Jungle Noise: News and Notes from the Jungle

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Jungle Noise News and Notes

Ocho Tweet-O

Training camp hasn’t even started yet at Chad OchoCinco has made headlines several times already.

First Chad didn’t show up for OTA’S , then when he did show up he had two fake tattoos on his face, next he challenged Mike Golic, and San Diego Chargers LB Shawn Merriman to boxing matches after the season.

Now Chad OchoCinco says that he will tweet from the sidelines and locker room this year during NFL games.

However, the NFL already has a rule in place regarding this matter; let’s call it the Joe Horn rule.

The Joe Horn rule prohibits the use of cell phones, or other handheld mobile device in the bench area.

So this should put a rest to Ocho Tweet-O, that is until he comes up with his next gimmick.

 

Bengals ink draft picks

The Bengals inked Fui Vakapuna, their seventh-round draft pick according to Vakapuna agent David Lee.

Vakapuna becomes the fifth Bengals draft pick to sign this offseason, joining Freddie Brown, Morgan Trent, Bernard Scott, and Clinton McDonald.

The Bengals had 11 picks in this year’s draft, and still have to come up with deals for six first through fifth round picks. Including top prospects Andre Smith, and Rey Maualuga.

Rookie Symposium Beat Writer Michael Johnson

The Bengals talented third-round draft pick, Michael Johnson out of Georgia Tech was selected to give fans a daily report from the Rookie Symposium in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

The Rookie Symposium is the most covered business orientation in America; topics under discussion are financial planning, personal safety, warning on the dangers of alcohol and drugs, and other need to know items for new NFL players.

You can view all of Michael’s daily reports on Bengals.com, covering his daily schedule, speakers, and more.

Is the Season Sellout Streak in Jeopardy?

The Bengals have season tickets available for the first time since 2000, and they are working hard to get rid of them.

While it is my understanding that they only have 3000 season ticket packages available they have begun selling two- and four-game ticket packages.

 They have two different four-game packages, and four different two game packages, it is good to see the FO get creative in trying to sell out the stadium and keep the sellout streak alive.

Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Position Battles in Training Camp (2nd Ed.)

SAM Linebacker

Certainly one of the biggest position battles to watch besides fullback is the battle for the SAM linebacker.

I am sure that the battle between Rey Maualuga and Rashad Jeanty will be heavily documented by HBO’s Hard Knocks this year at Georgetown, Ohio.

Ironically Rashad Jeanty is nicknamed “Hard Knocks” because of his ferocious hits, and being one of the Bengals’ toughest players, last year’s starter, and the favorite to win the starting job.

Last year Rashad was honored with the Ed Block courage award for playing with plantar fasciitis for the majority of the season.

Enter stage left the Bengals second-round pick, fiery USC MLB Rey Maualuga. Rey seemingly fell from the heavens and into the Bengals lap at pick No. 38.

Just about every heart in Bengals nation let out a sigh of disappointment when Denver traded up for the 37th pick, and the party began as Denver announced it selected Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest.

Maualuga will not be happy playing second fiddle to anyone, so look for him to make the coach’s play him by bringing his game-changing attitude, and delivering his signature bone-crushing hits.

Rashad Jeanty speaking after practice paid Maualuga a compliment…Well sort of.

“The only thing different between us is I think Rey is crazy,” Jeanty said.

“He goes in there to lay down somebody. He goes in, handles his business.

“He’s got a few screws loose. I think my head is pretty tight. He’s a cool dude. He’s a funny dude. He is definitely a great asset to the team this year. I look forward to working with him.”

I am going to training camp and cannot wait to watch Jeanty and Maualuga try to out hit each other to impress the coaches. It will definitely be worth the hour and thirty minute drive to Georgetown.

 

Defensive Line (9)

The line I am going to do as a unit, and not a specific position battle, defensive linemen can often play more than one position.

Antwan Odom and Robert Geathers are the rush ends, and the Bengals highest paid defensive lineman.

