SB Nation - Willie Anderson

Bengals Banter II: Can you sing the Who-Dey Rap?

Kirkendall — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:51:17 -0000

First off, a classic.

Benson has 36 carries? He doesn't care. He'll just run it down your throat... again... and again... and again. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis followed the script as it was written in regards to the team's running backs. If Benson is healthy, Benson plays. And boy did he. If you exclude November 15, when he left early because of an injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the last three games that Cedric Benson has started, he's averaged 35.7 rush attempts for 138.7 yards rushing per game.

Benson broken down by quarter against Detroit
	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Yards	13	29	35	33
Carries	7	7	10	12
Avg.	1.9	4.1	3.5	2.8
Long	4	11	9	7

But if one thought crossed your mind, I'll bet it was the same as mine. With 8:15 left in the game, Shayne Graham converted a 23-yard field goal to take a 23-7 lead. Benson had 31 carries at this point. After Tom Nelson recorded his first career interception, it seemed to make more sense putting Larry Johnson in to finish the game, especially since this being the first game Benson returns from injury. In the five rush attempts that followed, Benson picked up a combined four yards rushing.

Bengals defense just keeps getting better. With a Monday Night game to play between the Packers and Ravens, check out where the Bengals defense ranks.

	Stat	Rank
Yards Allowed	293.2	4th
Points Allowed	15.6	1st
Rushing Yards	81.8	2nd
Passing Yards	211.5	13th
3rd Downs	32.9%	1st

I'll accept that the Bengals haven't necessarily played the greatest offenses in the past three weeks, which has helped their defensive numbers. However, they've kept opposing offenses to under 100 yards rushing in eight straight games, and ten of the season's 12 games. No offense has scored more than 30 and the only team to score more than Green Bay's 24 points in week two are the Houston Texans, who scored 28 on October 18.

Furthermore, the team's pass defense keeps improving. Through the first seven games, the Bengals pass defense allowed 253.3 yards passing per game. In the five games since, they've improved that average by 100 yards. Since the team's week eight bye week, the Bengals defense has allowed 153.0 yards passing per game.

Paging Andre Caldwell, paging Andre Caldwell. You home? Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer threw a first down pass to Andre Caldwell with 6:11 left in the third quarter. This was the first, and what would be the last, time that Caldwell had a pass thrown his way on offense. This isn't really the first time he's disappeared.

Since recording six receptions for 57 yards in a 28-17 loss to the Houston Texans, Caldwell has caught 15 passes in the past six games for 125 yards receiving.

Not to kick a dead horse because kicking a dead horse actually hurts your shins. I've praised the Bengals for their newly discovered winning formula of running the football and playing great defense. But I'm also not immune or ignorant of Carson Palmer's struggles this year. Instead on harping on a quarterback that just wins football games, there's a few notable struggles that Palmer has been dealing with this year.

Palmer...

...has thrown three touchdowns and three interceptions in the past five games.
...only threw for two touchdowns in the month of November.
...has only thrown one touchdown in the second-half in the past seven games.
...hasn't thrown for 300 yards since December 30, 2007 -- a streak of 16 games.

Then again, Palmer just wins football games. I guess that's important.

In 2005, the Bengals started the season 11-3 before losing three straight against the Bills, Chiefs and Steelers in the Wild Card round of the 2005 playoffs.

All of my life, the part I've loved most about football is the trenches. For the longest time, my favorite Bengals player was Willie Anderson. So when Dennis Roland goes into motion, I have this half-baked grin on my face. What a beautiful sight.

The Packers Worked Out Free Agent LT Levi Jones

Brandon — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:00:18 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Browse more photos »

Via Greg Bedard:

The Packers worked out former Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Levi Jones on Monday, a source confirmed.

According to the Football Outsiders Almanac 2009, Jones "displayed all the mobility of the Roebling Bridge" last season, so this isn't a move to get excited about.

Wear-and-tear might have finally caught up to him, but Cincy Jungle says "Jones has been a shell for the past two seasons, in our opinion, and it was only a matter of time before he was replaced." It might have been injuries that led his release, but the Bengals blamed injuries for the release of former Pro Bowl RT Willie Anderson before the 2008 season, but he seemed healthy and started 11 games for Baltimore in 2008. The Bengals might have released Jones just to save money.

The big problem with signing him is that someone has to go to make room for Jones, and he's probably looking to get paid like he's a starting left tackle. Maybe in the range of $4 million (pro-rated) for the season. Greg Bedard said:

Should Clifton be injured further, the Packers might consider signing Jones.

That seems possible. If LT Chad Clifton re-injures his ankle, and has to be placed on I.R., they would have the roster spot available. And they certainly would have a need for a backup, or starting, left tackle. After Clifton and LT Daryn Colledge, the only other player who played a lot at LT in the preseason was Jamon Meredith, and he was just signed off the practice squad by Buffalo.

In his last 21 starts, Carson Palmer is 7-14. Question of the Day: Is Carson Palmer still an elite NFL quarterback or is he a victim of circumstance?

Kirkendall — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:44:11 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

4 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer passes the ball during the team's practice at NFL football training camp, Friday, July 31, 2009, in Georgetown, Ky. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Browse more photos »

We're not here to pile on Carson Palmer. We still believe that he gives the Bengals offense the best chance to succeed. As Jake points out in his morning briefing, Bengals.com beat writer Geoff Hobson wrote "Not only is Palmer is 7-17 in his last 24 starts, but when is it going to get any better?" Lance McAlister implied the same thing, jotting down Palmer's last ten starts. Paul Daugherty writes, "Feel free to wonder if C. Palmer will ever be the guy he was in '05 and '06."

