Pastabellys Bengals take

[USN Bengal]

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Focus will be on Bengals' D
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: August 14, 2007
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GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- Five observations on the Cincinnati Bengals, gleaned from the team's Aug. 12-13 practices:


1. The Bengals' D needs some bite

There is certainly sufficient talent on hand, especially on offense, for Cincinnati to contend for the division crown. But for the Bengals to play to their potential, and to earn the second playoff spot of coach Marvin Lewis' tenure, the defense must be more persistent and more consistent. The raw defensive statistics are somewhat misleading and overlook the fact that, at one stretch of the 2006 campaign, the unit actually carried Cincinnati for several games while the much-hyped offense was suffering a glut of turnovers. Still, the bottom line remains this: In Lewis' four seasons, the Cincinnati defense never has ranked higher than 19th in the league and three times rated 28th or lower. Last season, the Bengals were ranked 30th in the league and were next to last in pass defense. For a guy like Lewis, who earned his NFL stripes and a Super Bowl ring with Baltimore in 2000 as a brilliant defensive coordinator, the stats must be a little galling. "We have to keep drafting good players," Lewis said before practice. "We have to want to get better and have to play as a team. And we have to grow some [fortitude]."

The Bengals appear a little thin at linebacker, a position where they haven't had much good fortune lately, having lost their top two choices in the 2005 draft to a career-threatening neck injury (first-rounder David Pollack) and to a prolonged suspension (second-round pick Odell Thurman). Middle linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a third-round choice in the 2006 supplemental draft, has first-round skills. But for all his physical impressiveness, he doesn't seem to make a lot of plays, and had zero tackles in the preseason opener.


2. Young and restless

Given the training camp performance of first-round cornerback Leon Hall of Michigan, a guy Lewis said plays with the guile of a three-year veteran and whose toughness and cover skills are obvious, the Bengals could start a very young secondary group. Hall is pushing eight-year veteran Deltha O'Neal for the starting job at left cornerback. O'Neal had a miserable season in 2006 and didn't exactly endear himself to the coaches by skipping many of the voluntary practice sessions this spring. Second-year veteran Johnathan Joseph, the team's first-round pick in 2006, should claim the right cornerback spot when he's back in condition, having missed nearly two months to foot surgery. Joseph just returned this weekend to practices and is being eased into the flow. Keep an eye on rookie safety Chinedum Ndukwe, a seventh-round pick the Bengals actually started considering in the second round of the draft. The former Notre Dame star seems to add a physical presence that Cincinnati has been missing in the interior secondary. The coaches also feel that safety Madieu Williams, who has slumped the past two seasons after a terrific debut campaign in 2004, is back on track.


3. Regarding Henry

No matter what he is off the field, third-year wide receiver Chris Henry is a big-time playmaker on it, and he is going to be difficult to replace during the eight-game suspension imposed by commissioner Roger Goodell. No doubt Henry benefits from playing with starters Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and from the fact quarterback Carson Palmer throws one of the prettiest deep balls in the league. Henry is rarely double-covered because the other wideouts are such threats. But the presence of Henry in the three-wide receiver package that coordinator Bob Bratkowski features so much provides all kinds of matchup headaches for opponents. And it benefits the other receivers as well. It allows Houshmandzadeh, for instance, to move into the slot, where he is so crafty at working the inside areas between the hashes.

Henry has 15 touchdowns in just 67 career receptions, a remarkable average of one score every 4.5 catches. And consider this kind of versatility for gauging what a difficult matchup he is for No. 3 corners around the league: Of his 15 touchdowns, six are for 25 yards or more, but nine have been red zone scores. Third-year veteran Tab Perry is the most likely replacement, but is coming off a hip injury that limited him to two appearances last season. Among the other contenders, former college quarterback Reggie McNeal is still learning the position, Antonio Chatman always seems to be hurt and Bennie Brazell, while a burner, appears fragile.


