MiddletownJournal.com

Shocker: Bengals waive TB Kenny Irons

By Chick Ludwig | Friday, July 25, 2008, 11:06 AM

AFTER A TORN ACL IN ‘07,

AFTER FAILING PHYSICAL

In a shocking move announced Friday morning, July 25, 2008, the Cincinnati Bengals released tailback Kenny Irons after he failed the team’s physical exam earlier this week.

According to a new release from the club, Irons’ abrupt exit falls under the category of “Waived/Failed Physical.”

Irons, the Bengals’ second-round draft pick (No. 49 overall) out of Auburn University in the 2007 NFL Draft, has been unable to play or practice since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in the 2007 preseason opener on Aug. 9, 2007, at Detroit.

Irons, one of the stars of last summer’s training camp, spent his ’07 rookie season on Cincinnati’s Injured Reserve list, and has been rehabilitating the left-knee injury ever since.

His release thins out the glut of running backs on the roster heading into training camp.

Rudi Johnson enters camp as the starter followed by Kenny Watson, Chris Perry, James Johnson and DeDe Dorsey.

Dorsey, who has lingering soreness from a pulled hamstring suffered during June’s mandatory, full-squad minicamp, is expected to be the only player not ready to practice on Monday, July 28 — the club’s first day of training camp at Georgetown (Ky.) College.

Monday’s double practice session is scheduled for 9-11 a.m. and 7-9 p.m.

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Chick’s Fabulous Football Glossary

By Chick Ludwig | Friday, July 25, 2008, 10:02 AM

A FANS’ GUIDE TO THE

‘LANGUAGE OF FOOTBALL’

===Football has a language all its own and many don’t understand the gridiron mumbo-jumbo. It is a foreign language. It is Sanskrit. Well, LUDWIG AT LARGE is here to help with the interpretation of it all. So sit back, relax and enjoy CHICK LUDWIG’S FABULOUS FOOTBALL GLOSSARY===

Audible — A quarterback changing the play at the line of scrimmage as dictated by the defense. It’s built into the QB’s voice tone or cadence. He can use a color system or a number system. QBs also use a “check-with-me” where they call two plays in the huddle and check to the one they want at the line of scrimmage.

Bracketing — A double-team designed to take a receiver out of a play. One defender is in front of the receiver and another defender is behind the receiver. The double-team can also take place from side-to-side. Defenses will bracket a top receiver in an attempt to shut him down.

Chip — It’s not a full-body block. It’s a help-block — usually by a running back on a defensive end to give the QB more protection. A chip helps the offensive tackle secure the corner. It dictates that the back takes a piece of the defensive lineman and then continues his other assignment, which is normally a pass route.

Downhill — It’s attacking the line of scrimmage. Term mainly refers to linebackers and running backs. Linebackers must be ready to take on a block, get separation and move toward the line of scrimmage with force.

Eight in a box — Defenses have a “front seven” — three or four linemen and three or four linebackers. When the strong safety moves up toward the line of scrimmage to help stop a tailback, he becomes the “eighth man in the box.” It’s a perfect time for the QB to audible to a pass play.

Fire Zone — It’s a combination blitz and zone by the defense. A defender who is normally a pass rusher — such as an end — drops off the line of scrimmage into zone coverage, while a linebacker blitzes. It’s designed to confuse the QB because one defender is blitzing while another is dropping into zone coverage.

Go — A deep pass pattern, also known as a streak, fly or “home run” where the wide receiver attempts to outrun the cornerback in a lane straight down the field.

Hot reads — When a QB reads too many blitzers for the pass protection to pick up. It’s the QB’s responsibility to get rid of the ball quickly prior to the free man getting to him. It’s something both the QB and receiver must see. Upon seeing it, the wideout breaks off the pattern into a “hot” or quick route.

Intentional grounding — QBs in the area between the left and right tackle — known as the “tackle box” — get this penalty when they throw the ball away to avoid a sack. However, they are allowed to take the snap and quickly spike the ball, without penalty, to kill the clock. They are also allowed to throw the ball away, without penalty, as long as they are flushed outside the tackle box.

Jam — A cornerback uses his hands and arms to re-route a wide receiver and disrupt the timing of his pattern. It must be done within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage or it’s a penalty. Wide receivers are always trying to escape the jam.

Keys — Anything an offense does with regularity that gives a defensive player a head start on what play might be coming. It could be an alignment (the way the offensive line lines up) or a certain package (3 or 4 wide receivers).

Leverage — It’s important for a lineman on either side of the ball to burst off the line of scrimmage and get below the opposing player’s shoulder pads. The guy who plays lower has better “leverage” and normally wins the battle.

Mike — The middle linebacker. His “brothers” are Sam (strong-side linebacker) and Will (weak-side linebacker).

Nickel — A fifth defensive back in a passing situation. He’s normally a cornerback who replaces the strong-side linebacker.

Out — It’s a pass pattern in which the receiver goes upfield and breaks toward the sideline against man-to-man coverage. It consists of three levels. A quick out is 3-to-5 yards off the line of scrimmage. A speed out is a 10-yard pattern. A “comeback” is a 15- to 20-yard out where the receiver comes back to catch the ball.

