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Bengals tidbits

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DDN

7/14/06

Bengals take chance on another player with troubled past

Cincinnati selects Brooks in the third round of the supplemental draft.

By Chick Ludwig
Staff Writer

CINCINNATI | The Cincinnati Bengals added another talented but troubled player to their roster on Thursday when they selected former University of Virginia middle linebacker Ahmad Brooks in the third round of the NFL Supplemental Draft.
Brooks, whose talent has been compared to NFL stars Ray Lewis and LaVar Arrington, originally planned to return to Virginia for his senior season this fall after right knee surgery in March 2005 limited him to six games and 27 tackles last season.
But he declared eligibility for the supplemental draft after being kicked off the Cavaliers roster in the spring for reportedly failing a drug test.
The selection of Brooks means the Bengals must give up their third-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. called the 6-foot-3 260-pounder "arguably the most sought after prospect to take the supplemental draft route since Brian Bosworth (Seahawks, 1987)."
NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt reported that Brooks lost 32 pounds and passed five drug tests in the 10 weeks leading up to his June 22 Pro Day at Virginia, where he worked out for representatives of 31 NFL teams. The only team not in attendance was the Minnesota Vikings.
"I've known Ahmad since he was in high school," said Bengals linebackers coach Ricky Hunley, who conducted Brooks' Pro Day workout, "and there's no denying he has behaved through much of his career as a very immature individual.
"But I believe he's a young man who can learn to do things the right way, and he has exceptional talent as a player. He'll get the chance to show he can use that talent to help our team. What he does with it is up to him in the end."
Brooks, who was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession in Prince William County, Va., in 2003, joins three other Bengals who are fighting character issues.
• Wide receiver Chris Henry has been arrested four times since December. He's scheduled for trial on a weapons charge in Orlando, Fla., in August.
• Linebacker A.J. Nicholson was charged in June with burglarizing the apartment of a former Florida State teammate.
• Defensive end Frostee Rucker was charged in June with battery of a woman he was dating while at Southern California.
Brooks, named National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today coming out of C.D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge, Va., totaled 234 tackles, 13 sacks, 31 quarterback pressures and 21 tackles for loss in three years (2003-05) at Virginia.
He led the Cavaliers in tackles as a freshman in 2003 with a career-high 113, along with four sacks, then earned first-team All-America honors from The Sporting News as a sophomore in 2004 with 90 tackles, including eight sacks, plus two interceptions.
Brooks' father, Perry Brooks, played 92 games as a defensive tackle for the Washington Redskins from 1978-84.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or [email protected].



Ahmad Brooks File
• Selected: By the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the NFL Supplemental Draft on Thursday.
• Position: Middle linebacker.
• College: Virginia.
• Ht./Wt.: 6-foot-3, 260 pounds.
• Highlights: Totaled 234 tackles, 13 sacks, 31 quarterback pressures and 21 tackles for loss in three years at Virginia (2003-05) before his dismissal from the squad for reportedly failing a drug test.
• Personal: His father, Perry Brooks, played DT for the Washington Redskins from 1978-84.
• Quote: "No question he's the most talented player I've ever seen or been around. He just does remarkable things." — Former University of Virginia defensive coordinator Al Golden.
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DDN

7/14/06

The Audible
No way does Rudi Johnson deserve 'overrated' label

By Chick Ludwig
Staff Writer

I couldn't agree — or disagree — more with Pete Prisco's breakdown of the Cincinnati Bengals' most underrated and overrated players.
The CBS SportsLine.com senior writer cites wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh as the most underrated, a tag that rings true. But the labeling of tailback Rudi Johnson as the most overrated is a sin.
Prisco said Houshmandzadeh "doesn't have blazing speed, but knows how to get open. He had 78 catches and seven TD receptions in 2005. Not bad for a guy who scouts wondered if he could play in the league."
Houshmandzadeh, a seventh-round pick in 2001, battled hamstring injuries in '01 and '03 only to blossom with back-to-back seasons of 978 and 956 yards. Now he's entrenched as the club's No. 2 receiver opposite Chad Johnson.
As for "Rudi J," all he did in 2005 was rush 337 times for a club-record 1,458 yards ... on one good leg. He played the entire season with torn knee cartilage, resting and rehabbing on Wednesdays, but never missing a game.
"Rudi Johnson is a decent back," Prisco said, "but he doesn't have the big-play speed. It's clear that backup Chris Perry brings more to the offense when he's in the game. Look for him to get more time this season."
The problem is that Perry can't stay healthy. Meanwhile, Rudi has the durability of a sledgehammer.
My vote for most overrated: Outside linebacker David Pollack. He's talented, but unproven.
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Dispatch

7/15/06

NFL BENGALS
Brown concerned with off-field misconduct of several players

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>STEPHANIE KLEIN - DAVIS THE ROANOKE ( VA . ) TIMES </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Bengals draftee Ahmad Brooks was dismissed from Virginia’s team in March. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


