Inexplicable

Is there no loyalty left in the NFL? The Bengals should never have cut Willie Anderson. They can’t be that strapped for cash. So why do it?

If this decision is based on financial concern, then it had better translate to resigning Housh. Willie was due for a fairly modest $3 million this season, and was asked to take a pay cut or leave. What a way to treat a guy who has repeatedly supported a franchise whose decisions no one can understand. This man is a hall-of-famer who has played through more pain than is reasonable to ask of a person, he’s been one of very few people to publicly praise Mike Brown, has been a rock in a very turbulent locker room.

Even if the Bengals had concerns about his contract, they could have approached him about it in the off-season or work it out as camp progressed. If you want to save some dough by cutting an expensive, underachieving offensive tackle, look no further than Levi Jones. Willie was still a serviceable tackle who added tremendous depth to a line that underwhelmed the world during the preseason. He deserved to have one more season and go out with dignity.

As for Rudi, hooray! Now there’s a guy not worth his contract. I still have concerns with Chris Perry’s longevity throughout the year and I would like to have a complimentary power back, but Rudi was not the answer. He’ll find a job somewhere.

Deltha O’Neal was a bit of a surprise. We’re not particularly deep at corner and I’ve been less than thrilled with David Jones. The Bengals kept six safeties because of their ability to play special teams. They also kept corner Simeon Castille who was a long shot to make the team. Deltha was also scheduled to make $3 million this year and I think Mike Zimmer wasn’t all that impressed with him.

Ahmad Brooks fell apart fast on this team. Last year going in to Week 2, I had pro-bowl hopes for the guy. He fell to third string by the end of camp, and players like Blackstock, Henderson, and Brandon Johnson has made the freak athlete expendable.

Every year I have less hope in the direction of this team. I've become used to shrugging and hoping for the best, but not even in the backwards, twisted universe that is the Bengals does it make sense to bring back Chris Henry and cut Willie Anderson. Who’s running this team?

Mojokong – The Bengals behave like a moody teenager.

What's Really Going On?

It’s still only preseason. The words repeat themselves in my head like a mantra of rationale. I heard it over and over again Saturday night as I watched Carson getting smacked in the mouth by an aged safety we released two years ago. “We’ll get it together,” I say aloud after witnessing yet another missed tackle. A blocked field goal?...we’ve still got time to fix all of this...right?

I sometimes get the feeling I’m telling everyone to be calm in a plane crash. There’s a lot of doubt floating around right now and we haven’t even started yet.

There are some legitimate excuses for some problems. Chad’s shoulder tear (as reported first on this blog) has been legitimized by ESPN’s John Clayton and it sounds like it will be 85's choice to play with the injury or not. I predict he gives it a go, gets hit once...maybe twice, and calls it a season. As the great Basilgrey wisely noted, the words Chad and tough are not synonymous. Housh continues to mollycottle his hamstring and the rookies look like babes in the woods out there. Chris “Afrodite” Henry will have to wait four whole games to contribute, and the promising Marcus Maxwell is out for the season as well. Of course the passing game is going to struggle, but I think it will get better as personnel returns..

And then there are some not so legitimate excuses for the Bengals’ struggles. Our offensive line, the so-called Jurrasic line which has applied more to being slow and dumb rather than big and scarey, is the healthiest its been in years, has pro-bowl talent and is apparently blind. It’s just not good business employing blind lineman, I’m tellin’ ya. Bratkowski made mention that some of the blame goes to the backs and tight ends as well. None of that matters. Just keep our franchise off of his back and keep his nose in tact for chrise sake.

The value of a good center is hard to quantify. They’re rarely considered a worthwhile first-round pick yet there never seem to be decent free agent centers to plug into a line. Paul Brown knew the value of a good one. He took a center, Bob Johnson from Tennessee, with the Bengals first pick ever. Rich Braham was great and I miss him. Ghaciuc is still getting pushed around, and I don’t mean to offend him but I think he’s a pansy. It’s too bad though: back up Dan Santucci is out for a while and really isn’t that much better when healthy.

