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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 > December > 31 > Entry
First-round left tackle a no-brainer
IMPROVING THE NFL’S
LOWEST-RATED OFFENSE
STARTS WITH FIXING
THE OFFENSIVE LINE
How will the Cincinnati Bengals fix their offensive line?
As much as they need to re-sign tailback Cedric Benson and wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, improving a porous line that was responsible for 50 sacks and the league’s 29th rushing offense is the club’s No. 1 priority.
Drafting a left tackle with the No. 6 overall pick is a no-brainer, and it’s just as important to address center in the draft and free agency because both positions are obvious areas of weakness on the worst offense in the NFL.
Neither left tackle Levi Jones (bad back and knees) nor free-agent right tackle Stacy Andrews (torn right ACL) are expected to return, and center Eric Ghiaciuc is an unrestricted free agent who likely won’t be invited back.
Look for rookie left tackle Anthony Collins to move to the right side, paving the way for the team to draft a top LT (Michael Oher, Eugene Monroe or Andre Smith) who can play right away.
Quarterback Carson Palmer suffered a broken nose and severe right elbow injury in ‘08.
If he doesn’t get protected, ‘09 will be another disastrous season. “It (OL) is one of the areas we have to get better in,” head coach Marvin Lewis said. “We didn’t knock people off the ball.”
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By MR.DAD.SIR
December 31, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Is there a left tackle out there that has not played since the second week in the soph year of school?Has he beaten up his parole officer?Do the beer cans rattle back and forth in his Cadillac?Will he play for the minimun salary because he is so grateful to Mikey-boy for the chance to play?That is our left tackle of the future!By Mike
December 31, 2008 3:52 PM | Link to this
Smith is suspended for his bowl game. He was listed as being the best LT available.By photoman
December 31, 2008 5:57 PM | Link to this
Well, if a no-brainer is a qualification to pick, and if AS is suspended for his bowl game, then all seems right for Cincinnati to get their OLT from this upcoming draft.By photoman
December 31, 2008 6:51 PM | Link to this
ESPN is reporting AS is suspended from the Sugar Bowl by his coach. “Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban suspended the Outland Trophy winner on Monday for violation of unspecified team rules, but several media outlets reported that the punishment stemmed from improper dealings with an agent. NCAA rules prohibit players from having contact with agents”. Andre is probably concerned (worried, distressed) about the possibility of becoming a Bengal.By Bonnie
January 1, 2009 2:10 PM | Link to this
As long as Mike Brown is the owner, he will continue to ruin the careers of promising players, so I feel sorry for anyone that gets drafted by the Bengals. And I’m a Bengal fan!By MR.DADSIR
January 1, 2009 3:44 PM | Link to this
Obviously this guy has to get in just a little more trouble….maybe if he beats up his agent or better yet Nick Saban…..nah !! its to bad but he will be long gone before the stripes get a chance at him.By Brian
January 1, 2009 11:21 PM | Link to this
Again, cosmic law dictates that the Bengals will always draft one pick after the player that would have helped them the most has been taken. It is also cosmic law that Mike Brown will always draft a workout wonder over an on the field performer.By blindeye
January 2, 2009 1:00 PM | Link to this
No! Absolutely not! No way that the Bengals should waste a frist round draft choice on an offensive tackle when they can do what they’ve simply done for the last upteem years. Simply pick up another body off the trash heap like they do each year. It’s cheaper that way and Mike Brown gets to keep his money.(sic) The first round draft choice should be used for a real head banger to anchor the dline. Also why waste good money on an offense that isn’t going to be good anytime soon. No one is sure that Palmer will be playing again and the team simply sucks on offense anyhow.By bburton359
January 3, 2009 7:31 AM | Link to this
Chick, Don’t forget to add Baylor LT Jason Smith to the list. He is a converted TE, but he has built himself into one of the top LTs in the nation. He may not be as big as Andre or the others, but he likely will be the best of the group. Jason has the best feet and is the most athletic of the group, and although he may be less experienced, he is a guy who WANTS to be the best at what he does. If we take a LT and Andre Smith is gone, I would take Jason over both Oher (more of a RT) and Monroe (has toughness and injury issues).By Captain John
January 3, 2009 12:31 PM | Link to this
OT, DT, MLB, Center in that order. There are lots of wholes, and money is always tight with MB, so signing TJ is probably not going to happen. Sounds like ML does not want TJ anyway!By thaDANIMAL
January 3, 2009 6:29 PM | Link to this
I think they should look to frre agency for a poosible guard, Jordan Cross from Carolina. He is young, talented and a huge guy who doesn’t want to play in Charolette. With him in the mix you can move Whitworth to his natural position and still have a pick to get the BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE. Look for the Center from Cal to be in the mix of the draft too. He is the number one center in the draft and he is projected to be a late 2nd or early 3rd rounder. Since we missed Kalil two years ago, why not pick another center from the proven Pac-10.By blindeye
January 5, 2009 8:31 PM | Link to this
I can’t see it happening. They’re like 1 big smashmouth guy away from having a pretty good defense so I can’t see them wasting the pick on offense. With a couple of good picks on the defensive side they could have a D-unit that can win games without any offense and could quite possibly last nearly a decade to boot. I say put as much as they can on defense.By Sam
January 11, 2009 10:47 AM | Link to this
I’m not convinced Palmer is/will be healthy. The Bengals definitely need to pick a QB early.