Let me make this disclaimer right now: Palmer is far from the problem on this offense; everything added up equates to a single problem; the inability to score points (Bengals have scored 30 or more points, four times since 2007). His performance against the Denver Broncos, while solid in the mind's of game managers, could be attributed to less-than-stellar blocking, penalties and dropped passes and he wasn't without his own criticisms. For instance, Palmer completed only five of 12 passes on third down for 67 yards passing and an interception (25.3 passer rating). On the other hand, four of those incomplete passes were attributed to drops by Laveranues Coles. So the disclaimer applies. While we could focus on one thing, you have to acknowledge everything else.

So we're fully aware. Palmer is 1/11th part of the issue here.

However, I did want to take a look at Palmer's recent performances, based on the question if Palmer is the same quarterback since his 2005 and 2006 glory years; as prompted by the above links. Or is that too simplified, without pointing out that the offensive line in 2005 and 2006 was far superior than the offensive line we've had since -- aka, having Eric Steinbach, Rich Braham (in 2005) and Levi Jones and Willie Anderson playing at the top of their game. I won't argue against that -- and I believe that any doesn't acknowledge the above while implying their criticisms is doing a disservice to Palmer. Would you hate me if we discarded all of that and simply looked at Palmer's performances?

Since 2007.

Date	Opp	Result	Att	Comp	Yard	TD	INT	Rating
9.13.09	Denver	L, 7-12	33	21	247	0	2	61.0
10.5.08	Dallas	L, 22-31	39	23	217	2	1	80.8
9.21.08	NY Giants	L, 23-26	39	27	286	1	0	98.9
9.14.08	Tennessee	L, 7-24	27	16	134	0	2	41.3
9.7.08	Baltimore	L, 10-17	9	24	94	0	1	32.3
12.30.07	Miami	W, 38-25	32	23	316	3	1	121.4
12.23.07	Cleveland	W, 19-14	21	11	115	1	2	44.8
12.15.07	San Francisco	L, 13-20	31	19	252	1	0	97.8
12.9.07	St. Louis	W, 19-10	29	21	189	0	2	60.8
12.2.07	Pittsburgh	L, 10-24	44	17	183	0	0	51.6
11.25.07	Tennessee	W, 35-6	38	32	283	3	1	113.0
11.18.07	Arizona	L, 27-35	52	37	329	2	4	68.5
11.11.07	Baltimore	W, 21-7	34	23	271	0	0	91.7
11.4.07	Buffalo	L, 21-33	39	26	271	2	1	93.0
10.28.07	Pittsburgh	L, 13-24	31	23	205	1	0	102.2
10.21.07	NY Jets	W, 38-31	21	14	226	1	1	98.5
10.14.07	Kansas City	L, 20-27	43	26	320	2	2	79.6
10.1.07	New England	L, 13-34	35	21	234	1	2	65.7
9.23.07	Seattle	L, 21-24	43	27	342	1	2	75.9
9.16.07	Cleveland	L, 45-51	50	33	401	6	2	113.4
9.10.07	Baltimore	W, 27-20	32	20	194	2	0	100.3
			722	484	5,109	29	26	85.8
			34.4	23.0	243.3	1.4	1.2	85.8

The one thing that jumps out at you immediately is that the Bengals are 7-14 in the last 21 games that Palmer has started; including only one stretch of back-to-back wins -- one of those games was against the 1-14 Miami Dolphins. You have to go all the way back to week 13 and 14 in 2006 to find the next back-to-back wins by the Bengals when Palmer starts. Of Palmer's 21 most recent starts, he's recorded five games with a passer rating of 100 points or more -- his most recent triple-digit passer rating came on December 30, 2007. He's failed to record a touchdown pass in five of his past ten starts -- thrown a pick in seven of his past ten.

Again. I'm not piling on. I believe that Palmer's recent performances are within a larger view of the problems the Cincinnati offense is having; not just Palmer, but everyone. For example, let's examine the team's rushing performance in games that Palmer starts.

Date	Opp	Result	Att	Yards	Avg/Att	TDs
9.13.09	Denver	L, 7-12	27	86	3.2	1
10.5.08	Dallas	L, 22-31	23	61	2.7	0
9.21.08	NY Giants	L, 23-26	27	102	3.8	1
9.14.08	Tennessee	L, 7-24	27	88	3.1	1
9.7.08	Baltimore	L, 10-17	24	70	2.9	0
12.30.07	Miami	W, 38-25	24	77	3.2	1
12.23.07	Cleveland	W, 19-14	33	155	4.7	1
12.15.07	San Francisco	L, 13-20	19	61	3.2	0
12.9.07	St. Louis	W, 19-10	36	192	5.3	1
12.2.07	Pittsburgh	L, 10-24	23	74	3.2	1
11.25.07	Tennessee	W, 35-6	36	148	4.1	2
11.18.07	Arizona	L, 27-35	20	72	3.6	0
11.11.07	Baltimore	W, 21-7	34	70	2.1	0
11.4.07	Buffalo	L, 21-33	17	28	1.6	0
10.28.07	Pittsburgh	L, 13-24	21	91	4.3	0
10.21.07	NY Jets	W, 38-31	41	177	4.3	3
10.14.07	Kansas City	L, 20-27	18	78	4.3	0
10.1.07	New England	L, 13-34	15	57	3.8	0
9.23.07	Seattle	L, 21-24	30	84	2.8	1
9.16.07	Cleveland	L, 45-51	26	137	5.3	0
9.10.07	Baltimore	W, 27-20	23	55	2.4	0
			544	1,963	3.61	13
			25.9	93.5	3.61	0.62

In Palmer's last 21 starts, the Bengals rushing offense eclipsed the 100-yard mark six times. They haven't achieved a rushing average of more than four yards-per-rush since beating Cleveland on December 23, 2007.

