SB Nation - Chris Perry

Chiefs Work Out a Former Bengals RB

Joel Thorman — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:27:57 -0000

Photo Source

The Kansas City Chiefs worked out free agent RB Chris Perry, reports Adam Caplan of Scout.

Perry was a 2004 Cincinnati Bengals first round draft pick and spent four years with the club.

He's had two seasons of significant carries. In 2005, he rushed 61 times for 279 yards. In 2008, he rush 103 times for 269 yards.

Last season, the Bengals cut starter Rudi Johnson paving the way for Perry to be the full time starter. However, things didn't go his way and he only averaged 2.7 (!) yards per carry before being benched for Cedric Benson.

Perry was also drafted by the UFL's Florida Tuskers this summer.

He's 6'0", 220 pounds or so and could fill an LJ-like role if the Chiefs chose to sign him. The Chiefs are a little light at RB with Dantrell Savage being down. Tim Castille has appeared to be a quick fix at running back seeing surprisingly a good number of carries last weekend despite signing last Wednesday.

Ryan over at KC Chiefs Blog seems to think he's worth taking a closer look at.

You can’t expect much from a guy that hasn’t gotten a sniff in the league since April, but he is still only 27 and wouldn’t cost the team anything to take a look. He was dynamic at Michigan and showed flashes (albeit small ones) during his time with the Bengals and might not be a bad idea to take a chance on him.

So, the Bengals sign a former Chiefs RB and now the Chiefs work out a former Bengals RB.

(H/T CHIEFER for the first FanShot)

Bengals worked out Joey Galloway, Ed Johnson and Mike Doss Tuesday

Kirkendall — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:27:58 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

4 months ago: New England Patriots wide receiver Joey Galloway hauls in a pass during NFL football training camp at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Browse more photos »

While the signing of Larry Johnson, and to a smaller degree, the release of Ben Utecht, were Tuesday's primary headlines, the Bengals weren't through, just yet. On Tuesday, the Bengals worked out three other players; wide receiver Joey Galloway, safety Mike Doss and defensive lineman Ed Johnson. Johnson was released by the Indianapolis Colts in October because he lacked production. In Joey Galloway's case, he just never caught on with the Patriots. Mike Doss, who played for Cincinnati at the end of last year, was released with Chris Perry, Eric Henderson, Nate Lawrie and Gary Russell in April.

The Bengals invited Galloway, who could be used as a deep threat on a core of wide receivers that are more possession receivers. Unless, of course, you play Jerome Simpson, who has speed. It appears that Ed Johnson is more trouble than he's worth. Johnson was arrested in September of 2008 when Indiana police pulled Johnson over for speeding and found he was in possession of marijuana. Along with lacking production, there's no benefit signing Johnson at this point. Doss was awesome in college. Since then, injuries have really slowed him down and he's, at best, a special teams contributor.

In the end, I'll be surprised if the Bengals offer anyone that visited a contract.

Sage advice from Mo Egger for new/returning Bengals bandwagon fans:

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:37:20 -0000

This is just brilliant satire from our friend Mo Egger's blog over at The Homer. You'll see it was posted a couple of days ago due to the fact that he refers to Brad St. Louis as a current Bengal, but I'll parenthetically repair that. With Mo's permission I lovingly repost this piece that gave me more than one belly laugh yesterday when I read it. Hit the jump to read one of the best things I've read in a while.

-This week, and for a while until the team falters, the number of Bengals bandwagon fans you'll see will increase. I like bandwagon fans. The more people that want to talk about my favorite team, watch games, tailgate, the better. To an extent, we're all bandwagon fans. Your interest in a team or sport ebbs and flows depending on the success of whom your rooting for.

So if you're a bandwagon fan, new to the 2009 Bengals, welcome. We're glad to have you and we hope you're here for a while, though we know we're just a loss or two away from seeing you leave our lives for a while. Let's enjoy the time we do have. Let's go through a couple of things....

First, let's get rid of that "2005 AFC North Champions" shirt. You need some new gear. That shirt isn't gonna help you blend in. It's been four years, and besides, a team from the Bengals' division won the title that year. Keep it as a keepsake if you must, but don't wear it.

Same for the lame "Two Johnsons and one big Willie" shirt you bought about four years ago. There's a Johnson still on the team, his name is Brandon. Rudi's gone, his effectiveness slipping probably around the time you checked out, sometime late in 2006, injured in '07, cut before last year. He's looking for a job. Chad is still here, but he doesn't go by "Johnson" anymore. He's "OchoCinco" now. And Willie's gone too, blown out before last season. Bobbie Williams, who was actually here when you last wore the orange and black, is the wise-old one on the offensive line.

