SB Nation - Caleb Miller

Bengals First Quarter Review: Saying satisfied like only Billy Dee Williams can

Kirkendall — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:27:55 -0000

Ah, another week in which Bengals fans (us) are granted an extension of a beautiful luxury having a win under our belts. Not just win, mind you. A division win. Do you know the impact of that? The Bengals are the only team in the division with a 2-0 record against the division.

AFC North Standings Through Four Games in 2009
Teams	Record	PF	PA	Div.	Conf.
Baltimore Ravens	3-1	124	80	1-0	3-1
Cincinnati Bengals	3-1	84	76	2-0	2-1
Pittsburgh Steelers	2-2	85	78	0-1	2-1
Cleveland Browns	0-4	49	118	0-2	0-3

The Bengals have allowed the least amount of points than any team in the division; Cincinnati's 76 points allowed is better than 11 AFC teams. You have to admit, that's like Rice Krispie treat covered in chocolate and peanut butter, or jamming out to an old school Guns N' Roses song where you actually think that you're as smooth and cool as Slash. As we noted earlier, the Bengals have started 3-1 only four times dating back to 1990; three times during the Marvin Lewis era, which includes this year's heart-stopping indigestion-filled (and in some cases, chain-smoking) season. So far we're a quarter of the way through the season and it's appropriate that we dive into quarterly reviews.

I've never subscribed to the school that you can grade a team using a variety of letters when summarizing the first four games of a 16-game schedule. When you got graded in school, the letters had meaning behind them. They are letters that fall within a range of numbers that represents the percentage of properly answered questions. When we use letters grading football teams, it becomes a little too arbitrary; they don't have any substance behind them. I don't mind others that do it. I really don't. Live and let live, I always say. It's their thing and we're but a small gear in the blogging world. But I don't like using them. Instead, we're taking a new approach with a grading system that goes outstanding, satisfactory, nervous, and terrible. I'm sure our system goes without saying, which is the most innovative and detailed system to date.

CARSON PALMER. There's two arguments with Carson Palmer. There's the ineffective through most of the game, Carson Palmer. Then there's the Carson Palmer that routinely puts the Bengals into position to win the football game. His numbers have been very ordinary and he's yet to eclipse the 300-yard passing mark. However, after beating Cleveland, Palmer is on the good side of a touchdown-interception ratio again. I've never been a believer in grades but I do subscribe that Carson Palmer is the Harvey Dent of NFL quarterbacks. This is why I have to grade Palmer on two levels. He's made me nervous during the game, but outstanding when it comes to winning the game.

Most important note: 3-1 when starting as team quarterback.
Stat of concern: on pace for a career low 57.7% completion percentage.

RUNNING BACKS: Grade: Satisfied. It's hard to argue with results. Through four games this season, the Bengals have racked up an impressive 491 rushing yards -- averaging 122 yards-per-game. Averaging 4.4 yards per-carry on 84 attempts, Cedric Benson alone has rushed for 367 yards -- 91.8 yards a game (which may be a result of a lack of carries lately, his average since the Denver game is nearly 4.8 yards per carry). Benson has done a good job consistently gaining yards, but he hasn't quite been explosive. His longest rush this year is for 23 yards (the touchdown against Pittsburgh). Interestingly, Benson has had exponentially more success rushing to the left side, averaging over 6 yards per carry. Up the middle and to the right, Benson is averaging between 1 and 3.5 yards per carry - that's just not very good, but this is a criticism of the right side of the O-line, that could surely benefit from the return of an in-shape Andre Smith. The rest of the running backs have been pretty decent. Jeremi Johnson hasn't been glaringly bad in the run blocking game, and hybrid back Brian Leonard has epitomized clutch - mostly as a receiver out of the backfield. Rookie Bernard Scott has flashed his talent early this season, but his big runs are also going to the left side of the line. He's been good when he's been used, but that's been rare. Scott has also been promising in the return game. I give this group a passing grade of satisfactory bordering on "good", but not outstanding. They don't get an outstanding mark from me because they aren't producing enough. That may or may not be their fault, though.