So the question of the day is: What do you think about Carson Palmer? Has he lost it since his glory days in 2005? Or is he the victim of a cast of characters that degraded around him? If I'm answering the question (which I am), I believe that Palmer is a victim of bad circumstance; injury; lack of supporting personnel, etc.. I believe that if Palmer of today played with the team in 2005, he'd be just as good if not better.

I want to know your impressions.

A Few Good Questions With....Josh Kirkendall, CincyJungle.com

John Bena — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:30:38 -0000

At last, Week 1 of the 2009 NFL Season is upon us. No better time to reach out and talk to some of the other outstanding bloggers here at SBNation. Up first, of course, is Josh Kirkendall, head man over at CincyJungle. He was kind enough to answer all of your questions in a FanPost and now he gets to answer mine.

Want to see what he asked me? Check it out HERE!

I have to admit, Hard Knocks has been must-see TV, for me at least. What has been your thought son the show and getting an inside look at your favorite team? How has this changed your impressions of how Mike Brown runs the team and Marvin Lewis coaches it?

I've loved it. Seeing the coaches talk about players in meetings and how they coached was very enlightening. I think the best part was watching Marvin Lewis scream and shout at his players; something we've never seen, because Lewis is typically the cool cat in public. I really liked how other people got a first hand look at Chad Ochocinco; he's not that cocky diva receiver that most people see. He's much more laid back off-the-field, very funny and friendly with mostly everyone. Most of what we saw, as Bengals fans, we really liked.

Then there are the front office moments where we just shake our head; sometimes violently. See, we've known for some time that this front office struggles (understatement of the year nomination?). However, to actually see it, to have everything we believed confirmed, was like a punch in the gut. What's worse is that we don't see it improving and the only way we might sustain consistent success, rather than those once-in-a-blue moon seasons, is becoming lucky as hell.

Chad OchoCinco has been on his best behavior and seems committed. What are your impressions of Chad and is he still a Top-5 WR in the NFL?

There are a lot of very good young receivers coming up through the NFL. Guys like Marvin Harrison and Torry Holt are fading and if you asked me this question last year, I would have said without a doubt that Chad was one of those guys fading away. Even though his much publicized campaign to get traded last year was all the rage, he was dealing with several injuries; his ankle and shoulder. In his 30s, you had to wonder if his body was wearing down.

Most of us were ready to be done with him this offseason. With his friend T.J. Houshmandzadeh leaving, why not let Chad leave too so we can rebuild the league's worst offense? Decimated by injury, we finished last season 4-11-1. Furthermore, we haven't had a true rebuilding season since 2005. We've been turning over personnel in pieces since, but nothing dramatic in the sense of needing to rebuild new foundations. With youth on the roster to replenish the veteran receivers, the team could have set 2009 as rebuilding year; conclusively, Chad leaving Cincinnati was a very popular argument for the past year.

However, none of that ever came to pass. The Bengals elected to keep building atop of what they had, replacing components here and there and signing veterans to fill in gaps, while drafting quality talent, bringing a semi-rebuilding process together.

Then Chad Ochocinco surprised us all. In the offseason, he started training at a boxing gym to keep in shape. When he came into camp, he was as fit, if not more, than ever. He started working with the offense, learning a system that reportedly underwent radical offseason changes. During practices and scrimmages, he looked faster, quicker, more agile and his routes were crisp. He has admitted that 2008 was embarrassing for him; both on and off the field. He desperately wants to amend that.

If he's not a top-five receiver this year, he's close.

Is Carson Palmer healthy? He has missed alot of practice time, does that concern you?

I think the injuries he's suffered have passed. His elbow has been healthy since he came into training camp. He suffered a mild high ankle sprain against the New Orleans Saints during the first week of preseason and hasn't played since. If any of those preseason games were in the regular season, he's playing. The team took a precautionary approach with Palmer to allow him time to heal on his own, rather than risking any additional injury to that ankle. I think the more troubling question is: can he stay healthy? We've lost our quarterback too many times not to hold our breath when he doesn't jump off the turf.

But don't you worry Broncos fans. He will be ready this Sunday.

I have said that Palmer has never really recovered(mentally) from the knee injury in the 2005 playoffs. What have you seen from him since his return?

He's admitted to it. Two things have stood out from Palmer's play since suffering the knee injury. One, he hasn't stepped into his throws with consistency, which has caused some inaccuracy on his deep ball. In truth, some inaccuracy for him is still more accurate than most quarterbacks in the league. Two, when the rush gets close, he tends to throw the football with a bit more anxiety; some times on his back foot. He doesn't lose his touch as much as he may throw into coverage, making inadvisable decisions. During arguably his best season in 2005, he threw 32 touchdowns against only 12 interceptions. In 2006 and 2007, he threw a combined 33 interceptions.

I think the injury caused some hesitation in the pocket. In truth, I believe that with each passing the season, the threat of injury his knee again was slowly diminished in his mind. Aside from having a little rust, he's looked great this preseason and claims that he doesn't worry about injuring his knee. Now, if everything else can come together and provide some help... John?