Actually a lot of players you loved when you were last a fan are gone. Justin Smith has moved on. So has Landon Johnson, Levi Jones, Chris Perry, Madieu Williams, and Eric Steinbach, just to name a few.

Carson is still the quarterback, though he's just now rounding back into form after missing most of last year, when you were wondering why people still went to games and figuring out ways to scalp some Colts tickets.

Remember how much fun you had saying "Houshmandzadeh?" Yeah well, he's not here either. The fun name to say is "Maualuga." (MAH-WUH-LOO-GA)

The crazy hair guy is Domata Peko. Defensive line. Where John Thornton used to play. Shayne Graham is still on the team. He hangs out at 2009's place for the pretentious, Bootsy's. Speaking of Bootsy's, he's so 2005. Crack Sauce is the new Bootsy.

Oh yeah, and speaking of pretentious, Paul Brown Stadium still has luxury suites, football domain of the pretentious and bandwagon jumpers alike. I'm sure if you find your way to PBS, you'll be bee-lining the suites. Give the other a-holes my best. Ask how many people had to be laid off the retain it and how many of their company's lower-salaried workers get to enjoy it.

Also, when you last left us, our men were running up quite the arrest tally. Most of those fellows involved aren't here anymore. Odell Thurman has moved on the something called the UFL (I'd explain that concept, but your head would explode). What may surprise you is that Chris Henry is still here, and believe it or not, acting every bit the model citizen.

Marvin Lewis is still the coach. Mike Brown is still the owner. You won't understand why most of us still can't stand him despite the team's record. Perhaps you do your shopping in Butler County.

Let's see, who else might you be looking for? David Pollack? Neck injury forced him to retire. Sam Adams? Biggest free agent bust in team history, though he was possibly a worse owner than nose tackle. Owned a team called the Jungle Kats that played Arena Football. Actually, he might've been a worse owner than Mike Brown. Torry James is gone too. Replaced by Leon Hall. He and Jonathan Joseph are forming quite the duo in the defensive backfield. Cedric Benson is the new Rudi, wearing number 32. He's doing quite well. However, screams of "Ceeeed" are not repalcing "Ruuuuudi." Just yell "go!" when he carries it. There's also this newcomer named Andre Caldwell...he's been money late in games, caught the game-winning TD passes against both Baltimore and Pittsburgh, which since you might have been rooting for the Steelers at the time, is probably something you remember.

Brad St. Louis is now the object of our frustration. He's the long snapper. (Note from Craig, here's the reference to St. Louis I wrote about earlier. When this was posted two whole days ago he was still a Bengal.) Actually he was the long snapper when you were last with us, but you didn't know who he was because no one knows who the long snapper is if he's good, which he is not. You'll hear some grumbling about a guy named Andre Smith too. He was the Bengals' first round pick this year. He weighs as much as your Prius.

Anyway, welcome back to the bandwagon. It's great to have you. Throw on your new Bengals t-shirt (iron out the folds) or your Maualuga jersey and settle in for the season. At least until they lose two in a row.

Cedric Benson on pace to shatter Bengals single-season rushing record

Kirkendall — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:43:28 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson (32) runs past Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Evander Hood (96) and linebacker James Harrison (92) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

Browse more photos »

[Editor's note: Chris also ran a feature about Cedric Benson on his other blog, Intentional Foul. We have an open relationship. Even though I tend to be the jealous type, I gave my consent that Chris can write for another blog. It hurts sometimes, but aside from sleepless nights, I'm getting through alright.]

So one of the primary storylines this season on the offensive side of the ball is Carson Palmer. Is he back? Is he good? Should we think about replacing him? Blah. Blah. Blah. If there's one stat that shows Palmer is going to be alright, once he gets a season-worth of rust off his rehabilitated elbow, is that in two of the three games this year, he led the offense to a last minute touchdown drive to take the lead. What else could you want? Is the offensive line going to hold things together or will they breakdown? The defense has been a story of high interest this year too; only because our new-found understanding that defense means more than guys accidentally getting in the way of the opposing offense.

However, there is another aspect of this team that's immensely improved. In fact, let me say it with a ballroom echo where my voice sounds godly. Through three games this season, Benson is recording one of the best starts of any primary running back in the past 11 seasons. Not even Corey Dillon has come close to the numbers that Benson is putting up to start the season.

The only season in which someone put up better numbers to start the season was 2005, when Rudi Johnson recorded more yards (300) and touchdowns (3). Only twice have Bengals running backs recorded a better average than four-yards-per-rush or better in the previous ten seasons. In 2009, Benson is shattering that, averaging 4.44 yards-per-rush.