The pair of lineman both had down-years due to injury last season; Geathers had micro-fracture surgery and, Odom shoulder injury, both are looking to have breakout seasons now that they are fully healthy.

Maybe the most underrated DL in the AFC North is Domata Peko, as Peko finished the season second in the NFL in tackles at the defensive tackle position.

Simms made his debut last season, and got significant playing time due to all the injuries. Simms proved himself as a run stopper in the middle last season, look for him to improve with a year under his belt.

The Bengals have former USC DL Frostee Rucker, and Jonathan Fanene who can play multiple positions and are almost locks to make the team.

Probably the Bengals biggest addition to their DL this year is Michael Johnson.  Michael has been compared with another athletic specimen, Javon Kearse.

If the comparison sounds absurd, it shouldn’t, Kearse came into the league 10 years ago standing at 6’4″, 265 pounds, and his 40-yard dash time was 4.55.

Michael Johnson stands at 6’7″, 266 pounds, and Johnson ran a 4.49 40 yard dash at his pro day.

Johnson has impressed coaches, teammates, and Bengals fans have been flocking to YouTube trying to watch highlights of Mike Zimmer’s new toy.

One of my personal favorite YouTube clips of Michael is when he was up against first round pick Eugene Monroe, and sacked his QB twice, once causing a fumble recovered by Georgia Tech.

Probably the most enigmatic piece added to this year’s DL is Tank Johnson, and his return to the 4-3 defensive scheme that he flourished in.

It is anyone’s guess what to expect out of Tank this year; will he return to form being reunited with former Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer, or will Tank show that it wasn’t the switch to the 3-4 defense that made his numbers drop off in Dallas.

That is eight defensive linemen there, which leaves Jason Shirley, Clinton McDonald, Chris Harrington, and Pernell Phillips fighting for the last spot.

If say McDonald, the Bengals seventh round pick out of Memphis, and Jason Shirley shine in training camp, then the Bengals could count Michael Johnson as a linebacker.

I think the Bengals will keep Shirley and possibly McDonald, and if need-be count Michael Johnson as a LB for number reasons, however he will be rushing the passer from the DE on obvious passing downs.

Pernell Phillips and Chris Harrington will most likely end up on the practice squad, however if McDonald doesn’t make the team look for the practice squad position to be filled by him.

 

 

Jungle Noise: Training Camp News and Notes

Jungle Noise: No vacancy at the Palmer Inn

Chad OchoCinco, in an interview last week, said he was staying at the Palmers’ house, and would baby sit the twins so the Palmers could go out on the town.

Palmer on Wednesday said, “Unless he’s picking up my mortgage for the months of July and August, he can’t stay.”

“He’s not living for free,” said Palmer, the father of five-month-old twins. “I don’t need another kid around the house.”

 

Fight Back

Marvin Lewis unveiled the t-shirt with the slogan for this year’s training camp: FIGHT BACK.

Coming off a 4-11-1 season, the Bengals were beaten up. Maybe the most telling event was when Carson Palmer’s nose was broken in the preseason.

This year Marvin is calling for his team to fight back, and change the tide of power in the AFC North.

 

Speaking of Fighting Back

The Bengals’ new center Kyle Cook and MLB Dhani Jones were involved in post-snap extracurricular activity.

On a down-field block, Dhani and Kyle got physical with each other, which surprised none of Cook’s offensive lineman. They have been aware of Cook’s mean streak on the field for quite some time; it is just now he is getting to showcase it being the starting center.

The play resulted in Cook’s helmet coming off. Cook and Dhani later joked about the incident later on after practice.

Dhani said I love that he is on our offense, and doing such a great job.

 

Bengals Signings

The Bengals have inked sixth round cornerback Trent Morgan to a four-year-deal. Trent, the former Wolverine is recovering from a stress fracture suffered on the second day of minicamp. The Bengals have also signed seventh round pick WR Freddie Jones to a four-year-deal with a reported $37,600 signing bonus.

