More depth chart moves...

[ArmyBengal]

Lost in the article about cutting Watson and Shirley making the line move was the shifting of the depth chart.

The moves that I found noteworthy were Tank moving ahead of Sims as the starter at DT, Michael Johnson moving in as the #2 DE behind Odom and in front of Rucker, and Jeremi Johnson moving to the starters position at FB ahead of Vakapuna.

Defensive tackle Tank Johnson moved ahead of Pat Sims as a starter at defensive tackle.

Promoted rookie Michael Johnson to second-team ahead of Frostee Rucker and behind Antwan Odom.

As Runnels left, Jeremi Johnson, a year out of football, was promoted to first team ahead of rookie Fui Vakapuna.

/>http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/watson-cut-shirley-moves-to-guard/728c77eb-0726-4ff2-9c50-fd9d7eaff78c

[Ickey44]

Lost in the article about cutting Watson and Shirley making the line move was the shifting of the depth chart.

The two moves that I found, if nothing else, noteworthy were Tank moving ahead of Sims as the starter at DT and Michael Johnson moving in as the #2 DE behind Odom and in front of Rucker...

That's interesting about Sims. I was under the impression that Tank was brought in as more of a pass rushing DT and would be used in passing situations. Is the a sign that Tank was way better than advertised or that Sims has regressed?

[ArmyBengal]

Tank was always the most dominant in the 4-3 he played in while with Chicago, so who knows. Sims was also noted as a bit of a slacker at times as well, so maybe this is a motivation play on the part of Zimmer and the d-line coach to get Sims moving. Then again, maybe Tank is just doing his thing.

[Pidge]

I'm not sure there's a straight #2 and #3 other than nominally and with Tank having produced very well in the 4-3 in the NFL before it makes sense he's being given the nod if performing in camp. Rotation will be good and not just rotation for the sake of it but with another DT coming into hopefully produce and not just give one of the other fat guys a breather.

[Walrus]

I'm just glad to see Rucker being pushed by Johnson. To me, Rucker's play doesn't justify the amount of time he stays injured. On the other hand, it's hard not to be excited about everything we've heard about MJ.

[ArmyBengal]

Yeah, Michael Johnson is quickly becoming the draft pick I want to see play the most in preseason next to Rey...

[volcom69]

Anybody know whats wrong with Rey, does he still just have sore muscles or what. I want to see Rey move in front of Jenty, but hows he going to if he is still hurt. Also is Jenty still out or is he practing now. I was hoping to see Rey move in front of Jenty, but i guess time will tell. Lets hope he plays in the preseason game.

[HairOnFire]

Anybody know whats wrong with Rey, does he still just have sore muscles or what.

I saw Rey listed as out due to a hamstring issue, but it's seriousness wasn't mentioned. And yeah, it could be strictly precautionary as a number of players didn't play for very minor reasons, including Rivers, who was said to be out simply due to muscle soreness.

[Bearcat1975]

Good to see Jeremi Johnson having a good camp. He would help a lot toward opening holes in between the tackles.

Luigs has been at guard most of camp but still managed to pass up Dan Suckucci on the depth chart. I'm thinking it is almost time for Dan to "go out and find his life's work."

[ArmyBengal]

From what I read on the official site, there is thinking the injury to Santucci could be a bit more than something simple, so we will see...

[volcom69]

Good read on Jermi Johnson on bengals.com and i too am happy he seems to be back to normal. He will def. help this run game out. I see he moved to 1st string in 11 days, good for him.

[Kazkal]

Surprised sims got demoted because there has been nothing but praise & talk about him throwing people down.

[Ickey44]

Good read on Jermi Johnson on bengals.com and i too am happy he seems to be back to normal. He will def. help this run game out. I see he moved to 1st string in 11 days, good for him.

I just hope he keeps it up and doesn't lose focus.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

I think it's almost expected that Tank would be listed as a starter in a rotation with a 2nd year player like Sims.

