Ahmad Brooks penciled in as starter (1 Viewer)

[bcr8f]

Ahmad Brooks is penciled in as Cincinnati's starting middle linebacker.

Caleb Miller would be his main competition if training camp began today. Brooks admits he fell off the game-day roster near the end of last season due to a lack of maturity and an inability to produce on special teams.

Source: bengals.com

"LOOKING TO LEAD: Linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who says he’s penciled in as the starting middle linebacker with the release of Brian Simmons, is looking to prove to the coaches that he can be a leader as he tries to fill the void.

Brooks, who is basically this draft’s third-rounder after the Bengals took him in last year’s supplemental draft, admits the coaches told him he didn’t play late in the season because of “immaturity,” and lack of production on special teams.

“I have to show them that I know the defense and I know what I have to do in it,” Brooks said."

 

[Zoomanji]

They still haven't waived Odell Thurman.

Once he is comes back from his suspension I can't see how he isn't in the mix unless they waive him or move him outside.

 

[bcr8f]

They still haven't waived Odell Thurman. Once he is comes back from his suspension I can't see how he isn't in the mix unless they waive him or move him outside.

That's the question. My guess is they won't talk until he clears the suspension but may have decided already what they'll do. How thay draft may give an indication.

 

[Keg]

Pencil can be erased

 

[redman]

Let me be the first to say

 

[bcr8f]

Pencil can be erased

So can roster spots. Bengals fans are split on whether Odell will be back and allowed to compete. Kind of a catch 22. If traded and succeeds they'll look dumb but if he screws up again it will be even worse. With a potential stud like Brooks available I think Odell has more risk than reward. I'm not sure they're willing to risk more arrests after last year (spoken like a Brooks owner).

 

[Zoomanji]

Pencil can be erased

So can roster spots. Bengals fans are split on whether Odell will be back and allowed to compete. Kind of a catch 22. If traded and succeeds they'll look dumb but if he screws up again it will be even worse. With a potential stud like Brooks available I think Odell has more risk than reward. I'm not sure they're willing to risk more arrests after last year (spoken like a Brooks owner).

Isn't the whole odd part the fact the Brooks only ended up in the compensetory draft because he had been kicked off his college team?I guess Odell's crimes are worse than Brooks' and Henry's? Doubt it. They will all be back with Bengals wearing stripes.

 

[nortobc]

Pencil can be erased

So can roster spots. Bengals fans are split on whether Odell will be back and allowed to compete. Kind of a catch 22. If traded and succeeds they'll look dumb but if he screws up again it will be even worse. With a potential stud like Brooks available I think Odell has more risk than reward. I'm not sure they're willing to risk more arrests after last year (spoken like a Brooks owner).

Isn't the whole odd part the fact the Brooks only ended up in the compensetory draft because he had been kicked off his college team?I guess Odell's crimes are worse than Brooks' and Henry's? Doubt it. They will all be back with Bengals wearing stripes.

They will be wearing stripes all right.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Pencil can be erased

So can roster spots. Bengals fans are split on whether Odell will be back and allowed to compete. Kind of a catch 22. If traded and succeeds they'll look dumb but if he screws up again it will be even worse. With a potential stud like Brooks available I think Odell has more risk than reward. I'm not sure they're willing to risk more arrests after last year (spoken like a Brooks owner).

Isn't the whole odd part the fact the Brooks only ended up in the compensetory draft because he had been kicked off his college team?I guess Odell's crimes are worse than Brooks' and Henry's? Doubt it. They will all be back with Bengals wearing stripes.

I think the difference right now is that many Bengals observers think that Thurman's alcoholism may keep him from returning to playing shape or back into Marvin Lewis' trust. There's also no guarantee that Thurman gets re-instated in July. From a depth chart perspective, it will get pretty interesting when/if there's a story in June that Thurman is at 245 pounds and ready to return if he's re-instated in mid-July.

 

[bcr8f]

I guess Odell's crimes are worse than Brooks' and Henry's? Doubt it. They will all be back with Bengals wearing stripes.

