Roster and Depth Chart predictions

[whizzo]

revised.

QB. Carson Palmer, J.T.O'Sullivan

RB. Cedric Benson, Marlon Lucky, Bernard Scott

FB. Jeremi Johnson, Fui Vakapuna

WR. Chad Ocho Cinco, Laverneaus Coles, Andre Caldwell, Chris Henry, Jerome Simpson, Quan Cosby

TE. Reggie Kelly, Chase Coffman, Ben Utecht

OT. Anthony Collins, Andre Smith, Scott Kooistra, Levi Jones (if he gets traded/released, Roland)

OG. Andrew Whitworth, Nate Livings, Bobbie Williams

OC. Kyle Cook, Jonathan Luigs

DE. Robert Geathers, Antwan Odom, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Fanene

DT. Domata Peko, Pat Sims, Tank Johnson, Jason Shirley

OLB. Keith Rivers, Rashad Jeanty, Brandon Johnson, Darryl Blackstock

ILB. Rey Maualuga, Dhani Jones, Kyries Hebert

CB. Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, David Jones, Simeon Castille, Morgan Trent

SS. Chinedum Ndukwe, Corey Lynch

FS. Chris Crocker, Marvin White

K. Shayne Graham

P. Kevin Huber

LS. Brian St. Louis

[ArmyBengal]

So is this the year Rucker gets shown the door or does Fanene get the boot ?? I think one or the other are gone...

[whizzo]

i'm thinking Rucker, but yeah, one of 'em has to go - if only because johnson is certainly better than one of them.

[Kazkal]

Whizzo Kyries Hebert is a safety myself I think we go with 9-10 DB's with 5 safetys being a lock imo...

[whizzo]

woops - guess i wasn't quite paying attention during the edit.

and again:

QB. Carson Palmer, J.T.O'Sullivan, J. Palmer

RB. Cedric Benson, Marlon Lucky, Bernard Scott

FB. Jeremi Johnson, Fui Vakapuna

WR. Chad Ocho Cinco, Laverneaus Coles, Andre Caldwell, Chris Henry, Jerome Simpson

TE. Reggie Kelly, Chase Coffman, Ben Utecht

OT. Anthony Collins, Andre Smith, Scott Kooistra, Levi Jones (if he gets traded/released, Roland)

OG. Andrew Whitworth, Nate Livings, Bobbie Williams

OC. Kyle Cook, Jonathan Luigs

DE. Robert Geathers, Antwan Odom, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Fanene

DT. Domata Peko, Pat Sims, Tank Johnson, Jason Shirley

OLB. Keith Rivers, Rashad Jeanty, Brandon Johnson, Darryl Blackstock

ILB. Rey Maualuga, Dhani Jones

CB. Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, David Jones, Simeon Castille, Morgan Trent

SS. Chinedum Ndukwe, Corey Lynch

FS. Chris Crocker, Marvin White, Kyries Hebert

K. Shayne Graham

P. Kevin Huber

LS. Brian St. Louis

Cosby makes room for JPalmer. i don't think SoP and Marvin would be "daring" enough to only carry two QBs.

[kingwilly]

woops - guess i wasn't quite paying attention during the edit.

and again:

QB. Carson Palmer, J.T.O'Sullivan, J. Palmer

RB. Cedric Benson, DeDe Dorsey,Marlon Lucky, Bernard Scott

FB. Jeremi Johnson (Won't make it), Fui Vakapuna

WR. Chad Ocho Cinco, Laverneaus Coles, Andre Caldwell, Chris Henry, Jerome Simpson, Quan Cosby (Can PR/KR)

TE. Reggie Kelly, Chase Coffman, Ben Utecht, Coates (ST)

OT. Anthony Collins, Andre Smith, Scott Kooistra, Levi Jones (if he gets traded/released, Roland he'll make it)

OG. Andrew Whitworth, Nate Livings, Bobbie Williams

OC. Kyle Cook, Jonathan Luigs

DE. Robert Geathers, Antwan Odom, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Fanene

DT. Domata Peko, Pat Sims, Tank Johnson, Jason Shirley

OLB. Keith Rivers, Rashad Jeanty, Brandon Johnson, Darryl Blackstock

ILB. Rey Maualuga, Dhani Jones, Hodge (ST)

CB. Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, David Jones, Simeon Castille Pope is better thans Castille, Morgan Trent

SS. Chinedum Ndukwe, Corey Lynch

FS. Chris Crocker, Marvin White, Kyries Hebert

K. Shayne Graham

P. Kevin Huber

LS. Brian St. Louis

Gives us room to sign a vet CB who could become available.

