No love from Scott Wright

[EnglishBengal]

May 11, 2006
Cincinnati Bengals '06 Draft Review
Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown

In recent years the Bengals have made some unconventional moves on draft day and it appears that they are favoring talent while overlooking character, which is surprising for a team coached by Marvin Lewis. This year however not only did they take a number of players who were substancial character risks but they didn't even get very good value and reached for them.

The 2006 NFL Draft started off promising enough for the Bengals when they chose South Carolina cornerback Jonathan Joseph at #24 overall in round one. An outstanding talent with all the physical tools you look for including size (5-11, 193) and speed (4.31), Joseph is still very raw and after missing the vast majority of the 2004 season with an injury he essentially only has one year of starting experience. The good news is that in Cincy he won't be forced into a key role as a rookie and will be able to develop as the nickel or dime corner early in his career, an approach that could pay dividends in the long run because he has the potential to be great if handled properly.

With their second round pick the Bengals landed a player I really like in offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth of L.S.U. but I am not sure how good of a pick that was for this team. It was not a surprise to see Cincinnati take an offensive linemen early because there had been a lot of talk in the days leading up to the draft that they wanted some depth there since Willie Anderson and Levi Jones could be hitting the open market soon. My problem with the pick is that, while solid, Whitworth is not in the same class as either of those two current starters and if he was brought in with the intention of letting Anderson or Jones go then it will be a major step backwards for the franchise. In the third round the team made a major reach when they chose Southern Cal defensive end Frostee Rucker, a guy whose stock was supposedly falling. Rucker is an undersized but productive pass rusher but even though the Bengals certainly needed to bring in some help at the position this was not the right guy to take at the spot they did. The selection of Rucker in round three was easily one of the most questionable moves of the entire first day, for any team.

In the fourth round the Bengals chose defensive tackle Domata Peko of Michigan St., who provides very little in terms of a pass rush but is a good run stuffer and could be a solid backup for Sam Adams as a 3-4 nose tackle. Peko only started one year in college and may have some character questions though and many thought of him as a late rounder or free agent so to grab him where they did was a questionable move. With their next pick in round five Cincy chose another high-risk prospect in terms of character in outside linebacker A.J. Nicholson of Florida St. Even though he was very productive in college Nicholson did not work out well and that combined with his laundry list of off-the-field transgressions pushed him down the board. He could have easily fallen further had the Bengals not grabbed him where they did and even if he can stay out of trouble he'll be little more than a backup.

In round six Cincinnati made a very intriguing choice by selecting Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal, who was every bit the heralded recruit that Vince Young was when he entered college. McNeal is an outstanding athlete with 4.35 speed and while he might have to change positions at the next level I think he has enough potential to at least be given a shot at quarterback. McNeal is definitely a long-term developmental guy but I thought he was a great value where they landed him and certainly worth the risk. With their final two picks in round seven the Bengals brought in wide receivers Ethan Kilmer of Penn St. and Bennie Brazzell of L.S.U. Kilmer is more of a special teams ace than wideout while Brazzell has good speed and is a big play threat. With Kevin Walter fleeing as a free agent and the future of Chris Henry up in the air these two will battle and have an outside shot of making the roster.

After seeing the Chris Henry experiment essentially blow up in their face I was pretty surprised to see this team continue to take risks on players with character concerns because while you might be able to get away with one or two the Bengals are accumulating a considerable collection of these types of guys. At this point it is hard to argue with their recent success but reaching for the likes of Rucker and Peko while failing to bring in a pass catching tight end, which may have been their most glaring need, earns them this relatively low final grade. Despite being a playoff team the Bengals certainly had needs and when looking at this draft class it is real hard to find anyone outside of Joseph who will make much, if any, of an impact in 2006.

