A Little Love from the National Media for a Change

[Bengalbob]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5847580

Nine Nuggets: Looking at the Bengals

Adam Schein / Special to FOXSports.com

Overview

Marvin Lewis couldn't have said it any better.

The Bengals coach smiled and simply stated, 'Watching Carson in practice, if you didn't know he was coming off of an injury, you truly wouldn't know.'

Attending Bengals practice on Thursday at the ideal Georgetown College facility, I can tell you Palmer looked healthy and agile.

Sure, he tossed two picks within five throws in the Kentucky heat, and he told us after the fact that he was truly 'rusty'. That's not the point. Palmer, only eight months after shredding his knee in the first round of the playoffs, is back on the practice field, humming the ball, throwing darts to Chad Johnson on the run. Palmer is performing every drill, and really passed the eye ball test when we watched him practice.

And this squad has a large chip on its shoulder how last season ended. Palmer said the loss to Pittsburgh fueled his rehab. Rudi Johnson said he thought about the Steelers game every day until he reported to training camp.

And Chad Johnson scoffs at the notion that the Bengals have the most difficult schedule in the NFL, calling it 'opportunistic.'

The defense in Cincinnati will unquestionably be better. The Bengals can flat out run the football. Marvin Lewis is a great coach who commands respect. And Shayne Graham and Tab Perry highlight a solid special teams unit.

But it's the MVP-caliber quarterback that makes this outfit tick.

The point is simply this; if Carson Palmer is healthy for the entire season, this team is going to surprise a lot of people and challenge for the Super Bowl. And for the record, that's what I think will happen.

If Palmer's knee has a set back, the Bengals are a third place team in the AFC North.

Offensive Nuggets

You rarely hear the Bengals offensive line mentioned in the league's upper echelon, but it most certainly is. When I asked Levi Jones why, he replied, 'Cause it's Cincy, man. Everyone looks past us.' The Bengals organization certainly didn't look past Jones when it smartly locked him up to a megabucks extension before the season. Jones is a beast and anchors this bruising and athletic offensive line. Eric Steinbach is one of the most athletic guards in the NFL. Defensive end Justin Smith glowing called Rich Braham a "nasty sucker." And the venerable right tackle Willie Anderson still is a pro.

And somehow, Rudi Johnson is underrated, too. We spent a long time chatting with Johnson, who relishes his role as a battering ram. When Carson Palmer and the receivers light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine, Johnson craves the role of barreling between the tackles for first downs, while controlling the clock.

Chad Johnson had a brilliant Thursday afternoon practice, catching every ball thrown to him in every possible drill. Johnson says he has been putting in a lot of time with Palmer. Say what you want about Johnson's antics; the guy is a superior wide receiver. TJ Houshmandzadeh is the ideal number two receiver, complementing his close friend Johnson well. He did run one wrong route on a Palmer pick in practice.

Henry is making this club. I asked Marvin Lewis if he is going to base Henry's roster spot on anything besides his performance on the field, and the Coach praised Henry's recent effort during the training camp.

You really get the feeling as if Kelley Washington's spot is in jeopardy with his inconsistencies.

Antonio Chatman is having a really good camp, and rookie Bennie Brazell made some nice catches during Thursday's practice.

Palmer called his receivers, ‘Bar none the deepest and best receiving core in the NFL.'

Defensive Nuggets

Odell Thurman is not practicing with the team. Even though the second-year linebacker is suspended for the first games of the season for violating the league's drug policy, he can legally still work out with the squad. But not on Marvin Lewis' watch. The head coach is sending Thurman a message by not letting him work out until he gets his act together.

Big Sam Adams isn't practicing either, on the PUP list. But it is only a matter of time before the big fella gets on the field. In spending a lot of time with Adams on Thursday morning in the hot Kentucky sun, the defensive tackle could stop talking about how excited he was to be back playing for both Marvin Lewis and Chuck Bresnahan, coaches he played for in Baltimore and Oakland respectively.

And the impact that Adams will have on the defense this year will be, well, enormous. Justin Smith talked about how Adams will do the dirty work on the defensive line; occupying two blockers so Smith can do what he does so well, get to the opposition's quarterback. In Smith's opinion, the area where the Bengals truly need to improve on defense is on 1st down, and he believes Adams will help improve the team's efficiency.

And linebacker Brian Simmons stressed how the Bengals need to improve on run defense. Adams will certainly help there. In fact, every Bengals defender or coach we talked to on or off the record mentioned that as a major area of improvement, with the exception of Coach Lewis who bristled at the suggestion that this was a weak area last season.

Simmons will play middle linebacker in Thurman's absence. He is a rock solid veteran, an extension of linebacker coach Ricky Hunley on the field, and Simmons has played in the middle before.

David Pollack is having a great camp. In essence, this is his first training camp after his inexplicably long hold out a year ago.

The Bengals defensive backs are ball hawks. This unit is incredibly deep and talented. Tory James and Madieu Williams (more on him later) picked off Palmer passes during the afternoon session by jumping routes.

Quarterback focus

I cannot stress enough how fluid Palmer looked.

