Is it time to draft another RB???

[HoTbOy]

I know some of you are not going to like this but I was just wondering how some of you feel...I like RJohnson for what he does, but if we had a cutback runner like CDillon, to be able to go back to the side opposite the flow...LJohnson, LTomlinson all the RB's seem to be able to cut back instead of just running into the pile or up the backs of lineman...I know we have had O-line problems, but RJohnson has just gotten over the 1000 yard mark @ 14 games...other RB's have 500-600 yards more...CPerry is not able to stay healthy for a full season, and KWatson is just a 3rd down back...maybe QWilson but I have not seen enough of him...so should we be looking at RB in 1 of the rounds in the draft...

[bengalboomer7]

Maybe sometime soon. Not this coming draft, but the next one should be deep with good RB's, and if more juniors come out for this years draft it will also be deep.

What I want is an especially fast multitalented guy, like Jones-Drew at jax, or Micheal Turner for SD. Just another guy that can make a play. Perry is one of those guys when he plays, but he just doesn't play enough

[HoosierCat]

http://forums.bengalszone.com/index.php?showtopic=13740

[Stripes]

I'm all for drafting a solid backup that can spell Rudi, but I don't think we need an upgrade at starter.

[schweinhart]

Maybe sometime soon. Not this coming draft, but the next one should be deep with good RB's, and if more juniors come out for this years draft it will also be deep.

The next draft will be the one to look at with the sophomores who could jump. There's probably not any juniors this year past Peterson and Lynch who are likely bound to be looked at in Day 1.

[TJJackson]

The other thread takes it as assumed more or less that we need a back. I think it's a pretty good assumption, after I saw our "speed" guy - Kenny Watson - get caught from behind on full out run by a bigger player

My feelings on Chris "two carry" Perry are simply that he needs to go away. Immediately. Finis.

So...yes, we need to draft a RB.

That said, I know everyone and his cousin's dog loves Rudi, but his YPC is not all that good, and he is starting to fumble. I am hoping the Bengals look at RB as a possibility as early as r2 and as late as r5, acknowleging that the defense still needs to be the main focus of the draft. I'm thinking this woudl be thr right time to take a guy with round 1 talent and measurables but who drops on lack of experience. He could groom behind Rudi and Kenny for a year or two, and then the transition could begin.

Please tho....no thugs or thug wannabes.....

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Well you wonder if the Bengals' will mistakenly cling to the hopes of Perry being able to play again for a full season and stick with him, possibly for financial reasons - hopefully not and they just move on and let him try to catch on elsewhere.

But 3rd down backs are a dime a dozen and I am really only worried about the center/guard positions, TE, LB's, DE, and another stud CB or Safety (and another D-coordinator God willing - long shot there).

[TJJackson]

3rd down backs are a dime a dozen and I am really only worried about the center/guard positions, TE, LB's, DE, and another stud CB or Safety (and another D-coordinator God willing - long shot there).

Steak - you might want to take the word "ONLY" out, given that you are "only" worried about 8 different spots, or more than half the team :-)

[HairOnFire]

Hey, remember when some of you guys wanted to name Chris Perry the starter, and let Rudi move on in free agency?

Good times.

[skyline]

I'm all for drafting a RB this year. I'll take one in any round.

[jditty47]

no.

[bengalboomer7]

Hey, remember when some of you guys wanted to name Chris Perry the starter, and let Rudi move on in free agency?

Good times.

[TJJackson]

Hey, remember when some of you guys wanted to name Chris Perry the starter, and let Rudi move on in free agency?

Good times.

No, but I do remember screaming NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO at the top of my lungs and hurling the tv remote through a nearby (closed) window

I haven't stopped hating the glass running back since

[CBin2k7]

I don't think you draft one this year, but in the 08 draft I would seriously consider looking at one. Rudi is a average to slightly above average running back, but he has his limits. Plus I don't think he is going to age that well. For this offense to truly be special they have to find ways to get a RB involved in the pass game.

Rudi wears on a defense and he protects the ball, but he also misses some big plays and runs into the back of his linemen too much.

I like Rudi, I think he will be the starter for at least 2 more seasons, but I wouldn't bank on him being the starter longer than that.

[BengalPimp]

The other thread takes it as assumed more or less that we need a back. I think it's a pretty good assumption, after I saw our "speed" guy - Kenny Watson - get caught from behind on full out run by a bigger player

My feelings on Chris "two carry" Perry are simply that he needs to go away. Immediately. Finis.

So...yes, we need to draft a RB.

