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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > May > 25 > Entry
My top 5 concerns about the Bengals
‘MOTHER GIBRALTAR’ ON LIST
My five biggest concerns about the Cincinnati Bengals two months before training camp.
1. The center position. No player is under more scrutiny than starter Eric Ghiaciuc. Bengals fans are having nightmares over what Cleveland Browns defensive linemen Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers might do to him. Lift him up and push him back? Who knows? Ghiaciuc needs to improve and have a strong season if the Bengals are going to make the playoffs. Backups Dan Santucci and Nate Livings have very little experience. Bengals fans are crossing their fingers.
2. The health of offensive tackles Levi Jones and Willie Anderson. Levi missed all of training camp, but fought back to start the final 13 games at left tackle. Look for Stacy Andrews to start at right tackle — folks, he’s not getting paid $7.455 million to stand on the sidelines — but the club needs Big Willie. After all, he’s “Mother Gibraltar” — a combination Mother Teresa and The Rock of Gibraltar.
3. The defensive tackle position. Domata Peko and John Thornton are the incumbents, and the jury is out on their ability to get the run stopped. Draft picks Pat Sims and Jason Shirley provide depth, but both will endure their share of growing pains. Veteran Michael Myers has plenty of experience, but he’s not much of an impact player. Jonathan Fanene has the ability to play both end and tackle. Will we see a “Samoan Connection” with Peko and Fanene? Stay tuned.
4. A Chad-less wide receiver corps. If Chad Johnson sits out, it’s a lose-lose situation for everybody. He’ll miss out on a big paycheck, and the team will miss his enormous talent. T.J. Houshmandzadeh will be the one getting double-teamed, leaving rookies Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell to help carry the load. Know this: Doug Gabriel looks very impressive in workouts. He has a great shot at winning a roster spot.
5. The tailback position. Can Rudi Johnson return to his bulldozing form after his 2007 season was wrecked by a hamstring injury? Can Chris Perry stay healthy? If Rudi struggles, the trio of Kenny Watson, Perry and DeDe Dorsey will carry the load with a “tailback by committee” concept. Look for Kenny Irons to begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. There are lots of questions that will be answered over time.
Oops, I didn’t mention Carson Palmer’s left knee. That’s always a concern. And there are plenty of others, too, such as the linebackers, the secondary and special teams. The list goes on and on.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By Al
May 25, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this
The best thing to do about the Bengals is to give up on them and follow the Cowboys!By Gary
May 25, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
I’m right there with you on Ghiaciuk. I still think they should move big Bobbie Williams to center. I don’t see a big concern with Levi after he gutted out last year. And, I think we have really good backups on the OL. I hear you on the D line, but they played pretty good last year & I like the young talent. I honestly think even w/out Chad the passing game will be really good. Sometimes losing a big name guy allows the other guys to step up; also, Utecht will help immensely just giving 3rd down help & in the middle. I think we’ll run the ball well IF Lewis is really committed to the run. We have this huge OL for goodness sakes, use them!By psychostats
May 25, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this
Doug Gabriel would be an interesting possibility if the Bengals hadn’t picked up three WR’s in the draft and a couple of inriiguing college free agents. In his five previous seasons, he couldn’t stick with the offense-challenged Raiders or the receiver-poor (at the time) Patriots. How often does a journeyman receiver suddenly blossom into a dangerous weapon? We don’t have to look very far to find T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but he stepped up in his fourth year when finally given a good shot. Gabriel apparently had many opportunities to succeed, but it never worked out. It will be a miracle if he makes the team.