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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 > September > 02 > Entry
‘The Great Mistake’ of 2008
BENGALS UNDERESTIMATE
WILLIE ANDERSON’S POWER
ON FIELD, IN LOCKER ROOM
HIS LEADERSHIP
IS EXACTLY
WHAT’S MISSING
===LUDWIG AT LARGE believes the Cincinnati Bengals should re-sign Willie Anderson NOW.===
Back in 2003, Cincinnati Bengals first-year head coach Marvin Lewis had a brainstorm.
The idea came sealed with offensive line coach Paul Alexander’s blessing.
It went like this:
LET’S MAKE MIKE GOFF THE CENTER!
Goff — now a member of the soon-to-be Super Bowl champion San Diego Chargers — was an outstanding right guard in Cincinnati, and the club wanted his toughness and athleticism in the middle of the offensive line.
The incumbent center, Richie Braham, was a warrior. He was aging, and had lost some of his flexibility, but none of his toughness.
So the team let loose the trial balloon in training camp.
Goff started all four preseason games at center — the Bengals went 1-3 — and he started the 2003 regular-season opener at center.
It was Marvin’s inaugural game as head coach.
The final: Broncos 30, Bengals 10.
Braham was back at center the following week.
Moving him out to begin with was a disaster.
So was Saturday’s release of right offensive tackle Willie Anderson.
Bengals management and coaches underestimate Willie’s influence in the locker room.
Even Chad Ocho Cinco doesn’t understand it.
“Usually, you’re able to give a reason why it (getting cut) happens to certain people,” Chad said. “But I don’t have a reason why you let Willie Anderson go.”
The club realized its blunder in 2003.
Now it must realize its GREAT MISTAKE OF ‘08.
It’s time to restore some order.
Bring Willie back … now.
And if the Bengals don’t, I wish them luck filling his size 19-EEE shoes.
Hey, Willie, one final time:
“WAR EAGLE!”
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By Rod
September 2, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this
Hey Chick, I know the season’s about to begin and I don’t want to re-hash old news, but something occured to me recently and it strikes to the core of what’s wrong with this team and it’s ownership: Last year we played the Saints in the pre-season and shortly after that we picked up David Jones, CB. A few weeks after that we played the Patriots then we grabbed Corey Mays when they released him. Now in 2008 we see a similar pattern: We play the Saints and Lions then pick up Orien Harris and Frank Davis. Now Chick, this has gone beyond a coincidence. Evidentally, the Bengals are only able to evaluate players delivered to their doorstep. I see this as the biggest argument yet against the miserly approach employed by Mike Brown. Imagine all the untapped talent out there that we could access if only we had the scouts to do the assessing? As it stands we’re relegated to signing the guys who suit up against us and that’s a short-sighted approach to franchise development if ever I saw one….By Steven Ross
September 2, 2008 10:02 AM | Link to this
Chick, come-on. Willie’s getting old and injury prone. I have no problem letting him go. We usually hold onto vets way too long.By Troy
September 2, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
You just dont let ProBowl LTs go cause they are hard to find.By WhoDeyBuck
September 2, 2008 12:05 PM | Link to this
After being forced to take back Chris Henry, Marvin needed to make a statement. Releasing Willie shows he has control over the roster. Willie was Mike Brown’s boy, and releasing him along with Rudi and Deltha demonstrates to everyone in the locker room that Marvin still has power.By Ft. Myers Foursome
September 2, 2008 12:05 PM | Link to this
Willie was one of my favorites. I hate to see him go but he was getting old and lost his starting job. He should have been willing to take a pay cut. Put some of the blame on him, not just Brown and Lewis being cheap. The additional salary cap money will allow them to sign some of the veterans, maybe even TJ. On a side note, the Cubs haven’t won a world series in 100 years, I wonder if it’s because of their terrible ownership. I also wonder if their sports writers complain about the ownership all the time. Perhaps it’s just the know-it-alls in Cincinnati.By cincyanon
September 2, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this
Chick I wonder if the Bengals, after trying to renegotiate a lower number, gambled Willie could look at the market but eventually wouldn’t see much. The league sees him as older, injured and a little expensive. Willie looks around then the Bengals come back with a more economical number. He ends up possibly cheaper than their original proposal. I hate the Browns management but I can understand that gamble.By Brian
September 2, 2008 1:04 PM | Link to this
Rod makes an excellent point. Darryl Blackstock is another one of those guys they “evaluated” via his play against them. As far as Willie goes, why on Earth would he want to come back? His absence during the offseason spoke volumes. I hope he lands with the Chargers and gets a ring.By islebfrank
September 2, 2008 3:10 PM | Link to this
Rod, you make an interesting point. I have been aware of the pattern, just didn’t draw the same conclusion as you. I guess I always thought of it as them having 1st hand knowledge of these players after measuring them against their own guys. Does the fact that the players in question have managed to stick with the team suggest there’s more to it than lazy scouting? Thought provoking…By Frank Mueller
September 2, 2008 8:19 PM | Link to this
It’s the coach’s fault. It’s Mike Brown’s fault. It’s the schedule. It’s everything but the players. Two years ago or was it more, when the Bengals were in the playoffs and lost to Pittsburgh because of an injury to Carson Palmer, everyone said the Bengal’s would have been in the Super Bowl. Now we say Mike Brown and his family are terrible owners and don’t know anything about football. If Carson hadn’t been hurt and the Bengal’s went on to win the Super Bowl, would the Browns at least been OK owners? Let’s face it, we’re all frustrated fans and sports writers. As fans, we really want the Bengals to win every game. If they do, we can say and write good things about them. In the long run, it comes down to everyone from ownership to the players excelling in any given year. To date, not everyone has been in sync. We’ve been close, but this isn’t horse shoes. PS: I still miss Willie.By psychostats
September 2, 2008 11:42 PM | Link to this
Players and coaches come and go, but poor Bengals management is eternal. Along with losing.