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Reggie Kelly is bracing for the possibility that the game Sunday against Pittsburgh could be his last as a Cincinnati Bengal. Along with left guard Eric Steinbach, defensive end Justin Smith and cornerback Tory James, Kelly will become a free agent after the season. So all week, the tight end has been wrestling with the prospect that this week could be a series of "lasts."
"I got by myself before practice and thought this could quite possibly be my last Wednesday practice, my last Thursday practice, my last game plan and my last game protecting for my future Hall of Fame quarterback. All those thoughts ran through my mind. I got a little teary-eyed because I thought I may not be here next year." Because he’ll be 30, Kelly knows the team may want to bring in a younger player. Then again, Kelly has proved to be an excellent blocker and a reliable, if plodding, passcatcher. Quarterback Carson Palmer has praised him as an example of a selfless player. "When I’m done playing this game or when I’m done with the Bengals, it’s not a big deal to me if they say I’m the best blocking tight end in the NFL," Kelly said. "But what is a big deal to me is if they say he’s the best teammate, that he’s a guy who sacrificed and did whatever he could for his team, didn’t complain, didn’t cause any ruckus." Hope for Raiders One scenario for the Bengals to make the playoffs is to beat the Steelers and have Oakland beat the New York Jets. Considering the Raiders are 2-13, that might seem a long shot, but Palmer doesn’t believe it’s farfetched. The reasoning: Jets quarterback Chad Pennington has a weak arm, and most of his success comes by finding soft spots in zone coverage. But the Raiders have an excellent defense and play man-to-man coverage with superb cornerbacks. "If a couple of those guys get their hands on balls and they get into the pocket and knock the quarterback down and get the ball out, they can generate some points defensively," Palmer said. "We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope that happens." Keeping tabs Though players usually deny scoreboardwatching, at least one Bengals player said he will be checking updates of the Jets-Raiders game. "I’m going to be watching," receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. "It’s just human nature. The coaches will tell us, ‘Don’t do that,’ but they’ll probably do it themselves." Bengals bits Left tackle Levi Jones (knee) was downgraded to questionable after missing his second straight practice. He played against Denver after missing nine weeks and said he felt fine. … Rich Braham’s career officially ended yesterday when the Bengals placed him on injured reserve. He announced his retirement Wednesday. To take his roster spot, the Bengals promoted running back Quincy Wilson from the practice squad. Columbus Dispatch http://columbusdispatch.com/bengals/bengals.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/30/20061230-C7-02.html |
