Perry shelved; Braham, Jackson out Sunday

[Jamie_B]

Jeez Tab too? I didnt think Tab's was that serious.

Christ were beat up. And What is up with TJ??

I really dont like having to rely THIS much on the reserves.

[|Bunghole|]

This could turn into a blessing in disguise if McNeal realizes what an opportunity this is for him and takes full advantage of it.
I'm hoping that Perry never gets his kick return job back because McNeal becomes that good at it.

[Actium]

[quote name='oldschooler' post='345110' date='Sep 20 2006, 02:05 PM'][url="http://www.pissburghlive.com/x/pissburghtrib/s_471429.html"]http://www.pissburghlive.com/x/pissburghtrib/s_471429.html[/url][/quote]

It's one thing for the players to talk trash, you expect that. Quite another for their coach to lead them in mockery, especially after the way they won.

[mattlb2000]

[quote name='ravonaf' post='345070' date='Sep 20 2006, 02:06 PM']Big Jen has a yeast infection.[/quote]
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Great Stuff

[Montecore]

Boy am I glad we have the depth we do at WR. Even if stealers take CJ out of the game, we still have Henry as a deep threat and K-Wash proved he can be effective in the slot. I hope McNeal's able to add something as the 4th receiver; watching Tab fill that role this year has yielded some big results ...

[TheChosenOne]

[quote name='Revolution #9' post='345123' date='Sep 20 2006, 03:42 PM']It's one thing for the players to talk trash, you expect that. Quite another for their coach to lead them in mockery, especially after the way they won.[/quote]

To me, it's clear proof that not only are we their biggest rival (as some self-deluded Stealer fans deny, but that they're also insecure and very afraid of us.

[Guest mongoloido]

[quote name='IndianaBengal' post='345092' date='Sep 20 2006, 02:33 PM']if he gets a suspension, I recommend this stretch:

Nov 19: at NO
Nov 26: at Cleveland
Nov 30: Balt
Dec 10: Oak.

easiest stretch of the yr..[/quote]


I could certainly see something happen during that stretch, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it as only a two game suspension. Since Henry's not required to get a suspension at all, it just seems to me Goodell might just do a two game shot across the bow. Don't totally hose the team, but let Chris know the League is serious.

[esjbh2]

[quote name='Revolution #9' post='345076' date='Sep 20 2006, 02:11 PM']I cannot believe that TJ is still questionable. Please start this game, TJ. We need you.[/quote]


[quote name='WhoDeyForever' post='345087' date='Sep 20 2006, 02:24 PM']T.J. questionable? [/quote]


[quote name='JC' post='345104' date='Sep 20 2006, 02:56 PM']+2
[/quote]
I gotta think with TJ's attitude and hatred of the stealers that he will play. Hopefully, this is just a precautionary status and perhaps a bit of "sandbagging" on Marvin's part to reduce their focus on T.J.

Tab's injury is disturbing.

Definitely an opportunity for McNeal to show what he's got.

[CTA513]

[quote name='Bunghole' post='345122' date='Sep 20 2006, 03:35 PM']This could turn into a blessing in disguise if McNeal realizes what an opportunity this is for him and takes full advantage of it.
I'm hoping that Perry never gets his kick return job back because McNeal becomes that good at it.[/quote]

McNeal will probably be gone once Thurmans suspension is over.

[Phatcat]

Good article (ESPN Insiders Blog for the AFCN Division) on Bengals and depth going into week 3:

[quote]Bengals to face huge test in Week 3
posted: Tuesday, September 19, 2006
filed under: Cincinnati Bengals

If you have kept up with my blog entries, you know I am extremely impressed with the overall talent and depth on the Bengals' roster. Well, that depth is going to be tested in a big way this week in pissburgh and maybe for Cincinnati's next few games. Two of the Bengals' offensive starters (T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Levi Jones) didn't play last week in Cleveland and do not forget their franchise quarterback Carson Palmer is still on the mend from major knee surgery, although no one would know it from his play. Odell Thurman, the Bengals' leading tackler from last year, has been suspended for the first four games of the season and their valuable third down running back, Chris Perry, is on the PUP list. So, if that isn't enough to overcome,when going into the Super Bowl Champions' home turf, Cincinnati lost three more starters in Week 2, OC Rich Braham (knee), SS Dexter Jackson (ankle) and promising young SLB David Pollack (broken neck). Pollack is out for the season.


So, what does all this mean to the undefeated and division leading Bengals? Honestly, it isn't as disabling as it sounds on the surface. Very few teams could withstand such hits, but the Bengals might just be one of them, even as they enter their Week 3 game against a very hungry stealers team.



