Shaun Alexander was named the 2005 NFL MVP, the 2005 AP Offensive Player of the Year, the 2005 FedEx Ground NFL Player of the year and winning the Best Record Breaking Performance and Best NFL Player at the ESPY's. Alexander rushed for 132 yards on 34 carries in the 2005 NFC Championship game. In March (2006), Alexander became the highest paid running back in NFL history signing an eight-year, $62 million contract.

So who would have thought at the time that the Bengals wouldn't sign Alexander because they believe Chris Perry is back. Nevermind the constant injuries and the relaxed exhale when Perry stands up after being tackled. Nevermind the risk that the Bengals are taking hoping that Rudi Johnson is beef-cake. BEEFCAKE! It's the story of running back's who seemingly degrade so quickly that they become average quickly. Perhaps it's contract fulfillment. Perhaps it's simply being beaten up so much that you hesitate. Perhaps it's just age -- save for the elites in the game, age cripples running backs quickly.

I won't pretend to know. But when you look back, with the season that Alexander had, it was crazy to think that Chris Perry would deny his return home.

Here's the added interest. Alexander isn't just unsigned, but there appears to be zero interest in the league for him. The Saints were interested, but it was reportedly a fact finding visit. Perhaps things will change once camp breaks. Like is Perry truly ready? Is Rudi Johnson "returned"? We'll see. As of now, the Bengals are pretty content with who they have at running back.

If there stands a chance that Chris Perry is ready to go, the likelihood that the Bengals sign Shaun Alexander drops significantly unless they write off Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey and assume that Kenny Irons won't be playing 2008. Apparently Perry is ready to go for this week's voluntary on-field work. Even so, little is known about negotiations between Alexander and the Bengals other than they haven't happened as of Friday. My opinion is that if it hasn't happened yet, it probably won't.

Chris Perry was the Bengals wildcard during the team's 2005 AFC North Title run converting 31% of his 51 receptions for first downs while gaining 604 yards total on 112 touches (5.4 y/p). Since that season the Bengals are one game below .500 while Perry played in six (3-3) of 32 contests during that stretch.

The Bengals are 13-9 when Perry plays since 2004.

What's interesting about the Shaun Alexander sweepstakes is that the two teams that have publicly expressed interest (Bengals and Saints), have two running backs coming off injury in Rudi Johnson and Deuce McAllister. The Bengals let Alexander on the plane without offering a deal while he concluded the visit was "a good visit". If Alexander were to sign with his home town team, then the Bengals would use him as a backup to Rudi Johnson and an "insurance policy" if (or should we say 'when') Chris Perry goes down for the season.

In related running backs news, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis expects Chris Perry "to be on the field when the voluntary camps start May 13"

Running back?

Running back?

That was my initial reaction when it became known that the Bengals were looking early in the 2008 NFL Draft for a running back. Then Chris Perry and Rudi Johnson stepped up their off-season conditioning and rehab impressing Lewis enough to forgo the position addressing other needs. If that wait-and-see scenario, a best case scenario, fulfills the team's basic re-designation of successful rushing to off-set the terrible degradation the past two seasons, then perhaps a hope, prayer and a wait-and-see approach will benefit the team in the long run. Consider for an instant that if the Bengals went running back early, then they'd not have Keith Rivers or Pat Sims -- two guys this team desperately needs. One or the other, but not both. Then again, perhaps the team could have used the second pick for a running back rather than receiver. To be honest, the Bengals used their first three picks well. I haven't a qualm in the world about any of them.

Since 2003, Marvin Lewis has drafted two running backs -- three if you count Jeremi Johnson. Chris Perry and Kenny Irons have spent considerable amount of time off the field with injuries. Serious injuries. In four seasons, Perry has played in 34% out of a possible 64 games. Other than 2005, Perry's career-high of games played in a single-season is six (2006). Between Irons and Perry, neither took a single snap in 2007.

Rudi Johnson gutted out a bad hamstring and ineffective line blocking all season -- he just couldn't do it. It was around this time that Kenny Watson started to blossom and fans became excited about what DeDe Dorsey could string together. It was almost like Watson replaced Rudi as the feature back and Dorsey, when given the chance (which wasn't much) took the role of third-down back as best as we could expect. But that's what happens to a team that finishes 7-9.

We know that Perry is recovering well and has "impressed" the head coach. Same for Rudi. It's generally believed that Kenny Irons won't be ready for the season likely placed on PUP for the first six weeks of the season. And it's unknown if he'll be ready even then. Watson will be in the mix bringing us to three running backs to start the season. If the team keeps Dorsey -- for some reason, I've never really felt that the team has been impressed with him enough to utilize him fully -- the Bengals would likely be set with Jeremi Johnson rounding out the group.

But this is why I call it a hope-and-prayer, or wait-and-see, scenario. Perry has come into seasons healthy before. Yet, he falls eventually. Running backs degrade so quickly in the NFL that not a great many people think that Rudi will return to old form. Watson is serviceable, but he's hardly the league's premier back and Dorsey is a small scat back that's best used on third downs -- screen passes, dumps, draws, etc...

In the end, I believe the Bengals are right to give this cast of running backs one more chance. But in the end, it could also be the team's undoing. And for the love of god, don't sign Shaun Alexander.

CincyJungle made an upgrade. Read this first to get acquired to the site (like obtaining your old usernames).

In Geoff Hobson's latest, he makes the point that the Bengals are very likely going after a running back and (not "or", and) wide receiver in the top-three rounds after the possibly of drafting Leodis McKelvin if Sedrick Ellis is gone. It's safe to say that the Bengals are unlikely to use their first pick for their #3 wide receiver. Not because their picking ninth, rather the strength of the wide receiver class is considered down, by some. Scouts.com ranks Malcolm Kelly as the highest rated wide receiver at 16. And after his "I'm really fast if I run on really fast surface" episode, his stock started slipping. It's realistic that he could drop to the Bengals second pick. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if he's already gone. I'd be surprised if he's around and the Bengals pass on him after Bob Bratkowski checked out the Oklahoma wide receiver during a two-man workout at Oklahoma earlier this month.

So we can assume the following. That the Bengals will draft either Ellis or McKelvin in the first round -- just because those names appear most often. In the second round, if he's available, the Bengals will help their wide receiver spot with Kelly -- or another WR at least. I don't have any inside information on that, just that it seems marked that way.

But running back in the third?

It's honestly not a bad idea, but something has to give. It's a foregone conclusion -- well, it should be -- that Chris Perry would be axed first. He's got talent, but his health is simply not dependable. Nor is Rudi Johnson's return to 03-05 form, nor is the recovery of Kenny Irons after shredding his knee last pre-season. Kenny Watson is really the only "sure thing" returning while DeDe Dorsey has little room for leverage.

So this topic is, if the Bengals draft a running back (anywhere in the first three rounds), should they and who? (other than Chris Johnson).