2011 Cincinnati Bengals

[Don Wassall]

From a Bengals blog. Since he's comparing Whalen to Shipley it might be a back-handed compliment -- one "slow overachiever" being quicker than another one -- but it's still encouraging to see Whalen praised. Given that he's from Stanford and obviously smart and has great hands, if he also has sufficient quickness,what excusewill the media and DWFs come up with to disparage him?

Wednesday's Workout Notes

A late-round pick to watch is sixth-round WR Ryan Whalen. He has a little more quickness than Jordan Shipley but the biggest advantage is that the playbook at Stanford and the terms used here are almost the same.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2011/06/08/wednesdays-workout-notes/

 

[Van_Slyke_CF]

"He has a little more quickness than Jordan Shipley"

He should be damn quick then and probably a helluva WR if given the chance.

 

[Paleocon]

"He has a little more quickness than Jordan Shipley"



He should be damn quick then and probably a helluva WR if given the chance.

Caste Reporter: Hey wait! That's not what I meant!

 

[Don Wassall]

Could Recently Drafted Bengals WR Ryan Whalen Cut Into Andre Caldwell's PlayingTime






When the Bengals selected Ryan Whalen in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, I imagine that most Bengals fans were thinking the same thing: Who the hell is Ryan Whalen and why would the Bengals select a receiver when there are so many holes in the roster that need to be filled.


After some research, though, it was discovered that Whalen was one of Andrew Luck's favorite targets and he fits the mold of an NFL slot receiver: quick off the line, tough, smart with good hands.


When The Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedyattended player organized practices, he labeled Whalen as one of the players to watch.



It's safe to assume that first-round pick A.J. Green will be the No. 1 receiver in 2011. If Chad Ochocinco is let go once the lockout is lifted, that would leave Jerome Simpson as the No. 2 receiver and Jordan Shipley's successful rookie season will keep him as the starting slot receiver.


The biggest question in the receiving corps could be where Andre Caldwell fits in the depth chart and if Ryan Whalen could work his way up the depth chart, and if he does, whose spot will he take?
<A name=storyjump></A>

Reedy recently wrote hisLockout Rosterology, in which he mentioned that if there's a receiver who could struggle, it's likely Caldwell.
<BLOCKQUOTE>


When it comes to players to keep an eye on who might struggle to make it, put Andre Caldwell at the top of the list. He showed potential in the last three games but his time here has been a rollercoaster and he wasn't at the recent team workouts.</BLOCKQUOTE>


Caldwell and Simpson teamed up at the end of the 2011 season to give quite a show when both Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens were both inactive, and helped the Bengals crush the Chargers' playoff hopes. However, before those games, Caldwell was mostly invisible, only hauling in 10 catches before the final three games of the season.


As for Whalen, not only is he quick with great hands, he is familiar with the West Coast system that Jay Gruden is implementing in Cincinnati.
<BLOCKQUOTE>


Whalen, who is coming from a West Coast scheme that uses the same verbiage that Gruden will use, could be a surprise.</BLOCKQUOTE>


If Ochocinco is released, Caldwell won't be taking Green's, Simpson's or Shipley's spot on the depth chart. He'll have to battle with Whalen for a spot in four and five wide formations and as a backup.


If Ochocinco isn't released, Caldwell will have an even harder time getting on the field, regardless of any battle with Whalen or any of the other receivers.


And just in case you think that NFL players don't read the things that are written about them, they do. Caldwell must have written what Reedy wrote and replied via Twitter.
<DIV ="bbp84263895988060160">
They say I couldn't do alot of things in my life but I appreciate that cause that's what fuels me RT @joereedy #bengals http://t.co/hZEQyGa"
http://www.cincyjungle.com/2011/6/24/2241742/could-recently-drafted-bengals-wr-ryan-whalen-cut-into-andre Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[mattharper]

Jerome Simpson is a # 4 at best on any NFL roster. Shipley should be a 2 and Whalen a # 4.