What does the offensive line look like? Andre Smith finally signed, then got hurt. Is there depth behind him? Is this a concern heading into last season?

This time last year, the Bengals released Willie Anderson, who would go on to start for Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. Left tackle Levi Jones was on his last wheel, and that tire was all but deflated. Center Eric Ghiacuic was one of the worst centers in the league and Stacy Andrews, the guy that replaced Anderson, would go on to reportedly give up 9.5 sacks in 2008. All of those guys are gone now. In their place is Andrew Whitworth at left tackle, who was the left guard last year, Kyle Cook at center, Nate Livings at left guard and Anthony Collins at right tackle. Most of these guys have performed well enough during the preseason to be called "upgrades".

Andre Smith was destined to be the team's starting right tackle. Of course, contract negotiations pushed back his timeline and then a broken foot will likely keep him out for the first month of the season; that's a generous estimation too. If any of our starting offensive linemen were to fall to injury, then we become substantially nervous.

Our starting center, left guard and right tackle have started a combined 12 games in their respective NFL careers. No matter how you spin it, these guys are young and, for the most part, inexperienced. I think they're strong enough to hold their own. However, inexperience will likely show.

What surprise player made the team this pre-season? Surprise cut?

Since we got an inside look at the team on Hard Knocks, plus all of the regular coverage that we're charged with, I don't think any one roster move was a surprise. I think it was surprising that the team took on four running backs and stayed with Jeremi Johnson. Chris Pressley, the fullback out of Wisconsin, quickly became a fan favorite and Jeremi has been known to a have a frustrating weight issue for several seasons now. Pressley cleared waivers and he's with the team on the practice squad.

Lastly, which Bengal player have Broncos fans never heard do you think will have an impact on Sunday?

This is a tough one, for several reasons. One, I'm not sure how much people know, or don't know, about the team's personnel after many of the lower-tier players were presented on Hard Knocks. However, my first instinct is to go with rookie running back Bernard Scott. In two seasons with Abilene Christian, Scott posted 4,321 yards rushing, 5,712 all-purpose yards, 93 receptions for 1,391 yards receiving and 63 total touchdowns. Granted, the competition wasn't like facing the SEC or the Big Ten. Still, impressive. And he's impressed the team enough to draft him in the sixth round, earning the backup gig behind Cedric Benson. He might the steal of the draft.

Ravens To Make First Cuts Tuesday

Bruce Raffel — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:17:01 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens will make their first official round of cuts tomorrow to get down to the NFL requirement of 75 players on their rosters. The team should be cutting around five players and I have been looking at the current roster to see who I think will be the ones to get their pink slips. No one wants to see their name in print in this type of story, so I apologize if I get it wrong, but also if I happen to get it right as well.

The guy who brings the players into Head Coach John Harbaugh's office is known as "The Turk." Not too sure why or even how they got that name, but no one wants to hear the words, "Coach wants to see you and bring your playbook."

Unfortunately, those guys getting cut on September 1st certainly knew their time was coming to the end with the team as the Ravens will have to make much deeper cuts on September 5th, as all NFL teams must be down to their opening day roster of 53 players by 5pm on Saturday. When the final round of cuts are announced, there are sure to be some surprising names among them and some very disappointed players will leave the team. Hopefully, some of those guys will be re-signed to the Practice Squad and perhaps the team will even add a new player of two after cuts are made around the league.

Some of the former Ravens may find new homes with other teams, as our linebackers will be coveted by many teams due to the fact that we have a glut in that position and will most likely release players who could just as easily start for other teams in the league.

There is a chance that the team may try to protect a couple of guys by placing them on our Injured Reserve (IR) List, which means they will not be able to play the entire 2009 season, but will be protected by the team. Their salaries will count against our cap and they will be paid, but will just have to sit on the sidelines all season and get their chance again when the 2010 season comes around.

On BaltimoreRavens.com, I count 82 players on the roster, but that includes the retired Willie Anderson. However, Anderson hasn't officially retuired by sending in his paperwork to the NFL Offices, so he is still on our roster. If we are hoping for some reason that he comes out of retirement to add additional depth to this offensive line, then I will keep him on my list of 75 players - for now.

The guys I am looking for the Ravens to release tomorrow are: WR's Thomas White and Bradon Godfrey, DT Nader Abdallah, LB Tony Fein, QB Drew Willy and CB K.J. Gerard. This list has six players and if they only cut five, then perhaps I'd take Gerard off of the list, but if they cut as many as seven players, I might add Willie Anderson to that group. Either way, perhaps a surprise tomorrow but nothing that should affect this team which has looked so good this far into pre-season.

POST PUBLICATION NOTE: The Ravens made three cuts this morning and they were WR Bradon Godfrey, QB Drew Willy and WR Biren Ealy. Pretty close picks by me. Two more coming by tomorrow. See comments for link (Thanks adh!).

Poll

Which of the following players do you think will be safe from tomorrow's cuts.

WR Thomas White

13 votes

WR Bradon Godfrey

31 votes

DT Nader Abdallah

36 votes

CB K.J. Gerard

126 votes

QB Drew Willy

43 votes

None of these (all will get cut)

220 votes

All of these (none will get cut)

44 votes

513 votes | Poll has closed

Strength in numbers; an examination of who the Bengals started the regular season since 2006

Kirkendall — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:05:45 -0000

When the preseason marches towards a welcomed conclusion, discussion and debate takes place on who the team cuts and keeps. Sometimes the topic goes into salary cap causalities; veterans that are cut, like Willie Anderson and Rudi Johnson last year. Other times, the debate talks about players that surprisingly make the roster. As jsl413 broke down, the Bengals depth is strong in some areas, weak in others. Which means the Bengals could strengthen weaken positions by increasing the depth. It's a numbers game.

