SB Nation - Reggie Kelly

Six-Pack of Hu-Dey: Time for a new contract extension for Marvin Lewis?

Kirkendall — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:11:27 -0000

Welcome to this week's Six-Pack of Hu-Dey. Today Jay McDonnell joins us. I (Josh Kirkendall, the Alpha Male) discusses why the Bengals should give Marvin Lewis a contract extension, why Leon Hall should be grouped with the league's elite cornerbacks and I ask whether the team's three-tackle rotation at right tackle should be changed.

Jay says that it's time to cut Daniel Coats, that it's time for Bob Bratkowski to become less predictable and that fans of our divisional foes (ah hum, the Steelers) should give a little respect to the Bengals this season.

Let's get to it.

The Bengals give Marvin Lewis another contract extension after this season. I believe in two things. If the moon had never existed, the complex living organisms that exist today simply don't exist either. I also believe that Marvin Lewis has developed a talent rebuilding teams. Theoretically, it would be nice that rebuilding projects were spaced out more with the Bengals and that the train keeps rolling year, after year, after year. Realistically, even organizations that pump out winners like the Patriots or the St... St... St... Steelers need periods to rebuild themselves. Marvin Lewis is now in his seventh season, finishing his second rebuilding project. This, just perhaps, could be his masterpiece.

After going 1-11-1 in 2008, the Bengals have remarkably won 13 of their next 16 games. These changes include, but are far from being limited to, a deep understanding of the team's personnel. Most notably, Lewis revised the team's entire philosophy to a powerful rush offense and a tremendously performing defense. This will be his second rebuilding project after taking on a team that was 2-12 in 2002 and delivering four straight non-losing seasons and a playoff appearance in 2005.

I really believe that Lewis, like any NFL player, is getting better every season. I'm not just talking about his record either. Controversy is being handled with ease. Adversity is a distant thing of the bitter past with this team. Even his draft picks are improving. And when the team is down and out (ala, 2008), they unified and matured like we've never seen, into this group that we're damned proud of in 2009.

Lewis' existing contract expires after the 2010 season -- the same time the CBA expires, which may be a factor in NOT giving him an extension. The Bengals' biggest mistake would be letting two people leave Cincinnati, namely Mike Zimmer and Marvin Lewis. Lewis could arguably be the most important of the two. After all, he's the face of this franchise.

Is it time to for Andre Smith to get his first start or is the three-tackle rotation working? Okay, I get it. Why mess with chemistry? Let's read into the facts. The Bengals are 9-3, sport the league's sixth best rushing offense and have allowed only 22 sacks (which is tied for eight-best in the league). Quite honestly, the Bengals offensive line is the most improved unit, of any unit, on this team. They deserve tremendous credit for the team's transition into one of the best AFC teams that's dismantled both teams that played in the 2008 AFC Championship game. Personal note: I still like writing that.

One of those success stories on the line is Dennis Roland, who has come from undrafted free agent, to starting right tackle, to the biggest guy in human history to go into motion causing safeties and outside linebackers to say under their breath, "oh f**k." Also, in truth, Roland is an accomplished run blocker, if not one of the better run blockers on this team.

But where he's strong with the rushing offense, he's weak in pass protection. At times he appears slow against defensive ends with a quick inside step. This also leads to the lack of communication or awareness when a stunt brings an outside linebacker or safety on a blitz. Slowly Anthony Collins has quietly won more playing time, especially on passing downs.

From our understanding, Andre Smith's playing time is growing. They started him slowly with basic packages and plays. As they expand the playbook for Smith, he'll keep experiencing an increase in playing time. Cincinnati's use of the jumbo packages (putting three, sometimes four offensive tackles on the line) has led to Cedric Benson's best rushing this year. Whatever the Bengals are doing with the offensive line, it's working.

So the question is should the Bengals keep doing what they're doing, or should they give Andre Smith his first NFL start soon?

Should the national media put Leon Hall in the same class as Darrelle Revis? The other day I had a healthy helping of Hamburger Helper that did a Flozell Adams on my stomach. With an older copy of ESPN shouting "hey, I'll help you kill some time," I flipped to an NFL report. Like it was destiny, I kid you not. One of those reports called Leon Hall "the irreplaceable cornerback". Look at the numbers of the receivers that he's shutdown.

Week	Receiver	Att	Comp	Yrds	TD	YPA
1	Brandon Marshall	2	0	0	0	0
2	Greg Jennings	4	0	0	0	0
3	Santonio Holmes	3	1	18	0	6.0
4	Braylon Edwards	1	0	0	0	0
5/9	Derrick Mason	4	1	12	0	3.0
6	Andre Johnson	6	4	39	0	6.5
7	Devin Hester	3	2	28	0	9.3

As I said, it was an older copy so that's where the list ends. We could go on and presume that Hall is strictly covering the opposing team's best wide receiver, but that would be factually incorrect. Leon Hall mostly lines up on the left and the opposing offenses can shift wide receivers anywhere on the field. Furthermore, when the Bengals call zone, he's not always covering a receiver; rather a specific area on the field. However, we do know that in the past four games against the Steelers, Raiders, Browns and Lions, only two receivers gained 80 yards receiving or more (Santonio Holmes with 88 yards and Calvin Johnson with 123 yards).

The Jets' Darrelle Revis is widely considered the best cover cornerback in the league. He leads everyone with 28 passes defensed with five interceptions. Hall is second with 22 passes defensed and four interceptions. At the rate that Leon Hall is shutting down opposing wide receivers he should without a doubt be considered in the elite group of cornerbacks in the league.

Want to know the most scary part? Johnathan Joseph could theoretically be in the same elite group. Third in the league with 21 passes defensed and five interceptions, Joseph is developing a nasty habit of being one hell of a tackling cornerback -- kind of in the league of Charles Woodson. Well, close to it at least.

Would it be a stretch to say that the Bengals have the league's best cornerback duo?

A decision needs to be made about Daniel Coats. At the start of the season the kicking game struggled, which cost the Bengals valuable points, putting the game in doubt and forcing us to constantly check our blood pressure. When executing an extra point or a field goal, the snap was either too high or mishandled due to a bad snap causing Shayne Graham to get out of sync. This led to missed field goals or extra points, weighing heavily on the outcome of the game. So to solve the problem the Bengals released Brad St. Louis and brought in little known long snapper Clark Harris to take over these duties. This seems to have largely solved the problem with the kicking game.