Most important note: 122 rushing yards a game is good news. If we can get Andre Smith working into the rushing game on the right side of the line later this season, that number could improve. We might finally be a solid rushing offense.
Concern: The concern is really with offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski and the offensive line. Brat has been too reliant on the pass (especially in the Browns game), and the right side of the offensive line is not opening holes for running backs.
- Jake (jsl413)

WIDE RECEIVERS

Ochocinco through first four games
	Rec.	Yrd	TD
2009	17	258	3
2008	11	116	1
2007	28	495	3
2006	18	201	1
2005	26	374	3
2004	20	297	1
2003	21	370	3
2002	18	221	1

Chad Ochocinco
Ranking: Outstanding
Chad is officially back. After a horrific 2008, Ocho has returned to the form that makes him one of the better receivers in the NFL. Not only is he talking the talk, he's walking it as well, something his three touchdown catches indicate quite well. Whether Chad is Lambeau leaping or being held back from Cleveland's Dawg Pound, Ocho is once again a terror for opposing defenses and fans alike. Sure, he's had a drop or two so far, and the fact he and Carson haven't fully integrated the long ball is cause for concern, but the flea-flicker play against Green Bay proves it's still a viable option. Maybe now they can use it a little more. Currently, Chad is on pace for a 68-catch, 1000-yard, 12 touchdown season. While I would expect the touchdown numbers to perhaps shrink, the opposite is true for his catches and receiving yards. Welcome back Ocho. Now go tweet your day away.
- Chris (IFChris)

Andre Caldwell.
Ranking: Outstanding/Satisfactory
Introducing the Bengals second leading receiver, yard/receptions-wise. Granted, I think many of us expected to see Laveranues Coles or Chris Henry here, but obviously, Caldwell has something to say about that. Caldwell, even though he's more of a slot-receiver, is proving to be a reliable number two to Chad's one. Caldwell has six more catches than Coles and eleven more than Henry. He's on pace for a 64-catch season, which would be a personal record, and would eclipse his before-this-season-started career total by 37 catches. The only reason Caldwell doesn't get an "Outstanding" is for that ugly fumble he had against Cleveland on Sunday.
- Chris (IFChris)

Laveranues Coles.
Ranking: Nervous.
Currently, Coles ranks third in the NFL with three dropped passes, something that does not inspire a great deal of confidence. When he was signed by Cincinnati, he was expected to fill the shoes left behind by T.J. Houshmandzadeh, however, it seems that job as gone to Caldwell. Coles can still get open and judging by last season's stats, he's still a very capable receiver; which is why I haven't completely given up on him. As long as Coles can keep his hands on the ball when Palmer throws it his way, we'll all be fine. Last season, Coles collected almost 900 yards and seven touchdowns. If he gets near that kind of production for the Bengals, his ranking would quickly move to the "Outstanding" neighborhood. Until he stops dropping the ball, however, his signing is going to be a disappointment.
- Chris (IFChris)

Chris Henry.
Ranking: Nervous.
After a brilliant preseason, I think all of us expected Henry to show the league just how good he can be. Alas, that has not been the case. Currently, the following Bengals (besides the ones listed above) have more catches than the one they call "Slim" -- Daniel Coats (8), Brian Leonard (11, Leonard is actually the third-leading receiver, catch-wise, on the Bengals), and Cedric Benson (6). Further, Henry is tied with J.P. Foschi, who has five. So what does this say about Slim? Is he not working hard enough or is something just not clicking? Or is it that Caldwell is simply outplaying him? Before the season started, Henry was looked at as the best deep threat on the Bengals offense, so what gives? Should the Bengals be using 4-wide sets more than they use 3-wides? Or is Henry -- who has thankfully stayed out of trouble -- simply the odd man out in a Ocho/Coles/Caldwell trio? As you can see, there are a lot more questions than answers here, and until we have a larger portion of the season to work with, I'm tempted to change Slim's grade to an "Incomplete."
- Chris (IFChris)

OFFENSIVE LINE. Grade: Satisfied. We could recap all that's happened in the past calendar year. We could say that the Bengals offensive line in 2008, with Levi Jones, Eric Ghiaciuc and Stacy Andrews were the "weakest links". Football Outsiders ranked the Bengals offensive line as one of the worst offensive lines in football. But we won't. Why dig up history when there's a better future, just over there, behind the mole hill. No, that's not the mole hill. That's the Bengals 2009 offensive line (was that a bit corny)?

