FSH: ON THE TICKER

April 5th, 2009 11:07pm PST

20 DAYS TO THE NFL DRAFT

NFL Draft Preview:
On The Ticker

On the Board: Cincinnati Bengals....
In the recent offseason the Bengals did not re-sign T.J. Houshmandzadeh and lost him to free-agency. There are talks of trading wide receiver Chad Johnson, and Chris Henry (suspended three times and cut by the team once) is always a crap-shoot. Even though the team did sign free agent Laveranues Coles, if the recent rumors are true and team does move Johnson, they will be left with a huge void at the receiver position to fill.

No different than many of the bottom-third teams in the league, the Bengals face many issues leading up to this year's NFL draft. The Bengals could also use a little help on the defensive side of things, but with the leagues 12th ranked squad, this is one of the team's least concerns. One of their biggest deficiencies aside from the lack of depth at the wideout spot is the lack of talent along their 'O' line. Over the past two seasons the Bengals have lost two starting offensive tackles and come draft day they will be looking hard to fill this void.

At number six on the "Big Board" the Bengals can count on grabbing either Eugene Monroe (University of Virginia) or possibly Andre Smith (University of Alabama). With a great frame, great feet, combined with his strength (lifted 225-lbs 23-times) Monroe would be the ideal choice at this spot for Cincinnati. The team is expecting a healthy Palmer back in 2009 and they're going to need to protect his blindside. With his size (6'4" and 325-lbs) Smith is a consideration, but his disappearance at the combine and less than spectacular Pro Day didn't do a whole lot to state his case.

If the Bengals look anywhere else on April 25th, they could take a run at one of the top wideout prospects if available (Crabtree or Maclin), that is if the team decides to part ways with "Ocho-Cinco." The team has not done particularly well in t recent drafts and if head coach Marvin Lewis is going to remain the man in charge, he may have to start taking a more sensible and safe approach. Look for Cincy to start rebuilding its’ offensive line with Monroe on draft day.


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FSH: This Week's "Knuckleheads"

March 30th, 2008 10:37pm PST


THIS WEEK'S "KNUCKLEHEADS"

That's turruble...
So what else can you say about these guys?

So what is it with the name Johnson? Is it a genetic disorder or some kind of underground secret society that requires you to be a selfish jack-arse? If you consider both Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs and Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals, you may get that impression.
Both are deserving candidates this week.

(AP Photo)

Hello Larry and Good-bye...

The Chiefs superstar runner recently pleaded guilty to two counts of disturbing the peace. LJ received two years of probation and must take anger management classes, along with 40 hours of community service. It's bad enough that this knucklehead would allow himself to engage in such inexcusable behavior, but add the fact that less than two years ago Johnson signed one of the most lucrative contracts in Chiefs history and you just have to shake your head. Johnson received a bit of a slap on the wrist from the judicial system, but as a result of his miss-conduct he could find himself facing not only suspension to start the 2009 season, but out of a job. The Chiefs are pursuing a grievance that could free them from their huge monetary commitment to Mr. Johnson and send the bad seed packing. Nice going Larry.

(AP Photo)

Oh-No, Where's Ocho?

Does it surprise anyone these days, what Chad does or more importantly what he doesn't do? Over the last couple of seasons, Chad Johnson's novelty has worn thin and he's surely fallen from the grace of being adorned by many to just becoming more annoying than anything else. When Ocho broke into the league back in 2001, he seemed to be more a quiet understudy of the great Jerry Rice. But these days it’s a different story with the headline pitting Ocho as the center of attention. With team voluntary offseason conditioning opening on Monday, Johnson of course was a no-show. Ocho has received a lot of criticism over the past couple of seasons and coming off a poor 2008 season, you would hope that he would take advantage of the opportunity he has before him. With TJ gone, Chad is now the incumbent number one go-to receiver in town and with his quarterback 100%, he's got a real shot at returning to his glory days. But then these days you have to wonder is that really Ocho?

Check back every week for more of "This Week's Knuckleheads!"