[whizzo]

Kelly over Coats any day. i might agree on Dorsey vs. Lucky. i don't think we'll keep Cosby on the roster - we want to run more this season, so six WRs are unnecessary, plus Scott and Caldwell should do okay at returning.

[kingwilly]

Kelly over Coats any day. i might agree on Dorsey vs. Lucky. i don't think we'll keep Cosby on the roster - we want to run more this season, so six WRs are unnecessary, plus Scott and Caldwell should do okay at returning.

The reason I have Kelly going b the wayside is that we need to stockpile OT's not TE's..we can use OT's out on the end and MASH block for CedBen.

Or, think of it this way, I'd rather have Levi Jones and Dennis ROland on the roster than Kelley, if Coffman and Utecht are healthy. Coates is purely ST.

[HAPPYJAQ]

Kelly over Coats any day. i might agree on Dorsey vs. Lucky. i don't think we'll keep Cosby on the roster - we want to run more this season, so six WRs are unnecessary, plus Scott and Caldwell should do okay at returning.

The reason I have Kelly going b the wayside is that we need to stockpile OT's not TE's..we can use OT's out on the end and MASH block for CedBen.

Or, think of it this way, I'd rather have Levi Jones and Dennis ROland on the roster than Kelley, if Coffman and Utecht are healthy. Coates is purely ST.

I'll bet anybody dollars to doughnuts that Reggie Kelly will be in Cincinnati next year. Some of you guys are talking about replacing one of the top run-blocking TEs in the game of football, for a career backup TE who is coming off of an injured and unproductive year himself, and a 3rd round draft draft pick who is coming from a spread offense.

Kelly is like an offensive linemen in our offense, which could be part of the reason for the disdain amongst fans. I can never remember a TE here who was asked to block DEs one-on-one, while having the confidence of the his OC to get the job done. A strong run-blocking TE is a requisite for effective zone-blocking schemes and blocking types are harder to find these days. Carson Palmer calls Kelly "the best teammate I ever had" and there is a reason teams were willing to pay more to Kelly when he hit free agency, than what he came back to Cincinnati for.

Here's a quality read from last Summer, when the Bengals signed Utecht and it gives you more insight on how Marvin, Palmer and even Utecht himself (Kelly's replacement, according to some) feel about Reggie.

http://cincinnati1360espn.com/script2/prin...;feed_id=275757

[whizzo]

Morgan Trent has got an unspecified foot injury, and isn't practicing. sheesh. on a side note, how does everybody feel about Chris Pressley? he seems gifted athletically and mentally, but it's hard to find game tape.

[alleycat]

woops - guess i wasn't quite paying attention during the edit.

and again:

QB. Carson Palmer, J.T.O'Sullivan, J. Palmer

RB. Cedric Benson, Marlon Lucky, Bernard Scott

FB. Jeremi Johnson, Fui Vakapuna

WR. Chad Ocho Cinco, Laverneaus Coles, Andre Caldwell, Chris Henry, Jerome Simpson

TE. Reggie Kelly, Chase Coffman, Ben Utecht

OT. Anthony Collins, Andre Smith, Scott Kooistra, Levi Jones (if he gets traded/released, Roland)

OG. Andrew Whitworth, Nate Livings, Bobbie Williams

OC. Kyle Cook, Jonathan Luigs

DE. Robert Geathers, Antwan Odom, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Fanene

DT. Domata Peko, Pat Sims, Tank Johnson, Jason Shirley

OLB. Keith Rivers, Rashad Jeanty, Brandon Johnson, Darryl Blackstock

ILB. Rey Maualuga, Dhani Jones

CB. Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, David Jones, Simeon Castille, Morgan Trent

SS. Chinedum Ndukwe, Corey Lynch

FS. Chris Crocker, Marvin White, Kyries Hebert

K. Shayne Graham

P. Kevin Huber

LS. Brian St. Louis

Cosby makes room for JPalmer. i don't think SoP and Marvin would be "daring" enough to only carry two QBs.

