It can take years to learn the center position and entering his third season as the starter, Ghiaciuc will face his stiffest test.  Division rival Cleveland added Big Shaun Rogers to fill out a strong DT contingent in the AFC North.  Out of division opponents will include Amobi Okoye (Hou), Albert Haynesworth (Ten), John Henderson (Jax), Mike Patterson (Phi) and even some Justin Tuck (NYGiants).   When you watched Ghiaciuc play last season, he was often pushed into his own backfield.  This inside push made for tough sledding between the tackles, esp. for an interior rusher like Rudi Johnson.  Ghiaciuc held up better in pass protection but he still need lots of help and the pocket collapsed taking away Carson’s ability to step up. 

Despite his struggles Ghiaciuc is far from a lost cause, centers often take years to develop due to the mental and physical demands of the position.  A good off-season in the weight room could pay huge dividends as well.  It is important for Ghiaciuc to take these next steps because improving the ground game and rediscovering offensive balance is one of the keys to the Bengals season.  While this improvement is a team effort, Ghiaciuc’s play will go a long way in determining the units success.  It is time for him to earn his stripes.

• The big story from mini-camp has to be the team’s talk of using “bump ‘n run coverage”:

It’s more bump-and-run. It’s your guy on you. You on him. Lock up your guy and go,” (Jonathan Joseph)

This year, zone is even bump-and-run. Now, every play it’s just me and the receiver, as opposed to kind of reading and reacting to the receiver. Now, you just go out and play.” (Leon Hall) Quotes courtesy of Bengals.com

After watching the team play 5-10 yards off of opposing wide receivers this is easily the most pleasant and encouraging news of the off-season.  Teams don’t spend back-2-back 1st round picks on cornerbacks to play safe zone coverage.  Getting Hall and Joseph up on receivers would at a minimum cut back on the numerous 5-10 yard hitch and slant plays teams have run against the Bengals repeatedly the past few seasons.  At a minimum opposing QBs completion percentages should drop from tighter coverage.   While I will believe it when I see it and have some concerns about Hall’s ability to cover speed receivers deep, I am excited to hear the change.

• Speaking of defensive backs, one name to watch is former Saints 5th rounder (2007) David Jones who could potentially push moody Deltha O’Neal for the nickel cornerback job
• Staying in the secondary, the safety battle is one to watch as Ndukwe, M.White and D. Jackson will battle for 2 starting spots.  Jackson has the experience, Ndukwe the big hits and nose for the football and White the range.  Expect this to be a wide open battle.  The backup slots will be competitive too with Daze-Jones, C.Lynch, E.Kilmer, Hebert and others duking it out.   With so many special teams standouts among the safeties expect a minimum of 5 safeties to be kept.
• Linebacker Keith Rivers was easily the most talked about rookie and his starting job is pretty much assured.  Aside from Rivers though the rookie talk was a little quiet.  Among the plethora of receivers Andre Caldwell appears to have a slight edge.   T Anthony Collins also appears to be making a positive impresssion.  The lack of conversation about DTs Pat Sims and Jason Shirley is a bit of a concern.
• Could Bobbie Williams be getting groomed to become the utility backup or even surprise contender at Center.  Eric Ghiaciuc is easily the line’s weakest link and going against rugged AFC North foes with hulking DTs, it would not be a surprise if Williams gets a look.  Moving Williams to center is the only way for the team to get its 5 best O-linemen on the field at the same time.  Unfortunately, moving to center is much harder than moving from tackle to guard.
• Expect the team to be cautious with Kenny Irons, while he worked with the training staff, the Bengals are in no hurry to lose his PUP eligibility. 
• Losing DeDe Dorsey to a hamstring injury is not a good sign for the oft-injured scatback.
• Marcus Maxwell continues to get the most pub of the backup receivers.
• Backup and injury risk Antonio Chatman continues to get talk of near-roster lock status and I don’t get it.  He has proven nothing in his two seasons with the team.   I find it hard to believe there isn’t another punt returner possibility.
• It is a little bit disconcerting to hear backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled.  There has not been much talk of Jeff Rowe’s performance.  I am not ready to consider Jordan Palmer as anything more than a 4th arm until one of the other two QBs fails.
• Jeremi Johnson is on his last legs with the team.  Year in and year out he comes into camp out of shape.   If the new staff is serious about its get tough stance, they should give Jeremi an ultimatum of where he needs to be come training camp or he needs to be cut.  Daniel Coats is worth the look as are the two rookie free agents.  Also, don’t forget veteran free agent FBs are often easy to find on the waiver wire (and cheap too).
• With the roster currently standing at 86 players, 6 guys need to be cut prior to training camp and/or rookie signings (whichever comes first - in other words training camp)
• Is there a rookie draft pick being talked about less than WR Mario Urrutia??? (even  for a 7th rounder that is not a good sign)