Progressions — A quarterback, in quick succession, reads his primary, secondary and outlet receiver. After going through his progressions, he delivers the ball — usually within 3 seconds.

Quarterback sack — The QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage. If the QB runs out of bounds for a loss, the nearest chasing defender gets credit for a sack.

Reps — Short for “repetitions.” Reps are your number of turns in practice; the amount of snaps you’re receiving.

Spill — A defensive term in which a defender absorbs a block, forcing the play to bounce or “spill” to the outside.

Trips — Three receivers clustered on one side of a formation. Thus, “trips left” or “trips right.”

UFA — An unrestricted free agent. Players with at least four accrued seasons of NFL experience whose contracts expire are UFAs.

Vertical — The downfield passing game. There are four vertical lanes down the field. By going vertical, an offense attacks those lanes. It’s also a route designed to hit a receiver in full stride down the field. There’s no curl or hook to a vertical.

Wash — An unflattering term for a defender who can’t hold his position and gets “washed” out of a play. Either he can’t recover from a block or he runs too far past a play.

X receiver — The split end.

Y receiver — The slot end or tight end.

Z receiver — The flanker. He’s the wide receiver on the tight end side in the standard set.

(Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals for the Dayton Daily News. Contact him at cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com)

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‘He Hate Me,’ and much, much more

By Chick Ludwig | Friday, July 25, 2008, 08:00 AM

RESPECT IS BETTER

THAN BEING LIKED

LUDWIG AT LARGE is beginning to feel like Rod Smart.

You remember Torrold D. “Rod” Smart. He used “He Hate Me” as his jersey name when he played for the XFL Las Vegas Outlaws.

I’m using it now, too, to explain Cleveland Browns fans’ feelings for me.

They dislike me, VERY INTENSELY, for the 273-word “Audible” column I wrote in the July 21, 2008, editions of the Dayton Daily News in which I predicted the Browns would be the first AFC North Division team to implode in 2008.

To view the original column — it’s interesting reading, in my opinion, and serves the purpose of providing excellent bulletin-board material for the Browns and their famously strong fan base — please point your Web browser to:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/browns/2008/07/20/ddn072108spaudible.html

For Smart’s explanation of “He Hate Me,” go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Smart

ONE TOUGH RAVEN

One of my favorite sports columnists is Mike Preston, my friend and colleague at The (Baltimore) Sun.

He named five members of the Ravens he’d want to go to war with.

One of ‘em is Marshal Yanda, a Ravens offensive tackle from Iowa.

In Preston’s words:

Marshal Yanda is No. 4, but could easily be No. 1. Word has it — and there is truth to it — that teammates bet Yanda last season that he couldn’t handle getting hit by a taser gun. Not only did Yanda handle it once for three seconds, but two more times afterwards before finally collecting $1,500 from some of his teammates.

“You got to have those kind of crazy people on your team,” said (cornerback Samari) Rolle. “Yanda is nuts.”

To view Preston’s “Fab Five,” go to:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/blog/2008/07/top5tough_ravens.html

MY FAVORITE BEN-GAL CHEERLEADER …

SARAH!!!

It was a pleasure meeting her at Willie’s Sports Cafe in Independence, Ky., in 2007 during my guest appearance for WCKY-AM (1530 Homer The Sports Animal) on the Lance McAlister show.

Check out photos of the Ben-Gals and let me know your favorite(s).

http://www.bengals.com/cheerleaders/Ben-Gals.asp

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A fall Saturday in The Great Smokies

By Chick Ludwig | Thursday, July 24, 2008, 10:10 PM

THE CHICKSTER PAUSES

(VOLS’ ORANGE, NOT BROWNS)

LUDWIG AT LARGE is an Ohio State Buckeye (Class of ‘76) and devout follower of The Big Ten Conference, but today I salute Tennessee Volunteers fan “JT” for commenting on my blog about Dewey Warren and the Vols’ tradition.

I visited Knoxville, Tenn., in the mid-1990s when I had the opportunity to cover Wright State University’s baseball team in the NCAA Division I tournament.

The Raiders beat North Carolina State, lost a close, tough, hard-fought night game to the Arizona State Sun Devils, then got eliminated in a rematch against N.C. State’s Wolfpack.

I had an absolute blast, touring the UT campus, combing through the bowels of Neyland Stadium and dining at Calhoun’s restaurant at 400 Neyland Drive. Punished some barbecue spare ribs and picked up a Calhoun’s “Taste of Tennessee” pilsner glass for my ever-growing collection.

I can only imagine what it’s like to experience a Vols’ game on a Saturday in the fall in the Great Smoky Mountains. I know this: I’d die happy in orange-and-white checkerboard heaven.

Someday, I hope to get there.

As of right now, I’ve got this little problem.

It’s a great problem to have.

Covering the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Blue Adams ‘knifed,’ as in cut

By Chick Ludwig | Thursday, July 24, 2008, 02:29 PM

NUMBERS GAME WASN’T

HIS ONLY PROBLEM

Too often injured and too many penalties spelled doom for Blue Adams.

