WhoDeyRevolution

Henry Ready To Turn The Page...Again

So fresh off my 4th of July hangover I receive my daily dose of the Sporting News.  Inside was a Q & A with Chris Henry. 

He talks about how he has changed for good and done a complete 360 (which would put him right back where he started, but I digress) with his life.  His mother told him he was around the wrong people, and that he was still in 'college' mode after he left early for the NFL.  This is all behind him now, and he has renewed respect for Carson, Coach Lewis, and Chad.

My question, again, is the following:  What exactly is the lesson that Chris Henry has learned?  The Bengals...the same team that cut him following his arrest last year...re-signed him before training camp in 2008.  He did not have to sit out from football for a year.  Remember, a lot of teams had a shot at Henry before the Bengals ended up signing him.  The other 31 passed.  It's very likely Henry would have been on the sidelines for the entire 2008 season if the Redeemer didn't give Henry another chance.

The Bengals fan in me hopes that this is the year for Henry.  I hope he blocks, I hope he runs the right routes, I hope he doesn't make silly drops.  A lineup of a healthy Chad Johnson, L-V Coles, and Henry is formidable, and that doesn't even count Andre Caldwell running over the middle and Chase Coffman down the seam. 

This team talks about how things will be different this year.  How the whole organization has changed.  It's fair to say that we won't really know until September against Denver...but I have about two decades of history to say this is yet another smokescreen full of hot air.

Priority Sports Rips HippopotaSmith

Remember how everyone thought that story that Andre Smith was going to fire his current agent and return to the agent he had before the draft?  Remember how everyone ripped us (and others) for putting gasoline on something that was just a rumor? 

Well HippopotaSmith has fired Priority Sports and has re-hired Alvin Keels...just as he planned all along.  Priority Sports took the opportunity to release a statement that sheds a little light onto the player the Bengals just drafted 6th overall:

“In regards to Andre Smith, we are moving forward and devoting all of our attention on the high character, hard working and honest clients of Priority Sports.

“We were asked to come in at the last minute to provide credibility to his draft status and we succeeded in that task.  Soon after the draft, Andre Smith became a tremendous distraction to our company.  What we have subsequently determined is that Andre Smith does not match the culture of Priority Sports and the character of the clients we take so much pride in representing.

“This will be our final statement on this matter.”

Even Bengals.com has the press release from Priority on their team website, listed here. 

Has Andre Smith cost himself a lot of money?  It's fair to say that the Bengals might try and 'punish' Smith for his bait and switch maneuver by really digging in on his contract.  From the whole Chad Johnson situation, we know that Mike Brown and Bengals management has no problem being stubborn to make a point.  Suffice it to say that I would be surprised if Smith was in camp on-time this season. 

Look, HippopotaSmith could turn out to be a fantastic, pro-bowl left (or right) tackle in the NFL.  The point is the Bengals should have known about this and they have forfeited their right to take chances anymore in the draft, especially at #6 overall.  Eugene Monroe was also sitting there at #6...solid character, excellent in pass protection (the goal of all this was to protect Carson's blind side, right?), and many called him the best overall tackle in the draft.  I realize some said that about Jason Smith and the Hippo as well, but Monroe excelled at pass protection.  The only real knock on Monroe was that he might have bad knees.  You know who else was supposed to have bad knees?  Anthony Munoz.

There are too many people with loose lips around the league that should have tipped the Bengals off to this potential situation, and the Bengals have stated that Smith originally dumping Keels for Priority was a factor in their decision to draft Smith.  Again, this is what happens when you don't have a proper front office or general manager with contacts throughout the league. 

I know, I know.  Smith hasn't had one day of training camp or taken one snap in the NFL yet.  But, you have to admit, things are not off to a great start.  And, we are staring down the barrel of another Bengals blunder.  Players without high character, without a strong work ethic, and that are not honestly dedicated to football are players we simply can't afford anymore in Cincinnati...despite their 'talent' potential.

Carson Desperately Trying To Take Control

Give Carson credit, at least he's trying to become the heart, soul and vocal force of this team. 

Via Joe Reedy from the Enquirer, here's what Carson had to say about Chad OC this offseason:

"It's definitely a new look for the Bengals receiver corps but I couldn't be happier with the guys we've got," Palmer said. "T.J.'s (Houshmandzadeh) gone and Chad's pretty much gone, he hasn't been here, so we've got guys that want those two spots, guys that compete day in and day out, when we're out there on the field, running, conditioning and in the weight room lifting. They're guys that want to take over for those two spots. They look every bit capable of doing what we're going to ask them to do."

When asked what his expectations about Ochocinco this season were, Palmer said: "Well, I really don't know. I haven't talked to him. I haven't talked to anybody that has talked to him. He wasn't here last year so I'm expecting him not to be here at all this year. Last year I think he was here for the mandatory camp but didn't participate in it. So I'm planning on him not being here just because he hasn't been here yet so we'll prepare, like I said.