		Att	Yards	Y/A	TDs
2009	Cedric Benson	66	293	4.44	2
2008	Chris Perry	60	180	3.0	2
2006	Rudi Johnson	58	177	3.05	0
2005	Rudi Johnson	73	288	3.95	3
2004	Rudi Johnson	73	300	4.11	1
2003	Corey Dillon	40	144	3.60	1
2002	Corey Dillon	49	184	3.76	0
2001	Corey Dillon	57	207	3.63	1
2000	Corey Dillon	41	82	1.98	0
1999	Corey Dillon	53	216	4.08	1
1998	Corey Dillon	52	196	3.77	2

I'm fully aware that stats like this are meaningless through three games. Perhaps I'm simply taking advantage of your optimism to spill additional happy-joy feelings for at least a week. I'm a prick like that.

However, for those of you that dig stats and want more of it, this is another piece of evidence that shows the Bengals offensive line is better than last year, if not the best we've seen since the 2005 group of young Levi Jones, Pro Bowler Willie Anderson, versatile Eric Steinback, Bobbie Williams and the guy that every Bengals fan loved that no one else knew about, Richie Braham.

Are Anthony Collins, Andrew Whitworth, Kyle Cook, Evan Mathis, Nate Livings, Dennis Roland and Bobbie Williams as good as that group? Hell no. Are they serviceable to the point that your concerns about the offensive line is starting to fade, game by game? Hell yes. All the while first round pick Andre Smith is working to get back on the field with a busted foot and a lengthy negotiation process that pushed back his progression. Even when he's introduced to the field in the NFL, the Bengals won't incorporate an offensive line as good as that 2005 unit. On the other hand, the team's depth with this squad is very impressive.

Right now, Benson is on pace to record 1,562 yards rushing, which would be over 100 yards better than Rudi Johnson's 1,458 yards rushing record set in 2005.

If you look at the Cincinnati Bengals roster, you have to ask yourself, is this team better than 2008?

Kirkendall — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:59:11 -0000

Relatively surprised by the lack of overall reaction from other fan sites, I had hoped for an idea of what others thought about the team's 53-man roster. Maybe some expected the look we received Saturday afternoon, thus electing to play off the analysis. Others could be sitting by, waiting for the practice squad announcement, as well as any changes after the Bengals make claims on the waiver wire; as well as possibly signing veterans; not that the practice squad has anything to do with the 53-man roster the Bengals will have heading into the regular season. And then maybe some are simply too disgusted to logically differentiate how the Bengals look this year, compared to last year, that led to a 4-11-1 season.

I've often chalked up last year as a season in which the Karma gods said, "it's your turn" to have a bunch of things happen that you won't recover from -- such as losing the starting quarterback, a disgruntled receiver, over 20 guys on IR (many of whom were starters), aging players where their body's are breaking down, etc. I know. It's an excuse. Excuses don't change the fact the Bengals started last year 0-8 and finished with the worst ranked offense in the league (note: we had a better record than Cleveland, so that's cool). That also doesn't mean the Karma gods won't point at us again in 2009. Perhaps it's our turn again. Carson Palmer goes down, the offensive line continues to struggle and the rushing offense becomes the biggest disappointment after high expectations. The defense has to bail us out, and historically speaking, that's not something we're capable of believing. Then again, if you believe in balance, all the went wrong last year, is righted. Palmer retains his title as the God of Golden Arms, the rebuilt offensive line comes through and Cedric Benson resumes what he did in the final three games last year -- averaging 154 yards from the line of scrimmage per game. Oh, and last year's 12th ranked defense with added personnel, makes a run at the top ten. Hey, anything could happen, right? After all, the Bengals are playing a much weaker schedule than they were in 2008. And in the division, during the past two even numbered seasons, the Baltimore Ravens struggled (6-10 in 2005, 5-11 in 2007) and the season after winning the Super Bowl in 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs. We can only hope for trends.

Will the Bengals make a run this year? That, like most things in life, is totally unpredictable. And no one predicted that quarterback Carson Palmer would miss 12 games in 2008. However, I believe that the Bengals will be far better this year than 2008. You can see that if you take a position by position look at the roster.

Quarterback - Saying that Palmer is returning assumes he won't get hurt again in 2009. And I won't say that durability issues are starting to become worrisome with our starting quarterback. The fact is, injury forced him to miss 75% of the regular season last year and this year's preseason (though mostly out of caution and additional time for rehabilitation during needless preseason games). The foundation of where the question is more answerable, points towards the team's backup quarterback. If Palmer goes down again, do you believe J.T. O'Sullivan is a better passer than Ryan Fitzpatrick? Some could point to this years preseason and answer yes. O'Sullivan also has a history of being a decent performers in some regular season games. Others will point to the same collection of arguments saying that Fitzpatrick had a good preseason in 2008 and J.T. O'Sullivan also has a history of being a disaster in some regular season games.

