Here are some random thoughts;

- The Marvin Lewis golf classic was over the weekend and Cincinnati writer Chick Ludwig did a feel good piece about how the Bengals are trying to improve their public image (link)

- I am pretty excited about the draft class, I think if we can get some decent productivity this year from the defensive lineman we have added we could be in ok shape. I am still fairly convinced we are solid in the secondary. I think our weakness is pressure on the quarterback. If given enough time the wide receivers are going to get some separation and get open. It is on the D line to make the quarterback get rid of the ball sooner. Also, if we can limit the rushing yards opponents are racking up against us we could be a middle of the road D.

- Everyone is super excited about the addition of Ben Utecht. Sure he is a pass catching / blocking tight end, but let me give you a couple of other bits of information. Since Ben is moving into town so is his wife, former Miss Minnesota Karyn Stordahl-Utecht. Operation Beautification in the nati is in effect. Also, apparently Ben is an accomplished Christian rock recording artist. He will be releasing his first album this NFL season. (I can't wait for the JTM commercials)


- You could buy this house!!! Yes this week this house will be going for auction. This is the former residence of one Mr. Chris Henry. The bank has foreclosed. Apparently the home purchased for 365,000 and has claims against it for 350,000. (I read Henry has made around 800 dollars in payments on it since September 2005).


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So the Bengals voluntary workouts began yesterday. This little taste of football and the fact that the Reds are so bad has me thinking about the regular season. What, in my opinion, is our biggest question mark?

The defense? - This is a terrible defensive unit that has no where to go but up. We are not going to turn into an overnight top 5 defense but with some solid corner (Joseph, Hall, O'Neil) and safety (White, Ndukwe) play, combined with some pressure up front from Geathers and Odom I think this could be a much improved D.

WR? - Even though this will be a topic of discussion all season because of the cast of characters involved, I have confidence that #9 will get the ball out to whoever is open.

RB? - This is our current roster:

Rudi Johnson: Nine starts and 497 yards last year because of a pulled hamstring.

Kenny Watson: Led the team with 763 rushing yards on 178 carries (4.3).

Chris Perry: Healthy after suffering a fractured right ankle.

DeDe Dorsey: Showed flashes of brilliance in limited action.

Kenny Irons: Likely to open season on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

While none of these guys are going to be at the top of the Fantasy draft boards, this list makes me excited. Let's for a moment say that Rudi is not on the decline, he had a bad year last year due to injury to himself and the O line. A healthy power back like Rudi Johnson paired with a healthy Chris Perry led the Bengals offense to the playoffs in 2005.

Of all the running backs listed, Chris Perry has me the most pumped. If this guy can stay healthy the Bengals offense has a whole new dimension. In 2005 Perry had 51 receptions. This combined with a pass catching tight end (Utecht) and the Bengals are going to move the ball.


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Now that the 2008 NFL Draft is over, all of the pundits are grading each team’s performance. These grades mean virtually nothing as they are just a pundit’s guess on NFL careers based on college play and combine showings. Next season, the draft guru’s will not even have to answer for the grades given out because fans forget all about past drafts and only watch for the present spectacle. With that in mind, we are going to give out a true draft grade that can be evaluated. We will go back in time 5 years, to Marvin’s first draft as a Bengal, and grade the team’s performance.
Of course looking back now, we will see many players the Bengals missed in each round. We aren’t going to go round for round and say whom the Bengals should have picked and the major players they missed. We are going to evaluate their picks based on draft day knowledge and see how well they did.

Round 1 -- Carson Palmer. Palmer was the can’t miss #1 pick; Heisman Trophy Winner, Prototype NFL QB, college team success, strong workouts, and coming out of a nationally prominent program at USC. The Bengals had to take Palmer and he is now one of the top QBs in the NFL.

Round 2 -- Eric Steinbach. Steinbach was a steal in the 2nd round. If the 2003 Draft were done today, Steinbach would be a 1st round selection. The Bengals lost Steinbach in free agency, but he was still a successful 2nd round pick.

