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Cincinnati Bengals
Posted: Sun April 19, 1998 at 9:53 p.m.
* compensatory pick
QB - A lot depends on what happens with Jeff Blake... he has not been the same QB the past 2 seasons... in 1996 he rebounded late in the year, but last season, he was on the bench late. He got off to an awful start, and lost his job to Boomer Esiason. Esiason will be in the broadcast booth this season, so Blake will get another shot... it may be his last one. The team tried to trade up with the Colts and Cardinals in an attempt to grab Leaf or Manning. They couldn't, so they sent a 5th rd. pick to the Colts for Paul Justin... Justin has had some good games off the bench for Indy in his career, and could push Blake for the starting spot. Eric Kresser spent his rookie season developing, and will be the #3 again this year.
RB - In good shape if Corey Dillon can stay clean... in his first NFL offseason, he got a DUI, and it has made team officials wonder if his off the field problems are a thing of the past. The Bengals have no problem drafting low character guys, and this is what they have to expect. Dillon ran wild as a rookie, and didn't even become the starter until the midseason point. If he can stay out of trouble, he will be a future superstar, if not, his career will likely look similar to Bam Morris'. The team has talked about trading the ineffective Kijana Carter, but he may stick around as insurance to Dillon. #3 Eric Bienemy will continue to be used in the nickle package. Enough depth here, doesn't need to be adressed in the draft.
WR - Darnay Scott stepped up after midseason, and was rewarded with a 5 yr. 15 million dollar contract... Scott never came on until star WR Carl Pickens went out with injury, so it remains to be seen if these two egomaniacs can coincide in the same offense. When healthy, Pickens is the go to guy, and Scott seems to get bored, leading him to drop a lot of easy balls when they do go to him. David Dunn and James Hundon flashed when Pickens went down last season, and are decent fits as their #3 and 4 WR's... may add another guy in the middle rds. of the draft.
TE - Tony McGee did a better job of holding on to the football last season, but still hasn't played up to his potential... Last season was his best in the NFL though, and he may be ready to break out in 1998. This team is solid at WR, putting the athletic McGee in a lot of 1-1 situations. He has the speed to stretch the defense. Backup Marco Battaglia also has good AA, but has struggled some to pick up the offense in his first 2 NFL seasons. The only missing ingredient is a big blocking type TE... may look for him in the late rds. of the upcoming draft.
OL - Getting better, but still aren't there yet... they struggled early in the year, but came on when LT Keith Sargeant came back from injury... he is a wily vet, and finally brought some stability to the LT position. The inside trio of LG Rich Braham, OC Darrick Brilsz, and RG Ken Blackmon isn't bad, and RT Willie Anderson is starting to develop into a solid player. The ony concern may be LT... Sargeant has had problems staying healthy, and it may be time to start developing a young LT. They have 2 picks in the first rd., don't be surprised to see them use one of them on one of the top OT's in the draft. San Diego State's Kyle Turley may be the guy who can step right in and have an immediate impact.
DL - The team traded DL Dan Wilkinson, which may not be a bad move... the team had tired of his poor work ethic, and he never reached his potential as a Bengal. They signed FA Michael Bankston who is a hard working overachiever, and should get better production out of him, because he will at least play every down... the team also re-signed DE John Copeland, giving them a solid pair of bookends. The biggest concern is at NT... Kimo von Oelhoffen isn't bad, but he may be best suited as a backup type... a frontline NT would really solidify this DL unit.
LB - A lot of bodies, but they all really struggled to pick up the new 3-4 defense. LOLB James Francis continues to underachieve, and may be a June 1 casualty. ROLB Gerald Dixon was signed as a UFA by the San Diego Chargers. The loss of Dixon doesn't leave much at OLB, because 1997 1st rd. pick Reinard Wilson looked lost last season... he was the starter early, but was benched, and barely saw the light of day the rest of the season. They are also deep at ILB, but they struggled there too... players were filling the wrong gaps, which resulted in a lot of big run plays. This group got better late in the season, but they are in big trouble if guys don't fully grasp the 3-4 defense soon.
DB - This unit played much better than advertised. DC Ashley Ambrose was solid, and Corey Sawyer developed cover skills all of a sudden... he has always been a good athlete, but he was never a good technician... his ability to develop gave this unit some versatility. They haved added FA DC Thomas Randolph... he lacks size, but will be a perfect fit as a nickle DC in the slot. They have some minor problems at DS, but those would be fixed if 1997 rookie SS Tremain Mack bounces back... he struggled early in the year, and went into a depression mode... he has had problems with drinking and depression in college, and those problems returned after he started to struggle.
ST - Need an upgrade at PT for Lee Johnson... he is too inconsistent, and they need to bring in a serious challenger in training camp. PK Doug Pelfrey is solid, but got few opportunities, as the Benglas did an exc. job of scoring TD's inside the red zone. They lack a true return man, and may look for a speed guy in the middle rds. of the draft... they used a lot of different guys in the return game last season, but never felt comfortable with anyone.
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