Bengals tidbits

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/8/06

BENGALS

Players’ legal problems start to gnaw at Lewis

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CINCINNATI — Marvin Lewis has kept a low profile this off-season, which is the way the Bengals coach prefers it.
But the recent arrests of Chris Henry and A.J. Nicholson have given the franchise and its coach a black eye, and yesterday Lewis felt compelled to respond. He described the players’ conduct as "foolishness" and the result of "very poor choices."
Henry was charged with drunken driving early Saturday. It was the second-year receiver’s third brush with the law since December.
Nicholson, a 2006 draft pick, also was arrested Saturday, on burglary and grand-theft charges in Florida.
"I told (them) that yes, you embarrassed us as an organization, myself, our coaches, etc., when these things occur," Lewis said. "Right, wrong or indifferent, there are certain things you’re asked not to be a part of or around.
"When it comes out, it comes out. But once it comes out, your name is never cleared. The damage can be done in the larger portion for you and basically for us."
The legal problems for Henry and Nicholson are particularly frustrating for Lewis. He has made progress the past three years transforming the Bengals’ image as losers on and off the field into that of a championship team with solid character. In light of the recent legal problems, national writers have begun questioning whether the Bengals’ talk of emphasizing character has been mostly lip service.
"None of that is going to tarnish all of the good that’s been done both on the field and off the field," Lewis said. "It does not affect our football team whatsoever. … I think the entire body of work and what guys are doing is reflective of the quality rather than some poor decisions, some poor associations and some selfishness (by Henry and Nicholson). We’ll move on, and they’ll be dealt with as they are allowed to be dealt with, if things come of this."
Both players had red flags because of character issues before they were drafted. But Henry’s transgressions were all football-related.
"Chris Henry didn’t have a problem with the law coming in here," Lewis said. "If he had, he probably wouldn’t be here. The problems he had were with his coaches and teammates."
Henry has not talked to reporters during media availability. Nicholson did briefly yesterday. He said he couldn’t talk about his case because it was pending but did say the full truth of what happened hasn’t been reported.
He said he was "very confident" it would be resolved satisfactorily and he will be able to play this season.
He blamed himself for "bad judgment with associations, bad associations with people. But everything else should be fine."
Because Nicholson has yet to sign a contract, the Bengals could make a clean break from him, as the Cleveland Browns did when they relinquished the rights to fifth-round pick Jeremiah Pharms in 2001 after he was arrested in a similar incident.
It would be more problematic to dump Henry because of collective-bargaining issues involving the players’ union.
Asked if his hands were tied, Lewis replied, "I don’t need to comment on that. That’s bigger than me. But at some point, you have to make a decision whether this guy is good enough for our football team, and decisions can be made that way, as well. Because if you can’t function, then obviously you may not be good enough, because I can’t count on you."
brabinowitz@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/8/06

BENGALS NOTEBOOK

Anderson could be in last year

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CINCINNATI — Willie Anderson sounded like a parent talking about the need to leave the nest.
Except that instead of having his children — in this case, younger Cincinnati Bengals offensive linemen — strike out on their own, Anderson said he would be willing to fly the coop if it meant others could stay.
Anderson, a right tackle, is one of four starting Bengals offensive linemen eligible to become a free agent after the 2006 season. He is the unquestioned leader of the unit and has the gaudiest resume.
But the NFL is about the future as much as the present. Though Anderson predicted he could play six more years, he turns 31 in July. He knows the Bengals are more likely to concentrate on re-signing left tackle Levi Jones and left guard Eric Steinbach, both budding stars. Veteran center Rich Braham’s contract also is up.
Because he plays such a pivotal position, Jones is probably the top priority.
"I’m team first and Super Bowl first," Anderson said. "I’m telling everybody I want them to get (Jones) signed up, because he deserves it. It’s his time."
Anderson signed a lucrative second contract in 2000. He said if there’s not enough left under the salary cap for another big payday, so be it.
"I either get it done, or I don’t and I move on," Anderson said. "There’s nothing bad about it."
He said Jones is his best friend on the team and they vacation together. The good relationship the linemen have with each other has eased what could be a tense situation. Offensive lines must play as a cohesive unit. Jealousy over contracts can undermine that.
Anderson vowed that won’t happen with the Bengals.
"The reason we play great as a unit is because we’re all good friends," Anderson said. "We’ve got to make sure any contract talks don’t take us apart."
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said the team is trying to resign the linemen.
"That’s the great part of the NFL," he said. "If we can’t meet your price, play your tail off and maybe somebody will. We’re not mad at you. Our guys are very mature about it. They understand that. I’ve been very proud. They understand how it works.
"We’re going to work with them and budge. We would like to have as many of them signed as possible. If we can’t, we’ll move forward."
Bengals bits

Lewis said quarterback Carson Palmer would take part in some individual drills during minicamp next week. He said Palmer has not had any setbacks and is still the projected starter on opening day. … David Pollack participated in the team’s workout yesterday for the first time since injuring his left foot. … Lewis said running back Chris Perry (knee) is the only player expected to miss the minicamp.
brabinowitz@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

6/8/06

Lewis confident Palmer will be ready for opener

Quarterback's still recovering from knee surgery; but he's progressing 'very, very well.'