You see that notably with linebackers. In 2006, Brian Simmons was nearing retirement; his production was falling. David Pollack, while great with potential, was only then starting to adjust from being a defensive end in college to an outside linebacker in the NFL. Rashad Jeanty was a rookie. Landon Johnson was arguably our best linebacker. If you look back to that season, only one linebacker remains (Jeanty) with the Bengals and as far as I can tell, three are still in the NFL (Jeanty, Johnson and Ahmad Brooks). The position didn't improve in 2007 and grew worse when it was decimated by injury. Dhani Jones, an unlikely stability force who would join the team later in the year, became the most productive middle linebacker during Marvin Lewis' tenure. By 2008, the linebackers were on pace to be the most talented group assembled, taking less into the regular season while numerically increasing their numbers at other spots, like running back, defensive tackles -- two spots with limited production. You'll obviously see that again this year, with Jones, Jeanty, Rivers, Brandon Johnson and Rey Maualuga as the depth leaders.

Running backs is another example. In 2006, and even 2007, Rudi Johnson was considered the team's feature back. No competition. Hands down. After all, he set franchise rushing records in 2004 and 2005. However, along with the offensive line's degradation, he started degrading (some will note his inadvisable weight loss regiment, losing all of his strength in 2006) until he was finally cut in 2008. More importantly, the Bengals decided to take two fullbacks because Jeremi Johnson was simply not the force he used to be and the team liked Coats' enough to make room for him. While the talent level dipped, the team decided to strengthen the depth with numbers.

Take note of this. Am I saying that the depth and position is stronger because there's more players? Obviously not. You either have talent or you don't. A combination of average talent still makes that position average. But it is a luxury that most teams have, which largely depends on play-calling philosophy, as well as projecting your opponents philosophies. If you take on more defensive backs in any given year because your passing defense is poor, it allows you additional packages. But it's also dictated by strength. You will note how once the team had Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, they believed the position strong enough to only take four cornerbacks in 2008, as opposed to five in 2007 and 2006. Safeties increased because a long-standing issue of giving up big plays was still unanswered. You can bank on at least six safeties this year.

After the jump, you can see which players the Bengals took after cutdown day and how many players the team took at each position.

First thing we should note are the roster cut deadlines:

DATE	EVENT
September 1st	Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players
September 5th	Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players

Here's a breakdown on what positions the Bengals after final cutdown heading into the regular season.

Position	2006	2007	2008
Quarterbacks	3	3	3
Running backs (including FB)	4	4 (1)	5 (2)
Wide Receivers	6	6	6
Offensive Linemen	9	8	9
Tight Ends	2	3	2
Total on Offense	24	24	25

Defensive Ends	4	5	4
Defensive Tackles	4	3	5
Linebackers	8	7	6
Cornerbacks	5	5	4
Safeties	5	6	6
Total on Defense	26	26	25

Specialists	3	3	3

After the jump, we chart which players the Bengals kept since 2006.

2006

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson
RB / FB	4	Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Quincy Wilson, Jeremi Johnson (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry, Tab Perry, Antonio Chatman, Kelley Washington
O-Line	9	Levi Jones, Eric Steinbach, Rich Braham, Bobbie Williams, Willie Anderson, Andrew Whitworth, Eric Ghiaciuc, Stacy Andrews, Scott Kooistra
TE	2	Reggie Kelly, Tony Stewart

DE	4	Justin Smith, Bryan Robinson, Robert Geathers, Frostee Rucker
DT	4	Sam Adams, John Thornton, Domata Peko, Shaun Smith
Linebackers	8	Brian Simmons, Landon Johnson, David Pollack, Rashad Jeanty, Marcus Wilkins, Ahmad Brooks, A.J. Nicholson, Caleb Miller
Corners	5	Deltha O'Neal, Tory James, Johnathan Joseph, Keiwan Ratliff, Greg Brooks
Safeties	5	Dexter Jackson, Madieu Williams, Kevin Kaesviharn, Ethan Kilmer, Herana-Daze Jones

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

2007

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe
RB / FB	4	Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Clinton Dawson, Jeremi Johnson (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Tab Perry, Glenn Holt, Skyler Green, Antonio Chatman
O-Line	8	Levi Jones, Willie Anderson, Bobbie Williams, Andrew Whitworth, Stacy Andrews, Scott Kooistra, Eric Ghiaciuc, Alex Stepanovich
TE	3	Reggie Kelly, Daniel Coats, Nate Lawrie

DE	5	Justin Smith, Robert Geathers, Bryan Robinson, Frostee Rucker, Jonathan Fanene
DT	3	Domata Peko, John Thornton, Michael Myers
Linebackers	7	Ahmad Brooks, Rashad Jeanty, Landon Johnson, Caleb Miller, Lemar Marshall, Andre Frazier, Anthony Schlegel
Corners	5	Deltha O'Neal, Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, Keiwan Ratliff, David Jones
Safeties	6	Dexter Jackson, Chinedum Ndukwe, Madieu Williams, Marvin White, Herana-Daze Jones, Ethan Kilmer