Andrew Whitworth slides to left tackle. Nate Livings and Evan Mathis work time at left guard. Kyle Cook wins the job at center, with rookie Jonathan Luigs always in the background looking for playing time. Bobbie Williams and Anthony Collins holding down the right side of the fort with a WWE entrance soon coming for first-round pick Andre Smith. I won't call the offensive line Outstanding. But I'm more than comfortable to say that they've clearly been satisfactory -- and improving each week.

	Sacks	Yrd/Rush Avg.	Adj. Line Yards *	Adj. Sack Rate *
2008	12	3.46	3.22 - 32nd	8.6% - 27th
2009	9	4.5	4.33 - 10th	6.5% - 23rd

* Stats by Football Outsiders

Quarterback Sacks from D-Line
Antwan Odom	8
Jonathan Fanene	1
Pat Sims	0.5
Robert Geathers	0.5

DEFENSIVE LINE. Grade: Satisfied. Through four games, the Cincinnati Bengals defensive line are leading a pack of wolves that's recorded 12 sacks as a unit this year. Ten of those sacks have come from the defensive front four. Antwan Odom, the guy that will sack you at Krogers for taking the last box of Wheat Thins, not only leads the team with an NFL-high eight sacks, he's also the leading tackler on the defensive front. Against the Browns, Robert Geathers returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown (boy, that kind of sounded like an after-thought, didn't it?).

However, all of that said, I'm hesitant calling this defensive front outstanding. Maybe it's because we set the benchmark so high with Carson Palmer's late game heroics. Still, the defensive front, while it's played well, still lacks a constant pass rush and there were noticeable rushing lanes against the Cleveland Browns, who came into the game with a 71.3 yard-per-game rushing average (29th in the NFL).

Linebackers	Tackles
Keith Rivers	29
Dhani Jones	25
Rey Maualuga	19
Brandon Johnson	16
Abdul Hodge	3
Rashad Jeanty	3

LINEBACKERS. Grade: Satisfied. Our linebackers in 2007 consisted of Lemar ~~Parrish~~ Marshall, Landon Johnson, Caleb Miller, Andre Frazier, Anthony Schlegel and Rashad Jeanty. If it wasn't for the Ravens linebackers, the Bengals linebacker unit would still be bad. Several were lost early in the season, which opened a spot for crazy journey man (quite literally) Dhani Jones. Two years later, Jones is one of the leaders on defense and the most consistent tackler. They put guys like Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga around him giving the team a promising trio of linebackers to start the season. Beyond that, the Bengals have two backup linebackers in Brandon Johnson, who plays in nickel packages and Jeanty who each recorded over 100 tackles last season. In terms of Maualuga, the rookie strong-side linebacker has forced two fumbles and a sack along with his 19 total tackles.

SECONDARY. Grade: Nervous. The Bengals secondary has been challenged much of the season, allowing 242.3 yards passing per game. They are 26th in the league. The secondary has had its issues preventing big plays, allowing 17 passing plays of 20 yards or more -- most in the NFL. Much of the blame could be brought on because of the team's safeties defense against slot receivers; hasn't been very good. It could also be softer coverage, worried about the 40-yard strikes instead of the 20-yard variety. Furthermore, Johnathan Joseph's two interceptions this season are the team's only interceptions through four games.

I think Leon Hall and Joseph have played well above satisfactory levels when defending the pass. And Joseph more so against the rush. However, I think outside those two cornerbacks, the secondary has work to do; especially against the pass.

