Bengals tidbits

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Originally Posted by tibor75

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SI Jink????

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Cincy

Bengals notebook
Vick will be a challenge for defense; Lewis has never faced Falcons' QB

BY MARK CURNUTTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
In the battle of heavyweight defensive coaches and singularly-talented offensive players, Marvin Lewis and Michael Vick have never faced each other on the same field.
Lewis' Bengals and Vick's Falcons will play Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, each team coming in with a 4-2 record.
Vick threw a career high four touchdown passes Sunday in Atlanta's 41-38 overtime victory against Pittsburgh.
"First time I've ever been on the field with Michael Vick," Lewis said Monday. "I'll be excited. Nobody like him. A great challenge for us. It will be fun, exciting."
Vick also ran five times for 40 yards against the Steelers.
"You have to limit his explosiveness. He can throw some BBs and he makes some very accurate throws," Lewis said.
Vick's favorite target is tight end Alge Crumpler, who had three of his four touchdown catches Sunday.
OH, HENRY: Chris Henry has served his two-game NFL suspension and is eligible to play Sunday against Atlanta.
Henry sprinted through the locker room Monday, so he wouldn't have to talk to reporters.
The decision whether Henry plays is Marvin Lewis'.
The Bengals coach didn't have much to say, either.
"He gets an opportunity to come back and practice this week," Lewis said when asked about Henry. "He could be down. He could be on our team and be down (not in uniform)."
The Bengals would have to clear a spot on their 53-man roster for Henry. Fellow wide receiver Kelley Washington will miss the Falcons game because of a hamstring injury, Lewis said.
INJURY UPDATE: Bengals players came out of the game Sunday in relatively good condition.
Linebacker Rashad Jeanty (foot) will be questionable. Safety Dexter Jackson (ankle) and wide receiver Antonio Chatman (groin) will be probable. Chatman said his sore groin injury was aggravated when Carolina players grabbed his "private area" a couple of different times in piles.
Jackson said he was a little sore after playing Sunday for the first time since Week 2, but he makes a positive difference in the defense when he is on the field.
The Bengals will be without four players Sunday for the Atlanta game: center Rich Braham, left tackle Levi Jones, quarterback Anthony Wright and Washington.
HEALTHY DEBUT: Lewis was pleased with tailback Chris Perry's showing Sunday. It was his first game action of the season.
"He did OK physically. He had some rust," Lewis said. "It's the first time he's been hit carrying the ball and actually getting tackled. He'll continue to work."
Perry had five touches against Carolina.
STREAKS: In defeating previously 4-2 Carolina, the Bengals snapped a six-game losing streak at home against teams with winning records. The losses came to New England, Pittsburgh (wild-card game), Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Pittsburgh, dating to the 2004 season.
The previous team with a winning record the Bengals defeated at home was Denver in Week 7 of 2004. The Broncos came in 5-1 and lost 23-10 to the Bengals on Monday Night Football.
E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Chad Johnson back to bragging for long-awaited matchup

JOE KAY

Associated Press

CINCINNATI - Chad Johnson's face is on the cover of a national sports magazine. His life story is on the racks of local bookstores. When it comes to ink and paper, the Pro Bowl receiver is everywhere.
Not on the field, though. No matter how he cuts his hair or runs his mouth, the Cincinnati Bengals' man-on-the-cover can't find his way into the end zone.
That's about to change. He guarantees it.
Four days after he moped that coach Marvin Lewis had put a lid on his self-promoting routine, Johnson was back to talking himself up on Wednesday. He promised at least two touchdowns - and two memorable celebrations - against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
"I'm taking a risk," Johnson said, more energized than he had in weeks. "I'm coming out. Coach Lewis has told me to tone it (down). He's told me to be quiet. I've been quiet all year. I haven't said much. I'm back. I'm going to let it rip."
Why the change? It has a lot to do with the guy who's guarding him.
When cornerback DeAngelo Hall had the nerve to talk back to Johnson at the Pro Bowl, a strange bond was formed. The tormenting had begun.
"Chad actually pulled me aside and said I was the first guy to say something back to him in two years," Hall recalled on Wednesday. "I guess I earned some respect from him for that."
Since they first exchanged not-so-sweet-nothings in Hawaii, they've kept up the banter from a distance. They call each other regularly to see how the other is doing, wish them well and get in a few jabs about their looming matchup.
The one that's finally about to happen.
"It started in Hawaii," Johnson said. "He told me he was the best defensive back ever. I said, 'How can you proclaim yourself the best ever when you haven't been against the best?'"
To make his point, Johnson took a marker to his "Who Covered 85 in 2006" list on Wednesday - the one with the Falcons game highlighted in red - and marked the "no" box, a way of saying Hall had already failed. Then, he scrawled in the defender's name, rendering it: DeAngelo Fall.
Once the game is over, Hall will be looking for a job at teammate Willie Anderson's restaurant in Atlanta, Johnson suggested.
That was a new one on Hall.
"That's another great one-liner," an amused Hall said, during a conference call Wednesday with writers in Cincinnati. "I'm a Pro Bowl player. I ain't too worried about finding a job."
There's one thing that could spoil their fun: Hall may not cover him much.
Teams have been giving Johnson double and triple coverage this season, limiting him to one touchdown. The other receivers have gotten a lot more passes and scores as a result, leaving Johnson in the role of disappointed decoy.
He has handled it without complaint, a sign of maturity. In the past, Johnson would plead for passes to come his way.
After his diving 32-yard catch on fourth-and-1 set up the winning touchdown Sunday in a 17-14 victory over Carolina, Johnson said he was being low-key on the field because Lewis insisted it was best for the team that he keep his thoughts to himself.
Silence made him suffer.
"I'm tired of being quiet," he said. "I ain't had no motivation. I ain't had no energy. I ain't had no drive, nothing to look forward to on Sunday. I don't care if they put five people on me, I'm going to get it done this week.
"It's going down this Sunday. I'm celebrating. I'm going to score. I'm going to score more than once."
Lewis broke into a deep laugh when told that Johnson was talking again to get himself out of an emotional slump.
"My gosh!" Lewis said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his hand across the top of his head. "Sounds like an excuse."
To Falcons coach Jim Mora, it sounded more like mutual respect.
"If they didn't have the respect for each other, they probably wouldn't challenge each other the way they are," Mora said. "So, that's what it's all about - the competition, the battle of the great ones. And that's certainly a battle of great ones."
Exactly what they've been telling each other for months.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Bengals want to avoid being wowed by Vick
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
RIC FELD ASSOCIATED PRESS Michael Vick is known for his fast feet, but he threw four TD passes against Pittsburgh.



