Ndukwe

[HairOnFire]

Is it possible our standards are just a tad too high?

Probably. Earlier in the season I got blasted pretty good for supporting the Bengals decision to use Ndukwe as an extra LB, despite the fact that he performed extremely well in that role. Obviously too many people couldn't look past the fact that the player producing big play after big play wasn't listed as a true LB, just as some aren't willing to look past his late round draft pedigree now.

[membengal]

For a board where everyone bitches like they are collectively PMSing that the Bengals need scouts/GM whatever to stop the horrid drafts, I would imagine the success of a late-round pick like Ndukwe is a tad, shall we say, inconvenient...

[HairOnFire]

The guy I pinned my hopes on, Marvin White, has been all but invisible.

Players can't produce if they aren't given an opportunity to play, and from this point on I'd expect to see White eased into the defense in much the same way that Ndukwe was. In fact, Lewis no longer seems willing to excuse the crappy play of his starting veterans, openly criticizing the play of his safeties after each of the most recent games.

[HairOnFire]

For a board where everyone bitches like they are collectively PMSing that the Bengals need scouts/GM whatever to stop the horrid drafts, I would imagine the success of a late-round pick like Ndukwe is a tad, shall we say, inconvenient...

We both know they won't skip a beat.

[HoosierCat]

For a board where everyone bitches like they are collectively PMSing that the Bengals need scouts/GM whatever to stop the horrid drafts, I would imagine the success of a late-round pick like Ndukwe is a tad, shall we say, inconvenient...

Chalk it up to the old saw about blind squirrels and acorns. That Nduke shows signs of being something more than fodder for the PS is great...but set against that are a litany of wasted late round picks. Nicholson, McNeal, Brazell, Keift, Mann, Brooks, Patterson, Abdullah and Bramlet all come to mind immediately. Tab and Fanene are in danger of joining the list; Langston Moore is a Lion. Out of rounds 5-7 in 2003 through 2006 (14 total picks) we got a backup RT (Koo) and maybe a backup DB in the injured Kilmer. Hardly seems far-fetched that they could improve that with more scouting resources.

[Jet23]

This smells a lot like the M. Williams hype of a few years ago. I am very much encouraged, but let's let him play for a while before we anoint him the next David Fulcher.

[TJJackson]

Bramlet we should have kept. Langston Moore we should have kept. Greg Brooks would have been a very good corner on a team with a decent medical staff. Kilmer is more than a backup DB, he was a budding special teams STAR. Kieft will get his last chance next year, particularly with Big Willy falling apart.

That said, your point stands - we could clearly do better on late round drafting

[HairOnFire]

Out of rounds 5-7 in 2003 through 2006 (14 total picks) we got a backup RT (Koo) and maybe a backup DB in the injured Kilmer. Hardly seems far-fetched that they could improve that with more scouting resources.

Pretty sure the NFL averages for all teams shows 70% to 80% of 6th and 7th round picks don't remain with their parent teams longer than two seasons.

[NJ29]

I'd like to see more of Ndukwe and most of the other younger guys all over the team. The veterans aren't doing much at all, and seem to be clinging to their jobs cause someone likes them. I wanna see more Fanene than Robinson, more Dorsey than Rudi, more Marvin than Madieu, more Nedu than Dexter, more Holt than Chatman, etc. Personal decisions are killing us. The defense isn't going to be good regardless, but holy s**t, what have guys like Smith, Robinson and Thornton done to keep their jobs?

[BengalszoneBilly]

I still like the name HairOnFire came up with for him... Duke Nukem'.

[HairOnFire]

I still like the name HairOnFire came up with for him... Duke Nukem'.

I can't take credit or blame for that one. Just passed it along after reading it on GoBengals.

But as far as I know I was the first to tag the Big Toe.....so I've got that going for me.

[BengalByTheBay]

I still like the name HairOnFire came up with for him... Duke Nukem'.

I can't take credit or blame for that one. Just passed it along after reading it on GoBengals.

But as far as I know I was the first to tag the Big Toe.....so I've got that going for me.

Nice -- an enchanting mix of Bill Murray allusions.