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

2008

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jordan Palmer
RB / FB	5	Chris Perry, Kenny Watson, DeDe Dorsey, Jeremi Johnson (FB), Daniel Coats (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Glenn Holt, Antonio Chatman, Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson
O-Line	9	Stacy Andrews, Levi Jones, Eric Ghiaciuc, Bobbie Williams, Andrew Whitworth, Dan Santucci, Kyle Cook, Scott Kooistra, Anthony Collins
TE	2	Reggie Kelly, Ben Utecht

DE	4	Antwan Odom, Robert Geathers, Jonathan Fanene, Frostee Rucker
DT	5	Domata Peko, John Thornton, Jason Shirley, Pat Sims, Michael Myers
Linebackers	6	Keith Rivers, Rashad Jeanty, Dhani Jones, Darryl Blackstock, Brandon Johnson, Corey Mays
Corners	4	Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, Simeon Castille, David Jones
Safeties	6	Dexter Jackson, Kyries Hebert, Herana-Daze Jones, Corey Lynch, Chinedum Ndukwe, Marvin White

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

Redskins QBs to face LaRon Landry's Older Brother, Dawan Landry

KevinE — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:40:48 -0000

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I was perusing the Raven's weekly release guide to tonight's game and came across a bunch of interesting tidbits, including a brief Q&A with LaRon Landry's brother, Dawan (a 6'0, 210 pound strong safety for Baltimore, four years out of Georgia Tech):

Your younger brother, LaRon, is a starting safety for Washington. Did you compete much while growing up?

"At everything. We played all sports - football, basketball, baseball. We grew up with a lot of older cousins, so we were always playing with them around the house. Whatever sport was in season, that's what we were playing. LaRon was smaller than us, so he was always the last one to get picked. I think that worked out the best for him. That's why he's so competitive now."

Do you think LaRon looked up to you?

"I would say so. He saw that I have a hard work ethic. Growing up, he didn't really have much of a work ethic. But, when I went to college, he saw how I got bigger and things like that. So, that transferred over to the way he looked at the game, and he started taking his game to another level."

When you were rehabbing from your spine/neck injury last year, what was going through your mind to motivate you?

"I was really feeling my game at the time I got hurt. I think I was playing the best football I had ever played. The injury made me sit back and realize that maybe it wasn't really my time yet. I just stayed focused and kept working hard."

I edited out the questions about what it means to be a Raven. Yawn. The one thing I found odd is that that the player Dawan MOST wanted to play with when asked is Ray Lewis. Being a strong safety, wouldn't he want to team up with his brother who is a free safety?

Note: The Washington Post posted a very in-look article on the Landry brothers dating back to their youth.

Some other notables from the guide include the Ravens' key additions/releases and all the connections between the players of the 2 teams. There are some good ones including the return of the name, Mark Carrier:

Key Additions
C Matt Birk (Min.) - Free Agent
CB/RS Chris Carr (Ten.) - Free Agent
CB Domonique Foxworth (Atl.) - Free Agent
TE L.J. Smith (Phi.) - Free Agent

Key Losses (w/ Starting Experience)
QB Kyle Boller (STL) - Free Agent
C Jason Brown (STL) - Free Agent
DT Marques Douglas (NYJ) - Free Agent
S Jim Leonhard (NYJ) - Free Agent
CB Chris McAlister - Unsigned Free Agent
K Matt Stover - Unsigned Free Agent
LB Bart Scott (NYJ) - Free Agent

Retirement
T Willie Anderson (13 NFL Seasons / 4 Pro Bowls)

Anyone else find it comical that Kyle Boller is listed as a "Key loss?" Those are some serious losses as well, when compared to the additions. The Ravens draft went as such:

Rd. Pick Name Pos. Ht Wt College
1 23 Michael Oher T 6-4 310 Mississippi
2 57 Paul Kruger LB/DE 6-4 260 Utah
3 88 Lardarius Webb DB 5-10 175 Nicholls State
5 137 Jason Phillips ILB 6-1 244 TCU
5 149 Davon Drew TE 6-4 255 East Carolina

The interesting battle to watch will be Oher versus Orakpo. A lot of Redskins Nation fans wanted the Redskins to draft Oher, who, no doubt is very much needed on the Skins O-line. I expect Orakpo to win this battle given everything I have seen in camp so far.

Other tidbits:
- Ravens secondary coach Mark Carrier played CB in 2000 with the Redskins, marking the final season of his 11-year career.

- Ravens swept the NFC East last year, including a win at Dallas' last game at Irvin Stadium.

- Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron (QBs/WR, 1986-93) coached Redskins QB Todd Collins (1990-94) while at the University of Michigan. Additionally, Cameron served 3 seasons (1994-96) as the Redskins' QBs coach.

- Redskins RB Marcus Mason spent the first 8 weeks of the2008 regular season on the Ravens' practice squad.

- From 2006-07, Ravens QB Joe Flacco and Redskins TE Robbie Agnone developed a solid tandem in 2 seasons together at Delaware. The duo combined to produce 55 receptions for 725 yards and 9 TDs.

- Ravens LB Jason Phillips and Redskins LB Robert Henson started in all 12 games at TCU last season.

- Ravens G Ben Grubbs spent 2003-04 protecting Redskins QB Jason Campbell at Auburn

There are 8 players representing the "U" in tonights game...name em.

Willie Anderson comments on Andre Smith negotiations; Bengals need a Ring of Fame to honor Bengals greats

Kirkendall — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:25:36 -0000

If there's a single player that I miss the most that used to play for the Cincinnati Bengals, it's Willie Anderson. He was perhaps the most underrated offensive tackle in the NFL until late in his Bengals career. A Three-time First Team All-Pro, a Four-time Pro Bowler and a leader in the clubhouse, Anderson was the only guy that would say shut up, and Chad Ochocinco Johnson shut up. When he joined the Ravens, and Baltimore made it to the AFC Championship game, I found myself pulling for the Ravens simply so Anderson can get his day in the sun.

