Posted 6/24/2006 4:38 AM
Though the Bengals offense soared to a No. 4 NFL ranking in 2005, the defense slid to 28th in yards allowed and 22nd in points given up. The defense still was gashed by the run.
In the offseason, the Bengals signed strong safety Dexter Jackson, whose strength is against the run as a sure-tackler. Then they finally brought in a big defensive tackle to clog the middle in Sam Adams. Adams, a proven run-stopper, adds another large body to the middle of the line and should help the team's small, fast linebackers roam a little more freely to the ball.
Adams is at the end of his career, but he should make the players around him better simply by occupying two blockers in the middle of the line. The additions of Adams and Jackson, plus the return of free safety Madieu Williams from shoulder surgery, bolster the defense.
Offensively, the Bengals lost solid backup quarterback Jon Kitna to Detroit, where he will have the opportunity to start. Kitna provided stability and leadership, and Carson Palmer leaned on him. With Palmer rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery in January, the Bengals signed free agents Anthony Wright and Doug Johnson in case Palmer can't open the season. Wright looks to be the starter if Palmer isn't ready, but he is taking a crash course to try to learn the offense.
Marvin Lewis has made almost all the right moves since becoming Bengals coach in January 2003. He raised the level of professionalism in the locker room and brought in high-character players with talent. He's still bringing in talent, but the selections of defensive end Frostee Rucker in the third round and linebacker A.J. Nicholson in the fifth bring another couple of potential headaches to the team.
Nicholson already has been in trouble, charged with burglary, grand theft and vandalism stemming from an alleged break-in at the apartment of a former Florida State teammate in May. And Rucker had to leave Colorado State after he pleaded to a reduced charge following his arrest for sexual assault.
Coupled with the fourth arrest of second-year wide receiver Chris Henry in the past seven months, Lewis is losing points with a fan base that adores him. Lewis only has himself to blame for the off-field problems of his hand-picked players. He let them in the door.
NOTES, QUOTES
—The Bengals will train at Georgetown College near Lexington, Ky., through at least 2007. Coach Marvin Lewis, speaking Monday, June 19, at the Georgetown/Scott County Chamber of Commerce, announced the agreement.
"This year will be my fourth in Georgetown, and I look forward to both this year and the next," he said. "I have found the entire experience at Georgetown to be excellent in getting our season off to a productive start."
The Bengals moved their training camp to Georgetown beginning in 1997. They had trained at Wilmington College for the first 29 years of their existence. The Bengals will train for two weeks this summer at Georgetown. Camp will open with a night practice July 29. As the Bengals have improved on the field during the regular, so has their training camp attendance.
During the past few years, several NFL teams have begun to hold training camp at their home stadium, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. The Bengals have three practice fields adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium, and now can use the game field inside the stadium for practice because it is artificial turf. There is an increased sense that the Bengals might join the growing number of teams in the near future and move camp to their home base.
Yet Lewis and team president Mike Brown both are said to enjoy the experience of getting away and think it is good for players to focus on football.
—Madieu Williams chose to have surgery midway through the 2005 season instead of playing hurt every other week. Now the third-year Bengals free safety he's determined to make up for lost time.
"He's been a man on a mission, and it's been great to see," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said of Williams. "His breaks, his angles, all those things have been perfect. He's added some more body mass and hasn't seemed to slow a bit."
Williams is up from about 195 to 205 pounds. The goal is more strength against the run.
But more has changed beside his body.
"He's more vocal," Lewis said. "He understands the ins and outs of things they install. He has become a leader. He's kind of leading the way."
A healthy Williams and the addition of free agent Dexter Jackson lift the safety position.
"Dexter is going to bring a lot of fight to guys," Lewis said. "He's very intense. He has been everything we hoped and more. He's got something to prove."
—Robert Geathers is trying to recapture the quickness and speed that made him a big-play defensive end as a rookie in 2004. He has dropped from 287 to 265 pounds. He already has noticed an improvement in his endurance.
"It kind of snuck up on me. It kind of hung there," he said of the extra weight. "I feel a whole lot quicker."
"Quarterback Carson Palmer, despite working hard to rehab his injured left, is growing into a role as a leader in the locker room. On the second day of minicamp, as he walked toward the training room, Palmer slapped hands with Chatman and faked a slap with wide receiver Chad Johnson.
"That was funny," Johnson said.
"To me it was," Palmer said.
Then Palmer met troubled wide receiver Chris Henry at the door of the training room. They shook hands and talked quietly for several minutes. Henry has been arrested four times in the past seven months for a variety of alleged offenses. He still has not been cleared medically from a sprained knee.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We keep preparing the other guys as if (Palmer) won't be there, but chances are he will be." — Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, on the possibility of Carson Palmer opening the season as the starter after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery Jan. 10; as insurance, the Bengals signed free agent quarterbacks Doug Johnson and Anthony Wright.
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USA Today - Inside Slant - Bengals
USA Today - Inside Slant - Bengals
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