 

[Don Wassall]

Shipley should start on the outside and Whalen should be the slot receiver or vice versa, but that's pretty much an impossible scenario in the NFL. Even the Colts with all their White receivers insist on starting Pierre Garcon on the outside over the more talented and far more productive Austin Collie (or Blair White).

 

[mattharper]

There is a report coming out that Terelle Owens tore his ACl a month ago and will be out at least 6 months. The Yahoo story has a bunch of comments on it and about 95 % wished him good riddance for being a self centered jerk his entire career. I for one hope he never comes back. Its good to see maybe there arent so many DWFs after all.

 

[Don Wassall]

Mike Brown must be beaming with pride once again. I wonder what the "devil" commissioner will do with Cedric Benson after his latest arrest. Most likely nothing, because we all know Cedric is a "good guy" at heart who means well. From Weenieworld:

According to YNN Austin's Ricky Doyle, free agent RB Cedric Benson has been arrested in Travis County, Texas and charged with assault. According to online records (via Pro Football Talk), he was arrested at 6:42 a.m. on Sunday morning. The assault was reportedly "on a family member." This is Benson's second arrest for assault in as many offseasons, while he's also the third player associated with the Bengals to be arrested in the past two weeks. Considering Benson's checkered off-field history, the arrest could lead to an NFL suspension as well as a deflated market for his services in free agency.

 

[whiteathlete33]

Here is the scoop on Benson. Remember the boating incident? Benson was later found innocent by an Austin grand jury.

Next the DWI.
Benson was later ordered by a county judge to put a built-in ignition interlock breathalyzer in his car. He was also told to start drug counseling classes.[SUP]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Benson#cite_note-31[/SUP] Benson was cleared of all charges in September, after appearing before two grand juries in Travis County.[SUP]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Benson#cite_note-32[/SUP]

Then there was this. On June 29, 2010, Benson was arrested for assault with injury after reportedly punching a bartender in the face.[SUP][[/SUP] Benson himself denied committing the crime. Almost a month after the ordeal, the NFL announced that Benson would not be suspended.[SUP]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Benson#cite_note-34[/SUP]

I'm sure he'll be punished this time. :icon_rolleyes:

 

[Don Wassall]

The punching the bartender incident also came replete with Benson yelling racial slurs at the club's employees and the police who arrested him. A career ending mistake when done by a White, but written off as "boys will be boys" and quickly forgotten when done by a black.

 

[whiteathlete33]

I've read that he said something like "all these white boys are ganging up on me and kicking me out." I'm sure that's the ultra mild version of what he actually said.

Brian Williams also went on a crazy racist rant when he was arrested while playing for the Jaguars. His actions were "denounced" by the NAACP of all groups.

 

[backrow]

i'm rooting hard for Whalen, i've had a chance to meet him at Stanford in August '10 and he was as cool as he is talented. It is going to be hard for him to get enough PT on Bemgals, but i'm hopeful.

 

[celticdb15]

i'm rooting hard for Whalen, i've had a chance to meet him at Stanford in August '10 and he was as cool as he is talented. It is going to be hard for him to get enough PT on Bemgals, but i'm hopeful.

I'm rooting hard for Whalen as well. He is absolutely jacked and is quicker/faster than most of the "experts" think. I like what the Bengals are doing receiver wise for Andy Dalton in the future. Perhaps A.J. Green, Shipley, and Whalen will all be on the field a lot at the same time, who knows. BTW does anybody know if Leonard signed for the 2011 season?

 

[Electric Slide]

The punching the bartender incident also came replete with Benson yelling racial slurs at the club's employees and the police who arrested him. A career ending mistake when done by a White, but written off as "boys will be boys" and quickly forgotten when done by a black.

