email i sent to geoff hobson

[turningpoint]

BYE BYE RUDI!

[oldschooler]

So to say other teams ran

for more yards than the Bengals is bogus. IF Perry had gotten more

than 2 yards, and Jerimi Johnson had gotten more than 5

No, to say other teams (16 of them to be precise) ran for more yards than the Bengals is a fact..

Yeah it is a fact. But what I meant it is bogus to say they

ran for more yards than the BENGALS when Rudi HAD

to do MOST of the Running !

And if Jeremi and Perry would have had more runs, Rudi and Watson would have had correspondingly fewer. So the only way total yardage would have gone up significantly is if one of them had broken out, which would only lessen the argument for keeping Rudi. The simple fact is that you do not need a "plow horse" to have a top rushing offense. If fact, as this years' Bengals numbers show, you can have that guy and still not be in the top half of the league rushing!

NFL.com only has the teams that didn`t make the playoffs

stats listed right now for some reason ?

Anyway Rudi had MORE yards rushing by his self than 3 teams !

49`ers, Dolphins and Raiders.

Out of the 20 teams that didn`t make the playoffs the Bengals (Rudi)

rank 8th.

The Chiefs had 3 RB`s over 500 yards.

The Ravens had 2 RB`s over 700 yards.

The Giants ...well Tiki Barber had a career year.

The Texans top 2 rushers had a total of 375 carries for 1487 yards.

That is 16 carries and 33 yards more than Rudi had. Plus they had

another RB that rushed for another 299 yards.

The Bills 2 leading rushers (McGahee and Henry) had 378 carries

for 1454 yards. That is 17 carries more than Rudi and the SAME amount

of yardage.

The Titans top 2 RB`s had 357 carries for 1576 yards. 4 carries

and 122 yards more than Rudi ...BUT 2 TD`s less than Rudi.

The Jags top 3 RB`s had 373 carries for 1555 yards. They had

5 TD`s less than Rudi.

Do you see where I`m going ?

People say Rudi isn`t needed...or try to discount what he did.

Well hell he out rushed 3 ENTIRE NFL teams by his self and was

equal to the output of 2-3 RB`s on 6 other teams that had more

rushing yards than the Bengals as a TEAM !!!!

As for Rudi's durability, yes, he had an injury-free year. On the other hand, I seem to recall him being unable to answer the bell for several games because of a thigh bruise early in 2003. I'm not saying he has a "history of injury" but he isn't invulnerable

Hey even Superman had Kryptonite.

[Kirkendall]

The Chiefs, Ravens, Bills, Titans, and Jags all had to deal with injuries, so I think the comparisons don't apply to this discussion -- but like the philosophy if anything, to have a backup that's been playing throughout the season (uhh-hum Mr. Perry, reading this?)

[HoosierCat]

NFL.com only has the teams that didn`t make the playoffs

stats listed right now for some reason ?

Yeah, I dunno what's up with that, especially since the chart specifically says "regular season" at the top. profootball-reference.com has updated the numbers, tho, and they have us at 17th in yardage, as does the Cincy Post's season review.

Do you see where I`m going ?

People say Rudi isn`t needed...or try to discount what he did.

Well hell he out rushed 3 ENTIRE NFL teams by his self and was

equal to the output of 2-3 RB`s on 6 other teams that had more

rushing yards than the Bengals as a TEAM !!!!

Like I said, he had a hell of a year. He deserves to get paid, and if the Bengals don't do it, someone certainly will. But if you're Marvin Lewis, your job is to look at every aspect of the team, no matter what its performance in the past season, and ask, how can we improve it? And certainly when you're 17th out of 32 someplace, that's an area you probably want to improve.

I'm not saying keeping Rudi is a bad option, simply that it may not be the best option. There are paths to a successful run game other than the franchise RB.

[schweinhart]

The highest road possible would be the best course for the Bengals front office in the Rudi situation IMO.

I still say don't franchise or transition him out of respect for what he's done. If Rudi walks and Bengals get nothing in return, they really will get something in return. They'll get some respect from other players who might come to Cincy and who will be able to say the Bengals lay down their offers straight and won't put a dent in earning potential w/ a franchise tag.

[bengalboomer7]

It might have been on Bengal.com Joisey, give me a minute and I'll see if I find it.