Running back - Let me remind you of last year. Chris Perry and Rudi Johnson had decent offseasons which fooled enough people into believing that both would mimic their incredible one-two combination in 2005. Johnson was hurt through the preseason and subsequently released. Perry never recorded more than 75 yards rushing and through six games in which he recorded 10 rushing attempts or more, he averaged three yards or more in only two games.

This is what you have to ask this year, adjusting your mindset into a comparitve analysis of where we were last year: Is Cedric Benson a better option than Chris Perry? Is Bernard Scott a better option than Kenny Watson? Is DeDe Dorsey in 2009 a better option that DeDe Dorsey in 2008? I suppose if he plays more than four games this year, that answer is yes.

Wide Receiver and Tight End . T.J. Houshmandzadeh leaves and Laveranues Coles arrives. This, to me, isn't the argument. Chad Ochocinco is far more motivated to play this year and he looks to play two combined Pro Bowl seasons in 2009. Chris Henry looks like he did his first two seasons where he recorded 15 touchdowns; along with his total life change in which you get the feeling that you can finally trust him. Even if you're asking for a comparison between two wide receivers (Houshmandzadeh and Coles) to see if the position is stronger, I believe looking at Chad and Henry's motivations clearly makes the position stronger alone.

Tight End on the other hand, is different. I do believe the position is weaker. I won't go on what we expect out of Chase Coffman, he's a rookie. We won't know until the season plays itself out. Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht going down hurts the position, because two rookies are manning the position with Daniel Coats, who benefited greatly after Kelly went on IR because he was fighting for a roster spot with Coffman as the team's third Tight End. Now Coats, having the perfect scenario of two injuries playing out to make a roster spot, is now the team's starter. This will be the second time in two seasons he became the default starter because of injury.

Offensive Line. Not only is this the most critical for the team to improve upon, it's also one of the more dramatically changed compared to the starting lineup last year against the Baltimore Ravens.

	2008	2009 *
LT	Levi Jones	Andre Whitworth
LG	Andrew Whitworth	Nate Livings
C	Eric Ghiaciuc	Kyle Cook
RG	Bobbie Williams	Bobbie Williams
RT	Stacy Andrews	Anthony Collins

* Projected

I believe while we've improved at left tackle, we've dropped at left guard; Livings is replaceable at best. I also believe it's obvious that we've improved at center, while as of right, we're kind of pushing at right tackle. However, I'm too hesitant to actually say if we're improved or worse. Apart of me wants to say we are, because of the changes in perseonnel. However, another part of me just isn't sure.

Defensive End. Oddly enough, this position holds the same personnel this year as it did last year with one exception; Michael Johnson, who did not record a single sack during the preseason. In fact, this group only recorded two sacks in four preseason games; Robert Geathers sacked Tom Brady and Frostee Rucker had a sack, forced fumble and fumble recover.

This is where I believe we improved (albeit only slightly). Antwan Odom entered last year with a bum ankle, having been carted off at the start of Training Camp when he suffered the injury. He missed four games in the season and recorded three sacks on the first year of a well-paid contract. During the offseason, he gained bulk without losing the speed. Geathers looked great in the preseason, aggressively fighting blockers against the run and pass. I believe he's the best overall defensive end on the roster. Fanene has always been solid and can play both end and tackle. The biggest chance that the Bengals took was holding onto Rucker for one more season. It's not that he lacks talent; he just lacks the ability to stay healthy.

Defensive Tackle. John Thornton went into semi-retirement after this year, Jason Shirley converted to an offensive linemen and Michael Myers wasn't re-signed. The Bengals responded by replacing all of them with Tank Johnson. The Bengals will go into the regular season (as of this post) with three defensive tackles, likely using Rucker and Fanene in rotation. Is the position improved, worse or is it a push? I think this has everything to do with Sims, who led the team with three quarterback sacks during the preseason and led all defensive linemen with 13 total tackles. It's with my belief that he, not Tank Johnson, made a convincing argument to start opposite Domata Peko. The question though, is the position stronger than it was last year? I believe it is.

Linebackers. Think of it this way. Brandon Johnson recorded 112 tackles and Rashad Jeanty recorded 97 tackles last year. They ranked second and fourth respectively on the team. And there's a shot that neither will be starters against the Denver Broncos. Keith Rivers will retake his spot as the team's weak-side linebacker and it's evident that the Bengals coaching staff wants to start Rey Maualuga over Jeanty on the strong-side. Having two guys that combined for 209 tackles just shouts to the heavens that the Bengals strongest position, in terms of depth, is linebackers. The team's starting middle linebacker, Dhani Jones, is coming off a season in which he led the team with 165 tackles.