Looking at that roster right there makes me look at a couple of things:

1) Can Brandon Johnson play SSLB? He's too good not to have on the field and has been progressing rapidly. I remember when he came in he was skinny, but he's now listed at 6'5" 245lbs, and am sure he could add more. He's a flat-out player and I have to think the team has plans for him. However, as it stands he looks like the ONLY backup at WSLB.

2) If we did have more of a hybrid 3-4/4-3 D, what would we be looking at on the outside? Brandon Johnson and Michael Johnson as OLB's? That leaves Rivers and Rey in the middle. That could be a pretty darn good group on the field at one time. Just not sure we have players that would qualify as 3-4 ends. Shirley would definitely qualify for the NT spot, though (assuming he's even got game).

3) I know the coaches are high on Dhani Jones' leadership, but I have to think we are still going to look for another LB pickup from the wire. We went through linebackers like crazy last year, and I have to think there'll be more substance added, at least for depth.

[Baraka]

Kelly over Coats any day. i might agree on Dorsey vs. Lucky. i don't think we'll keep Cosby on the roster - we want to run more this season, so six WRs are unnecessary, plus Scott and Caldwell should do okay at returning.

The reason I have Kelly going b the wayside is that we need to stockpile OT's not TE's..we can use OT's out on the end and MASH block for CedBen.

Or, think of it this way, I'd rather have Levi Jones and Dennis ROland on the roster than Kelley, if Coffman and Utecht are healthy. Coates is purely ST.

I'll bet anybody dollars to doughnuts that Reggie Kelly will be in Cincinnati next year. Some of you guys are talking about replacing one of the top run-blocking TEs in the game of football, for a career backup TE who is coming off of an injured and unproductive year himself, and a 3rd round draft draft pick who is coming from a spread offense.

Kelly is like an offensive linemen in our offense, which could be part of the reason for the disdain amongst fans. I can never remember a TE here who was asked to block DEs one-on-one, while having the confidence of the his OC to get the job done. A strong run-blocking TE is a requisite for effective zone-blocking schemes and blocking types are harder to find these days. Carson Palmer calls Kelly "the best teammate I ever had" and there is a reason teams were willing to pay more to Kelly when he hit free agency, than what he came back to Cincinnati for.

Here's a quality read from last Summer, when the Bengals signed Utecht and it gives you more insight on how Marvin, Palmer and even Utecht himself (Kelly's replacement, according to some) feel about Reggie.

http://cincinnati1360espn.com/script2/prin...;feed_id=275757

you're right on the money here. there is no way kelly gets cut in favor of two virtual unknowns. marvin, carson et al have said over and over again how valuable he is to the team. i think its his lack of flash in the passing game that a lot of the folks on here are worried about, but come august/september he'll be lining up with the first team just as he has done for the past 6 or so years.

utecht is going to need to show a hell of a lot more than he did last year, coffman still has a screw in his foot, and coates growth was stunted by his position change last year. i think coates may actually be the closest thing we have to kelly on the roster. he gets a lot of flak around bengaldom for not being a good fullback, but that's not what he is, unfortunatly the coaches may have lost him his job this year by experimenting with him last year. too bad, he's a good, not great blocker and a better receiver than kelly. as it stands he may be the best all around te on the roster.

[ArmyBengal]

I don't think there is anyway in hell Kelly goes before Coats. Coats does a bunch of things, just none of them that well. Kelly may not be gone this year, but his time is certainly coming with the drafting of 2 TE's in the last two drafts and bringing in Utecht. I like Kelly and am not busting his balls here. Just looking at it realistically...

[sparky151]

Reggie Kelly is monodimensional and probably deserves to be cut. He's the guy who missed the block vs NO in the preseason where Palmer broke his nose. That "one of the best blocking TEs in football" business is about 3 years out of date. He's not even as good a blocker as Heath Miller let alone as good a receiver. I wouldn't be surprised to see Coats beat out Kelly.

[Baraka]

yeah i'd agree kelly's career is coming to an end, just not this year. i see coates as the closest thing to him on the roster, with better hands but worse blocking. it just seems like sherry, coffman and utecht are all the same kind of receiving te with little to no impact in the running game.

