Kicking and screaming

[HairOnFire]

KFFL is reporting that the Bengals are one of 5 NFL teams interested in CFL punter, Jon Ryan. Ryan is scheduled to visit the Bengals on Jan.20th and becomes a free agent on Feb.15th.

[HoosierCat]

Wouldn't surprise me at all if they are looking to replace Kyle. He seemed to get better down the stretch, but for most of the season he was agonizingly inconsistent.

[membengal]

Shouldn't they first consider moving Larson to safety?

[Jet23]

They need a punter that can kickoff........and play Safety.

[skyline]

Too bad. Larson has a ton of talent. Still, his inconsistency has been VERY frustrating.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

They need a punter that can kickoff........and play Safety.

Don't forget, he also has to be able to definitively prove that Walvaz29 is a crossdressing drug dealer.

I seriously doubt we are looking for a new punter. Kyle has a lot of potential, and if we send him packing, he'll end up the next Rackers in a few years. Yes, he was inconsistant. He'll get better. As for being able to kickoff, our kickoffs weren't THAT BAD. A few yards, sure, but negligible in the long run.

[smith288]

Forget the punter, we will just never get a 4th down...how hard can it be?

[bengalboomer7]

I wonder if Lee Johnson is still in shape?

[walshfan]

Bengals are bringing in Jon Ryan for a reason... they need to upgrade the punting position... Larson may or may not get better.. In the two years he's been here he hasnt been very good... enough time wasted on him..

[AGrizzlyBaer]

it would especially be nice if he could kick off

[Stripes]

Larson seemed to be progressing so well in his rookie season... Most media sources had him included in the "All Rookie Teams." Still, I'd agree that he regressed greatly this season, and worthy punters are a dime a dozen. Grab a new one.

[HairOnFire]

Larson seemed to be progressing so well in his rookie season... Most media sources had him included in the "All Rookie Teams." Still, I'd agree that he regressed greatly this season, and worthy punters are a dime a dozen. Grab a new one.

Both Larson and his position coach admitted that much of his struggles this season were related to attempts to change his mechanics. So while I'd love to see an upgrade, or at the very least real competition for the job, you've got to wonder if the Bengals will feel the same need to tinker with his replacement.

[BC Bengal]

Jon Ryan was an All-star in the CFL last year (50+yds/ punt avg.), but that's in the CFL (the ball is different, more suited to kicking). Still think he's worth a look. Here's the link...

http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&...isplay&nid=7126

Go Bengals

[buck3y3d]

I agree with you guys, if we could get a punter to kick off that would be great. Shayne is good with the field goals, but leaves a lot to be desired on the kickoffs. Although, it does seem he outkicks the coverage to the 5 yard line (which is absolutely ridiculous), and his shorter kicks end up being better than the long one, even those with great hang time.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Noooo not our beloved Kyle Laaarsooon!!! What are we gonnna doooo!!!

What's next??? They might look at replacing Justin Smith!! the agony of it all!!

[HairOnFire]

Is it just me or do things seem a little crazy in the Steakhouse right now?

Regardless, the new guy is young, big, and seems to have a monster leg. Best, he's never kicked for the Bengals before and as a result doesn't inspire the hatred that Larson seems to.

[HoosierCat]

Is it just me or do things seem a little crazy in the Steakhouse right now?

Mad Cow Disease, I believe.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Is it just me or do things seem a little crazy in the Steakhouse right now?

Mad Cow Disease, I believe.

The Steakhouse isn't cookin' up any mad cow disease (unless there's Steelers fans in the house) - unfortunately still reeling from last weekend and slowly getting back to normal...slowly...

[HairOnFire]

Ryan two for two

Bombers punter receives second NFL offer

By TED WYMAN -- Winnipeg Sun

Two teams, two offers.

Not a bad success rate for punter Jon Ryan.

"Right now I'd say it's going better than planned," Ryan said. "To work out for two teams and get two offers is pretty good."

Ryan, who made a huge impression in the Canadian Football League in two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, worked out for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals yesterday.

And, as was the case with the Green Bay Packers earlier this week, the Bengals were immediately prepared to make the Regina native an offer.

BENGALS EXPRESS INTEREST

"They are interested and they are going to put an offer on the table on Monday," Ryan said via cellphone from Cincinnati.

