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Bengals tidbits

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Cincy

5/15/05

QB Meyer makes his pitch

Bengals rookie minicamp gives former baseball star a chance

BY MARK CURNUTTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->With the shortage of pitching in baseball these days and the watered-down talent pool because of expansion, Erik Meyer - at age 23 - could be in the Major Leagues by now.
Drafted by the Reds out of La Marida High School near Los Angeles, Meyer chose instead to attend Eastern Washington and play quarterback.
This weekend, while the Reds finished a three-game series with Philadelphia just down the riverfront from Paul Brown Stadium, Meyer was the only quarterback throwing the football at the Bengals' rookie minicamp.
He is buried in the fifth spot of five quarterbacks on the depth chart - behind Carson Palmer, Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson and Craig Krenzel.
But Meyer wouldn't trade places and be pitching right now, even with the Reds, Giants or Cubs - all teams that either drafted him or offered him a contract.
"Football is love. Coming out of high school, I thought I could live without playing baseball. But I couldn't see myself not playing football," said Meyer, who received a $5,000 signing bonus to sign a rookie free-agent contract April 30 with the Bengals.
"Football is just a passion of mine. I can't ever see it not being a part of my life."
He considered the Reds' offer, although he was a 37th-round draft pick in 2001.
As a high school junior and senior, Meyer went 17-3 as a right-handed pitcher with a fastball clocked in the low-90s. But the dream of playing college football and taking a shot at the NFL was too much to pass up for the quarterback who idolized Brett Favre. No Division I college recruited Meyer.
"I considered it," Meyer said of the Reds' deal. "Coming out of high school, you have a scholarship then you have money. There's something about football that's part of my life I can't give up."
As a high school senior, Meyer led his team to a 12-1 regular-season record and accounted for 46 touchdowns (38 passing, eight rushing). La Mirada won its first two playoff games, scoring 93 points in the process, before losing in a semifinal.
Fast forward to February 2006: Following a final season at Eastern Washington, where he threw for 4,003 yards and 30 touchdowns and completed 65.6 percent of his passes, Meyer won the Walter Payton Award as the top player in Division I-AA football. Then he was invited to the annual scouting combine, where of the 20 quarterbacks to run, he was the only one to place in the top seven of each mobility and speed category.
He was not drafted, though.
"Going into the draft, I told myself not to expect anything," Meyer said. "My goal was to get into a camp. Crazy things can happen. Not getting drafted wasn't even a disappointment for me."
He's thrilled to be at Bengals rookie minicamp and hopes to impress coaches and team executives enough to stick around for a while.
"The quarterback did a good job for us," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said after the first two minicamp practices.
Baseball remains an option, though the window might be closing. The Cubs wanted to draft him in the seventh round out of high school. The Giants selected Meyer in each of the previous two drafts following a workout for their scouts. He threw 95 mph.
"It crosses my mind every now and then," Meyer said of the baseball career he passed up. "I'm a big Angels fan, and seeing them in the World Series and seeing Francisco Rodriquez pitch at 20, 21, yeah, it crossed my mind.
"But I love what I do. I love playing football and (it) will be a part of my life until the day I die."
E-mail [email protected]
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Dispatch

5/16/06

Bengals send Krenzel, Hamby packing

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Ryan Hamby was leaving Paul Brown Stadium yesterday as former Ohio State teammate Craig Krenzel was pulling into the parking lot.

Hamby didn’t pause to chat because he was on the phone with his agent, discussing his next move after the Cincinnati Bengals released him at the end of the team’s rookie minicamp.

Hamby was surprised to have been cut, but the tight end was even more stunned when Krenzel called him a half-hour later to say he’d been released as well.

Krenzel declined to comment about his release, but an NFL source said it was related to a recently sustained arm injury.

Krenzel spent the 2005 season with the Bengals, who claimed him off waivers from the Chicago Bears last June. After winning a competition with Casey Bramlet in the preseason, Krenzel served as Cincinnati’s third-string quarterback behind Carson Palmer and Jon Kitna. He did not see any game action.