Kevin Huber in 2009
Punts:	30
Long:	61 yards
Avg.	42.9
Net Avg.	35.8
Inside-20	10

SPECIAL TEAMS. Grade: Nervously terrible yet sometimes outstandingly satisfied. It took you a couple of times to re-read the grade, didn't it? It's complicated. Kevin Huber has been outstanding. Shayne Graham has been ordinary. The kickoff return teams is 25th in the league and the punt return team ranks in the top-five. Brad St. Louis is still on the team. It's almost like you have a good, a bad, a middle, a good and then another bad. Really. Is there a more roller coaster unit in the NFL than the Bengals special teams? So how do I grade the entire unit? Can one do such a thing? I'm nervous every time the Bengals attempt to kick. I yawn when the kickoff return team, you know, returns. Huber is the only punter in the known galaxy that actually makes me pump my fist and Quan Cosby is the first guy that returns punts on this team that makes it a realistic dream he could return it for touchdown.

What do you guys think? Where are we at the quarter point of the season?

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

Bengals Training Camp: The vastly improved Bengals linebackers will be fun to watch this year

Kirkendall — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:29:01 -0000

More photos » by Tom Uhlman - AP

5 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Keith Rivers runs plays during football practice in Cincinnati Friday June 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Browse more photos »

Let me take you back to September 4, 2007. The Bengals just won their first preseason game, beating the Indianapolis Colts 14-6 to end with a 1-3 preseason record. It was time to participate in National Layoff Day in which several professional football players lose their jobs so teams can get underneath the required 53-man roster limit. Running back Clinton Dawson made the roster -- as did Skyler Green.

What's really interesting from the team's 2007 kickoff weekend roster is the linebackers. Ahmad Brooks started the middle. Lemar Marshall and Landon Johnson played on the outside and backups included Caleb Miller, Rashad Jeanty, Andre Frazier and Anthony Schlegel. Brooks, Miller, and Marshall were lost early in the season and eventually Cincinnati signed Dhani Jones, Roy Manning and Jim Maxwell.

Fast forward two years. Of all the players on the 2007 kickoff weekend roster, Rashad Jeanty is the only linebacker that remains. Landon Johnson signed with the Carolina Panthers and Andre Frazier returned to Pittsburgh. Ahmad Brooks signed with the San Francisco 49ers, was waived in late November but re-signed in early December. Caleb Miller and Anthony Schlegel haven't signed on with another team and you have to assume Lemar Marshall is retired, after rupturing his Achilles tendon that year. Brooks, Frazier and Johnson, players that left Cincinnati and signed on with new teams, have combined to start zero games.

Dhani Jones signed on in 2007 and solidified the team's inside linebacker spot. Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga were draft picks in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The Bengals signed Brandon Johnson and Darryl Blackstock to one-year contracts in 2008 and 2009 and Rashad Jeanty went from Exclusive Rights free agent to Restricted Free Agent and signed one-year deals each season.

Compare linebackers from the 2007 kickoff weekend roster to the team's current roster of linebackers.

Ahmad Brooks	Dhani Jones
Rashad Jeanty	Rashad Jeanty
Landon Johnson	Keith Rivers
Caleb Miller	Rey Maualuga
Lemar Marshall	Brandon Johnson
Andre Frazier	Darryl Blackstock
Anthony Schlegel	Abdul Hodge
	Jim Maxwell

To say that Marvin Lewis and company revamped the team's linebackers from 2007, while suffering the unexpected loss of David Pollack and Odell Thurman -- considered in 2005 to be the foundation pieces at linebacker like Rivers and Maualuga are now -- would be an understatement. Each linebacker spot is vastly improved with enough youth to see long-term growth.

Two years after 2007, the Bengals are now focused on Dhani Jones in the middle. Keith Rivers returning after missing nine games to injury -- and he's looking to have a major impact this year. Rey Maualuga will compete with Rashad Jeanty all season long, claiming starting rights at strong-side linebacker. Here's where the Bengals really improve. After recording 112 tackles in 2008 with only nine starts, Brandon Johnson will be a backup weak-side linebacker. Whomever doesn't win the competition between Jeanty and Maualuga, will be a backup at strong-side linebacker.

Our linebackers will be fun to watch this year.

