You pick the roster. Defensive Line.

[KiLBurn]

Adams, Sam DT 6-4 335 <-Obviously, he stays. 1

Askew, Matthias DT 6-5 302 <- If the light has switched on. He stays. 2

Lewis, Marcus* DT 6-2 296 <- Practice Squad

Robinson, Bryan DT 6-4 304 <- I give him the edge over Thornton 3

Smith, Shaun DT 6-2 320 <- 9th D-Lineman. Showed too much potential last year. 4

Thornton, John DT 6-2 297 <- Him or Robinson are odd man out. Big Salary.

Peko, Domata* DT 6-1 322 <-Makes the roster or gets nabbed off PS. 5

Fanene, Jonathan DE 6-4 291 <- It's either him or Henderson. Eligible for PS? 6

Geathers, Robert DE 6-3 280 <- He makes it. Has too much potential. 7

Henderson, Eric * DE 6-2 270 <- Practice Squad. Possibly pushes Fanene out.

Smith, Justin DE 6-4 275 <- Pretty much a lock. Last year on contract. 8

Rucker, Frostee* DE 6-3 263 <- Makes roster or gets nabbed off the PS. 9

I say we keep 9. Marcus Lewis to PS, Thornton cut, Eric Henderson to PS where someone will most likely take a flyer on him. If Fanene is Eligible for PS, Henderson could possibly take his roster spot.

[ChadJohnson-85]

STARTING WITH DEFENSE:

Starting LDE in 2006 (projected): Bryan Robinson; 2005 Wild Card game: Justin Smith

2006 LDT: Sam Adams; Shaun Smith

2006 RDT: John Thornton; John Thornton

2006 RDE: Justin Smith; Robert Geathers

2006 SOLB: David Pollack; David Pollack

2006 MLB: Odell Thurman; Odell Thurman

2006 ROLB: Brian Simmons; Brian Simmons

2006 LCB: Deltha O’Neal; Deltha O’Neal

2006 RCB: Tory James; Tory James

2006 SS: Dexter Jackson; Ifeanyi Ohalete

2006 FS: Madieu Williams; Kevin Kaesviharn

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5301

[ArmyBengal]

I know one was about the line and one was about the defense overall, but I figured this would make it easier to discuss the overall defense and create better discussions about a topic of great concern for this team over the past forever years !!!

WHODEY !!!

[KiLBurn]

Note: No disrespect intended towards ANY moderators.

I find that it is usually fairly difficult to follow/contribute to a thread once it has been merged with another. It is comparable to merging a thread discussing the timing on a 351 Cleveland engine and one discussing the spark plug gappings on a 302. Both threads are discussing motors, for the same vehicle even, but it seems to make it more difficult to read it from beginning to end without losing track of the original question.

Maybe I'm just being anal but my question pertained to a specific area of the defense that I wanted an opinion on. The thread it was merged with just watered down any answers that I was seeking.

**Rant Over**

I am very interested in seeing your guys' opinions on who you think is going to get whacked.... specifically, whether the majority feel that Thornton is expendable this year.

[derekshank]

I really like the way our D-Line looks in Hobson's article. Thornton may not be the big body that Adams is used to having next to him... but having Robinson playing DE next to him would be more than sufficient (There has been much speculation about one of them being cut, so we'll have to wait and see).

Moving Smith back to RDE might seem like a step backward, bue he's such a good run stopper that our D-Line should be fantastic against the run against the run (2 pure DT's; 1 DE/DT Hybrid; 1 DE that excels against the run).

The issue with this D-Line is still going to be the need for a pass rush. That has been the biggest concern to me, much more than stopping the run. We need a pass rush to help our secondary out.

Adams takes up bodies... and Thornton is better at pentrating than most people around here give him credit for. I doubt either Justin Smith or Robinson are going to get a lot of sacks... but moving Geathers back into 3rd and long situations will be a good move... and Pollack blitzing the QB will be really difficult for any RB to account for.

I've said it in other threads... this looks really promising, but it did last year too. We just need to do it on the field. KC will be an excellent test in week 1 with their great O-Line and Larry Johnson trying to repeat his 200 yard game. We'll need a much improved defense if we're planning on going deep into the playoffs.

[Kazkal]

I say 9 once again

Adams

Peko

Brob

JT,Shaun or askew its really a toss up

Fanene(the tweener imo)

Justin

Robert

henderson

frostee

[Spain]

Fanene, will get time this year mark my words! This D will be much better. J Smith will finally get double digit sacks before heading into FAs with water boy on the other side. Next year we go to the 3-4.

[HoosierCat]

I really like the way our D-Line looks in Hobson's article.

Well, shoot, our d-line always looks great in Hobson's articles. It's when it gets out onto the field that it all too often turns to s**te.

All I know is that we need Peko or Askew to come through because the Bengals' strategy of throwing over-the-hill DTs, undersized DTs, and converted DEs into the middle of the line has been a long-running flop. Sam, if he's got anything left in the tank, ought to help but he's a stopgap. As to moving Smith back to the right side or Jumpy Jr. back to a situational role...well, weren't they moved around last year in an attempt to make things better? So I can't get that excited about going back to what wasn't working satisfactorily before.

[ArmyBengal]

Note: No disrespect intended towards ANY moderators.

I find that it is usually fairly difficult to follow/contribute to a thread once it has been merged with another. It is comparable to merging a thread discussing the timing on a 351 Cleveland engine and one discussing the spark plug gappings on a 302. Both threads are discussing motors, for the same vehicle even, but it seems to make it more difficult to read it from beginning to end without losing track of the original question.

