Signing LJ is so dumb.

[kenyon1977]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/091118&sportCat=nfll

Nice Read!

[ct_bengal]

i like the signing of LJ, nothing is going to be handed to him so he's got his work cut out. And it will make all of our running backs work even harder with the new competition. I think LJ is going to be clutch down the stretch for homefield advantage where we rest our starters, and possibly into the playoffs as well. Very excited about this move!

[kingwilly]

/>http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/091118&sportCat=nfll

Nice Read!

What is clearly being left out here is a basic business plan: that for the price discussed, about $260k, the Bengals prevented any other team to gain the benefit of employing Mr. Johnson.

The Patriots are a power back away from being the most dangerous team in the NFL. They will be a factor in the post season and if you were the owner of a team that might face them, you would spend the money as a pre-emptive expense to keep NE one-dimensional.

This could be the most important benefit to signing LJ.

[BengalszoneBilly]

/>http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/091118&sportCat=nfll

Nice Read!

Better than nice. Great read.

[agreen_112]

What kind of message does it send to the team? "You get hurt, you're instantly replacable. And we have so little faith in our backups (even when they've performed incredibly) that we are going to bring in a high-risk a**h*** who's got a lot of skill but not as much heart as our team."

This was one of the least intelligent things I have read on this board in weeks, and with JoeWrong, Supabran, and Agreen spewing here regularly, thats saying a lot

There is no message

Every player knows that the team needs to have x number of players of each type to play on Sunday. If a player who plays position y is injured, then you need another player who can play position y

It's really quite simple.

oh, and....

This season needs to be a moral victory for the team, not just victory in terms of wins

uhm......needs to be?

needs?

Tell us why, if you can. In a less nonsensical fashion, please.

Joe, meet TJ. He's the genius around here. You are not entitled to your own opinion when TJ is on duty.

Btw, I changed my name because I like Gizzle better. Formaly, I was Agreen....

But back to your statement that this was a bad move... I disagree. It's only security. Our O-line is the true star hear. I could give two s**ts about Cedric Benson honestly. He's a nice asset but he's not iron man. It's really nice to have this type of security going into the playoffs. Benson agrees. Everyone knows their role on this team.

[agreen_112]

/>http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/091118&sportCat=nfll

Nice Read!

Very nice read... This is exactly how I feel.

I've been saying this stuff for 3 years now. Now that we're winning and we're the team that "doesn't care about character," we're all the sudden brilliant. If we were 2-7 we'd be scumbags.

It's all about winning. That's it.

As one player told me, this is a grimy, nasty sport and you need some grimy nasty players ... you can't win with 53 choirboys. "Bad character to a teammate is different from what bad character is to the outside world," T.J. Houshmandzadeh told me a while back when I first wondered about the character myth. "All teammates think is, 'Can you help us win or not?'"

And this is where actually playing the game gives you the upper hand when making judgement calls.

Can Chris Henry help us win - YES

Can Chad Ocho help us win - Hell YES

Could Odell have helped us win - Oh god YES

Cedric Benson - YES

R. Williams - YES

Tank - YES!

Larry Johnson - The answer is YES

Character is one thing if you can't get on the field. None of these guys except O-dawg will have a problem with that.

[Ickey44]

Not to nitpick, but since when does Roy Williams have any character issues?

[agreen_112]

Not to nitpick, but since when does Roy Williams have any character issues?

No character issues but he still falls in the "outcast" category. Nobody really wanted him...

The bottom line is that character is a crock.. Talent means everything.

[Ickey44]

The bottom line is that character is a crock.. Talent means everything.

That's not necessarily true. As your boy Odell can attest to, talent doesn't mean s**t if you're suspended and can't play. So character does come into the equation.

[COB]

That article brings one thing to mind - back when Chris Henry was getting arrested every week, the media was freaking out about what a bad teammate he was. They were saying everything you'd expect, he was selfish, a criminal, didn't belong in the NFL.