I like what I’ve seen from Leon Hall so far. Even the Garbage man himself, Dexter Jackson, has looked aight. Keith Rivers showed us last week he does indeed have some rookie tendencies that need polishing, but overall this one looks solid. Pass rush has not improved an iota but, in theory, help is on the way with the expected return of Odom for Week 1.

It’s only preseason. It’s only preseason. It’s only preseason. It’s only preseason. It’s only preseason.

Mojokong - You’d better buckle up.

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. Bengals’ management rarely makes sense when it comes to player personnel. Resigning Chris Henry is like sticking your finger in the mousetrap for the fifth or sixth time. From a distance, it doesn’t look like either side in this continuing saga has learned anything from their previous mistakes. Some might argue that the Bengals have little to lose in all of this. If, or rather when, Chris Henry takes the law into his own hands again, management can say that nobody can help the talented receiver get his life together and that he’s a lost cause. That would be okay if we didn’t already take that approach earlier in the summer when they cut him. By bringing him back, the Bengals have basically given up on trying to “change the image” of the team and have given the bird to any PR concerns they’ve had to deal with for the past three seasons. Winning is apparently more important the public’s perception of the Bengals.

No one can argue that the guy doesn’t immediately boost our injured and inexperienced receiving corps. On the field, the man can stretch defenses. Off it…well, mistakes are often made. Inside sources report that Chad’s shoulder is badly torn and he very well could miss the entire season. Housh is treating a strained hamstring very cautiously after missing the year in 2003 by trying to return too fast from the same injury. Rookie wide outs Caldwell and Simpson both appear to be projects and the team isn’t counting on them to contribute much in the short term.

I don’t think Marv wanted Henry back, but the decision came from the office of one desperate and confused Mike Brown. Marv was pretty adamant about Henry blowing his opportunity to be an NFL player. He, on the surface looked to have been fed up with unpredictable head cases like Henry and Odell Thurman. But Marv doesn’t write the checks, and every decision made ultimately makes its way to Mike Brown before anything is finalized.

Regardless, Henry won’t be a factor until week 5 thanks to a four game suspension dropped by big boss man Roger Goodell. If Henry can be ready to line up against Pacman Jones and score touchdowns, all will be temporarily forgiven and forgotten. If Henry decides to rob a convenient store with a stolen Gatling gun and go out in a blaze of gunfire with local police, will the Bengals and Mike Brown ever be forgiven or forgotten? The risk runs deeper than winning football games. At some point, team management, coaches, teammates and even fans will have to ask themselves if winning really is all that matters.

Mojokong – This just in: Bengals have hired Kevlar as their new equipment outfitter.

At First Glimpse

Many times, football is used metaphorically with war. I have a friend in the army who’s been shipped off to Iraq a couple of times. Before he went, the army sent him to Louisiana where they set up a simulated Iraq for the troops to train in. Football is not war- it’s fun and nobody dies - but nonetheless, that’s kind of what the preseason is like: training with live fire.

The nice thing about training is that there’s no reason to get excited one way or the other. The breakdowns and mishaps can be identified and corrected before it matters, and any success is expected and need not be ballyhooed or celebrated just yet. I urge the fans to view these games as simple evaluations of what we’re working with, and as the great Douglas Adams persistently reminded the world, don’t panic.

Let’s get the gripes out of the way first.

Tackling is the first word that comes to mind. We as weatherbeaten Bengal fans can attest to, poor tackling is the fastest way for a hopeful season to end in ruin. Marvin White looks to be a big hitter but he can’t ankle tackle. Peko’s expectations have gone up 30 million times after signing his lucrative off-season contract, and wiffing on tackles-for-loss just won’t do. Daryl Blackstock had some tackling issues, David Jones has some coverage issues and Ahmad Brooks was invisible.