 

Georgetown Position Battles To Watch

One of the more interesting upcoming position battles to watch at Georgetown will be the fullbacks.

The Bengals have Jeremi Johnson, who was a Pro Bowler before getting cut for his weight last season.

Jeremi has been working with a personal trainer and has not showed up to Bengals minicamp yet, and it is not known if he will be ready for the start of training camp this week.

Not to worry, the Bengals drafted a fullback in the sixth round who runs downhill, and hits like a ton of bricks in Fui Vakapuna.

The Bengals were short at this position last year filling in with tight end Daniel Coats, which may explain why after drafting Vakapuna the Bengals signed undrafted free agent Chris Pressley.

Pressley, most famous for his YouTube clip where he squats over 600 pounds several times, is a classic Big Ten lead fullback.

Chris is a big, strong, smart runner, but his strength is in his point of contact blocking, making huge running lanes for his Badger running backs.

Another position battle to watch at training camp is wide receiver; to me it is obvious that the Bengals have four spots locked up with Chad, Henry, Coles and Caldwell.

The Bengals traditionally keep six wide receivers, with four positions locked up that leaves last year’s second round pick Jerome Simpson, Antonio Chatman, Maurice Purify, Mario Urrutia, Quan Cosby, and Freddie Brown. Dave Richmond and Greg Orton fighting for the last two open spots.

Simpson has to be thought of as a favorite, given that he is last year’s number two draft pick. Simpson has flashed talent; however, he has been injured most of his time in Cincinnati.

Antonio Chatman is a favorite of Bengals QB Carson Palmer, also his status as a punt returner make him a favorite to secure a spot on the Bengals roster.

That does not mean that you can count out Quan Cosby, as Cosby has impressed Bengals coaches in minicamp.

Freddie Brown, the talented receiver from Utah, has never returned punts, however if he wants to make the roster making himself irreplaceable by returning punts would be his best shot.

The other guys I listed (Mario Urrutia, David Richmond, and Greg Orton) will have a long uphill climb in they want to crack the talented receiver corps of the Bengals.

All Cincinnatti Bengals Team: The Head Coach Edition

The Bengals have had some great coaches over the year, so I have some choices to be made.

We have Paul Brown, Forest Greg, Sam Wyhce, and Bill Walsh.

Do I make the promotion that Paul Brown didn’t make, and promote Bill Walsh to head coach?

Or is it going to be Mr. you don’t live in Cleveland, Sam Wyhce?

Actually I am selecting the originator of the Cincinnati Bengals, Paul Brown.

Many people in football claim that Paul Brown is the originator of the modern day offense, and even more claim that he is one of the Greastest NFL coach’s in history.

Paul Brown has more than backed up that claim, by winning at every level he has ever coached at.           

When he was at Massillon High School, where he played quarterback in his youth, and later returned to lead his team to an 80-8-2 record over nine years.

His days at Massillon were highlighted by a 35 game winning streak, and beating his bitter rival, Canton McKinley High School eight consecutive years.

After his success at his High School Alma Matter, Brown decided to make the jump to Division 1 college football, and took the reins of The Ohio State Buckeye.

Brown coached Ohio State from 1941-1943, compiling an 18-1-1 record.

In only his second year, Paul Brown led the Buckeyes to their first National Championship.

Paul recruited what was said to be the finest class of Ohio State ever, and went on to win the National Championship.

The most amazing thing about this is that the Buckeyes lost 18 lettermen off his roster due to graduation, and military commitments.

Brown was said to have recruited the best class of freshman in Ohio State’s History.

In 1944 Paul Browns military status was reclassified as 1-A, Brown was a Lieutenant in the Navy.

He was stationed to the Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois, where he served as Football coach for Bluejackets.

The Bluejackets played other military service team, and college programs.

With Brown as head coach the Bluejackets compiled a 15-5-2 record, with one of his losses coming at the hands of his former team.