GRADE: C

[Nati Ice]

yea, that chris henry experiment sure blew up...

we got the best damn receiver in the draft in the third round and he got a conceled weapons charge that will probably end up being nothing


sure fucked that one up, didnt you marv

[EnglishBengal]

I like the way he thinks our draft is shit becuase none of the players will contribute this year. This is a draft for next year. Only then can we really judge. Marvin's board was obviously alot different to Scott Wright's. Hopefully Mr. Wright will be eating crow within a year or two, and I can use his draft board to wipe my ass.

[Rumble In the Jungle]

good article though...

[Guest OzBengal]

I think this guy has been reading too much pft.com. I think he made the Peko character concerns up as I have not heard them anywhere else. He says Whitworth is a player he likes and then says it was a bad pick for no real reason. AJ Nicholson is a better player than he gives credit for and the three charges against him are either insignificant or have come to nothing. I am inclined to agree with him on the Rucker and McNeal picks. Still, for 3 years at USC i never once heard Frostee Rucker mentioned as a 'questionable character' but as soon as he is drafted by the Bengals he becomes one. All that considered, I think the grade is a little harsh and he is just another moron who wants to look cool for jumping on the 'bash the bengals for collecting turds' bandwagon.

[Homer_Rice]

According to some of the draft prognosticators, these should have been our first day selections:

1) Jesus Christ: no character issues, can turn over a table in 2.0 seconds, slight tendency to get nailed to a spot, but overcomes those occasions with panache.
2) Mahatma Gandhi: stiff upper lip, perseveres under adversity, has to worry about weight during long season, no character issues.
3) George Washington: a grinder, slugs it out until he wins. Is old-school, uses wooden teeth guard. Never tells a lie, model citizen and good character.

[Cricket]

[quote name='Homer_Rice' post='266573' date='May 11 2006, 07:04 AM']According to some of the draft prognosticators, these should have been our first day selections:

1) Jesus Christ: no character issues, can turn over a table in 2.0 seconds, slight tendency to get nailed to a spot, but overcomes those occasions with panache.
2) Mahatma Gandhi: stiff upper lip, perseveres under adversity, has to worry about weight during long season, no character issues.
3) George Washington: a grinder, slugs it out until he wins. Is old-school, uses wooden teeth guard. Never tells a lie, model citizen and good character.[/quote]

You know that most of the draft prognosticators have specified the team's biggest need as TE...and therefore have us taking the big TE out of Illinois, Abe Lincoln, on day one.

[Jason]

[quote name='Homer_Rice' post='266573' date='May 11 2006, 07:04 AM']According to some of the draft prognosticators, these should have been our first day selections:

1) Jesus Christ: no character issues, can turn over a table in 2.0 seconds, slight tendency to get nailed to a spot, but overcomes those occasions with panache.
2) Mahatma Gandhi: stiff upper lip, perseveres under adversity, has to worry about weight during long season, no character issues.
3) George Washington: a grinder, slugs it out until he wins. Is old-school, uses wooden teeth guard. Never tells a lie, model citizen and good character.[/quote]

You realize if we had Jesus on the team we would never lose another game, and every Hail Mary pass would work.

[Jason]

Let's be honest though, how many of you were happy when we took Frostee Rucker?

I'm willing to give Marvin the benefit of the doubt, but there were a BUNCH of other players I would have been a lot happier with.

And while CH has played well, is transgressions are cause for concern. I hope he gets his head on straight, but I will not be at all surprised if he has another run in with the law in the next year.

Let's just hope AJ rooms with David Pollack.

[Cricket]

[quote name='Jason' post='266595' date='May 11 2006, 08:23 AM']Let's just hope AJ rooms with David Pollack.[/quote]

Yeah, he might turn Pollack into a real badass.

[Guest sigfox77]

I loved the Joseph/Peko/Nicholson/McNeal picks and I think Whitworth will end up being a starter in the next couple seasons....

I am still up in the air on the Rucker pick, so I can understand the criticism..