By Chick Ludwig
Staff Writer

CINCINNATI — Head coach Marvin Lewis finally said Wednesday what Bengals fans have longed to hear. Asked if he believes quarterback Carson Palmer will be ready for the Sept. 10 season opener at Kansas City, Lewis said, "I do."

Sept. 10 will be exactly eight months after Palmer underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments (ACL and MCL), a dislocated kneecap and cartilage damage in his left knee, an injury suffered in a Jan. 8 playoff loss to Pittsburgh.

Lewis said Palmer won't see any "team action" during a full-squad minicamp June 15 to 17, but he'll be involved as he continues his rehabilitation.

"Carson will be able to participate, somewhat limited still, but he continues to be coming along very, very well," Lewis said. "He's been participating every day on the field since the first week (of on-field coaching sessions May 16), but we can continue to ratchet that up as we go.

"He's hungry to let us take the gloves off and go full-bore, but that's not really at that point yet. He's not experiencing the side effects and the things that come from the activity. What I'm saying is he continues to progress very, very well."

Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson, Dave Ragone and Erik Meyer are in the mix as backups.

"We won't take all five of these guys to training camp, so we'll have to make a decision on one of the guys soon," Lewis said. "We're not going to cut Carson, but one of those other four."

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

6/8/06

Linemen focused on team - not their deals

Bengals notebook

BY MARK CURNUTTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->The Bengals have yet to reach contract extensions with three of their starting offensive linemen.

Tackles Levi Jones and Willie Anderson and left guard Eric Steinbach all remained unsigned following the 2006 season.

Anderson, an All-Pro player the past two seasons, is entering his 11th NFL season. Jones is coming into his fifth year, and Steinbach is entering his fourth.

Starting right guard Bobbie Williams signed an extension earlier this offseason.

Anderson and coach Marvin Lewis both said Wednesday that the line remains focused on team success.

"I want to make sure we have a chance to compete for that ring and make sure people know we're not talking about contracts," Anderson said after practice. "(Jones), that's my best friend on this team. Go get him (extended) first. He's playing on a high level right now. He's a left tackle.

Go reward him now.

"They rewarded me with a big contract back in 2000. I want my friend, (Jones) and Steinbach, these young guys, to get the same opportunity and get rewarded the way I was five, six years ago. If they don't do me, there are no hard feelings. My initial goal is team."

Anderson said the team will not be torn apart by talk of contracts or the legal problems experienced over the past weekend by wide receiver Chris Henry and rookie linebacker A.J. Nicholson.

"In tough times, we have to pull tighter," Anderson said.

Lewis said he appreciates how the offensive linemen have handled the question of their contracts in a professional manner.

"It takes two to tango; we haven't been able to get them signed," Lewis said. "We're trying to get them signed. That's the great part of the NFL. If we can't meet your price, play your tail off and maybe somebody will. We're not mad at you. If you leave, we'll put the next guy in and move forward."

SCRATCHED: Carson Palmer is making steady progress from his left knee surgery but will not participate fully in full-squad minicamp June 15-17.

Asked if he thought Palmer would play in the preseason, Lewis said, "Yes."
And asked if he believes Palmer will take the first snap in the opener Sept. 10 at Kansas City, Lewis said, "I do."

HE'S BACK: Linebacker David Pollack practiced for the first time this offseason Wednesday after aggravating a foot injury. Pollack suffered the original injury during the season, Lewis said.

"Great. It felt good today," said Pollack, who will meet today with trainer Paul Sparling to see how the foot reacted to practice.

KNEES: Running back Chris Perry, who had knee surgery in April, will miss the mandatory minicamp, Lewis said.

