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For the Bengals Offense, Perry Is the Key

Ryan WilsonPosted Sep 7th 2008 10:18AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Injuries


The Bengals made a commitment to clean up the organization after a string of embarrassing off-field incidents (my personal favorite: Chris Henry getting arrested for brandishing a firearm in public ... while wearing a Chris Henry jersey). That lasted about six months.

The team decided to re-sign Henry this summer despite all his baggage (that's figurative baggage, Tatum Bell), and in recent weeks, veteran leaders Rudi Johnson and Willie Anderson have been released. Interesting personnel philosophy.

Truthfully, Cincinnati parted ways with Johnson because of money and health issues, but his replacement, Chris Perry, has a long history of injuries. The former 2004 first-round pick has played in just 22 games in three seasons, and started just three. But if Perry can stay on the field, he offers more versatility than Johnson, who was more of a straight-ahead runner.

And while any discussion about the Bengals usually begins and ends with Carson Palmer and Chad Javon Ochocinco, Perry could be the biggest factor in determining if this offense rebounds from a lackluster 2007 effort.
Continue Reading For the Bengals Offense, Perry Is the Key

Shaun Alexander Contemplates Name Change, NFL Future

Ryan WilsonPosted Sep 6th 2008 5:38PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Fans, NFL Rumors

Back in June, when the news was still relatively fresh, CBSSports.com's Clark Judge spoke to various personnel types to help explain why Shaun Alexander's NFL career was probably over. Short story: "soft runner" label + Curse of 370 = forced retirement.

And two and a half months later, Alexander's still looking for work, although the Associated Press reports that the 2005 NFL MVP has no plans on getting on with life after football, and he expects to be signed any day now.
...[T]he 31-year-old Alexander believes his signing is imminent with one of a handful of teams that have provided "a constant flow of calls," including his hometown Cincinnati Bengals. So imminent, his extended family members in Northern Kentucky are suggesting a new name.

In Seattle, Alexander wore No. 37. ... "They want me to be Tres Siete," Alexander said Friday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, laughing at the twist on the Bengals star receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson now being officially recognized as Chad Ocho Cinco, to match his uniform number 85 in Cincinnati.
Continue Reading Shaun Alexander Contemplates Name Change, NFL Future

4th and 26: Nimble Chad's Miami Mind Control

Will BrinsonPosted Sep 6th 2008 2:30AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: NFL Sleepers, NFL Fantasy


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We here are at Fantasy FanHouse are deeply committed to helping the desperate. And you may be among them. If that's the case, we have some lovely last-minute gambles for you to try out in fantasy this week. Fourth and 26 isn't an "ideal" situation, but sometimes it works out.

Quarterback
Chad Pennington, MIA -- This is actually a really, really logical start. Pennington has the Jets playbook inside his head (I'm actually convinced the Fins will win), and he's out for revenge against the team that spurned him. He has a dangerous deep threat in Ted Ginn, and the running back tandem of Ricky Williams and (maybe) Ronnie Brown should give him some room to dink and dunk his way to nice low-end QB1 numbers. A nice waiver-wire scramble.

Trent Edwards, BUF -- Whaaa? Against the Seattle defense? Really? Yes. Really. As pointed out in this wonderful, wonderful book, the Seahawks defensive backs are short; neither Marcus Trufant nor Kelly Jennings are over six feet tall. Bills rookie James Hardy is 6-foot-5. Lee Evans is only 5-foot-10, but he's fast as all get-out. And the Bills have Marshawn Lynch to open up the passing game. Edwards won't win the week for you, but he won't be as bad as Eli Manning or Jason Campbell.
Continue Reading 4th and 26: Nimble Chad's Miami Mind Control

Tatum Bell Has a Perfectly Legitimate Reason for Taking Rudi Johnson's Bags

Ryan WilsonPosted Sep 4th 2008 1:59PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Lions, NFC North, NFL Fans

Here's what we know: Tatum Bell isn't very smart, and we have the video footage to prove it. Beyond that, there's really not much to say. Which is why Bell has decided to speak up on the accusations that he purposely stole Rudi Johnson's luggage about 30 seconds after the Lions released him.