At the same time another problem exists with Tight Ends not being able to catch the ball, specifically Dan Coats who has dropped more passes in the end zone than any other receiver on the team. When he does catch it, the ball is prone to squirting out only to see it recovered by the opposition. These drops and fumbles have cost the Bengals as much as Brad St. Louis ever did.

The Bengals set the standard by releasing the usually reliable St. Louis, sending a statement that poor play is not acceptable. But somehow, they see fit to hang onto a tight end that cannot catch a ball that hits him in his hands over and over again. Yes, the tight end position is thin with Ben Utecht being released and Reggie Kelly out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. That however is no excuse for hanging onto a player that is extremely inconsistent and costing the team valuable points. J.P. Foschi seems to have taken on the opportunity and showed that he is not only able to block, but able to catch and hang onto passes. The precedent was set with the release of St. Louis; with Foschi showing his worth I think it is time for the Bengals to continue their message that mediocrity is not acceptable. Cut Dan Coats.

It is time for the predictable Bratkowski to become unpredictable. Despite the Bengals 9-3 record and mostly the same ingredients of an offense that once established a reputation as being an explosive offense in the past, the Bengals have only one game this season where they routed a team by more than 20 points. The defense has been the unit doing the heavy lifting while the offense seems to only do what is necessary to win the game. To some extent that is fine, until they run into an offense that is able to put up points and quickly (read: the Minnesota Vikings). There appears however to be a reason the offense has not been as explosive as first thought.

In this article published on Cincinnati.com, Bob Bratkowski acknowledges that he is “getting a little too ‘run on first down, run on second” in his play calling. Really? When did he find this out? How many of us see his play calling develop a pattern that causes teams to load eight in the box on a weekly basis? Does he not see this and want to make some kind of adjustment?

This kind of play calling makes the Bengals offense predictable allowing the opposing defense to load up the box, trying to force the Bengals to be one dimensional. But so far, teams have been unable to accomplish this on a regular basis. There is a thought process that you keep calling the same play until the defense stops it. I am not saying this should continue, but I am sure Brat does this because it works and he will probably continue to do this until someone stops it. However, since Brat has recognized this problem I hope he is able to adjust and open up the passing game showing opposing defenses that predictability is no longer an issue.

How about a little respect from our division foes? My wife and I live in an area that somehow seems to have more Pittsburgh Steeler fans then those who support the local team, the Washington Redskins. We work with several Steeler fans as well. These fans are as loyal as any. They will defend their team no matter the record and performance. But when the discussion turns to how the Bengals have surged ahead of the Steelers, they immediately run behind the 6 Super Bowl Championships and how they won two of the past four. They even cite how they qualified as a wild card team in 2005 and went on to win the Super Bowl, never mind the fact that Carson Palmer had his knee torn up by the Steelers.

The results of this season are not new to those fans; they have suffered through tough seasons following Super Bowl appearances dating back to 1996 against the Dallas Cowboys. Now that the Steelers are struggling and their fans are watching their playoff hopes fade, those fans seem to refuse to accept the fact the Bengals are the better team this season. The Steeler fans my wife and I have come across have shown a bit of arrogance and seem to expect to make the playoffs despite the heavy odds against them. With their current record of 6-6, a playoff appearance seems slim.

The Bengals have the AFC North pretty much sewn up with the magic number being one. Ask any Steeler fan though, and they will tell you how they are going to make the playoffs because of the soft schedule remaining. Well, I have some bad news for those Steeler fans that visit our fair web blog to read what we may have to say. The Steelers are not going to make the playoffs. After losing four straight games and giving up 4th quarter leads in three of those games, the vaunted defense has proved itself unable to protect a lead. This, of course, does not bode well for the defending Super Bowl Champs any chance their fans insist they still have to enter the playoff club in 2009.

Bengals release Ben Utecht and Antonio Chatman from Injured Reserve; sign Brannon Condren to the practice squad

Kirkendall — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:49:27 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

8 months ago: -- FILE -- In this July 28, 2008 file photo, Cincinnati Bengals tight end Ben Utecht takes a break during practice at training camp, in Georgetown, Ky. Utecht will release his first album on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 under the Stylos Records label. The 12-song album titled "Ben Utecht" is the first for the professional football player, who wrote songs about his faith.(AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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In a somewhat of a surprising move in that category of moves that shouldn't surprise anyone, the Cincinnati Bengals announced that they released Antonio Chatman and Ben Utecht Tuesday afternoon. Both players were released from the reserve/injury list, which means they wouldn't affect the current 53-man roster. Utecht was scheduled to earn $2.25 million in 2009 and $2.5 million in 2010. Chatman was scheduled to earn $620,000 this year only.

Utecht's release is a bit surprising considering the tight ends they have signed for 2010. Chase Coffman. Clark Harris. And Harris is hardly a tight end, now taking on the role as the team's long snapper.

Makes you wonder what they'll plan for next year. Will Coffman be the leading tight end? Will they re-sign Utecht to a cheaper one-year deal? Will Reggie Kelly make his return with Cincinnati? What about J.P. Foschi, who I could argue has been a decent tight end on the rushing offense.

In other news of player transactions, the Bengals signed safety Brannon Condren to the team's practice squad on Tuesday. Since I have no idea who this guy is, I'll cite the Bengals.com piece.

Condren (6-1, 205; Troy) is a third-year NFL player. He opened 2009 with Indianapolis, but was waived on July 29. A fourth-round draft choice of Indianapolis in 2007, he played in eight games for the Colts that season, with two tackles, a pass defensed and four special teams tackles. He was waived by the Colts on Aug. 30, 2008. Later in ’08, he was inactive for four games with St. Louis and played in four games for Miami, with three special teams tackles.

Bengals have eight players on Injured Reserve; Cincinnati has players to fill those roles

Kirkendall — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:41:15 -0000

Remember last year? I know, I know. Why bring up terrible memories of a team that started the season on an eight-game losing streak. Why bring up terrible memories of a team that actually finished a game in a tie causing the entire NFL world to shouting, asking why ties in the NFL? I remember when the active report came in during the fourth week of the season against Cleveland, seeing that Carson Palmer was inactive. It took weeks for me to fully comprehend the implications of Palmer's injury. I was in denial.