So you think that they "need" to draft a RB.....well, its pretty hard to argue with your logic

.......WOW you saw Kenny Watson get caught from behind on 1 play

.......WOW you dont like Chris Perry

yep, sure hard to argue with that.

But I'll try---------

The team obviously has more pressing needs on the defensive side of the ball. Also, the season is still in progress, and thus, our current players are all under contract. Any of those players which we do not re-sign, you must look to replace through the draft or free-agency. There are also other offensive priorities, such as TE, OL (they take at least 1 every draft) and depending on the prognosis of Tab Perry's hip/Bennie Brazell's knee and what verdicts the courts come to on Chris Henry's legal problem's(which will lead to another NFL suspension) they will probably also look at WR in the draft.

I really find it laughable that you feel they "need" to draft a RB simply because you hate Chris Perry, you saw Watson get caught from behind on one play, and you are not pleased with Rudi's YPC. Therefore they "need" to draft a RB.

This team has many "needs" of which a RB is the least. To waste a high or even mid-round pick on a RB would be completely RETARDED, since we are primarilly a PASSING OFFENSE, with a current back doing a more than adequate job. WE ARE ALREADY WITHOUT OUR 3RD PICK, and we have holes to fill......

......but what the hell, you dont like Perry, so lets waste a pick(when we're already short) on a position thats not in desperate "need"

So i ask this question of you-----

Has your hatred clouded your judgement, or would you really be so stupid as to waste a draft pick in a year where we are already without our 3rd, on a RB when we obviously have many other needs ?

[Kazkal]

That said, I know everyone and his cousin's dog loves Rudi, but his YPC is not all that good, and he is starting to fumble.

Rudis career 4.0 avg is preatty good for having the lowest 20+yard runs amoung featured backs....hes a good pounder but hes also not one to make someone miss and take it 60 yards.

So you think that they "need" to draft a RB.....well, its pretty hard to argue with your logic lol.gif

.......WOW you saw Kenny Watson get caught from behind on 1 play

.......WOW you dont like Chris Perry

yep, sure hard to argue with that.

But I'll try---------

The team obviously has more pressing needs on the defensive side of the ball. Also, the season is still in progress, and thus, our current players are all under contract. Any of those players which we do not re-sign, you must look to replace through the draft or free-agency. There are also other offensive priorities, such as TE, OL (they take at least 1 every draft) and depending on the prognosis of Tab Perry's hip/Bennie Brazell's knee and what verdicts the courts come to on Chris Henry's legal problem's(which will lead to another NFL suspension) they will probably also look at WR in the draft.

I really find it laughable that you feel they "need" to draft a RB simply because you hate Chris Perry, you saw Watson get caught from behind on one play, and you are not pleased with Rudi's YPC. Therefore they "need" to draft a RB.

1.)It was not 1 play,Watson isen't a big play back...he is kept around for his blitz pickup.

2.)He's also a FA next season.

3.)People don't wanna draft a RB because they dislike C perry.If you haven't noticed he can't stay healthy ala the reason people want someone who can...

4.)WR is a bigger need? thats laughable.Behind Rudi we have no one we can count on...

[Player4]

Guys, we have good enough running game with Rudi. Relax. You know the passing game will be even better next year and Rudi is good for a couple more very good enough seasons.

No. It's not time yet to draft another RB.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Guys, we have good enough running game with Rudi. Relax. You know the passing game will be even better next year and Rudi is good for a couple more very good enough seasons.

No. It's not time yet to draft another RB.

They do need a capable feature back as a #2. Right now Quincy Wilson would be leading us into the playoffs with Kenny Watson, yikes. Watson's been huge on 3rd down this year, but he can't carry it 20+ times a game anymore I'm thinking.

[schweinhart]

There would be a couple interesting backs if the Bengals did go that way but they'd have to be 1st round picks. Kenny Irons is close to Cadillac in speed and acceleration through the holes and has some of Ronnie Brown's power but he has neither of either to be a Top 5 pick the way those 2 were. He's still a worthy 1st rounder despite the ankle problems he had this year.

The other would be Brian Leonard. If Ray Rice hadn't emerged this year for Rutgers, Leonard would've been the feature back and a solid one at that. But Leonard is so athletic at his size that he'd make a great 3rd down back and should stay on the field as a lead blocker in the I or as an H-back or even line TE. He does enough good things with the ball and blocking that he would give the Bengals a lot of options that they don't have now.

Other than those 2, I'd say forget it until 2008.

