King of the Jungle? Bengals HC09!

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ESPN Breaking News!!!!

ESPN's Ed Werder reports that Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis has gone AWOL. Rumors persist he has quit the team amidst yet another Bengals scandal!

To say the Bengals 2007 season was a trying one is an understatement. Injuries and suspensions added to the tensions in Ohio as the team took a step backwards last season. Now, in the offseason, several new incidents have taken place one after the other... and as the smoke rises in Cincinnati, Head Coach Marvin Lewis is no where to be found! General Manager Marvin Louis (what are the odds?) has called a press conference. (I'm gonna call him Melvin.)

We're joining the Bengals press conference, already in progress:

ESPN: Melvin, can you comment on the status of Head Coach Marvin Lewis? Have you had any word from him?

Melvin: We did receive a phone call this morning. I will not go into specifics, but Marvin Lewis is no longer the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

ESPN: What are you going to do? Free agency is about to start, the draft is weeks away! How will you go forward from here?

Marshall Pickering (owner): Our GM, Melvin, has already talked to the staff in place, and informed them that they will be retained for the 2008 season - a new coach will be brought in to help me "right the ship". He will have considerable input on the roster, and no doubt will have some changes in mind for the playbooks, but the coordinators will have a large amount of autonomous authority in that regards. In essence, you could say that whoever makes it to opening day will be on a one-season "prove it" contract - and I am confident this will bring out the best in those who truly wish to be part of this franchise.

ESPN: New coach? Already? How is this possible? Who is it? Is it Bill Cowher? Brian Billick? Jon Gruden?

Pickering: (laughs) No, it's none of the above. All three are tremendous coaches; coaches with championships - but we have had discussions with numerous coaches, who's names I won't mention. Our new coach comes at the recommendation of one of our greatest coaches, Forrest Gregg.

ESPN: Gregg? Who is your new head coach now, Chris Collinsworth? (room laughs)

Pickering: No! (laughs too) I'm pretty sure Chris is happier with a microphone and not a clipboard. No... People may not know that Forrest was the coach, and then AD, for SMU when the "Death Penalty" was levied on the Mustangs. When they came out the other side, after 2 years without football, the program was a disaster. There was chaos. Forrest gave all he had to get the ball rolling again. They're only just now coming through that Hell, and the journey burned out more than a few head coaches and ADs over the years.
Forrest still keeps tabs on us, and likes to put his two cents in from time to time. (winks) After this last group of scandals and incidents, he and I had dinner. He was with me when I heard Coach Lewis had gone missing, and we brainstormed (over scotch) what would I do. Forrest even suggested returning to the sidelines, but I think we both knew it was the scotch talking. Then he brought up a young fellow that constantly harassed him about taking the coaching job at SMU. A young guy, a kid essentially to Forrest, he kept talking about how to rebuild the team, how to fortify the team with integrity and discipline, etc. etc.

ESPN: So what happened?

Pickering: Forrest told me he couldn't hire the guy. He had never been a head coach, and as AD, Forrest was under a lot of pressure from boosters and alumni and a whole lot of people who knew nothing about football to get "the right guy" in there to sell tickets. Forrest told me he always regretted never hiring that guy. Well, that's the guy we're bringing in here now... let me introduce the next Head Coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, formerly the Head Coach of the Univeristy of Sioux Falls, I am proud to introduce Coach Dave Cotignola!!

ESPN: (crickets chirping amidst 3 clapping hands)

Coach: (laughing) Well, that's about what I expected. Thank you, all, I'm sure you have a lot of questions.

ESPN: (more crickets.)

Coach: Ok then, let's get started!

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Coach C: Let me start by telling you a little about me. It's true, I did pester Forrest almost daily for the SMU job. When I didn't get it, I spent my time "earning my stripes" taking whatever coaching job I could find. I'm proud to say that my last job at Sioux Falls was a success and my family at the University is as excited as I am for me to take this next step in my life.

ESPN: What makes you think winning a championship at an NAIA school makes you ready to be an NFL Head Coach?

