The Bengals' plans for the offensive line should be labeled "Top Secret."  The interior appears to be set with center Eric Ghiaciuc flanked by left guard Stacy Andrews and right guard Bobbie Williams.  But what happens to left tackle Andrew Whitworth and right tackle Scott Kooistra now that Levi Jones (left knee) has returned to practice and Willie Anderson (right foot) could suit up next week?

"Right now, (Jones' return) hasn't changed anything," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "Levi is working in the second group and we'll go from there. Levi's had three good practice days now. He seems to be feeling good. His spirits are good. Hopefully, we'll get the other guy (Anderson) back next week."  Like Lewis, offensive line coach Paul Alexander doesn't see a problem because Whitworth and Kooistra have filled in admirably for the incumbents.  "We've worked different options of guys playing different spots, and frankly I like the way we're playing right now," Alexander said. "Until I see something that tells me we're not playing very good, I'm not going to worry about it. The last two weeks, we've blocked 'em pretty good.  "The temptation is to speculate the 'what-ifs.' We've got a plan, but literally we're evaluating all our players one day at a time."

Headed upstairs:   Lewis, who is on crutches following left-ankle surgery, will coach from a booth on the press box level at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Monday.  "I'll do the same thing I do when I'm on the field," he said, "I'll just do it in the press box. Hopefully, it's a one-time thing. I have to coach and do my job. I won't let this injury get in the way of that."  Lewis said he injured himself in June.  "I didn't think it was as significant as it was," he said. "It just continued to get worse to where it was prohibiting me from standing up straight at times."

Third receiver:   The No. 3 receiver role remains up for grabs with eight players — Tab Perry, Reggie McNeal, Glenn Holt, Skyler Green, Bennie Brazell, Antonio Chatman, Jesse Holley and Tony Kays — in the mix.  How will it shake down?  "I'm glad you asked that," Lewis said. "I want to know what NFL team talks about the third receiving slot so much?"

Marshall plan:   Lewis said Lemar Marshall, who has practiced two straight days since signing a one-year contract on Thursday morning, will play all three linebacker positions.  "He was able to come in, begin to practice and — through word association — be up to speed pretty quickly," Lewis said.

Tighten up:   The club has four tight ends — starter Reggie Kelly and backups Daniel Coats, Nate Lawrie and Tim Day — following the release of Erik Jensen, Sean Mulcahy and Bobby Blizzard.

Dayton Daily News

The word has followed Stacy Andrews around as if it were his middle name: Stacy "Project" Andrews.  From the time the Bengals drafted the offensive lineman in the fourth round of the 2004 draft until now, the project label has been his constant companion.  The label fit because Andrews didn't grow up playing football. He was a track-and-field thrower, and a good one. He earned All-American honors at Mississippi in the sport. But he didn't play football until his senior year and played as a reserve in only five games that season.The Bengals were intrigued by his size (6 feet 7, 342 pounds) and remarkable agility. They figured they could teach him the game, and eventually he might blossom into a player.

Eventually has arrived. Barring an unexpected change, Andrews will start at left guard this season. He'll replace Eric Steinbach, who signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent.  The Bengals feel as confident as any team could in a player with three career starts.  "He's doing terrific," offensive line coach Paul Alexander said. "We're really happy with him playing left guard. He's really a world-class athlete because of all the hammer and stuff he did (in track). He's as talented a guy as you could have, and he's been easy to coach."

LB Marshall practicing, glad `to be home'

Chris Perry doesn’t know when it will, but the running back remains confident he’ll eventually recover fully.

A first-round draft pick in 2004, Perry became a forgotten man when the Bengals drafted Kenny Irons in the second round of this year’s draft. Perry has been hit by one injury after another in his pro career after being durable as a runner at Michigan. Now he’s trying to return from ankle surgery. He’s likely to start the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list. If that's the case, he won’t be eligible to return until after the sixth week of the season, though even that may be overly optimistic.

With Irons out for the season after tearing his ACL in the preseason opener, the Bengals could use Perry as a change-of-pace back for Rudi Johnson.  He was reluctant to talk much about his rehab.  “I’m doing all right,” he said. “I think that’s about as much as they want me to say. I don’t think they want to hear too much from me right now.”  Much of Perry’s value comes with his ability to make quick cuts, something a serious ankle injury could hurt. He said he’s not concerned about that and will come back as good as new.  “I’m positive of it,” he said. “This is going to take time. How long, I don’t know.”

Players know what is expected of them, from leadership to working more cohesively.

The Bengals' defense catches a lot of grief because it lacks an identity.  Which, of course, causes Cincinnati defensive tackle John Thornton to chuckle, if only slightly.  "That's up and down," Thornton said. "When you have a bad game, you don't have an identity. But when you have a good game, you have one.  "It's just a matter of being more consistent — being more like we were during that four-game stretch when we had a shutout and not being like we were in the second half of the San Diego game. If we're more consistent, then everybody will say we have an identity."

Cincinnati blew a 28-7 halftime lead against the Chargers, yielding 42 second-half points in a 49-41 loss on Nov. 12.  The Bengals then reeled off four straight victories, outscoring opponents a combined 101-33. The 17 points given up against Cleveland (30-0), Baltimore (13-7) and Oakland (27-10) set a franchise record for fewest allowed in a three-game span. 

The tight end position for the Cincinnati Bengals consists of starter Reggie Kelly and a cast of thousands.  Daniel Coats, Nate Lawrie, Erik Jensen, Tim Day, Sean Mulcahy, Bobby Blizzard and long-snapper Brad St. Louis.  How it will all shake down on Sept. 1 "Cutdown Day" is  body's guess.  This much is clear: Kelly is a lock to make the 53-man roster. The top backup is a free-for-all.

"It's exciting," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "We've got some guys at tight end now.  "Daniel did some great things (against New Orleans), running routes against their DBs in the dime and nickel packages and getting open. Nate, too, came in and did some good things. He's only been here a few weeks and he's picked up the offense fast. Tim Day is another guy that's been hurt, but he's shown to be a very athletic guy. He picked up the offense fast.

"We've always got Reggie. He's the staple of our offense as far as run blocking and doing what he does in the run game. But we've got some young guys. It's going to be tough trying to find two or three guys who are going to make this team because they can all play and they've all done great things."

Dayton Daily News

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