But I don't get the blasting on Kenny Watson. He managed to do something Chris Perry couldn't on a whole lot more tries. The fact that Kelvin Hayden ran him down shouldn't be held against him. Anyone who watched the positional drills by DBs a couple years could see that Hayden was faster than the others in 20-yard acceleartion. They guy can fly once he gets his long-legged gait going. Not a great 40 runner but his exceptional speed once he gets to stride had to factor in heavily for the Colts reaching for him when they did.

If anything did happen to Rudi this year, I believe we'd see the Bengals go to a predominantly single-back set with Watson. This is something that Palmer would probably rather have anyway so he could throw more.

[TJJackson]

First, someone said Rudi has a 4.0 YPC lifetime average. If he kept that average this year, I wouldn't had said anything. There is a huge difference between 3.5 and 4.0, and the difference is no no small part what seperates an average RB from a good one. That, and Rudi's running style means he takes a lot of pounding. He's slowly getting worn down, whether you all want to admit it or not. Thankfully, no major injuries yet.

Second, I am not bashing Kenny Watson. I love the guy, and have defended him on multiple occasions on this board. Keep in mind that I am a big fan of special teams play (see avatar to the left - the player pictured did nothing on offense/defense, but was in his time a special teams demon) and Kenny has been an excellent special teams player for a few years now

Finally, I think we have a need to inject some youth and speed into this position. Chris Perry might have been that player, had he not been made of tissue paper and balsa. Kenny has a lot of god traits, but I don't think he is as fast as advertised. Quincy is young but is not a speed guy. Jeremi is definitely not a speed guy :-) There are players who fall lower than they should in every draft, and this is the draft I think you pick up such a player at the running back spot.

[agreen_112]

yes, we should draft a RB. Look at INdy and NE's success with their 1st picks. I love Rudi, but would love to have another strong RB.

[cinci_bengals]

No!Rudi is fine!

[TJJackson]

No!Rudi is fine!

what a well argued post. Thank you.

we're all smarter for having read it.

[HairOnFire]

First, someone said Rudi has a 4.0 YPC lifetime average. If he kept that average this year, I wouldn't had said anything. There is a huge difference between 3.5 and 4.0, and the difference is no no small part what seperates an average RB from a good one. That, and Rudi's running style means he takes a lot of pounding. He's slowly getting worn down, whether you all want to admit it or not.

I'm not buying the car you're trying to sell.

Let's start with the numbers. You claim there's a huge difference between 3.5 and 4.0, which is all well and good, but Rudi's average rush this season is 3.8, not 3.5. That small drop in average gain per carry can easily be explained by looking at the number of injuries suffered by the offensive line, as well as the very nature of those injuries. For example, for much of this season the Bengals interior offensive line has been a leaky bucket, and Rudi Johnson is primarily a between the tackles power back, right?

Now factor in the loss of the starting LT for 9 or 10 games, and the starting RT for a couple more. So how hard is it to look at the slight drop in production and come to the conclusion that the RB position is suffering as a result of injured blockers being replaced with inexperienced backups? Not hard at all, right?

In addition, Rudi is still a force near the goal line...where yards come hard. He's scored 11 times this season putting him on pace to match or better the 12 scores he's produced each of the last two seasons.

Finally, ask yourself if there's evidence of the offensive line's struggles having an impact on other players. Clearly, the Bengals passing game suffered badly over a prolonged period of time, but there's other evidence that the poor blocking took a toll on the production expected from other players. For example, FB Jeremi Johnson wasn't given a single rushing attempt for the first seven weeks of the season, and despite being a very capable receiver was thrown to only twice during that same time period. That sort of drop in production is very hard to understand until you realize that prolonged blocking failures dictated he do little more than block in maximum protection schemes.

Add it all up and I see little evidence that Rudi is being worn down. Instead, I see evidence of yet another player in the Bengals offense suffering a dip in production due to playing behind a constantly wounded offensive line.

[Spor_tees]

Kenny has a lot of god traits, but I don't think he is as fast as advertised.

But can hew walk on water?

Too put my two cents in, I am not going to waste time saying why I think we should draft a running back because I think from my past posts that is quite clear. I will just ass one thing, if Rudi got injured in week 10 and was out for the season...where would the Bengals be?

As for guys I think worthy of the Bengals drafting, I listed a couple in another thread that could be late to mid rounders.

Darius Walker Notre Dame

Tyrone Moss Miami

Garrett Wolfe Northern Ill.

If you want to see a list of RB 2007 NFL Draft RB's