Coach: You googled that, didn't you? Yes, it's true, I'm very proud of our team, winning the NAIA Championship in 2006- breaking Carrol College's 4 year streak by the way. Which of course, they started a new one last year... (laughter) As for your question - Who really IS ready? How many teams get thrown into this type of situation? It's not a secret, the Bengals have had a LOT of drama over the years. This isn't a one year fix - although I feel that I am also on a one season "prove it" contract. I just know in my heart I can do this. This is what I do. I fix things. Few may agree with my methods, including me, but trust me that everything I do is done with the intention of getting the Cincinnati Bengals their first Super Bowl trophy. We have a coaching staff in place, I will lean on them to help with the transition. Hopefully we'll be able to maintain a strong working relationship, and our success will keep us working together a long time; but I have no illusions of job security at this time.

ESPN: What about your time with Sioux Falls? Are you going to be installing an NAIA playbook here? (chuckle)

Coach: No, at the college level, be it NCAA or NAIA, the structure of a team's roster is different - you can borrow ideas, but you can't just hand out the old playbook from last year. I have already informed OC Bob Bratkowki that we're going to be running a more traditional West Coast attack. With the turnover we might experience, it will be important to have a solid playbook to work with, and one that we can customize as the season rolls on. On defense, Mike Zimmer is known for his 43 defense; but we've talked about my defense at Sioux Falls, and we're going to try to implement a variant of it here and see if it gives us the edge we think it might against some of the squads we're playing this year.

ESPN: I'm sorry for asking, but what kind of defense would that be?

Coach: I call it the 38 special, and without getting into specifics, let's just say it's more of a spear than a club. Players at the NAIA level are smaller, and you have to get creative. You'll probably see a "smaller" defense overall, but extremely quick. Will it work in the NFL? Well, we can talk about it next year if I'm here for this press conference again! (laughs)

ESPN: What about all these "incidents"? What are your plans going forward?

Coach: Ok, I'm not going to get away from this, am I? Here's a rundown of what we're up against and what we're planning on doing about it. Forgive me if I don't give you my team's agenda in minute detail though, I'm already up against it here... no need to give the other 31 teams any more help than they need.

Wide Receiver Chris Henry was suspended half of last year. He will no longer remain with the team; and we wish him luck with his career.

MLB Odell Thurman has finished his second full year of suspension, and his future with the team, with the NFL itself, is being evaluated.

Other players that had off the field incidents in 2007 such as Levi Jones and AJ Nicholson are being evaluated as well.

OLB David Pollack's injury, as you know, is career threatening. He is no longer on the Bengal's roster, though he will always be a part of our family.

RBs Chris Perry and Kenny Irons were both dealing with major injuries, we won't know much till they get checked out here, and I get to speak with them.

There are other incidents and injuries, but they will be addressed in time. For now, I'd like to talk over my vision for the team, and my plan for the next several weeks.

To start with, Cincinnati is a great town. They have a great organization here. It has been some time since they have been serious contenders, but those words will once again be associated with Cincinnati. I won't sit here and criticize or attack the former coaches or players; but for whatever reasons, a bad vibe has filled this team. A lot of players were brought in without regard for character. Everyone deserves a second chance, I know, but you have to want it. You have to want football like it's the air you breathe. Some of those guys, hell, some of these guys here still, just don't want it. They care about themselves before all. Those days are over.

It's time to pick a fight in that locker room. I want to see who's going to fight for Cincinnati. Who's going to defend the Bengals, fight for their teammates, for their careers, for their future and for the past greatness.

No one gets to sit this one out. Everyone is on notice. {walks out}

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Coach's Summary: Franchise Tag, RFA, FA, etc...

Franchise Tag: None. There were a couple intriguing options, but I'm not going to risk crippling the team and adding more distractions to it. There's still a chance we could bring some of these players back, but we'll approach it on a case by case basis.

RFA's:

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. The difference between a 1st tender and 2nd is a 7th round pick vs a 2nd rounder. In all honesty, Ryan is not in our plans to start for this team. Changes need to be made at the position, major changes; and Ryan doesn't figure to be more than a backup if he makes the team. I could be wrong once everyone is in pads. I don't think anyone will bite on a 2nd rounder, but he's not really a bad fit for our offense. Tendered for 1 year, $970k vs. a 7th round pick.

