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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > May > 05 > Entry
Things that make Marvin go, ‘WOW’
SING-A-LONG WITH MARVIN
My first thought was …
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has just turned into Frankie Valli, lead singer of the “Four Seasons.”
Sherry, Sherry baby
Sherry, Sherry baby
She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby
She - e - rry, can you come out tonight
Lewis simply couldn’t hide his excitement about rookie (Bengal) cat Matt Sherry, the club’s sixth-round tight end from Villanova.
Lewis said he was impressed with all 10 draft picks, but …
“I thought Matt Sherry, as things went along, really made me go, ‘Wow’ with some one-on-one stuff that we did with the linebackers and safeties going against the tight ends and backs. That made me go, ‘Wow.’
“I thought the receivers, (Jerome) Simpson and (Andre) Caldwell, did a great job that way. Corey Lynch made a couple of plays on the football as a safety. I think the two defensive tackles (Pat Sims and Jason Shirley) have an opportunity to continue (to improve) as they get down footwork and stances and weight distributions, things that we spent a lot of time on these last three days. They’re going to be able to help us for a while. I feel good about that.
“One of the guys we signed after the draft, (Alabama’s) Simeon Castille, a cornerback, came in and handled himself real well and did a great job. Anthony Hoke is trying to make the transition from defensive end at UC over to linebacker here and did a good job.”
MORE ‘WOW’ FACTOR
Interviewing players at the NFL Combine, meeting them on their college campuses and bringing them to Paul Brown Stadium for visits gives coaches a feel for players.
“But you don’t really see if they can handle a 5-practice installation,” Lewis said. “Secondly, the speed of playing football. Timed 40 speed is one thing, but actually playing football at football speed, 11-on-11, is a big difference. That matters.
“A guy’s strength and how much man he has to him — (offensive tackle) Anthony Collins would be an example. When he places his hands on somebody, his hands are on them. Or Jason Shirley. When they lay hands on you, they have hands on you. I think those are some things you don’t get a chance to see how much man is in that punch. In that group is Pat Sims as well. Those three big guys are big strong men. That’s the thing I came away impressed with.
“The length and strength of Angelo Craig, he needs to improve a lot, but he’s got some toughness to him and some fight. He’s out here battling for five practices with Anthony Collins. To me, that shows a lot.
“Keith (Rivers) probably had the easiest transition because he was doing things he’s been doing, but I really was impressed with how we were able to draft and what they were able to show and how it’s going to equate to playing NFL football, and having a chance to make our team and making us a better team.”
BORN LEADER
You could see that in Rivers right away.
“Some of the things he showed are innate, by gathering the group, and every time he’s not in a meeting, he’s watching tape. I think that has impressed me about him. He already gets it.”
INJURED GUYS
Free safety Ethan Kilmer, who didn’t play a down in 2007 because of knee, hamstring and quadriceps problems, “should be ready to go,” Lewis said, for the club’s first OTA (organized team activity, a fancy expression for on-field coaching session) on Tuesday, May 13,
Tailback Chris Perry is also expected to fully participate in OTAs, but tailback Kenny Irons is not. Irons suffered a torn left ACL in the preseason opener at Detroit on Aug. 9, 2007, and needs more time to recover.
BENNIE BRAZELL
From Devin: “I just read your article that briefly mentioned Bennie, and I was hoping you could clear up this mystery for me. I remember Bennie being one of the stars of camp — blistering speed and catching everything in sight — until he got injured. I’d hoped he’d be in the mix when he returned, but he seems to have disappeared. What happened?”
LUDWIG AT LARGE: “Brazell, the Bengals’ seventh-round draft pick in 2006 from LSU, is no longer with the club. His practice squad contract expired when the 2007 season ended, and he hasn’t been signed to the 2008 offseason roster. He spent the entire 2006 season on Injured Reserve after suffering a knee injury in the third preseason game against Green Bay. In 2007, he played in preseason games 1-2, catching five passes for 43 yards. But he suffered another knee injury in pregame warm-ups Aug. 28 at Atlanta (Preseason Game 3). Brazell was waived on Sept. 1, signed to the practice squad on Sept. 2 and placed on the Practice Squad/Injured list on Sept. 11. Brazell was a star in two straight training camps at Georgetown College, but couldn’t stay healthy. Bennie is a jet, but as brittle as a Porcelain plate.”
Contact Chick Ludwig at cludwig@daytondailynews.com
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By Devin
May 5, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this
Hi Chick - thanks for the news on Bennie. Now I can sleep at night. And SO good to hear that Perry is back in the fold. I really want to see him avoid Brazell’s fate and come back from this injury. Getting him, Thurman, and Brooks back (assuming his issues work out) would be like getting an infusion of three first round picks! We’ve had too much bad luck for too long and it’s time to get a break. Perry, in particular, could really use one.By Ft. Myers Foursome
May 5, 2008 6:18 PM | Link to this
Two things about today’s article Chick: I can’t help but think Chris Perry is as fragile as Brazell and question his ability to hold up over an entire NFL season. Secondly, I don’t know if Marvin is just trying to pump up his rookies to excel even more or thinks the Bengals actually had a rare super draft. I do know it’s asking a lot to think the contributions of these rookies will be enough to push the Bengals back into the playoffs and avoid another ho hum season. But then again, it’s a new season and it’s nice to dream about what could be.By Done with the Bengals
May 5, 2008 10:16 PM | Link to this
It don’t matter. What is the Bengals record since Mike Brown took control of this joke of an NFL franchise? He is the reason this team will never be taken seriously and all you fools who buy tickets and merchandise are his bitches. I had rooted for this team for over 20 years and finally realized Mikey boy does not care about building a dominant team that is in contention every year. He has no clue how to do that. He makes $ for his family. Cant fault him for that I guess. I just know he is a bufoon and the only reason he is in the position he is is because his father was Paul Brown, who is turning over in his grave. Im done.