Cut down day is never easy. For a professional athlete it may mean the end of a long sought after dream. Sometimes, it is just a bump in the road. However, it is never easy to have someone tell you you're not good enough.
Remember the days when you were trying to make the elementary, junior high or high school teams and you had to wait until the coach posted the names of those who made the team? Or maybe the coach called your house? You wanted the news, but, you didn't want to answer the phone.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis didn't mention any names, but he sure dropped a lot of hints about the club's draft plans this weekend. With the ninth overall pick Saturday, April 26, he wants an impact player. The signs point toward defense — tackle Sedrick Ellis, end Derrick Harvey or middle linebacker Keith Rivers. "I'm hoping that when we step up to pick at nine, the value and the match are there," Lewis said.
Tired of the receiver's posturing for a trade, coach Marvin Lewis said Tuesday that Johnson should keep his word and sit out the season — the strongest comment yet from an organization that is reluctant to let him go.
Lewis also said that linebacker David Pollack is leaning toward retirement. The former first-round draft pick broke a bone in his neck while making a tackle during the 2006 season and went through months of difficult healing and rehabilitation.
Pollack's decision isn't a surprise. He has said all along that he doubted he would return if there was a chance he could injure his neck again.
Lewis was pointed in his comments about Johnson. The Pro Bowl receiver has been disgruntled since the middle of last season, when his look-at-me antics came under criticism.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis called out Chad Johnson on Tuesday, April 22, daring the disgruntled wide receiver to sit out the 2008 NFL season.
Johnson has spent the offseason saying he wants out of Cincinnati. He demanded a trade last week, claiming he won't show up for the club's mandatory minicamp in June and training camp in July.
"He's made a statement he's not going to play and that's the consideration I've been aware of since the end of last season. It's time just to do what you say you're going to do, and we'll move forward," Lewis said in his strongest statement to date on the issue.
"I've stated our case with Chad. He has a contract through 2011. He's stated without an opportunity to go to a different team and a new contract, he wasn't going to play. I think he's a man of his word. He says he's not going to play, so don't play."
How serious are the Cincinnati Bengals about not giving in to Chad Johnson's trade demands? Serious enough to swat away an offer from the Washington Redskins that could have netted the Bengals two first-round draft picks, team and league sources told ESPN.com.
The Redskins offered its first-round pick, No. 21 overall, and a conditional third-rounder in 2009 that could escalate to a first rounder if Johnson and the Redskins hit certain performance levels, the sources said.
It was not the first time the Redskins approached the Bengals about a deal, but it was the first significant proposal. The Bengals have not only rejected the Redskins, but two other NFC East suitors — the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles — have been informed that there has been no change in the team's position that Johnson will not be traded.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Tuesday that former University of Georgia star David Pollack planned to retire, but to Haruki Nakamura, the revelation was not a surprise.
Nakamura, a former University of Cincinnati safety, had trained with Pollack for the past few months in preparation for this weekend's NFL Draft, and as Pollack began to look thinner and thinner, Nakamura sensed his professional career with the Bengals was over.
Even as Pollack weighed his options — "He went back and forth," Nakamura said — and told reporters he hadn't made up his mind, Nakamura deciphered a different story.
On Tuesday, April 22, Lewis revealed that Pollack — who suffered a fractured vertebrae in his neck during the 2006 season — probably wouldn't play and that "I believe where he's headed is retirement."
Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis announced Tuesday that linebacker David Pollack will retire.
The club’s first pick (17th overall) in the 2005 NFL draft, Pollack suffered a broken neck in September 2006 in the second game of the season trying to tackle Cleveland running back Reuben Droughns.
Lewis said Pollack told him last week that he wasn’t comfortable with the neck medically, despite being cleared to play.
“He spent some time with me well over a week ago and (retirement is) where it was headed,” Lewis said. “It’s a tough, tough decision for his family. … (But) he’s going to have an outstanding life. … We know the quality of the person. He’s got such a bright future in whatever he does.”
Pollack, who had 22 solo tackles in 16 career games, missed all of 2007 after being placed on the physically unable to perform list in late August. He became eligible to return to practice in Week Six, but never returned to the club.
The 25-year-old Pollack has talked about going into coaching as well as television.
Odell Thurman is back. Can he stay back? Can he have the impact on the Bengal's defense that Bengals fans are hoping for?
Odell Thurman has had a long road to get back to the NFL. After sitting out the last two seasons, he has finally been reinstated today by the NFL. That means that Thurman will be allowed to play this season for the Cincinnati Bengals just as long as he can keep his personal affairs in line. Thurman was originally suspended for the '06 season after violating the league's substance abuse policy. He then proceeded to violate his court ordered probation last year. As a result of his additional off field offense, the NFL tacked another year’s suspension onto his previous suspension.
Thurman proved to be an extremely effective Linebacker for the Bengals in his rookie season. Odell Thurman as a rookie played in all 16 games for the Bengals. He racked up 69 solo tackles and 105 total tackles. He had 5 interceptions including one that he returned for a touchdown. He gave the Bnegals the swagger they had been missing.
The big question for Bengals fans regarding Odell Thurman is whether he will be able to regain his rookie year performance and can he stay out of trouble off the field. Odell will be competing for a starting role in the Bengals defense. Only time will tell how much of an impact this might have on the Bengals defense. If Thurman can regain his edge, he could have a major impact for the Bengals.
Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman, after what has amounted to a two-year NFL suspension, learned this afternoon that he has been reinstated by the league, the Bengals announced this afternoon.
“Odell has met the NFL’s conditions for reinstatement and has been added to our offseason roster,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement released by the club. “It is now up to Odell to continue to meet all NFL guidelines, and to maintain a standard of personal responsibility that will allow him the chance to compete for a spot on our team.”
Thurman missed the past two seasons because of repeated violations of the NFL substance abuse policy. His first application for reinstatement was denied in July, and he was told he could reapply after the 2007 regular season. In January, Thurman was granted permission to begin working out with the team at Paul Brown Stadium.
Thurman was the Bengals second-round draft pick in 2005 from Georgia. He played in every game, including the playoff loss, and led the team with 148 tackles during the regular season. He also led the team with four forced fumbles, and his five interceptions tied for the most for an NFL rookie that season.
