Archive for January, 2009

It appears that Cincinnati Bengals QB coach Ken Zampese will not have a shot at the offensive coordinator’s job in New York, as sources tell The (Newark) New Jersey Star-Ledger that current Jets OC Brian Schottenheimer will remain with the club. Zampese, along with Ravens QB coach Hue Jackson, were reportedly the leading candidates to replace Schottenheimer if he left the Jets. Update: Bengals.com reports that Zampese is interviwing for the OC job in Tampa Bay. His competition for the job includes Chan Gailey and Scott Linehan.

Seriously. No, I have no idea what the frack it means, either. And I’m not sure I want to… (h/t go-bengals)

So says Muckraker Mike, a legal eagle himself. It appears that NFL teams are using the current economic downturn as an excuse to trim “unnecessary” costs — one of which is the number of lawyers they directly employ. Of course, Bengals fans are aware of one lawyer whose NFL gig is completely safe. * yes, I know the line is actually in praise of lawyers, but that only adds to its appropriateness (emphasis added): The first thing we do,” said the character in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, is “kill all the lawyers.” Contrary to popular belief, the proposal was not designed [...]

Everybody’s favorite draft guru, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., mocks Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith to the Cincinnati Bengals in the first next April. Some profiles of Smith from around the ‘tubes: NFL Draft Scout Scout.com Football’s Future FF Toolbox NFL Draft Countdown

The mini-combine aspect of the Senior Bowl winds down today, much to the relief of players like Eric Wood. UC’s Connor Barwin impressed on defense Wednesday. After playing at the TE spot for the first two days, he got some reps at defensive end and made a couple plays. Bengals (and North) head coach Marvin Lewis said that “Three-Way” will play will play on offense, defense and teams Saturday. Bengals WR coach Mike Sheppard likes OSU wideout Brian Robiskie. OT Michael Oher, a strong possibility for the Bengals at No. 6 in April, had a second straight solid practice Wednesday. Everyone [...]

NFL.com’s Adam Schefter is reporting that if new New York Jets coach Rex Ryan can’t convince current Jets offensive co-ordinator Brian Schottenheimer to stay, he will turn to Bengals QB coach Ken Zampese. This comes on the heels of earlier rumors that Ryan wanted Ravens QB coach Hue Jackson as his offensive co-ordinator, and that Jackson was being pursued by Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis to replace current Cincinnati OC Bob Bratkowski. Lewis declined to confirm or deny the rumor earlier this week. Zampese, son of Ernie Zampese, who was OC of the Super Bowl-winning 1995 Cowboys, has been with [...]

Will the Bears go after T.J. Houshmandzadeh in March to fill their need at wide receiver? Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter Mike Mulligan says, “it’s not going to happen.” Mulligan says the T.J’s age, combined with cash-on-hand issues related to the looming uncapped year, make it unlikely that the Bears would join the biding should Houshmandzadeh escape into free agency untagged. Cash upfront will be more important than ever in the upcoming free-agent market because of labor strife between owners and players and the possibility of an uncapped year. Two agents on the sidelines at Senior Bowl practices said the pro-rated signing [...]

Legendary Cincinnati Bengals line coach Jim McNally put in an appearance in Mobile yesterday in support of University of Cincinnati guard Trevor Canfield. McNally called Canfield “a real tough kid who finishes well.” gbnreport.com scout Jon Cozart fell hard for B.J. Raji at yesterday morning’s North practice. “He can turn the corner and make himself small to beat the man in front of him. Honestly, I have to make myself focus on other players because I could watch him all day,” Cozart writes. “Raji is a top five pick in my opinion and has been by far the most impressive [...]

As the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff gets the North team in gear for the Senior Bowl later this week, they’re keeping a close eye on on some local prospects like University of Cincinnati center Eric Wood and his teammate, Jack-of-all-trades Connor Barwin. Wood is certainly an option for the center-needy Bengals in April, while Barwin is an intriguing prospect but may be too much of a role-player for the team to consider unless he slips a few rounds (though Walter continues to like him in the second for Cincinnati). Full rosters for both squads can be had here. Word from [...]

Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo had some kind words for his former running back Cedric Benson in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune. Cedric Benson looked like a different player in Cincinnati. Why didn’t he play like that in Chicago? His mind-set when he was here was not the same as what it was in Cincinnati. Humility is a great teacher. We’ve been on the other end of it, too, when a player has come here after being humbled. We rewarded him based on his potential and the draft system and didn’t see that hunger they saw in Cincinnati. He’s a very [...]