Yesterday Bell declared that he "ain't no thief" and that "it was all a misunderstanding," which I take to mean: "Yeah, I did it, but I got caught so I have to make up this lame excuse." Fine. It happens. You were mad about losing your job and this was the cleverest thing you could think to do on your way out the door. Whatever.

But instead of saying as much, Bell has decided to drag this out as long as possible. Good thinking.

From The Blog Formerly Known as Hashmarks:
Continue Reading Tatum Bell Has a Perfectly Legitimate Reason for Taking Rudi Johnson's Bags

Road Chalk and Alaskan Pipelines: Week One

Will BrinsonPosted Sep 4th 2008 10:00AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West, NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, NFC West, NFL Fans, NFL Gambling


Road Chalk and Alaskan Pipelines is Will Brinson's NFL gambling column at FanHouse. Because everyone loves a loser.

Oh. Hello there. Do you like to gamble wager on sports make plays gamble? Excellent. You're in the right place. Each week here at 'RCAP' I will be walking you, hand in hand, to the promised land of guaranteed winnings, should you choose to follow my advice. You will be 100 percent guaranteed to win at least 90 percent of your picks, almost 11 percent of the time.

And yes! There will be an occasional Anchorman joke or two. No, seriously though, I guarantee nothing. Instead, what I'll do is probably talk about something in this space, show you the lines, sprinkle some snarky commentary amid quasi-analysis and then make a selection.

Why should you keep coming back? Because, I, a career loser of at least two commas in sports wagering, am either going to thrash Brandon Lang's picks -- I believe he will also be shown on FanHouse each week -- and end up with an insanely high winning percentage, or I will go down in flames faster than David Carr in the face of a two-backer blitz prevent defense.

Onto the winners.
Continue Reading Road Chalk and Alaskan Pipelines: Week One

Passed Out at Your Desk: Dream a Little Hippie Dream

Will BrinsonPosted Sep 4th 2008 9:00AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: NFL Sleepers, NFL Fantasy


Everyone needs sleep. Including fantasy football teams and Democrats. We will now discuss some ways for you to get rest throughout Week 1. Notice what annoying word I'm avoiding. One from each major position in order of league depth; I will most certainly remind you when these people have big games on Sunday.

Now shut your eyes and dream of responsible spending, my little hippie.

Power Naps
Kevin Smith, RB, DET -- Smith has quickly fallen out of favor with fantasy owners because of Rudi Johnson's presence in Detroit. Tatum Bell's absence actually hurts his value, which is kind of depressing for Tatum and his family. And friends holding his misplaced luggage. But here's the thing: Rudi was cut by the Bengals. Ingrain that in your domepiece, friends.

Matt Schaub, QB, HOU -- He started last year pretty warm and he'll do the same this season. When he and Andre Johnson are on the field at the same time, good things happen.

Marvin Harrison, WR, IND -- Why are we hating on this guy again? Blatantly scoring two TDs this week.
Continue Reading Passed Out at Your Desk: Dream a Little Hippie Dream

Chillin' At the Water Cooler With Bengals Fans: What Fans Expect in 2008

Sportz AssassinPosted Sep 4th 2008 4:53AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Fans

I live and work in the Metro Cincinnati area and the Bengals are usually on everyone's brain. During the season, I will gather a few of my co-workers (Tom Otten, William Morgan and Dave Chandler) together "at the water cooler" and discuss some Bengals topics.

The 2008 season begins this Sunday when the Bengals play the Ravens. Last year, there were high expectations for Cincinnati when these two met on Monday Night Football. What's the buzz heading into this year's contest?

Sportz: Alright, what do you see the Bengals doing against the Ravens this Sunday?

Tom: They will lose. At least that's my bet.

William: Winning a close, tough game by six.

Dave: Sneaking away with a win ... or making Flacco look like a future Hall Of Famer like so many other quarterbacks in the past.