On Oct 21, 1944 Paul Brown led his Bluejackets into the Horseshoe to face The Ohio State Buckeyes, his team lost 26-6

In 1945 Paul Brown while still being the coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes in absentia, decided to travel north to Cleveland.

Who could blame him? He signed a contract to coach the Cleveland Browns in their inception year.

Taking over as part-owner, general manager, vice-president, and head coach.

Arthur McBride, owner of the Browns turned over most of the football decision to Paul Brown.

One of Brown’s ideas was to have a name the team poll in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the name that won the competition was the Brown Bombers, after heavy weight champion Joe Louis.

The name was then shortened to the Browns, leading to ongoing questions to if Brown named the team after himself, a rumor that is still around today.

Cleveland playing in the AAFC was the most dominant team in the league winning all four championships that the league played.

After the 1949 season the NFL and the AAFC merged into one league, the Browns were look at as a second rate team, and there was talk the Browns weaknesses would be exposed in the NFL.

However in their first game the Browns routed the defending two time champion Philadelphia Eagles 35-10.

The Brown swept through their first season in the NFL in route to winning the NFL Championship in their inaugural season.

Paul Browns NFL championship in 1950 gave him the distinction of being the first coach to ever win a NFL Championship, and a National Title. 

After years of coaching in the NFL Paul Brown was offered the job of commissioner of the NFL in 1959, Paul declined and Pete Rozelle was later offered the job.

Art Model took over majority ownership of the Cleveland Browns in 1961, and Brown and Model had a tumultuous relationship right from Jump Street.

Brown’s run in Cleveland lasted until 1963, the core of Browns troubles in Cleveland started in the 1961 season.

In the 1961 season Paul Brown pulled the trigger on a trade that brought that year’s Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis to Cleveland without Art Modell’s prior knowledge.

Sadly Ernie Davis was diagnosed with leukemia in his first season in Cleveland in 1962.

The strains on Modell and Brown’s relationship was even futher complicated by Browns refusal to play Davis, even though team doctors said that he could withstand the contact of a NFL season.

Davis never played a down for Cleveland and later died in 1963, five months after Paul Brown was fired in by Art Modell.

After being a head coach for the last 30 years, after Brown’s dismissal he stayed away from the sidelines.

He was still a part owner of the Brown’s, and financially secure, but he never attended a Browns game.

 Paul later said he had everything a man could want money, free time, and a great family, but with all that he was still eating his heart out.

The rebirth of Paul Brown and the birth of the Cincinnati Bengals happened on Sept 26, 1967.

Paul Brown returned to the NFL as principal owner, general manager, and coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Brown coached the Bengals for eight seasons’s leading them to the playoff three times, the first in 1970 in only their third season.

Paul retired in 1976 and in my opinion he made one of the biggest mistakes of his career in passing up assistant coach Bill Walsh for Bill Tiger Johnson.

Johnson barely broke 500 at 18-15 over two years; he resigned in 1978 after a 0-5 start.

Paul Brown stayed on as GM and Vice President of the Bengals, going to two Super Bowls, ironically losing both Super Bowl to Bill Walsh coached 49ers.

Paul passed away in 1991, and his son Mike took over as owner, and general manager.

Jungle Noise: Fifth Editition of Cincinnati Bengals News and Notes

OchoCinco Arrives in Cincinnati

Chad OchoCinco showed up to Cincinnati on Tuesday. Chad was not expected to show up until next week’s minicamp in Georgetown, KY.

Chad showed up with tattoos on his cheek bones, on the right side he has two crosses, on the left the state of Florida.

It was later revealed that it was a gag that the receiver was pulling on the media and later told them they were not real tattoos.  

It seems if Chad has mended fences early with Head Coach Marvin Lewis, after practice Chad was seen with his arm around his head coach.

 

Chris Henry on ESPN’s First Take

Chris Henry appeared on ESPN’s First Take, in the interview he discussed the transformation of who he was, to who he is now.

