Dan2330 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 Is Al Davis on retainer by the Bengals? APB out in Tri-State area, the cast of 'Prison Break' has been spotted lurking about Paul Brown Stadium Quote
HoosierCat Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 Pretty good summation from pro football weekly...Bengals beat others to punch, get Brooks in third roundBy Nolan Nawrocki July 13, 2006The Bengals have selected ex-Virginia LB Ahmad Brooks in the third round of the NFL's 2006 supplemental draft. The move will likely come under increased scrutiny in coming years as it marks yet another questionable personnel acquisition by head coach Marvin Lewis.Lewis has a history of giving players a second chance and so far he has been able to reap some rewards on the field, but NFL executives increasingly wonder how many more renegades he can add to the locker room before it implodes.Athletically, when Brooks was healthy and in shape as a sophomore at Virginia, he displayed on tape the talent of a top-10 draft pick. He could make plays to the sideline, showed explosiveness through the hips and stood out like a man among boys, able to dominate when he wanted to.When Virginia coach Al Groh huddled with representatives from NFL clubs at Brooks’ workout, he told them Brooks was the second-best linebacker he has coached. Although he did not say who was the best, it was no doubt Lawrence Taylor, arguably the top outside linebacker to ever have played the game. Considering Groh has coached a group that includes Bryan Cox, Willie McGinest, Pepper Johnson, Harry Carson and Mo Lewis during his NFL tenure with the Giants, Patriots and Jets, Brooks is clearly capable of achieving a high level of success in the pros.The problem for Brooks, to date, is that everything has come so easily and naturally for him all of his life that he has had difficulty staying motivated. On game day, he could be expected to show up and be a difference-maker, but he could not be trusted to put in all the preparation that went into getting ready for an opponent. For Brooks to maximize his potential as a professional, he needs a strong-minded coach who can manage him and a strong veteran cast of players to steer him straight. In Bengals LB coach Ricky Hunley, Brooks will receive coaching from a very strong-minded coach. The questionable composition of the Bengals' roster, however, may not lend itself to Brooks' development. He lacks self-confidence, has trouble keeping focus in meetings and struggles learning. Being surrounded by a group of players known to create mischief off the field could make it difficult for Brooks to get his career off the ground.Hunley, who put Brook through drills at his pro day, has been able to keep Odell Thurman in line, but Hunley's role as a part-time pyschologist may become full-time with Brooks' addition. The question likely to be posed now is whether David Pollack will be moved to defensive end this fall from the Sam LB spot to which he initially has been slow to adapt, part due to a late arrrival to camp stemming from a contract holdout and part due to injuries. Considering DE Robert Geathers has not made much of an impact off the edge and DE Justin Smith is set to hit free agency, it is plausible the Bengals may consider allowing Pollack to do what he does best and spend more time rushing the passer.Questionable moves the Bengals have made in recent drafts have included the selection of LB Odell Thurman and WR Chris Henry in 2004 and DE Frostee Rucker and LB A.J. Nicholson in 2005.Henry has been arrested four times since December 2005. Thurman entered the league with a history of off-the-field incidents, including one in the month leading up to the draft. Rucker, a third-round pick from USC, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of spousal battery and two counts of vandalism in June. Earlier in the month, Nicholson, a fifth-round pick from Florida State, was arrested on burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief charges in Tallahassee, Fla. Quote
ArmyBengal Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 Hunley, who put Brook through drills at his pro day, has been able to keep Odell Thurman in lineAnd doing a hell of a job with that one !!! WHODEY !!! Quote
Kazkal Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 Mybe their getting ready to move us too LA. Quote
BengalByTheBay Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 Damn Im late!!!You haven't missed anything. Pretty slow couple of days. Quote
Kazkal Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 As for Brooks, I'm actually less concerned about his character questions than I am about his injury history. It sounds to me like the prospect of him regaining his '04 form is far from certain. I'm guessing the past injury situation was sorted out to the Bengals satisfaction. What concerns me is Brooks level of conditioning weighed against the desire to rush him into the mix now that Odell has been suspended. Players who dump weight quickly are prone to hamstring pulls and comparable tweaks. I'd jump start Nicholson while holding back Brooks for maybe a half season or more. Quote
Bengalbob Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 Gotta be the best 3rd round pick this year! Surprised the Bengals were willing to go that high but Brooks can be an absolute roving monster who could give the Bengals another true pass rushing 3-4 LB to use more in passing situations with Pollack on the other side. Voila...a real pass rush with either of those 2 able to drop back into short area coverage.Doubt we'll see him in the middle with Odell gone, though. Too much experience there with Landon and B-Simms and more polished skills in dropping back into coverage. Still, the guy is pretty good in shorter are coverage even if he's not quite as capable in dropping as far back as those 2.Glad to see the Bengals aren't gunshy about character issues when it comes to this kind of reward potential, even if it turns out to be short term. If he effs it all up so be it. But I like the idea of going after a player as talented as Brooks.Agree 100%. BTW, per Bengals.com Brooks' number will be 54. Get your jerseys now people! Quote
