Hamilton Holiday Kids Parade
Truancy Court in Butler County
2009 Ohio State football
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 > 2009 > May > 11 > Entry
Breaking down the Bengals’ 2009 rookies
A QUICK LOOK-SEE AT THE ROOKIES
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CHICKSTER
OT Andre Smith — Facially, he looks 16. Physically, he resembles Diamond Head Mountain. An NFL scout told me that if you ask him to do something, he won’t. If you demand it, he will.
LB Rey Maualuga — Motivation isn’t a problem. When you believe you’re the best LB in the nation, and you drop to No. 38 overall with the sixth pick in the second round, the chip on your shoulder is a boulder. His entire left leg is covered with a Polynesian-theme tatoo. The stingray tatoo on his back isn’t small. It’s large.
DE Michael Johnson — He’s cut like a bronze god. However, when he went up against Smith, it was like he ran into brick wall. Johnson has a very long neck. How long? Put a helmet on a giraffe. You get the picture.
TE Chase Coffman — He’s a big target with good speed and soft hands. Has a ballerina’s feet along the sidelines, plus the skill to catch the ball one-handed. Was on the field, but didn’t participate in rookie minicamp because on a stress fracture in left foot. He’ll be ready for training camp.
C Jonathan Luigs — A precise technician who is extremely smart. He’s Smith’s roommate. Luigs and RG Bobbie Williams are Arkansas Razorbacks. I can see and hear it now: “Woo Pig Sooey.”
P Kevin Huber — The booming left-footed punter — shall we call him, “Boomer” — has spent his entire life in Cincinnati. McNicholas High School. University of Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bengals. As the only punter on the roster, his agent is extremely happy.
CB Morgan Trent — Has good size and good hands, and made nice breaks on the ball at rookie minicamp. But he suffered a small bone fracture in his foot, which required the insertion of a pin. Should be good to go for training camp.
TB Bernard Scott — Claims his troubled past is being him. Shows good quickness & wiggle. Says, “Yes, sir” and “No, sir.” I believe he has a good shot at making the team.
WR Quan Cosby — He’s more quick than fast, which is exactly what you want from your punt returner. After meeting him, and discovering he’s a prince in gym shoes, Ohio State’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas was less painful. But only slightly.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By tim bon
May 11, 2009 11:02 AM | Link to this
Somebody better tell Marvin to just DEMAND everything from A. Smith then and not fool around. Don’t give him the opportunity. If that happens then he should be good to go for several years. Great comments about all of them, specifically Smith though, because he has to be good right away.By tim bon
May 11, 2009 11:03 AM | Link to this
Somebody better tell Marvin to just DEMAND everything from A. Smith then and not fool around. Don’t give him the opportunity. If that happens then he should be good to go for several years. Great comments about all of them, specifically Smith though, because he has to be good right away.By Welcome to Ohio
May 11, 2009 11:29 AM | Link to this
Somebody will, it’s called a line coach.By get real
May 11, 2009 11:52 AM | Link to this
I don’t think Smith deserves half the bad treatment he is getting from the bengal fans. He looks 16, he acts 16, he’s a kid that got bad advice in a grown up situation. Give him a chance, he was the no.1 overall until the combine, let his on field performance do the talking, and quit watching ESPN!!!!By Brian
May 11, 2009 12:21 PM | Link to this
Bernard Scott is my rookie surprise pick. He has the physical tools, but we’ll have to wait and see about his ball security skills.By Cinci
May 11, 2009 12:28 PM | Link to this
“if you ask him to do something, he won’t. If you demand it, he will.” That statement is just playing to all of hype surrounding a few bad decisions. Why not write what Saban and Pendry have to say about Andre’s work ethic over his entire career rather than some unnamed scout?By TechGuy
May 11, 2009 12:36 PM | Link to this
Chick, Brian’s surprise pick reminds me that I wanted to ask you about the short-lived deal with Gary Russell. You were stoked when the Bengals picked him up. Do you think Scott or others give them better options than Russell did?By Chick Ludwig
May 11, 2009 2:09 PM | Link to this
About Gary Russell: The Bengals signed him, brought him in for a look-see and didn’t like what they saw. So they knifed him. Numerous players — Bernard Scott, DeDe Dorsey, Fui-Dewey-Huey — give them a better option than Russell. The Bengals want versatile backs…Cedric is an inside-outside guy; now they’re looking for that durable “third-down” back. There’s plenty of competition. Cheers, ChickBy BnOPanther
May 11, 2009 2:50 PM | Link to this
With a revamped defense that is on the verge of being in the top 10 in all of the NFL, the important guy for me is Huber. The hidden yards that are gained or lost on a punt is huge for a defense. Of course you want the O to score every posession but that just ain’t going to happen. That’s when you need high, directional punts that can be downed inside the 10-20 and put the opposing offenses in a hole. Huber was the best in college football at doing that and let’s hope it translates to the NFL.By Chusdabomb
May 11, 2009 4:08 PM | Link to this
With Andre Smith on board, their receiving game will be heck of a lot better with WR Freddie Brown!By Touchdown Troy
May 11, 2009 5:25 PM | Link to this
My suprise rookie is M.Johnson, the return of the CONDOOR!By Beaver In Myrtle Beach
May 11, 2009 10:47 PM | Link to this
I like Scott…I think he can add the “juke” that my Bengals have been missing, but “StingRAY” is going to bring that front 7 together and it will be body blows baby!! I got you Chick!!By C in Tipp
May 12, 2009 11:11 AM | Link to this
I’ve said it from day one. Andre Smith is a STUD! We were lucky as hell that he was there at the 6th pick. He’s ready play LT today! No doubt he has some maturing to do, but who didn’t at age 21. He’s your #1 impact player for years to come.By John1057
May 23, 2009 3:02 PM | Link to this
Very nice site!By John852
August 2, 2009 9:01 AM | Link to this
Very nice site!