Bengals Lose a Leader
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
On Monday, tight end Reggie Kelly ruptured his Achilles Tendon. He had reconstructive surgery today on his ankle and was placed on the Bengals injured researve, ending his season. Kelly is not known for his pass catching or route running abilities but he is still very valuable to the team due to his blocking ability. The 11 year veteran is also a valued presence in the locker room. Kelly's season ending injury leaves the team with a question at tight end. 3rd round draft pick Chase Coffman and 5 year veteran/Christain rock star Ben Utecht lead the pack to take the starting job while Daniel Coats, the 3rd year tight end out of BYU, and rookie free agent Darius Hill bring up the rear. Either way, not one of these tight ends have the capability to block like Kelly can.
Last year Kelly was the Bengals 3rd leading reciever with 31 catches for 207 yards. There is no question that both Chase Coffman and Ben Utecht are more tallented tight ends when it comes to the recieving aspect of the game and both of them are able to stretch the field like Kelly never could. However, you can't really place a value on a player like Kelly. The Bengals will sorely miss Kelly on the field and in the locker room. After an 11 year career, could this be the beginning of the end for number 82 who has 184 catches for 1,718 yards and only 5 touchdowns?
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Last year Kelly was the Bengals 3rd leading reciever with 31 catches for 207 yards. There is no question that both Chase Coffman and Ben Utecht are more tallented tight ends when it comes to the recieving aspect of the game and both of them are able to stretch the field like Kelly never could. However, you can't really place a value on a player like Kelly. The Bengals will sorely miss Kelly on the field and in the locker room. After an 11 year career, could this be the beginning of the end for number 82 who has 184 catches for 1,718 yards and only 5 touchdowns?
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Another Media DBag
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Today I read an article by Mark Kriegel about Chad Ochocinco. Mark from the looks of his picture is one of those guys who feels much pride in using his words to pick fights with people he would never actually encounter in real life. (aka a puss)
Mark must be desperate for some web traffic because he relentlessly attacks Chad calling him a loser and attacking everything he has been doing lately. My guess is he chose Chad because he knows Chad will respond and boom, instant Internet celebrity. My question would be if it is so lame that Chad is doing the web videos, isn't it more lame for you to tune in?
I also can get my fill of Chad Ochocinco but I have never been so outraged by a random tweet that I dedicate a whole page and a bunch of time to letting the world know how much cooler I am then him because I think what he is doing is dumb.
This is just another example of a journalist needing a story and some web hits so they attack the Bengals with tired story lines. C'mon Mark, where is the arrest references or the Bungles reference?
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Mark must be desperate for some web traffic because he relentlessly attacks Chad calling him a loser and attacking everything he has been doing lately. My guess is he chose Chad because he knows Chad will respond and boom, instant Internet celebrity. My question would be if it is so lame that Chad is doing the web videos, isn't it more lame for you to tune in?
I also can get my fill of Chad Ochocinco but I have never been so outraged by a random tweet that I dedicate a whole page and a bunch of time to letting the world know how much cooler I am then him because I think what he is doing is dumb.
This is just another example of a journalist needing a story and some web hits so they attack the Bengals with tired story lines. C'mon Mark, where is the arrest references or the Bungles reference?
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Some news for today
The Scores Report has the Bengals as the second worst offensive line in football:
"2. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals certainly don’t have the worst collection of talent on their offensive line, but nobody really stands out and who knows how well they’ll play as a unit. Rookie first round pick Andre Smith has all of the talent in the world, but his work ethic and conditioning have been criticized in the past and therefore he remains a huge question mark. Cincinnati views him as a right tackle, so maybe that will take the pressure off of him in his first year. That said, is Andrew Whitworth the guy you want protecting Carson Palmer’s blindside? Can Kyle Cook overcome his lack of experience with good football IQ? There are a lot of question marks surrounding a unit that will have new starters at four different positions this year."
The examiner has their version of power rankings which reads to me as a monkey pounding the keys of his keyboard until something legible shows on the screen. He states that the first 12 teams are the playoff teams then proceeds to start with the worst teams in his rankings. Here are his wonderfully insightful thoughts on the Bengals:
"Cincinnati Bengals - They’re the Bengals…need I say more??? Being the subject of this year’s Hard Knocks won’t help at all. They’ll still be the Bengals. There are a few analysts that have the Bengals rated as a possible playoff team. I do not see this happening. The Bengals corporate culture is centered on losing. It’s who they are. The talent level doesn’t matter; neither does Carson Palmer’s health. He hasn’t been right since the Steelers took his knee out in the 2006 Wild Card game. The Bengals won’t bust a grape in 2009 or in any other year, until something changes in the mentality that governs them as a team."