In his own words, he said I am a completely different person than in the past, I am concentrating on being a professional athlete and working as hard as I can.

Let’s all hope that this is the start of a new Chris Henry, with his old talent for stretching the field and finding the ball.

 

Sanchez Sets the Stage for Smith Deal

Everyone thought the Bengals were going to run into problems signing Andre Smith because of quarterback Mark Sanchez being selected fifth in this year’s NFL draft.

Everyone was thinking that Sanchez would want No. 2 or No. 3 money, and thus give Smith’s agent more bargaining power.

However the power seems to have transferred back to the Bengals with the Sanchez signing.

Now the Bengals have the Sanchez deal, and last year’s sixth pick Vernon Ghloston’s deal serving as a nice place to start talking realistic numbers.

 

Hall’s DUI Dropped to Reckless Operation

As reported in the last edition of Jungle Noise, Leon Hall had his charge of DUI dropped to a lesser charge of reckless op.

With the judge’s ruling in, I can only speculate on the punishment from the NFL.

Now even if this was a DUI, the NFL does not usually suspend first-time offenders, usually players are ordered to counseling for first-time alcohol offences.

With that in mind and his charges being reduced, I do not see Commissioner Roger Goodell suspending Hall for any games this season. 

 

Cincinnati’s All-Bengals Team: The Glory Bees

The Glory Bees

In this article I am going to pick my glory bees, the guys on the field that want all the glory.

The running backs, receivers, and quarterback; I am even going to pick a punter and kicker.

I am going to pick three wide receivers, three running/full backs, one quarterback, one punter, one tight end, and one kicker.

In the next article I will select the coaches who run this team.

The hardest thing for me to do is select a quarterback. Do I go for Kenny Anderson, Boomer, or the Bengals current quarterback Carson Palmer?

Ken Anderson is one of the most prolific short range passers the game has ever seen, becoming one of the first quarterbacks to ever run what would become known as the West Coast Offense.

In the Bengals’ first Monday night win in 1975, Ken Anderson tossed for a mind-boggling 447 yards while the Bengals ran up 553 offensive yards.

In the 1981 season Ken Anderson out dueled Dan Fouts in the Freezer Bowl for the AFC Championship, and a trip to the Bengals first Super Bowl.

The Bengals later lost the Super Bowl to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21, but Anderson completed 25-of-34 passes for 300 yards, two touchdowns, plus 14 yards rushing with one touchdown on five attempts.

Anderson played his entire career with Cincinnati, later catching on as the quarterbacks coach.

When Anderson retired he had 32,838 yards and 197 touchdowns. He was elected to four Pro Bowls.

Boomer Esiason is one of the best left handed quarterbacks to ever play the game, Boomer replaced the Bengals all-time leading passer Ken Anderson in 1985.

Boomer is known for running the play action pass offense and a hurry up offense where they would not allow the opposing team to substitute players, leading to mismatches in personnel.

In 1988, Boomer’s Bengals ran one of the most prolific offenses in football. Boomer put the team on his back and led them to the AFC Championship game, in which they dismantled the Buffalo Bills.

The Bengals went on to lose yet another Super Bowl to the San Francisco 49ers, on a perfectly run two-minute drill by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana.

Boomer ended his career in Cincinnati after brief stays with the Jets and Cardinal. In the final play of his career Boomer connected to Darnay Scott for a 77 yard touchdown.

The Bengals current hope resides on the shoulders of No. 9, Carson Palmer. The No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft has had his share of ups and downs.

Palmer led the Bengals to the AFC North division championship in only his second season, and hopes were high that the Bengals had finally found their man.

Palmer’s playoff run was cut short due to a late hit by Kimo Von Oelhoffen. Palmer connected with wide receiver Chris Henry on a 77-yard pass play, which set the Bengals up for their first score.

Palmer has thrown for over 26 touchdowns and 4,000 yards three times, and has the ability to strike from any position on the field.

Palmer says he is fully healthy this year, and is ready for the Bengals to overcome the losing tradition that is associated with this organization.