Compared to last year, the Bengals replaced Darryl Blackstock with Maualuga and Mays with Abdul Hodge, who led the Bengals with 18 tackles (13 solo) this preseason. Furthermore, if you watched the way Rivers played this year, he already looks far superior last year. He's quicker, stronger and far more aggressive than he was last year. He has the potential to be a multiple Pro Bowler. It's my belief that the Bengals linebackers is the strongest position on defense.

Secondary. Simeon Castille, Dexter Jackson, Herana-Daze Jones, Corey Lynch and Marvin White all have something in common; all were with the Bengals in 2008 when the season started; none are with the Bengals in 2009. Replacing those five are Geoffrey Pope, Morgan Trent, Chris Crocker, Roy Williams and Tom Nelson. I believe cornerbacks is improved, mostly because Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall look better this year than last. Morgan Trent lacked a solid pedigree with the Michigan Wolverines that makes us conclude we've improved the position with Geoffrey Pope as a filler. The Bengals could even look at upgrading the position from now until the season kicks off on the waiver wire or on free agency.

As for safety, we appear better. The questions are; is Tom Nelson better than Corey Lynch and is Roy Williams better than Marvin White? Chris Crocker is obviously an improvement, considering he could be one of the team's secondary leaders.

Special Teams. Kyle Larson. Kevin Huber. Set. Serve. Match.

The roster as it is, isn't perfect. No roster in the NFL could possibly be perfect. However, that isn't the question. The debate right now is: Is the 2009 Bengals better than the 2008 Bengals?

Poll

Simple poll question. Do you believe that the Bengals roster in 2009 is better than the roster in 2008?

Yes

490 votes

No

40 votes

530 votes | Poll has closed

Getting to know the Bengals

VanRam — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:30:16 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer \talks with receiver Chad Ochocinco. Will Ochocinco be Twittering during tomorrow's preseason game with the St. Louis Rams?

Browse more photos »

In an effort to better know the Cincinnati Bengals, the Rams opponent in tomorrow night's third preseason game, I went straight to Josh over at Cincy Jungle, SBN's Bengals site.

With that brief introduction, let's get to know the Cincinnati Bengals.

What are the Bengals plans if Carson Palmer misses time with injury?

He’s definitely missing the game this Thursday against the Rams, especially after missing three practices this week with a mild high ankle sprain. The biggest problem he’s having is on his drop backs – I suppose for a quarterback, that’s kind of important. Luckily, his arm is crisp and his throws have had some zip. Once his ankle heals, he should be fine. There’s already word that Palmer is expected to return against the Colts next week, hoping to get in some work before the regular season kicks off.

During the offseason, the Bengals reiterated, several times, that the offense is taking a proactive approach to rushing the ball with more frequency and dedication. This new philosophy they’re working to incorporate has a lot to do with being in the same division as the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers; teams that battled for the AFC Championship last year. It’s why we made an effort to improve the position with the acquisitions of Brian Leonard and Bernard Scott during the offseason.

If Palmer misses time, the Bengals will likely push their philosophy to rush the ball, setting up play action to allow our great wide receivers the little room they need to break big gains.

With Housh gone, give us an idea about the Bengals situation at WR? Does Coles have any legs left?

Chad Esteban Ochocinco Johnson Fitzgerald worked fiercely this offseason with the goal of recapturing his old form. Much was publicized about his desire to leave Cincinnati and many pointed towards that as being the reason he had the worst season in his career. However, he also dealt with ankle and shoulder issues all year which basically neutralized the team’s downfield threat.

With that said, our wildcard is Chris Henry. If you’re unaware of his past transgressions, do a quick Google search to get yourself up to snuff. After being exonerated after his latest "incident", Henry returned with the team midway through last season. Since then, Henry has shown remarkable progress towards a maturity level that still has us speechless. Furthermore, Palmer has taken the kid under his wings, spending time with him during the offseason in California, working out together. We believe he’s turned that page, realizing the gifts and opportunities that he has. On the field, he hasn’t just been a weapon on the offense; he’s been the offense.

We haven’t seen much of Laveranues Coles, so I can’t really say with much authority. But you know how preseason is with older guys; you just don’t get a good look. Some are predicting that Henry will unseat Coles as the number two wide receiver, which might make the most sense. Henry, we believe, can beat any cornerback with his size and speed. Putting Coles in the slot could be very dangerous for opposing defenses. And while you’re thinking of all that, just remember, Chad is determined to have his best year in his career to make up for the disaster that he experienced last year. He’s expressed immense guilt over all of that.

With all of that said, we also have Andre Caldwell, who shows remarkable similarities to Houshmandzadeh. Jerome Simpson has made some amazing catches and is arguably the fastest wide receiver on the team. We have one hell of a wide receiver group.

Is Andre Smith ever going to sign?