All the media networks tried to make the most of the non-activity by talking about what a distraction it was at camp.  Yet, Chad said nothing, the team said little to nothing and practice seem to go fairly well.  From the Bengal’s perspective it probably went better than expected.  Sure the media disected every detail and said they need to do something to resolve the situation.  When the morning session started, the team practiced (Wow!).  After showing up 10 minutes late, Chad refused the urge to talk to the media and watched without causing much of a stir (He even managed to talk to a few teammates. Stop the Presses!)  The team even tried to diffuse Chad’s silent protest by saying he had an ailment.

In the early afternoon, the drama heated up.  Word had leaked that Chad supposedly told the team his back was hurting or was it his ankle hurting. Hey it wouldn’t be the Chad Johnson Saga without him contradicting himself. The team followed up by issueing a statement:

Chad Johnson was given a physical this morning by one of the Bengals’ team doctors. He did not report any physical problems to the doctor, and he was cleared by the doctor for practice. Later, after the physical was concluded, Chad told our training staff that his back was sore. He refused to practice. (ESPN.com)

If Chad passed a physical then begged out of practice due to injury, a collective bargaining agreement issue is always a possibility.   The team’s statement is proof the Bengals are documenting everything Chad does in the event they need to protect their rights.  Drew Rosenhaus tried to diffuse the situation by saying the team recommended Chad have arthroscopic ankle surgery to prove the pain was real.  Unfortunately, the team agreed with the assessment but noted that was immediately after the season and Chad refused surgery.  He then passed a team physical today.  Sorry, Drew but there is no sympathy for passing on surgery in February to make an issue out of it in June.   Realizing he was backed into a corner, Chad worked out in the afternoon or at least went through a few motions.

All in all, the situation could have been much worse.  The circus has only just begun but thus far cool head’s have prevailed and the team has been able to practice and Chad is staying quiet.  How long it will last is anyone’s guess.  Thus far it is looking as if both sides are trying to see which side will flinch first.  Odds are Mike Brown won’t be the one flinching.  Based on today’s events could injured reserve be a way to resolve the issue?  Talk about an odd solution.

Other non-Chad notes:

- The log jam at RB appears to be breaking up a little earlier than expected and in the wrong way as RB DeDe Dorsey reportedly suffered a serious groin injury that will sideline him until at least training camp and possibly three months.

- 2nd year RB Kenny Irons is also not expected to workout and appears headed to the PUP list like Chris Perry last year.  As much as I want Irons back, safely hiding him on PUP until he is ready is the smart move and will allow the team from having to cut a running back in camp to carry a questionable one.

The first is from Scout.com’s Chris Steuber who lists S Chinedum Ndukwe among his breakout sophomore’s:

Losing Madieu Williams in free agency is a major loss, and duplicating his production will be hard to do. But Ndukwe displayed a lot of promise last season, and in a situational role, he produced 45 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Ndukwe played in all 16 games, starting two last season at SS when Dexter Jackson went down with an injury. But his playmaking ability and instincts bode well for a switch to FS, just like he played at Notre Dame.

Ndukwe is a versatile athlete who provides the Bengals with a lot of options, and his talent is obvious enough for him to be considered a starter. If Ndukwe is a full-time starter this season, at either safety position, he will represent the Bengals in Hawaii.

The second article is an entire article (so i won’t cut and paste) by SI’s Arash Markazi who wrote an article titled “Two-Way Player; Bengals’ Simpson Succeeds On, Off the Football Field.”.   An excellent read for any Bengal fan tired of reading the musings about Chad.