This is because of the large double standard that exists...that nothing blacks do is ever considered racism, and anything but utter groveling of whites towards blacks IS racism. Ironic considering how often they scream for "equality," yet they don't want all races to be held to the same standards, and anything that is overrepresented by blacks is "diverse," and anything that is actually proportionately represented by whites is racist.

 

[Electric Slide]

I'm rooting hard for Whalen as well. He is absolutely jacked and is quicker/faster than most of the "experts" think. I like what the Bengals are doing receiver wise for Andy Dalton in the future. Perhaps A.J. Green, Shipley, and Whalen will all be on the field a lot at the same time, who knows. BTW does anybody know if Leonard signed for the 2011 season?

I hope Shipley and Whalen have awesome seasons, and that we see the DWFs wearing their jerseys this year, and that they will inspire young white kids in Ohio to someday play WR in the NFL.

 

[Hawkeye2]

If Peyton Hillis did this his career would have been over. Former Bengals runningback Corey Dillion also had a ton of crimes commited against him.

 

[Hawkeye2]

i ment by him.

 

[backrow]

from rotoworld:

The Cincinnati Enquirer calls Dan Skuta the "early favorite" to be the Bengals' starting strong-side linebacker with Rey Maualuga moving to middle linebacker this season.

Primarily a special teams player to this point in his career, Skuta notched just 16 tackles and zero sacks in 16 games a season ago. Finding an upgrade on the open market could be a priority for the Bengals once free agency begins.


Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

 

[TheAnimal]

Could it be? Could Marvin Lewis be tiring of his Affletes? Dan Skuta, Jordan Shipley and Clint Boling starting with Whalen playing a large role? They're on the right track, although i'm certain Mike Brown will put an end to that.

 

[ALBINO RHINO]

BRIAN LAINHART!!!

MARV liking white meat these days!

 

[Don Wassall]

Chad Johnson made some comment a few weeks ago about wanting to beat up Marvin Lewis. The Bengals certainly are collecting some talented White players, but whether they will be used mainly as backups or given real opportunities is yet to be seen. Lewis's and Mike Brown's track record does not lend much hope for optimism, but maybe they are becoming genuinely fed up with having a team that relies too much on thugs and lazy "underachievers."

It will be interesting to see what they do with Cedric Benson after his latest annual rampage. In all the articles I've read, no one has mentioned Brian Leonard as a possible replacement, but he would be a better all-around back than Benson, who is weak in receiving and blocking and is basically a plodding runner. Leonard isn't as explosive as Peyton Hillis, but over the course of the season he would put up more than satisfactory numbers if used as the starter. He would also be more effective if he shed some weight to become faster. Of course the odds against Leonard being used as the starter are very high.

 

[whiteathlete33]

How does everyone feel about Shipleys chances at a breakout season this year? AJ Green will be one starting receiver and hopefully Shipley will be the other. It looks like Palmer will sit this season out so that leaves either Gradkowski or Andy Dalton as the starting quarterback.

 

[dwid]

I would like to see Shipley moved around from the slot to the outside to create mismatches, he can excel both in the slot and on the outside. Whalen is better suited for the outside, so if he were to get playing time it would be better for him to play on the outside which would leave Shipley in the slot.

It would be great to see Brian get playing time at halfback. Benson averaged 3.5 ypc last year, he did have a tough schedule as far as run defenses but an average back should be able to do better than that. Brian would have done better.

 

[Leonardfan]

Leonard has been resigned for another two years. Lets hope for an injury free/big year for him

 

[Don Wassall]

I'm hoping Leonard becomes this year's "accidental running back." Right now Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott are the only two RBs in front of him. The criminally prone Benson is a free agent; if the Bengals don't re-sign him they'll sign a journeyman of some sort. At any rate, Scott isn't very good so all it will take is an injury to whoever the featured back is and Leonard should get increased carries with the opportunity to get even more if he does well. Seeing how well Hillis and Woodhead did should be all the motivation he needs to make the most of any chance he may get.