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Bengals
Mark Curnutte offers the latest on the Cincinnati Bengals


Mark Curnutte started covering the Bengals and the NFL for The Enquirer in 2000. He previously wrote about urban affairs and other social issues for the Enquirer. He won the prestigious 1994 Unity Award from Lincoln University (Missouri) for "A Polite Silence," a seven-day series about race relations in Greater Cincinnati. He also has worked as an assistant features editor and features writer at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. Curnutte is second vice president and a three-year board member of the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA). He is a 1984 Miami University graduate.

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Saturday, May 03, 2008

Defensive tackles must perform

Defensive tackle remains a position of uncertainty for the Bengals behind projected starters Domata Peko and John Thornton.

The Bengals took Pat Sims in the third round and fellow defensive tackle Jason Shirley in the fifth.

“Yeah, I think Pat for sure should have an impact right away,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said during rookie minicamp.

“I think Jason has a lot to learn. But he will be a willing learner. He’s a big, big strong man, so we’ll get him … into the correct stances and be faster and quicker with his hands and allow him to use all that big man that he’s got there because right now he’s wasting about two-thirds of it.”

Sims, of the team’s 10 draft picks, might be the most important because of the need at the position.

“I know they expect a lot out of me,” Sims said today between minicamp practices. “I'm going to work hard to give them that. As a rookie, I'm just going to try to contribute as early as I can, helping stop the run and putting some pressure on the quarterback.”

Defensive line coach Jay Hayes has encouraged Sims, “to work on my technique, work on my footwork.”


2 Comments:

at 5/04/2008 12:16 PM Blogger bodacio said...

"...projected starters Domata Peko and John Thornton."

Make anyone else violently ill?

 
at 5/04/2008 9:02 PM Blogger engelj06 said...

Not really I like Peko and think he will shine this year. Thornton brings experience and it will be interesting to see who gets rotated in. Probably Sims.

 
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