Late-night ruminations on the Bengals

MIAMI -- Having just filed my last story for the Enquirer's print edition for Thursday, I'm sitting here in the media room at the Miami Beach Convention Center (no, I'm not down the road at South Beach partying) trying to organize myself for the weekend story budget.

First, some thoughts on recent developments in no particular order:

-- Re-signing offensive lineman Scott Kooistra was a solid move. You can never have too much depth on the line, and when given the chance, Kooistra has performed well. Credit the Bengals for developing the likes of Eric Ghiaciuc, Stacy Andrews and Kooistra in the last few years. And quarterback Carson Palmer today here in Miami had nothing but praise for 2006 rookie Andrew Whitworth.

I like the way Kooistra plays. He has a chip on his shoulder and a mean streak.

-- Could the Bengals not have a better ambassador than Palmer?

-- Chad Johnson truly enjoyed himself making the rounds to 17 radio and TV interviews this morning. Chad and the Bengals coaches need to find a way to improve his consistency from game to game. He can not disappear.

-- The most underappreciated development of the week was the Bengals' retention of quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese. He didn't get the job as Carolina offensive coordinator after interviewing there a couple of weeks ago. And he removed himself from interview in Miami, where new coach Cam Cameron will call the plays.

Zampese is vital in the continued success of Palmer. Zampese has played a role in providing intelligent guidance for the four-year quarterback. Zampese is a coordinator in waiting. He knows how to follow and lead. Palmer benefits from the stability on the offensive staff. His position coach is his advocate and buffer.

-- The Bengals need to spend their first two draft picks on defense, and thankfully, the junior class has added some talent. And they need to sign a star defender in free agency the likes of linebackers Adalius Thomas (Baltimore) or Lance Briggs (Chicago) or cornerback Asanti Samuel (New England). Thomas is a impact player unlike many others, but the sense is Baltimore is unlikely to let him get away and could tag him in free agency.

The Bengals simply need a lot of help on defense.