Ox Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 Hobson's Choice: Waivering on TEs?July 6, 2007Geoff -- Do you think that the backup TE is currently on the roster or that they will pick up someone that is released soon (as they did with Tony Stewart)?It appears that blocking/protecting Carson is the primary objective of their TEs. Day, Ghent, Mulchay, Blizzard and Coats all have skill but have little experience. Knowing how important the offense values Reggie Kelly on and of the field, who is next in line if he is injured? Gary M., Taylor Mill, KYGARY: You could write a thesis on why the one guy the Bengals can't lose after No. 9 is Reggie Kelly. And _ you're right _ one of the reasons is his backup may be on an August waiver wire.How valuable is Kelly? Back in March, Palmer lobbied him to stay via phone when he looked to be on the verge of signing elsewhere, so case closed.As a man, run blocker, and pass protector, he brings brains, passion, and tenacity. And no one behind him has ever played in a NFL game.Bobby Blizzard, their most recent signing, became a trivia question when NFL Europa couldn't break the Iron Curtain of debt: Name the last man to lead the Cologne Centurions in catches (38), receiving yardage (494), and touchdowns (6).But Blizzard, who's got the best tight end number of them all (Matt Schobel's old 89), is working on his fourth NFL team and the first training camp workout will be his first in the offense.They seem to like Daniel Coats, their free agent rookie out of Brigham Young that had a solid career as blocker and looks to be an athletic guy at 6-3, 255 pounds. They also seem to regard the guy next to Coats on the roster at the same size with the same dimensions. Tim Day got a lot of snaps with the first team at the mandatory minicamp Kelly missed because of illness.Day, who caught 86 balls at Oregon, has also flashed some athleticism but he's working on his third NFL team. Ronnie Ghent has been here since the middle of 2004 on the practice squads. It looks like he'll be ready for training camp after he re-aggravated a foot injury this spring and missed many of the workouts.Translation: Just from an experience factor you'd have to think they'll be trolling the waiver wire after the third and fourth preseason games for a backup tight end, although they picked up Stewart late in the 2002 season (from Philly) on waivers. But that could change if one of the kids emerges in the preseason.All it proves is that Stewart is that classic NFL case of a reliable, dependable backup that you don't know what you've got ‘til its gone.------------------------------------------------------------------------Geoff, What young player has impressed you the most so far, everything from attitude to performance? There's been a lot of buzz about Ratliff and Leon Hall, but what about Madieu, Caleb Miller, or Peko? Also, how do the two rookie DBs drafted this year look? Evan, Arlington, VAEVAN: From his size, speed, poise with the media and the reaction of his coaches, Chinedum Ndukwe gets this vote. But you could put all three drafted DBs in that category.Ndukwe, a safety taken in the seventh round out of Notre Dame, probably gets this nod for exactly that. He's a seventh-rounder. You expect Hall to be as impressive in a public setting as he is on the field because that's how he was advertised and a first-round cornerback from Michigan is supposed to impress when he breaks down and hunkers into a back pedal.And you expect Marvin White, the fourth-round safety from TCU, to come in talking about being aggressive and confident because he was drafted as a hitter. But White also added some little bonuses during the spring when he showed good hands and ability to track the ball in center field.But seventh-rounders aren't supposed to come in with the polish and promise that Ndukwe showed. He's an athletic 6-2, 220 pounds and looks to be as bright a guy on the field as he is off the field as a double major at Notre Dame looking to get his Master's, so you figure he won't be kept off the field or failure to learn.It's too early to make a judgment, obviously, but going off the spring you'd have to conclude that Hall, White and Ndukwe, along with cornerback Johnathan Joseph and free safety Madieu Williams, are the long-term core of this secondary.Williams is in a tough spot in the sense that he's in a division where he's going to be routinely compared to Pro Bowlers Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed, and Cleveland's Sean Jones is emerging as a top flight player.But Williams, heading into his fourth season, remains a valued guy to his coaches. Talk to them and they consistently speak about how he consistently played last season, which is a good thing because he led the team with 1,265 snaps. Now in his second season removed from shoulder surgery, he looks to get better and better.You can't tell much about the linemen on the field in the spring, but a young guy that just continues to impress is Peko.He not only watches fellow defensive linemen Bryan Robinson and John Thornton on the field, but he also lockers between two of the best interviews on the team. So you can catch him listening to how they handle the questions, and sometimes he'll ask you what they said.Plus, Peko is just a great guy, as evidenced by a memorable Sunday back in the spring when he was late for church because he stopped to help an elderly man pinned his car after an accident in Northern Kentucky.