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Paul Daugherty
Enquirer columnist files news and observations

Paul Daugherty
Paul Daugherty has been an Enquirer sports columnist since 1994 and has been chronicling Cincinnati sports since 1988. He has covered almost every major sporting event in America, as well as five Summer Olympics. Along the way, he has been named one of the country's top-5 sports columnists four times, and Ohio columnist of the year on seven different occasions. Last year, he was voted 2nd-best sports columnist in the country, by the Associated Press Sports Editors.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Bengals D. Coordinator

In a few hours, they'll introduce M. Zimmer as ML's 3rd DC in 5 years. Zimmer's resume suggests he's a solid choice. Hard to discount that he worked for Parcells in Dallas and the D there improved on his watch. A few things:

It's the players. Coaches w/o players are like gin w/o tonic. Do-able, but I wouldnt recommend it. Ask Lewis and B. Billick, defensive and offensive geniuses, respectively. Ask yourself: When was the last time the Bengals had enough good players on defense?

Zimmer can hold people accountable, he can scheme to his heart's content. Without players, improvement suffers.

Did Bresnahan suddenly get stupid? Was he smart enough to coach a Raiders D to a Super Bowl? Did D. LeBeau's IQ shoot up when he returned to Pittsburgh?

Players.

The Bengals need an identity on defense. They need to figure out who they want to be and acquire players to make that happen. Will they do that? Look at the track record for 17 years.

Injuries? Every team has 'em... Indy won w/o Harrison, Mathis and Freeney for stretches... Steelers won the division w/Polamalu hurt much of the year, Aaron Smith out. Redskins win their last 4 to make the playoffs w/half their starting OL out, their starting QB hurt and their best player murdered. And so on.

Thurman and Nicholson were the Bengals' fault. Pollack? A shame, but really didnt play enough to know how good he could have been. Geathers? We'll see. Ditto for White and Ndukwe. Corners seem solid.

Point is, Mike Zimmer could be named Vince Ryan Parcells and if he doesnt have the players, his impact will be muted. As long as the Bengals insist they draft well and evaluate well, the drive for the more perfect 8-8 will march on, unabated.


25 Comments:

at 9:51 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shhhhhhhhhh...Paul, don't let Mike Brown's secret out. It's much cheaper to hire a new D-coordinator every few years and keep the fan base on edge than to actually spend $$$ on players. I've been making the Marvin Lewis point to my friends for four years...Baltimore's D was just as good after he left.

 
at 10:20 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd agree with Anonymous 9:51 if the Bengals were always millions under the cap. But they aren't. This year they were over the cap, and since moving to PBS they've paid near the cap every year.

 
at 11:36 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's the players on D. I agree.

But they could do with a great running back or an OL that can accomodate both a q'back and a running back. (Whichever is the real culprit.)

I wasn't ever impressed with our backs' abilities at running into a wall of people where there was supposed to be a hole. I thought it'd be nice to see someone make yards by going around instead of through.

But, it'd also be nice to have an OL that could give us a range of offensive weapons rather than just one....pass, pass, pass.

(Wonder what the Bengals will do on this down? Could it be...pass? Well, every now and then they did run that awesome "back into a solid wall of huge linemen" play. That was always exciting.)

 
at 12:24 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Annon 9:51.....the best thing hacks and haters like you and Paul can do is SSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. bengal fans are getting tired(passed tired) of hearing the bithing and complaining from the Pauls and other media hacks who love to be negative towards the Bengals. The best thing marvin lewis did when becoming the Bengals head coach was tell the media to "know you roll and let me be the coach". unlike previous coaches marvin doesn't care what the media thinks. marvin job isn't dependant on the media liking Marvin or not. The fans and Mike Brown like Marvin and that is ALL THAT COUNTS. For paul and other media hacks to play the "need more scouts card" enlight of the information that the Bengals have actually done quite well in drafting the last five years speak to the ignorance and bias the media has for Marvin lewis, mike Brown and The Bengals. But just wait till pitchers and catchers show up in march. media hacks like Paul and the fools on 1530 homer will swear up and down that this is a "baseball town" and the Reds are on their way up. OH PLEASE Bengals, marvin lewis 4EVER The negative, CYNICAL pain in the ass media NEVER

 
at 1:11 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Paul, you said the Bengals D needs an identity. You also said to look at their track record for the last 17 years. The Bengals do have an idenity. A lame owner/GM, in turn, the worst pro franchise in the last 17 years. THAT'S their idenity! It always will be! Mike Brown CANNOT have a competitive bone in his body. How does he look at other owners in the eye knowing they most likely are saying to themselves, 'Theres a probable win for us.' Mike Brown IS their identity! A content, fat cat, status quo, loser! Good luck Zimmer!

 
at 1:20 PM Blogger mentalmidget said...

Mike Brown is still displaying insanity: Same old thing expecting different results. It won't change until he steps aside as GM. Good luck Coach Zimmer!!

 
at 3:35 PM Blogger Paul Daugherty said...