The practice started with a quarterback drill that simulated pocket pressure on the quarterback. Palmer, wearing a thin brace on his knee, was able to move in every direction without any sort of limp or favoring a throw, tossing strikes to receivers on the run on every pass.

Then it was off to the 10-yard line to work on hitting the receiver in the back on the end zone. Palmer's execution of getting the football, with a powerful throw, in the cylinder, was uncanny.

And then it was 'game' action. Palmer completed passed to Johnson and Houshmanzadeh, including a beauty to Johnson down the far sideline out of the shot gun formation off of his back leg.

Following the practice, Palmer joined us in our air conditioned (thank goodness) booth above the field.

While acknowledging that he never wants to get hit, it is a mental and physical hurdle he needs to get past. He is getting 40% of the snaps in practice. Lewis says he will absolutely play in the preseason, likely two games.

Palmer wouldn't call it 100 percent that he will be under center on opening day, but Lewis said his quarterback is on target for such. Palmer talked extensively about his rehab and drive to play.

I've said this for years watching him play and I will say it again after watching practice on Thursday; Anthony Wright stinks.

His accuracy is just wretched. And after every errant throw, he would follow it up by tossing a soft ball just so he could complete a pass. His work at the goal-line on the accuracy drills was comical.

Doug Johnson played with the second team in practice and actually looked good. Johnson also was impressive in the individual quarterback / receiver drills

Camp Buzz

The more people you talk to off the record, the more you hear how this team truly missed Madieu Williams last season. The smart safety is a hard hitter who comes up in the box and makes tackles. Williams also has a big presence dropping back into coverage. Everybody associated with the Bengals believes Williams, who is having a great camp, will make a major impact on the Cincinnati defense.

And speaking of buzz, it goes noted that there was none about the 'off-season' off the field issues. We asked every single player about it, and they said that they are there for any teammate, but it isn't something anyone is focused on. Lewis made the point that 4 players is a small number, and he is right, and that the problems have been nipped in the bud. I really wasn't sure what to expect on this issue, but I can tell you it isn't affecting this team.

Rookie Watch

Ahmad Brooks is absolutely huge. The 6'3, 259-pound linebacker looks even bigger when you observe practice. And what really stands out is that the big man can move. Brooks played middle linebacker with the second team defense barking out the signals. And every step of the way, he was getting coached up by linebackers coach Ricky Hunley. And I mean, Hunley was in Brooks' face on the field, on the sideline, in the end zone after he botched a read and the tight end caught the ball for a touchdown.

But make no mistake; Brooks has been very impressive, having a great camp by all accounts. And for Hunley, it is his job to get the supplemental draft pick caught up to speed as he missed all the mini-camps and didn't become a Bengal until the middle of July. Hunley likes his talent and his work ethic. Brooks is going to get on the field this season. A lot of teams are going to regret passing on Ahmad Brooks.

Lewis says he is very pleased with the development of first round cornerback Johnathan Joseph. With James and Deltha ONeal

He said it / Can't make it up

Usually we separate these two categories for nuggets.

But Chad Johnson isn't the usual player.

Johnson is a regular on our radio show and it was good to see him. And he didn't disappoint. At the end of his on-air chat with Solomon Wilcots and myself, we started to break down the AFC North, rattling of teams and why they can be successful.

As we ran down the division, Johnson broke it down with us saying, ‘Pittsburgh? Who's that? Ravens? Stop. Browns. Never heard of them!'

Johnson on the new rules to stop excessive celebrations…

'I don't need props. I don't need to get down to the ground. The fans will be my props. Keep listening to me on Sirius. I'll give you clues. Our great fans in Cincinnati will be involved. Damn, I'm saying to much already. I have hundreds of celebrations ready. It's going to be bigger than ever. I'm an entertainer. This isn't the no fun league. It's up to me, (Steve) Smith, and Terrell (Owens) to entertain.

Johnson has a new list of cornerbacks he plans on beating in 2006. And it's a new list with a twist.

'This year we are putting faces on the chart. Yes, faces. Every cornerback I play against will have his picture on the chart. Week 1 it will have Law and Curtain. Yes, Curtain, not Surtain. I'm going to close the curtain on the Chiefs. And I've never really been one to follow Laws.'

On the road again

We had a great time with the Bengals. Lunch in the players cafeteria (I went turkey burger). The facility was great. And the air conditioning for the broadcast, doing the show in a press box was amazing! Solomon Wilcots, AKA the mayor of Cincinnati, then took us for a fantastic meal at Trooibana on the Cincy / Kentucky border. Calamari, stuffed mushrooms, Filet Mignon, mac and cheese, side of pasta, fries, and a few Sam Adams. It was fantastic. I can't recommend this restaurant enough if you are in Cincy.

[redsbengalsbucks]

Great read, thanks Bob.

[lando griffin]

Surprised that came from a major media writer.

[BlainThePain]

Great read. That article has me pumped about the season.

[ChadJohnson-85]

Awesome read BengalBob! Thanks! Cant wait until the season starts!

Who Dey!!!

[Stripes]

Good stuff.

[BengalChamps]

Wow! That article really pumps me up!

[ArmyBengal]

Anyone who can write something besides how our poor character picks are going to be the demise of the entire team is ok by me and is welcomed reading for a change !!!

WHODEY !!!