kingwilly Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Ok, this may sound a little too "band-wagon" but set among the stories of problems with 85, I submit that our 84 is the unsung hero of this team.Here is a guy who was a 7th round pick...a guy who could barely get a scout to crack their notebook and scratch out an entry.Here is a guy who limped around, trying to mature on a very bad team with a recurring QB issue to start his career. He was injured often and was among many players on our lists of who might be cut...he had not produced and as an r7 pick, they come and go without a thought.Dspite a short flash in 02, he really emerged in 04, with an energized Kitna delivering 73 passes to Mr. T.J. He caught 4 TD's but became known for making a touch catch in traffic for a first down.05 and 06 saw him get going with Palmer, deliver progressively better stats, playing key roles in victories when our opponents tried to neutralize CJ. Despite injuries and such, TJ continued to be a critical cog in the Bengals emerging O.Now, entering week 6 of the 07 season, TJ is 3rd in the NFL in catches, WITH A BYE. He is averaging over 90yds/gm. He confounds opposing secondaries with his tight routes and sure hands but it is his ability to tak a hit that seems to demoralize the adversary. He gets up, lines up and does it again...and again, and again.To me, he is the heart and soul of this team. He is not the guy flashing on NFL network, or dancing or clowning. He is a soldier on a mission.He is our OCHO QUATTRO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshfan Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Ok, this may sound a little too "band-wagon" but set among the stories of problems with 85, I submit that our 84 is the unsung hero of this team.Here is a guy who was a 7th round pick...a guy who could barely get a scout to crack their notebook and scratch out an entry.Here is a guy who limped around, trying to mature on a very bad team with a recurring QB issue to start his career. He was injured often and was among many players on our lists of who might be cut...he had not produced and as an r7 pick, they come and go without a thought.Dspite a short flash in 02, he really emerged in 04, with an energized Kitna delivering 73 passes to Mr. T.J. He caught 4 TD's but became known for making a touch catch in traffic for a first down.05 and 06 saw him get going with Palmer, deliver progressively better stats, playing key roles in victories when our opponents tried to neutralize CJ. Despite injuries and such, TJ continued to be a critical cog in the Bengals emerging O.Now, entering week 6 of the 07 season, TJ is 3rd in the NFL in catches, WITH A BYE. He is averaging over 90yds/gm. He confounds opposing secondaries with his tight routes and sure hands but it is his ability to tak a hit that seems to demoralize the adversary. He gets up, lines up and does it again...and again, and again.To me, he is the heart and soul of this team. He is not the guy flashing on NFL network, or dancing or clowning. He is a soldier on a mission.He is our OCHO QUATTRO!I agree with everything but the Soldier on a Mission... No he's a football player thats playing exceptionally well right now.. He's not dodging bullets or being blown up by landmines....I know you just meant it as an illusutration of his lack of fear in a game.Our soldiers are not in a game... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agreen_112 Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 I remember those days... I couldn't stand to watch TJ, I really couldn't! He's come a long way, and I agree with you, without TJ, this offense wouldn't be the same. My dad calls him the "Spark plug" of our offense... TJ is to Chad as Scottie is to Jordan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 I was never one of the fans who called for Housh to be cut, largely because I always saw his talent as a WR. Where I felt he struggled most, or at least most visibly, was as a return specialist...a role I always felt he was poorly suited for, and one that produced a cascade of boos after each and every costly fumble. In fact, I think it can be argued that TJ's development as a wideout took a quantum leap forward the moment his roster spot was no longer determined by his value as a special teamer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingwilly Posted October 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Agree, PR was not his strong point.I would also add to your comment about his development that it was seriously amplified by Palmer taking over.To walshfan, yes, he is not a real "soldier". The term was used to contrast his style with Chad's. Yes, our "soldiers" are not in the game, despite what you sig says about "trenches", another military analogy that gets used when talking about football. thanks for clearing that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC_Bengals_Fan Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 He deserves more national attention than he gets. I don't know of anybody better at converting first downs on passes caught short of the sticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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