This year, Krenzel would have faced more competition for a roster spot.

With Palmer rehabbing from a serious knee injury, the Bengals signed veterans Anthony Wright and Doug Johnson. In addition, Cincinnati signed rookie free-agent Erik Meyer, a record-setting Division I-AA quarterback from Eastern Washington.

Krenzel, who helped lead Ohio State to the 2002 national championship, was a fifth-round pick by the Bears in 2004. Injuries thrust him into the lineup. Despite mediocre statistics, Krenzel won his first three starts for Chicago. An ankle injury ended his season, and the Bears cut Krenzel after drafting Kyle Orton last year.

Hamby, a Cincinnati native, said he had no inkling he would be cut. He was signed as a free agent hours after the NFL draft.

"The NFL is a cutthroat business," Hamby said. "To me, it’s frustrating to cut me without even getting to put on the pads.

"I had a good rookie minicamp. I didn’t drop a ball and blocked OK. I do think I should be in a camp and do think I should be playing in the NFL, especially after this weekend, getting a feel for what it’s like."

Tight end Darnell Sanders is the only former Ohio State player remaining on the Bengals’ roster. Cincinnati begins the first of its voluntary on-field workouts today.

[email protected]
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Cincy

5/17/06

New QBs get feel for things

Wright, Johnson learning team's offense as Palmer continues rehab

BY KEVIN KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->Carson Palmer wore tennis shoes, gray sweat pants and a layered T-shirt look to the Paul Brown Stadium practice field Tuesday.

The Bengals held the first of 12 voluntary full-squad workouts leading to next month's minicamp, and the team's injured starting quarterback ran wind sprints or jogged around the field during much of the on-field session.

Palmer did manage to ease in alongside new backups Anthony Wright and Doug Johnson, who will guide the offense until Palmer can return from reconstructive surgery on his left knee, for a few throws during warm-ups.

"He's doing fine," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "Everything has been progressing just as we expected."

While the two-hour workout provided a glimpse into Palmer's ongoing recovery from the January surgery, it also served as the first chance Wright and Johnson have had since signing this offseason to test-drive the Bengals' high-octane offense.

They alternated snaps.

"Having the kind of talent they have, it kind of reminds me of the early (1990s) when the Cowboys were doing what they were doing," said Wright, who started 14 games and played in 16 overall with the Ravens over the past four seasons. "It's going to be exciting to see. I had a chance to watch it on film and watched on the field last year. To be able to be here and be a part of it is going to be exciting."

The Bengals signed both players to one-year contracts - Johnson in February and Wright last month - and probably will take four quarterbacks to training camp in July.

Free-agent rookie Erik Meyer did not attend Tuesday's workout as he returned to Eastern Washington University to honor school commitments.

"You look around the league and there are usually three or four (quarterbacks) in camp," Johnson said. "We're real happy with the number of reps we're getting.

"I think it's actually a real smart thing for two new guys coming in."

Johnson spent the first two games of the 2005 season with the Browns before being released.

The 28-year-old has made 11 career starts, all with the Falcons, and in 25 career games has completed 56.8 percent of his passes for 2,600 yards with 13 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions.

"I'm just a piece of the puzzle trying to be the best player I can be so if my number is called I can go out there, plug in and there won't be a letdown," Johnson said. "When Carson is ready, he'll be back in there. We're going to try and hold the fort down until that day comes."

Wright played in nine games, starting seven, last season with the Ravens and posted career highs in passing yards (1,582), attempts (266), completions (164) and completion percentage (61.7).

Because he signed in late April, Wright has had to learn the Bengals' playbook in a hurry.

"Today was a little easier than I anticipated because of the fact (quarterbacks coach Ken) Zampese has been drilling me for the last three weeks," he said. "He's pretty much brought me up to speed with the offense. That made it a lot easier to be able to go in and perform today, and play like I kind of knew what I was doing even though I'm still learning."

