Church renovates home
May Promenade in Dayton historic area
Cincy Street Rods car show
Home > Blogs > Big C's NFL Blitz > Archives > 2009 > July > 21
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Bengals O-line needs to serve and protect
The Cincinnati Bengals makeshift offensive line is being described as the weak link for an offense with the potential to become one of the most explosive in the NFL. Inquiring minds want to know if the revamped unit can protect franchise quarterback Carson Palmer. Good question, considering Bengal quarterbacks were sacked like a bag of chips last season — a total of 51 times, third most of any team in the league.
The team’s front five will have an opportunity to prove themselves during training camp, which begins July 31 in Georgetown, Ky. One of the players looking to open some eyes is starting left guard Nate Livings. He has paid his dues after spending most of 2006 and ’07 on Cincinnati’s practice squad. Now the undrafted free agent out of Louisiana State is being asked to help keep the team’s prized pupil upright.
“I want to take one game at a time and work together as a unit,” Livings said during a recent phone interview. “We did pretty well during OTA and minicamp, but our focus is on getting better every day. We will continue to work as a unit and let the chips fall where they may.”
The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Livings started the final six games of the 2008 season at left guard, due to injury. In those six games, the Bengals surrendered 12 sacks with Livings being credited with allowing a half sack. The versatile Livings has developed into a pretty solid run and pass blocker. His true strengths, however, may be his ability to pull and his quickness. He moves very well for a big guy.
Livings spoke on what needs to happen in order for the scrutinized offensive line of LT Andrew Whitworth, RG Bobbie Williams, C Kyle Cook, rookie RT Andre Smith and Livings, to be successful.
“The biggest thing is trust,” he said. “I think the key thing for us is to trust each another. (Andrew) Whitworth and I played together in college and he knows my style of play and I know his. Once we all get together and continue to trust each other and play our game, I think we’ll be very good.”
So what makes this year’s team different from the 4-11-1 team of last season?
“I think the focus is there,” Livings said. “You can look at each guy and pretty much tell that they didn’t like the taste in their mouths from last season. I think a lot of the clowning around is out with more focus on the football season and what we’re there for. It’s more of a locker room focused on what we have to do, first and foremost.”
On paper the Bengals look just as good as my pinup poster of Beyonce, but the players on the team know that it’s all about how you perform on center stage, game day.
“You always get hype during the offseason based on acquisitions and trades,” Livings said. “Hype is for the fans and that stuff just doesn’t enter the locker room. We’re focused on each game and not concerned about the hype. It’s just about coming together and being a great football team.
“We don’t want teams looking at us like it’s an automatic win on their schedule. We want to be one of the teams that when you look at us on the schedule you know you got to bring you’re A-game.”
TweetBengals’ Luigs signed and ready to compete
The Cincinnati Bengals announced today the signing of center Jonathan Luigs of Arkansas, the team’s fourth-round selection in this year’s draft. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“I know that there are experienced guys in front of me in Kyle Cook and Dan Santucci, but I’m ready to come in and compete,” Luigs said during a phone interview Tuesday, July 21. “Cook is a great leader and experienced in the offense. I’m really looking to him to see what I can do to get better and be more like him. My No. 1 goal right now is to make the team and take it from there. Right now I just want to study the playbook and report to training camp ready to go to work.”
Luigs (6-4, 315) was a three-time finalist for college football’s Rimington Award (nation’s top center), winning the award as a junior in 2007. He started all 49 games he played for the Razorbacks over four seasons (2005-08), and he blocked for six 1,000-yard rushing performers while being credited for only 4.5 sacks allowed on 756 career pass plays.
Luigs went on to say that the Bengals offensive line shows good cohesion and will only get better as they come together. He said he hopes to be a power-player among the unit when it is all said and done.
The Bengals also waived cornerback Simeon Castille, a second-year player from Alabama.
Tweet