Then they bothered to ask some of his teammates. To a man, every player said they like playing with Chris Henry. They said he practiced hard, played well in games, and was a locker room guy you could trust.

Some of what we outsiders think of as "character" are things the players don't care about. And a lot of what the players care about, we don't even see or hear about.

[TJJackson]

Joe, meet TJ.

Board, meet Agreen

He tells us frequently about how he plays semipro ball and how he coaches peewee football, and on this basis feels he knows more than the rest of us combined

Then of course he opens his mouth and proves quite to the contrary

Then when this is pointed out to him, his response sometimes consists of an invitation to meet him behind the tetherball courts after 7th bell to "discuss the matter further"

[agreen_112]

Joe, meet TJ.

Board, meet Agreen

He tells us frequently about how he plays semipro ball and how he coaches peewee football, and on this basis feels he knows more than the rest of us combined

Then of course he opens his mouth and proves quite to the contrary

Then when this is pointed out to him, his response sometimes consists of an invitation to meet him behind the tetherball courts after 7th bell to "discuss the matter further"

I don't coach peewee, I referee football from peewee all the way up to high school level.. I do play semi-pro. I also play Flag with a lot of ex-college players. It ain't much but it's football. I play with guys who played at Vanderbilt, starting on the offensive line, protecting Jay Cutler and other starters at D1 and D2 teams across the nation. I've played football my whole life. Football is football, you couldn't relate if you've never played the game...

TJ, I've forgotten more about football then you'll ever know.

And yes, where I come from, if you call someone a bitch then you better stand up and get ready to throw down.. I never threatened anyone, all I said was that I doubt whoever said it would say it to my face.

Central, you're absolutely right..

Then they bothered to ask some of his teammates. To a man, every player said they like playing with Chris Henry. They said he practiced hard, played well in games, and was a locker room guy you could trust.

To a player, that's all that matters. Are you a good teamate? Can you help us win?

[Ickey44]

To a player, that's all that matters. Are you a good teamate? Can you help us win?

Again, outside character does come into play. You can't help the team win if you get suspended. So Chris Henry can be the greatest locker room guy there is, but when he was suspended what exactly was he doing to help the team win?

[gregstephens]

Joe, meet TJ.

TJ, I've forgotten more about football then you'll ever know.

And yes, where I come from, if you call someone a bitch then you better stand up and get ready to throw down.. I never threatened anyone, all I said was that I doubt whoever said it would say it to my face.

Let's not start down this road again. Both of you have short memories at times. Quit inciting the other.

[redsbengalsbucks]

Joe, meet TJ.

TJ, I've forgotten more about football then you'll ever know.

And yes, where I come from, if you call someone a bitch then you better stand up and get ready to throw down.. I never threatened anyone, all I said was that I doubt whoever said it would say it to my face.

Let's not start down this road again. Both of you have short memories at times. Quit inciting the other.

What is up with this board recently? It is getting so reading any thread is like listening to my in-laws bicker at each other.

Everyone here seems to have lost there minds. Acting like senile old ladies.

There is no reason to attack fellow posters.

Pay attention to the season, enjoy it, they dont come around very often.

[kingwilly]

Joe, meet TJ.

Board, meet Agreen

He tells us frequently about how he plays semipro ball and how he coaches peewee football, and on this basis feels he knows more than the rest of us combined

Then of course he opens his mouth and proves quite to the contrary

Then when this is pointed out to him, his response sometimes consists of an invitation to meet him behind the tetherball courts after 7th bell to "discuss the matter further"

I don't coach peewee, I referee football from peewee all the way up to high school level.. I do play semi-pro. I also play Flag with a lot of ex-college players. It ain't much but it's football. I play with guys who played at Vanderbilt, starting on the offensive line, protecting Jay Cutler and other starters at D1 and D2 teams across the nation. I've played football my whole life. Football is football, you couldn't relate if you've never played the game...

TJ, I've forgotten more about football then you'll ever know.