 ”Am I coming back? Of course I am….I told my coaches I’m going to California to act, but the truth is I may come back to the Bengals as early as June…I may be crazy but I’m not stupid……It’s the reinvention of Ocho Cinco, I’m dead serious. People need to take me as I am because I just don’t give a [expletive] anymore. That’s how I’d sum up my attitude for the next season.” (ESPN.com)

Then after being a cover boy for ESPN the Magazine’s “Revenge of the Jocks” issue, he then goes on “ESPN the Magazine on Sirius” and says the following:

“Yeah, man. You know what? My options are open, man. I have so much going on off the field right now. Man, it’s beautiful. It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful thing. God has really blessed me to be able to do other things and interact in other things. Football doesn’t have to be my backbone. Football is my bread and butter, but with my success and with me being able to venture into other things, I mean, the possibility of really not playing this year is really open. It really is.” (Dayton Daily News)

Will he be here for mini-camp or won’t he be here for mini-camp?  From the above it is hard to be sure.  In other words, Chad will most likely show up for Mini-Camp to avoid the fines but his behavior is still “To Be Determined”.  After all, he has already forfeited a $250,000 work-out bonus and the $8000+ fines on top of is starting to get a bit pricey.   Some will say the Bengals have won the battle but the war has just begun.  This story is far from over.

With June 1st passing this weekend, it will be interesting to see if the team signs a veteran linebacker to improve their tenuous depth at the position (see previous article regarding linebacker depth).  Signings after June 1st are not considered when the league determines the allocation of compensation picks. 

2008 Bengals Linebacker candidates:

Dhani Jones, 9th year - The unit’s leader by default.  30 year backer with the versatility to play all three positions.  Has good knowledge of the game.  He’s a tad slow by today’s linebacker standards.  Was cut by a LB-poor Saints team prior to last season.  A tad slow by today’s standards.  Ideally he is your top backup linebacker (which he could have been if Thurman had played by the rule) but the lack of experience and proven talent forces him to start.  Moving him to middle linebacker screams of desperation but sadly he may be the best fit.  Aside from Brooks or Rivers who else can even play in the middle? 

Keith Rivers, rookie - Was the top linebacker in the 2008 draft and displays good overall athleticism and has the versatility to play all three positions.  Good leadership skills will be a plus.  Look for him to start immediately on the weakside.  I doubt he will be Pro Bowl caliber star.  For some reason he reminds me a lot of a young Brian Simmons (don’t forget Simmons was a pretty good yet unheralded linebacker on mostly bad Bengal teams)

Ahmad Brooks, 3rd year - He is loaded with talent but needs to stay healthy.  The strong side job is his to lose.  Overall, he is a great athlete for his size with good pass rushing skills.  Moving outside should help him as he plays better going towards the action rather than being forced to read and react what is coming at him in the middle.

Rashad Jeanty, 4th year- A solid run stopper and role player.  Likely the best of the reserves.  Has started at the SAM in the past but is better off coming off the bench.

Daryl Blackstock, 4th year - Has played in 46 games the past three years with just 2 starts.  A solid athlete who projects ideally as a outside pass rusher in a 3-4.  Played with Brooks at Virginia.  Has lots of upside and could get the opportunity in Cincinnati.  Could be the team’s best off-season pickup that no one talked about.  The fact we got him for near the league minimum shows he was not in high demand though.

Brandon Johnson, 3rd year - Was little more than a special teamer in Arizona, it is hard to expect him to be much more here.

Jim Maxwell, 5th year – A veteran journeyman who has played sparingly outside of special teams in his career.  Has played  4 years and just 36 games including just 11 games the past 2 years.

Corey Mays, 3rd year – A great special teamer but struggled in limited action as a linebacker.   If he is playing on the defensive downs the Bengals are in trouble.

Anthony Hoke, rookie - A former defensive end whom some believe could develop into a middle linebacker.  Purely a project as this point.  Special teamer or practice squad candidate for 2008.

Dan Howell, rookie - An undersized strong side backer who was not esp. productive at Univ of Washington.  A project at best.

Also, don’t forget Eric Henderson has some experience as a strong side backer but is returning to defensive end this season.

Overall, I had read a lot of articles about the quantity of linebackers on the roster but the quality appears lacking esp after the starters.  After the departure of Odell (a move the team wouldn’t have made if they trusted him), the depth is short on experience and the upside is questionable.   After doing the analysis, linebacker is not only a weakness but possibly the thinnest unit on the whole team.  Drafting Rivers keeps looking better every day.