Santa arrives at the Dayton mall
2009 Ohio State football
Trotwood-Madison vs. Winton Woods
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 > 2009 > January > 14 > Entry
Bengals fans crying over DeSean Jackson, laughing about new offensive philosophy
DRAFTING MISTAKES CONTINUE
TO HAUNT THE LOWLY BENGALS
Some Cincinnati Bengals fans are sick today.
Others are falling down, and rolling on the floor, with laughter.
They’re sick because the Philadelphia Eagles have rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson (he should’ve been a Bengal).
They’re laughing because the Bengals are planning to copy the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens (something they should’ve been doing all along).
First things first: Let’s turn back the clock to Saturday, April 26, 2008.
With the 15th pick in the second round of the NFL Draft (No. 46 overall), the Bengals selected Coastal Carolina wide receiver Jerome Simpson. He produced exactly one catch for 2 yards in 2008.
The Eagles held two of the next three picks. They grabbed Notre Dame defensive tackle Trevor Laws at No. 47 and California wide receiver-kick returner DeSean Jackson at No. 49.
Jackson’s rookie statistics are positively staggering — enough to make angry Bengals’ fans cringe and smug Eagles fans to smile.
Jackson
Simpson‘ACTION JACKSON’
62 catches for 912 yards and two TDs
17 rushes for 96 yards and one TD
1 kickoff return for 12 yards
50 punt returns for 440 yards and one TD
Totals: 130 “touches” for 1,460 yards. An average of 11.2 yards per touch.
And, folks, that’s just the regular season. Jackson caught four passes for 71 yards against the Giants on Sunday, helping the Eagles earn a berth in Sunday’s NFC title game at Arizona.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The Bengals fall in love with “workout warriors” such as Simpson, who was a star at the NFL Combine, and choose to ignor the obvious — what’s on film.
They get cute and out-smart themselves, then pay the price by sitting home for the playoffs.
Akili Smith, Chris Perry, Odell Thurman, Kenny Irons, Jerome Simpson … the list of mistakes goes on and on and on.
Peter King writes about DeSean Jackson and the Eagles’ drafting brilliance at:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/01/11/divisionals/5.html For more on DeSean Jackson, go to:
http://www.nfl.com/players/deseanjackson/careerstats?id=JAC127681
BOB BRATKOWSKI
The Bengals can’t beat the Steelers or Ravens, so they’ve decided to join them.
Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski tells Bengals.com that head coach Marvin Lewis wants “a way different” offense.
“He wants us to be a more physical team that runs the ball better and uses more play-action,” Bratkowski said. “We’ve got some issues to deal with but any time you’ve got a guy like Carson Palmer at quarterback you can turn it around very quickly.”
Among the pressing issues: Both offensive tackles (Levi Jones and Stacy Andrews) are injured; the club needs a new center; it needs a tailback (Cedric Benson is an unrestricted free agent); it doesn’t have an accomplished fullback; and the pass rush is non-existent.
And there is no guarantee that Palmer’s right elbow is 100 percent.
When the Bengals drafted Palmer No. 1 overall in 2003, they thought all their problems were solved.
Wrong.
They’ve done a terrible job of building around him. But they’ve done an excellent job of destroying a great player’s career.
The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since the 1990 season (a 41-14 victory over the Houston Oilers on Jan. 6, 1991).
When the next victory comes is anyone’s guess.
Bengals fans are either laughing or crying.