The Bengals on Thursday, July 24, terminated the contract of the fifth-year veteran cornerback from the University of Cincinnati, releasing him to free agency.

Adams also got trapped in a numbers game. With Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall penciled in as starters, and Deltha O’Neal and David Jones the top backups, and college free agent Simeon Castille coming on strong, Adams was too far down the depth chart to be considered a factor.

Adams played in 13 games last season in his first year with the Bengals. He recorded seven tackles on defense, 11 special teams tackles and a special teams forced fumble.

He also got hammered with five penalties for 65 yards. He brought out the yellow hankie for roughing the passer, an illegal block above the waist, unnecessary roughness, defensive holding and a low block.

Blue was a good guy to have with you in a back-alley brawl, but his penchant for penalties was a sign that he too often played undisciplined.

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What Browns fans must realize

By Chick Ludwig | Thursday, July 24, 2008, 12:35 PM

LEAGUE WILL CATCH UP

WITH QB DEREK ANDERSON

Rabid Cleveland Browns fan Jason Smith just E-mailed me with this subject line:

“Here we go Brownies…”

Jason said that if he had a rubber hose, he would beat me into a … (he never finished the thought) … and that I should quit my job and take a position on the “second-shift, clean-up crew” at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Although I’d appreciate that opportunity at a promotion, I like what I’ve been doing for 29 years and 2 months — writing sports for the Dayton Daily News.

And I’m pleased to impart this warning to Browns fans:

Quarterback Derek Anderson rocked the NFL in 2007 with an outstanding Pro Bowl season. He’s tough and aggressive, shows excellent poise in the pocket, and has terrific arm strength.

But know this: AS WE SPEAK, Cleveland’s opponents — defensive players and defensive coaches — are studying the swashbucklin’ dude who wears uniform No. 3 in burnt orange and seal brown. His footwork, throwing motion and tendencies.

My prediction is the league will catch up to him and he’ll have a sub-par year.

It happened to Carson Palmer in 2006. It’ll happen to Derek Anderson in 2008.

And I’ll stick to my guns that 9-7 wins the AFC North Division.

Steelers 9-7

Bengals 9-7

Browns 8-8

Ravens 6-10

Browns fans deserve to have high hopes after a 10-6 record in 2007. But, simply put, they need to prepare themselves for a huge letdown.

PLEASE NOTE — In exchange for this sound advice, I’d appreciate some tasty Cotton Club Ginger Ale from NE Ohio. It’s nectar from the gods.

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Nicknames: Legend of ‘The Swamp Rat’

By Chick Ludwig | Thursday, July 24, 2008, 12:32 AM

ICKEY, SPEEDY & SUKI;

LEAPIN’, RATTLER & FO-ROCK

===LUDWIG AT LARGE ALERT: Coming Friday, Chick Ludwig’s Fabled Football Glossary revealed on his 54th birthday.===

There was Bill “The Spoiler” Staley, Phil Leon “Chip” Myers, Charles “Boobie” Clark and Norman Julius “Boomer” Esiason.

There was Vern “Suki” Holland, Alfred “The Condor” Williams, “Flyin’ Brian” Pillman and Louis Timothy “Speedy” Thomas III.

There was Elbert “Ickey” Woods, Cris “Cadillac” Collinsworth, Paul “Straight Runner” Robinson and Dave “The Tool” Lapham.

There was “Leapin’ Lemar” Parrish, Ken “The Rattler” Riley, David “Fo-Rock” Fulcher and Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson.

But my favorite Bengals nickname belongs to former University of Tennessee quarterback Dewey Warren…

“THE SWAMP RAT.”

Warren was an original Bengal, playing one season as a sixth-round selection (No. 155 overall) in the 1968 AFL Expansion Draft.

He went on to become the architect of Brigham Young University’s high-powered offense as an assistant to head coach LaVell Edwards.

After coaching at BYU, Kansas State, Tennessee and the University of the South, 63-year-old Dewey is a sports radio talk-show host in Knoxville, Tenn., waxing eloquently about his beloved Volunteers in Big Orange Country.

Legend has it that Warren made love to a stewardess under a blanket on a Bengals’ team flight in 1968. Although Warren denies it — he admits to flirting, but claims there was no intimacy involved — the story still has legs among his former Cincinnati teammates after all these years.

IN DEWEY WARREN’S WORDS:

“I’m from Savannah, Ga., and I lived on the water. When I was a sophomore in high school (Jenkins High School in Savannah), I was about three or four minutes late for practice one day, and the coach happened to say, ‘You’re like an old swamp rat out there on the swamps. From now on, don’t be late again.’

“That was the last time I was ever late for practice. I’m never late, but I happened to be late that day. The players caught up with it and heard it. He kind of did it to embarrass me, I suppose. So the players picked it up in 1961 and I’ve had it ever since.”

For more on the immortal Dewey Warren and the legend of “The Swamp Rat,” point your Web browser to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Warren

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