My first two wide receivers fit the glory bee name to a tee, Chad Ochocinco and Carl Pickens Clause.

While I would not want the headache that would come with having these two mouth pieces on the same team, how exciting would it be to see this tandem of receivers?

Carl set many Bengals records; one that still stands is his 63 career touchdowns.

Pickens was the first player to have a clause named after him and put in his contract.

Carl Pickens bad mouthed the Bengals so much that they put a clause in his contract that he would forfeit some or all of his signing bonus if he bad mouthed the organization.

The clause in the contract became known as the Carl Pickens Clause.

Actually I could not begin to imagine what it would be like to have The Ocho and Pickens on the same team, and I feel sorry for the coach that I pick to run this team.

The receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson is a five-time Pro Bowler, and he was an All-Pro three times.

He is known for his touchdown dances and his confident personality.

Chad led the league in receiving for four years straight, piling up yardage and touchdowns along his way.

My third wide receiver is Down Town Eddie Brown, in my mind Brown will always be remembered as the guy the Bengals passed on Jerry Rice for.

Brown was selected 13th in the 1985 draft, three picks ahead of the GOAT, (Greatest of All Time) Jerry Rice.

The Bengals were rewarded for the pick of Brown—In his first year Brown won rookie of the year.

Eddie Brown set many records, and Chad Johnson has broke most of them, but one Chad hasn’t gotten yet is yards per catch at 24.

Chad broke Brown’s record for receiving yards in a season (1273), with 1,355 yards in 2003, however it took Chad 37 more receptions.

Chad also broke Brown’s record for most yards in a game (216), with a 260 yard game in 2006.

The first running back was one of my childhood favorites, he was elusive and had speed to burn. He could stop on a dime, and be back to full speed in the blink of an eye.

When James Brooks left the Bengals in 1991, he was the team’s all-time leading rusher with 6,447 yards.

His record would later be broke by Corey Dillon’s 8,061 yards, but James is still ranked among the top 10 all-time leading receivers with 297 receptions for 3,012 yards.

James Brooks is still ranked 21st on the NFL’s career list on total net yard leaders with 14,910 yards.

My next selection is an Ohio State alumni. He played fullback for the Buckeyes from 1973 to 1976, and in 1975 he set Ohio State records for rushing touchdowns (25) and points (156).

Pete Johnson was an outstanding rusher and blocker. He was the team’s leading rusher for all seven seasons he played with the Bengals.

In 1981 Johnson made his only Pro Bowl, totaling over 1,400 all purpose yards and 16 touchdowns.

Johnson led the Bengals to victory in the Freezer Bowl game against the Chargers with 14 points, and in the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance.

Probably one of the most enigmatic players the Bengals have ever had, besides Chad Johnson, is fullback Ickey Wood.

I picked him last because his career, while outstanding, was cut short due to injury. Ickey played from 1988 to 1991, and was out of the league by the age of 26.

In his rookie season, Woods rushed for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns, and led his team all the way through the playoffs and straight to the Super Bowl.

In the playoffs, Ickey rushed for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns. Fans in Cincinnati still keep the Ickey shuffle and the 1988 season close to their hearts.

The only offensive player left to select is a tight end.

The Bengals haven’t had a lot of great tight ends, but Bob Trumpy certainly stands out.

Trump’s records for yards (4,600), touchdowns (36), and yards per catch (22.6) still stand for Bengals tight ends.

Trumpy played 10 seasons for the Bengals retiring in 1977 and jumping straight into the broadcast booth for NBC.

Kicker Jim Breech, the Bengals little man, played in two Super Bowls in his 14 year career. He made 243 of 340 field goals for 71.4 percent, and 517 of 539 extra point attempts at 95.9, a franchise record.

Jim is still active in the Cincinnati community and has a charity with Shayne Graham called Kicks for Kids.

Now down to the punter.There was really only one that came to mind and that is Kyle Larson.