Since he retired, Anderson decided to get into this Twittering thingy. On Monday, Willie tweeted on the Andre Smith negotiations:

That Andre Smith situation may get ugly. I negotiated 3 contracts with Bengals. Their tough!

(Note: I didn't correct Willie's word usage of "their" because not even Chuck Norris corrects Willie)

This got me thinking (I know. Mind blowing. It happens). The Bengals need to create a Ring of Honor, or a Ring of Fame, honoring their best players throughout the history of the franchise. The Bengals website has the Virtual Hall of Fame, but that's not the same. That's a fan vote. And you won't see the winner's jersey numbers, or names spread across the Paul Brown Stadium in any official Fame or Honor tribute based on that vote. The Bengals should have something like the Reds Hall of Fame. Or the Bronco's version of the Ring of Fame.

We have the players to put in there. Like Tim Krumrie, Boomer Esiason, Ken Riley, Kenny Anderson, Anthony Munoz. What about Corey Dillon, Rudi Johnson (he set several franchise records), James Brooks, Pete Johnson, Isaac Curtis, Carl Pickens, Jim Breech, Louis Breeden and David Fulcher. Guys like Carson Palmer, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ochocinco Johnson would be future inductions. We could add more; point is that we have people a pool of players to put in there.

And if the Bengals had a Ring of Fame, or ever decide to implement one, Willie Anderson should be in it.

I believe that you could point many failures on Bengals president Mike Brown. I believe that not honoring older players that made their mark with this franchise (as well as not reaching out to fans in some off-season festival, ala Reds Fest) is another.

Ravens Passing Attack Will Improve In 2009

Bruce Raffel — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:25:39 -0000

This story, along with the same headline, could have been written the day the 2008 season ended with the loss in the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh to the Steelers. Obviously, a full year of experience under the belt of a rookie QB plus the chance to have the entire off season to prepare to be the starter in 2009 is a major benefit to Joe Flacco.

Then came the NFL Draft and while many fans were clamoring about which wide receiver the Ravens were going to select with their 26th pick in the first round, GM Ozzie Newsome pulled a fast one by moving up and grabbing offensive tackle Michael Oher (Mississippi). In fact, the Ravens did not select a wide receiver in the entire draft, which astounded and even angered many Ravens fans, much less the vicious local and national media. Obviously, Ozzie thought that the players in the draft didn't warrant first round selection as much as a great steal for help on the offensive line did. The other rounds didn't offer much to him either, as he stocked up on depth all around the field on both sides of the ball. Shortly after the draft, veteran right tackle Willie Anderson decided to hang up his cleats and retire, thrusting the rookie Oher into aa starting role, making Ozzie look that much more like the "Wizard" he earned his nickname from, picking winners out of the draft. A full year of experience for the rest of the line plus the addition of veteran All Pro center Matt Birk highlighted the off season, all combined to equal a great recipe for 2009 success in the passing game.

Then came the terrible murder of former Ravens QB Steve McNair, followed shortly thereafter by the unexpected announcement from WR Derrick Mason that he was retiring after 12 NFL seasons.

Ravens fans, once again along with the local and national media, went ballistic. A receiving corps that was already thin and criticized as being non-offensive, had just been decimated by the loss of it's top receiver and some say it's only true threat. It was bad enough to have people saying how we would now be a losing team and the second year QB would have no one to throw to. Luckily the team held two different tryouts in the off season, netting two more wideouts to add to the mix in the event that Mason does decide to officially retire, which many are beginning to think that he will hopefully return for 2009. The two tryouts brought two veteran receivers to the team with a combined total of four receptions in 2008. To many, these were moves of desperation, and these guys were either washed up or not what they were looking for, when there were star players like the Arizona Cardinals' Anquan Boldin and Denver Broncos' Brandon Marshall apparently out there on the trading block. However, Ozzie relishes his team's #1 draft picks like the gold they are and will not relinquish them for anyone, much less two disgruntled players who would be demanding huge contracts to keep them happy as he was looking at the team's own players who would need to be rewarded with big contracts in the next year or so. The choice of retaining a Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Jared Gaither and/or Ben Grubbs versus bringing on an outisde WR with no promises was an easy one for Ozzie to make and I totally support that decision.

So how will the Ravens passing game actually be even better in 2009 than it was in 2008? That's relatively easy when it was rated 28th last season, averaging just over 175 yards/game. With or without Derrick Mason, the team is a year more experienced at the key positions needed to improve, mainly QB and offensive line. The wide receivers are as good or I dare say without Mason, even better? Yes, I said even better. I realize that Mason caught a ton of passes last year as Flacco's main target, but he was Joe's first option. If Mark Clayton moves over to assume that role, his stats will be very similar to Mason's, just you watch. Newcomer Drew Bennett gives Flacco a huge target and runs crisp routes with great hands, so the lack of speed should not make a difference with him. The progress that Demetrius Williams and Marcus Smith have both made in the off season will only give them and Joe more confidence whenever they do get the chance to be on the field. Plus, the additon of tight end L.J. Smith along with a healthy Todd Heap should greatly improve the number and variety of options in our passing game. Lastly, the emergence of second year running back Ray Rice should add a new wrinkle in the passing attack, now having a receiving threat out of the backfield for the first time in a long time!