Zampese has spent as many as six hours a day reviewing the offense with Wright. There are tests and a checkerboard Zampese uses to display formations.

"Just drilling the offense into my head," Wright said, "so I can get some of the old stuff that I had in Baltimore out of my head and put this in."
The workouts, which are part of organized team activity days, also allow the offensive line time to familiarize itself with the new quarterbacks.

Right tackle Willie Anderson said the offensive linemen met with Wright and Johnson before Tuesday's workout to talk about cadence. It also was an opportunity to make both quarterbacks feel comfortable around them.

"I think the more you talk to these guys, the more you have conversations with these guys, the better they'll feel," Anderson said. "We talked about the cadence today, didn't go into anything in-depth about that. That's just something subtle we do."

E-mail [email protected]

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*shudders* I'm optimistically thinking (and hoping) Palmer will be ready by the opening game. He's not much of a runner or scrambler anyway, but when he does play I'll be a nervous wreck when I see him take his first big hit. I pray to all that is holy in Bengaldom that Wright or Johnson don't have to start, but if that's the case maybe they'll give Rudi 50 + carries per game :wink:
 
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studepaber said:
*shudders* I'm optimistically thinking (and hoping) Palmer will be ready by the opening game. He's not much of a runner or scrambler anyway, but when he does play I'll be a nervous wreck when I see him take his first big hit. I pray to all that is holy in Bengaldom that Wright or Johnson don't have to start, but if that's the case maybe they'll give Rudi 50 + carries per game :wink:
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This situtation reminds me of OSU's 1984 season, when Mike Tomczak was trying to come back from a broken leg. They had Karsatos in there for the first three games but Tomczak took over from there and never showed any after-effects of the injury.

I have confidence in Anthony Wright if Palmer can't make it opening day. He did pretty well with the Ravens. They were foolish to let him go.
 
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LINK

Former NFL, Northeastern tight end Ross dead at 49

Associated Press

HAVERHILL, Mass. (AP) - Dan Ross, who set the record for most Super Bowl receptions with the Bengals in 1982, has died. He was 49.

The former tight end collapsed at his home in Atkinson, N.H., shortly after returning from a jog Tuesday evening, Northeastern's sports information department said. He was taken to Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, where he died.
Ross, who starred for the Huskies and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004, was drafted 30th overall by Cincinnati in 1979 and spent parts of six seasons with the Bengals. His best season came in 1981, when he set career highs with 71 catches for 910 yards and five touchdowns while helping the Bengals to their first AFC championship.

Ross made a Super Bowl-record 11 catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals' 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in 1982. Jerry Rice and Deion Branch have since tied the mark.

Ross had a total of 263 receptions for 3,204 yards and 16 TDs with the Bengals. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks and finished his career in 1986 with the Green Bay Packers. Ross played in the USFL for the New Orleans/Portland Breakers from 1984-85.

He still holds the Northeastern record for receptions in a season with 68 and is second on the all-time list in career receptions and yards receiving.

"His specialty was attracting crowds and still hanging onto the football," the university said in a statement. "His tremendous power, concentration, hands, blocking ability and open field running added up to one of the most exciting athletes to ever take the gridiron in New England."

Ross is survived by his wife, Joan, and two children Dan Jr., 22, and Jillian, 23.
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GoBucks89 said:
He did pretty well with the Ravens.
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I guess, but he was BACKUP to Kyle Boller, you can't get much lower than that. Maybe a different play scheme will suit Wright better in Cincy, he already said he favors Cincy's strategy/playbook over Baltimore's (what a surprise). If Palmer were unable to start though, I'd take Wright over Johnson anyday. Besides do we really need another Johnson on the field?
 