This week gave us a few reminders of how much better this team is, in terms of talent and pure luck, which is (if people want to admit it or not) critical to team's successes in a season.

The Bengals placed two players on Injured Reserve this week with arm injuries; wide receiver Chris Henry and safety Roy Williams. This brings the total to eight players on injured reserve since the start of training camp.

Player	Position
Antonio Chatman	WR
Chris Henry	WR
Reggie Kelly	TE
Ben Utecht	TE
Matt Sherry	TE
Antwan Odom	DE
Dan Santucci	C
Roy Williams	S

On November 28, 2008, the Bengals had just put Andrew Whitworth and Scott Kooistra on injured reserved, the 20th players lost for the season due to injury. In fact, I mused at the time that the Bengals could nearly fill out a starting lineup with players on Injured Reserve.

Oh, what a difference a year makes.

While the Bengals can't come close to filling out a starting roster, the biggest difference this year is that the team's depth is strong enough to replace those injured players -- except for maybe Tight End -- and lose limited production. Chinedum Ndukwe, the guy replacing Williams in the starting lineup, has 17 career starts. In the first game he started this season against Cleveland, Ndukwe recorded seven tackles and a quarterback sack. Against Houston, Ndukwe recorded a season-high 11 tackles. Along with Brandon Johnson, Ndukwe recorded a quarterback sack deep in the fourth quarter against Baltimore. NFL.com ranks Ndukwe fifth on the team with 35 total tackles.

Chris Henry is a loss in terms of taking advantage of match-up problems. However, through eight games, Henry only caught 12 passes -- then again, he averaged a team high 19.7 yards-per-reception. Based on the talent and depth chart ahead of him, Henry's loss, in terms of overall production, isn't very significant. The Bengals will likely replace Henry with the receiving committee of Maurice Purify and Jerome Simpson; two unproven players that could surprise/disappoint us.

Antwan Odom is perhaps the biggest injury this team has suffered. Through the first two games, the Bengals recorded nine quarterback sacks -- seven from Odom alone. After going down to injury against Houston, the Bengals production hasn't slacked much -- they've recorded five quarterback sacks in the past two games with the following combination of defensive players: Frostee Rucker (1.0), Brandon Johnson (1.5), Robert Geathers (1.0), Michael Johnson (0.5), Jonathan Fanene (0.5), Chinedum Ndukwe (0.5).

Even though Odom's injury was the biggest this team has suffered, in terms of season production coming to a premature end, the team's tight end spot was decimated by injury. However, there was never really any expectation that tight ends would become vital in the passing game, save for pass protection. J.P. Foschi and Daniel Coats are reasonably good when it comes to rush blocking and the biggest difference between the Foschi/Coats tight end era compared to the Kelly/Utecht era is the dropped passes -- admittedly, there's been a few but fortunately, they're not targeted as much.

Two of the biggest improvements this year over the 4-11-1 team in 2008, is that injury isn't crushing the team's chances and the depth chart is as strong as its ever been during the Marvin Lewis era. And the injuries suffered this season hasn't hurt the team's overall production.

Bengals will need someone to step up for injured Antwan Odom

Kirkendall — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:11:22 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom (98) is taken off the field after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

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No, injuries are not an excuse. We've heard that before. But injuries do hurt a team; sometimes critically. For example, Carson Palmer's injury in 2008. There. Point made. I've never bought into the general theory that a team fails because of injury. The counter argument is that a good organization will have great depth that could replace starters when they go down. Fine. But when your starting quarterback goes down for the season, you're not going to be as good. In the Bengals case, Palmer's injury led (perhaps not directly) to a 4-11-1 season. Even though Tom Brady's injury opened the door for Matt Cassell to lead the New England Patriots to an 11-5 record, the Patriots still missed the playoffs. Then again, would have the Patriots lost by 25 points to the Dolphins, 20 points to the Chargers or 23 points to the Steelers if Brady were playing?

The Bengals have had critical injuries already this year. Reggie Kelly is one; not for his pass catching skills, rather his blocking, leadership and tremendous mentorship for Chase Coffman (then again, he still could be mentoring Chase... we just haven't heard lately). I never thought that Ben Utecht was that big of a loss -- what exactly has he proven?

The one injury that could turn out to be big is Antwan Odom. Feels like forever since he went down, doesn't it? It's only been a game and a half.

Through the first two games of the season, Odom sacked the quarterback seven times -- including five against the Green Bay Packers. He recorded only one sack in the following four games. But his presence was known. The Bengals had a defensive player that the opposing offense had to account for -- how many times have we had someone like that? Just as Bengals lore goes, against the Houston Texans, easily the worst combined effort by the Bengals in 2009, Odom gets carted off the field after rupturing his right Achilles' tendon.

The Bengals have recorded at least one sack in eight straight games dating back to December 21, 2008. In six of those eight games, the Bengals recorded two sacks or more.

After moments of cursing, which included a Hudson-like over-reaction in Aliens ("WTF are we going to do now, we're in some really pretty............"), the Bengals had to figure a way to replace their best pass rusher of the season. Do they change philosphy? Do they blitz more? Do they rely on someone stepping up to the plate and crushing a fastball? Jonathan Fanene is a likely candidate, who has already recorded a career high three quarterback sacks -- two of which that came in two of the last three games. Behind Fanene is Frostee Rucker. The thing about Rucker isn't so much his talent -- we know he has it -- it's depending on him to stay healthy for the rest of the season. And he looked good against the Bears, didn't he?

Then you ask, where's Robert Geathers? Since recording 10.5 quarterback sacks in 2006, Geathers has recorded 6.5 sacks in the 34 games since. If there's someone that needs to produce, one would be justified to point at him now.

I like what I saw out of Rucker and I've always liked the way Fanene plays. However, effort and health, while critical, will need to be followed up with results. And against a team like Baltimore, whose offense can put points together in a heart beat, the Bengals need to rattle Joe Flacco, who recorded a season-low 70.1 passer rating thanks to a season-high two interceptions the last time the Ravens played Cincinnati.

Holmes: Chase Coffman's long awaited pro debut could be on the horizon

Kirkendall — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:39:16 -0000

We have had as many posts about fullbacks on Tuesday as we have had all of last season. So that just means we need to update our Tight End position file for the 20th time since August. Here's the quick background version. Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht injured for season, Daniel Coats becomes starter, J.P. Foschi signed off the street. Coats disappoints and Foschi becomes the team's first team Tight End.