[bengalboomer7]

I hate to break up this perfect;y repectful and dignified argument but as I stated earlier whether you like Rudi or not doesn't matter, because your goona like him next year at least because the Organization has basically eluded that in no way, shape or form will Rudi be allowed to enter free agency by the bengals. His agent has already begun face to face negotiations and Mikey has already said bringing him back is top priority. So, for at least next year you will have to get used to hearing RUDI, RUDI, RUDI!!!!

By the way Joisey, I must have been crossed eyed from the USC/OK game last night, I read that oline statement completely wrong

[jditty47]

i love stirrin s**t up without bax and barb around its kinda quiet around here....i think im the most hated with them not around. s**t, some guy out of no where just went after me the other night for no reason

i dont mind rudi, i just feel he's not a great top back in this league. if we're gonna challenge for the superbowl i dunno if rudi is the back that will take us there...thats my whole beef.

[bengalboomer7]

With the up and coming QB, franchise WR and one of the best reciever core in the league (if Warrick is 100%) we don't need an elite back for the offense, and Rudi's tough nosed style running and durability(just for fun, add in Perry's speed and recieving skills, but don't tell Billybroome I said that ) will make him a good complement to the style of offense we'll be running next year. Brat likes the vertical passing game anyway

[bengalboomer7]

Plus add in his locker room presense which seems to be very important to Marvin

I hope they sign him, but not nessecarily at the franchise tag level

[BENGALTHEM]

IMHO,

It really doesnt matter which way the Bengals go with this Rudi situation. Either way, it will be a postive move for the Bengals.

If he stays, the rb situation is solidified with a young, tough, durable guy, that never gets tired and both the fans and players respect. Sounds good to me. The fact that Rudi broke Dillion's single season rushing yards (i beleive) as a Bengal speaks volumes. Dillion was here for years, and imo he is a top five back. I personally enjoy watching him run. He's like an indestructable plowing ping pong ball. It's like when you watch him, I get the feeling in my heart, that at any time Rudi will pop the big one.

Rudi Johnson is the worst kind of back for an NFL defense to face when the Bengals, got the running game going, and the Bengals are up, going into the 4th qtr. He wears teams down, cuz the man just doesn't get tired.

That being said, if the Bengals let Rudi go there are some positives. For one I'm sure Rudi is going to ask for a big contract, which Rudi deserves more than any other player. But if we let him go, this money can be used to get some help for this sorry ass run defense. To my fellow Bengals fans at Bengalszone,

Im sorry but the Bengals will never be a serious playoff team IF U CAN'T STOP THE RUN. This s**t is really pissing me off. We can't allow teams to in take our manhood. Year after year we finish near the bottom at run defense. And to me, allowing teams to avg 115+ yrds a game on the ground is like continually being violated. I need a bengals squad that is stinjy against the run. Letting Rudi go and using that money to get some help for the rush defense aint a bad idea. Might as well let Rudi, Hardy, and Tony Williams go and sign Donovan Dariu SS and Corey Simon DT. Let's not forget about Westhersby I haven't heard anything in him since the beginning of the year. Butt if he can play next year, that would be a nice surprise.

As far as Perry. I think Im the only one on this site that liked and still likes the Perry pick. In fact the only thing I ever predicted in my life was the Bengals taking Perry with their first pick. The pick made perfect sense to me. Anyways Perry is a first round Rb. Perry is nice. I don't understand why people are skeptical. The man is tough, he's got the shakes, I think he can be a very durable (proved that in college), I think he is a damn good pass blocker, and dude is wicked catching passes out of the backfield, something Rudi cannot do.

Plus we picked up Quincy Wilson out of West Virginia, so there's your plow right there. Kenny Watson aint to shabby either. I think that having a good back is a luxury, but what necesitates good numbers at the RB position is the play of the o-line and the passing game. My point is an average NFL Rb can look better than he really is, with a good o-line, and the passing game along with play action is working.

Oh by the way, having a healthy Warrcik, Housh, Chad Johnson, and Washington is straight up scarry.

What's also scarry

is Oneal

____smith Simmons Williams

------thornton Webster

------simon Johnson Darius

------Clemons, Geathers

James

[redsfan2]

I'm so cool, Geoff Hobson emails me.