The whole team could have armed chapperones.

 

[MPhilly03]

FBG's Blogger is indicating (via link to Cincy newspaper) that Brooks will start in the middle. If he had stayed in school and come out this year where would he rank with this years crop of LB's?

 

[bcr8f]

FBG's Blogger is indicating (via link to Cincy newspaper) that Brooks will start in the middle. If he had stayed in school and come out this year where would he rank with this years crop of LB's?

Interesting. I would put Willis ahead of him but barely. The guy is 260 lbs and fast but Willis is quite a thumper without characer issues. I would make him the 2nd LB taken. Mid 1st round, maybe to Carolina or the Bills.It sounds like he really wants to be good and stay clean.

 

[Jene Bramel]

FBG's Blogger is indicating (via link to Cincy newspaper) that Brooks will start in the middle. If he had stayed in school and come out this year where would he rank with this years crop of LB's?

It would depend on how well he played this season, but I don't see any way he wouldn't be at least the #2 ILB prospect on the board if he had a solid season. If he returned to his early collegiate form and had solid workout numbers, I suppose it's possible that he could've challenged Patrick Willis for the #1 ILB spot. More likely, though, I think he'd have been a late first - early second pick ahead of David Harris, etal. I don't think there's any doubt that mid-third is likely to prove good value.Bloom?

 

[MPhilly03]

FBG's Blogger is indicating (via link to Cincy newspaper) that Brooks will start in the middle. If he had stayed in school and come out this year where would he rank with this years crop of LB's?

It would depend on how well he played this season, but I don't see any way he wouldn't be at least the #2 ILB prospect on the board if he had a solid season. If he returned to his early collegiate form and had solid workout numbers, I suppose it's possible that he could've challenged Patrick Willis for the #1 ILB spot. More likely, though, I think he'd have been a late first - early second pick ahead of David Harris, etal. I don't think there's any doubt that mid-third is likely to prove good value.Bloom?

That was kind of what I was thinking (especially if he keeps himself out of trouble). I used a 6th round rookie draft pick (from this years draft) in our supplemental draft last year. Based on what I had read about him before he got booted from the UVA team he sounded like a real talented player. Hopefully, he will make it happen on the field this year.

 

[bcr8f]

FBG's Blogger is indicating (via link to Cincy newspaper) that Brooks will start in the middle. If he had stayed in school and come out this year where would he rank with this years crop of LB's?

It would depend on how well he played this season, but I don't see any way he wouldn't be at least the #2 ILB prospect on the board if he had a solid season. If he returned to his early collegiate form and had solid workout numbers, I suppose it's possible that he could've challenged Patrick Willis for the #1 ILB spot. More likely, though, I think he'd have been a late first - early second pick ahead of David Harris, etal. I don't think there's any doubt that mid-third is likely to prove good value.Bloom?

That was kind of what I was thinking (especially if he keeps himself out of trouble). I used a 6th round rookie draft pick (from this years draft) in our supplemental draft last year. Based on what I had read about him before he got booted from the UVA team he sounded like a real talented player. Hopefully, he will make it happen on the field this year.

Last year he had 2 good games one with 10 solos(14 total) if I remember right. After that he went downhill and he said it was due to his immatruity. He was pretty good in coverage in one of those games.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Still holding onto Thurman and hoping.

 

[Kirby]

FBG's Blogger is indicating (via link to Cincy newspaper) that Brooks will start in the middle. If he had stayed in school and come out this year where would he rank with this years crop of LB's?

It would depend on how well he played this season, but I don't see any way he wouldn't be at least the #2 ILB prospect on the board if he had a solid season. If he returned to his early collegiate form and had solid workout numbers, I suppose it's possible that he could've challenged Patrick Willis for the #1 ILB spot. More likely, though, I think he'd have been a late first - early second pick ahead of David Harris, etal. I don't think there's any doubt that mid-third is likely to prove good value.Bloom?