The feel-good 2005 season seems like a long time ago for the Cincinnati Bengals, overshadowed by a spate of off-the-field issues involving their players.
For a team that waited 15 years to return to the playoffs, the off-season has been a tough one to endure. But the Bengals kept mostly silent on the parade of policeblotter incidents, adhering to the team’s policy that it doesn’t talk about pending legal matters.
With NFL observers around the country scratching their heads about the Bengals’ problems, team president Mike Brown decided yesterday that he couldn’t stay quiet any longer.
"We want our fans to know that we share their concerns regarding the recent off-field conduct of several Bengals players," Brown said in a statement.
"We expect our players to be good citizens, as most are, and we hold them accountable for their conduct under team and league rules.
"We are closely monitoring these matters. All are currently pending and they will be addressed in accordance with the NFL collective-bargaining agreement, including possible disciplinary action."
The Bengals are facing the loss of second-year middle linebacker Odell Thurman to a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Receiver Chris Henry has been arrested four times in eight months. Rookies A.J. Nicholson and Frostee Rucker also are facing legal problems.
With so many character questions swirling around the Bengals, many were surprised when they picked Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks in the third round of Thursday’s supplemental draft. Virginia coach Al Groh dismissed Brooks from the team for undisclosed reasons in March.
"Regarding this week’s selection of Ahmad Brooks in the supplemental draft, we are aware of no pending allegations of any kind against Ahmad," Brown said. "The club’s judgment is that any past transgressions were insufficient to deny him an opportunity to prove himself as a responsible NFL player."
Training camp begins July 29 in Georgetown, Ky.
[email protected]
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DDN

7/20/06

Bengals' Simmons back in old role?

With Thurman likely to miss 4 games, the veteran is ready to return to middle linebacker.

By Chick Ludwig
Staff Writer

CINCINNATI | The Bengals' old middle linebacker could be the club's new middle linebacker.

All indications are that Brian Simmons will return to the position he occupied from late 1999 through 2002 in the wake of Odell Thurman's reported four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
Simmons practiced at middle linebacker during June minicamp, and his agent confirmed Tuesday that Simmons is prepared to make the switch from the right side to the middle. He'll likely be flanked by David Pollack on the left and Landon Johnson on the right.
"Brian is a thorough professional who will do whatever it takes to help his team win," agent Jerrold Colton said. "If (head coach) Marvin Lewis and the Bengals need him to play middle linebacker or inside, he's there."
Lewis moved Simmons from the middle to right side in 2003, filling the void caused by Takeo Spikes' exit to Buffalo. Simmons and Spikes were Bengals' first-round draft picks in 1998.
"(Simmons) came into the league as an outside guy," Colton added. "Based upon his arrival with Takeo, they moved him inside. He flourished and thrived there and then moved outside at the appropriate time, and is going back inside now.
"What you don't want to see is him having to be shuttled back and forth, because he'd like to play the same position. But Brian is certainly familiar with both and equally comfortable. So whatever it takes."
Pollack, Simmons, Johnson, Thurman and rookie Ahmad Brooks — chosen in last week's supplemental draft — figure to be roster locks. Marcus Wilkins, Hannibal Navies, Rashad Jeanty, Caleb Miller and A.J. Nicholson will battle for two or three remaining spots.


Brian Simmons file
Position: Linebacker
College: North Carolina
Size: 6-foot-3, 244 pounds
Highlights: A nine-year veteran drafted in the first round (No. 17 overall) in 1998, Simmons has 818 tackles, 23 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 9 interceptions, 7 fumble recoveries and 3 TDs.
Contract: Simmons, 31, enters the fifth season of a seven-year, $28.5 million deal signed in 2002. He'll earn $2.84 million this year.
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Another Bengal in trouble

WTF is wrong with these guys. I guess their talent took place of their common sense.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2527573

CINCINNATI -- Officers trying to arrest Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Matthias Askew after a parking violation used a Taser to subdue him and charged him with resisting arrest.
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Askew[/FONT]
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<!---------------------INLINE HEADSHOT (END)--------------------> The 24-year-old Askew struggled with officers trying to handcuff him Saturday evening and broke away before he was shocked, police spokesman Lt. Tom Lanter said. Askew ignored an officer's warning to move his illegally parked car and then refused to give his identification, Lanter said.
Askew, also charged with obstructing official business, was released on his own recognizance and was scheduled to appear in court Monday, a jail official said.
The 6-foot-5, 302-pound lineman was a fourth-round draft pick in 2004 from Michigan State. He played in five games as a rookie, but was active for only one game last season.
Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said Sunday morning he could not confirm Askew's arrest and had no other information.
The arrest came about a week after Bengals owner Mike Brown issued a statement to reassure fans the team has standards for its players. Three other Bengals have been charged with criminal offenses in recent months.
"We want our fans to know that we share their concerns regarding the recent off-field conduct of several Bengals players," Brown said in the statement. "We expect our players to be good citizens, as most are, and we hold them accountable for their conduct under team and league rules."
Last month, second-year receiver Chris Henry pleaded not guilty in Covington, Ky., to charges that he provided alcohol to three underage females. He also faces a drunken driving charge in suburban Cincinnati, and is scheduled for trial Aug. 21 in Florida on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
A.J. Nicholson, a fifth-round pick in April, was charged last month with burglarizing the apartment of a former Florida State teammate. He also faces grand theft and vandalism charges in Florida.
Also last month, defensive end Frostee Rucker was charged with two counts of spousal battery and vandalism in Los Angeles. The third-round pick has denied the allegations.
 
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