Bengals big-play offense is taking shape (again); Whitworth is an emerging leader; Bengals linebackers are most underrated in AFCN

Kirkendall — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:28:17 -0000

Alright, so some fans/sites aren't drinking the Kool-Aid. That's fine. It's hard to imagine that a transformation from failure to a system of success could happen overnight, or through an offseason. Carson Palmer is coming back (again) and there's no telling if he'll be able to sustain the success he had earlier in his career. Bob Bratkowski is changing the playbook. Marvin Lewis is changing his demeanor. The offensive line has gone through personnel changes, so there's an "incomplete" score in the preseason forecast. Chad Johnson came off the worst season in his career, T.J. Houshmandzadeh is gone, and the offense is depending on Chris Henry; a guy that wasn't so dependable early in his career. Cedric Benson had a nice finish last season, but for the most part, like the offensive line, we're not sure how strong the position will be.

There's the draft, which many have rated as very good. Free agency brought in pieces to an overall puzzle -- none of whom are designed to be the best player on their respective unit. Last year's (lack of a) pass rush put the defensive secondary on their heels -- and for the most part, they did as well as expected of them when the quarterback has time to scan the field, set his feet, and deliver passes with patient technique.

A Mike Brown factor still exists, which will never go away until he doubles the scouting staff and upgrades the general personnel staff.

If you have reservation about this year, then that's alright. History tends to be on your side and projecting the Bengals to go better than .500 in 2009 is based on a faith that the Bengals have improved everywhere on the field. On the other hand, if you're excited about that faith that the Bengals have improved, then that's alright too. We wouldn't be fans if we weren't unique to our own opinions.

Moving on.

Is it fair to say that the Bengals offense is coming back to form? Look at Joe Reedy's reports:

Laveranues Coles made two nice catches on sideline routes. Chad Ochocinco also got into the act along the sideline, diving forward for a low catch inbounds.
David Richmond beat Geoffrey Pope on a 45-yard pass by Carson Palmer.
Chris Henry caught two long passes, first with Jonathan Joseph covering and then closed the practice with a reception with Castille covering of which he said afterward “you can’t play me like that.”
Jordan Palmer had a nice completion to Jerome Simpson on a double reverse and completed a 40-yarder to Ochocinco
Carson Palmer and Laveranues Coles connected on a 50-yard pass with Johnathan Joseph covering.

The defense isn't too shabby, intercepting their share of passes and, as Bob Bratkowski says, a decent amount of pressure on the defense. “The blitz packages have been strong. It’s been exciting because it forces us to be spot on." Furthermore, the defense is getting great work in by playing against a good core of receivers.

“They’re more versatile than in previous years,” said cornerback Leon Hall. “Chris (Henry) gives you the tall receiver that can stretch you down the field, Laveranues is crafty and Chad always makes plays. It makes it better for us to see receivers like that.”

Reedy's Blog Reports
Thursday Morning Session
Thursday Afternoon Session
Friday Morning Session
Friday Afternoon Session

A leader is emerging. Andrew Whitworth stood up during a winless first-half in 2008 and took charge of the lockerroom.

Andrew Whitworth became an instant folk hero for the Cincinnati Bengals in their 21-19 victory over Jacksonville on Nov. 2, 2008.

That was the day he gave a rousing pre-game speech — he was mad as you-know-what about the Bengals’ 0-8 record and wasn’t going to take losing anymore — then he retaliated against Jaguars defensive tackle John Henderson, who pulled off Whitworth’s helmet after a heated blocking exchange and attempted to gouge Whitworth’s eyes.

Playing at left tackle, he wants the responsibility of being the team's elite blocker:

“Left tackle is a position that you have one of your elite players play,” Whitworth said during a break at minicamp, which concludes Saturday, June 20, at Paul Brown Stadium. “That’s the position I want to take the responsibility of playing, and playing well.”

+ Linebackers. Joe Reedy writes that the Bengals linebackers, while underrated, could be very good. The popular vote for the team's starting lineup is Keith Rivers, Dhani Jones and Rey Maualuga. However, because of the competition that Maualuga will bring, Rashad Jeanty isn't just lying down either.

The player though who has made the most gains – and has the most to prove – is Rashad Jeanty. He has held on to his spot at SAM (outside), but figures to face competition from Rey Maualuga.