RE Jonathan Fanene. Jonathan is a young reserve defensive end, although he hasn't gotten many chances to play. He has good size to develop into a 3-4 end; as a 4-3 end he was miscast for sure. Again, I will tender him with a level 1 and we'll see what happens when he gets pads on. Tendered for 1 year, $970k vs. a 7th round pick.

March 2nd, eve of Free Agency.
Cap Room: $49.83 million

As free agency kicks off, Coach Cotignola and GM Melvin aren't expected to be major players. They have a few bad eggs they intend to remove from the roster, and that will assuredly hinder our cap space; but it has to be done.

Rapid Roster Summary:

QB - Carson Palmer. Carson has been great, but he's supposed to lead this team. This team has been a walking prison-release program instead. I will be trading Carson Palmer while he still has great value. A message has to be sent, and Carson's too good to deal with our rebuilding anyway.
Jeff Rowe is a big kid with some upside, he's too inexperienced to make much of a decision yet. Unless another team is dying to have him, he'll get his chance to compete in training camp. (RFA Ryan Fitzpatrick is currently tendered, but his status is unknown.)

RB - Rudi Johnson is a powerful back. The offense I'm envisioning needs of a speed/receiving style back though. I might move him. Kenny Watson is a great fit for the offense I'm envisioning, although he's an older player. Chris Perry and Kenny Irons both could be key parts of the offense, but are both coming of major injuries that cost them last year. No guarantees. The incumbent fullback, Jeremi Johnson, is a bruising blocker with suspect hands. He'll prob see a little competition.

WR - Here we go. Chad Johnson is an elite receiver. He is also an elite Diva and major source of the Bengal's recent locker room cancer. His longtime running mate, might be just as bad. As great as they are, they have to go. We need character guys here, not primadonnas. Glen Holt is a promising young receiver, here's hoping he only learned football from Chad and TJ.

TE - Reggie Kelly is an established, veteran tight end. He's been a good receiver when needed, can block, etc. His age and salary hurt his chances, but he might be worth it. Daniel Coats is a fringe talent player, no promises here.

OL - Levi Jones and Willie Anderson are older tackles, and expensive, but still near the top of their game. Guard and Center are where we're weak, though there is plenty of time to address that. I just couldn't justify franchise tagging G Stacey Andrews. I need the middle of the line to be strong, but I couldn't hurt the cap with the Tag doing it.

DE - This will be a section that needs to get rebuilt. The .38 Special D needs 3 mammoth-like players across the line. Tall, heavy, strong guys to anchor the line are key. The Bengals have good players here, but not really anyone that can play the positions the way I need. Maybe if DT Domata Peko can move to DE...

LB - Another spot with some decent players, but 4-3 linebackers aren't always interchangeable with a 3-4, esp the small, hornet-like guys I want for the .38. I'll have to trade or cut the lot of them. This is make or break for my D, if I can't find the guys I need for this spot, it's not going to work.

CB - The strength of the Bengals roster right here. Two young, impressive DBs are here: Leon Hall and Jonathan Jospeph. I feel great about those two right there. I can work on depth through the draft and FA.

FS/SS - The safeties are no bums either, with Marvin White and Nedu Ndukwe starting. Both are young and quick.. while not "lightning bolt" fast, they are definitely quick enough. I will address depth later, same as the corners.

K/P - Shayne Graham is a good kicker, but expensive and in the last year of his deal. We'll have no punter when FA kicks off.

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SIGNINGS

TRADES

The Bengals have traded MLB Ahmad Brooks to the Dolphins for RB Lorenzo Booker. Coachspeak: Lorenzo is a prime example of the type of speedy, receiving runner I'm looking for. Ahmad has been a good player for us, but I think the Dolphins are better suited his skillset and will afford him the best chance for an accomplished career.

The Bengals have traded RB Rudi Johnson to the Buccaneers for OLB Cato June. Coachspeak: Rudi will add to their already strong running back stable, and it was important to us to get Cato in here - he fits the physical mold of what we're looking for in a linebacker, with the added benefit of being a star player in one of the league's best defenses.