Hey, 1224... Bengals one winning season, one playoff game in 17 years... bengals 2nd-worst record in the nfl during that period, better only than AZ, which actually has a playoff win... and the best you can do is call me a "hater'' with "bias.'' It'd be refreshing, or at least different, if you could find a new card to play. Go ahead, shock me with some clear thinking.

 
at 4:19 PM Blogger russ said...

1224, "the Bengals have actually done quite well in drafting the last five years"... you said that sarcastically, right?

 
at 4:58 PM Blogger Mr. Gann said...

The way you know things are the same in Bengal Land isn't the hiring of Mike Zimmer, but offering Landon Johnson the same contract as Dhani Jones. If you want to do Mike Zimmer a favor, you would want to bring back the team's most productive tackler three of the past four seasons. You don't need a GM or DC to figure out this defense is not as good without Landon, but the Bengals are determined find this out the hard way.

To the folks drinking the Emperor Brown Kool-Aid, the Bengals have the longest active streak in the NFL without a playoff win (17 years). Sound like progress to you?

 
at 6:36 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mr.Negative strikes again. Have you
ever written a positve article since you been here. I think you need to take a Dale Carnegie course
on positive thinking.

 
at 6:57 PM Blogger hellogerard said...

Look at Holmgren in Seattle. He went four years without a GM, claiming he could do both jobs, and his record was 31-33. Then he gets a GM, and the very next year (or maybe it was two years), and he takes the Seahawks to the Super Bowl (losing to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL).

 
at 7:59 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Paul doesn't need the Carnegie Course on positive thinking - that's what Mike did and now he thinks everything is peachy.
You want our best sports-writer to be as brain-dead as our owner/GM??

 
at 8:05 PM Blogger Unknown said...

Diego -- Doc has had nice things to say about the Bearcats, but the recent news has been about the Bengals -- I guess you could say positive things about them, but that would be like Jim Jones adding some extra sugar to his batch of koolaid.

btw -- are you still pitching? The Reds could always use a couple extra arms.

 
at 8:57 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Right on, 1224!

I mean, winning isn't everything. As long as Mikey likes Marv, "that's all that matters."

And who wants to hear the honest-to-goodness facts from the media anyway? We would all be better off if with headlines like: BENGALS ALMOST WIN or ANOTHER CLOSE GAME! We could even pretend that Mike Brown's system is going to start working any day now! Let's see the sports writers in this town try their hands at fiction for a change, huh?

Please, 1224, provide us all with detailed directions to your delusional little world. It must be very pretty there.

Jason
Milford

 
at 9:36 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Daugherty: first you say it's the players not the coaches, then you say Indy won without Freeney, etc. Well, which is it?
What a stupid post.

 
at 10:18 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Paul, you're partially right. Obviously everyone needs players. That's just about the most obvious thing someone could say. You're also right about coaches not being able to have a good team or unit if they don't have good players. Again, obvious. But, the same goes for players. You can have great players, but if you don't have coaching, you won't win. This isn't the NBA. The NFL is all about teamwork. I'm sick of seeing the CB's 10 feet off the line each play even when it's obvious that the WR's are running 5 yard routes. I'm sick of Chuck Breneshan's bend but don't break scheme.I'm sick of him not knowing when to blitz and when to play conservative. The bottom line is, we would can't have a good defense with him. I'm not saying we will now that Zimmer is DC, but he'll get more out of our players. That is why it does matter that we have a better man running the defense. I don't expect a top 10 or 15 defense in is first year. Heck, I don't even expect a top 20. But I do think that we'll see some improvement, and that we'll get some reason to be optimistic about the defense. We do actually have some talent on the defensive side. Not enough to be good, but something to build around.

 
at 7:48 AM Blogger Paul Daugherty said...

936: good teams have better depth, good teams have a culture of winning from which to draw. In the short term, as with Indy and the Steelers,that allows them to overcome multiple injuries. Eventually, when they play teams as good as they are, the hurts catch up to them. Bengals have neither the depth nor the mindset. That clear enough for ya?

 
at 10:58 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

10:20am: the Bengals were over the cap because they spent $8.6 million on Justin Smith (6 sacks), $4.3 million on John Thornton and $7.8 million on Willie Anderson (parts of 7 games).

Let's look at the last 5 Bengals draft and you can decide if they drafted well.

2003
1-Carson Palmer
2-Eric Steinbach w/ Cleveland
3-Kelley Washington w/ Patriots
4a-Dennis Weathersby (out of NFL)
4b-Jeremi Johnson
5-Khalid Abdullah (out of NFL)
6-Langston Moore w/ Detroit
7a-Scott Kooistra
7b-Elton Patterson (out of NFL)

2004
1-Chris Perry
2a-Keiwan Ratliff w/ Indy?
2b-Madieu Williams (free agent)
3a-Caleb Miller (free agent)
3b-Landon Johnson (free agent)
4a-Mathias Askew (out of NFL)
4b-Robert Geathers
4c-Stacy Andrews
5-Maurice Mann (out of NFL)
6-Greg Brooks (out of NFL)
7-Casey Bramlett w/ Dolphins

2005
1-David Pollack (injured)
2-Odell Thurman (suspended)
3-Chris Henry
4-Eric Ghiaciuc
5-Adam Keift
6-Tab Perry (injured)
7-Johnathan Fanene