"We've got Chris Henry ... He's a guy that's had a great offseason, really turned his life around. I'm excited to watch him play. He's a guy that seems like he catches a touchdown every other ball that's thrown to him, he's that explosive. He's kind of taken over for Chad's position and he's a guy that, like I said earlier, does not want to give up that spot right now."

As I have said in the past, Carson needs to be a Boomer Esiason like presence in the huddle and off the field to literally carry this team past the ineptitude of the organization and deep into the playoffs.

Bengals Get Duped?

Have the Bengals made another huge mistake early in the draft?
via videosift.com

Check out this little nugget from our good friend Baghdad Hob posted last night:

The source indicated the Bengals have concerns with the decision to fire Rick Smith, a member of the Priority Sports agency that has represented a variety of former Bengals such as Levi Jones, Bryan RobinsonTory James. After it drafted Andre Smith, the club indicated that Smith's decision to hire Priority had been part of the decision-making process.

Then, check out what ProFootballTalk has dug up on the subject:

In the wake of the news that Bengals tackle Andre Smith has fired agent Rick Smith and is poised to rehire Alvin Keels, whom Andre Smith fired several weeks before the draft, multiple league sources tell us that the firing and rehiring of Keels was planned.

The theory here is that, by firing Keels and hiring the more established Rick Smith of Priority Sports, Andre Smith proved to the teams interested in selecting him that the former Alabama standout was finally beginning to “get it.”

Moreover, there’s a chance that Andre Smith was being told by one or more other agents that he needed to fire Keels in order to persuade teams that Andre Smith acknowledged the errors that were made during the pre-draft preparations, including the bizarrely stupid decision to run a 40-yard dash while not wearing a shirt.

And there’s a chance that Andre Smith still wanted to deal with Keels.  And so there’s a chance that Keels and Smith agreed to the fire-and-rehire scenario.

You see, this is what happens when you DON'T HAVE A SCOUTING DEPARTMENT OR A GENERAL MANAGER!

Levi Jones Cut

In a largely expected move, Levi Jones has been cut, as reported by Pro Football Talk.  Jones was reportedly informed that the team would try to trade him and otherwise release him after Offensive Tackle, Andre Smith was drafted with the 6th overall pick.  The move saves a lot of money (namely, a $3 million base salary due to Jones this year), which will most certainly be used to sign Smith and the other draft picks.  Two WDR thoughts on the matter:

(1) WDR does like the move (mostly because of #2 below) but it sure puts a lot of pressure on rookie tackle, Andre Smith and second year tackle, Anthony Collins.  Without Levi there, our line is very young and when you combine it with the fact that our center will have 0 NFL starts going into next season and will possibly be a rookie, it is no surprise what will determine the Bengals' 2009-10 success: Offensive Tackle, Offensive Tackle, Center. 

(2) And the amount of Bengals who don't want to be on the Bengals and are vocal about it is down to one.  As mentioned, the move is fine but WDR sure wishes we would have excommunicated the last remaining one.  While there was potential excitement to see the OchoCinco/Coles combination, this has been diluted by Chad's refusal to show up to any voluntary workouts and reportedly crying on the phone to TJ Houshmandzadeh because he can't get himself traded.

Akili Smith & Co. on Family Feud

Former Bengals draft bust Akili Smith will be on Family Feud (yes THAT Family Feud) on Monday, May 4th at 10am here in the Cincinnati area on Channel 12.

Going by "Kili" on the show, Smith and his relatives are participating in the family tournament on the show, and they have been playing quite well.  Maybe Smith found his calling a few years too late.

We will have a running commentary of the episode later this week on WDR.

In the comments, let's see your best "we surveyed 100 people, top 5 answers on the board..."

Ladies and Gentlemen, set your DVR's.

Somebody actually WANTED this guy?

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Bengals center and Inverse Human Pancake Machine, Eric Ghiaciuc last night.  The Kansas City Star claims that the team may have found its new starting center.  Clearly the Chiefs have proven that they don't own video equipment, nor have they actually seen Ghiaciuc play in games. 

Good riddance.  WDR is glad that Mike Brown's Bengals won't be able to retain his "services", which included: getting knocked on his ass (earning him the nickname of Inverse Human Pancake Machine), failing to open holes for running backs, and screwing up the center/QB exchange.  Some people call that, "the job of a center."

The best part of the article is at the end where they say, "Ghiaciuc became expendable in Cincinnati after the Bengals took Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs in the fourth round of the draft." 

Uh guys?!?!?!  Shouldn't it tell you something by signing a Bengals cast-off?  What, the Lions didn't have a center you could have taken?  

One Man's Take on the Bengals Draft

Generally, I avoid trying to use the first person but since draft day provides many different opinions, I can't speak for the rest of WDR.  Given that... 