And of course, there's Chase Coffman.

Like the team's fullbacks, Coffman was a major storyline on Hard Knocks. And it wasn't very endearing. In fact, it was down right embarrassing for the rookie. Even though he made the 53-man roster, Coffman has yet to make his NFL debut; largely because he's still developing his blocking skills -- something that Coffman rarely did as a tight end with Missouri.

Dayton Daily News' (yes, they have a Bengals story) Carlos Holmes writes that Coffman's "long awaited pro debut could be on the horizon." Holmes believes that the Bengals could insert Coffman sooner rather than later because the position hasn't been very productive.

Coffman has used his time wisely working on becoming a better all-around player. The tight end hits the weight room religiously each day and continues to study hard in an effort to improve his overall game. The one area he is working the hardest to improve is his blocking skills.

Coffman struggled with blocking assignments throughout training camp and the learning experience has been humbling.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” he said. “I think it kind of surprised me because it’s not as easy as one may think. There’s nothing easy about playing at this level. There is a lot of technique involved along with everything else.”

Several weeks ago, Marvin Lewis said "I’ve got to make sure those guys who suit up on Sunday can fulfill covering those kicks and doing all those things Chase didn’t do a whole lot of at the University of Missouri." What Lewis, who likes Coffman's progress, is pointing out is that he still needs to work on things he didn't do with Missouri -- like everything other than running, catching, breathing and watching South Park reruns.

So we find it hard to believe Holmes is speaking with any authority; merely pointing out speculation based on disappointing play of the team's tight ends.

Once he gets his blocking technique down, there's still high hopes for Coffman, who could add a frighteningly new dimension to a Bengals passing offense that's only ranked 18th in the league.

Dropping passes costs Daniel Coats a starting gig; Paul Alexander loves his offensive line

Kirkendall — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:34:07 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

4 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals tight end Daniel Coats, right, drops a pass as he is pressured by New England Patriots linebacker Shawn Crable, left, in the first half during their preseason NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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If one could sing a song about Bengals tight ends, it would be a country song. One position on the Bengals roster that's been the most tragic and frustrating, has been Tight Ends. Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht were lost early during Training Camp. Daniel Coats, at the time on the outside looking in, was promoted as the starting Tight End by default while the Bengals signed J.P. Foschi off the street -- if for anything to add bodies to the depth chart. Chase Coffman hovered, not really making an impression on the Bengals, or even the fans. He's still hovering while he learns to block; or at least ready enough to take a special teams role.

Daniel Coats has 12 receptions, which ties a career-high that he set during his rookie season in 2007. But it's not the receptions that he's noted for. It's the drops and fumbles. As a result, J.P. Foschi has been promoted over Coats on the team's depth chart. Foschi has eight receptions on the season for 74 yards receiving and a touchdown (all career highs already). Note: Foschi's one touchdown is one more than Coats.

Foschi has impressed CincyJungle far more than Coats has; which could illustrate how unimpressive Coats has been. But I'm not sure if the Bengals will limit Coats' playing time as much as one would think. When the Bengals lined up Two-Fullback formation in the backfield, like a diamond with Jeremi Johnson and Coats side-by-side, the rushing offense was scary good.

A new business tradition: when you don't make money, try everything you can to make less of it. I'm not exactly sure how I should react to the Dayton Daily News' coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals. It's not that they've shut down coverage entirely. When the Chickster left -- they still have the Chickster's Twitter account on their front page -- I've found myself visiting DDN less; we've linked to their stories few and far between since. Tom Archdeacon writes Bengals related stories, but he's not really on the beat persay and most of the headlines are AP written stories. I can't tell you the last time I saw Carlos Holmes on DDN -- note: he could be on there, but the fact that I can't find him speaks measures. DDN does have a blog, but it's more like a collection of news stories, rather than opinion. But hey, I can't be too upset. After all, they do promote Cincy Jungle through Blog Burst just fine. Speaking of one DDN piece, I want to know, is this the definition of a bandwagon fan?

I grew up a Cincinnati Bengals fan, but lost interest over the years because I always felt owner Mike Brown treated the club as if it were his personal fantasy football team...

But the Bengals’ 5-2 start has gotten my attention. Carson Palmer is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he has surprised me with his mobility. After tanking last season, Chad Ochocinco appears committed this year (maybe the Bengals were right in not caving to his trade demands).

Moving on.

Offensive line coach Paul Alexander said of his offensive line, "To be honest with you, they’re beyond my expectations right now and unfortunately it’s made me greedy because now I’m shooting for the moon and they can be even better."

Loved this Geoff Hobson piece about center Kyle Cook, in which Carson Palmer says, "He’s a mini Richie the way he’s going." Richie is, of course, Rich Braham, long-time offensive lineman for the Bengals that was so good, he became the measuring stick for all centers on the team.

Speaking of Chick Ludwig, he expects the Bengals to offer Marvin Lewis a contract extension if the team makes the playoffs this year or next. Lewis' contract expires after the 2010 season.

Joe Reedy writes, "One obvious improvement in Palmer’s game has been his mobility, both in and out of the pocket." He's been rolling out, sometimes on purpose, sometimes because of the pass rush, finding open receivers. And when he's not finding open receivers, he's taking off. Carson Palmer has 44 yards rushing, which ranks third on the team. Furthermore, he's only three yards away from tying a career-high 47 during his sophomore season in 2004.

Under Marvin Lewis, the Bengals are 1-4-1 after the Bye Week -- they haven't won after the bye week since beating Baltimore 34-26 at PBS.

Kevin Huber comes from a family of kickers, ranging from sisters playing soccer, to his father punting for Xavier university and his brother punting in high school and Mount St. Joe.

And finally, a friend of mine recently became a grandmother. Her son, a former quarterback with Dayton Christian school, had a healthy baby boy a few months ago. Mother, father and grandmother are all doing great. Here's father and son, wearing their Bengals gear with pride.

If you have stories or pictures you want to share, you can send them to me, or create a FanShot.