4. New faces on O-line

The offensive line, once among the NFL's best and most stable blocking units, will have at least two new starters in center Eric Ghiaciuc and left guard Stacy Andrews. Ghiaciuc got 13 starts in 2006, when the now-retired stalwart Rich Braham was sidelined. But Andrews, who is replacing the departed Eric Steinbach, has only three career starts. A bigger problem, though, might be that neither starting tackle, Levi Jones (left) and venerable Willie Anderson (right), has worked a snap yet in camp. Both are expected to begin practicing soon, but they could enter the year having gotten very little work in the preseason. One of the league's best weakside pass protectors, Jones is rehabilitating from knee surgery that limited him to a career-low five starts in 2006. Anderson, a fixture at right tackle since 1996 and a warrior who typically plays hurt, is battling a foot problem. The Bengals are hoping that a recent visit to a specialist, who is devising a special set of orthotic supports for Anderson's cleats, will enable him to get onto the field.


5. Shaking things up

Cincinnati had its best defensive ranking against the run under Lewis in 2006, a No. 15 rating, but the club shook up the tackle position in the offseason in an effort to get younger and stouter. The Bengals released longtime veteran Sam Adams, once a Lewis favorite, and is counting on second-year pro Domata Peko to replace him. Watching the former fourth-rounder in practice, it's obvious he brings new energy to the position and he isn't on the ground as much as Adams was in 2006. The 319-pound Peko seems like he can anchor and uses his hands really well. Cincinnati also will rotate free agent acquisition Michael Myers, a nine-year veteran who has always performed beyond expectations, into the tackle mix. Myers almost certainly will play on passing downs, with end Bryan Robinson also moving inside to tackle in those situations, in an attempt to provide the Bengals more inside push on the pocket.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

[USN Bengal]

Here's his take on Rudi & the RB situation;


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Johnson welcomes heavy workload
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: August 14, 2007
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GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- The ritual began rather innocuously in an Oct. 26, 2003 game against the Seattle Seahawks. In only the second start of his career, Rudi Johnson began pedaling a stationary bike on the sidelines to keep his legs loose in the fourth quarter.


Observation deck
The Bengals appear a little thin at linebacker, a position where they haven't had much good fortune lately. Check out what else Len Pasquarelli observed at Bengals camp.
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Subbing for injured starter Corey Dillon that day, Johnson ran for 101 yards on 25 carries, the first century-mark performance of his NFL career.


Four years later, with three straight seasons of 1,300 or more rushing yards on his résumé, and a reputation as one of the NFL's true workhorse backs, Johnson is still riding that bicycle. And the Cincinnati Bengals, whose offense has ranked among the top eight in the league in each of the past two campaigns, still are riding Johnson.


And they can keep riding him, Johnson suggested here following a wickedly oppressive Sunday afternoon practice, until the wheels fall off.


Which, given the team's poor luck in finding a complementary No. 2 back to reduce the workload of their feature runner, is a distinct possibility.


"I'll take as many [carries] as they want to give me," said Johnson, who during a special-teams segment of practice retreated to the sideline to resume the Tour de Rudi. "That's the mentality that you have to have as a big-time runner. You have to be mentally prepared for that, to handle the load, to let them put the game on you … I mean, if it was up to me, heck, I'd take all the carries."


Johnson, 27, might come close to doing just that in 2007.

Rookie tailback Kenny Irons, the second-round choice taken to add a speed dimension to the Cincinnati backfield and to spell Johnson, sustained a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament injury in the Aug. 9 preseason opener against the Lions. Chris Perry, the club's first-round selection in 2004, has seen his diverse talents eroded by injuries, has appeared in only 22 games in three years, and will begin 2007 on the physically unable to perform list for a second straight year. That leaves hard-working Kenny Watson, a player whose special-teams workload the club had hoped to reduce this year, as the presumptive No. 2 tailback.


And it almost certainly leaves Johnson -- who over the past three years has accounted for 87.2 percent of all the rushing attempts by the Cincinnati running backs, and for 85.5 percent of the yards -- to hoist the club's ground game on his broad shoulders.