I don't think Sims is "regressing" at all either. I think that DL rotation this year is going to frustrate a lot of teams at least, and I just hope the problems at CB don't overshadow them too much (JJ HAS to stay healthy this year or they will have problems in coverage and offenses will be spreading out and throwing the ball willie nillie on them and negating the pass rush).

[ArmyBengal]

I'm always keeping on eye on who's released, as I think there will probably be a CB we could pick up after cuts that would come in and be a better 3rd CB option than what we have. The other thing to consider with the glut of safety talent we currently have is to see how much they would consider using Crocker in some nickle packages. They've been using him there during camp and have made comments about him being better than anything they currently have. Just throwing things around...

[Baraka]

to your point army, i've read that rookie tom nelson is also seen as a tweener fs/cb. he picked carson off in the scrimmage, whatever that's worth.

[ArmyBengal]

Hey, if the guy that's better than what we would normally be looking at to fill the 3rd CB spot is someone like Nelson, than so be it.

I won't complain...

I'm just thinking if they don't find a place where at least one safety can contribute in another area, we will be cutting at least one pretty good player they would probably rather not.

[ArmyBengal]

Good read on Jermi Johnson on bengals.com and i too am happy he seems to be back to normal. He will def. help this run game out. I see he moved to 1st string in 11 days, good for him.

I missed this post earlier Volcom and the article on the official site. Agree it's a good read, so I will include it here:

This used to be "Camp ChRock," where the only people that saw Bengals fullback Jeremi Johnson were strength and conditioning coaches Chip Morton and Rock Oliver as they put him through three grueling workouts per day in order to get him ready for the season.

Now it is the "Jai Jubilee," which had a landmark occasion Monday morning when head coach Marvin Lewis announced his depth chart shuffle in which Johnson had gone from No. 3 to No. 1 to reclaim the job he had from 2003-2007.

It was a sad story last Thanksgiving Week when the Bengals let him go. Here's a guy who earned the league's richest contract for a fullback in April 2006 and responded with a Pro Bowl alternate season. But he then had trouble staying in shape and it led to his release off injured reserve (knee).

But this week he figures to be one of the big storylines in the documentary on the Bengals camp when the first episode of Hard Knocks airs on HBO Wednesday at 10 p.m.

And Morton and Oliver are happy bystanders.

"We're doing less with him; he's playing football now," Morton said Monday night as the Bengals waited under the stands during a raging thunderstorm that ended up canceling practice. "It was him taking ownership of the other 22 hours of the day. These five weeks between training camp, the lion's share was him because he took ownership of it."

Between the June 20 end of minicamp and the July 30 report date, the Bengals wondered if they would have a new fullback or if they would just give up Camp ChRock if Johnson came in overweight like the past couple of camps. After all, they had three and they had just drafted one.

But when Johnson laid it all out in his conditioning test to pass, they had their answer. "Ask Chip Morton," Johnson said of how he did it. Northern Kentucky strength guru Dr. Ted Lambridines also operated.

"Teddy kicked my butt," Johnson admitted.

"He had a sensible weight loss between minicamp and training camp, not a huge difference," Morton said. "It was pretty much on his own initiative."

For Johnson, who has battled weight issues the last several years, it probably comes down to a package that weighed less than 10 pounds.

The birth of daughter Jai in October. She has been a very cute wide-eyed presence down here a few times when she's come to visit her father.

"It helped a lot. A whole lot. I'm not going to lie," Johnson said. "Big time. It makes you grow up. Even if you don't want to."

Morton and Oliver have to agree.

"He lost his job," said Oliver when asked about Johnson's mindframe and Morton saw a new intensity.

"He has to provide for his family; that intensified," he said. "He's smiling more now. He's smiling a lot more now. His attitude is positive. He feels good about himself."

