Overrated and underrated

[HoTbOy]

I don't know if this was posted before but on MSNBC sports site they have over and under rated players for every team and Rudi was overrated and TJ underrated

Cincinnati Bengals

Overrated: Rudi Johnson is a decent back, but he doesn't have the big-play speed. It's clear that backup Chris Perry brings more to the offense when he's in the game. Look for him to get more time this season.

Underrated: Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh doesn't have blazing speed, but he knows how to get open. He had 78 catches and seven touchdown receptions in 2005. Not bad for a guy who scouts wondered could play in the league.

[Stripes]

Rudi lacks the speed and overall talent attributes just like T.J., but only one of them gets credit for his statistical accomplishments? Meh.

I can't really think of any player on the team that is overrated... Tory maybe, but everyone's been crapping on him already. Could it be Chad?

Underrated - Levi, Steinbach, Rudi, Madieu, Justin Smith, T.J., etc...

[ArmyBengal]

I know everyone here loves him, but when you hear about kickers in the league, people seem to forget good old

Shayne-o-matic... If he is talked about in great amounts, I must be asleep when it happens, because I never heard him mentioned. I'll go with Shayne Graham as underrated.

Overrated ?? Hard to say there...

WHODEY !!!

[Dadraftnick]

Underated- Tory James and Deltha Oneal-The two have combined for more interceptions than any other duo in the NFL the last 2 years,if they were in N.Y. or one of the larger markets you would hear their names 24/7 on all sports networks.

Underated- Willie Anderson,he has been the character and backbone that has held the team together and didn't leave the sinking ship when he could have.You have to be good to make the Pro Bowl when you play in Cincinnati especially during the down years.

Underated-T.J.,he just CATCHES THE DAMN BALL the best % of catch vs drops in the NFL-says it all

Overated-Justin Smith,strong,hustles,but has no moves,it seems like he has lifted weights and ran but never studied opponets or tried to get more than one move.

Overated-Madeau Williams-he was missed bigtime last year,just not a Fulcher not a Ken Riley.It seems like he could be much more than he has shown.

Overated-D- Line ,with the exception of Justin Smith and Sam Adams,the rest of the line is barely NFL material,with no idea how to rush the passer.

OVERATED-John Hays Bengals D-line coach he may not have much to work with but,he has made NO improvement in the lines play,there is no pass rush,none of the players have any pass rush moves,and worst of all is this guy can surely not evaluate talent,he had to have a hand major in drafting Geathers,Rucker,over some much better talent.

Overated-Chuch Bresnahan See above.

[membengal]

That article was a reprint from Pete Prisco's piece on sportsline.com. So that is Prisco calling Rudi overrated. Which helped me to understand the context, since Prisco is an abject idiot.

The point of his column was to pick out the MOST overrated and MOST underrated player on each team. And, for the Bengals, it was Rudi who drew his most overrrated nod. Felt a LOT like someone just writing something to try and garner attention...

[ArmyBengal]

At first i'd agree with the D-line being overrated and then I remember everyone saying how absolutely sh*tty they are, getting ran the f*ck over week in and week out, so maybe they aren't... Here's to hoping they're underrated this year !!!

WHODEY !!!

[schweinhart]

Clear Chris Perry brings more to the game than Rudi? Guess Prisco missed how well Perry ran vs. 3-4 defenses, what a spaz he is trying to run between the tackles and how his patented two-step sideways housefly maneuver actually makes him slower than the slow-poke Rudi whose downhill running and ability to break arm tackles gets him through the box quicker and better than Perry is ever likely to with his flash in the pan style. Course if your opinion of Bengals players is based on highlights when the Bengals are down by 2 TDs and using a single-back against a prevent defense, I can see how Prisco can think Perry is a better RB than Rudi. To bad, though, a national hack like Prisco wouldn't take the time to actually review a fair amount of game tape before writing such crap.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

Rudi over? Bah! Noone rates Rudi worth a darn around the league, and to me you can't knock a guy who might not have breakaway spead, but still manages to break the teams single season record every season. He might not be good for a 50 yard gallop, but he's good for a solid 4+ yards per carry, every season, every game (with few exceptions). He does not lose yardage, he always gets positive yardage or at least back to the line of scrimmage. Very few backs in the history of the league can claim that feat. Rudi Johnson is a great back for our team. We aren't looking for a running back to scamper 50 yards down the field, we are looking for them to force the defense in, work to contain his consistancy, and open up passing lanes for Chad and TJ to go downfield. He does that, and if anything, his achievements are underated since everyone seems to think he isn't that valuable and is consistantly called overated.

[derekshank]

Rudi over? Bah! Noone rates Rudi worth a darn around the league, and to me you can't knock a guy who might not have breakaway spead, but still manages to break the teams single season record every season. He might not be good for a 50 yard gallop, but he's good for a solid 4+ yards per carry, every season, every game (with few exceptions). He does not lose yardage, he always gets positive yardage or at least back to the line of scrimmage. Very few backs in the history of the league can claim that feat. Rudi Johnson is a great back for our team. We aren't looking for a running back to scamper 50 yards down the field, we are looking for them to force the defense in, work to contain his consistancy, and open up passing lanes for Chad and TJ to go downfield. He does that, and if anything, his achievements are underated since everyone seems to think he isn't that valuable and is consistantly called overated.