Round 3 -- Kelley Washington. The Bengals were taking a flyer on a player that had great potential, but not a lot of NCAA experience. If Washington came into Cincinnati with the attitude he currently has with the Patriots, he would have been a success. Washington initially refused to play special teams and believed himself to be the 3rd receiver. Once let go by the Bengals, Washington was signed by the Patriots and relegated to special teams duty. A special teams player with decent receiving ability would be acceptable in the 3rd round.

Round 4 -- Dennis Weathersby. Again the Bengals took a chance, this time on a highly successful college player that was shot days before the draft. Had he not been shot, Weathersby would have been a first or second round draft pick. After recovering from the gunshot wound, Weathersby was in a car accident that ended his NFL career.

Round 4 -- Jeremi Johnson. Great value at the end of round 4. Johnson has been locked in as the Bengals starting fullback for years. He is a tough and durable blocker in the Bengals running game.

Round 5 -- Khalid Abdullah. Great athlete from the small school Mars Hill. Initially, Abdullah looked able to add special teams help, but he couldn’t stay healthy. He was eventually cut from the team.

Round 6 -- Langston Moore. As happens with many 6th round picks, Moore played 2 years with the Bengals and has since bounced around the league. He currently plays for the Detroit Lions.

Round 7 -- Scoot Kooistra. Excellent pick for the 7th round. Kooistra has spent his career being an insurance policy at right tackle. He will never be a good starter in the NFL, but he is more than able in his role as backup.

Round 7 -- Elton Patterson. Patterson played 3 NFL seasons between the Bengals and Jaguars. He recorded 1 career sack.

Overall, I would say this is a very strong draft. The Bengals landed a top tier franchise QB, a durable fullback, a strong offensive line starter and backup, and a few players to add spot help. Grading this draft, I would give them an A-, mainly due to the Washington, Weathersby and Abdullah picks. If the Bengals could have added a little more help or depth to the roster in those rounds, they would have had an outstanding draft.

Let’s see what was said at the time about the Bengals 2003 NFL Draft.

From Len Pasquarelli at ESPN:
Grade: A-
“Guard Eric Steinbach (No. 2) is a heist and, while he seems to be a guy without a position at times, his athleticism alone could win him a starting spot. Wide receiver Kelley Washington (No. 3) is going to play a lot in 2003, provided his surgically-repaired neck is rehabilitated.
Best value: If he recovers from the gunshot wounds that he sustained last weekend, cornerback Dennis Weathersby (No. 4) will be a great addition”

The only A+ that season was given to the Baltimore Ravens for getting Terrell Suggs, Kyle Boller, Musa Smith, and Ovie Mughelli. In Pasquarelli’s defense, he then added:

“The only caveat is that Baltimore had to swap its 2004 first-round choice to secure the pick needed for quarterback Kyle Boller. Let's hope coach Brian Billick, who has yet to start the same quarterback in consecutive openers, can make something of the young passer. Because if he can't, the deal becomes a big gamble, and this draft suddenly wouldn't look quite as spectacular.”

Okay, I take it back, maybe the analyst's draft grades are correct. Let’s believe everything we hear.


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Recently a fellow Bengals blog has been threatened with legal action by the Cincinnati Bengals.

I have looked over the issue and the backlash and these are my thoughts.

1. While I agree that sometimes corporations go to far using the law to bully smaller organizations, I don't believe the Cincinnati Bengals are at fault in this issue.

2. Copyrighted content was blatantly used in the promotion of a non authorized site.

3. Bengals merchandise was being used as a tool to gain revenue for the site.

4. The writer is the one with the issues against the Bengals (and has since declared his allegiance to the browns) not the site owners and they intend to continue to run the site legally.

The bloggers for the Bengals are a close group and I have personally met most of them. I think it is important for the fan to have a voice but I don't have the illusion that somehow people rely on the information we provide. If people like what we have to say great, come back, tell your friends. I am just not that interested in a legal battle or an uprising.


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