Bramlet to Hamburg; Mort likes Bengals; letters

Time to catch up on the Bengals a week after the Super Bowl.

Item 1: The Bengals will assign at least four players to NFL Europe this spring.They are quarterback Casey Bramlet, tight end Jeremiah Cockheran, defensive linemen Derrick
Crawford and Greg Scott.
The allocation of four players to Europe means the Bengals can bring 84 players to training camp at Georgetown (Ky.) College this summer. The limit is 80, plus one for every player allocated to Europe.
Bramlet was the team’s emergency third quarterback but was promoted to No. 2 for the last three games, after Carson Palmer’s injury forced backup Jon Kitna to start. Bramlet is headed for the new Hamburg Sea Devils and will have his first conference call with the media on Monday.

Item 2: Earlier this week, ESPN NFL writer Chris Mortenson said the Bengals were a possible Super Bowl contender this coming season. Mortenson's dark horse to win the Super Bowl: "I'll make the case for the Bengals. Look what the Bengals did to the Patriots? Carson Palmer left early in the game (injured knee), and (Marvin) Lewis has them ready to be the dark horse of next season."

Item 3: The Bengals marketing department writes to say the team's JungleVision (in-stadium video production crew) received a national award for the "Best Music Video" among all
sports/entertainment venues in North America.
From a press release: "IDEA has awarded the Cincinnati Bengals their first Golden Matrix Award for"Best Music Video." IDEA, Information Display and Entertainment Association, just wrapped-up its 23rd Annual Conference from Houston. The Information Display and Entertainment Association is an international association of electronic display system and scoreboard operators.
"Founded in 1982, IDEA members represent teams, public facilities, manufactures andsuppliers worldwide. "The Golden Matrix Awards recognize excellence and creativity in several categories of electronic display production. In order to be eligible, entries must have been produced for
display on a system to a live audience during an event.
"`Bengals Theme'" was produced by Scott Simpson, videography by Kent Weaverand editing by R. Preston Price of the PPS Group."

Item 4:
A few reader e-mails.

Question, from Joe in Sharonville: How likely is it that the Bengals will be able to get Shaun Alexander? Would they rather have him then Rudi. Isn't (Alexander) about five years older?

Question, from Greg in Sacramento, Calif.: Do you have a good feeling that Rudi will be
signed to a long term contract? It is obvious that his agent wants more than a franchise tag
(value, $6.323 million). However there are several excellent running backs that are free agents
that would be fit well in the Bengals offense. Do you think the Bengals offense featuring a big
back is more important than Rudi's talent? Great running backs are a rare in the NFL on a
consistent basis, but long-term contract busts are very common.

Answer: Alexander, the Florence, Ky., native, will turn 28 on Aug. 30. Johnson will turn 26 on Oct. 1. Alexander will be more expensive to sign than Johnson. It's a long shot to believe the Bengals would spend even more money on Alexander than they are willing to spend on Johnson.
Alexander is going to command one of the biggest deals in free agency this year, and look for Miami to be the place he goes.
The Bengals first choice, I think, is the sign Johnson to a long-term deal but not at Alexander money. The worry for the Bengals is they don't want to imbalance the salary cap. By that, they
don't want to have significantly more money tied up on the offense than the defense. The defense still needs playmakers, especially in the front seven, and a huge Rudi Johnson contract, plus what they might have to pay to retain fellow unrestricted free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh, would tilt the scale heavily to the offense -- where quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chad Johnson are earning big salaries.

Reader e-mail about black QBs, Rudi and Corey

It's Sunday afternoon, about 3:35 p.m. Time to kill some time while waiting for the start
of the Super Bowl from the press box here at Alltel Stadium.

Whenever newspapers write about issues of race, the reaction is strong and swift. On
Friday, I wrote about Donovan McNabb being just the third African-American quarterback to start in 39 Super Bowls. Here's a sampling of some of the e-mail I received after writing about race in football:

One reader wrote this, and all I received was an e-mail address, which I won't reproduce
here.

Re: QB -- Black starters still rare
"And so are White NBA basketball players."

My response: But white NBA players aren't subject, nor were they ever, to racial
prejudice to get their job. It's strictly a matter of talent. Black quarterbacks
were incorrectly judged to be not intelligent enough or too good of athletes to play that
position.

Another reader, named John, wrote this: "to me this is a funny story ... blacks still crying about lack of nfl qb's ... as they take over every other position ... what ever happened to the white running back, the white db? ... don't stereotypes work both ways? ... why no outrage
over no black kickers? ... fact is the best players play ... this is and old and tired story."

My response: I couldn't disagree more. I know, as a white male, that I have enjoyed the path of least resistance. I also know how hard I have worked and competed to get to this point in my career. I appreciate that minorities and women have encountered obstacles that I can't even imagine. Their achievement doesn't reduce me. It adds to my appreciation of how much more challenging some people's routes have been than mine.

When six former NFL quarterbacks, all black men, think it is important enough to form an
organization and have a news conference, it is a newsworthy story. Warren Moon said it best: They are trying to preserve the history of the black quarterback and reach back to help others.