It is a role to which the former Auburn star, a fourth-round pick in 2001 who served a three-year apprenticeship behind Dillon until ascending to the full-time starting job in 2004, has become accustomed.


Indeed, Johnson, is the Cincinnati ground game.


Over the past three seasons, in which he has played in every game and started all but three of them, no NFL back has logged more carries than Johnson's 1,039 rushes. He has averaged 346.3 attempts per season in that stretch and 21.7 carries per start. His 4,221 yards since the start of the 2004 season are the fourth most in the league. And his incredibly symmetrical 36 rushing touchdowns, a dozen in each of the last three seasons, are the fifth most.


AP Photo/Al Behrman

Rudi Johnson has been productive and extremely durable over the last three seasons.

In that three-year span, the durable Johnson has 28 games in which he carried 20 times or more, including 16 contests with 25-plus attempts and four outings with 30 or more rushes. He has rushed for 100 or more yards 14 times since the beginning of the 2004 season.


Yet the hard-running Johnson, who gains most of his yards between the tackles and after initial contact -- as manifested by the fact he has now gone 37 straight games without a run of 40 yards and owns just 17 runs of 20 or more yards over the last three years -- is often overlooked. That's mainly because the Bengals boast headline-grabbing passing stars such as quarterback Carson Palmer, and wide receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.


Johnson was quick to note on Sunday that he does not feel underappreciated, because of the respect with which he is regarded by his teammates and players around the league. That was a sentiment echoed by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.


"He's the kind of runner who gets people excited in the huddle, a very outgoing guy, and an [emotional] player," Lewis said. "Look, we don't want him to get as many carries. But the guy wants that many carries. And when you're in the fourth quarter, trying to put together first downs and shorten the game at 'winning time,' he's the guy. He keeps the chains moving and the clock moving. He's a real closer. In those kinds of situations, you can't not give him the ball. He runs over people."


[b]Like most standout backs[/b], Johnson is blessed with a low center of gravity, great vision and uncanny balance. Those are natural gifts. But he has worked hard in the last few offseasons to condition himself for the rigors of 300-plus carries and the punishment he absorbs as a guy who doesn't shy from contact.


When he entered the league, Johnson was 235 pounds. With his physique now redefined and his weight redistributed, he weighs in the 214-218 range and, for a power back, looks remarkably trim. This offseason, Johnson spent extra time working with assistant strength and conditioning coach Ray Oliver on his overall leg power.


Lewis recalled that, as a young player, Johnson didn't quite understand the work ethic that is required to be a top-shelf back at the NFL level. He chafed at playing behind Dillon at times, abhorred having to perform on special teams, and his effort waned. But, Lewis emphasized, "when the light went on" for Johnson, it was like someone flipped the switch on a neon sign.


Recalled Johnson, whose efforts were recognized by Cincinnati management in 2005 with a five-year, $26 million contract extension: "A lot of what separates players in this league is how badly they want to be good. And I want to be good."


[b]Based on his numbers over the past three seasons, Johnson, who somehow has yet to be rewarded with a Pro Bowl invitation, ranks among the best. And in one category at least, he feels he is definitely at the top of the NFL pecking order. [/b]


Asked following Sunday's practice to identify the league's toughest back, Johnson didn't even blink.


"You're looking at him," he said. "Hands down."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

[coup000]

Pretty un-insightfull articles.

[Jason]

[quote name='coup000' post='527534' date='Aug 14 2007, 12:57 PM']Pretty un-insightfull articles.[/quote]

To a Bengals fan maybe. But the target audience [b]wasn't[/b] Bengals fans, it was [b]NFL fans[/b].

We as Bengals fans need to remember that articles on ESPN.com, NFL.com, TSN, SI, and the like aren't necessarily written with Bengals fans as the target audience, and therefore, to us, won't have much new to us.

I only read the first article, and thought it was pretty accurate.

[Quaker]

...Learned something. They must have been pretty high on him.