The Bengals felt good enough to cut J.D. Runnels Jr., move Johnson, and put seventh-round pick Fui Vakapuna second in a camp that looks like the Bengals may keep two fullbacks. Rookie free agent Chris Pressley is the remaining fullback with the preseason to begin in New Orleans Friday night.

Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, who cautions the Bengals are in fullback flux and the chart could change next week, still wants to see improvement in Johnson's conditioning. He tends to make mistakes in technique when he gets tired, Bratkowski said.

And Johnson says he needs to drop about five more pounds to get to the weight of about 265 to 275 that he feels he needs to be an effective blocker.

"I'm close," he said after the morning workout. "Five, six, seven pounds. I want to take time with it so I don't lose strength."

Johnson is careful to get his weight just right. He felt when he was 250 back in '05 it was just too light to deliver the blows he feels must be made at fullback. For the first time in his life, he was feeling them hit back.

"The 60-pound weight loss was too much; a phenomenal change," Morton said. "His goals are more moderate. He still wants to come down and he'll feel better."

Johnson has always been a quiet guy that guards his privacy. But he's approachable and had to smile when the media asked him about the new depth chart.

"I'm no coach," he said. "That's your job."

Watching Johnson pop linebacker Keith Rivers in one-on-one blitz pickup drills Monday morning shows why Lewis made the move. Remember how the Bengals gave up 51 sacks last season and one of the reasons was how Dan Coats struggled moving from tight end to fullback?

Watching Johnson make a 17-yard catch out of the backfield in the scrimmage Friday night shows why the Bengals made the move. Coats had just two catches for 19 yards all last year.

Watching Johnson line up ahead of Vakapuna in a goal line "heavy-I" backfield shows why they made the move. The Bengals had their fewest rushing touchdowns (six) since 1994.

"When I'm playing my best," Johnson said, "I'm bringing a lot to the table in the passing game, the blocking game, the pass-blocking game and short yardage. That's what I'm aiming for right now. It's going to come back."

The decision to cut him made Johnson realize something, too.

"For the first time since I was five years old I missed football," he said.

But he says the Bengals never went away even after they cut him. Morton said there were phone calls and texting.

"I knew I still had a love for it and they still needed me," he said. "They called the whole time; I wasn't going anywhere. You all just thought I was gone. I was never gone."

Morton and Oliver worked their magic one Johnson re-signed just before the draft in April, keeping him off the field but in the weight room. Yet they got some help this time. "To make the changes he made," Morton said, "he had to make a decision. In the end, he's the one that did it."

Johnson says he needs all four preseason games to get ready. "My second week in a year," he said, and Lewis has been a booster there.

"Anybody feels good when the head man feels good about you," Johnson said. "Coach Lewis sat me down the first day (of camp) and spoke with me and made me feel comfortable. He told me to take it one day at a time. That's all I can do."

That, and take care of Jai. With an i. Like Jeremi.

"She's like a junior," Johnson said with a smile. "But she's not a junior."

It's OK. Her dad has made a name this month.

/>http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/baby-what-a-comeback/6b0f183f-31fd-46c3-bd4a-2af2ff6b8bd8

[HairOnFire]

Watching Johnson make a 17-yard catch out of the backfield in the scrimmage Friday night shows why the Bengals made the move. Coats had just two catches for 19 yards all last year.

It won't matter a bit if you don't throw him the ball.

A couple of years ago I noticed how the Bengals had stopped throwing to JJ and confirmed they hadn't even attempted a pass to him all season long, at that point reaching 10 straight games. And this was before his injury.

[ArmyBengal]

That was the article's post, not mine just to be clear, but I do miss the passing game we use to get out of our backfield and if a healthy Jeremi (see not FAT) aids in it's return, so be it.

[Ickey44]

That was the article's post, not mine just to be clear, but I do miss the passing game we use to get out of our backfield and if a healthy Jeremi (see not FAT) aids in it's return, so be it.

I really do hope he returns to form. He was one of the best in the league for a while and it would be nice to have him back.