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studepaber said:
I guess, but he was BACKUP to Kyle Boller, you can't get much lower than that. Maybe a different play scheme will suit Wright better in Cincy, he already said he favors Cincy's strategy/playbook over Baltimore's (what a surprise). If Palmer were unable to start though, I'd take Wright over Johnson anyday. Besides do we really need another Johnson on the field?
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No, we don't. I also think Johnson will be cut. And the reason Anthony Wright was backing up Kyle Boller is because Brian Billick is an idiot.
 
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studepaber said:
I guess, but he was BACKUP to Kyle Boller, you can't get much lower than that. Maybe a different play scheme will suit Wright better in Cincy, he already said he favors Cincy's strategy/playbook over Baltimore's (what a surprise). If Palmer were unable to start though, I'd take Wright over Johnson anyday. Besides do we really need another Johnson on the field?
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Johnson behind center, as he takes the snap, he hands it off to Johnson, Johnson cuts it to the left and hands it to johnson on the end around. Johnson stops...whats he gonna do? Johnson throws it to Johnson......Touchdown Bengals.
 
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buckeyefool said:
Johnson behind center, as he takes the snap, he hands it off to Johnson, Johnson cuts it to the left and hands it to johnson on the end around. Johnson stops...whats he gonna do? Johnson throws it to Johnson......Touchdown Bengals.
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I've never seen so many johnsons in my entire life.
 
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Cincy

5/18/06

Ex-Bengal Ross dies

Tight end gave much to Bengals

BY KEVIN KELLY AND JOSH PICHLER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS
<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->The play was called "Short 60 Y Option X Smash" and the Bengals' offense ran it to near perfection during the 1981 season.

Tight end Dan Ross, who represented the "Y," would run 10 yards downfield and pivot to catch an already airborne pass from quarterback Ken Anderson.

"If I had to say there was a play that got us to the Super Bowl (XVI), that was it," former Bengals receiver Cris Collinsworth said Wednesday. "We'd almost laugh sometimes it was called so much in the huddle. It was like, 'Do we have any other play out here?' But we really didn't need one. It was just that effective of a play because Danny was uncoverable."

Ross led the Bengals with 71 receptions during the 1981 season - a team record that stood until 1995.

He also set a Super Bowl record with 11 catches in Cincinnati's championship-game loss to the 49ers on Jan. 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome.

The contributions Ross made, and the type of teammate he was during six seasons with the Bengals, were remembered fondly Wednesday.

A sure-handed receiver and a 2004 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, Ross collapsed at his Atkinson, N.H., home Tuesday evening and later died at Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, Mass., according to the Associated Press. He was 49.

"He and Kenny Anderson timed up so well in the passing game, and his catches that year were our team record for many years," Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement. "Beyond that, and more importantly, Dan was a special person.

"He was held in high regard by everyone around here. It is stunning news that he is gone so prematurely."

The Bengals selected Ross out of Northeastern University with their third pick (second round, 30th overall) in the 1979 draft.

As the most celebrated football player in Northeastern's history - his No. 84 jersey was retired after his final game in 1978 - Ross still holds several of the school's receiving records.

"His specialty was attracting crowds and still hanging onto the football," read a portion of a statement released Wednesday by Northeastern University.

Ross played in 79 games with the Bengals from 1979-85 and caught 263 passes for 3,204 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.

"Having a quarterback as accurate as Kenny Anderson, all he needed was a crease," Hall of Fame lineman Anthony Muñoz said Wednesday.

Ross twice led the Bengals in receptions (56 in 1980, 71 in 1981) and led the team in receiving yards once (724 in 1980).

Jerry Rice and Deion Branch now share his record for most receptions in a Super Bowl.

"Danny had a great knack to get open," Anderson said Wednesday. "He could use his body well. He just had tremendous hands. He caught everything that was within reach."

Former Bengals wide receiver Isaac Curtis said Wednesday that Ross played a key role in the Bengals' offense by opening up the middle of the field.

"He really ... put a lot of pressure on defenses to cover the middle," Curtis said. "He wasn't the biggest guy or the fastest guy, but he was smart about the game and he just kind of had a knack for getting open."