[i]Keep an eye on rookie safety Chinedum Ndukwe, [u]a seventh-round pick the Bengals actually started considering in the second round of the draft.[/u][/i]

[Khatmandude]

[quote name='Quaker' post='527681' date='Aug 14 2007, 07:30 PM']...Learned something. They must have been pretty high on him.

[i]Keep an eye on rookie safety Chinedum Ndukwe, [u]a seventh-round pick the Bengals actually started considering in the second round of the draft.[/u][/i][/quote]

Wow, if they really were considering Ndukwe in earlier rounds, it wouldn't have been based on his performance at ND........he got burned often. He does have good measurables though, so the potential could have warranted an earlier round pick I guess.

[Go Tory Go!]

[quote name='IKOTA' post='527705' date='Aug 14 2007, 07:08 PM']Wow, if they really were considering Ndukwe in earlier rounds, it wouldn't have been based on his performance at ND........he got burned often. He does have good measurables though, so the potential could have warranted an earlier round pick I guess.[/quote]

That did seem a little ridiculous to me too - 2nd round? At first I thought it meant they first heard of him during the 2nd round.

[rhino virus]

Hey all,
I think the good thing about reading things like this is that it gives us a less biased look at what non-bengal fans/analysts think. When you're too close to the news from The Bengals and the Enquirer, sometimes we think some of the Bengals are bigger than they really are. The article wasn't insightful. I'd heard it all before (except the for the Brooks questions). Makes me wonder though, are the Bengals hopes too high for this guy??

Rhino Virus



[quote name='USNBENGAL the Original' post='527532' date='Aug 14 2007, 10:50 AM'][url="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp07/insider/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2973901"]http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcam...&id=2973901[/url]
Focus will be on Bengals' D
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: August 14, 2007
Comment
Email
Print
GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- Five observations on the Cincinnati Bengals, gleaned from the team's Aug. 12-13 practices:
1. The Bengals' D needs some bite

There is certainly sufficient talent on hand, especially on offense, for Cincinnati to contend for the division crown. But for the Bengals to play to their potential, and to earn the second playoff spot of coach Marvin Lewis' tenure, the defense must be more persistent and more consistent. The raw defensive statistics are somewhat misleading and overlook the fact that, at one stretch of the 2006 campaign, the unit actually carried Cincinnati for several games while the much-hyped offense was suffering a glut of turnovers. Still, the bottom line remains this: In Lewis' four seasons, the Cincinnati defense never has ranked higher than 19th in the league and three times rated 28th or lower. Last season, the Bengals were ranked 30th in the league and were next to last in pass defense. For a guy like Lewis, who earned his NFL stripes and a Super Bowl ring with Baltimore in 2000 as a brilliant defensive coordinator, the stats must be a little galling. "We have to keep drafting good players," Lewis said before practice. "We have to want to get better and have to play as a team. And we have to grow some [fortitude]."

The Bengals appear a little thin at linebacker, a position where they haven't had much good fortune lately, having lost their top two choices in the 2005 draft to a career-threatening neck injury (first-rounder David Pollack) and to a prolonged suspension (second-round pick Odell Thurman). Middle linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a third-round choice in the 2006 supplemental draft, has first-round skills. But for all his physical impressiveness, he doesn't seem to make a lot of plays, and had zero tackles in the preseason opener.
2. Young and restless

Given the training camp performance of first-round cornerback Leon Hall of Michigan, a guy Lewis said plays with the guile of a three-year veteran and whose toughness and cover skills are obvious, the Bengals could start a very young secondary group. Hall is pushing eight-year veteran Deltha O'Neal for the starting job at left cornerback. O'Neal had a miserable season in 2006 and didn't exactly endear himself to the coaches by skipping many of the voluntary practice sessions this spring. Second-year veteran Johnathan Joseph, the team's first-round pick in 2006, should claim the right cornerback spot when he's back in condition, having missed nearly two months to foot surgery. Joseph just returned this weekend to practices and is being eased into the flow. Keep an eye on rookie safety Chinedum Ndukwe, a seventh-round pick the Bengals actually started considering in the second round of the draft. The former Notre Dame star seems to add a physical presence that Cincinnati has been missing in the interior secondary. The coaches also feel that safety Madieu Williams, who has slumped the past two seasons after a terrific debut campaign in 2004, is back on track.
3. Regarding Henry

