Lil Red Machine

I’m a week late on this, I realize, but with the NBA playoffs going on and baseball in full swing, the NFL has been a bit on the back burner on my own personal sports universe.

It looks like the Bengals have shored up some major weaknesses. Granted, that’s probably what people have said in years past. Guys like Chris Perry, Odell Thurman, David Pollack, and Madieu Williams are recent draftees that are no longer with the team, for various reasons.

Andre Davis can play either tackle spot. Linebacker was also an area of weakness, and Rey Maualuga can help shore up that area. Michael Johnson will also help in the defensive department, and play some nickle linebacker. From everything I have heard, he’s an athletic freak, but doesn’t always play hard all the time. Time to put his nose to the grindstone, for there are a lot of guys in the league who have had a similar label, and found themselves out of the league in a few years.

The Bengals still have lots of work to do. I would’ve liked for them to take a center, as that is an area of weakness. I’ll give them a B for this years draft, but hopefully, unlike the list of recent Bengals draftees that are no longer with the team, this group can be a part of the core for years to come.

Ward delivers knockout blow to Rivers

Whenever I see this hit, there is one thing that comes to mind that noone else seems to talk about: Where was the retaliation from Rivers’ teammates?  I don’t think that they should’ve have a rock ‘em, sock ‘em affair aka Bob Barker vs. Adam Sandler from Happy Gilmore, but still.  Where’s the pride?  Hines drew first blood, and the Bengals ran away, and didn’t challenge him in any sort of respectable football fashion.

OK, with that out of the way, lets focus on the issue that the national media is still talking about.  The hit on Rivers was clean.  Sorry, folks.  Football is a mean, angry, aggressive sport.  If you don’t like it, get out.  It pains me to say that in light of this hit, because I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it’s too bad the Bengals don’t have ANYONE–let alone a wideout, who would do something like this.

If they eliminate blind side hits to the head (which this isn’t–he led with his shoulder, from what I can tell), then that’s further proof that the NFL is becoming a pansy league.  I understand that they have to protect the players, but everyone who plays football knows the risk involved.  In addition to that, football players are taught from a young age to lead with their head.

Go to youtube and type in Ronnie Lott.  Watch some of his hits.  They were amazing, and created a lasting legacy, but a lot of those hits would lead to fines, as Lott would be broke in this modern era.

I don’t advocate going out there and doing whatever it takes to hurt someone, but I DO think that there is nothing wrong with a good, clean, hard hit, which is what Ward delivered to Rivers.

On the positive side, the Bengals have found a sufficient replacement for TJ Houshmandzadeh.

However, the bigger question is, who will block for them?

In a move that basically wipes away at their salary cap, Cincinnati signed 10-year vet Laveranues Coles to a 4-year, $28 million dollar contract Thursday.  In a photo posted in the Cincinnati Enquirer website, neither the former Jet, nor Marvin Lewis looked to be too thrilled as Coles held up his number 11 jersey at his press conference.  The Bengals have had a long, dramatic fall since their brief run of success in 2005.  Coles is a smart veteran, who not only can act as a posession receiver, but is also capable of catching the deep ball as well.  It’s a move in the right direction to turn the collective organizational frown upside down, as Coles had a respectable 70 catches for 850 yards last season.

Carson Palmer should be healthy and ready to go next season, with his offensive supporting cast now place.  However, there is still much work that needs to be done, and a strengthening of the offensive line that needs to occur.