Pyramid Hill lights up
Parade, tree lighting at Greene
Ribbon cut for bike path
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 > June > 18 > Entry
Minicamp primer: Just how good can the Cincinnati Bengals be in 2009?
THEY HAVE PLENTY OF WEAPONS;
CAN THEY PUT ‘EM ALL TOGETHER
AND MAKE A PUSH TO THE PLAYOFFS?
Questions abound as the Bengals gather for mandatory, full-squad minicamp today and through Saturday, June 18-20, at Paul Brown Stadium.
Can the retooled offensive line jell and be able to protect quarterback Carson Palmer and open holes for tailback Cedric Benson on a consistent basis?
Will Palmer’s healed right elbow remain strong throughout a 16-game schedule?
Which player will be anointed the starting fullback?
“There are all those variables,” offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. “But we feel we have weapons to be successful.”
Like the wide receiver trio of Chad Ochocinco, Chris Henry and newcomer Laveranues Coles; rookie tight end Chase Coffman, who joins veterans Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht; and tailbacks Brian Leonard, James Johnson and Bernard Scott, all of whom are battling to be Benson’s backup.
The league’s 12th-ranked defense from a year ago added tackle Tank Johnson and strong safety Roy Williams in free agency, plus a pair of rookies in linebacker Rey Maualuga and end Michael Johnson to complement the unit’s leader — middle linebacker Dhani Jones.
The goal is to emerge as a top-10 unit and make the playoffs. The Bengals have reached the postseason just once (2005) in 18 years.
“I think we can be good,” defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. “The best thing we had going last year is we had a lot of guys who just did what we asked them to do. The guys we added are the same kind of guys.
“If they’re playing good, we’ll play with anybody. But it’ll be interesting to see how they respond when they get punched in the mouth a few times. Are they going to come back and fight when the game’s on the line, and go win the game? That will be the real test of how good we can be.”
GEARING UP FOR MINICAMP
Ten things all Bengals aficionados should know as minicamp unfolds today through Saturday, June 18-20, at Paul Brown Stadium.
• Up for grabs: There’s stiff competition at every position except quarterback, where Carson Palmer is the clear-cut starter. Backup QB J.T. O’Sullivan has much greater arm strength than former backup Ryan Fitzpatrick, who signed with Buffalo on Feb. 27.
• Spread offense: Look for Chad Ochocinco, Chris Henry and Laveranues Coles to be on the field when the Bengals go with three wideouts.
“You’re going to see that combination, plus others,” offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said.
• Line dance: Left to right, the offensive line looks like this — Andrew Whitworth, Nate Livings, Kyle Cook, Bobbie Williams and Andre Smith.
“We haven’t put the pads on yet,” Cook said, “but things are going well.”
• Sam I am: Rey Maualuga was USC’s starting middle linebacker for three seasons. Why switch him to Sam (strong-side outside linebacker)?
Two reasons. 1) There’s no way he’s going to beat out starting middle ‘backer Dhani Jones, who is the leader of the defense. 2) Head coach Marvin Lewis wants Maualuga to expand his role and learn a new position. Maualuga will battle Rashad Jeanty for the starting job.
• End game: Defensive ends Robert Geathers, Antwan Odom and Michael Johnson are locks to make the squad. That leaves Jonathan Fanene and Frostee Rucker to slug it out for the fourth spot.
The advantage goes to Fanene because he can play tackle and end. Rucker’s a good pass rusher, but injuries have limited him to 16 games in three seasons.
• Tight quarters: Drafting tight end Chase Coffman in the third round could spell doom for Daniel Coats, who dropped a potential TD pass in a demoralizing 35-3 loss at Indianapolis on Dec. 7, 2008.
• Weighty issue: Fullback Jeremi Johnson, who was cut last season and re-signed this year, is attempting to win back the starting job. Chris Pressley, Fui Vakapuna and J.D. Runnels provide the competition.
• Fantasy draft: What draft advice does Palmer give fantasy football players?
“Draft Cedric Benson,” he said. “He’s going to have an awesome year.”
• Fans welcome: Saturday’s final minicamp practice (9:55 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.) is open to the public.
Bengals season tickets are available for the first time since 2006, and fans can inspect available seats from 9 a.m. until noon for the “Select-A-Seat” event.
• First and 10: Rookie sixth-round cornerback Morgan Trent signed a four-year contract worth $1.862 million on Wednesday. He got a $112,000 bonus to go with minimum salaries of $310,000, $395,000, $480,000 and $565,000. Trent is the first of the Bengals’ 11 draft picks to sign.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By TouchDown Troy
June 18, 2009 9:28 AM | Link to this
They have the weapons to do some really good things,i like there chances. They just have to go out there on Sunday’s and do it!By get real
June 18, 2009 11:57 AM | Link to this
If Palmer stays healthy all the D has to do is stay middle of the pack and we can make the playoffs. With this sched, we shoul flirt with 10 wins. Who Dey!!?By Reality
June 18, 2009 1:07 PM | Link to this
Unfortunately, I have been burned by this team to many times in the past to become overly optimisitic. Had they fired Brat, I would be more inclined to jump onboard, but they did not. They also still have an idiot for an owner…7-9 this year…By Kiss-me-Kate
June 18, 2009 3:59 PM | Link to this
I see 10 - 6, but not winning the division. Not sure that will get them in the playoffs. Time for a winning season again under Marvin. Isn’t this Marvin’s last year under contract? What’s your feeling Chick - they going to re-sign him? Maybe it depends on this year’s results.By buckeyefan
June 18, 2009 4:09 PM | Link to this
I look for a big improvement this year. I think 5 and 11 is not out of the question.By Gordon S
June 20, 2009 3:49 AM | Link to this
jt o’sullivan as your backup. you’ve got to be kidding!! When he was benched last year he led the league in INTERCEPTIONS AND FUMBLES! JT has been on 9 (THAT RIGHT ! 9 ) teams in 7 years. as a niners fan and knowing of him and his friends , he is useless. heck dig up jeff george somewhere ;)By Gordon S
June 20, 2009 3:51 AM | Link to this
jt o’sullivan as your backup. you’ve got to be kidding!! When he was benched last year he led the league in INTERCEPTIONS AND FUMBLES! JT has been on 9 (THAT RIGHT ! 9 ) teams in 7 years. as a niners fan and knowing of him and his friends , he is useless. heck dig up jeff george somewhere ;)