Offensively, I was a little underwhelmed by our receivers and back-up quarterbacks. While I like seeing Fitzpatrick run when he doesn’t find an open man, he looks to be confused when dropping back to pass and seems like he uses his legs more out of necessity. Third-stringer Jeff Rowe didn’t look ready either. Jordan Palmer couldn’t generate any yards.

As for the good stuff?

I’m very pleased to see Chris Perry running so hard. Our offensive line works best with a cutback runner, and that’s exactly what a healthy Perry brings to the table. We know he has good hands, and his touchdown run last night looked like those Steven Jackson Nike commercials from last year. To watch him break a tackle, drag a guy to the goal line, then stretch the ball into the endzone for a score , should relieve the collective anxiety Bengal fans feel about the running game this season. If Rudi can be even an inkling of his former, productive self, the change of pace between the two could take a lot of pressure off of Carson and his receiving mates. There’s still Kenny Watson who runs like a frog bouncing to the next lily pad (Aaron Thomas- Arnold). And we may even end up with DeDe Dorsey’s open field style of running to give the Bengals a full compliment of backs to play with in ‘08.

The O-line looks worry free, and Utecht appears to have some serious pass catching ability. I have little concern with our offense if we can run the ball even a little bit.

Is it me, or does Keith Rivers look bigger than he’s listed? Here’s a player to get excited about (I know I wrote not to get excited, but with Rivers I just can’t help it). The guy can close out runners trying to turn the corner, fill the gaps up the middle, and (insert Dick Vitale voice here) flat out tackle, baby! While Brandon Johnson continues to impress when he gets the reps, it won’t be possible to keep Rivers off the field Week 1 in Baltimore. I also noticed rookie safety Cory Lynch being in the right places and making plays.

What I like best about this team so far is its mentality. In years past with Marvin, we bought into the hype that we were a good team. Before Marvin, we bought into the hype that we were an awful team. Now, there is no hype either way. We’re considered a pretty average team whose random and humdrum. For once in the last five years, no one is looking at us.

Sunday against Detroit will be the next evaluation under live fire. Let’s remain stoically patient until then and assume our coaches are making the necessary improvements. Work on your game face before you move on to your war face.


Mojokong - Release the hounds!!

Additional Camp Notes

Additional camp notes.

In training camp, everybody wants to hear about how the new guys look. Our biggest new guy, Antwone Odom, is sidelined with a foot sprain. Number one pick Keith Rivers still hasn’t shown up for camp and new tight end Ben Utecht has barely been mentioned in any press coverage.

More concerning than the lack of excitement generated by those guys however, are the conspicuously quiet Jerome Simpson and Daryl Blackstock. There’s a battle for the third receiver spot, and all the names I keep hearing that are involved in this contest are Marcus Maxwell (who is getting a lot of press from ESPN writer James Walker), Antonio Chatman, and third round pick Andre Caldwell. Many thought Simpson was taken too high and he can’t even compete for a third receiver spot, than we may have reason to worry.

Daryl Blackstock is being edged (at least on paper) by fellow Arizona Cardinal castaway Branden Johnson. I had high hopes for Blackstock when we signed him, and he still may produce. Hopefully competition can raise both players’ performance.

Keep an eye on the defensive end spot left open from Odom. The ethereal Frostee Rucker seems to be slotted for that space, but we did sign Fanene to an off-season deal and I’m sure management would like to see him on the field as much as possible. Henderson is another name to keep an eye on in that spot.

Mojokong - pouring it out.

Camp Notes

It’s time to let yourself boil over with excitement again. Mojokong has returned with the start of training camp. And this year, I’ve brought Keith Rivers with me (he should be here any minute). Let’s begin then.

Points of interest:

It had to have been a tough pill for Willie to swallow when he saw his name listed second on the depth chart behind Stacey Andrews. Nobody likes being demoted and after 13 seasons of hall-of–fame caliber play, he had to have felt just a little under appreciated. But Willie is a consummate pro and a role model teammate who was both honest and supportive of Stacey Andrews when questioned about the depth chart

“"On top of (camp), knowing sometimes that competition brings rift," Anderson said. "I love Stacy Andrews. I raised him. The last thing I want to do is (have a) rift among the line. I don't want that to happen."
Words from a battle-hardened Berenstein Bear. You could write aesop fables about this guy’s moral standards. What a mess this team would be without a leader like him.