[HAPPYJAQ]

Reggie Kelly is monodimensional and probably deserves to be cut. He's the guy who missed the block vs NO in the preseason where Palmer broke his nose. That "one of the best blocking TEs in football" business is about 3 years out of date. He's not even as good a blocker as Heath Miller let alone as good a receiver. I wouldn't be surprised to see Coats beat out Kelly.

Every player misses assignments. With that one particular play in mind, it's hard to say who was at fault there. I've heard speculation that it was Andrew's man and Kelly missed him on a peelback, but only the coaching staff knows for sure. There is absolutely no way the Coats beats out Kelly. Coats rarely played from scrimmage last year after the halfway point, and that was with Utecht injured. Heath Miller and Daniel Graham are the two best blocking TEs in the game of football, in my mind, so it's not a fair comparison. Kelly is easily in the top 10, even at his age. I don't know how much people pay attention to Kelly in the running game, but he is one of the best I've seen as a Bengals TE. As I've said before, there are only a handful of TEs that can hold their own against some of the top DEs and Kelly is one of them. It's amazing that people begged for the Bengals to draft an OT to help protect Carson Palmer and improve the running game, but some of those same fans want one of the best and most consistent blockers in recent Bengals history to hit the road...for a 3rd year UFA who played FB last year and a 3rd round conversion TE, no less.

[Kazkal]

Mixed Feelings I like kelly and ya he's our best blocking TE...But at the same time He's getting older he was injured last year and he's little too no threat in the passing games...

[kingwilly]

yeah i'd agree kelly's career is coming to an end, just not this year. i see coates as the closest thing to him on the roster, with better hands but worse blocking. it just seems like sherry, coffman and utecht are all the same kind of receiving te with little to no impact in the running game.

so, instead of trying to find a Kelley replacement, just roll in another OT in those situations...

The Ravens did this quite a lot last year, with Willie as the 2nd OT on the strong side...and often they ran over the weak side and picked up plenty of yards.

[Baraka]

that would seem to telegraph exactly what the play is going to be, but maybe that's the genius of it . . .

[Kazkal]

that would seem to telegraph exactly what the play is going to be, but maybe that's the genius of it . . .

Hence the problem having Kelly and then pass receiving TE's....Hey guys Reggie is in it must be a run!!! Their subbing Utecht pass pass pass!

[kingwilly]

So when you sub in Roland or Koistra, it must be a run right?

Or, when you bring in Utecht on one side and Coffman on the other , it must be a pass...right? or we go 5 wide, it must be a pass right?

The problem is not the personnel, it is the playcallling, ie, it is Brat.

Palmer needs to up his game and call the shots, and make the reads more like Peyton who, with a smallish lline, is far less sacked. I fear Carson drifted from making the reads and calls and relied too heavily on Brat to call the game.

[HoosierCat]

LS. Brian St. Louis

Maybe not. We just inked this guy to a contract. Sounds like the kind of kid the Bengals could use a couple dozen more of.

[HAPPYJAQ]

that would seem to telegraph exactly what the play is going to be, but maybe that's the genius of it . . .

Hence the problem having Kelly and then pass receiving TE's....Hey guys Reggie is in it must be a run!!! Their subbing Utecht pass pass pass!

It's just as much on how Brat uses Kelly, as it is Kelly himself. Last year, we had problems protecting the QB, which led to more 3-step drops. Kelly responded by tying his career high in receptions (31) last year, while playing part of the season injured. Our QBs completed 73.8% of their passes to Kelly (31 of 42) last year. As a mild comparison, T.J. caught 67.1% (92 of 137) of passes thrown his way, while Chad caught 54.6% (53 of 97) of his targeted passes as starting receiving options. The other TE, Ben Utecht caught 57.1% (16 of 28) of throws intended for him.

I'm not saying that Kelly is Tony Gonzalez or Dallas Clark, but he's not used like those players, either. What he does in the running game is greater that both of those players, though. A good situation would be to use Kelly alongside a receving TE (similar to what the Dolphins and Chiefs did last year), and Coffman would be able to push Utecht for that spot.

[kingwilly]

that would seem to telegraph exactly what the play is going to be, but maybe that's the genius of it . . .

Hence the problem having Kelly and then pass receiving TE's....Hey guys Reggie is in it must be a run!!! Their subbing Utecht pass pass pass!