All in all, I am confident that you will see this team improve its ranking in the passing game in 2009. Understanding that we will still be a run-first offense, this team should be in the top 20 or even top 15 by year's end in passing statistics. Flacco's arm is just too good for Offensvie Coordinator Cam Cameron to not take full advantage of after keeping him in his reins thier first season together. As Joe said in his Fantasy Files video, "Last year was just the beginning."

Fantastic Friday Links and Notes: Defensive line will make linebackers better

Kirkendall — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:46:18 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

6 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco (85) watches with head coach Marvin Lewis during a voluntary football workout, Thursday, June 11, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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There's a point to be made that the defensive line does as much for the defense as the offensive line does for the offense. The offensive line is evident. The defensive line, maybe not so much. With a good defensive front, especially in 4-3 alignments, the line holds blockers up so linebackers and bone-crushing safeties can free-flow to the point of attack. Offensive linemen generally are able to handle most linebackers in the NFL. So if 2-3 linemen reach the second level, then it's game over at the second level and the running back picks up at least five yards. If there's no hole, no obstacles for the linebackers, then the defense wins.

That's what Tank Johnson and Keith Rivers are doing now -- studying film talking shop together.

“I just want to know what he wants to see. What’s his ideal and what does he want to see in front of them when they’re running at them,” Johnson said. “That’s the case with all the linebackers. What’s going to keep them the most free and help us make plays too. You watch film together and they can say I want you to press this guy a certain way.”

On the above link, Chase Coffman is healed and back.

“It’s been a tough time since breaking it and it took a lot longer than expected for it to heal,” Coffman said.

Chiefs fans are responding to Chad Johnson's comment that Eric Ghiaciuc's "play was a distraction".

We've talked about Michael Johnson, Antwan Odom, Robert Geathers at defensive end. Chick Ludwig reminds us that Jonathan Fanene isn't going to just lie down.

According to Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes, Fanene is making some headway in his development and is vital to what the team is trying to accomplish on defense.

“Jon is having an excellent camp,” coach Hayes said in a phone interview on Thursday. “He’s doing some really good things for us by showing the versatility that he has over the course of time. I really feel like he is getting into the system and knowing where he fits in. He can make plays for us as an end or defensive tackle and is an integral part of what we do.”

Hayes has been instrumental in Fanene’s development and has high expectations for the D-lineman this season.

“I do have high expectations for Jon and see him being in our rotation,” the coach said. “He’s a strong run defender and can do the things that we need done against tight ends and offensive tackles. He plays with really good technique and I never have any issue with putting him in and letting him play. I count on him to do a lot of things for us.

Joe Reedy's blog at the Cincinnati Enquirer is changing addresses.

James Walker doesn't think a single Bengals player is a building block while putting together a championship-caliber team.

John Thornton thinks that contract negotiations with Andre Smith will go down to the wire.

In 2006, three quarterbacks were taken inside the top eleven picks. Vince Young. Jay Cutler. Matt Leinart. Two are backups to aging veterans and another was traded away.

Best available free agents (Offense) | Best available free agents (Defense)

Since 1970, only six quarterbacks have been selected number one in the NFL draft started on Super Bowl winning teams in 13 Super Bowls.

John Czarnecki lists nine signings that General Managers will regret the most.

1. WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks: Yes, Housh led the Bengals last season with 92 receptions, but only for a paltry 9.8 yards a catch and four touchdowns. Yes, he is a solid receiver, but Seattle paid him like he's a No. 1 receiver, and at 32 years old he'll make $7 million. Next season the price tag rises to $8 million plus.

In a bidding war, he was able to collect $14.5 million over two seasons. The Seahawks have this thing about paying decent receivers, thinking they are as good as Larry Fitzgerald or Steve Smith. They did the same, exact thing with Deion Branch a few years back.

6. RB Cedric Benson, Bengals: This running back was finally run out of Chicago after being a first-round bust, but he's apparently found a home in Cincinnati, getting $7 million over the next two seasons.

The Bengals rewarded him for three 100-yard games last season, including 171 yards against the lowly Cleveland Browns in late December. He finished the year with 25 carries for 111 yards in another win against the Chiefs. But those were two of the league's worst run defenses a year ago. Rewarding Benson doesn't make much sense based on his past indiscretions and hefty bank account. He strikes me as a pay-as-you-go kind of player.

What does Marvin Lewis do if Cedric doesn't truly show up this season?

No Bengals in John Clayton's look at potential breakout players on offense. However former Bengals defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier is ranked fifth in Clayton's list of top defensive coordinators.

C Trent Rosecrans site is back.

Apparently Brandon Johnson is rated a 48 in Madden 2010.

Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander spoke with the New York Times.

Paul Alexander, the Bengals’ offensive line coach, said N.F.L. coaches sometimes watch only film of goal-line plays — which are more likely to be runs — or tapes of drills to determine whether a prospect can run block. He recently watched five-year-old tape of a player as a freshman to see him blocking for the run. This year, the Bengals took Alabama tackle Andre Smith with the sixth overall pick.

“The absolute litmus test is he has to pass block,” said Alexander, who is in his 18th year in the league and has coached tackles Willie Anderson and Levi Jones. “There’s guys in the league who can pass block but can’t run block. There is nobody playing in the league who can run block but can’t pass protect.”

Marvin Lewis was on hand Wednesday, raising thousands for the Tri-State Adoption Coalition at the 13th annual Wendy's Cincinnati Celebrity Chefs Cook-off.