derekshank Posted July 15, 2006 Report Posted July 15, 2006 I personally love the pick. This guy has that mean streak and intensity that we've been lacking on this defense. Getting Pollack and Odell were the first step in the right direction and high energy big-hitters. But this guy might be the biggest hitter of any of them. We need a guy like this to get the "soft" label off our backs. There won't be many QB's labeling us as soft if we can get all three of these guys playing well.Ahmad Brooks videoIt's a short clip... but illustrates my point. Man this dude can hit! Quote
HoTbOy Posted July 15, 2006 Report Posted July 15, 2006 Once again there is no question about what these players do on the field, but off the field is where they get in trouble...maybe we should rent them the luxury suites at PBS in the offseason so they think there still playing football...I love what ABrooks can do and will give him the benefit of the doubt for now, but I hope a couple of weeks/months from now we won't be rehashing what our lastest questionable pick has done... Quote
ArmyBengal Posted July 15, 2006 Report Posted July 15, 2006 Good little video Derek... Something nice about seeing a QB get leveled by a rushing LB that makes me feel all warm inside !!!August needs to hurry up and get here !!!WHODEY !!! Quote
ChadJohnson-85 Posted July 15, 2006 Report Posted July 15, 2006 Good little video Derek... Something nice about seeing a QB get leveled by a rushing LB that makes me feel all warm inside !!!August needs to hurry up and get here !!!WHODEY !!!You can say that again . Quote
ArmyBengal Posted July 15, 2006 Report Posted July 15, 2006 Good little video Derek... Something nice about seeing a QB get leveled by a rushing LB that makes me feel all warm inside !!!August needs to hurry up and get here !!!WHODEY !!!You can say that again . OK,Good little video Derek... Something nice about seeing a QB get leveled by a rushing LB that makes me feel all warm inside !!!August needs to hurry up and get here !!!WHODEY !!! Quote
Stripes Posted July 15, 2006 Report Posted July 15, 2006 Good little video Derek... Something nice about seeing a QB get leveled by a rushing LB that makes me feel all warm inside !!!August needs to hurry up and get here !!!WHODEY !!!You can say that again . OK,Good little video Derek... Something nice about seeing a QB get leveled by a rushing LB that makes me feel all warm inside !!!August needs to hurry up and get here !!!WHODEY !!! You can say that again! Quote
derekshank Posted July 15, 2006 Report Posted July 15, 2006 Yeah, I had seen that video too. I just didn't know where to find it. Perfect timing with freakish atheletic ability. I like it. Once again... I think everyone is over-reacting because of Chris Henry. This guy might have some issues... but there are tons of NFL players that have similar problems that still manage to excell on the field. I very much doubt he'll miss any games because of off the field issues. Quote
Kazkal Posted July 15, 2006 Report Posted July 15, 2006 Chris henry is the only one I think we can really label as a bad pick out of our "questionables" right now even though he did help us get to 11-5 but the dudes a idiot all the same...I think Odell is alot smarter though and will learn from his experiance,rest of em will see...Atleast brooks knows hunely which might be a perk on our side. Quote
blueridge Posted July 16, 2006 Report Posted July 16, 2006 I personally love the pick. This guy has that mean streak and intensity that we've been lacking on this defense. Getting Pollack and Odell were the first step in the right direction and high energy big-hitters. But this guy might be the biggest hitter of any of them. We need a guy like this to get the "soft" label off our backs. There won't be many QB's labeling us as soft if we can get all three of these guys playing well.Ahmad Brooks videoIt's a short clip... but illustrates my point. Man this dude can hit!I love this pick as well. When I first heard about it I felt like doing a fist pump. Brooks has the talent to be an elite NFL player. Another gifted and hard-nosed player for the Defense. Who could ask for more? I hope that every person who ripped the Bengals defense last season feels the same way. The Bengals don't need a different scheme, they need better players. They are getting those players now. Quote
ArmyBengal Posted July 16, 2006 Report Posted July 16, 2006 posting on this thread too Holy cow sh*t that is just insane !!! There is no way anyone can be unhappy with someone that can bring that type of play to the team... Be unhappy about him being a dumbass, but not his play !!! Here's to hoping he gets his head straight as well !!!WHODEY !!! Quote
ChadJohnson-85 Posted July 17, 2006 Report Posted July 17, 2006 Here's Ahmed Brooks profile from Bengals.com.-~-~-~-~-> http://www.bengals.com/team/player.asp?player_id=123 Quote
bengalboomer7 Posted July 17, 2006 Report Posted July 17, 2006 Dan Wilkinson did stuff like that in college too. We'll just have to wait and see on the guy. I'm not sure where he fits with all our other LB's. But we're definitely running out of corners for time-out Quote
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