Willie and Levi

[BengalChamps]

What is going on? I'm getting a little concerned that they havent started yet. It reminds me a little of Fat Sam last year.

We need to open up I-71 soon!

[J24]

Their Veterans who hate Training Camp they will be fine people just take a deep breath.

[HoosierCat]

Worry about Willie? Not immediately. However, he will be coming in with lingering injury issues from last season, and how that impacts his play -- and how long he can gut it out through the pain -- are questions for later in the season. What would be nice would be for the Bengals to get off to a good start while Willie is as healthy as he's likely to get, which would allow them to give more playing time to Koo when the schedule relents in the second half of the year. (Koo gets a nice write-up today in the Post, BTW.)

Levi, tho, yeah. Knee surgery is always a concern for a big o-lineman and he's admitted that his rehab got set back thanks to the Bengals (on) crack medical staff. Thanks gawd for Whitworth, because I think we'll need him. The trouble there is that, with the departure of Steinbach, our LT depth would be down to jack divided by s**t. Bottom line, it wouldn't surprise me if Levi was out there opening day...but it also wouldn't surprise me if he was on PUP.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Their Veterans who hate Training Camp they will be fine people just take a deep breath.

I wish it were just that. Levi recently said he's having "good days and bad days" - which doesn't sound good to me, two days before the first preseason game.

[skyline]

I agree with the others.

Willie is always banged up yet always seems to make it out there on game day.

Levi's situation worries me quite a bit more. He should be better by now.

[BengalByTheBay]

Yeah, I'm worried. I'd have to put this up there as my #1 concern going into preseason. I think that Willie is just getting the benefit of having earned not doing the full training camp routine. Levi....well.....the less I hear the more worried I get about him.

[kingwilly]

I am more worried about Willie, as the dancing bear (or whoever) is not as strong a back-up as Whitty. The question becomes, is a Willie at 75-85% as good as the back-up?

If Levi is routinely an injury worry, then the Bengals have only themselves to kick, in dumping Steiny and handing the keys to the vault to Levi

Here is to crossing our fingers on this issue.

[HoosierCat]

I am more worried about Willie, as the dancing bear (or whoever) is not as strong a back-up as Whitty. The question becomes, is a Willie at 75-85% as good as the back-up?

I think that the Stacy @ RT experiment died when he got owned in the Colts game (by contrast he's looked better in his brief turns as a guard). The prospect of Scott Kooistra at RT doesn't overly concern me. In what few chances he has had, he's looked fine; my biggest concern would be, can he go from first snap to last as a starter without wearing down?

[Kazkal]

Well whitworth got owned in the colts game too ,But then again he was g rookie going against a passrush whore in dwight.

[HoosierCat]

Well whitworth got owned in the colts game too ,B

Yup. But I'll cut him some slack since he was a rook. Overall, tho, he did pretty well, and I expect his play to be improved this year. A healthy Levi would still be better, I think, but that may not be an option.

[derekshank]

I don't like the situation they were in last year... but Whitworth proved his ability as a starting LT... and I actually trust Andrews as a starting quality guard. Willie's problems don't bother me in the least. He wouldn't have to practice a single down before the Monday nighter with Baltimore, and he would still be able to perform well. Levi... well, I guess I'll get a little worried if there is still concerns by the time of the 3rd pre-season game. For now, it just seems like they are being cautious. And since both Willie and Levi are proven vets, I'm not too concerned about them not getting reps in practice. Especially if for some reason Levi does have to miss the first couple games... it is nice to get Whitworth and Andrews as much playing time as possible before the games count.

[Sandwedge]

Well whitworth got owned in the colts game too ,But then again he was g rookie going against a passrush whore in dwight.

Steinbach was owned by the Colts!! McFarland pushed his sorry butt into CP..

[coupdayta]

I originally injured my knee in high school playing soccer. I stopped exercising for a while but then got back into in it a big way. In college, I was something of a partier (just graduated) and threw a huge halloween party where 1/4th of my school showed up (small school). I was dancing with the girl I wanted to get with and messed it up again. Dislocated knee, partial tear of several ligaments, chipped cap and damaged cartilage.

Long story short, my doctor was the Bengals' team doctor. I asked him how Levi was doing. He said fine. Obviously that is not true. Maybe I should get a second opinion on whether I should get surgery or not. (He said no.)

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Well whitworth got owned in the colts game too ,But then again he was g rookie going against a passrush whore in dwight.

Steinbach was owned by the Colts!! McFarland pushed his sorry butt into CP..

What does that have to do with Whitworth?

[Larry]

I originally injured my knee in high school playing soccer. I stopped exercising for a while but then got back into in it a big way. In college, I was something of a partier (just graduated) and threw a huge halloween party where 1/4th of my school showed up (small school). I was dancing with the girl I wanted to get with and messed it up again. Dislocated knee, partial tear of several ligaments, chipped cap and damaged cartilage.

Long story short, my doctor was the Bengals' team doctor. I asked him how Levi was doing. He said fine. Obviously that is not true. Maybe I should get a second opinion on whether I should get surgery or not. (He said no.)

aaaaa wow.....