I continually find it unnerving how the "white community" will allow African-Americans to
entertain it but turn defensive when black men -- quarterbacks, in this case -- say something
white people don't like. Readers are entitled to their opinions. I'm entitled to mine, based on my experiences.

And now, onto the Rudi Johnson front ...

This e-mail came from Chris: If a franchise tag and a 6.323 million dollar paycheck isn't enough for Rudi then let him sit! I suspect that on a percentage basis, relative to his current salary, this increase is significant. Certainly better than the 4 percent I recently received. I would also suspect that if he does decide to pout for a season his value would diminish substantially. I realize the market he competes in is different than my own, however, I also realize our respective markets will do just fine without either one of us.

And then there was this, from Mark: So based on your experience covering the team, will
Rudi be on the Bengals next year? Everything I read is how much they love Chris Perry and don't want to overpay for Rudi when history suggests any RB will do.

My response: Interesting questions and comments. Rudi Johnson is one of the most team-oriented professional athletes I have known in seven years of covering the NFL and Major League Baseball.

It's business. Chris is right in that we can't compare our economic situations to those of
athletes, particilarly an accomplished one like Johnson. Will he be back? Some days I think yes.
Some days, no. I suspect people were surprised by the amount of the franchise tag. It came in higher than the Bengals might have expected.

Perry's injury definitely complicated the sitation for the Bengals. If he had been able to play, even as a backup, the team would have a better idea of what he can do. But the organizations and coaches do feel confident -- at least in public -- about Perry's ability to take on the featured back role.

And finally, this about Corey Dillon from a reader named Igor: I am increasingly
disappointed by your constant negativism in your writings about Corey Dillon. I refer to your
articles (1/21 and 1/22). How quickly we forget! For many years, Dillon was the only positive
factor on arguably the worst franchise in football; his sterling performances on the field were
"in spite of" the atrocious play of the team, the incompetent coaching on the sidelines and the miserable management of the Brown family. ... Dillon is having arguably a better year than (Marvin) Lewis, and I think you should "get off his back." The Bengals are beginning the same contract negotiation (games) with Rudi Johnson. Will you be critical of Rudi Johnson if he decides to leave the Bengals?

My response: Corey Dillon signed a contract that he did not honor by trying to talk and misbehave his way out of Cincinnati. His constant complaining, while being paid millions of dollars in compensation, was unprofessional. I don't wish him ill. He clearly has had an outstanding season for the Patriots. But I respect Lewis more for his work in Cincinnati. Dillon fell into a golden situation. Lewis is single-handedly leading the Bengals' return to the NFL.

And, as far as comparing Johnson and Dillon, Dillon was under contract. Johnson is not.
Johnson and his representative are allowed to negotiate in the media if they choose. Johnson
played out his contract to his best effort. There are those who say Dillon quit on his team a couple of times.

Greetings from the Super Bowl

Hello from Jacksonville, Fla., home of Super Bowl XXXIX. Things are somewhat quiet on the Bengals front this week. I hope you're enjoying the Enquirer's coverage of the buildup to the game and the circus that this week has become.

I am looking forward to having greater interaction with readers in this new blog. I value the
many e-mail responses and questions I receive from readers and appreciate how some of you have become my electronic pen-pals. Thank you.

I am proud of what we produce as a newspaper both in print and on the Web site -- and not just on the Bengals/NFL beat or in the Sports department. I'm closing in on 12 years at the Enquirer, and I see a bright future for the entire newspaper.

Back to football. A few quick observations from Jacksonville:

1. Having covered Bengals coach Marvin Lewis closely for two years, I can see the similarities in
his program with those of Bill Belichick and Andy Reid, the Patriots and Eagles coaches. Lewis,
like the two Super Bowl coaches, is very decisive and knows what he wants. Lewis has found his
quarterback in Carson Palmer, the same way Belichick and Reid have Tom Brady and Donovan McNabb.

Lewis has grown on the job, too, as a head coach, just like the two Super Bowl counterparts.
Lewis has a stable and increasingly better coaching staff.

Bengals fans have legitimate reasons for optimism. I predicted when Lewis was hired that Year 3 would be his first playoff season. The pace and path the team is on after two seasons do not
force me to change that prediction.

2. The Patriots are truly a team for the ages, especially in the era of free agency and the
salary cap. It's going to be interesting to see how Belichick replaces coordinators Charlie Weis
and Romeo Crennel.

3. Speaking of Crennel, and from somewhat selfish reasons, it's going to be interesting to have
him in the AFC North with the Bengals as the likely new coach of the Cleveland Browns. If the
Browns do indeed hire Crennel, congratulations to them for showing the patience and focus to wait for him to complete his work as New England's defensive coordinator. The Bengals get to play him twice a season.

4. I am continually impressed with my fellow Miamian Ben Roethlisberger. He was in Jacksonville the other day and will be back to receive another corporate-drive rookie award. At just 22, he shows maturity and a natural ease with people. There's no question he'll rebound from the AFC championship game loss and learn from his mistakes. Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh is a perfect fit.

Thanks for reading. I'll be back with you soon.
-- Mark Curnutte