Permalink | Comments (14) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By Brian
January 14, 2009 9:53 AM | Link to this
Good stuff Chick. The Bengals choosing Jerome Simpson was definitely my “WTF?!?” moment of last year’s draft. But all the things you describe support the fact that the Bengals will always be a reactive organization, never a proactive one. Next comes the usual excuses for passing on difference making free agents. Bengals = Groundhogs Day (the movie, not the holiday).By Mr.DadSir
January 14, 2009 12:24 PM | Link to this
Guys dont you know Simpson can jump up in the air and make these circus catches.Unfortunately Cirq de Soleil(sp) is in Las Vegas,and the management seems to be the clowns.By SnuffySmith
January 14, 2009 12:43 PM | Link to this
Enough of the draft could’ve beens. Glenn Dorsey was ‘stolen’ in front of the Bengals, yet I like what Sims did this year and Dorsey didn’t have the impact some thought he’d have. Slow news day perhaps? Enough with the could haves - the defensive MVP this year wasn’t even drafted by anyone!!!!! There must be 31 really dumb teams out there. They all have terrible drafters. Come on Chick - blog some good stuff once in a while.By Robert Young
January 14, 2009 12:46 PM | Link to this
Chick isn’t this one of Mikey’s themes?They get cute and out-smart themselves, then pay the price by sitting home for the playoffs. Saving fans the money for playoff tickets is Mikey’s latest theme.By Derrick
January 14, 2009 12:46 PM | Link to this
Chick, you are right-on with your assessment. Unfortunately the “theme” will continue as it is well rehearsed and performed over and over to perfection. The Bengal’s draft is a crap shoot at best thanks to the two scouts and Mikey Brown.By Steven Ross
January 14, 2009 1:16 PM | Link to this
Who didn’t go WTF when Simpson was drafted? What do you expect with the NFL’s smallest scouting dept. Simply pathetic this organization. No playoff victory since 1990. Say that again! Unbelieveable. Business as usual. Yeah, we’ll play smash-mouth with the Steelers and Ravens. When pigs fly.By Atlanta Fan
January 14, 2009 1:29 PM | Link to this
Interesting but…do we know what Simpson would have done in Philly’s “pass-first” offense with no real receivers and an experienced starting quarterback who has time to throw? Or what Jackson would have done in our new “run-first” offense with two pro bowl receivers, and with an inexperienced second string quarterback who doesn’t have time to throw? I feel like we’re comparing apples and pickup trucks. Only similarities are that they’re both objects and they may both be the same color. Beyond that, what else can one conclude other than one can be eaten and the other can be driven? I question how responsible it is to attempt to compare the results of their seasons and draw conclusions.By photoman
January 14, 2009 1:57 PM | Link to this
Insanity: …”extreme folly or unreasonableness”. (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. We just have to outwait MB.By photoman
January 14, 2009 2:18 PM | Link to this
I agree Chickster. Ever since PB passed this is what we have been left with. Dave Shula, David Klingler, Ki-Jana Carter, Akili Smith, Chris Perry, Odell Thurman, Kenny Irons, Jerome Simpson … the list of mistakes goes on and on and on. The common denominator through all of this is MB. We must have to wait him out.By photoman
January 14, 2009 2:36 PM | Link to this
A wise man said… “People with power have money, and people with money have power”. Can we outwait MB? Collinsworth and others have said no one hurts like MB during these terrible seasons. Well, MB is the one who can change his hurt with just a little bit of wisdom and a listening ear.By JMo
January 14, 2009 4:37 PM | Link to this
Chick I usually side with you on everything but I think its a little premature after the pathetic excuse of a season we just had. Trust me I am not defending this god awful front office with its midgit scouting department and the big mackeral Mike B. Mcnabb had a great year and Jackson really fit well in there scheme. Simpson looks like poop and I remember that one catch he had….I laughed when he finally got it. I think Simpson should be gauged fairly when Palmer comes back hopefully at 100% next season. I remember watching the draft when they called his name, I couldn’t believe all of that talent left on the board.By psychostats
January 14, 2009 9:13 PM | Link to this
Jerome Simpson may indeed turn out to be a bust, but like others are saying, it’s too early to tell. Give it at least until the end of the 2009 preseason. Nobody expected Simpson to have a strong rookie campaign, and a young Jerry Rice would have had problems in that spectacularly horrific offense. Regarding the poor drafts, I think the Bengals get too cute about selecting talent over need. For instance, why on earth did it take so long to draft a guy like Pat Sims? Heaven forbid if they took a run-stuffing DT a little too high. And then there’s the pass-catching tight end they couldn’t be bothered to select, even in the later rounds (until this past year with Matt Sherry). Mike Brown thinks he’s going to be like his dad during the 1950’s and outsmart everyone else. Problem is, the world surpassed him long ago.By Brian
January 15, 2009 12:50 PM | Link to this
I would LOVE to eat a little crow should Jerome Simpson have a break out sophomore season. I still think they drafted him at least a round before they could have otherwise gotten him. But given his physical tools and who they passed on, they REALLY need him to pan out.By Diamond Dave
January 15, 2009 1:04 PM | Link to this
Chickster, I covered that last playoff win at Riverfront alongside you. I enjoy going back and listening to the fans chanting “Beat L.A.!” and the joy from the players after a big win. Nobody knew the “old coach” wouldn’t live to see the next season, when Mike took over. ‘Nuff said.