Even before Maualuga was selected in the second round, Jeanty was making plenty of changes. He cut off his dreadlocks and also changed uniform numbers, going from 93 to 53. FitzGerald said the fourth-year player has gotten lighter and stronger during offseason conditioning.

And with a position battle between Jeanty and Maualuga figuring to be among the most watched of training camp, the upcoming competition has made both players stronger. While the Bengals are expected to be more aggressive with pressure, Jeanty knows the defense will have to earn that trust first.

And yea, we still have Brandon Johnson to think of, who finished second on the team with 112 tackles. The most noticeable thing is that since 2003, the Bengals have used a collection of middle linebackers. All who have started at middle linebacker, saved for Dhani Jones, are no longer with the team (and several are out of the NFL).

2003 – Kevin Hardy
2004 – Nate Webster, Caleb Miller, Landon Johnson
2005 – Odell Thurman, L. Johnson
2006 – Brian Simmons, Ahmad Brooks, Caleb Miller
2007 – Brooks, Miller, Anthony Schlegel
2008 – Dhani Jones

Breaking down and ranking drafted positions in Cincinnati since 2003

Kirkendall — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:47:42 -0000

Breaking down Cincinnati's draft since 2003, I wanted to see how many players were left at each position and the strength of that position based on the foundation of the team's drafted players. There were some positions I didn't bother listing. Like quarterback, since there's no emphasis of improving the position after the team drafted Carson Palmer. I didn't list Tight Ends, because the last Tight End taken before Matt Sherry in 2008, was Matt Schobel in 2002. We're not going to grade positions based on arbitrary made-up numbers and letters; rather simply point out how many players are left, and perhaps some equation of how many are (and were) starters. I placed a strong emphasis on where the team is today based on these draft picks; not how they've performed during their Cincinnati career, other than possibly being starters. We can have that discussion if you'd like, but that's not the heart of this post.

I am, however, going to rank the positions we've drafted. This is nothing more than my opinion, and not some concocted Football Outsiders formula.

Here goes.

Dating back to 2004, the Bengals have drafted eight defensive backs -- six of whom have multiple starts, two of whom are first-round draft picks. During the 2006 and 2007 draft, Lewis drafted four guys at all four defensive back positions that started at one time in multiple games. Of the nine defensive backs since 2003, five remain, one signed a rich contract with the Vikings and another helped the Colts into the playoffs. There has been talent drafted by the Bengals at defensive back.

Defensive Backs	Year	Round
Corey Lynch	2008	6
Leon Hall	2007	1
Marvin White	2007	4
Chinedum Ndukwe	2007	7
Johnathan Joseph	2006	1
Keiwan Ratliff	2004	2
Madieu Williams	2004	2
Greg Brooks	2004	7
Dennis Weathersby	2003	4

If you look at the list of offensive linemen, there is a lot of good. Eric Steinbach wasn't just a starter -- he played tackle and center. He was signed to one of the richest contracts in NFL history as a guard. Andrew Whitworth took over Steinbach's departed role as the team's starting guard, that can play tackle at a moment's notice. Anthony Collins was perhaps the biggest surprise when he was asked to block some of the league's best pass rushers at the tail-end of 2008. Stacy Andrews started several games, and left for more money in Philadelphia. While we're generally not happy about the way Ghiaciuc's career panned out, he has been the team's starting center since 2006 -- perhaps that's just lack of options? Of eight drafted offensive linemen, four remain and only one has significant starting experience -- however, Collins is on pace to be the team's starting tackle for this season and beyond.

The problem with the offensive line is the lack of players drafted that are starting today. Levi Jones was a 2002 draft pick and has possibly already played his final game in a Bengals uniform. Bobbie Williams was a free agent and Ghiaciuc and Andrews are likely gone. Heading into this season and next, the Bengals are lacking a core of drafted players because most of them have already left Cincinnati, or are, at best, backup talent.

