CB Nate Clements (All B1G, NFL Pro Bowl)

[Buckskin86]

Bengals Blog
Zimmer & Lewis on Clements
Jul 30, 2011 | Written by kgoheen

The loss of CB Johnathan Joseph to Houston as an unrestricted free agent left defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer disappointed. He made a comment on Friday about the organization being on the search for a replacement: ?It will be interesting to see what the next guy is. Whether he?s here, or at training camp, or on the street somewhere, or if he?s on another team, or Canada. Who knows??

With the Bengals having agreed to terms ? but not yet officially signing ? former San Francisco CB Nate Clements, Zimmer was in a much better mood as he left the practice field Saturday night.

?I probably shouldn?t comment on it until it?s done because I don?t want to jinx myself,? said Zimmer. ?But I don?t think we went to Canada.?

Later, head coach Marvin Lewis added:

?You watch him play and see how smart of a player he is. He?s a fine, fine player? He?ll be 32 at the end of December. He?s been a great cover player. A fine player up in Buffalo and then out there and continued it. He just wanted to get into a situation where he felt good and comfortable.?

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2011/07/30/zimmer-on-clements/

 

[Buckskin86]

CLEMENTS COMING TODAY: Cornerback Nate Clements is expected to be at camp today but cannot practice until Thursday. Clements agreed to terms of a two-year deal worth $10.5 million with $6 million guaranteed.

"It's good to get another guy in here who's proven. He plays smart and is always in good position, making reads on the quarterback," said Leon Hall, who said he has long been a fan of Clements.

Hall did say he congratulated Johnathan Joseph on Thursday night on signing with the Texans.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110731/SPT02/108010316

 

[Buckskin86]

Bengals Blog
Clements arrives at camp
Aug 1, 2011 | Written by jreedy

Two days after agreeing to terms with the Bengals, cornerback Nate Clements arrived in Georgetown on Monday and signed his two-year contract.

An 11-year veteran, Clements was released by the Niners on Thursday in a salary cap move. The Shaker Heights native and former Ohio State standout had 82 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, a sack, and 10 total passes defensed.

He has played 150 NFL games with 128 starts. He has played in every game in eight of his previous 10 seasons. His career totals include 33 INTs, 101 total passes defensed, 20 forced fumbles and five touchdowns.

?It feels good to be back in Ohio,? Clements said. ?I looked at everything based on the direction the team is moving, where they were at currently. I started playing in a 4-3 which is comfortable for me. Coming back home played a part in my decision as well.?

Clements was a first-round pick by Buffalo in 2001 before signing with San Francisco in 2007. He will start at left corner opposite Leon Hall. The position remains thin with Morgan Trent not practicing due to a knee injury and Jonathan Wade out with a shoulder injury.

Said Clements about the defense: ?Being on the outside looking in you could see they had a real good tandem in Joseph and Hall. With Joseph moving on I felt like I could play a major role.?

Cont...

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2011/08/01/clements-arrives-at-camp/

 

[starBUCKS]

ProFootballTalk ProFootballTalk

Former 49er Manny Lawson agrees to terms with the Bengals on a one-year deal, per league source.

 

[Buckskin86]

Nate Clements feels at home with Bengals
New cornerback all smiles in return to Ohio
Aug. 2, 2011
Written by Joe Reedy

GEORGETOWN, Ky. - He can't practice until Thursday, but Nate Clements arrived at Bengals training camp on Monday.

While the 11-year veteran is happy to be back in Ohio - he grew up in Shaker Heights and played at Ohio State - everyone hopes there's no dropoff from Johnathan Joseph, who signed with Houston after five seasons here.

Joseph and Leon Hall were one of the top corner tandems in the AFC. When asked if a Clements/Hall pairing can rise to that level, Clements said: "We definitely have (the ability) to be one of the top duo corners. You can say it, but basically the bottom line at the end of the day is you have to go out there and do it."

Clements, whose two-year deal is worth $10.5 million, was released by San Francisco last Thursday in a salary cap move. Last season he had 82 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, a sack and 10 passes defensed.