Rudi does lose yardage from time to time.... but that is just because he's always fighting for more, and sometimes he isn't smart enough to just go down rather than try to run around. you take the good with the bad... because that has managed to get him extra yardage more than a few times.

Anyway... Rudi has plenty of breakaway speed. He doesn't get those 50 yard runs... but a lot of that is because we are so pass happy. How many 50+'s did Edgerrin have? But he has breakaway speed. It's all about how we use him. He's a power back. When he gets the chance, he has no trouble getting those 20-30 yard runs. He does it fairly regularly. He doesn't have many glaring weaknesses... but we use him almost exclusively to his greatest strength, which is fine by me.

[kentjett]

Rudi gets dogged on because he is a old fashion runner. He gets the ball and runs straight down the field. We can't forget that he consistently leads the league in broken tackles. People dog on him because he isn't a flashy running back.

[derekshank]

I was bored, so I did a little research on my claim that Rudi's lack of long runs has more to do with the systm than his speed. I compared him to Edgerrin James... the premier RB in the offense that most resembles ours. James and Rudi's stats are eerily similar.

Edgerring James - 1506 yds; 4.2 ypc; 13 TD's; 5 carries of 20+; longest carry 33 yards

Rudi Johnson - 1458 yds; 4.3 ypc; 12 TD's; 5 carries of 20+; longest carry 33 yards

James is viewed as an all purpose back with breakaway speed and has no clear weakness. His stats are nearly identical to a guy who is viewed as a back that apparently only know how to run straight forward. My guess is Rudi is a little better than even Bengal fans give him credit for.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

Rudi over? Bah! Noone rates Rudi worth a darn around the league, and to me you can't knock a guy who might not have breakaway spead, but still manages to break the teams single season record every season. He might not be good for a 50 yard gallop, but he's good for a solid 4+ yards per carry, every season, every game (with few exceptions). He does not lose yardage, he always gets positive yardage or at least back to the line of scrimmage. Very few backs in the history of the league can claim that feat. Rudi Johnson is a great back for our team. We aren't looking for a running back to scamper 50 yards down the field, we are looking for them to force the defense in, work to contain his consistancy, and open up passing lanes for Chad and TJ to go downfield. He does that, and if anything, his achievements are underated since everyone seems to think he isn't that valuable and is consistantly called overated.

Rudi does lose yardage from time to time.... but that is just because he's always fighting for more, and sometimes he isn't smart enough to just go down rather than try to run around. you take the good with the bad... because that has managed to get him extra yardage more than a few times.

Anyway... Rudi has plenty of breakaway speed. He doesn't get those 50 yard runs... but a lot of that is because we are so pass happy. How many 50+'s did Edgerrin have? But he has breakaway speed. It's all about how we use him. He's a power back. When he gets the chance, he has no trouble getting those 20-30 yard runs. He does it fairly regularly. He doesn't have many glaring weaknesses... but we use him almost exclusively to his greatest strength, which is fine by me.

Watch more carefully. You won't find Rudi turning backwards, ever. He gets pushed back once in a blue moon, but watch his tapes, look at his game by game stats, and you will see that Rudi does not go backwards.

[Kazkal]

My favorite stat for guy who carries the ball as much as him

0 turnovers 1 fumble that was not loss

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

My favorite stat for guy who carries the ball as much as him

0 turnovers 1 fumble that was not loss

Another big advantage people forget.

[HairOnFire]

I was bored, so I did a little research on my claim that Rudi's lack of long runs has more to do with the systm than his speed. I compared him to Edgerrin James... the premier RB in the offense that most resembles ours. James and Rudi's stats are eerily similar.

Edgerring James - 1506 yds; 4.2 ypc; 13 TD's; 5 carries of 20+; longest carry 33 yards

Rudi Johnson - 1458 yds; 4.3 ypc; 12 TD's; 5 carries of 20+; longest carry 33 yards

James is viewed as an all purpose back with breakaway speed and has no clear weakness. His stats are nearly identical to a guy who is viewed as a back that apparently only know how to run straight forward. My guess is Rudi is a little better than even Bengal fans give him credit for.

One other point to make. Rudi was injured last season. Not only did that impact his ability to get up to speed, and perhaps his top speed as well, but it took away one of his signature moves...spinning just before contact.

[ArmyBengal]

God, I can't wait to see a healthy Rudi tear it up this year !!!

WHODEY !!!

[Section 310]

My only criticism of Rudi is that he did not get his extension signed in sufficient time so as to allow the team to avoid drafting a running back...was that the year they plucked Perry in round 1??

I don't think any player picked in Round 4 who was essentially able to unseat Dillon and who runs for 1000+ year after year can be considered overrated.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

My only criticism of Rudi is that he did not get his extension signed in sufficient time so as to allow the team to avoid drafting a running back...was that the year they plucked Perry in round 1??

I don't think any player picked in Round 4 who was essentially able to unseat Dillon and who runs for 1000+ year after year can be considered overrated.

But how much of that criticism should fall on Rudi as opposed to his agent and Katie Blackburn?

[ArmyBengal]

Agreed, about who to blame... His agent and the Bengals organization could have made that happen alot quicker than it did, but it didn't happen that way !!!

WHODEY !!!