Keeping in line with Jason Garrison's weekly MVP posting, we're going to add another weekly segment: "The Unsung Hero of the Week Award". This will be awarded to the Bengals player that had a major impact on the game, but did so behind the scenes.
So many times the skill position players get the glory of the "MVP" award as they're the ones who run, throw and/or catch touchdowns. Other times, a player causes a turnover and is heralded as the week's hero for a single big play. This award is for the player(s) who were solid throughout the entirety of the game and were perhaps a bit overshadowed by other player's feats.
There were a number of players that could have been chosen for this award for their contributions in the victory against the Cleveland Browns. But, this week, I'm pleased to announce that the first winner of the Unsung Hero of the Week Award goes to offensive guard Clint Boling. Why?
Cincy Jungle's Dave Wellman (AKA "BeerRun") and I shared the same thought on Boling's performance on Sunday:
Because I didn't hear his name all game -- which is exactly what you want from an offensive lineman. Making his first NFL start (in the first week of his rookie year with basically no offseason, no less) Boling was easily the most unsung of the three Bengals newbies (Boling, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green) going in against the Browns and was largely unnoticed in the wake of the victory. Here's to you Mr. Invisible Rookie. Keep up the good work.
Precisely. There were no penalties or sacks directly attributed to Boling, and the starting running back had a 100-yard rushing day. Not a bad day at the office. Some fans were a bit scared at the idea of a rookie lineman protecting a rookie quarterback, but both held up just fine. Even after only one game, Boling looks to have a solid NFL career in front of him.
Some other nominees for consideration were: safety Reggie Nelson, punter Kevin Huber, kicker Mike Nugent, fullback Chris Pressley and linebacker Thomas Howard.
It's your turn to vote--who would you choose?