The Bengals have sent their 2009 6th round pick to the Panthers for LB Brandon Jamison. Coachspeak: Getting Brandon in here was a great move by our GM. Like Cato, he's a great fit for our defense. He should get a good look in camp.

The Bengals have sent WR Chad Johnson to the 49ers for their 2008 4th round pick. Coachspeak: And I quote, "He's their headache now!"

The Bengals have sent WR TJ Houshamazilly to the Jaguars for theit 2008 4th round pick & 2008 5th round pick. Coachspeak: Good luck to TJ with his new team. Hopefully they'll have enough balls for you in Jacksonville.

The Bengals have signed DE Kevin Carter to a one year contract worth $4.4 million dollars, with a $500k signing bonus. Coachspeak: Kevin is an all-pro veteran who understands more about the scheme I want to run than some of the coaches. His age is irrelevant, he's still playing at a high level, and will be a huge help to the younger players around him.

The Bengals have signed DE Chris Canty to a 5 year contract worth $22 million dollars, with a $3.5 million dollar signing bonus. Coachspeak: Chris is a young, strong player who's got a ton of upside. Getting to play opposite Kevin is going to pay big dividends for his career.

The Bengals have sent their 2008 4th rd pick and 2009 5th rd pick to the Texans for WR Andre Davis. Coachspeak: Andre is a 5 year vet, and he runs faster than most kids coming out. He works extra hard on his routes, and I think he'll be the leader of our receiving corps - whether it's in the boxscore or the locker room. I'm very excited to welcome Andre to Cincinnati.

Up next, the 2008 NFL DRAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey! I got a gamechanger! All my players' learning has increased!

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2008 Draft Results

(I had no picks in round 1)

NFL Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Miami	Jake Long	LT
2	St. Louis	Chris Long	RE
3	Atlanta	Matt Ryan	QB
4	Oakland	Glen Dorsey	DT
5	Kansas City	Ryan Clady	LT
6	New York Jets	Brandon Albert	LG
7	New England	Darren McFadden	RB
8	Baltimore	Sedrick Ellis	DT
9	Arizona	Derrick Harvey	LE
10	Tampa Bay	Leodis McKelvin	CB
11	Buffalo	Keith Rivers	ROLB
12	Denver	Rashard Mendenhall	RB
13	Carolina	Mike Jenkins	CB
14	Chicago	Joe Flacco	QB
15	Detroit	Jerod Mayo	LOLB
16	Seattle	Aqib Talib	CB
17	Seattle (2)	Dustin Keller	TE
18	Houston	Kentwan Balmer	DT
19	Philadelphia	Vernon Gholston	ROLB
20	New Orleans	Domonique Cromartie	CB
21	Washington	Jeff Otah	RT
22	Dallas	Chris Williams	LT
23	Pittsburgh	Gosder Cherilus	LT
24	Tennessee	John Carlson	TE
25	New England (2)	Antoine Cason	CB
26	Baltimore (2)	Felix Jones	RB
27	San Diego	Sam Baker	LT
28	Tennessee (2)	Lawrence Jackson	LE
29	San Francisco	Kenny Philips	SS
30	Green Bay	Chris Johnson	RB
31	St. Louis (2)	Brandon Flowers	CB
32	Philadelphia (2)	Devin Thomas	WR

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(Vernon Gholston really dropped!)
(I also didn't list every deal I made, just the final results.)


The Cincinnati Bengals 2008 Draft

r2p14 Dan Connor - MLB (small and fast like I need)
r3p5 Reggie Smith - CB* (good corner, glad GM said pick him)
r3p13 Craig Stevens - TE* (not exactly a playmaker, but solid)
r3p16 Gary Barnidge - TE* (same as Craig, should have vetoed)
r5p12 Frank Okam - DT* (I had him once, good but injured. GM said pick)
r5p15 Domonique Barber - SS* (depth I guess at FS/SS)
r5p26 - Geno Hayes - ROLB (another small, fast LB I needed)
r6p11 - Mario Urrutia - WR* (surprise pick, but I do need receivers bad)
r7p1 - Sam Keller - QB* (big arm, productive. Don't like the 1 "-" for attitude, but we'll see what happens.