Settle down I was only kidding, the punter I selected for my roster is Lee Johnson.

Lee played 11 of his 18 seasons with the Bengals. In his first season of 1988, Lee Johnson set a Super Bowl record for the longest punt of 63 yards.

Lee Johnson was known for his long booming punts. In 1990 he hit a punt 70 yards, and led the league with a 38.5 net average in 1995.

When Johnson retired in 2002, his 51,979 punting yards ranked third all time. He also pinned the opponent inside the 20 yard line 317 times.

So my All Bengals team on the offensive side of the ball looks like this:

Left Tackle: Anthony Munoz

Right Tackle: Willie Anderson

Right Guard: Max Montoya

Center: Rich Brahm   Alternate: Dave Rimmington

Left Guard: Bruce Kozerski

Running Back: James Brooks

Fullback: Pete Johnson

Fullback: Ickey Woods

Wide Receiver: Down Town Eddie Brown,

Wide Receiver: Carl Pickens

Wide Receiver: Chad Johnson (I got him before the name change. Ha ha)

Tight End: Bob Trumpy

Quarterback: Carson Palmer   (In my opinion he is the most talented quarterback the Bengals have ever had. He has not been the most successful of the three quarterbacks yet, but with a up and coming defense and a top 10 offense, maybe when he gets the Bengals to the Super Bowl, this time they win.)

Punter: Lee Johnson

Kicker: Jim Breech

All-Bengals Team: Offensive Line

In this article, I am going to attempt to put an all-time Bengals team together. I am going to break it down into the offensive line, the offensive backs, tight end and receivers.

Not everyone is going to agree with every selection I make for my All-Bengals team, however I am basing it off of players since I became a fan of the Bengals.

The first position on the team is quite frankly the easiest choice I have to make, because starting at left tackle is the man, the myth, the legend—Anthony Munoz.

Munoz is one of the greatest left tackles to ever play the game, completely dominating the competition for 12 years.

He is the Bengals only Hall-of-Famer, and could quite possibly be the best left tackle to ever suit up. 

The next position is right tackle, and I can think on no one I would want more than Big Willie.

Willie Anderson played 12 seasons for the Bengals and made the Pro Bowl from 2003-07.

Big Willie was a constant fixture in the Bengals offense.  Anderson is a consummate pro and will be missed in Cincinnati.

Two All-Pro tackles down, and now we are searching for guards. I can’t help but be a little biased here. 

I went with two guards off of the 1988 AFC Champion Bengals.

At right guard, Max Montoya played 10 of his 14 years with the Bengals. During his tenure, Montoya played in two Super Bowls.  

Montoya was a constant fixture at right guard for the Bengals when the team was known for its great line play.

Playing at left guard is Bruce Kozerski, known as Mr. Versatility for his ability to play every spot on the line.

Kozerski played 12 seasons with the Bengals, making the Pro Bowl as an alternate from 1988 to 1990.

Right now, looking at my line, I am fairly content.  All I need now is a center.

It should not be hard to find, as the Bengals have a fan favorite in center Rich Brahm. 

Braham was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1994 draft and subsequently released later that year.

The Bengals picked up Rich Braham and 13 years later, he was one of the most beloved Bengals.

The Bengals have had question marks at center since Braham retired at the end of the 2006 season.  He was a tough man to replace.

So as it is now my Bengals All-Time offensive line looks like this.

Left Tackle—Anthony Munoz

Right Tackle—Willie Anderson

Left Guard—Bruce Kozerski

Right Guard—Max Montoya

Center—Rich Braham

Bengals Center Kyle Cook On The Hot Seat

The Center Of It All

When looking at the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals, the most glaring need is a Center who can step up and fill a big hole in the AFC North.

The AFC North is known for having 3 big beast of nose tackle that reside within the division. They lurked over opposing players like animals tracking their prey.