One can hope. All I’m good for is a quick rundown on where we are; which in itself could bore the hell out of your readers. So, the quickest version is that both sides are roughly $12 million apart in negotiations. The Bengals claim that they want to pay Smith something closer to the rest of the first round picks; however disregarding the slotting system. Alvin Keels, Andre Smith’s representative, only wants Smith to be paid where he’s slotted. It’s an impasse that requires some compromise and creative negotiations. We’re stuck like trench warfare during World War I. At this rate, we’re not expecting to see Smith in the first regular season game this year.

How have the Bengals other draft picks looked so far? We're especially interested in how Maualuga looks since the Rams had he and Laurinaitis to choose from. Any surprises from this year's draft class?

This has been a great class. Rey Maualuga shows flashes of his talents; ranging from reckless abandonment, shooting through gaps and clogging the point of attack. Speed and aggression are his best attributes; however lack recognition and over-aggressiveness have also shown to be his biggest liability. Moving from middle linebacker to outside linebacker has risen concerns about his coverage skills, which we expect will take some time. As of now, he’s the backup strong side linebacker with an inside track to being the team’s middle linebacker once Dhani Jones leaves Cincinnati.

Michael Johnson could be the steal of the draft – not for just the Bengals, but for the NFL. A little over-optimistic? Well, you’re talking to a Bengals fan in the preseason. We tend to do that. Anyway, he has the size and speed and has drawn comparisons to players like Jevon Kearse and DeMarcus Ware from "experts". Due to injury at the position, Chase Coffman has a real chance to start at Tight End and Kevin Huber is the punter, hands down. There’s a very good chance that five of the top six players selected by the Bengals could be starters by year’s end.

How has former Ram Brian Leonard looked this year? Where does he figure to be on the depth chart?

Let me make this relative to the Bengals, rather than specifically an examination of a single player comparable to the position standards. When the regular season kicked off last year, the Bengals had Chris Perry, Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey. Perry and Watson were released soon after the season ended and Dorsey is desperately competing for a roster spot. That alone expresses the first question that the team is taking a proactive approach towards dedicating themselves into a stronger rushing offense.

Brian Leonard is an improvement over those guys, easily. As of now, Leonard is competing against Bernard Scott for the backup role. Scott, one of the team’s two sixth round picks, has attributes that are best used as a change-of-pace back while Leonard is probably the team’s best third-down option. However, those two are back and forth in terms of their talents, so it could easily be the other way around.

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

The Bearcats and Cincinnati Bengals South; a few previews for tonight, watching the offensive line

Kirkendall — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:15:57 -0000

Last year, while we sat through the back-end of a retched eight-game losing streak, it became apparent that the Bengals might miss the playoffs. While that thought horribly sunk in, there was another football team in Cincinnati that was taking over the show. We followed the Cincinnati Bearcats from start to finish last year, enjoying their ride to their first ever BCS game. Their games were exciting and their rise was awesome. Even though they lost to Virginia Tech 20-7 in the FedEx Orange Bowl, it was a great ride by the Bearcats. This year the University of Cincinnati are underdogs to conference favorites Pittsburgh and Rutgers. ESPN's Big East blogger Brian Bennett lists quarterback Tony Pike and Wide Receiver Mardy Gilyard as his preseason All-Big East team.

We plan on doing the same thing this year, observing them, though in less detail than Bearcats specific sites. My goal is to keep Bearcats interest high, supporting them for as long as we have Brian Kelly (which might not be very long). And for some of you, to turn you into Bearcats fans.

We also want to, though without any confidence that we'll do it regularly, follow the Cincinnati Bengals South, also known as the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. While there's no roster listed online, as far as we can tell, we know that the following Bengals players are with the Tuskers this year.

Former Bengals defensive coordinator is also the Tuskers linebackers coach. This is by no means complete. Most of the names were found in a post we did about the UFL draft. So it's possible players have come and gone and we wouldn't know about it; it's not like I'm signing up for Tusker Tweets. Heh.

+ If you were in downtown Cincinnati, you had an opportunity to watch Hard Knocks on Fountain Square. However, managers decided to pull the plug. Was the crowd out of control? Were there Steelers fans that slipped past the defensive parameter, setting up a timer for dark matter to swallow the Queen City? No. The show had cursing.

“We try to keep our content PG-13,” says Kelly Leon, vice president of 3CDC, which programs Fountain Square entertainment.

Cursing. The cause for war and pestilence. Word has it from a prophet that the act of cursing will open a gateway in which aliens will enslave the human race to drain Earth's resources leaving the planet baron. Thank god others are doing their part to keep that gateway closed.

Moving on. Links and Notes

All four Bengals preseason games will be broadcasted in HD, carried by Local 12, starting tonight.

Joe Reedy previews tonight's game.

The Chickster says tonight's game will be the first test for the Bengals rebuilt offensive line | Joe Reedy agrees.

