Bengals tidbits

[stxbuck]

Carson+CJ=Super Bowl
Screw the Squeelers, Clowns, and Ratbirds!!!!!!

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/21/06

The Bengals were one of eight NFL teams who planned to go to an Alexandria, Va., training center yesterday to look at Jai Lewis, the George Mason senior basketball forward who recently decided to give pro football a shot as a tight end. He took the Wonderlic test, was weighed and measured, tested in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and standing broad jump, and performed agility and position drills for tight ends and linemen.

Lewis then was expected to go to Cincinnati for a workout with the Bengals.

It would be a mistake to read too much into it; it just means that Cincinnati could use a pass-catching tight end and it only makes sense to check out the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Lewis.
There is a precedent for what Lewis is trying to accomplish. Two years ago, Kent State basketball player Antonio Gates made a similar move, signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and has played in the last two Pro Bowls.

[GoBucks89]

Originally Posted by Bucky Katt

Hooraaaaay!!!!!

It's so nice to see this organization being run well.

You can say that again. After living through 12 years of hell (1991-2002) it's nice to be talking about championships once again.

Originally Posted by sandgk

I know a lot of folks view CJ as a wise-ass.

But, screw them, he's our wise-ass and we like him.

Reminds me of the days when Pete Rose played for the Reds (before he went to Philly). The rest of the league hated him and he always got booed when we played on the road. He was a hot dog, but he was our hot dog and I loved having him on our team.

[stxbuck]

Originally Posted by bucknuts44820

Dispatch

4/21/06

We will see this more and more-short PFs giving playing TE a shot. someone asked either Karl Malone or Charles Barkley why there weren't many good TEs in the NFL, and the answered that they are all playing PF in the NBA. I didn't realize Lewis weighed 290-that's Eric Green territory, he'll probably have to lose a few pounds.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/24/06

Draft has less certainty for Bengals

Team not likely to find starter with 24 th pick

Monday, April 24, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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The Cincinnati Bengals will not be on the NFL draft clock Saturday until 23 other teams have made their firstround picks.

Not since 1983, when Cincinnati took Nebraska center Dave Rimington with the 25 th pick, have the Bengals been so close to the back of the line.
It is a wait the Bengals are happy to endure rather than own another high draft pick thanks to another lousy season. But drafting 24 th means it’s unlikely the Bengals will take someone ready for the starting lineup.

"When picking fourth, you know from day one he’s going to be a starter," coach Marvin Lewis said last week. "Drafting later, that guy might not jump off the board 100 percent of the time."

When the 2005 season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati’s draft needs appeared to be at safety and defensive tackle.

Then the Bengals signed Dexter Jackson and Sam Adams, meaning they will go into the draft without a glaring need.

Cincinnati’s biggest question — When will quarterback Carson Palmer recover from his knee injury? — can’t be addressed in the draft.

Lewis said the Bengals’ decision should be relatively simple. They will finish their draft board early this week, then take the highest-rated player remaining. Because the Bengals aren’t desperate for a particular position, they shouldn’t be tempted to reach for a player not worthy of the 24 th pick.

"I think you always get a good player," Lewis said. "It’s easy. You pick the next-best player."

Still, certain positions are more likely to be addressed than others.

"(Drafting a) running back is probably not going to happen," Lewis said. "I think we would consider a player at another position, depending on who that is."

Several cornerbacks, including Ohio State’s Ashton Youboty, South Carolina’s Johnathan Joseph, Virginia Tech’s Jimmy Williams and Florida State’s Antonio Cromartie, could be available when the Bengals pick.

Bengals cornerback Tory James, who turns 33 in May, seemed to age as last season progressed. Keiwan Ratliff believes he’s ready to win a starting job opposite Pro Bowler Deltha O’Neal, but Ratliff had a so-so year in his second pro season.

The Bengals also could address the front seven of their defense, particularly the line. Adams is 33, and the other tackles are ordinary. At end, Justin Smith is a free agent after the 2006 season and Robert Geathers is still developing.

The Bengals could consider players such as Penn State end Tamba Hali or Michigan tackle Gabe Watson. The problem is the number of linemen receiving first-round grades is down from most recent years.

The Bengals might face the same quandary if they use their first-round pick on an offensive player. For the second straight season, all 11 starters return. The most obvious need is for a pass-catching tight end, especially with Matt Schobel having left in free agency.

In offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski’s scheme, the tight end is not a frequent target. That’s largely by design, though a pass-catching tight end who could take some of the pressure off receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh would be helpful.

The premier tight end is Maryland’s Vernon Davis, who will be long gone by the time Cincinnati picks. The next most-touted prospects — UCLA’s Marcedes Lewis, Colorado’s Joe Klopfenstein, Southern California’s Dominique Byrd and Georgia’s Leonard Pope — are regarded as second-round talents.

The Bengals could look to trade down. That’s what they did two years ago. Originally supposed to pick 17 th, they traded down twice, taking running back Chris Perry with the 26 th pick and netting O’Neal and Geathers in the process.

brabinowitz@dispatch.com

[Padraig]

Bengals web site reports that Chad Johnson wants to play until he's 45 years old (the dude cracks me up). When an interviewer suggested that this latest contract extension (which expires when CJ will be 33) might make him a "Bengal for life", Johnson responded that he definitely forsaw another contract extention in his career since his plans are o play beyond his 40s.

Love the desire....hope he is a Bengal for life whether it's for a career that takes him to his late 30s or even 40s.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

4/25/06

QB Wright knows his role

Veteran backup just wants to do whatever Bengals need him to do

BY MARK CURNUTTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->Anthony Wright brings to the Bengals knowledge of AFC North opponents, an understanding that it's Carson Palmer's job when ready and an attitude that he will do whatever the club wants from him.
Wright, the veteran backup quarterback with starting experience, met Monday for the first time with local reporters and participated in workouts.
"I understand the situation," said Wright, who signed a one-year contract. "I've played behind some very good quarterbacks. I may start one game, two games or no games."
Wright, with the Baltimore Ravens for the past two seasons, said he is impressed with the direction the Bengals are going as a team and organization.
"They have a good leader in Coach (Marvin) Lewis, they have a lot of weapons on offense - the receivers, running backs, offensive line," Wright said. "It makes me feel like I'm playing for the Cowboys when they were winning all those championships in the early '90s."
Wright had yet to meet Palmer or wide receiver Chad Johnson before his news conference, but he had been introduced to No. 2 wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Wright played against the Bengals last season in the Bengals' 21-9 victory at Baltimore.
"Their defense kind of has the same philosophy that Cleveland has under Romeo Crennel: they allow you to make mistakes," Wright said of the Bengals. "We moved the ball up and down the field, but in the red zone (inside the 20-yard line) we couldn't do anything. They'd drop more guys in coverage; we'd dump it off, and they'd come up and make the tackle."
Wright's biggest challenge will be learning terminology specific to the Bengals' offense, though, he added, "Football is football as far as the schematics go. The routes are the same."
Wright also has played against the AFC North for four seasons. If Palmer is not ready and Wright needs to play, he would face the Browns and Steelers in Weeks 2 and 3. "I'm very familiar with the teams we're going to play," he said.