Yeah .... but they're addressed to " Occupant "

[chrishcovga]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.. Pay Rudi a similar amount to what we paid Corey . Hopefully ( although I'm writing him off ) Perry will perform well in '05. Rudi can be limited to about 250 carries in '05 with Perry pulling in at least another 125 carries of his own. We'll be much more diverse as an offense and could really have a running game similiar to that of the late 80's teams.

Either way, no matter how much money we pay Rudi, we can't afford to break the bank when in reality, we need him to carry the ball less, so that our offense is less predictable ! Look Folks, Rudi is a power back, there aren't a lot of different things we can do with his abilities, as a matter of fact, He shouldn't even catch a ball, because he's no threat at all out of the backfield.

& for those looking to save a few bucks..??? We could just as easily draft a running back again at # 17 that would only cost about a $1,000,000 a year like Perry and get similiar production! If the draft were today.... And we needed to crunch numbers, Trade Rudi for a couple of picks, and take a Ronnie Brown or a Cadillac Anderson in round 1.

As I see it, I'm glad we have Rudi, but this isn't the best year for his agent to be asking for the MEGA- Millions. There's too much talent available to grab. As a matter of fact I'm taking my previous offer of 5 years 26 million off the table and am now only offering a 5 year deal worth 20 million with incentives !

[BengalszoneBilly]

(just for fun, add in Perry's speed and recieving skills, but don't tell Billybroome I said that )

Keep it up bengalboomer7! First you push my Nascar buttons, now you're hammering my Perry buttons! I can't wait for my promised month of no Perry comments to end! Now...back to slamming my head in a door!

  chrishcovga Posted on Jan 5 2005, 01:20 PM  We could just as easily draft a running back again at # 17 that would only cost about a $1,000,000 a year like Perry and get similiar production!

What was that you said chris? Oh...I hear ya now!

[chrishcovga]

(just for fun, add in Perry's speed and recieving skills, but don't tell Billybroome I said that )

Keep it up bengalboomer7! First you push my Nascar buttons, now you're hammering my Perry buttons! I can't wait for my promised month of no Perry comments to end! Now...back to slamming my head in a door!

  chrishcovga Posted on Jan 5 2005, 01:20 PM  We could just as easily draft a running back again at # 17 that would only cost about a $1,000,000 a year like Perry and get similiar production!

What was that you said chris? Oh...I hear ya now!

Similar production to Rudi ,,, I meant Billy. Not Perry.

Cedric Benson won't be there at # 17. Cadillac Anderson may not either. Ronnie Brown could be, but if we had our choice between the two, I'd take Ronnie Brown.

To be honest with you, a Maurice Clarett in round 5 or 6 would be ok too !

pausing............

- just wanted to p*ss off you Clarett haters !!!

[bengalboomer7]

Sorry Billy, sometimes I just can't help myself

[redsfan2]

From what I've read, here's what ... I think I think..

Coach Lewis wants Rudi back next year and has Mikes support to make it happen.

Rudi would like to stay in Cincinnati and has indicated that to his agent.

Mike Brown invited his agent to town ... they had a nice initial meeting that was described a positive by both sides .. and he left.

NOBODY wants to use the TAG ...... MIke's said it, and Rudis agent said that no one had used the F word ... and I'm sure he didn't mean the other one.

Cincinnati will offer Rudi something " near " what Corey was getting and he will sign without hitting free agency.

Other factors ...

Shaun Alexander - Marvin said he would " Unbalance our salary cap". Now that's pretty subtle, but even I got that one.

Chris Perry - ??????????? Who the hell knows ??? I don't know ..... see if we can get Clarrett for him heads up.

e- mail to hobs ... Just a hunch, but I doubt you make his Xmas card list next year.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Similar production to Rudi ,,, I meant Billy. Not Perry. 

Damn!

bengalboomer7 Posted on Jan 5 2005, 01:38 PM

  Sorry Billy, sometimes I just can't help myself 

I know how it is...

[bengalboomer7]

The bengals can do that to ya can't they Billy

[BengalszoneBilly]

The bengals can do that to ya can't they Billy

Only every day of the week.

[bengalboomer7]

Only every day of the week.

Since we were little kids, too. I can still remember crying my eyes out in 89 (thats right I cried, I'm a man I can admit that, can I?)