Question about Bengals tight ends; Andre Smith is practicing; what will Bengals do to pressure quarterbacks now

Kirkendall — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:02:20 -0000

There's two players that apply to the same question. When are Chase Coffman and Andre Smith going to make their NFL debuts? Coffman more than Smith, for now. Even though Daniel Coats and J.P. Foschi played well against the Cleveland Browns, combining for seven receptions and 80 yards receiving, there's plenty of reason to be up in arms with both players. In the past two games, Foschi and Coats have combined for six receptions for 44 yards receiving, several drops and a couple of fumbles.

However, it's not like the Bengals decided to go in this direction. They lost Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht, their top two tight ends, during training camp. When asked if Coffman has done enough to make the active roster, head coach Marvin Lewis said:

“I think you’ll see Chase this year. I’m anxious to see Chase. Again, I’ve got to make sure those guys who suit up on Sunday can fulfill covering those kicks and doing all those things Chase didn’t do a whole lot of at the University of Missouri. Maybe when we don’t see one of these returners that are leading the league in everything week-in and week-out I don’t know why we keep drawing this card each week, but we’ll get another one this week (Chicago’s Devin Hester).

“That’s an important part of everything we do, to make sure we can fill those teams the right way, so we have an opportunity to get that returner on the ground and do all the other things that have to happen those other 25 (special teams) snaps a game. But I like everything Chase is doing. He’s all-Hamilton County every Friday out here (in practice), and that’s a good thing. That’s what you want. This is the NFL. We do a period at the end of practice every week that’s the twos versus the twos, guys who aren’t getting as much time on offense and defense, and we want to see them play football. They look forward to that, and they get some plays in, and it’s good for us to evaluate and watch them. He keeps coming and going, and I mean, he’s going to be fine."

As for Andre Smith, it's widely believed he'll be ready after the bye week. He's back at practice. Marvin Lewis said, “We’re hopeful by the time we get ready to play Baltimore (after bye week) that he’ll be full speed.”

Losing Antwan Odom is tough for the Bengals, who Tom Archdeacon called the "heart and soul of the Bengals defense". Now the Bengals will have to find new ways of getting pressure on the quarterback. Several players need to step up.

All quiet on the Bengals trading front.

Dave reviewed Chad Ochocinco's newest book.

WhoDey Fans say, stay on the bandwagon.

Former UC Bearcat Conner Barwin got his first career sack against the Bengals Sunday.

Tickets against Houston "aren't exactly selling out"; Bengals suffer soreness and bruises against Baltimore; it won't get easier for coach Zim

Kirkendall — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:44:16 -0000

One of the more noticeable differences this year compared to last year, or the year before that, is the suffocating amount of serious injuries we've suffered. This year, we've largely avoided a string of injuries, limited to Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht, with other injuries lasting weeks, not months. For the most part, our guys are suffering bumps and bruises, as any nasty hardcore first place team endures. And after a nasty hardcore collision against the Ravens, the Bengals left Baltimore sore, but otherwise healthy. Marvin Lewis said during his Monday press conference:

“Well, we're a little sore. Chinedum (Ndukwe), again, I'm taking my hat off to him for what he's doing. Roy (Williams) bumped his forearm and came out of the game a little bit, and Chinedum stepped up and I thought did a fine job, again. Maualuga, again, played through his injuries. Brian Leonard has a little bit of a groin issue. We'll see how he is on Wednesday. Frostee Rucker sprained an ankle. We'll see how he is on Wednesday. Tank Johnson was inactive, but was pretty close, probably could have played, but I chose to give him another week's rest. So hopefully he'll be able to play this week if Frostee (Rucker) can't, and we'll fill the void that way.”

Are fans still not buyers? We wrote a month ago, or maybe longer, that if the Bengals secured wins against the Steelers and Browns, they'd start selling out more of their remaining homes games at Paul Brown Stadium. Now, the Bengals beat the Ravens to put the icing on the cake. The Bengals are 4-1. They are 3-0 in the division. And even if the Jets win Monday night, the Bengals will be one of four teams to have only one loss or less on the season in the AFC. So you'd expect the Bengals to be selling out this Sunday against the Houston Texans, right? Not exactly.

But despite the Bengals' hot streak, tickets to the next home against the Houston Texans aren't exactly selling out."

We're actually treading a little behind where we were for the Denver game at this point, so we have a ways to go," said Andrew Brown, the Bengals' ticket sales manager.

+ Even though the Bengals celebrated a great win against the Baltimore Ravens, launching themselves into first place on the spirit to win one for Mike Zimmer and his family, the grieving process resumes for the immediate family and the Bengals family. Football is a nice break from reality. We've all said that after so many events in our lives, no matter how big or small in scope, was momentarily halted for the fiction that football and sports brings us.

On Monday, reports surfaced about the cause.

The wife of Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer died of natural causes, according to the Hamilton County Coroner.

Mike Zimmer came home last Thursday evening and found his 50-year-old wife dead and called 9-1-1.

Dr. O'dell Owens has yet to determine a cause of death because toxicology tests have not been completed.

A memorial service will be held for Vikki Zimmer on Tuesday.

Game Review: Your Cincinnati Bengals are 3-1. The rest is just background noise

Kirkendall — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:12:21 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer runs for a first down in overtime against the Cleveland Browns during an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Cleveland. The Bengals beat the Browns on a 33-yard field goal to win 23-20. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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The Bengals are 3-1. I'll let that settle in your unsettled stomach for a second. It seems a bit, off, doesn't it? We haven't truly dominated football games like our wins in 2005. No. We're winning these games close, most of the time in the last overtime second. We're not used to this. But it's exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers did last year, who played half their games that was decided by a touchdown or less. Settle down. I wouldn't think of comparing the Bengals to the Steelers of 2008. Not right now. While it's not pretty, while it's not by overwhelming command, the Bengals are 3-1.

But they could be 0-4.

Blah, blah, blah. They're not. They're 3-1. And if this means anything to you, then read our note of the week this week.

Note of the week: It was four days before Christmas in 2008 when the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns for their third victory of that season.

Days from the start of the 2009 season until the Bengals won their third game: 22 days
Days from the start of the 2008 season until the Bengals won their third game: 106 days

And if that doesn't mean anything to you, then I can think of better ways of being proud of my 3-1 team than negotiating a method for you to be happy about this team as a whole. No buts. No howevers. Just a 3-1 football team that's off to Baltimore next week for Kings of the AFC North. Now, don't you feel better? Maybe not. After all, Sunday's win over the Browns wasn't without its migraine headaches, indigestion and lack of civil breakdown when it comes to the English language.