No matter what he is off the field, third-year wide receiver Chris Henry is a big-time playmaker on it, and he is going to be difficult to replace during the eight-game suspension imposed by commissioner Roger Goodell. No doubt Henry benefits from playing with starters Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and from the fact quarterback Carson Palmer throws one of the prettiest deep balls in the league. Henry is rarely double-covered because the other wideouts are such threats. But the presence of Henry in the three-wide receiver package that coordinator Bob Bratkowski features so much provides all kinds of matchup headaches for opponents. And it benefits the other receivers as well. It allows Houshmandzadeh, for instance, to move into the slot, where he is so crafty at working the inside areas between the hashes.

Henry has 15 touchdowns in just 67 career receptions, a remarkable average of one score every 4.5 catches. And consider this kind of versatility for gauging what a difficult matchup he is for No. 3 corners around the league: Of his 15 touchdowns, six are for 25 yards or more, but nine have been red zone scores. Third-year veteran Tab Perry is the most likely replacement, but is coming off a hip injury that limited him to two appearances last season. Among the other contenders, former college quarterback Reggie McNeal is still learning the position, Antonio Chatman always seems to be hurt and Bennie Brazell, while a burner, appears fragile.
4. New faces on O-line

The offensive line, once among the NFL's best and most stable blocking units, will have at least two new starters in center Eric Ghiaciuc and left guard Stacy Andrews. Ghiaciuc got 13 starts in 2006, when the now-retired stalwart Rich Braham was sidelined. But Andrews, who is replacing the departed Eric Steinbach, has only three career starts. A bigger problem, though, might be that neither starting tackle, Levi Jones (left) and venerable Willie Anderson (right), has worked a snap yet in camp. Both are expected to begin practicing soon, but they could enter the year having gotten very little work in the preseason. One of the league's best weakside pass protectors, Jones is rehabilitating from knee surgery that limited him to a career-low five starts in 2006. Anderson, a fixture at right tackle since 1996 and a warrior who typically plays hurt, is battling a foot problem. The Bengals are hoping that a recent visit to a specialist, who is devising a special set of orthotic supports for Anderson's cleats, will enable him to get onto the field.
5. Shaking things up

Cincinnati had its best defensive ranking against the run under Lewis in 2006, a No. 15 rating, but the club shook up the tackle position in the offseason in an effort to get younger and stouter. The Bengals released longtime veteran Sam Adams, once a Lewis favorite, and is counting on second-year pro Domata Peko to replace him. Watching the former fourth-rounder in practice, it's obvious he brings new energy to the position and he isn't on the ground as much as Adams was in 2006. The 319-pound Peko seems like he can anchor and uses his hands really well. Cincinnati also will rotate free agent acquisition Michael Myers, a nine-year veteran who has always performed beyond expectations, into the tackle mix. Myers almost certainly will play on passing downs, with end Bryan Robinson also moving inside to tackle in those situations, in an attempt to provide the Bengals more inside push on the pocket.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.[/quote]

[|Bengal Migration|]

[quote name='rhino virus' post='527708' date='Aug 15 2007, 12:15 AM']Hey all,
I think the good thing about reading things like this is that it gives us a less biased look at what non-bengal fans/analysts think. When you're too close to the news from The Bengals and the Enquirer, sometimes we think some of the Bengals are bigger than they really are. The article wasn't insightful. I'd heard it all before (except the for the Brooks questions). Makes me wonder though, are the Bengals hopes too high for this guy??

Rhino Virus[/quote]
Welcome to the best damn Bengals site on the 'net!