[Guest Bengals1181]

[quote name='OzBengal' post='266569' date='May 11 2006, 04:04 AM']I think this guy has been reading too much pft.com. [b]I think he made the Peko character concerns up as I have not heard them anywhere else. [/b] He says Whitworth is a player he likes and then says it was a bad pick for no real reason. AJ Nicholson is a better player than he gives credit for and the three charges against him are either insignificant or have come to nothing. I am inclined to agree with him on the Rucker and McNeal picks. Still, for 3 years at USC i never once heard Frostee Rucker mentioned as a 'questionable character' but as soon as he is drafted by the Bengals he becomes one. All that considered, I think the grade is a little harsh and he is just another moron who wants to look cool for jumping on the 'bash the bengals for collecting turds' bandwagon.[/quote]


agreed, the Peko part was completely made up and there is nothing to suggest that this is true.


This is a shit article just like all the rest.

[Guest Bengal_Smoov]

Sounds like Wright has is own draft board, only one problem though, he doesn't work for any NFL team, so his rankings are pretty much useless.

Every team evaluates prospects differently, if the Bengals had a high grade on Frostee Rucker and Domata Peko then they obviously saw something in those guys that they valued and liked.

So I guess it comes down to whose opinion do you trust, NFL scouts and coaches with championship experience, or some guy who runs a website [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons//39.gif[/img].... I'm going to side with guys who get paid millions of dollars and have won NFL championships, call me crazy but I've got a hankering that they know who will help THEIR team out more than some guy who runs a website or who is a self-proclaimed draft "guru".

I liked every pick as I think each guy adds depth and sets up the roster well for the FUTURE. Good teams don't have to play alot of rookies and they use the draft to add depth, which is exactly what the Bengals did. Obivouisly Scott Wright isn't aware of Rhonnie Ghent or Darnell Sanders(pass catching TE's already on the roster) or the fact that the Bengals coaching staff likes to use the TE to block more than to catch. Any guru would know that the Bengals have plenty of money invested in the wr and rb position and there's only one football, so....

Besides, rating a draft before these guys have had a chance to actually, you know play a game is mildly retarded anyway. No one knows how these guys will pan out so any evaulation is premature to say the least and no man wants anything to do with being premature. [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons//3.gif[/img]

So Scott Wright you can take your C and blow it out your ass!

[Guest mongoloido]

[quote]No love from Scott Wright[/quote]


I never worry too much about the opinion of someone I've never heard of, or care about. If the article was written by Sam Wyche, I'd be hurting. This? meh.


...That was odd. When I wrote that, I thought about all the people who are, or have been in the media in recent years. The only one who jumped out as someone I really respect is Sam Wyche. Not sure if that says great things about Sam, or total crap about everyone else.

[ThorntonMelon]

[quote name='OzBengal' post='266569' date='May 11 2006, 04:04 AM']I think this guy has been reading too much pft.com. I think he made the Peko character concerns up as I have not heard them anywhere else. He says Whitworth is a player he likes and then says it was a bad pick for no real reason. AJ Nicholson is a better player than he gives credit for and the three charges against him are either insignificant or have come to nothing. I am inclined to agree with him on the Rucker and McNeal picks. Still, for 3 years at USC i never once heard Frostee Rucker mentioned as a 'questionable character' but as soon as he is drafted by the Bengals he becomes one. All that considered, I think the grade is a little harsh and he is just another moron who wants to look cool for jumping on the 'bash the bengals for collecting turds' bandwagon.[/quote]

The character concerns that he is refering to on Peko is that Peko was arrested in East Lansing last year for public urination. Clearly, anyone that would take a piss in an alley behind a bar is unemployable for the rest of their life. The alleys of Cincinnati are not safe with Peko on the loose.

[ThorntonMelon]

[quote name='Bengal_Smoov' post='266623' date='May 11 2006, 09:48 AM']Sounds like Wright has is own draft board, only one problem though, he doesn't work for any NFL team, so his rankings are pretty much useless.

Every team evaluates prospects differently, if the Bengals had a high grade on Frostee Rucker and Domata Peko then they obviously saw something in those guys that they valued and liked.