The 2009 Bengals are better than some of you are allowing: The last time the Bengals started the season 3-1: 2006.

They've only started 3-1 in the first four games of the season three times during the Marvin Lewis era (2005, 2006 and 2009) and four times since 1990.

It doesn't always go through Carson Palmer. It just ends there. Even though it doesn't always look great, it always ends with Carson Palmer. And though it might seem that the game isn't entirely decided by Palmer's play, the way he's coming through in the end is something that, at one point, was missing early in Palmer's career. He's not throwing for 300 yards just yet, but he is winning football games. That is, after all, the only way Paul Brown measured a quarterback. Wins and losses. Before the season, Palmer recorded a 32-33 starting record. In four games this year, he's 3-1, back over that career .500 hump. And two of those wins came when many Bengals fans had simply written the team off as suffering another aggravating loss. No. Not Palmer. Not the Bengals, who are far more mentally tough then their fans right now.

By my count, Carson Palmer has put the Cincinnati Bengals in a position to win every game this year. Against the Cleveland Browns, he didn't just pull through once. He did it twice. Palmer converted a third-and-14 with 5:40 left in regulation on a 16-yard pass to Chris Henry. After back-to-back rushes by Bernard Scott for 27 yards, Palmer completes a 27-yard pass over the middle to J.P. Foschi, who was completely forgotten about by the Browns defense. Palmer's two incomplete passes to Chad Ochocinco to Laveranues Coles puts the Bengals in a much comfortable position. Winning when the game is on the line. Palmer checks down to Brian Leonard on a two-yard pass on third-down and with 2:02 left in the game, the Browns (for some reason) call a timeout.

The situation is fourth-and-goal at the Browns two-yard line. Palmer looks left, pump fakes, rolls right, reverses to the left and then throws a dangerous pass, across his body, over the middle to Chad Ochocinco for the game-tying touchdown. The point after touchdown was blocked. Some blame Brad St. Louis for a poor snap -- it was to Kevin Huber's right -- but this is the second time it happened and in both instances, Graham still had a shot; he kicked the football low enough for the Browns to maul it without much of a vertical jump. I'm not blaming Graham. St. Louis has to make those snaps and it would seem to me that St. Louis' time in Cincinnati should end.

Regardless. Palmer engineered a 10-play drive for 70 yards to tie the game with under two minutes left in regulation, converting on third-and-14 and fourth-and-two. In overtime, the Bengals offense struggled. The defense didn't, forcing the Browns into three punts -- Derek Anderson had six incomplete passes in overtime. In fact, both teams punted three times before the Bengals fourth overtime possession began.

With 3:23 left in overtime, Carson Palmer completed a 20-yard pass to Chris Henry on third-and-ten. First down. Palmer completed a 20-yard pass to Laveranues Coles on third-and-ten. First down. The Bengals damn-near decided to punt the football with 1:04 left in overtime, playing for the tie. Palmer pleads to head coach Marvin Lewis to go for it on fourth down. Lewis relents. Palmer, in shotgun, briefly scans the field looking for an open receiver. He does what he always does; he rushes for 15 yards and picks up the first down. Palmer completed another pass to Leonard for nine yards and the running back rushed for another four yards. Brad St Louis finally made a good snap and Shayne Graham put some air under the field goal attempt to give the Bengals a 23-20 win in overtime with seconds remaining.

Palmer's performance broken down by quarters
	ATT	COMP	YARDS	TDS	INTS	RATING
1st	12	10	111	1	0	133.0
2nd	6	3	9	0	1	16.7
3rd	1	0	0	0	0	39.6
4th	10	4	47	1	0	88.3
OT	15	6	63	0	0	52.9

It's true. Palmer struggled, badly, after the first quarter. However, what difference does any of that matter? The Bengals are 3-1, in large part, because Palmer is stepping up when it matters the most. Last week, Palmer engineered a 16-play, 71-yard drive, completing a four-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell, beating heavily-favored Pittsburgh. Against the Packers, Palmer recorded three touchdown passes. Against the Broncos, Palmer led the offense on an 11-play drive for 91 yards which ended with a Cedric Benson touchdown with :38 seconds left in the game and a one-point lead. Whatever happened after that, I don't remember.

The Bengals didn't win pretty Sunday. But pretty is only good for things that are totally not manly. This isn't just Bengals football, this is gritty Ohio football where we do just enough to win football games. It might bite us in the end. But there's a lot of time until the end and this team can only grow with momentum, as well as confidence, with the more wins they put in their pocket.

Bengals Tight Ends are actually playing pretty well. When Training Camp started, we expected that the Bengals would start Reggie Kelly, Ben Utecht and Chase Coffman each week. Instead, after injury and disappointment, the Bengals activated Daniel Coats and J.P. Foschi. Through four games, they are on pace on combine for 52 receptions for 580 yards receiving. Against the Browns, Foschi and Coats combined for seven receptions for 80 yards receiving. Foschi caught a critical 27-yard pass from Palmer with 3:37 left in regulation, giving the Bengals a first-and-goal at Cleveland's four-yard line.

Think of it this way. Andre Caldwell and Chad Ochocinco are the only pass catchers to put up better numbers this year. That's not bad for a couple of tight ends we had written off before the season even started.

The rushing offense was good, again. But not dangerous. It might not seem like it, but the Bengals rushing offense was there. The only issue they dealt with was an offensive coordinator that, as per his reputation, went a bit pass happy. As a result, the rushing offense's lack of rhythm was a consequence of lacking consistency. In the second and third quarter, Benson rushed the ball four times for 14 yards rushing.

Here's something that might be of interest. The Bengals first two possessions went 11 plays. The first, 88 yards. The second, 68 yards. In the first drive, Benson rushed the football four times for 15 yards. It might not sound like much, but Benson saved Palmer, who penalized the team by watching the play-clock reach zero, by picking up nine yards (combined) on first-and-15 and second-and-ten. Palmer nailed Andre Caldwell to convert the first third-down of the game. The drive eventually stalled at the Browns five-yard line, forcing Shayne Graham to have his 23-yard field goal attempt blocked. The snap was high, but the ball was on the ground, properly held in place for at least a second while Graham made his approach. The high snap forced Graham to stutter-step on his approach, forcing the low kick.