This offensive line is the best we’ve seen since ‘05. With rookie Collins getting heavy praise from the coaches, we now have seven quality, healthy lineman to rotate in and out. Even if Willie doesn’t start, he’s gonna see plenty of snaps throughout the season if he stays healthy. Andrew Whitworth became our best lineman last season, and was recently rewarded with a four year extension (at a very affordable price). With Whitworth’s new contract and Stacey Andrews promotion on the depth chart, the Bengals are phasing out Levi and Willie in favor of the more mobile, younger guys up front.

Jeremi Johnson came to camp too fat and was told he couldn’t play until he could bring his weight down to 270!! Come on JJ, we expect more professionalism than that. The fullback position is one of the more overlooked tasks in today’s NFL. Yet Johnson has been solid in his five years here and no one has benefited more from his head-on blocking style than Rudi. Marvin won’t put up with overweight players. He has no time or patience for such neglect of some pretty basic responsibilities like keeping yourself from ballooning to over 300 lbs. Last year’s back up tight end, Daniel Coates, could be converted to become our new starting fullback, which to me sounds worrisome. The lack of running game was the biggest reason for a losing season last year, and we need everything to go smoothly for a unit that looks awfully questionable as we start camp.

Odom’s sprained foot is just another taste of the wretched curse that lingers over PBS, Georgetown College, the team bus, or any other location the Bengals gather in. The most worrisome part of it all is that this is the kind of injury that tends to last far too long with this team. I can already see it: The Bengals will push his return back two weeks longer than necessary saying they’re taking all the “precautionary measures” they can before putting him back on the field. When he does come back, he’ll tell the press he’s doing so at about 85 percent. He’ll give a fairly mediocre performance in his first game back, complain that he can’t physically do what he does best - rush the passer - and elect to have season ending surgery so that he can come back completely healthy next year. It might have been better had he just broken his foot and come back in 6-8 weeks.

On paper, the Bengals look like another 8-8 team. We have no impact players on defense and our running game is a huge question mark. To have any success this season, players will have to over achieve, coaches can’t make mistakes and they can’t be killed by injuries. It’s up to a no-name defense, a has-been stable of running backs, and a very young corps of secondary receivers to get us above .500. For the first time in a few years we have little expectations going into training camp. Maybe we can prove the pundits wrong again this season, but in a good way this time.

Mojokong - Anything to keep my mind off of the Reds. Watching them play out their season is like watching that movie "Leaving Las Vegas".

Did you hear something?

For a mediocre team that nobody really likes, the Bengals sure do get a lot of national press during the off-season. Most of it this year is due to the Flavor-flav of the NFL, Chad Johnson, who America just can’t get enough of. Perhaps that’s an improvement over the stream of arrests and botched free-agent signings we’re used to reading about, but it’s still cause for embarrassment.

Chad has proven impossible for the world to ignore, even though his words are without substance or meaning and his attention-getting tactics resemble those of a self-conscious six-year-old. Like a washed-up celebrity clinging to a career through a crappy reality TV show, we as his audience are subjected to reading reports of Chad covering his head with a towel and drinking water during minicamp. Riveting!

This kind of stale sensationalism shouldn’t have a place in professional sports. Paparazzi should focus on bored royalty and Hollywood sluts, but instead prowl around practice fields waiting for Chad to do something really crazy like run routes.

But, they’re only doing their jobs. We as readers and viewers, gobble up the scraps of mundane information, and in doing so, arm Chad with the feeling of significance he so desperately seeks. If the “market” of media collectively shrugged their shoulders and asked “Who cares?”, what options would Chad have then? If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make noise? If a whiny receiver complains and no one listens, does it matter what he says?

Mojokong - The Yawning Yogi