One person who is happy to see Clements back with the Bengals is his former coach at Ohio State, John Cooper. Now a scouting consultant for the Bengals, Cooper arrived at training camp Monday and said he put Clements at the top of his list of corners he coached in Columbus.

"He's probably not as good a cover guy as Shawn Springs was and not as instinctive a tackler as Antoine Winfield was, but he's a good football player," Cooper said. "You don't say he's a cover guy, he's a corner. He's fast and not afraid to take chances. He's one of those guys who's not going to back down from anyone."

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...with-Bengals?odyssey=tab|mostpopular|text|SPT

 

[brodybuck21]

ProFootballTalk ProFootballTalk

wrong thread?

 

[Buckskin86]

THE FOOTBALL FEVER: Former Buckeye Nate Clements Come Home -ABC6 TV

 

[Buckskin86]

NFL: Clements at home in Bengals secondary
Thursday August 25, 2011
AJ Mazzolini

CINCINNATI ? When All-Pro cornerback Johnathan Joseph left for a big paycheck in Houston in July, the Bengals needed to fill a gaping hole in a defense already expecting to struggle this season.

Just days later, the Bengals signed former Ohio State player Nate Clements. It?s like being home, Clements said with a smile, even though his hometown of Shaker Heights, Ohio, is still more than 200 miles away.

But at least it?s like home, he said, especially compared with San Francisco, where he played the past four seasons.

?It feels good,? the 31-year-old said. ?My family?s a lot closer. I think they?re just as excited as I am.?

After the San Francisco 49ers dumped Clements in a salary-cap move in July, the Bengals pounced on him, signing him to a two-year, $10.5 million deal.

A first-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2000, Clements welcomed the change of scenery after his time in San Francisco didn?t end the way he would have liked. In 2006, the 49ers made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, a label that carries special pressure.

He still performed well, but his numbers were never eye-popping. In 54 games, Clements had 10 interceptions. He has put that part of his career behind him.

?I really don?t see it in a negative light,? he said. ?You know the old saying, ?Before it gets good, it?s going to be bad or it?s got to get worse.? ?

His new coaches hope he can rekindle some of the spark that helped him rank among the league?s best at the beginning of his career in Buffalo, the same type of play that earned him that eight-year, $80 million contract from the 49ers. Clements never missed a game in six seasons in Buffalo and recorded 23 interceptions.

?When you?ve played as long as he has at a high level like he has, there?s a reason for it,? said Kevin Coyle, the Bengals? defensive backs coach. ?One is the physical tools he has. No. 2, you have to understand the game ? you have to understand how teams are trying to attack you. And he does. Nothing catches him off guard on the field anymore.?

Cont...

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2011/08/25/clements-at-home-in-bengals-secondary.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Once fan, Clements now Browns' foe
Sep. 9, 2011
Written by
Kevin Goheen
Enquirer contributor

Bengals cornerback Nate Clements defends rookie wide receiver A.J. Green during a training-camp practice Aug. 15. / The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger

Nate Clements was a Browns fan while growing up in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights.

"Back when they had Bernie Kosar, Kevin Mack, Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon," Clements said.

Minnifield and Dixon were two of the best cornerbacks in their day, great examples of what Clements wanted to become.

Now, 10 seasons into his own NFL career, Clements will make his Bengals debut at left cornerback Sunday against his hometown team, on the day Minnifield and Dixon will serve as the Browns' honorary captains.

"It's exciting in general just to have an opportunity to play this game," Clements said. "It's exciting, and things have fallen into place with playing in Cleveland for the season opener."

Cont...

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...Browns-foe?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|p

 

[Buckskin86]

Q&A with ex-49ers CB Nate Clements
September 21, 2011

Cornerback Nate Clements said Wednesday morning that he didn't figure he'd be playing for the home team this week when the 49ers visit the Cincinnati Bengals.

He figured a new contract would be worked out and he'd be back for a fifth season with the 49ers. But the 49ers released Clements and he quickly signed with the Bengals.

On Sunday, he'll be facing an offense that looks nothing like the one he saw while with the 49ers, he said. And he sees an offensive philosophy under new coach Jim Harbaugh that plays to the strengths of quarterback Alex Smith.