-------------------------------------------------------------------------Which Bengals' starters are entering a contract year? Spencer, Clifton, OHSPENCER: The two biggest names are on the defensive side of the ball in end Justin Smith and safety Madieu Williams. Other guys to keep an eye on are punter Kyle Larson and linebacker Landon Johnson.The next month, the last few weeks of the season, and right before free agency are when those deals traditionally get done. Last year they locked up tackles Willie Anderson and Levi Jones during the preseason, but it doesn't sound like their talks with Smith have been as extensive as those were last year before the deals got done.They did make a bid to wrap up Larson earlier this year before putting a second-round designation on him in restricted free agency that nets him $1.3 million this year. That scale may have escalated a bit with Carolina's Jason Baker, a seventh-year punter, and a Pro Bowler in Buffalo's Brian Moorman getting deals in excess of $1.5 million per year.http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6118 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShulaSteakhouse Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 If Reggie Kelly got hurt and couldn't play, the Bengals front offices would explode and the world would come to a screeching halt. He is THAT valuable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GapControl Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 i guess you aren`t buying the "he is the next most valuable player after Carson hype"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The PatternMaster Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 Kelley does the little things that fans don't notice but the players do, he does the dirty work so that guys like Carson, Rudi, CJ & TJ can have the glory. Also he is a great locker room guy, a solid family man who is a great example for the younger guys. The Bengals need Reggie Kelley more than Kelley needs the Bengals, that is a fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GapControl Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 there are quite a few "Reggie Kelly" TEs in the NFL. Guys do the dirty work all the time. Hell, if you let me sign up to play for the Bengals as TE, I`d even clean the stadiums toilets... that`s how down and dirty I`d get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesperateDerelict Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 .....Guys do the dirty work all the time. Hell, if you let me sign up to play for the Bengals as TE, I`d even clean the stadiums toilets... that`s how down and dirty I`d get.You are a very strange dude, Gap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The PatternMaster Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 there are quite a few "Reggie Kelly" TEs in the NFL. Guys do the dirty work all the time. Hell, if you let me sign up to play for the Bengals as TE, I`d even clean the stadiums toilets... that`s how down and dirty I`d get.Name 4 "Reggie Kelly" type of TE's who block as well as he does.But the real question is, how lazy is Reggie Kelley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 there are quite a few "Reggie Kelly" TEs in the NFL. Guys do the dirty work all the time. Hell, if you let me sign up to play for the Bengals as TE, I`d even clean the stadiums toilets... that`s how down and dirty I`d get.Name 4 "Reggie Kelly" type of TE's who block as well as he does.But the real question is, how lazy is Reggie Kelley?Precisely. It all comes back to that. Once we know that, the rest of the inquiry will fall into place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengal4life Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 there are quite a few "Reggie Kelly" TEs in the NFL. Guys do the dirty work all the time. Hell, if you let me sign up to play for the Bengals as TE, I`d even clean the stadiums toilets... that`s how down and dirty I`d get.Name 4 "Reggie Kelly" type of TE's who block as well as he does.But the real question is, how lazy is Reggie Kelley? My question is how lazy is Carson? What is up with all this hype about our players being lazy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 The real question is:How lazy is bengal4life that everything must be spoonfed to him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengal4life Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 The real question is:How lazy is bengal4life that everything must be spoonfed to him?Today's term for membengal is "SARCASM" - a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 Well, at least know how lazy Ronnie Ghent isn't...http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/lonni...al.asp#comments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy4Bengals Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 I have very high hopes for Blizzard. Besides, how cool a name is Bobby Blizzard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 I have very high hopes for Blizzard. Besides, how cool a name is Bobby Blizzard?Well almost as cool as mine is here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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