The first unit did well during last week’s scrimmage, which had line coach Paul Alexander to the point of jubilation, but Friday night is a different deal. It will serve as a better indicator to how much progress the line has been made and what is left to do.

“For the most part, we’ve been where we need to be and the mental mistakes haven’t been there as much,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “Right now is a chance to show that. It doesn’t matter if you can’t do it on a live field. It’s a chance to get out there for some live action and to hit someone else. We’re ready for it.”

Robert Geathers will be entering his fifth season in the NFL and he's only 26 years old. He's looking to take on a role as a defensive leader.

Who Dey Fans react to Hard Knocks, specifically the way J.D. Runnels was cut.

WDR points out that ticket sales for the team continues to fall, striding towards their to goal to make sure games are not sold out to affect Mike Brown's pocket book. I really hope it works. Otherwise players will see open seats, become less inspired to play and rather than changing things, Brown will become even more penny-pinching.

Which running games were good at what? (2008)

shake n bake — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:00:10 -0000

Looking at the Colts running game through the last 15 years in terms of consistency, explosiveness, power and ball security interested me and went over well with all of you, so now I'm wondering about the whole league. Which teams were good in which areas. Do running games thought of as elite have weak points? Do some generally poor running games have redeeming features?

Jump for sortable ranks in totals, YPC, consistency, explosiveness, power and ball security stats for the 2008 season.

Table Notes:

Back A is the back with the highest % of team carries, Back B is any other back with over 25% of team carries.
Success Rate is the average of all the teams backs with 100+ carries, weighted by attempts.
Success Rate unavailable for Broncos since none of their 7 RBs reached 100 carries.

Team	Back A	Back B	Total Rushing	YPC	Success Rate	10+ run	20+ run	Power Success	Fumble
Giants	Brandon Jacobs	Derrick Ward	2,518	5.02	51%	25%	4.78%	62%	1.39%
Falcons	Micheal Turner	None	2,443	4.36	48%	23%	2.86%	70%	1.43%
Panthers	DeAngelo Williams	Jonathan Stewart	2,437	4.84	46.2%	27%	4.76%	79%	0.79%
Ravens	LeRon McClain	Willis McGahee	2,376	4.01	47.4%	16%	1.86%	76%	1.86%
Vikings	Adrian Peterson	Chester Taylor	2,338	4.50	45.3%	25%	4.43%	73%	2.50%
Patriots	Sammie Morris	None	2,278	4.44	49%	16%	2.14%	70%	0.78%
Titans	Chris Johnson	LenDale White	2,199	4.33	48.4%	24%	2.95%	61%	1.18%
Redskins	Clinton Portis	None	2,095	4.38	48%	13%	3.56%	69%	1.05%
Jets	Thomas Jones	None	2,004	4.75	54%	20%	2.61%	61%	2.13%
Raiders	Justin Fargas	Darren McFadden	1,987	4.33	40.6%	17%	2.61%	62%	2.40%
Dolphins	Ronnie Brown	Ricky Williams	1,897	4.23	48.6%	17%	2.46%	76%	1.34%
Broncos	Micheal Pittman	None	1,846	4.81	Unavailable	17%	2.07%	70%	2.07%
Texans	Steve Slaton	None	1,842	4.27	44%	24%	3.01%	70%	2.08%
Bills	Marshawn Lynch	Fred Jackson	1,837	4.20	48.4%	16%	2.05%	62%	1.59%
Buccaneers	Warrick Dunn	Ernest Graham	1,810	4.07	46.8%	18%	1.77%	65%	1.33%
Chiefs	Larry Johnson	None	1,810	4.78	45%	25%	3.96%	58%	2.90%
Packers	Ryan Grant	None	1,805	4.13	46%	21%	2.39%	74%	2.52%
Jaguars	Maurice Jones-Drew	Fred Taylor	1,774	4.16	43.9%	17%	2.58%	76%	1.17%
Seahawks	Julius Jones	Maurice Morris	1,768	4.24	41.7%	20%	3.12%	76%	1.68%
Chargers	LaDainian Tomlinson	None	1,726	4.10	45%	17%	2.61%	78%	0.71%
Cowboys	Marion Barber III	None	1,723	4.30	41%	22%	2.99%	68%	2.24%
Eagles	Bryan Westbrook	None	1,697	3.97	48%	17%	2.58%	55%	0.94%
Steelers	Willie Parker	Mewelde Moore	1,690	3.67	45%	15%	1.74%	64%	0.87%
Bears	Matt Forte	None	1,673	3.85	43%	17%	2.30%	63%	0.92%
Rams	Stephen Jackson	None	1,649	3.95	46%	16%	2.16%	66%	1.92%
Browns	Jamal Lewis	None	1,605	3.92	40%	15%	1.71%	59%	1.96%
49ers	Frank Gore	None	1,599	4.03	47%	13%	2.33%	52%	3.78%
Saints	Pierre Thomas	Reggie Bush/Deuce McAllister	1,594	4.01	55.8%	15%	2.26%	64%	2.01%
Bengals	Cedric Benson	Chris Perry	1,520	3.62	36.4%	12%	1.67%	56%	2.38%
Lions	Kevin Smith	None	1,332	3.78	44%	19%	2.56%	71%	2.27%
Colts	Joseph Addai	Dominic Rhodes	1,274	3.44	48.5%	09%	1.35%	62%	1.08%
Cardinals	Tim Hightower	Edgerrin James	1,178	3.46	40.4%	15%	1.47%	58%	1.47%