On the second series of the game, the Bengals started going into happy-fun-passing mode, calling for passing plays on four of the next five plays -- the rushing down was an end around to Andre Caldwell for 11 yards. Bernard Scott got his first rush of the game when the Bengals lined up five wide receiver formation on fourth-and-three with 3:59 in the first quarter. Scott motioned behind Palmer and then took a pitch to the right, picking up ten yards and the first down. Scott picked up another two yards on the next play and Benson finished the team's rushing offense on a subsequent two-yard rush.

Jeremi Johnson and Bernard Scott picked up four yards on the next possession. Benson was called twice on the following series with five minutes left in the first half. Palmer threw an incomplete pass on third-and-two, which brings me to my final point. I never believed that the rushing offense under-performed. I think through the first four games this year, our rushing offense has been as strong since the peak of Rudi Johnson's career. Intermixing Bernard Scott into the gameplan was absolutely beautiful. However I never thought of the rushing offense as dangerous either.

Against Cleveland, the Bengals rushed for 154 yards on 30 plays for a 5.1 yard-per-rush average. They only lost yardage on one rush and picked up nine first downs; two less than passing first downs. This is the third straight game the Bengals offense rushed for over 100 yards as a team, averaging 4.4, 5.3 and 5.1 yards-per-rush respectively.

Sometimes the players have to play. The popular knock on Bob Bratkowski's play-calling is how he predictably calls run, run and pass. The Bengals went three-and-out in seven possessions. In four of those possessions, the Bengals went run, run, pass. I was about to laugh that off and move on to the next topic. Then I noticed something. When the Bengals did run, run, pass on three-and-out drives, it wasn't the two rushing plays that hurt the team. In fact, of those four possessions, the Bengals had an average of five yards to go on third down. On all four third downs (you know, the pass part?), Palmer threw an incomplete pass.

Furthermore, I only found five sequences in which the Bengals called rushing plays on first down and the subsequent second down. They picked up 31 yards in those instances, combined. That's 6.2 yards, per first-second down sequence when the offense rushes the football. When the Bengals are gaining that type of yardage on first and second down, the quarterback has to put an end to his struggles and complete the first down pass. In fact, when Palmer threw the football on third down, he only converted three into first downs.

Give Palmer credit. Taketh Palmer credit. I will give Palmer tons of credit for this team being 3-1. The defense probably deserves the bulk of the credit, keeping the Bengals in football games and playing tough as nails when they needed to so the offense can make their comeback. But Palmer has done his part, coming through when we've needed him to. As much as credit I'll give Palmer, I'll taketh away. The growing concern on Sunday was that this offense averaged 6.2 yards to-go on third down, which should be very manageable.

With 9:13 left in the second quarter, Palmer threw a third-and-six out to Chad Ochocinco. The throw was a bit early into Chad's route and the receiver couldn't catch up with the pass. Punt. With 3:39 left in the second, Palmer threw a pass a bit outside of Caldwell's range on third-and-two; though Caldwell did get his left hand on the football. Punt. On third-and-three with :36 left in the half, Palmer threw to Caldwell who ran a pattern a yard short of the first down; probably could give Caldwell some grief on the lack of depth on a third-down route. Punt. With 7:32 left in the third quarter, Palmer pump faked a pass, lost the grip, throwing it into the ground for an incomplete. Punt. With 14:12 left in the fourth quarter, Palmer floated a pass down the left sidelines to a wide open Chris Henry. Browns safety Pool slid over to nearly pick off the pass on third-and-seven. Punt. Palmer looked at Chad Ochocinco on third-and-eight but had his pass tipped by the defender following Brian Leonard on an underneath route. Punt. In most cases, Palmer wasn't pressured. Some were bad throws. Some were good defensive plays. Few were good plays.

However, Palmer did rebound. On third-and-14, Palmer completed a 16-yard pass to Henry and nailed Chad in the endzone for a game tying two-yard touchdown on fourth down. Thanks to a rushing offense in overtime that saw Cedric Benson rush for 36 yards on his first three carries did the Bengals get some semblance of momentum. That was, of course stopped when Carson Palmer threw two incomplete passes on third down and was sacked with 9:35 left in overtime. On the final drive, Palmer completed two 20-yard passes on third down and rushed for 15 yards on fourth-and-11 giving Shayne Graham an easy (nothing is easy on our kicking game) 31-yard field goal. Game over. Bengals win.

If it doesn't work on one side, go to the other side. I thought one of the more alarming trends on Sunday was the ability for the Browns rushing game to move effortlessly against the Bengals defense once the Browns discovered a weakness. For example, the Browns started hitting the left side of the line hard. In the first five rushing plays on Cleveland's left side, the Browns gained more than two yards rushing, once. Then Cleveland started attacking the right side. When the Browns ran outside the right tackle, they averaged 8.6 yards-per-rush, which included runs of 16 and 21 yards. Whey rushed inside the right tackle, they averaged 4.1 yards, including gains of six, eight, seven and 14. Their offense ran the football 12 times on the left side of the line and recorded 33 yards rushing -- a 2.75 yard-per-rush average. In other words, run to the right, big gains. Run to the left, not much there.

So what was going on? In a lot of cases, the Browns offensive line played very good. They also played smart, attacking both Domata Peko and Pat Sims with double teams. Our defensive ends struggled shedding off blocks against tight ends and fullbacks, while the double team on our tackles were often too much clutter for our linebackers to make unimpeded attacks towards the point of attack. Dhani Jones, who for some reason, was very slow in reaction. Rey Maualuga, while still aggressive as hell, guessed the wrong point of attack, leaving massive holes beside him. Keith Rivers was, well, he was somewhere I'm sure. When Chris Crocker came up to the line of scrimmage to give the Bengals defense eight-in-the-box, Crocker missed multiple tackles; some of which should have occurred in the backfield.

Massaquoi should be used in fantasy football league's when facing the Bengals. I thought that Browns rookie wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi's day wasn't entirely a result of terrible coverage by the Bengals secondary. Browns quarterback Derek Anderson made throws that only Massaquoi could make. For example, on third-and-two with 2:00 left in the half, Derek Anderson floated a pass after a three-step drop down the right sidelines. With Leon Hall in Massaquoi's left hip, the pass was just long enough for the receiver to stretch out his hands and catch the reception. Outside a pass interference, there was nothing Hall could have done to prevent the catch. Sometimes you have to give credit to the quarterback and receiver for a great play.

