professional NFL team operates. As for how coaches and players will react, having NFL Films and HBO around every day during preseason will definitely bring to their jobs a heightened sense of intensity and excitement as they prepare for the upcoming season.