It's just as much on how Brat uses Kelly, as it is Kelly himself. Last year, we had problems protecting the QB, which led to more 3-step drops. Kelly responded by tying his career high in receptions (31) last year, while playing part of the season injured. Our QBs completed 73.8% of their passes to Kelly (31 of 42) last year. As a mild comparison, T.J. caught 67.1% (92 of 137) of passes thrown his way, while Chad caught 54.6% (53 of 97) of his targeted passes as starting receiving options. The other TE, Ben Utecht caught 57.1% (16 of 28) of throws intended for him.

I'm not saying that Kelly is Tony Gonzalez or Dallas Clark, but he's not used like those players, either. What he does in the running game is greater that both of those players, though. A good situation would be to use Kelly alongside a receving TE (similar to what the Dolphins and Chiefs did last year), and Coffman would be able to push Utecht for that spot.

I see the protection issues as an issue with Eric, Stacey and Levi last year....and Fitzsucktrick, now, I think we're past that...

I am saying this team could be best served by using an extra OT in place of Kelley. That way, the protection is more sure, if it is a pass, and there is more beef to surge and make a hole for Benson. It is more an exercise in amimizing the roster, than calculating %'s or attempts.

If Kelley has the mustard to make the squad, then we'll keep 3 TE's. I doubt they cut Utecht or Coffman. If anyone is cut then it will be Coates or Kelley. I hapen to like Coates, as he has good hands, can block and plays ST.

[HAPPYJAQ]

that would seem to telegraph exactly what the play is going to be, but maybe that's the genius of it . . .

Hence the problem having Kelly and then pass receiving TE's....Hey guys Reggie is in it must be a run!!! Their subbing Utecht pass pass pass!

It's just as much on how Brat uses Kelly, as it is Kelly himself. Last year, we had problems protecting the QB, which led to more 3-step drops. Kelly responded by tying his career high in receptions (31) last year, while playing part of the season injured. Our QBs completed 73.8% of their passes to Kelly (31 of 42) last year. As a mild comparison, T.J. caught 67.1% (92 of 137) of passes thrown his way, while Chad caught 54.6% (53 of 97) of his targeted passes as starting receiving options. The other TE, Ben Utecht caught 57.1% (16 of 28) of throws intended for him.

I'm not saying that Kelly is Tony Gonzalez or Dallas Clark, but he's not used like those players, either. What he does in the running game is greater that both of those players, though. A good situation would be to use Kelly alongside a receving TE (similar to what the Dolphins and Chiefs did last year), and Coffman would be able to push Utecht for that spot.

I see the protection issues as an issue with Eric, Stacey and Levi last year....and Fitzsucktrick, now, I think we're past that...

I am saying this team could be best served by using an extra OT in place of Kelley. That way, the protection is more sure, if it is a pass, and there is more beef to surge and make a hole for Benson. It is more an exercise in amimizing the roster, than calculating %'s or attempts.

If Kelley has the mustard to make the squad, then we'll keep 3 TE's. I doubt they cut Utecht or Coffman. If anyone is cut then it will be Coates or Kelley. I hapen to like Coates, as he has good hands, can block and plays ST.

Absolutely no offense, but you have an awful lot of confidence in a rookie and a 2nd year OT in saying "we're past that", related to the blocking issues from last season. Everyone had confidence in Andrews replacing Willie last year in coming off the Franchise tender, and we all know how that worked out. I believe both Smith and Collins can be great players, but both will have their fair share of ups and downs in the upcoming season. I don't see putting Kooista or any other backup OT in at TE solves the complaint of many who say the offense is more predictable with Kelly in the game. Some may point to Baltimore using the unbalanced line, but if you watch their games, it was Baltimore's answer to the "Wildcat" formation and was not their base offensive alignment.

I'll agree to disagree with you in my opinion that Kelly is not anywhere close to being beat out by Dan Coats. I see Coffman as safe but it wouldn't surprise me at all for Utecht not to make the roster. As neither Coffman or Utecht are considered strong blockers at TE, I don't see any of them being an upgrade to an offense that wants to run the football better, according to what Marvin has been saying since last training camp through thie past weekend. Utecht, in my mind, was one of the most disappointing free-agent signings (even when healthy) we've had here in a few years and he'll need a very strong Summer to solidify his spot on the roster.