There was really only one truly broken play on a Massaquoi reception. With 13:22 left in the second quarter, Derek Anderson threw a second-and-eight pass down the right sidelines to Massaquoi. Johnathan Joseph trailed the receiver a good five yards while Chinedum Ndukwe was another five yards away. If the play is a zone, then you have to wonder why Ndukwe was so late giving safety help. If the play is man, then, yikes. Massaquoi finished the days with an 18.5 yard-per-reception average on eight receptions. No other Browns receiver, tight end or running back recorded more than 37 yards receiving.

There are simply days when you have to give the opposition more credit than blaming your own team.

Are there really trends? So let's play a little game. Your job. Tell me exactly what you think of Bob Bratkowski. It's not enough that you use one sentence. You have to give me trends, predictability factors and results based on those trends and predictions. Furthermore, you have to disassociate simply bad play, like missed blocks, dropped passes, overthrown passes, slipping on the turf and great defensive plays. After you put all of that together, I want a decent sample size. Say, four seasons should suffice. Do those things, then give me your final analysis.

In the meantime, I'll break something down for you to get you started. Here are the averages of Bratkowski's trends one first downs and the subsequent second downs. Plays in which the Bengals picked up a first down on first down aren't included.

There were 12 times that the Bengals called any combination of rush and pass on first and second down. They averaged 7.0 yards-per-play.
There were five times that the Bengals called a rush one first down and a rush on the subsequent second down. They averaged 6.2 yards-per-play.
There were six times that the Bengals called two passes on first down and the subsequent second down. They averaged 3.8 yards-per-play, which included two sequences where the offense picked up zero yards, and lost three yards because of a quarterback sack.

The following is a chart of the Bengals rushing offense's point of attack (we're missing four plays, but it's a good enough trend).

	Left End	LT	LG	Middle	RG	RT	Right End
Plays	12	18	13	8	17	15	23
Avg.	5.50	6.72	6.54	3.13	2.65	4.27	2.34
Rank	17	5	7	23	26	16	32

Notes:

Carson Palmer threw 44 passes during the Bengals 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns. The last time that Palmer threw 40 times or more during a Bengals win was during a 34-17 win over the Browns on September 17, 2006. That's a string of seven games straight losses when Palmer attempts 40 passes or more in a game. All-time, the Bengals are 3-8 when Palmer attempts forty passes.
Palmer through four games since 2004

TDs INTs

2009 6 5

2007 10 6

2006 6 4

2005 9 2

2004 3 7

Palmer has recorded six touchdowns through the first four games. That's the second-lowest total through the first four games, excluding the 2008 season in which, as far as we can tell, actually didn't happen. The Bengals took off that year.
This is this the third time during the Marvin Lewis era that the Bengals defense didn't allow 30 points in any of the first four games. The others are 2005 and 2008 (zing!).
In the past two weeks, the Bengals have only converted eight of 30 third-down chances for a 27% conversion. Both games the Bengals converted less than 30%. The last time that the Bengals converted less then 30% of their third downs in back-to-back games was last year against the Eagles (tie), Steelers (dominated) and Ravens (dominated). I looked back each season until 1990 and found no instances in which the Bengals offense converted less than 30% of their third downs in back-to-back games and won.
The Bengals committed three personal fouls. Andrew Whitworth was called for unnecessary roughness (as well as two false starts). Kyries Hebert and Pat Sims were also called for personal fouls.
The Bengals have scored defensive touchdowns in back-to-back games.
Johnathan Joseph has recorded interceptions in back-to-back games.

Tweet of the Day. Andre Caldwell: "3-1 today wasn't pretty but it's a win.. My shoulder is banged but I will be ok.. I know we have all bengals fans nervous lol"

Question of the Day: Should the Bengals sign Reggie Kelly back in 2010?

Kirkendall — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:43:46 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

4 months ago: In this Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, photo, Cincinnati Bengals tight end Reggie Kelly makes a reception during practice at NFL football training camp in Georgetown, Ky. The Bengals are placing Kelly on injured reserve, ending his season. Kelly had surgery Wednesday to repair a ruptured Achilles' tendon in his left leg. The starting tight end was injured during a non-contact drill two days earlier. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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Jay brought this up earlier in the morning and I wanted to expand on it. Even though he's out for the year, Reggie Kelly isn't gone. John Erardi caught up with Kelly, talking about the emotional scene on Hard Knocks when he learned his season was over before it started. Kelly also talks about the team's Tight Ends, giving Daniel Coats a ton of praise.

“I told him how proud I was of him. I wanted him to know he’s a guy who can be an every-down tight end. He can make a great living in this game. What I saw in Dan was a need for improvement in technique. That’s pretty much mental stuff. Ball security, footwork, hand placement – those can easily be improved.”

As for Kelly, he doesn't seem ready for retirement. “Still feel it in my bones, still got an itch that needs to be scratched." However, this is the final year under contract for him with Cincinnati. He's not the only one. Daniel Coats, J.P. Foschi, Darius Hill, Matt Kelly and Brad St. Louis are under contract until the end of this year, leaving Chase Coffman and Ben Utecht as the only signed Tight Ends for 2010.

This begs the question: Do you bring Reggie Kelly back for 2010? There's a tremendous amount of respect in the lockerroom for Kelly and after being inactive for three weeks, it would seem that Coffman's development will be a drawn-out process. I'm also slowly becoming a Daniel Coats guy. At first, I didn't see the potential in him. But I think Kelly's assessment of Coats is dead-on. Once he gets better with technique, he could be our best overall Tight End next season. Coats will only be a restricted free agent in 2010, so it's very likely the Bengals hold onto him next year.

Poll

Should the Cincinnati Bengals sign Reggie Kelly in 2010?

Yes - He's a valuble part of the team

157 votes

Maybe - It's not critical, but I don't see the downside

182 votes

No - There's really no point in having him around

30 votes

369 votes | Poll has closed

Palmer through four games since 2004
	TDs	INTs
2009	6	5
2007	10	6
2006	6	4
2005	9	2
2004	3	7