How did you expect Hard Knocks to help? Are they going to play line? Do you know what Hard Knocks is? The corporate culture is centered on losing? That is the focus of their business plan, how can we lose today.
Walker has 5 questions with the ever elusive Cedric Benson. I wonder if they had beers afterwards.
The Bengals signed an Offensive Tackle, just not the one you want signed.
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"2. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals certainly don’t have the worst collection of talent on their offensive line, but nobody really stands out and who knows how well they’ll play as a unit. Rookie first round pick Andre Smith has all of the talent in the world, but his work ethic and conditioning have been criticized in the past and therefore he remains a huge question mark. Cincinnati views him as a right tackle, so maybe that will take the pressure off of him in his first year. That said, is Andrew Whitworth the guy you want protecting Carson Palmer’s blindside? Can Kyle Cook overcome his lack of experience with good football IQ? There are a lot of question marks surrounding a unit that will have new starters at four different positions this year."
The examiner has their version of power rankings which reads to me as a monkey pounding the keys of his keyboard until something legible shows on the screen. He states that the first 12 teams are the playoff teams then proceeds to start with the worst teams in his rankings. Here are his wonderfully insightful thoughts on the Bengals:
"Cincinnati Bengals - They’re the Bengals…need I say more??? Being the subject of this year’s Hard Knocks won’t help at all. They’ll still be the Bengals. There are a few analysts that have the Bengals rated as a possible playoff team. I do not see this happening. The Bengals corporate culture is centered on losing. It’s who they are. The talent level doesn’t matter; neither does Carson Palmer’s health. He hasn’t been right since the Steelers took his knee out in the 2006 Wild Card game. The Bengals won’t bust a grape in 2009 or in any other year, until something changes in the mentality that governs them as a team."
How did you expect Hard Knocks to help? Are they going to play line? Do you know what Hard Knocks is? The corporate culture is centered on losing? That is the focus of their business plan, how can we lose today.
Walker has 5 questions with the ever elusive Cedric Benson. I wonder if they had beers afterwards.
The Bengals signed an Offensive Tackle, just not the one you want signed.
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The training staff is already busy
Ahh the injury bug. The Bengals were bit bad last year. Well four days into camp and the bug is back. Starting tight end Reggie Kelley is out for the season with an achilles tendon injury.
What does this mean for the Bengals? Reggie Kelley was a key part of the outside blocking of the running game. There are two more tight ends on the roster, Ben Utecht and Chase Coffman. Utecht and Coffman. Both are known not for their blocking but for their pass catching ability. This is a pretty big loss for the Bengals. However this does give a guy like Coffman a chance to learn the blocking schemes with the first string offense and secure his spot as the starter. We all know the kid has sick hands, now if he can be a decent blocker there is a chance for some major improvements at the tight end position for the Bengals.
WhoDey
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What does this mean for the Bengals? Reggie Kelley was a key part of the outside blocking of the running game. There are two more tight ends on the roster, Ben Utecht and Chase Coffman. Utecht and Coffman. Both are known not for their blocking but for their pass catching ability. This is a pretty big loss for the Bengals. However this does give a guy like Coffman a chance to learn the blocking schemes with the first string offense and secure his spot as the starter. We all know the kid has sick hands, now if he can be a decent blocker there is a chance for some major improvements at the tight end position for the Bengals.WhoDey
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First weekend of Summer camp
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Other news to note from camp was the WhoDeyRevolution guys were out in force. They apparently chartered a plane to fly over the field with the message "I can only see one scout from here.". Pictures on their site here.
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Pumped
Saturday, August 1, 2009
If this quote from James Walker of ESPN does not get Bengal fans a little excited then there is something wrong...
"It's easy to tell that rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga is getting antsy for full contact. On several occasions Friday, Maualuga put forth extra effort in wrapping up ball carriers in what was expected to be a low-contact day. In particular, Maualuga laid a pretty good shot on an unsuspecting Chris Henry when the receiver caught the ball in his area. The coaching staff may have to work on toning down Maualuga's aggressiveness against his own team in practice this summer. But for the Bengals, it beats the alternative."
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"It's easy to tell that rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga is getting antsy for full contact. On several occasions Friday, Maualuga put forth extra effort in wrapping up ball carriers in what was expected to be a low-contact day. In particular, Maualuga laid a pretty good shot on an unsuspecting Chris Henry when the receiver caught the ball in his area. The coaching staff may have to work on toning down Maualuga's aggressiveness against his own team in practice this summer. But for the Bengals, it beats the alternative."
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