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Bengals' Fanene could have impact on defense

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By Carlos "Big C" Holmes, Staff Writer 2:16 AM Friday, June 12, 2009

The Cincinnati Bengals are prepared to unveil their revamped unit when the team holds its mandatory minicamp Thursday, June 18. A lot of hype has been generated over the Bengals stellar draft and offseason acquisitions. Although everything looks good on paper the real evaluation shall be determined by the team’s play on game day.

With a wealth of talent at nearly every position this season, the Bengals are expected to have some interesting battles taking place during training camp. One player who is gearing up for a heated competition is defensive end Jonathan Fanene.

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Fanene has been a role player along the defensive line since being drafted by the Bengals in the seventh round of 2005. Fanene will be in the fight of his life for playing time in camp with a logjam at D-line.

Fanene insists that he’ll be ready when the time comes and will do whatever it takes to seek more time on the playing field.

“I’m not going to promise you anything, but I’m ready to play wherever they want me to play,” Fanene said in a recent interview. “I want to get in there and perform well and help this team win games. I want to be a starter just like everyone else and I am prepared to work my way up the lineup. That aside, the important thing for us this season is to work as a team.”

Where Fanene seems to have an edge over some of his counterparts is versatility. He lined up at defensive tackle in nickel and dime packages last season, which makes him valuable to the team’s rotation. The versatile defensive lineman finished the ’08 season with 30 tackles in a limited role.

According to Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes, Fanene is making some headway in his development and is vital to what the team is trying to accomplish on defense.

“Jon is having an excellent camp,” coach Hayes said in a phone interview on Thursday. “He’s doing some really good things for us by showing the versatility that he has over the course of time. I really feel like he is getting into the system and knowing where he fits in. He can make plays for us as an end or defensive tackle and is an integral part of what we do.”

Hayes has been instrumental in Fanene’s development and has high expectations for the D-lineman this season.

“I do have high expectations for Jon and see him being in our rotation,” the coach said. “He’s a strong run defender and can do the things that we need done against tight ends and offensive tackles. He plays with really good technique and I never have any issue with putting him in and letting him play. I count on him to do a lot of things for us.

“Jon dealt with some injuries early on in his career, but has developed well over the last couple seasons. If he can stay healthy he can be a productive player in this league for years to come.”

Hayes went on to say that Fanene is working hard to improve his overall techniques and understand the system. He also said that the player is doing the types of things that will earn him more playing time this season.

Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s philosophy is to play hard, finish ball games and play with the right attitude. The agenda for the team’s defense this season is to stop the run and put tons of pressure on the quarterback.

Fanene said the defense has looked good during OTA and that the coaching staff has implemented some new wrinkles to the defense.

“I have faith in this defense and think that we’re going to be pretty good this year,” Fanene said. “Hopefully we can prove that we are a No. 1 defense this season.”

Carlos “Big C” Holmes covers the NFL for the Dayton Daily News.

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