CINCINNATI ? Bengals defensive end Bryan Robinson likened facing Michael Vick to playing against Barry Sanders. The talent is so breathtaking that the temptation is to stop and watch.
Such is the challenge the Bengals face Sunday when they play the Atlanta Falcons in Paul Brown Stadium. The NFL is a copycat league, but there is no one like Vick.
"It?s almost like Barry Sanders," said Robinson, who as a Chicago Bear played against the former Detroit Lions running back. "You did more watching Barry Sanders than playing against him. What I told the guys is you have to take your shots. If you sit there and wait for him to make the first move, then he?s already lost you."
Vick is a flawed quarterback. He presides over a passing game that ranks last in the NFL. He has completed only 52.4 percent of his passes.
But Vick has a spectacular arm and astonishing speed. He?s so gifted as a runner that the Falcons use the option play as a standard part of their offense, nearly unheard of in the NFL. Vick has run for 441 yards with an average of 8.6 per carry.
"Just don?t give him running lanes," said safety Dexter Jackson, who played against Vick while with Tampa Bay. "Make him beat us with his arm. His legs are phenomenal."
Letting Vick throw is not a foolproof method for success, either. Last week against Pittsburgh, Vick threw for a careerhigh four touchdowns in the Falcons? 41-38 overtime victory.
"He can throw the football if that?s what they want him to do," Robinson said. "But his overall game is to get out there on the perimeter, have his tight end (Alge Crumpler) and wide receivers break free, and if it?s not there, use his own legs."
Bengals defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan said he is stressing the importance of finishing plays and staying disciplined.
Robinson talked about forming a U shape on pass rushes. The defensive ends must not allow Vick to get outside, and the tackles must prevent him from darting up the middle.
But the Bengals understand that it?s impossible to prepare completely for Vick.
"There are some things you can practice for a week," defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle said, "and there?s going to be things that happen in the game that he just does and you just hope you weather the big plays he can generate."
Vick is keeping a low profile this week. He declined a request to speak to Bengals reporters on a conference call, perhaps a reaction to criticism he received recently for saying he wished he could play, if only for one game, in a pass-happy offense like Peyton Manning has.
Questions persist about whether Vick is an ideal fit for the Falcons? West Coast-style offense. But Atlanta coach Jim Mora Jr. had only glowing things to say about coaching his quarterback.
"Oh, it?s a blast," he said. "I mean, it?s the greatest thing going. No. 1, he is a great kid. He?s such a wonderful person. Giving. Caring. Compassionate. Great teammate. Great team member. Leader. All these things that aren?t always portrayed in the national media.
"It just seems that a lot of people like to focus on the things that Mike can?t do or hasn?t shown great consistency doing. For me, it?s always about what he can do. It?s amazing. People say, ?Well, he can?t do ?? I?m like, ?I?ve never seen anything he can?t do. Maybe you haven?t seen it yet, but I have.? "
On Sunday, the Bengals will get their chance.
"It?s going to be a fun, exciting challenge," Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said.
brabinowitz@dispatch.com