The injuries to Houshmandzadeh and Jones are not long term and both could return for this week's game. Even if they can't play, Chris Henry has proven to be a more than capable second wideout and the young talented pass catchers behind him are anxious to get on the field and catch passes from Palmer. Starting LG Eric Steinbach, who moved to left tackle to fill in for Jones, is one of those rare offensive linemen who is versatile and athletic enough to excel at both guard and tackle. Four of the five starting offensive linemen were scheduled to become free agents after this season, which prompted the Bengals to select Andrew Whitworth in the second round of this year's draft. Whitworth was a standout offensive tackle at LSU who is big, tough and plays the game hard and to the whistle. He is the left guard when Steinbach starts at left tackle and although he is still a rookie, he will soon be a very valuable piece to Cincinnati's offensive line puzzle.



As for Palmer, well, he might not be 100 percent but even at 85 percent, he is better than just about every other quarterback in the league, especially with such a talented supporting cast surrounding him. Thurman's loss has not held back the Bengals' defense and his starting job should not even be assured when he does return. Perry also has not yet been missed, but I am guessing he could be very useful in this week's game. This will be the first game where not having a second runner who they can count on to spell Rudi Johnson might begin effect their offensive production.



The three major injuries the Bengals suffered this past weekend shouldn't be hard to overcome. Braham is a good enough center who is surrounded by four very good players on Cincinnati's offensive line, but he was by no means a dominant interior blocker. Braham's most important contribution may have been his ability to keep the unit working as one and make all the line calls and adjustments. He will be replaced by second-year player Eric Ghiaciuc, who lacks Braham's experience, but is very intelligent and could eventually surpass Braham over time. Offensive linemen who are both tough and smart tend to be very difficult to get out of the lineup and these type of blockers usually end up having long careers in the NFL. Ghiaciuc is just that type of guy.



Rashad Jeanty, who will replace Pollack as the starting strongside linebacker, is a player who the Bengals are quite high on. Although he may be a liability in coverage, he is a solid up-the-field player who has been very impressive since joining Cincinnati. If Jeanty can't do the job, Brian Simmons could possibly move out of his present middle linebacker spot after Thurman returns from his suspension. The Bengals also have a wild card up their sleeve in Ahmad Brooks, who has a lot of learning to do, but is a rare talent with the size and skill set to easily slide into the strongside job and possibly take the level of play up a notch or two. Pollack is a fine young prospect and excelled as an edge rusher, but Cincinnati is capable of filling in for his loss with their abundance of young linebacker talent.



Although he isn't the best player of those who have been injured, Jackson is a decent two-way safety. In 2005, the Bengals had simply awful safety play and Jackson was brought in to change that situation. He will be replaced by Kevin Kaesviharn, who was less than spectacular as in this role as a starter last season. What Kaesviharn and the Bengals have going for them is more overall talent and more experience around this potential weak link. A healthy starting FS Madieu Williams, who is probably the best player on the entire defense, is a difference maker. Williams missed a lot of time last season and he is the type of player who makes everyone around him better.



While the Bengals are very banged up and may not leave pissburgh with a win because of their personnel losses, they are still in very good shape and are better equipped to deal with these setbacks than most teams in the league. When Cincinnati looks back at this stretch early in the season, they may realize this valuable playing time for many of their backups actually made them a stronger team overall as they prepare for their run at the Super Bowl.[/quote]

[akiliMVP]

I think TJ and Levi will play on Sunday, so the only starter on offense that we will be missing is Braham. Ghuiciac played pretty well against two of the best defensive tackles in the league last year, and most of the stealers pass rush comes from the outside anyways. Even if he does struggle, he has two of the best guards in the NFL next to him to help him.

Pollack wouldn't have made a difference in this game even if he hadn't broken his neck. He has been so banged up this year I doubt he would have played much. Losing Jackson sucks, but Kaesviharn is an adequate starter. He is an average tackler, and is pretty good in coverage. I think Madieu will make up for KK's lack of talent.

Losing T. Perry sucks, but he was really only a kick returner and very limited player on the offense. We might be even better at kick returns with McNeal getting a shot.

[dex]

[quote name='IndianaBengal' post='345092' date='Sep 20 2006, 01:33 PM']if he gets a suspension, I recommend this stretch:

Nov 19: at NO
Nov 26: at Cleveland
Nov 30: Balt
Dec 10: Oak.

easiest stretch of the yr..[/quote]
It's very possible that the discipline imposed may not include a suspension. Instead it might be on the order of forfeiting game paychecks, which would be a big financial setback for Henry & his mounting legal bills but wouldn't penalize the team itself. That was the sort of punishment that Sean Taylor and others have faced.