Sportz: This one's tough. Nothing in the preseason lends me to think Cincinnati will win ... but Baltimore is starting a rookie QB. Man, if the Bengals defense gets smacked down this week, you may as well throw in the towel. The young defense had an up-and-down preseason. I'm trying to figure out if this is a defense on an upswing or just another bad Bengals D.

Continue Reading Chillin' At the Water Cooler With Bengals Fans: What Fans Expect in 2008

Tatum Bell Took Rudi Johnson's Bags, Insists 'I Ain't No Thief ... All a Misunderstanding'

Michael David SmithPosted Sep 3rd 2008 3:59PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Lions

Yesterday Will Brinson noted at FanHouse the report from Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk, stating that Detroit Lions running back Rudi Johnson had his bags stolen by former Lions running back Tatum Bell.

Today Bell acknowledged that he took Johnson's bags, but he claims it was simply a "misunderstanding" -- not a theft:
"I ain't no thief," Bell told the Free Press in a phone interview. "I ain't never been one, and I ain't never going to be one. It was all a misunderstanding.

"You can ask anybody I played with for all my years or anybody that know me, man. They know I ain't never stolen nothing from nobody or had those kind of intentions."
I don't really see how such a "misunderstanding" could happen, and neither does Johnson, who says that Bell's "misunderstanding" included taking the money out of his money clip -- but leaving the clip itself.

Anyway, Johnson gets the last laugh. He's now employed by the team that just cut Bell, while Bell might not ever play again.

More at Randball.

Tatum Bell Thinks It Is Perfectly Acceptable to Steal Someone's Bags if They Take Your Job

Will BrinsonPosted Sep 3rd 2008 1:30AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Lions, NFC North, NFL Police Blotter, NFL Rumors

Tatum Bell, former running back of the Detroit Lions, does not get mad. He gets even. So, if you cut him and sign Rudi Johnson, you can fully expect him to extract payback. And in a totally grown up and not-juvenile-at-all way.

By stealing Rudi's bags.
So when Johnson came back [from meeting with the coaches] to get his bags, they were nowhere to be found. Johnson and Millen were stumped. Enter the eye in the sky.

The team checked the videotapes generated by the team's in-house surveillance system, and they quickly identified the culprit.

So who might it have been? None other than Tatum Bell, who lost his gig with the Lions after Rudi arrived.
Bell apparently tried to pawn them off with the old "I thought they were someone else's" line, which only works when you're trying to smuggle drugs into the Miami airport, and even then very rarely.

He has since admitted he knew they were Rudi's, given the bags back and everyone is moving on without pressing any charges. Which, unlike stealing someone else's stuff, is the professional thing to do. And besides not being grown up, stealing luggage is just stupid.

It certainly isn't subtle, and there's nothing humorous about it when you're the guy getting cut. Not to mention the fact that Bell is regarded as a smallish, quick back, so not being able to get away with something like this is just a testament to total lack of skillz.

The Rudi Johnson Effect: How the Bengals' Batty Decision Affects You

Will BrinsonPosted Sep 1st 2008 3:00AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: NFL Sleepers, NFL Waiver Wire, NFL Fantasy


Maybe the Bengals weren't "batty". After all, when they decided to cut Rudi Johnson they did it so they could pick up a backup wide receiver which they ... uh ... have not found yet. And while they dump his salary, they also create a situation where they are entirely dependent on Chris Perry and Kenny Watson for their rushing attack.

So, what does this mean for your fantasy team? Excellent question.

First order of business is picking up Perry. He's not suddenly a reach into the early rounds if you haven't drafted, but he's certainly an add if you already have. After all, he's starting. And starting running backs are good. He might not be the ground game beast that Rudi was, but he should, in theory, catch plenty of passes. And that's always nice.

I'd also look to pick up Watson in the later rounds; Rudi's removal makes him that much closer to a starter should injury or stink befall Perry. And Watson was successful last year as a backup/semi-starter, so there's no reason to understand why he's not starting now not to make a move on him for a backup.

The more important issue, though, involves where Rudi will end up.
Continue Reading The Rudi Johnson Effect: How the Bengals' Batty Decision Affects You
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