2006
1-Johnathan Joseph
2-Andrew Whitworth
3-Frostee Rucker
3s-Ahmad Brooks (supplemental)
4-Domata Peko
5-AJ Nicholson (out of NFL)
6-Reggie McNeal (out of NFL)
7a-Ethan Kilmer (injured)
7b-Bennie Brazell (out of NFL)

2007
1-Leon Hall
2-Kenny Irons (injured)
4-Marvin white
5-Jeff Rowe
6-Matt Toeaina w/ Chicago
7-chinedum Ndukwe

 
at 12:39 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you BEN for being truthful and honest. unlike Paul and his pain in the ass friends on talk radio we never seem to get the stats that can refute the garbage we tend to hear on the radio. Thanks again Ben.........as the saying goes "THE FACTS ARE THE FACTS" i think guys like paul and others in the media are just mad at marvin lewis and the Bengals becuase they dont seem to have any power or influence over the bengals and the fans. they can bitch and moan all they want, "real bengal fans" know we have a "gem" in marvin lewis and dont give a damn about the media and what they have to say.

 
at 12:49 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

What is UP with all the Mike Brown lovers chiming in here and Curnuttes blog? Ridiculous. Anyone who would defend this buffoon is either on the payrole, a part of the 'Family', or an outright idiot. People, the teams record speaks for itself. If 1 winning season in 17 years, no playoff wins in 17 years, and off-season antics that rival any circus coming to town doesn't spell it out enough for you, than you are beyond help.

I love how I am not a 'real fan' now if I complain about the current state of the team. Tell you what, all you 'real fans', come see me in 15 years when the team is ran no differently than it is now, and we'll see where your allegiances are.

The Bengals have made the current climate in Cincinnati what it is. It is no longer an issue of emotionally supporting this team. It is a matter of financially supporting a team that WILL NOT HELP ITSELF. I will always pull for the Bengals. I will not spend any money on them.

This rant is part of a 12-step program. Soon, I will not care enough to even post a message. THAT is the reality this team faces.

 
at 1:23 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

At least the bengals are not like the old bungals back in the dave shula days. Their is very little difference between a super bowl team and the bengals as far as talent. Its attitude and confidence. thats all in this league. I think zimmer will put the attitude in the defense. Dick Lebeau's problem was he thought the players were adults, he did not kick them in the pants. Do you remember that brilliant coach we had back in the 80's. He Kicked butt and the bengals went to 2 super bowls.

Forrest Gregg = Mike Zimmer

 
at 2:18 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

10:58 - I looked. They drafted pretty well. Out of 43 picks only 9 or 10 didn't make the cut (and Pollack was injury related). They rest are all quality NFL talent. Thats solid - if not very good. Other well-respected NFL teams have done far worse. I don't think you can blame a team for inuries. They can be blamed for cutting Toeaina- but thats on the coaching staff.

My problem is not actually with the D (although its been terrible). My problem is with the offense (and play-calling in particular). We have the highest paid offense in the league - and yet we call plays and play for field position like we depend on our defense to score points. We are not the 2000 Ravens. At our highest upside we should be closer to one of the pre-super bowl Colts teams. Dynamic offense- questionable d. The scary part for me about the season is we didn't even see the offense. They need to cut the Offense loose and allow them to take more shots (the line needs to protect and the high paid guys need to deliver). The top guys didn't always deliver this year (Carson included) and the coaches clearly didn't feel comfortable taking too many chances. Don't get me wrong, it would be a lot more fun to watch if the D could hold up its end of the bargain, and I think its possible b/c I don't think Chuck was getting the most out of the players.

 
at 6:20 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just listed the drafts to let people make up their own mind. Look, they overspent on Justin Smith this year, made a mistake in extending Willie over Steinbach and have what to show for it? Personally, I question whether the Bengals will even re-sign their own players once they become free agents. They only have 3 players from the 2003 draft! I seriously hope that the Bengals will bring back Landon Johnson, but I'm not confident. They have had bad luck with injuries, but they have missed on some guys in the draft(Nicholson, McNeal) and re-signed guys (Thornton, Smith and Anderson) who are solid players but not conerstone players. Their scouting department really kills them on the second day of the draft where they miss on guys quite a bit. For every Ndukwe there is Greg Brooks and Bennie Brazell.

 
at 2:52 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm not sure about a GM making much difference. A bunch of teams have GM's but don't make the playoffs. If the Bengals replace Ricky Hunley as LB coach, they'll have 17 coaches for 53 players. Why so many? Do they really need a coach for every three players.
Maybe they could just use a dozen coaches and make the other 5 full time scouts without increasing payroll. Just a thought!

 
at 11:37 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

2:52 >> Actually the Head Coach doesn't coach players (not too sure what Marvless really does) & the Off & Def Coord's don't actually coach players. When you get down to "position coaches", those guys are making 1/20 of what "their" players are making.

Make sense to you? Me either.

Seems to me, the best teams have a coach who either:
1) the players can relate to, or
2) has authority to hire/fire.
or both (Belichick, Dungy).

 
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