So I guess it comes down to whose opinion do you trust, NFL scouts and coaches with championship experience, or some guy who runs a website [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons//39.gif[/img].... I'm going to side with guys who get paid millions of dollars and have won NFL championships, call me crazy but I've got a hankering that they know who will help THEIR team out more than some guy who runs a website or who is a self-proclaimed draft "guru".

I liked every pick as I think each guy adds depth and sets up the roster well for the FUTURE. Good teams don't have to play alot of rookies and they use the draft to add depth, which is exactly what the Bengals did. Obivouisly Scott Wright isn't aware of Rhonnie Ghent or Darnell Sanders(pass catching TE's already on the roster) or the fact that the Bengals coaching staff likes to use the TE to block more than to catch. Any guru would know that the Bengals have plenty of money invested in the wr and rb position and there's only one football, so....

Besides, rating a draft before these guys have had a chance to actually, you know play a game is mildly retarded anyway. No one knows how these guys will pan out so any evaulation is premature to say the least and no man wants anything to do with being premature. [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons//3.gif[/img]

So Scott Wright you can take your C and blow it out your ass! [/quote]

You hit the nail on the head. Who's draft grade are you going to trust, Marvin Lewis' or some douchebag that posts his opinions on a website.

[Guest PakMan]

[quote name='Homer_Rice' post='266573' date='May 11 2006, 07:04 AM']3) George Washington: a grinder, slugs it out until he wins. Is old-school, uses wooden teeth guard. Never tells a lie, model citizen and good character.[/quote]

Late breaking character concerns: A report has surfaced questioning this young man's business practices. Apparently he's been employing dozens of young, black men on his family farm, but has not paid them a dime and won't let them quit. Many GM's are backing off this guy based on this red flag, which is decorated with a blue X on it.

[|Bunghole|]

[quote name='ThorntonMelon' post='266634' date='May 11 2006, 08:17 AM']The character concerns that he is refering to on Peko is that Peko was arrested in East Lansing last year for public urination. Clearly, anyone that would take a piss in an alley behind a bar is unemployable for the rest of their life. The alleys of Cincinnati are not safe with Peko on the loose.[/quote]

Yeah, who ever heard of a college student doing something like that? That raises [i]serious[/i] character issues....

[Cricket]

[quote name='mongoloido' post='266624' date='May 11 2006, 09:52 AM'][quote]
No love from Scott Wright[/quote]

I never worry too much about the opinion of someone I've never heard of, or care about. [/quote]

But his brother Steven is one heck of a comedian.

A sample of Steven Wright quotes (usually best to imagine these in his delivery style):

[i]When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I had any firearms
with me. I said, "Well, what do you need?"

I went to a restaurant that serves "breakfast at any time". So I ordered
French Toast during the Renaissance.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.

OK, so what's the speed of dark?

How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked

something.

Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have.

When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

Shin: a device for finding furniture in the dark.

Many people quit looking for work when they find a job.

I intend to live forever - so far, so good.

Join the Army, meet interesting people, kill them.

If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.

When I'm not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded.

Boycott shampoo! Demand the REAL poo!

Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.

I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.[/i]

And finally, in reference to StealerNation:

[i]The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.[/i]

More can be found at: [url="http://www.weather.net/zarg/ZarPages/stevenWright.html"]http://www.weather.net/zarg/ZarPages/stevenWright.html[/url]

[Okay, Steven is probably not Scott's brother...but what the hell.]

[Hooky]

[quote name='Jason' post='266594' date='May 11 2006, 08:19 AM']You realize if we had Jesus on the team we would never lose another game, and every Hail Mary pass would work.[/quote]

If Jesus was a Bengal, would that mean BJ might have to like him?