That was kind of what I was thinking (especially if he keeps himself out of trouble). I used a 6th round rookie draft pick (from this years draft) in our supplemental draft last year. Based on what I had read about him before he got booted from the UVA team he sounded like a real talented player. Hopefully, he will make it happen on the field this year.

I remember reading that the Virginia coach said it was hard to pick a spot for him because he was the best they had at every position. He's talented and it sounds like he's grown up a lot over the last year.

 

[bcr8f]

This was written before he got in trouble in college.

Ahmad Brooks is a physical specimen. He’s got awesome size, he’s a great athlete, he’s fast, and he’s strong. You may not be able to create a better looking linebacker than Brooks. On the field, he can do it all. He can drop back into coverage, he can weed through traffic and stuff the run, and he can get up field after the passer. Brooks is very versatile on the field; having the ability to play inside or out, and possessing the size to be a 3rd down pass rusher on the line. He has even lined up as a kick returner, averaging 27.5 yards on 2 returns in 2004.

There aren’t many negatives with Brooks. The obvious one is experience, as he has only played two seasons at the college level. Even that may be overrated, as he played at Hargrave for a year, and he has started every game he’s played in during his two years at Virginia.

Ahmad Brooks is a great prospect, whenever he declares. He should be a Top 20 pick if he declares this year. With his size, athleticism, and versatility, it’s hard to not see Brian Urlacher. Brooks is that type of talent, and he’s going to be an excellent NFL linebacker.

 

[doowain]

I guess Odell's crimes are worse than Brooks' and Henry's? Doubt it. They will all be back with Bengals wearing stripes.

The whole team could have armed chapperones.

Yawn. If you are going to take stabs at the Bengals, do it at the expense of the handful of idiots on the team. Don't drag the entire team into it. And try to be original. It's less boring that way.

 

[bcr8f]

The Bengals didn't draft a LB. I'm not sure what that means, but TC should provide the answers.

 

[Jene Bramel]

The Bengals didn't draft a LB. I'm not sure what that means, but TC should provide the answers.

I don't know that it means much other than they liked a couple guys more than Tim Shaw and decided that Leon Hall was a more pressing need than Paul Posluszny. This draft class was pretty weak in the middle ranks. This unit hinges on Brooks. Johnson/Brooks/Jeanty is a solid unit. I wouldn't be surprised to see them sign Hartwell now that they didn't draft a body. He and Miller are reasonable depth and experienced though injury prone.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

The Bengals didn't draft a LB. I'm not sure what that means, but TC should provide the answers.

Gotta mean they think Thurman will be on the roster, doesn't it?

 

[Jene Bramel]

The Bengals didn't draft a LB. I'm not sure what that means, but TC should provide the answers.

Gotta mean they think Thurman will be on the roster, doesn't it?

Not necessarily. They've had Hartwell in their pocket as a backup and he'll probably sign by midweek. Earl Everett is coming in as an UDFA too. There weren't many "Marvin"backers in this draft. When they decided Hall over Poz/Beason and missed Harris/Durant, that was pretty much it for any kind of impact player. I really think they felt Brooks was the LB they "drafted" this year and believe they got a 9 month head start with him. They were not counting on him playing last year -- he was forced into the lineup due to multiple injuries. He missed every mini-camp which is when these guys really get coached up. Come training camp, it's time to get to business. There's some evaluation in the pre-season games, but it's not really a true coaching time.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Hartwell looking like a done deal tonight.

 

[chook]

Hartwell looking like a done deal tonight.

Well, almost...

The signing of linebacker Ed Hartwell by the Bengals is being held up.Hartwell's wife, Lisa, is in labor with the couple's first child in an Atlanta hospital.Their son was expected to have arrived Monday night or some time today, agent Harold Lewis said Monday.Hartwell wants a one-year deal with the Bengals, a team he thinks he can play for immediately and show the league that injuries that hampered him with the Falcons are behind him.The talk between the Bengals and Hartwell is that he would play weakside linebacker, where he would be freed up to concentrate primarily on defending the run.