Shockingly the Colts running game was actually good at a few things. Dom and Addai gave the O a very good number of managable down and distances and rarely coughed up the football. The issues with the run game? Laughably little explosiveness and mediocre performance in power situations.

Looking at the outliers,

The Niners had serious issues holding onto the football, weren't good in power situations and didn't show much explosiveness. For a team led by a big name back they didn't do well.

The Panthers run game was dominant. Best power team, one of the top two most explosive along with the Giants and rarely fumbled.

Speaking of the Giants, they have a surprising breakdown. A RB stable led by the massive Brandon Jacobs had it's weakest point in the power game. They were a very consistent running game and had excellent explosiveness.

Palmer taking Henry under his wing; the devil called, said it's cold. No Bengals players going on PUP.

Kirkendall — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:47:25 -0000

+ Carson Palmer had a more-than-typical day of stories; relatively speaking for him of course. First, the introverted God of the Golden Arms noticed cameramen turning into zombies, crashing on the car window as he pulled into the parking lot. But that was before he picked up Chris Henry because the receiver's fiance had to borrow the car. Apparently Henry will set the world record for quickest turn around -- going from troubled to obedient family guy. However, as Joe Reedy says, "you can also call it another sign of Palmer’s taking Henry under his wing and helping him out." Or you can call it, Palmer needing Henry to beat the Steelers secondary (badly, like he used to) and making sure he's there on game day. Same thing.

+ Marvin Lewis is gleeful because he has no one to put on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list for the first time in seven years. I think I know why. His name was Chris Perry.

+ Mike Zimmer said:

“We’ve got a pretty deep group at linebacker. On the line there’s going to be one guy whose a pretty good player whose probably not going to make the club and safety looks pretty full also.”

Honestly, I wouldn't put much stock into believing that there will be a surprise cut here. I believe he's just selling the overall improvement of the team's defensive front. Maybe to fans to buy tickets. Or maybe he genuinely believes that, with Tank and Michael Johnson making their Bengals debut this year.

Laveranues Coles speaks on Chad Ochocinco Johnson Tolliver Rodriguez Smith.

"Just being around him, you can tell the way the media portrays him he is not the person that he is, I can tell you that," Coles said. "When he's away from the camera and not Twittering, he's a great guy. He loves to have fun. He's a great teammate. I think he just enjoys being Chad and I think a lot of guys should enjoy themselves.

"We're all made up different," Coles said. "And he's one of those guys that loves what he's doing and likes the attention. That's one of the great things about him. He's one of those people that can go out and say things and still draw attention to himself and still go out and perform when he's double teamed. Having a guy like that on your team makes it fun, makes it interesting, and it also get a lot of publicity."

(Quick note for Geoff Hobson: Never use the word "inject" for any reason about any football related player, team or medical staff with Cincinnati)

With Tank Johnson playing only on a one-year deal, and only Domata Peko and Pat Sims as the NFL ready defensive tackles signed in 2010 (depending of course how Jason Shirley does this year), will the Bengals look at a defensive tackle heavy crop in the 2010 NFL draft?

Dave points out that Andre Smith is the only unsigned draft pick in the AFC North, after Brian Robiskie and Michael Oher signed their respective deals. In other players signing deals in the AFC North news, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Heath Miller to a six-year contract.

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager thinks that Bernard Scott is worth rooting for this year. I agree.

Michael Vick will be counted against the 53-man roster if the team "elects to make available to practice". Prisco says his future is a backup quarterback. There's reports surfacing that the Baltimore Ravens are admitting that they have some interest in Michael Vick. There's also rumor that the Ravens could explore a trade for Brandon Marshall.

Paul Brown is listed by the Sporting News as the 12th greatest coach of all time -- in seven major sports (MLB, NFL, NHL, MLB, college football and basketball -- men's and women's). Brown is listed as the second greatest NFL coach. A few notables on the list includes Woody Hayes at #27 and Sparky Anderson at #38