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Rookies eager to make impact
Cornerback Leon Hall is scheduled to be the 'nickel' for Cincinnati.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
GEORGETOWN, Ky. — The Cincinnati Bengals' trio of cornerback Leon Hall and safeties Marvin White and Chinedum Ndukwe arrived at the beginning, middle and end of the 2007 NFL draft.
As first-, fourth- and seventh-round picks, they represent the future of the Bengals' secondary, but don't tell them that.
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The young and restless rookies want to make an impact right away. If not in the base defense, then on special teams.
"They brought us all in here for a purpose," Ndukwe said. "We're all physical guys. That's something the defense needed last year. I can only hope to contribute to that this year.
"I'm trying to be physical and finish every play. That's what I pride myself on. I'm going to keep on doing it until they tell me to slow down."
The same goes for Hall and White.
Hall, the No. 2 left cornerback behind Deltha O'Neal, is scheduled to be the "nickel" — the fifth defensive back in third-down passing situations. Meanwhile, White and Ndukwe are competing with John Busing, Herana-Daze Jones and Ethan Kilmer as backups to strong safety Dexter Jackson and free safety Madieu Williams.
Covering star wide receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in practice is only going to make Hall better.
"Going against (quarterback) Carson (Palmer), Chad and T.J., and all the other guys we have here, is just going to carry over to the season," Hall said. "If I can practice well against them, I'll have a lot more confidence going into games."
White's confidence is growing, too.
"The secondary already has an attitude with Dexter and Madieu," White said. "I'm just a small piece of the puzzle. I'm a big hitter, but I'm just trying to fit in and know my role as a backup and contributor on special teams. I'll be ready when my opportunity comes."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or
cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.