What I liked:

-Drafting an Offensive Tackle in the 1st round: Protection for Carson Palmer was needed.  There was a point where I thought Aaron Curry would fall and was actually rooting against it because if Carson Palmer doesn't have time to throw, the Bengals have no chance.  Curry would have been a justifiable deviation from the Offensive Tackle plan that I just didn't want.  I also don't mind the selection of Andre Smith.  Smith was the #1 projection for almost a full calendar year and it really all came apart on one day.  I'm still trying to figure out his "character concerns" that people seem to blow out of proportion.  While Eugene Monroe was there, uncertainty exists for him as well as he dislocated a knee cap in college.  I like the Andre Smith pick.

-REY MAUALUGA!!!: A moment of shear panic consumed me when this guy was available for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  That's all the Bengals need...two crazy Polynesian dudes running all over the place wreaking havoc on our offense.  Instead, he fell and the Bengals pounced on him.  While I would have been fine with Center Max Unger or Maualuga, I think the right choice was made.  The defense now has swagger and a little bit of crazy.  Point taken from Comrade Jenkins...Marvin and Zimmer will have to coach him up and keep him disciplined but if you watched a USC college football game last year, you should be excited about this pick.  If we weren't on boycott, I'd consider a Maualuga jersey.  But we are on boycott and are not coming off of it so it looks like I'll be relegated to P Dub at least until the Bengals make the playoffs.

What I didn't like:

The draft just wouldn't be complete without a selection like this: Bernard Scott, RB, Abilene Christian.  Here's his Scouts Inc.'s character profile (Scouts Inc.'s gave him a 5, the lowest possible character score):

2008: Finishing 18 month of probation for giving false information to a police officer during a traffic stop. 2005: Central Arkansas dismisses Scott from the team for striking a coach who was trying to break up a fight during a spring practice. 2002: High School dismisses him from team before senior season for involvement in an off-campus fight.

What more can be said at this point?  Jason Shirley last year and Bernard Scott this year.  Disgusting.

Bengals to Bring Back Another Player Nobody Else Wanted

Pro Football Talk brings to our attention that Mike Brown's Bengals are reportedly bringing back former fullback Jeremi Johnson.  What the PFT post correctly tells us is that Johnson appeared in 50 games for us, was injured and then released in November.  What the PFT post doesn't tell us is that Johnson was unable to suit up for the Bengals last year after someone ate him and showed up to training camp claiming to play fullback for the Bengals. 

On one hand, the Bengals have a huge need at fullback and might as well bring him back and see if he can return to be what many thought was a productive fullback.  The Bengals certainly had at least one season of an effective running game when he was lead blocking.  Maybe he actually got back in shape.  On the other hand, it is always alarming to see the Bengals bring in another player that no other team picked up.  Think over the years how many players we've had (with significant playing time) that were released or not re-signed that no other team was interested in.  Listed below are such players.  Feel free to add to the list in the comments.

Caleb Miller, Chris Henry, Tab Perry, Eric Ghiaciuc, Ron Dugans, Dede Dorsey, Anthony Schlegel, Kim Herring, Dexter Jackson, Ifeanyi Ohalete....There must be more...

An even more alarming thought: How many more of these guys are on our team?

Leon Hall Reaction

It took about a year, but another Bengals player is in trouble with the law.  And once again, the Bengals blow their chance at making a strong public statement. 

Forget the fact that Leon Hall made the poor choice to drive intoxicated for a moment.  I'm not here to be self-righteous and say that I (or many of our loyal comrades out there) have never gotten behind the wheel when maybe they should have called a cab.  However, in the position that Leon Hall is in, with the ridiculous history Bengals players have created for themselves over the past three years, you would think an extremely intelligent guy like Hall would have better judgment. 

What I am most perplexed about was the statement from the Bengals.  I know that Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan is considered one of the best in the business, so this is not an indictment of him, but the message circulated by the Bengals is confusing to me. 

“We were aware of the charge,” Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said Wednesday. “Anybody can get charged with anything. We don’t feel it’s appropriate to comment on a legal matter that’s not resolved.”

Anybody can be charged with anything?  Is that a fact?  I've gone about a quarter-century without being charged for a crime, save for that midget prostitution charge a few years back, but we won't count that. 

I fully understand that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but why do the Bengals have to (again) directly contradict a police action?  If this was another team (Steelers), their quote on the subject would be something like this:

"We have been made aware of the disappointing charges against Mr. Hall.  DUI is an offense that we take quite seriously, and we absolutely do not condone this type of behavior from anyone in the organization.  However, we will refrain from further comment out of respect of Mr. Hall's rights so that the legal system can run its course."

Why is that so hard?  Was Brennan's little dig a nod to what happened to Houston Texans RB Ryan Moats in Dallas?  Back in 2007, after Chris Henry's traffic stop in Over-the-Rhine for failing to signal, Marvin Lewis made questionable comments (that he later retracted) about the Cincinnati Police Department.  Essentially, he said that the Bengals were being targeted and failing to signal was a BS offense. 

Look, I'm not looking to get into a big discussion over law enforcement.  I'm just saying that the Bengals did a poor job in addressing the situation and demanding that their players hold themselves to a higher standard.  In my opinion, it speaks volumes to how this organization is run.

(WLWT has the video of Hall's field sobriety test right here)