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 Cncinnati Bengals Are Still Looking for A Solid 3rd Receiver
His dazzling catches serve only to tease and taunt. In a week, Chris Henry will be banished from the Bengals. After Monday night's game in Atlanta and Friday's preseason finale against Indianapolis, the third-year receiver will begin his eight-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy. So in some ways Henry is like an apparition. He is seen but will soon be invisible. He can speak but has been banned from speaking to the media by coach Marvin Lewis. On the field, Henry has been as gifted as ever. He leads the Bengals with eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown in the preseason. Off the field, Henry has stayed out of trouble lately, but his four arrests in a 14-month period prompted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to impose a stiff penalty. For the Bengals, Henry's absence could have major consequences. A lanky 6 feet 4 with remarkable speed, Henry was a matchup nightmare for defenses already pushed to the limit by Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. "Whoever that third guy is," Johnson said, "is going to have to be the one to take the pressure off T.J. and me and make a lot of plays now. We already know what teams are coming in to do -- leave whoever the third person is one-on-one."
In 13 games last season, Henry caught 36 passes for 605 yards and nine touchdowns. A better measure of his effect: In the games he played, the Bengals averaged 25.4 points. In the three he didn't because of team or league suspension, they averaged 14.3 points. So with a prolonged absence this season, the Bengals need their other receivers to take up the slack. At the start of training camp, it seemed Cincinnati was well-stocked to do that. Tab Perry, Antonio Chatman and Bennie Brazell were seemingly healthy after injury-ruined 2006 seasons. Reggie McNeal was in his second year at the position after being switched from quarterback. But so far, the void has not been filled. Perry missed time in camp tending to his hip. Chatman suffered a pulled hamstring the first day of camp and has practiced sparingly. Brazell, who has world-class speed, has shown inconsistent hands. He dropped a touchdown pass last week. McNeal also has had shaky hands. "Everybody has been a little inconsistent in some respect," receivers coach Mike Sheppard said. "Yet we've all shown improvement in some areas, too." Perry remains the leading contender, but in last week's game, he and quarterback Carson Palmer failed to get a completion in five attempted hookups. On one pass, Perry was open for what would have been a touchdown, but Palmer overthrew him. "For myself, it's a new role," said Perry, who primarily was a kickoff returner his rookie season in 2005. "There's a little bit of anxiety. I want to do extremely well. I don't want to let guys down. This is my opportunity. I try to calm down by thinking, 'This is just football. I've done this for a long time.' " Palmer said he has plenty of faith in Perry, who has the size, speed and moves to be a threat. Henry is due to meet with Goodell at the end of the preseason. Johnson holds out hope the commissioner will reduce the suspension to four games. "If he stays clean, he'll be back in October," Johnson predicted. Johnson and other Bengals say Henry has matured. "It's been tough for him," Perry said. "He always says to us, 'Man, I want to get out there with my boys. I want to be with my brothers and play.' "I think it's definitely humbling him, them taking away something he loves so much. He's been doing pretty well with it. He's attentive in meetings. He's been on time. He's been doing what he's needed to do. Sometimes they're challenging him, just to see how he reacts, and he's been answering their calls. From our rookie year to now, he's definitely grown up." Now it's up to Perry and others to answer the Bengals' call to fill Henry's spot. The Bengals are confident it won't be a major problem. On Friday, Lewis cackled through an answer about the third-receiver situation. "I'm glad you guys asked that," he said. "I want to know what team in the National Football League is getting asked who their third receiver is. I like having that issue." Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2007/08/26/bengals26.ART_ART_08-26-07_C4_PE7NGLH.html?sid=101 |