Up North Shawn Rodgers resides in Cleveland, where he is known to blow up the pocket, engulf running lanes, and put his massive frame inside of the open passing lanes. Rodgers is a monster, but his motor is an issue, and he usually comes off the field on clear passing downs.

To the East resides the “ Big Snack” Casey Hampton of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Casey is a monstrous nose tackle, clogging up running lanes and taking on two blockers at a time. Hampton isn’t a sack machine, only recording 4.5 in his entire career, however he is a tackle machine, clogging up passing and running lanes and generally causing havoc.

And finally but certainly not least Haloti Ngata, is considered one of the best nose tackles in the game right now after the 07 and 08 seasons. Ngata is one of the main reasons Baltimore’s defense get so much push up the middle, and allows the line backers so much freedom to roam and make plays.

Facing this fearsome threesome, who seemingly bring the weight of the world with them, is untested 3^rd year center Kyle Cook. The Bengals drafted the Rimmington Award winner from 2007 in Arkansas center Jonathan Lugis.

It seemed like the perfect scenario, the Bengals bringing in a college award winning center to compete with the untested Kyle Cook. However Marvin Lewis announced as camp opened, that Kyle Cook would be the starting center this year.

I know the coaches obviously know more about their players than I do, they see them on a daily basis. However, how would it hurt to not let the players know they have the job before the start of the season, competition breeds greatness.

I was looking forward to seeing a position battle between Cook and Lugis for the starting center job, I just hope the Bengals coaches know what they are doing, and Cook can keep the pocket from caving in on Palmer.

Cook has plenty of strength, at his combine day he benched 225 pounds 38 times.

Is Cook’s tutelage in the Bengals system over the last two years going to be enough for him to step in and be a solid center?

Or will he falter early, and Rimmington Award winner Jonathan Lugis step into the gaping hole the Bengals have had at center since Eric Ghiaciuc took over.

Whether it is Cook or Lugis they have to be better than the open door that is Eric Ghiaciuc, it will definitely be an upgrade.

The Reinventing of Eighty Five

Chad Johnson, in a video for the NFL Network, was asked if he had a message for his QB Carson Palmer, and everyone knows that Chad is not shy in front of cameras.

Chad says Carson, you know how on Christmas Eve you have some really good presents under the tree, and you just can’t wait to open them in the morning?

That’s how I want you to feel about your new toy, the new eighty five.

Chad has resurfaced in the last couple of weeks doing his first interviews since the Super Bowl interview he gave to the NFL Network.

Chad has been working out in Southern California with his former junior college coach Charles Collins, who runs the Phenom Factory.

In the latest video, OchoCinco was on the field catching passes.

In a video earlier this week, he was running, lifting weights, and boxing.

Fran Charles of the NFL Network caught up with OchoCinco at Freddie Roaches’s Gym in Southern California.  He asked OchoCinco what he expects to gain by adding boxing to his regimen.

Chad replied that the training was going to increase his speed, agility, and overall toughness and to help him get an edge on the competition.

Chad, talking earlier on the NFL Network with Rod Woodson and Rich Eisien, said that last year he did absolutely nothing in the offseason.

He said, I didn’t lift any weights; I didn’t run and never ran a single route.

He went on to say that if he had stuck to his workout regimen that he would have never had the ankle and shoulder injuries that plagued him for most of the year.

As a Bengals fan, it is disturbing, to say the least, to hear that the receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson didn’t do anything to get in shape to help the Bengals win last year.

On the other hand, Chad is so obsessed with his persona in the media that it is driving him crazy that the media is questioning if he lost a step, and if he can return to his Pro Bowl form.

It seems that Chad has learned his lesson and is going back to the gym, putting in the hard work, and rededicating himself, in his own words.

Asked if his not being Cincinnati was a sign that he wasn’t happy, he said he was embarrassed by last season and felt he had to be in rare form before letting Carson see his new toy.

Chad went on to say that he let down the team, coaches, fans, and himself and he is coming into Cincinnati with a whole new attitude this year…and to get ready for a new eighty five.

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