"They are a little concerned about the ankle that I hurt back in October, so they took an X-ray and an MRI. They just want to make sure it's nothing major. It's not bothering me at all."

Ryan, who received an offer that included a $10,000 signing bonus from the Packers, has no more workouts scheduled, although he says some other teams, including the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, have expressed interest.

The 6-foot, 220-pound Ryan can't say if he's leaning toward signing with a particular team until he sees the official offer from the Bengals. However, he was impressed with the situation in Green Bay, where management told him the position is going to be wide open next year.

Ryan, 25, set a single-season CFL record for punting average (50.6 yards) last season with the Bombers.

If Ryan doesn't sign in the NFL, he will become a CFL free agent in mid-February. He remains Bomber property until that time.

The Bombers have a lucrative offer on the table for Ryan.

Even though he is likely to sign somewhere south of the border, Ryan said it won't guarantee him so much as a training camp invitation.

"Not necessarily," he said. "It should get me to a (spring) mini-camp, though."

[derekshank]

If he's interested in staying near Canada, then GB is his best choice... but CIncy is pretty far noth... and he could play for a winner. Perhaps he doesn't want to play for a team that so rarely needs to punt though.

[HairOnFire]

I wasn't quite sure what to make of the update. The Packers offer includes a 10k signing bonus...which could be described in some circles as peanuts. No word was given about what the Bengals were prepared to offer, but if it's comparable to the Green Bay proposal then I think the Bengals are looking at adding camp fodder to serve as competition for Larson, but not a serious or immediate threat to replace him.

[KimoTherapy]

Ryan is a force.

Probably MVP of the Bombers.

You'd be crazy to pass on him.

/grew up in Regina

//slash junkie

[bengalspride1219]

i never paid attention to the punters but from what i remember he had a 70 yd punt against the jags that got called back, and then followed it with a like 20 yard punt

he had another short punt and delayed and got one blocked

then he got a 70 yard punt as time ws running out in the first half when it was useless

[BengalSIS]

A few points I have listed in other boards.

New punter never pooch kicked. CFL gives a single point for punts out of endzone. While he does have a good leg, his stats are skewed and we don't know his ability to place the ball short under pressure.

Kyle has potential. We've all seen it. He had a rough year this year, but his mechanics were played with and it was his "sophomore" year so to speak and it is almost always a tough year for players.

I don't mind at all if he has some competition, but I think he deserves a shot to stay and he deserves our support until he leaves. Not to mention, he's a damn good holder for Shayne.

As for kickoffs...This season proved many times, that the long kicks (even high good ones) actually hurt us. It seemed as if whenever the returning team had a regular return with the ability to set up blocks, we couldn't stop them short. But when Shayne kicked a short one or ducked a nasty one, we stopped em early cuz they weren't set up for a planned blocking attack. Anyone who says Shayne's decent avg return numbers are due to good ST, must have missed Shayne's NFL leading 12 tackles this year.

[derekshank]

A few points I have listed in other boards.

New punter never pooch kicked. CFL gives a single point for punts out of endzone. While he does have a good leg, his stats are skewed and we don't know his ability to place the ball short under pressure.

Kyle has potential. We've all seen it. He had a rough year this year, but his mechanics were played with and it was his "sophomore" year so to speak and it is almost always a tough year for players.

I don't mind at all if he has some competition, but I think he deserves a shot to stay and he deserves our support until he leaves. Not to mention, he's a damn good holder for Shayne.

As for kickoffs...This season proved many times, that the long kicks (even high good ones) actually hurt us. It seemed as if whenever the returning team had a regular return with the ability to set up blocks, we couldn't stop them short. But when Shayne kicked a short one or ducked a nasty one, we stopped em early cuz they weren't set up for a planned blocking attack. Anyone who says Shayne's decent avg return numbers are due to good ST, must have missed Shayne's NFL leading 12 tackles this year.

And you're not at all biased toward Shayne... totally kidding. I like Shayne a lot.

Good point on the CFL punting. I didn't know that... so his stats will be very skewed! On the other hand... so are Larson's with his ability to kick the every so often 70 yarder to go along with his once in a while 20-30 yarders. Truth be told, I'd rather have a punter that can be consistent than a guy who can kick it forever sometimes, while in other situations totally handicap the defense.

Hopefully Larson will get it back together... because you're right, he has potential... but the NFL stands for Not For Long. We can't give him another year of "practice" when we're trying to get a superbowl.