And yes, where I come from, if you call someone a bitch then you better stand up and get ready to throw down.. I never threatened anyone, all I said was that I doubt whoever said it would say it to my face.

Central, you're absolutely right..

Then they bothered to ask some of his teammates. To a man, every player said they like playing with Chris Henry. They said he practiced hard, played well in games, and was a locker room guy you could trust.

To a player, that's all that matters. Are you a good teamate? Can you help us win?

Staying on topic here, being a good teammate includes handling your business off the field. You are no use to the team if you can't get on the field, no matter the reason. This includes having a level of character, just enough to avoid suspension, arrest, breaking team rules/policy, etc.

So, you are wrong, it does matter.

To a player, if your teammate is an ass, immature, hard to get along with, generally a surly or irritating guy, that should not matter or impact how they play. but once ANY part of it impacts a player's ability to contribute on the field, then that is everything.

You are polarizing the argument into an All or Nothing situation. Some risk can be managed, as we have seen it pay off. Some risk is unnecessary, like when the team had a standing APB in the tri-state area.

They have always taken risks, and been burned when it became too much. I am glad they have continued to but it does appear there is more due diligence being done and, overall, less risk than before, on picks and FA.

Your point about Henry being a guy they could "trust", seriously what does that mean. They trusted him to handle his business off the field, and for a period he simply couldn't. SO he was untrustworthy in that regard. He got suspended, booted, brought back under suspension and now appears to be back on track.

It is not about being a choir boy, or being a thug, or being the nicest guy, best pal in the world. It is about being professional, doing you job and handling your business. It is indisputable that character is implicit to being a professional.

[Pidge]

Everyone here seems to have lost there minds.

I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.

[joebengalsfan]

What kind of message does it send to the team? "You get hurt, you're instantly replacable. And we have so little faith in our backups (even when they've performed incredibly) that we are going to bring in a high-risk a**h*** who's got a lot of skill but not as much heart as our team."

This was one of the least intelligent things I have read on this board in weeks, and with JoeWrong, Supabran, and Agreen spewing here regularly, thats saying a lot

There is no message

Every player knows that the team needs to have x number of players of each type to play on Sunday. If a player who plays position y is injured, then you need another player who can play position y

It's really quite simple.

oh, and....

This season needs to be a moral victory for the team, not just victory in terms of wins

uhm......needs to be?

needs?

Tell us why, if you can. In a less nonsensical fashion, please.

Yeah. "Needs to be." If you don't get it, I don't know how to explain it to you.

[gregstephens]

What kind of message does it send to the team? "You get hurt, you're instantly replacable. And we have so little faith in our backups (even when they've performed incredibly) that we are going to bring in a high-risk a**h*** who's got a lot of skill but not as much heart as our team."

This was one of the least intelligent things I have read on this board in weeks, and with JoeWrong, Supabran, and Agreen spewing here regularly, thats saying a lot

There is no message

Every player knows that the team needs to have x number of players of each type to play on Sunday. If a player who plays position y is injured, then you need another player who can play position y

It's really quite simple.

oh, and....

This season needs to be a moral victory for the team, not just victory in terms of wins

uhm......needs to be?

needs?

Tell us why, if you can. In a less nonsensical fashion, please.

Yeah. "Needs to be." If you don't get it, I don't know how to explain it to you.

Explain it to me. I don't get how you get moral victories without actual victories. If we end up 8-8 or 9-7, after starting 7-2, is it a moral victory for beating last season's 4-11-1?

Conversely, can you get to 10-6 or even 12-4, make the playoffs and somehow fail to achieve a 'moral victory'?

Explain.

[TJJackson]

Yeah. "Needs to be." If you don't get it, I don't know how to explain it to you.

I did ask for a less non-sensical answer, right?

Nah, never mind, I guess nonsense is all you have.

And we already have several well-known purveyors of that on this board.