Starter Rudi Johnson, who had a knee cleanout in January, is expected to be cleared next week.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com
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[buckeyefool]

Only dropping his name By GEOFF HOBSON
June 9, 2006

Posted: 4:10 a.m.
<TABLE width=345 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
Houshmandzadeh: “I’ll take the hit for the catch” (Bengals photo)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The man they call the “The Football Scientist” has proven what Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh already believed.
Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati’s No. 2 receiver opposite three-time Pro Bowler Chad Johnson, has the best hands in the NFL after dropping just three passes in 2005.
It certainly wouldn’t surprise two quarterbacks named Jon Kitna and Carson Palmer.
“I told Kit and then I told Carson,” Houshmandzadeh said, “I’ll take the hit for the catch.”
The observation comes from ESPN.com insider KC Joyner, who submits that Houshmandzadeh had the lowest dropped pass percentage in the NFL last season with 2.6 percent, leading a top five that includes the Pro Bowl trio of Marvin Harrison at No. 2 (3.2 percent), Jason Witten at No. 4 (4.5) and Steve Smith at No. 5 (4.7).
For a guy who has always felt his worth has been determined more by his seventh-round selection than his production, Houshmandzadeh appreciates the research.
“Drops and catches are cut and dried,” Houshmandzadeh said. “Saying who is the best receiver and all that is subjective. It’s not surprising to me. Everyone is going to know me after this season, but it means nothing for the new year.”
In his column, Joyner said that he divided the number of drops by the number of catchable passes to come up with the dropped pass percentage. Although Johnson wasn’t ranked in the top 20 in that group, the good scientist ranked him tied for No. 5 in the NFL with total yards per catchable attempt at 9.6. Johnson finished third in the NFL with 1,432 yards and fifth with 97 catches and he wasn’t the only leading receiver not on Joyner’s list.
Anquan Boldin of Arizona and the Rams’ Torry Holt (each with 102 catches), Washington's Santana Moss (an NFL-runner-up 1,483 yards), and San Diego's Antonio Gates (who led all tight ends with 89 catches) also weren’t ranked in the top 20 of lowest dropped pass percentage.
Which makes Houshmandzadeh’s season of 78 catches for 956 yards and seven touchdowns even more remarkable. According to Joyner, only Detroit’s Scottie Vines dropped as few as three passes. But Vines caught the minimum 40 catches to qualify, working out to a 4.8 dropped pass percentage.
“It was no surprise to see Marvin Harrison near the top of this list,” Joyner wrote, “ but I was somewhat surprised to see T.J. Houshmandzadeh rank No. 1 in this category. Houshmandzadeh is known as a very good possession receiver, but this chart shows he may be one of the best.”
Houshmandzadeh and Bengals wide receivers coach Hue Jackson have been talking like that for a couple of years. At 6-1, 200 pounds, Houshmandzadeh has a best-of-both-worlds physical grittiness and soft hands.
“T.J. is one of the best players in this league; Chad would be a guy that wouldn’t be surprised by this,” Jackson said. “He knows how good T.J. is day in and day out. This shows you that not many guys can do what he does, which is make the catches in close quarters and go up and get the ball and take it away from people. He’s a very smart receiver. I’ve seen a couple of scouting reports that say he’s not a smart player, and I don’t know where they get that.”
<TABLE width=90 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>
Jackson </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Jackson, who can motivate with a needle longer than the Steelers’ winning streak, hasn’t hesitated showing Houshmandzadeh the reports.
“I don’t know who’s writing it, where it’s coming from, or whatever, but that guy needs to get fired. They shouldn’t be getting paid writing like that,” Houshmandzadeh said. “Being smart is one of my strengths. I laugh at these guys who look at film and say I’m not that fast. Any time you see a guy who’s running every route as fast as he can, I’ll show you a guy who’s having trouble getting open.
“It’s about changing direction. It’s about knowing when to settle, knowing when to run by, knowing where the hole is going to be. Put it this way; If I had an arm, I’d be a quarterback. I’ve been lucky. Even when I was in school and I was interested in a subject, I picked it up fast. It’s strange, because I didn’t always play football. But whenever I did watch it, I paid attention.”
Getting a late start
The man with the best hands in football came to the game late and the scouts have been even later coming to him. He played just one season of high school before the junior college route translated into him getting drafted in the last round of 2001.
“I always had pretty good hands,” Houshmandzadeh said. “I think a lot of it is being in shape. When you get tired, you lose your concentration. Fatigue has a lot to do with it, I think. The more tired you get, I think the more drops you’ll have.”
Joyner puts dropped passes into three categories: off an accurate pass, off an inaccurate pass (outside of the receiver’s frame but still deemed catchable) and off a ball stripped by a defender.
Houshmandzadeh said he dropped two off accurate passes, and one was stripped.
“See, I remember them all,” he said. “I dropped two five-yard routes. One was at home against Cleveland. I turned and it just went through my hands. The other one was in the playoffs against Pittsburgh, going toward our locker room, and I think it was on the same drive I scored a touchdown.
“I had one stripped in Kansas City. I thought they were going to call it a fumble because I thought I took two steps after the guy came from behind. I considered it a drop because I should have (protected the ball).”
Third-down receptions didn’t necessarily translate to the drops percentage. Houshmandzadeh tied Carolina’s Smith and Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald with five third-down touchdowns. Smith, who led the NFL in catches and yards, had seven drops for a 4.7 percentage that was good for fifth. Fitzgerald finished 16th with 10 drops for a 6.4 dropped pass percentage.
But the AFC’s top five third-down receptions leaders - Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, Laveranues Coles, Jerry Porter and Jimmy Smith - aren’t on Joyner’s list.
“It surprises me that Steve Smith had so few drops because I know how many chances he does get,” Houshmandzadeh said.
A look at Joyner’s top 10 for dropped pass percentage:
1. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Bengals: 78 catches, three drops, 2.6 percent
2. Marvin Harrison, Colts: 82 catches, four drops, 3.2 percent
3. Bobby Engram, Seahawks: 67 catches, four drops, 4.3 percent
4. Jason Witten, Cowboys: 66 catches, four drops, 4.5 percent
5. Steve Smith, Panthers: 103 catches, seven drops, 4.7 percent
6. Scottie Vines, Lions: 40 catches, three drops, 4.8 percent
7. Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs: 78 catches, six drops, 4.9 percent
8. Eric Parker, Chargers: 57 catches, four drops, 4.9 percent
9. Keyshawn Johnson, Cowboys: 71 catches, six drops, 5.1 percent
10. Joe Jurevicius, Seahawks: 55 catches, four drops, 5.1 percent<SCRIPT> <!-- var FiltersEnabled = 1 // if your not going to use transitions or filters in any of the tips set this to 0 applyCssFilter() var link_text=[]; link_text[0] = "<table width='98%' align='center' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' bgcolor='#E5E5E5' style='border: solid 1px #A2A2A2;'><tr valign='top'><td width='75'>
</td><td><table width='100%'><tr valign='top' bgcolor='#A2A2A2'><td class='relatedlinksm'>Pos:</td><td class='relatedlinksm'>WR</td></tr><tr valign='top'><td class='relatedlinksm'>Ht:</td><td class='relatedlinksm'>6-1</td></tr><tr valign='top' bgcolor='#A2A2A2'><td class='relatedlinksm'>Wt:</td><td class='relatedlinksm'>197</td></tr><tr valign='top'><td colspan='2' class='relatedlinksm'>>> Click Here for Bio.</td></tr></table></td></tr></table>Related News Items on Bengals.com<table cellpadding=0 style='padding: 2px;' cellspacing=0 border=0><tr><td><li type=square></td><td>Only dropping his name
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