Offensive Linemen	Year	Round
Anthony Collins	2008	4
Dan Santucci	2007	7
Andrew Whitworth	2006	2
Eric Ghiaciuc	2005	4
Adam Kieft	2005	5
Stacy Andrews	2004	4
Eric Steinbach	2003	2
Scott Kooistra	2003	7

I was conflicted with our defensive line. Since 2003, we've drafted ten defensive linemen -- six of whom remain with the team. Both of our projected starting defensive tackles are our draft picks, and the team's best pass rusher, Robert Geathers, was drafted in 2004. Toeaina was favored with some -- but having placed him on the practice squad for a significant period of time in 2007 opened the door for the Chicago Bears to sign him away. Pat Sims has a high ceiling and could be the team's starting defensive tackle for some time, while guys like Frostee Rucker, Jonathan Fanene and Jason Shirley remain fixed as backups. I don't believe we've drafted great with defensive linemen, but there we have picked up a few pieces that figure into the team's long-term vision.

Defensive Line	Year	Round
Pat Sims	2008	3
Jason Shirley	2008	5
Matt Toeaina	2007	6
Frostee Rucker	2006	3
Domata Peko	2006	4
Jonathan Fanene	2005	7
Matthias Askew	2004	4
Robert Geathers	2004	4
Langston Moore	2003	6
Elton Patterson	2003	7

I realize that ranking wide receivers could be the most premature of all positions. First of all, there was little reason to draft the best wide recever in any draft because the team had already invested in Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh -- even Peter Warrick was figuring into the team's long-term vision until a degrading knee condition suffered in 2003 ended his NFL career. Between 2003-2007, the teams drafted six wide receivers, primarily looking for depth and that viable #3 receiver. Even though he's embarrassed the team, and stunted his own growth, Chris Henry had both the talent and size to be the league's best #3 receiver. He's still with the team and reportedly working hard to have his talent and potential realized. During the last off-season (between 2007-2008), Chad Johnson cried and negotiations for T.J. Houshmandzadeh weren't going well. So the Bengals drafted three wide receivers, two of whom were thought to be replacements for both 30-plus year-old receivers. The 2008 draft was definitely considered a rebuilding draft for wideouts, therefore it's hard to really grade this. You can't based their projected careers on their rookie season's because of the talent that they had to leap-frog to get there. This season and next will be critical for them.

Wide Receivers	Year	Round
Jerome Simpson	2008	2
Andre Caldwell	2008	3
Mario Urrutia	2008	7
Ethan Kilmer	2006	7
Bennie Brazell	2006	7
Chris Henry	2005	3
Tab Perry	2005	6
Maurice Mann	2004	5
Kelly Washington	2003	3

Linebackers have always been cursed during the Marvin Lewis era. David Pollack, Odell Thurman, Ahmad Brooks and A.J. Nicholson never really had their careers realized for one reason or another -- ranging from injury, off-the-field issues to simply not being good enough. Landon Johnson started many games, led the team in tackles then left. Of the nine linebackers drafted since 2003, six have started. What makes linebackers ugly, is that only drafted linebacker remains on the team today.

Linebackers	Year	Round
Keith Rivers	2008	1
Angelo Craig	2008	7
Ahmad Brooks	2006s	3
A.J. Nicholson	2006	5
David Pollack	2005	1
Odell Thurman	2005	2
Caleb Miller	2004	3
Landon Johnson	2004	3
Khalid Abdullah	2003	5

Drafting running backs has been terrible for this team. If you exclude Jeremi Johnson, the Bengals have drafted Kenny Irons and Chris Perry since 2003. That's it. Irons' NFL career is likely over and Chris Perry has suffered through several season-long injuries that's hampered his production and development. Our ranking of running backs is mostly degraded based on the fact that we've picked up so few, and of those we did pick up, have been disappointing at best. Perry's 2005 season was cause for hope that he'd become the team's "two" or a one-two punch with Rudi Johnson -- or another powerback. That vision never fulfilled itself and if Perry isn't cut by the regular season, he's likely playing his final season in a Bengals uniform.

Running Backs	Year	Round
Kenny Irons	2007	2
Chris Perry	2004	1
Jeremi Johnson	2003	4

That's my opinion guys, what's yours?