So, 9 picks in 7 rounds, no 1st rounder... pretty tame. LOL.
The * means the GM said to pick him, and I went along with it.

UDFA -

RB Tre Tampa - figured I'd give the guy a shot, I'm sure he can catch, which is something I need.

RT Donny Brownstein - he was rated a "1", so I thought I'd see what that was all about.

CB Darnell Terrell - big corner, prob moving to safety (and subbing him at LB.)

FS Josh Barrett - we all know he's good, might see how good a linebacker he is if I sub him in there!

SS Bo Wilson - needed depth at safety, and it looks like he can hit. Maybe stick in to help at LB too. (remember, for my system I'm looking for fast, small LBs.)

So, we'll see how it goes. I got some guys I wanted, some the GM wanted. Hoping I can mold them into the team/story I'm imagining in my head. Of course I know it's going to take more than one offseason to get us to the Super Bowl!

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Well, it's not gonna let me change a couple people's positions the way I hoped. Oh well - no biggie.

Preseason Game 1 - @ Packers. Lost 41-0
Nothing good came out of this disaster! LOL!
Frank Okam is hurt already. Shoulder - 3 weeks. Knew it would happen. Thanks, GM.

Preseason Game 2 - vs. Detroit Lost 13-7
Much better showing this time around.
Rookie QB Sam Keller tossed a TD to Antonio Chatman
Kevin Carter had 3 sacks before his day was done too!
RT Willie Anderson hurt his shoulder and will miss 3 weeks. Not happy about that.

Preseason Game 3 - vs New Orleans Lost 38-0
Geno Hayes is hurt and will miss a week.

Preseason Game 4 @ Indianapolis Lost 65-0
ouch

Preseason Promise: finish over .500
Geno Hayes had a potential increase!
Season starting approval: 33
Season starting salary cap: $48.33 ($13.12 penalties this year, $27.85 penalties next year. uh-oh)

Time for the season opener - A division battle vs the Ravens in Baltimore!!!

It's pouring in Baltimore as Kyle Boller gets set to lead his Ravens in this division battle. Starting running back Willis McGahee is hurt, so PJ Daniels will start, with Felix Jones backing him up. The receivers of Mason, Demetrius Williams and Mark Clayton are ready, but starting TE Todd Heap is also injured and will be replaced in the starting line up with Daniel Wilcox. The Offensive line is near-impenetrable with Jonathan Ogden leading it.

On defense, veteran Pro Bowler Trevor Pryce and Haloti Ngata are the ends on either side of first round pick Sedrick Ellis. The always scary Ravens linebacking corps stays as dangerous as ever with Jarrett Johnson, Ray Lewis, Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs. The Ravens have always had one of the best linebacking corps year in and out since the birth of the franchise, and this year is no different. The secondary, while aging, got a little boost of youth with the addition of CB Chris Gamble, who starts opposite Chris McAlister. Ed Reed, the best in the game starts at FS and Dawan Landry at SS is an up and coming Pro Bowler without a doubt.

The Bengals have to know points will be at a premium, as getting past that Ravens D will be a tough road, esp in this storm. Coach Cotignola has to be hoping that the injuries to the Ravens offense will help even the odds, even with his own players trying to get healthy... The 2008 season is about to start!!

(as soon as I get to play later today)

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Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart -
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Andre Davis (1)	Antonio Chatman (3)
TE	Gary Barnidge (r)	Craig Stevens (r)	Teyo Johnson
LT	Levi Jones	Adam Keift	Dan Santucci
LG	Andre Whitworth	Bobbie Williams
C	Eric Ghiaciuc	Cody Wallace (r)
RG	Scott Koistra	Bobbie Willilams
RT	Willie Anderson	Donny Brownstein (r)	Dan Santucci
WR	Koren Robinson (2)	Jaymar Johnson (4)	Greg Lewis
QB	David Carr	Sam Keller (r)
FB	Jeremi Johnson
HB	Lorenzo Booker	Travis Minor	Tre Tampa	Ron Dayne
Base 3-4 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Kevin Carter	Tax McDray (r)
NT	Gerard Warren	Frank Okam (r)	Paul Solai	Ashton May
RDE	Chris Canty	Tank Johnson
LOLB	Joey LaRoque (r)	Jon Alston
LILB	Dan Conner (r)	Jon Alston
RILB	Cato June	Brandon Johnson
ROLB	Geno Hayes (r)	Brandon Johnson
CB	Jonathan Joseph (1)	Reggie Smith (r) (3)
SS	Nedu Ndukwe	Domonique Barber (r)
FS	Marvin White	Josh Barrett (r)	Tyvon Branch (r)
CB	Leon Hall (2)	Brandon Meriweather (4)
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Shayne Graham
P	Jaquan Strickland (r)
PR	Travis Minor
KR	Travis Minor	Tyvon Branch