Ross made one Pro Bowl appearance (in 1983) while with the Bengals and holds four of the team's individual postseason receiving records.

He spent the 1984 season with the USFL's New Orleans Breakers and split the 1985 season between the USFL, Bengals and Seahawks. Ross retired after playing 15 games with the Packers during the 1986 season.

He owned and was president of Power House Supply and is survived by wife Joan; a son, Dan Jr.; and a daughter, Jillian.

"When we went to the Super Bowl and had a pretty dynamic offense, he was a big reason why," Anderson said. "The thing about Danny, he was a better person and better teammate than he was a player. And he was a great player.

"He was personable. He was funny. He was caring. He wanted to win. He worked hard. You liked being around the guy."

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Reactions<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytext bgColor=#eeeeee>"Dan was a special person. He was held in high regard by everyone around here. It is stunning news that he is gone so prematurely."

--Bengals president Mike Brown

"Danny had a great knack to get open. He could use his body well. He just had tremendous hands. He caught everything that was within reach."

--Former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson

"He really ...put a lot of pressure on defenses to cover the middle."

--Former Bengals wide receiver Isaac Curtis
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Cincy

5/18/06

Jones wants to remain a Bengal

Bengals notebook: Offensive tackle seeks new contract

BY KEVIN KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->Starting left tackle Levi Jones reiterated Tuesday that his agent and the Bengals have discussed a new contract, and that he would like to remain with the team that drafted him.
"I've expressed interest (in returning) and am wanting to return," Jones said. "I'm able to not focus on it. I told my agent, 'I don't want to hear about every conversation. When something pertinent comes up, let me know about it.'
"I am here to focus on football. I've got another year on my contract, and I need to focus on getting my job done."
Jones started 15 regular-season games last season, and 61 during his four seasons with the Bengals.
He is one of four starting offensive linemen - right tackle Willie Anderson, left guard Eric Steinbach and center Rich Braham - whose contracts are due to expire after the 2006 season.
"If it's going to get done, it's going to get done. If it's not, it's not," said Jones, who signed a five-year, $11 million deal after the Bengals selected him 10th overall in the 2002 draft. "I'm not trying to make it seem like it isn't a big deal or anything like that. But it's out of my hands. It's up to my agent (Ken Zuckerman) and (Bengals executive vice president Katie) Blackburn to come to some agreement and get it done."
STARTING UP: The start of organized team activity days (OTA) on Tuesday represented a new beginning for the Bengals.
The voluntary full-squad workout on the Paul Brown Stadium practice field was the team's first on-field gathering since its home playoff loss against the Steelers on Jan. 8.
"You can see a difference in all the player's attitudes and a difference in the coaches attitudes," fullback Jeremi Johnson said. "There's a different swagger on both parts. It's the kind of swagger Coach (Marvin) Lewis has been trying to get us to walk with and have since the day he got here."
The Bengals finished 11-5 last season and made their first playoff appearance since the 1990 season.
Those accomplishments, Anderson said, are in the past.
"We're preparing with a different mindset this season," Anderson said. "Our mindset has to be that we're going in more team-focused, team-oriented and making sure that we're all going into battle fighting together knowing that it's not going to be a cakewalk.
"Our opponents (will be) tougher this season. We're now a team that everyone is watching."
ROLE CALL: Tuesday's workout drew near perfect on-field attendance. Safety Madieu Williams, who was limited to four games last season because of a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery, participated, as did running back Kenny Watson, who suffered a torn biceps in the season opener last year.
Tailback Rudi Johnson (knee) and quarterback Carson Palmer (knee) ran on the side. Others that did not practice Tuesday included wide receiver Chris Henry (knee), cornerback Deltha O'Neal (knee), running back Chris Perry (knee), linebacker David Pollack (NA), tight end Tony Stewart (NA) and offensive linemen Eric Ghiaciuc (foot), Adam Kieft (knee) and Larry Moore (knee). Defensive tackle Sam Adams and wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh were there but did not practice.
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