[HoTbOy]

I see this as the Bengals sweeping the Steelers and Ravens and knowing these 2 teams won the SB with running the football and playing great D, the Bengals are doing both right now...IF the Bengals meet the Colts in the playoffs, the best way to beat PManning is to not have him on the field, and with a good running game and a fresh D we would have a very good chance...If CHenry can learn and change, I don't see why LJohnson can't/won't knowing what's at stake, if he comes in and disrupts a team locker room who has a legitimate shot of going to the SB who is ever going to sign him...

[Ickey44]

I see this as the Bengals sweeping the Steelers and Ravens and knowing these 2 teams won the SB with running the football and playing great D, the Bengals are doing both right now...IF the Bengals meet the Colts in the playoffs, the best way to beat PManning is to not have him on the field, and with a good running game and a fresh D we would have a very good chance...If CHenry can learn and change, I don't see why LJohnson can't/won't knowing what's at stake, if he comes in and disrupts a team locker room who has a legitimate shot of going to the SB who is ever going to sign him...

I don't know. The Colts didn't even have the ball for 15 minutes against the Dolphins and still won. The Colts are gonna be tough.

[Pidge]

The Colts and Pats can score often and quickly. Against those two teams, tough D alone won't do it, the offense will have to come to the party.

Everyone else, I'm pretty confident.

[derekshank]

The Colts and Pats can score often and quickly. Against those two teams, tough D alone won't do it, the offense will have to come to the party.

Everyone else, I'm pretty confident.

The Ravens and Steelers have scored a lot of points against teams not named the Bengals.

Furthermore, the Pats and Colts don't have defenses as good as the Ravens and Steelers.

Not saying the Bengals will hold Manning out of the endzone. But he's not putting 30+ up either. And I think the Bengals would be able to shove the ball down the throat of the Colts D.

[HairOnFire]

A portion of Steve Wyche's latest offering on NFL.com.....

Bengals have easy out if they lose their gamble with LJ

By Steve Wyche

Shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs suspended running back Larry Johnson for using a gay slur on his Twitter account and toward reporters, and ripping head coach Todd Haley publicly, some general managers and coaches I spoke with said "no way" when asked if they'd consider signing him if he became available.

Johnson's character issues were one thing. But the more prevalent sentiment was that Johnson's best years were behind him. The latter flaw seemed more condemning because teams will deal with problem children as long as they can produce.

Johnson was cut, and the Cincinnati Bengals signed him this week for the remainder of the season. The reactions were widespread. Some thought it was a typical move by the Father Flanagan of NFL franchises. Others believe Johnson could help, especially with depth after Cedric Benson suffered a hip injury. There were the obvious concerns that Benson could start looking over his shoulder or that Johnson's insertion into a pretty solid locker room could disrupt the special thing the AFC North-leading Bengals have going.

Benson, from people I've talked to, isn't insecure. If he is worried about Johnson creeping up on him, that should keep him playing at a high level. Johnson could allow the Bengals to use sets they haven't before, which could work to their advantage if they were to play Pittsburgh a third time in the playoffs. He could also provide short-yardage help to ease some of the wear and tear on Benson, maybe flash some of the old LJ.

As far as disrupting the locker room, I spoke with one of his former teammates this week who said Johnson's issues rarely permeated through Kansas City's locker room. Once he left the building was another thing, but in terms of being a good teammate, this player said Johnson was fine.

Many believe the Benals are risking ruining a good thing. But here's why adding Johnson is a low-risk move by the Bengals: If Johnson shows his age -- he turned 30 on Thursday -- or acts a fool, the Bengals can cut him with little financial penalty. It's as simple as that.

To help keep Johnson grounded, coach Marvin Lewis, who normally isn't as willing to take on problematic players as much as owner Mike Brown, isn't exposing Johnson to the national media. Lewis has made it clear that Johnson won't be a newsworthy story and that he's simply a backup player working to be active on game days. If Johnson is newsworthy for any other reason than showing he's still a productive player, he will have shown himself the door out of the NFL.