[Guest Master Shake]

While the injuries are certainly disconcerting, remember that the stealers have enough injury problems of their own, probably more significant than ours. Polamalu, their best player, can barely make a tackle because his shoulder is in so much pain. By the 3rd quarter he'll be afraid to step in Rudi's way. Their best receiver is less than 100% nursing a bad hammy. Their QB is a sniffling pussy who played like Kitna in his last start, and is obviously not yet recovered from his potpourri of maladies. They are one Willie Parker injury away (and he has only played 1 full season thus far, and was removed on short yeardage last year)from the worst RB rotation in the league. Also Casey Hampton played little against JAX.

Not only are their injuries equally detrimental to them, but they also have less depth than us and are worse equipped to fill these positions should Wines or Troy's injury flare up. However, there is little dropoff from Ben to Batch at this point imo

[Guest Coy Bacon]

[quote name='TheChosenOne' post='345027' date='Sep 20 2006, 01:31 PM']Or very, very bad.

He can do some incredible things with the ball in his hands, but I'm not convinced that he will hold onto it.

I'm guessing they will let him return kicks in practice and if he is fumbling or muffing many of them, we'll give the job to someone else. I don't know really who, though. I think Kenny Watson can return kicks. But obviously McNeal is a major upgrade from him in the speed category.[/quote]


Speed is great for returning kicks, but kick returning is as much about being fearless and physically stout enough to run through the wedge with authority, take the hits and hold on to the ball as anything else. Stanford Jennings was an effective kick returner and he was slow as molasses in January. Reggie McNeal doesn't even have his NFL body yet. The kick returns I saw him make in practice and preseason games looked tentative to me. This is a case of hoping for the best and fearing the worst.

[Guest oldschooler]

[quote][size=5][b]Costly Tab [/b][/size]
By GEOFF HOBSON
September 20, 2006


Tab Perry’s hip hasn’t received as much play as Rich Braham’s knee or Dexter Jackson’s ankle, but it could end up being the most serious and the injury that causes the biggest ripple of the four suffered Sunday in what turned out to be the Battered of Ohio.

It certainly is the most freakish.

As he came off the practice field Wednesday, special teams coach Darrin Simmons wouldn’t say it was the kicking game’s equivalent of losing Carson Palmer, but ...

“Close; not quite,” Simmons said. “But you could say Rudi Johnson.”

Enough said.

Forget that Perry tipped last year’s victory in pissburgh to the Bengals with his 94-yard kick return as the roar from wines hard’s game-tying touchdown still rang in his ears midway through the third quarter. Perry is a core teams player, which means he’s on all four phases and Simmons probably won’t be able to replace him with just one player. Perry is tied with rookie safety Ethan Kilmer for most special teams tackles with three.

“He’s an integral part of what we do,” Simmons said. “It’s a bad thing, but we’ll be fine. We’re going to have to find other people.”

Rookie wide receiver Reggie McNeal, activated off the practice squad, is a more than posible option to help running back Kenny Watson return kickoffs. Perry and Watson are the only returners listed on the depth chart, but while Simmons likes the speed he saw from McNeal in the preseason, he says he’s also going to look at other options.

McNeal looks to be the guy by default because most of Simmons’ experienced returners, either punt or kick, are dinged, such as wide receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Antonio Chatman, and cornerback Deltha O’Neal. Maybe punt returner Keiwan Ratliff gets a call.

“We’ll see how this thing plays out during the week,” Simmons said. “You’ve got to look at the whole picture.”

What Simmons does know is that Perry’s injury has to be one of the more ridiculous.

After Cleveland scored (set up by a Cincinnati interception), the Browns lined up in an onside kick formation with 58 seconds left. The Bengals responded putting their hands team up close to the kicker, but Perry had to hustle back when Phil Dawson hit a wedge shot over everyone’s head.

“At that point you want the ball to go into the end zone for a touchback,” Simmons said. “And the ball bounces at the half-yard line and hits him in the leg. So he’s got to get on it, recover it and, unfortunately, he gets nicked a little bit because of it. It’s one of those freak plays. It really can’t be explained.”

Now what happens is the weekly dance to decide which 45 guys are going to be active. Having to replace Perry may mean the Bengals have to activate an extra defensive back. Or maybe go with seven linebackers. An eighth, A.J. Nicholson (hamstring), is out. That means they may have to gamble and go light at another spot just to make sure they cover Perry’s absence.

If Houshmandzadeh can play, McNeal still might get the call because of his return abilities.

The tough thing about Perry is this may be awhile. When head coach Marvin Lewis, who majors in downplaying injuries, says Perry is going to spend a few weeks on crutches, indications are it could be even longer than that if it doesn't "calm down."[/quote]



[url="http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5513"]http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5513[/url]

[Guest mongoloido]

You sure do hate to read about injuries to massive structure points like hips. A knee gets injured and either needs surgery and 8 months of recovery, or is better in a few weeks. A huge juncture like a hip can avoid surgery needing injuries, but require tons of time to heel. It's such a big aread, with so much muscle and muck, that healing deep injuries can take for frickin' ever.