[ShulaSteakhouse]

I originally injured my knee in high school playing soccer. I stopped exercising for a while but then got back into in it a big way. In college, I was something of a partier (just graduated) and threw a huge halloween party where 1/4th of my school showed up (small school). I was dancing with the girl I wanted to get with and messed it up again. Dislocated knee, partial tear of several ligaments, chipped cap and damaged cartilage.

Long story short, my doctor was the Bengals' team doctor. I asked him how Levi was doing. He said fine. Obviously that is not true. Maybe I should get a second opinion on whether I should get surgery or not. (He said no.)

Uh, sorry to hear about your knee, but what were you doing, break dancing?

I realize some of Levi's situation is precautionary and he's basically still in a rehab phase from what I thought was a scope/clean out.

So yeah he "should" be ok sooner or later, but that knee has bothered him for quite some time now, and with no real timetable it makes me nervous. Can't see this team going to a SuperBowl without him healthy honestly. Whit/Andrews/Guy-chick just doesn't cut it for me at that level on the left side. But, who the hell knows it's early.

[BengalChamps]

So yeah he "should" be ok sooner or later, but that knee has bothered him for quite some time now, and with no real timetable it makes me nervous. Can't see this team going to a SuperBowl without him healthy honestly. Whit/Andrews/Guy-chick just doesn't cut it for me at that level on the left side. But, who the hell knows it's early.

Guychick makes me nervous at center but i can live with him if he has solid vets around him like Willie, Levi, and Bobbi. I know Guychick did ok last year, but i want better than ok. I want Super Bowl.

NO WILLIE/LEVI= NO SUPERBOWL!

[walshfan]

Its 98 degrees ! who in their right mind would want to go out there and play underwear football?

Id say I had menstrual cramps if it got me the day off!

both of these savy vets will answer the bell come regular season..

Playing with pain ? Hell ALL veteran offensive lineman have the same stigma....

[coupdayta]

I originally injured my knee in high school playing soccer. I stopped exercising for a while but then got back into in it a big way. In college, I was something of a partier (just graduated) and threw a huge halloween party where 1/4th of my school showed up (small school). I was dancing with the girl I wanted to get with and messed it up again. Dislocated knee, partial tear of several ligaments, chipped cap and damaged cartilage.

Long story short, my doctor was the Bengals' team doctor. I asked him how Levi was doing. He said fine. Obviously that is not true. Maybe I should get a second opinion on whether I should get surgery or not. (He said no.)

Uh, sorry to hear about your knee, but what were you doing, break dancing?

I realize some of Levi's situation is precautionary and he's basically still in a rehab phase from what I thought was a scope/clean out.

So yeah he "should" be ok sooner or later, but that knee has bothered him for quite some time now, and with no real timetable it makes me nervous. Can't see this team going to a SuperBowl without him healthy honestly. Whit/Andrews/Guy-chick just doesn't cut it for me at that level on the left side. But, who the hell knows it's early.

Haha it's ok. She was doing that thing where she was getting low. It wasn't exactly the foxtrot. I was keeping up with her and my knee popped.

[Sandwedge]

Well whitworth got owned in the colts game too ,But then again he was g rookie going against a passrush whore in dwight.

Steinbach was owned by the Colts!! McFarland pushed his sorry butt into CP..

What does that have to do with Whitworth?

Just pointing out everybody was having a bad night, so if your going to single out a rook, why not a vet??

[HoosierCat]

Speaking of Steinbach, looks like he's the latest victim of the Cleveland o-line curse...

POSTED 8:53 a.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

STEINBACH OUT UP TO TWO WEEKS

Last year, the big-money offseason acquisition of the Cleveland Browns blew out a patellar tendon on the first day of training camp, and has yet to return. This year, the team's high-priced lineman is injured, too. But not nearly as seriously.

Guard Eric Steinbach reportedly will misses up to weeks after falling on his knee during practice on Tuesday.

"We're having it evaluated," coach Romeo Crennel said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We were inside on the turf and he came down on the knee. I would say he bruised it, but I haven't looked at it, and I'm not the doctor, so I don't know."

The Steinbach injury comes less than a week after it was announced that right tackle Ryan Tucker will miss the first four games of the season due to a violation of the steroids policy.

Lennie Friedman will fill in for Steinbach while the injury heals.

[Kazkal]

Dammit Hooiser you beat me!!!!!So much for making mistake not giving steinbach 50million

[ShulaSteakhouse]

So yeah he "should" be ok sooner or later, but that knee has bothered him for quite some time now, and with no real timetable it makes me nervous. Can't see this team going to a SuperBowl without him healthy honestly. Whit/Andrews/Guy-chick just doesn't cut it for me at that level on the left side. But, who the hell knows it's early.

Guychick makes me nervous at center but i can live with him if he has solid vets around him like Willie, Levi, and Bobbi. I know Guychick did ok last year, but i want better than ok. I want Super Bowl.

NO WILLIE/LEVI= NO SUPERBOWL!

Yep I agree.