Maybe I'm just being anal but my question pertained to a specific area of the defense that I wanted an opinion on. The thread it was merged with just watered down any answers that I was seeking.

**Rant Over**

I am very interested in seeing your guys' opinions on who you think is going to get whacked.... specifically, whether the majority feel that Thornton is expendable this year.

First, no disrespect taken at all and might I say, nicely put !!! I was going to send a PM, but I wanted to make sure people on the site know what's up... I merged the topic when there were only two initial posts, hence thought it would be easier to follow. Had there been some more responses, I would have more than likely left it alone. These types of threads usually end up marrying each other and that is what drove my merge. I definitely see your point KiLBurn and will keep that in mind in the future. Sorry for any confusion. Here's wishing everyone a great Bengalszone day !!!

WHODEY !!!

[HairOnFire]

For the first time in forever I like the Bengals defensive line depth and think the ability to substitute and switch players around might finally produce the "attacking in waves" style defense that was a trademark of Lewis's Raven squads. Plus, the better depth should result in fresher players who can hold up under the demands placed upon them by the Bengals own no-huddle offense, a point Lewis seemed close to making.

I like the idea of flipping Justin Smith from side to side depending on game situations. He's one of the better run defending DE's on the right side and a return there creates the room needed for Robinson to slide out to LDE. My real question is if a lighter Robert Geathers produces the heat that he showed as a rookie or if he's a one-trick pony that bottomed out once the blockers in the NFL adjusted to his forklift move. Time will tell, but IMHO much maligned Frostee Rucker is a far better and more complete NFL prospect than Geathers will ever be.

The news about Askew is encouraging. Unlike most I've never given up on him simply because he hasn't been given a chance to flash or fail. But at this point he's got an uphill battle to fight against more experienced veterans and younger players with longer contracts. That said, I'm not a fan of Peko and Thornton could become a surprising late salary cap casualty. Then again, that move wouldn't really be THAT much of a surprise, would it?

Last, I think Fanene is toast.

[Spor_tees]

maybe we can field a team of 6 defensive lineman, Odell, and then the 4 guys in the secondary. I wonder how that would turn out. I bet that would stop the run!

[schweinhart]

The comp at the D-Line is a good thing. I still think B-Rob could be the odd man out in all of this largely because of durability, age and salary. Even though he did a much better job at holding the gap at LDT than Thornton did, I still think Fanene is going to win the spot as DE/DT if the Bengals finally decide to let the rest of the group either be DTs or DEs.

[El Tigere]

You keep 9

Start Sam Adams And Shaun Smith to plug up the middle and let your ends work one on one!

Peko and Askew can back them up until they can unseat the starters. Its a good idea to go young since Adams is not a young buck anymore. I say we need to keep the 2 young guys over Bryan Robinson or Jonh Thorton, you save money and go young.

Adams, Sam DT 6-4 335 Starter will command 2 lineman on him

Askew, Matthias DT 6-5 302 If he fails Then you keep Bryan Robinson DT

Smith, Shaun DT 6-2 320 Starter solid big man stopping the run

Peko, Domata* DT 6-2 322 He will be Adams Successor

Fanene, Jonathan DE/DT 6-4 291 DE starter for 1st and 2nd down will help with stoping the run.

Geathers, Robert DE 6-3 280 3rd down rushing specialist

Henderson, Eric * DE 6-2 270 Game Changer you have to give him time will be a very good player in time.

Smith, Justin DE 6-4 275 Starter

Rucker, Frostee* DE 6-3 263 Marvin Drafted him early for a reason we will see!

[derekshank]

As to moving Smith back to the right side or Jumpy Jr. back to a situational role...well, weren't they moved around last year in an attempt to make things better? So I can't get that excited about going back to what wasn't working satisfactorily before.

It's a fair point... and I agree. looking good on paper didn't do much for us last year. On the other hand, I don't think this is merely going back to 2004. Last year's experiment failed, so there's no reason to stick to that plan. (We were 3rd worst in sacks with 28). 2004 might not have been the best... but we were better than that (tied for 17th with 37 sacks).

Besides... we're not simply "going back" because of key additions we've made since 2004. The emergence of Geathers and the addition of Robinson to replace Tony Williams were the reason for the change last year. Now we have Adams, and Robinson moving back to his natural position of DE where he is likely to be more effective. We will no longer be undersized on the line... Smith is 275, Adams is 335, Thornton is 297, and Robinson 305 (If Thornton leaves, we still have S. Smith at 320, Askew at 302, and Peko at 320) That line will not get pushed around, and no matter who stays and who goes, the depth is far better at both DT and DE.

As Hair pointed out:

For the first time in forever I like the Bengals defensive line depth and think the ability to substitute and switch players around might finally produce the "attacking in waves" style defense that was a trademark of Lewis's Raven squads. Plus, the better depth should result in fresher players.

Sure... we might not have many pro-bowlers in their prime... but I think we have a good mix of promising youth with proven veterans. At this point what I like most is Robinson at DE. He's always been either a DT or a 3-4 DE. There should be mismatches for him as a 4-3 DE... and Geathers, Rucker, and even Pollack can be effective pass rushers off the end on 3rd and long.

I always want to temper my enthusiasm... because I remember what a huge disappoinment the line was last year with such high expectations... but I must admit that I am starting to sip the kool-aid a bit. We have more depth with which to wear down offensive lines, and we aren't undersized like we have been every other year in recent memory.