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Who will be special this season?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
CINCINNATI — Bengals special teams coach Darrin Simmons is searching for that guy. That elusive kick-returner, that breakaway threat, who can make the special teams, well, special.
Might he be Glenn Holt, Andre Caldwell or Jerome Simpson? Could he be Antonio Chatman or Deltha O'Neal?
"Like I say every year: That remains to be seen," Simmons said as the Bengals prepare to open training camp at Georgetown (Ky.) College on Monday, July 28.
"We've got to find somebody to step up and be that guy for the whole year so we can develop continuity and consistency in the return game. Hopefully, he's here. We'll find out in the next couple of weeks."
Holt's ball security
Holt is the front-runner as the kickoff returner. His 100-yarder for a TD at Buffalo on Nov. 4 was the second-longest kickoff return in club history behind Eric Bieniemy's 102-yarder against the New York Giants in 1997.
But he lost two fumbles.
"The one thing I can't handle is somebody who puts the ball on the ground," Simmons said. "It's unacceptable. Glenn knows that. He's been working hard, and I have a lot of faith in Glenn. I'm also excited to see what Andre can do."
Who returns punts?
"The incumbent is Antonio Chatman," Simmons said. "I want him to be healthy and stay healthy so we can develop some kind of continuity with him, which we've never been able to do yet because of his (hamstring) injury history."
The other possibility is O'Neal.
"If he's the third cornerback, then we've got to get something out of him," Simmons said. "Deltha is very talented. He's shown he can do it in the past. He did it in Denver. We're going to give him the opportunity to do it, too. But Deltha has to embrace that role and work extremely hard to accept it and take it on. That's going to be up to him."
Death in the family
Simmons, kicker Shayne Graham and punter Kyle Larson were in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday, July 21, for the funeral of long-snapper Brad St. Louis' dad, who was killed in a bicycling accident in Sun Lakes, Ariz. Mike St. Louis was 64.
"It was good for Brad to have us there," Simmons said. "He's going to have a difficult road for a while. Brad's deep in my thoughts right now."
Graham contract talks
Graham's agent, Rob Roche, is negotiating with Bengals management on a new contract for his client. Both sides would like to get a long-term deal finalized soon. Graham is eligible for unrestricted free agency in February.
"I really hope that that gets done," Simmons said. "It would be one less thing for Shayne to have to be concerned about for the season."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com
