This Thread Contains Only 2% Chad

[HairOnFire]

Utecht's Indy experience will pay off for Bengals

By Seth Wickersham

ESPN The Magazine

(Archive)

Updated: April 3, 2008

Ben Utecht caught 31 passes for 361 yards in 2007. A nice compliment to starter Dallas Clark.

No matter how many ways you've ever contorted your hands -- index and pinkies raised, as at a Pearl Jam concert; fist closed, as in a bar fight; middle finger raised, as on the 405 -- Peyton Manning outnumbers you. In fact, he's probably out-contorted almost anyone, having invented and stolen signals throughout his 11-year career and turned them into his own sign language. To play with him, you have to know every one of the 50 or so that he takes into each game, 10 percent of which change by the week.

For the longest time, his genius was considered annoying. Now, his genius is considered just that -- genius, which means that a premium is placed on anyone who understands it. Which leads us to tight end Ben Utecht, who was signed by the Bengals to a three-year, $9 million contract because he not only owns great hands, but knows them.

"Peyton has so many hand signals," Utecht said recently as he drove from his native Minnesota to Cincinnati. "But because he's the only quarterback I've ever played for, it was the norm."

Utecht has a niche: his brain. That matters in Cincinnati, where the team's best receiver seems to have lost his. And those types of niches have mattered most in free agency this year, which has been defined by the notion that situation players can be situational stars -- and paid as such. That's why defensive end Chris Clemons, who had nine sacks last year with Oakland, got $18.5 million from the Eagles. Or why the Jets left alone Asante Samuel but signed fullback Tony Richardson and others for more than $140 million. Or why the Vikings think Bernard Berrian, who's never been a 1,000-yard receiver, is worth $7 million a year. Those players won't change the game over the course of 60 plays but can during one or two. That's why they're valued.

The Bengals have had a lot of star power the past few years. But it hasn't resulted in many wins, at least since losing in the 2006 playoffs. Carson Palmer might be the best quarterback in the league not named Brady or Manning, but he suffered a career-high 20 interceptions last year and has won only 15 of his past 32 starts. T.J. Houshmandzadeh had a career year in 2007 but has yet to show up for offseason workouts. Chad Johnson has been reliable throughout the years, but is bent on complaining his way out of town, despite having almost no leverage except his talent for being a distraction. Chris Henry, coming off an abbreviated season due to a league suspension for personal misconduct, is due in court this week on assault and criminal damaging charges. Henry is accused of punching a man and throwing a beer bottle at his car. (Henry¹s agent told the Cincinnati Enquirer that Henry has a different version of events.) No matter, the Bengals released him on Thursday.

And, to top it off, Marvin Lewis might be coaching for his job.

Palmer might not be happy about his two stars missing workouts, but he isn't about to make a bigger issue of it. He says he'll just throw to the guys he's got, most of whom seem at best to be role players. On paper, that would include Utecht, who has scored three career touchdowns and never totaled even 500 receiving yards.

But Utecht is only 26 and has earned a masters in football from Manning U. That means a lot to Palmer, who has studied Manning, once driving to a Colts game with Johnson so they could see live how two future Hall of Famers -- Manning and Marvin Harrison -- work. A no-huddle offense isn't easy. If it were, Manning & Co. wouldn't be so special, and wouldn't have won a Super Bowl.

Utecht is not only capable of learning the Bengals' no-huddle quickly, but adding to it with similar ease. The learning curve for Utecht isn't steep. Manning has already taught him any hand signal that exists (Manning is famous at the Pro Bowl for casually asking other QBs what signals they use and secretly jotting down any he hasn't thought of). Despite his price tag, no one is expecting him to be an 80-catch tight end. Like many of 2007's free agents, Utecht is coming to his new team as a role player, but he's capable of much more.

"Coming from [the Colts'] offense," Utecht said, "I know I can come in an learn this one. These two schemes are very similar. Both have great quarterbacks. You have to be on top of things to play with these guys, and I love that. One of things that's exciting for me was transferring into an offense that fits."

Like a glove on contorted hands.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

"index and pinkies raised, as at a Pearl Jam concert"

Pearl Jam???

[HoosierCat]

At the risk of increasing the percentage of Chad in this thread...

http://kissmesuzy.blogspot.com/2008/04/och...drive-thru.html

:lmao:

[HairOnFire]

At the risk of increasing the percentage of Chad in this thread...

Might as well. I posted the Utecht article, like the Stacey Andrews article posted about a week ago, for those here who pretend they're tired of all things Chad and would prefer to discuss something/anything else.

Obviously that isn't true.

[HoosierCat]

All I know is that it's been days since Chad said anything and I'm starting to suffer withdrawal...

[Horsemen]

A week ago I would've agreed with this Article fully.... Now? Eh unless Big Ben can turn into a DallasClark/Jason Witten it matters little. With crybaby crying, ergo a huge question mark, and Henry gone we need nothing less then a Clark/Witten type T.E. to get down the field when TJ is getting smothered.