And now a little Coachspeak:

QB - David was a #1 overall draft pick with a very successful college career. He just fell victim to the 1st overall curse: you're going to a terrible team. He was then thrown to the wolves, like many QBs have done to them. (Like Jeff George, for example). That line was terrible, he had a record number of sacks taken out on him one season. He won't have that issue here, either one of our tackles is better than the whole line he played behind in Houston. He was able to escape that and now David is here, and the fans really haven't seen how good he can be. Just look on YouTube the week he tied the consecutive completion mark in Houston - not bad when you're also setting sack records! LOL!! As for our rookie, Sam shows us something new every practice. He's doing a great job, to the point we're only keeping 2 QBs on the roster... our punter is our emergency QB, and he's had some experience at QB in his youth.

RB - Booker is the starter, but half the job of using an explosive back is to keep them fresh. Travis and Tre both do an excellent job when their number is called. We couldn't resist bringing in Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne to be our battering ram when we need it. Jeremi Johnson is a great fullback, and he's really taken to our system.

WR - Our goal with our receiving corps was guys who were quick, ran sharp routes, and caught the ball. Theatrics and smoking the tires are nice, but not the priority here. Make no mistake, Andre Davis is as fast as they come - but all our guys - veteran guys like Robinson, Lewis and Chatman are all quick - and dedicated route runners. UDFA rookie Jaymar Johnson found the perfect spot to learn his craft.

TE - We were fortunate to get two all-purpose tight ends in the draft. Athletic blockers who can get out there and get passes like a receiver and block like a fullback when needed. Teyo fills the need to for speedy, receiving tight end to hopefully create some nice mismatches.

OL - I feel we're really set here. I know Willie's banged up right now, but he should be back by week 2, and his understudy Brownstein looks like a diamond in the rough. I really think we found something there.

DL - Again, the injury bug struck and our promising rookie DT Frank Okam is going to miss the first game, but former first rounder Gerard Warren will man the middle while Frank heals and learns, and we've got a training camp battle carrying into the season between Paul Solai and an undrafted rookie mammoth named Ashton May. He says he's down to 365, but I'm not buying it.

LB - small and fast, this group is young - but shows a lot of promise. They guys can fly, and cover - and they'll have to with this defense. They aren't large converted defensive ends that come at you like a Titan or something like a DeMarcus Ware or Terrell Suggs - but hopefully they'll use speed and endurance to make up for their smaller size and lessened hitting power. It'll be almost like have 4 extra safeties.

CB - As a coach coming into a new situation, you often worry about the secondary as much as the QB you inherit. Well, we have two extremely good young corners here, with a stud rookie understudy and a 4th corner that I feel could start on some teams. We're counting on this squad to really carry the team as we learn our new defense.

FS/SS - Again, two young, excellent safeties with great depth behind them. Our two rookie FS reserves will even be able to sub in as pass rushers when we're feeling froggy, and our rookie SS reserve is making great strides in learning all the responsibility that comes with being a SS in this defense.

Special Teams - Shayne is in the last year of his contract, as he'll be happy to remind you; but until the games start it's not something we'll address. Our other surprise is our new punter - a big man who played QB, TE, DE and punted in high school, but settled into the role of punter/emergency QB - something he'll continue to do here...

So, any questions? We're building something here. It isn't going to happen overnight. Come Sunday though we're ready to see how we measure up. Our first test is in Baltimore.

Or, as my kids would say, "I'll come at you like a spider monkey!"