[Guest Bengal_Smoov]

[quote name='Bunghole' post='266654' date='May 11 2006, 11:28 AM']
Yeah, who ever heard of a college student doing something like that? That raises [i]serious[/i] character issues....[/quote]


The funny thing is I don't hear anyone saying Jay Cutler has character issues, but during his freshman year he got drunk(underage drinking) and tried to out-run campus security(poor decision making,which is evident in some of the chances he takes on the field , just sayin) and had to chased around campus before he was subdued. I know it was just the actions of a foolish teenage kid, but it seems that some scouts and "guru's"/idiots pick and choose who has character concerns and who doesn't. Why is it ok for Cutler to get drunk underage and try to evade the police, but Peko is a risk because he peed in alley after leaving a bar? If I got arrested for everytime I peed in public, I'd be under the jail. As a matter of fact I'm pissin on the sidewalk right now, so that take that Scott Wright!!!!!!! [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons//33.gif[/img]

I'm sure if you looked at every draft prospects background you could find one incident were they made a bad decision and got themselves into a situation that could have easily been avioded if they thought about the consequences of their actions, but that doesn't mean they are horrible people who can't be trusted. What football player do you know that hasn't done something risky and dangerous, besides playing football for a living.


My older cousin was the best football player I've ever known personally, unfortunately he had 4 knee operations during 5 years of college and he couldn't continue to play at a high enough level to make it to the NFL. But this guy is also the wildest dude I've ever met. He started at qb for his varsity high school team in the 9th grade and he was also known to drink a 40oz of beer before every game, just to get his mind right. My point is most of the really good players are also guys who take extreme risk and from time to time do stupid shit when they are young and immature. It's apart of the package, the bad with the good. It's not like were talking about chess players, football is an extremely violent game so you are going to attract those type of people. I would rather a guy do something dumb when he is young and learn from it, rather than waiting until they are older and the ramifications are more serious.

[Hooky]

So why does he pick the Bengals out of a hat for drafting players with potential character flaws? So I guess the Bengals, from now on, can only draft players from military schools and Stanford.

[Nati Ice]

kinda makes me wonder what type of "character issues," i would have if i was in the draft...



"has an affinity for big fake tittied blondes with tight asses, consumes ungodly quantities of alcohol, is completely sexist, racist, classist, innappropriate, and unable to make any sort of real commitment... once broke a church window and donkey punched a slut... a pr nightmare who may garner bad publicity and be an off-field liability/casualty."

[Hooky]

[quote name='Nati Ice' post='266670' date='May 11 2006, 12:04 PM']kinda makes me wonder what type of "character issues," i would have if i was in the draft...
"has an affinity for big fake tittied blondes with tight asses, consumes ungodly quantities of alcohol, is completely sexist, racist, classist, innappropriate, and unable to make any sort of real commitment... once broke a church window and donkey punched a slut... a pr nightmare who may garner bad publicity and be an off-field liability/casualty."[/quote]

You forgot, "Picks fights with random guys (and moms) on message boards.".


Just kidding.

[Jason]

[quote name='Cricket' post='266658' date='May 11 2006, 11:31 AM']I never worry too much about the opinion of someone I've never heard of, or care about.

But his brother Steven is one heck of a comedian.

A sample of Steven Wright quotes (usually best to imagine these in his delivery style):

[i]When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I had any firearms
with me. I said, "Well, what do you need?"

I went to a restaurant that serves "breakfast at any time". So I ordered
French Toast during the Renaissance.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.

OK, so what's the speed of dark?

How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked

something.

Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have.

When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

Shin: a device for finding furniture in the dark.

Many people quit looking for work when they find a job.

I intend to live forever - so far, so good.

Join the Army, meet interesting people, kill them.

If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.

When I'm not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded.

Boycott shampoo! Demand the REAL poo!

Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.

I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.[/i]

And finally, in reference to StealerNation:

[i]The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.[/i]

More can be found at: [url="http://www.weather.net/zarg/ZarPages/stevenWright.html"]http://www.weather.net/zarg/ZarPages/stevenWright.html[/url]

[Okay, Steven is probably not Scott's brother...but what the hell.][/quote]

Not a Seven Wright, but should be:

If a man marries a woman with Multiple Personality Disorder, is he guilty of polygamy?