Here is what Clements had to say in a conference call with Bay Area reporters:

On so many former 49ers in the locker room:
Clements: "It's one of those things where it's just a coincidence. It happened to work out that way."

On whether Bengals asked him about Taylor Mays:
Clements: "No. I really don't have anything to do with the front office decisions. So those guys, they're capable in what they're doing when it comes to that, and I just focus on playing football."

How soon after you got released did Bengals go after you?
Clements: "Actually, I didn't even expect this to happen. But things happen for a reason. I was fortunate enough that I didn't have to wait too long for a call."

Cont...

http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/nine...-CB-Nate-Clements-?blockID=565522&feedID=5884

 

[Buckskin86]

Bengals? Clements no resentment toward 49ers
Posted by Cam Inman on September 21st, 2011

Instead of earning more than $15 million this year from the 49ers, cornerback Nate Clements was cast aside this summer and picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals, who will host the 49ers on Sunday. Clements spoke amicably about the 49ers on a call with Bay Area media this morning.

After signing a seven-year, $70 million contract with the 49ers in 2007, he produced 10 interceptions, including three last year. He also fumbled away an interception return in a 16-14 loss at Atlanta, but overall had a better season last year than in 2009, when he missed nine games with a shoulder injury.

Here are some of the audibles Clements sounded off in today?s call:

On being joined in Cincy by ex-49ers Manny Lawson and Taylor Mays: ?One those things. It?s a coincidence and it happened to work out that way.?

On whether he recommended they trade for Taylor Mays: ?No. I have nothing to do with front office decisions. ?I just focus on football.?

On joining the Bengals, who signed him to a two-year, $10.5 million contract with $6 million guaranteed: ?I didn?t even expect this to happen. But things happen for a reason. I was fortunate enough I didn?t have to wait too long for a call.?

On leaving the 49ers: ?Things happen for a reason. You have to understand the nature of this game and have to move forward. ? I don?t want to get into details about that situation. I had to do what?s best for me and my family first.?

cont...

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2011/09/21/bengals-clements-no-resentment-toward-49ers/

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcvJHG8VvA8"]Adam Neft Interviews Nate Clements on The Buckeye Show on 97.1 The Fan - YouTube[/ame]

 

[JohnnyCockfight]

Was at the Bengals game yesterday, and I didn't see Nate give up a single catch. Leon Hall on the other hand....

 

[Buckskin86]

AFC North MVP watch
October, 8, 2011
By Jamison Hensley

If you're a fan of the hard work that fellow blogger Mike Sando puts into his weekly MVP Watch, you'll notice that there is no one from the AFC North on that list. Of course, it's hard to complain when the top 10 candidates are players from the offensive side of the ball. As everyone knows here, defense rules this division.

So, here's a look at the team MVPs a quarter of the way into the season:

BENGALS: CB Nate Clements. While a popular pick would be rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, it's hard to ignore the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Rey Maualuga has been solid in making the move to middle linebacker, and nose tackle Domata Peko is very underrated. But the call goes to Clements because of what coach Marvin Lewis said this week. "He?s a guy who has led this defensive unit to where they are," Lewis said. "He?s come in here and told them to get on his back. He?s helped make those other guys in that room better players." Hard to argue against that.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/32885/afc-north-mvp-watch

 

[Buckskin86]

Comparing Bengals Nate Clements' Season With Johnathan Joseph
Cj_tiny by Josh Kirkendall on Oct 12, 2011

Now with five regular season games in the books, we wanted to take a comparative (though simplistic) view at how Nate Clements is playing this year compared to the man he replaced, Johnathan Joseph, who signed with the Houston Texans after the NFL lockout was lifted. We added Leon Hall, who struggled against the Jacksonville Jaguars with an opposing quarterback rating of 135.5, for the sake of good old fashioned argument. Joseph has had a good start with the Texans, doubling Cincinnati's total interception (1). How do the cornerbacks compare against each other?

cont..

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2011/10/...ls-nate-clements-season-with-johnathan-joseph