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Stumbleuponbengals notes
Chatman wants to be Bengals' No. 3 wideout
Sunday, August 03, 2008
GEORGETOWN, Ky. — With Chad Johnson (ankle) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hamstring) sidelined, somebody had to step forward.
Antonio Chatman sure did.
The sixth-year veteran emerged as the offensive star of training camp's big weekend with six receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
His three catches for 45 yards and a TD highlighted the starting unit's 44-22 victory over the backups in the Cincinnati Bengals' Black-Orange Mock Game on Saturday, Aug. 2, at Toyota Stadium.
Chatman, plagued by hamstring injuries the past two seasons, is battling to win the No. 3 receiver job.
Picks and grins
Despite the offensive fireworks, all four quarterbacks — Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe and Jordan Palmer — were intercepted Saturday.
Free safety Corey Lynch, cornerback Johnathan Joseph, linebacker Jim Maxwell and strong safety Dexter Jackson registered the picks.
"We're going against a young defense that comes out to win every play," Carson Palmer said. "They're so competitive on that side of the ball that it's helping us on offense."
Lynch pin
Lynch, a rookie sixth-round pick and the hero of Appalachian State's 34-32 upset of Michigan last fall, is making a strong bid for the starting free safety job.
He intercepted Jordan Palmer in end zone on the final play of Friday's scrimmage, then followed up with a sack and an interception against Carson Palmer on Saturday. His sack came in the end zone for a safety.
"He's got a knack for the ball, doesn't he?" defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said.
Where's Keith?
Linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald wishes first-round holdout Keith Rivers were here. "We can get him schooled up on everything," he said. "But the biggest thing is that he's not spending time with his teammates. Going through the things they're going through helps bond our football team."
Getting untracked
Tight end Ben Utecht, a free agent from the Colts, caught a 19-yard pass from Carson Palmer on the game's first drive. It was his only catch of the weekend.
"It felt great," Utecht said. "We've been working really hard on getting open on those seams. The right opportunity came and the ball was just placed perfect. That's all you ask from a guy like Carson Palmer."
Comeback kid
After tossing an interception and overthrowing Glenn Holt, Rowe rebounded with a 33-yard TD pass to Chatman on the final play of the first half.
"You've got to forget whatever you've done before, no matter how things are going," Rowe said. "It's hard to do sometimes, but a play like that helps things go better. I like those two-minute drives. They're fun to do."
Steeler invasion
A Pittsburgh fan, in a black truck with an inflatable Steelers mascot in the truck bed, surfaced on the hillsides near both ends of the stadium at different intervals on Friday and Saturday, laying on the truck horn in an attempt to interrupt the proceedings.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.
