Dropping passes costs Daniel Coats a starting gig; Paul Alexander loves his offensive line
If one could sing a song about Bengals tight ends, it would be a country song. One position on the Bengals roster that's been the most tragic and frustrating, has been Tight Ends. Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht were lost early during Training Camp. Daniel Coats, at the time on the outside looking in, was promoted as the starting Tight End by default while the Bengals signed J.P. Foschi off the street -- if for anything to add bodies to the depth chart. Chase Coffman hovered, not really making an impression on the Bengals, or even the fans. He's still hovering while he learns to block; or at least ready enough to take a special teams role.
Daniel Coats has 12 receptions, which ties a career-high that he set during his rookie season in 2007. But it's not the receptions that he's noted for. It's the drops and fumbles. As a result, J.P. Foschi has been promoted over Coats on the team's depth chart. Foschi has eight receptions on the season for 74 yards receiving and a touchdown (all career highs already). Note: Foschi's one touchdown is one more than Coats.
Foschi has impressed CincyJungle far more than Coats has; which could illustrate how unimpressive Coats has been. But I'm not sure if the Bengals will limit Coats' playing time as much as one would think. When the Bengals lined up Two-Fullback formation in the backfield, like a diamond with Jeremi Johnson and Coats side-by-side, the rushing offense was scary good.
A new business tradition: when you don't make money, try everything you can to make less of it. I'm not exactly sure how I should react to the Dayton Daily News' coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals. It's not that they've shut down coverage entirely. When the Chickster left -- they still have the Chickster's Twitter account on their front page -- I've found myself visiting DDN less; we've linked to their stories few and far between since. Tom Archdeacon writes Bengals related stories, but he's not really on the beat persay and most of the headlines are AP written stories. I can't tell you the last time I saw Carlos Holmes on DDN -- note: he could be on there, but the fact that I can't find him speaks measures. DDN does have a blog, but it's more like a collection of news stories, rather than opinion. But hey, I can't be too upset. After all, they do promote Cincy Jungle through Blog Burst just fine. Speaking of one DDN piece, I want to know, is this the definition of a bandwagon fan?
I grew up a Cincinnati Bengals fan, but lost interest over the years because I always felt owner Mike Brown treated the club as if it were his personal fantasy football team...
But the Bengals’ 5-2 start has gotten my attention. Carson Palmer is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he has surprised me with his mobility. After tanking last season, Chad Ochocinco appears committed this year (maybe the Bengals were right in not caving to his trade demands).
Moving on.
Offensive line coach Paul Alexander said of his offensive line, "To be honest with you, they’re beyond my expectations right now and unfortunately it’s made me greedy because now I’m shooting for the moon and they can be even better."
Loved this Geoff Hobson piece about center Kyle Cook, in which Carson Palmer says, "He’s a mini Richie the way he’s going." Richie is, of course, Rich Braham, long-time offensive lineman for the Bengals that was so good, he became the measuring stick for all centers on the team.
Speaking of Chick Ludwig, he expects the Bengals to offer Marvin Lewis a contract extension if the team makes the playoffs this year or next. Lewis' contract expires after the 2010 season.
Joe Reedy writes, "One obvious improvement in Palmer’s game has been his mobility, both in and out of the pocket." He's been rolling out, sometimes on purpose, sometimes because of the pass rush, finding open receivers. And when he's not finding open receivers, he's taking off. Carson Palmer has 44 yards rushing, which ranks third on the team. Furthermore, he's only three yards away from tying a career-high 47 during his sophomore season in 2004.
Under Marvin Lewis, the Bengals are 1-4-1 after the Bye Week -- they haven't won after the bye week since beating Baltimore 34-26 at PBS.
Kevin Huber comes from a family of kickers, ranging from sisters playing soccer, to his father punting for Xavier university and his brother punting in high school and Mount St. Joe.
And finally, a friend of mine recently became a grandmother. Her son, a former quarterback with Dayton Christian school, had a healthy baby boy a few months ago. Mother, father and grandmother are all doing great. Here's father and son, wearing their Bengals gear with pride.

If you have stories or pictures you want to share, you can send them to me, or create a FanShot.
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on the line
The fate of our offense has hung on our line since 2005. In 2005, we put a seasoned and talented group on the field and it paid mad dividends. Since 2007, the line has degenerated through injuries and reshuffling—but we are finally on the upswing. This tells me three things—
1. Bengals must always be drafting OLineman as long as Palmer is our franchise.
2. We have a young and talented group
3. Our line is only going to get better as they play together more and because one of the most talented is still on the bench.
Very exciting times I do believe.
by goffchile on Oct 29, 2009 12:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
the line
has been a source of offensive pride for the team this season. would suggest Paul Alexander has been among most important coachs for the bengals this season, along with jim anderson and zimmer. minus the defense, cedric benson, and the o-line cincy is on their way to another 4/12 +/-2 season. as it stands, we control our own destiny, with a solid chance for the playoffs.
as for kyle cook, thank you football gods. after years of suffering with eric guychick getting tossed around on sundays like he weighed 98 pounds. its nice not to see carson running for his life on the snap as the center gets shoved into the backfield. kyle cook probably ain’t hall of fame material. he’s certainly helped stabilize a glaring hole in the bengals offensive line from the past 2+ seasons.
by palewook on Oct 30, 2009 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I love that 3 back set
it worked very well, yea its does look like a diamond. “the diamond formation”
CB85......Collaros for Heisman
by TennBengalfan on Oct 29, 2009 5:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
forget coats
dennis roland is a better blocking ‘te’
by palewook on Oct 30, 2009 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
im thrilled for JP Foschi
i said here a while back that the young man gave up his monday night to sign autographs at a local fundraiser for a child who has leukemia. he brought 8×10 color photos and ALL the kids got one. thumbs up.
if i get a sales bonus this quarter i just might get a Foschi jersey…
"I have found me a home"
by obc2 on Oct 29, 2009 8:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
foschi still aint a #1 te
he just happens to be our #1 because chase is “fill in the blank” and the 3 guys in front of foschi got hurt or failed (coats).
foschi might stick on our roster next year fighting for the #2 or #3 te spot. depends if chase is still lost in the woods in 2010. could come down to a bubble cut next season between those two for the last te slot.
by palewook on Oct 30, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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