6/10/06

Last tango for Bengals' offensive line in 2006?

'Unfortunately, we probably can't get them all signed,' Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis says.

By Chick Ludwig
Staff Writer

CINCINNATI | If the 2006 season is Willie Anderson's long goodbye in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform — and it's sure looking that way — then the three-time Pro Bowl right tackle wants to go out with a Super Bowl bang.
As one of four starting offensive linemen whose contracts expire after the season, Anderson is urging the club to spend its money on left tackle Levi Jones and left guard Eric Steinbach, because they represent the future.
"I'm telling everybody I want them (management) to get him (Levi) signed up," Anderson said. "I'm team first and Super Bowl first. And for the future of this team, we've got to get guys like him signed back.
"People know my integrity. My job is to be a leader of this team and make sure we've got a chance to go to the Super Bowl. I want to make sure we've got a chance to compete for that ring and not make people think we're talking about contracts.
"I don't want anybody thinking that if I don't get signed, I'll have sore feelings. No, there are no sore feelings. I either get it done or I don't and move on. There's nothing bad about it."
Anderson, the Bengals' first-round draft pick in 1996, signed a six-year, $30.6 million extension with an $8 million bonus in 2000. The deal became effective in 2001. Now, he believes, it's time the youngsters cash in.
"They rewarded me with a big deal back in 2000," he said. "I want these young guys to get the same opportunity and get rewarded the way I got rewarded. I'm saying this to keep it from being divisive to the team. Because great teams don't have those problems. It just so happens our contracts are up. If I'm the odd man out, trust me, I'm not disappointed at all."
Fans are worried that the offensive line could break up in 2007. But there's no bickering among the linemen — the closest-knit unit on the team. They've shown extreme professionalism because they understand the NFL is a business.
"It takes two to tango," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "We've tri