Bleacher Report - Articles by Mike Zimmer

Bengals' Odell Thurman Reinstated After Two-Year Absence

Mike Zimmer — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:57:59 -0400

By the grace of Emperor Goodell today, the NFL reinstated Cincinnati Bengals LB Odell Thurman after a two-year ban from the league after he’d violated various rules.

He last violated the substance abuse policy which was actually his second strike against him. Then, last year much to the chagrin of all Bengals fans, he didn’t get the OK because apparently he either missed a drug test, got dinged again for something, or somehow messed things up.

Thurman is a talented beast and when the Bengals had him running wild and finally in the full know of his responsibilities on defense back in 2005, he ran amuck.

He was at the center of the Bengals ball-hawking defense that forced tons of turnovers and helped the team on its way to a division title.

However, he was part of the wave of idiocy that has infested the Bengals.

Case in point, he was/is friends with Chris Henry and was driving the night that Henry, Reggie McNeal, and he were all busted for being drunk behind the wheel, leading to his suspension.

By all accounts and the handful of times that I’ve heard him speak, he doesn’t seem all that bright either. He’s football bright, nasty, quick, and feisty, though.

In many respects, he reminds you of a poor man’s Takeo Spikes back when that No. 51 was an All-Pro for the Bengals.

Though he’s perhaps not the sharpest spoon in the woodshed, he is almost as good as getting a nice draft pick again or a free agent entry to the roster this year.

He should be fresh after having nothing but time to work out and be hungry for another shot at playing. Whether or not he can regain the form that had him a potential Rookie of the Year candidate is another story, but it does add some need.

Most of all, depth as the LB corps has been ravaged the last few years.

Thurman is good against the run, can play pass coverage and has a knack for the ball. Oh, and he got to the QB too, something the Bengals desperately need.

The honest question has to be asked, though, as Thurman gets no quarter any more: How long until he screws it up and is banned once again from the league?

Upon hearing the news today that he was given a green light to rejoin the Bengals, I wondered aloud at when the news comes this summer telling us that he’s been arrested on some charge relating to drinking, violence, traffic incident, sexual assault, battery, stealing a man hole cover, or violating a clown.

You name it, the Bengals can violate it or the law protecting it.

Look, I like Thurman. He’s a beast and if he can return to form, he should help out the woeful Bengals defense.

However, until he goes four or five seasons into the league and is mentioned as the NFL Man of the Year and hasn’t been arrested, suspected, or implicated in any crime or violation of his NFL parole, you have to wonder such things.

Yet, if he can somehow manage to keep his nose clean, I hope he can come back with a vengence and terrorize the league.

Days without Odell being suspended: One.

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2008 Cincinnati Bengals Schedule to Test a Fragile Team Early

Mike Zimmer — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:35:16 -0400

I have an Alicia Keys-sized conspiracy theory: the NFL screwed the Bengals. Or, at least they are testing them big time while rewarding the Steelers. Yes, the rich get richer and the bad apple is getting some serious tests to prove their mettle early.

The Bengals Schedule

9/7 at Baltimore

9/14 Tennessee

9/21 at N.Y. Giants

9/28 Cleveland

10/5 at Dallas

10/12 at N.Y. Jets

10/19 Pittsburgh

10/26 Bye Week

11/2 Jacksonville

11/9 at Houston

11/16 Philadelphia

11/20 at Pittsburgh

11/30 Baltimore

12/7 at Indianapolis

12/14 Washington

12/21 at Cleveland

12/28 Kansas City

After a road opener at Baltimore, the Bengals schedule then gets pretty dicey in the early going. They will perhaps have a shot at a win in B-more against a rebuilding Black Birds team before heading home to play the always tough Tennessee Titans and Vince Young. After that, trips to the Meadowlands to play the Giants and a visit to Dallas to play the Cowboys sandwich their in-state rivalry game with Cleveland. The Bengals then return to the Meadowlands where they have won, ONE TIME in their history (1981) to play the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. That all leads up to the last game before their bye at home against the Steelers, a team they have not beaten in five seasons at Paul Brown Stadium.

While the first half of the year and that brutal stretch may test the team. The second half eases some with the tough ones at home other than their trip up I-74 to play the Colts. Overall, the Bengals have a tough row to hoe any way you look at it and even if you consider that the team may be able to overcome the tough start with perhaps wins over B-More, Cleveland and Tennessee, you’re probably looking at no better than (3-3) by the time they reach the Steelers loss.

It’s all speculation to be certain, however, the Bengals schedule really did do them in last season and again this year it looks to be a challenge. With the team in a fragile state, I could see them imploding big time with Marvin Lewis out even before the season is over if things turn south. If they cannot get above .500 heading into their bye week, they may quit on Lewis as they seemed to do down the stretch last year with awful losses to teams like San Francisco.

If you’re an optimist, you can point to the fact that they do have a tough inter-conference game and the NFC cross-over games at home in the second half with Jacksonville joining Philadelphia and Washington coming to Paul Brown Stadium (the Iggles and Skins, for the first time).

The Bengals only sniff prime time once as currently scheduled, with Cincinnati heading to Pittsburgh on October 20th for a Thursday nighter. Meanwhile, the Steelers will be in their fifth primetime game by then and will have enjoyed the only three-game home stand in the AFC. Go figure. See, conspiracy (I'm laughing with you, it's called sarcasm).

I’m not feeling it though. I think at best, this team is in for a dog fight for a wild-card spot and if they’re lucky can get over the hump to perhaps (9-7) and sneak into the playoffs. All I do know is, I’m eye-balling the home game against the Browns and the home dates against the Ravens and Chiefs as the only games I’m going to be able to see in person this year. We’ll just have to see.

Buckeye Disa and Data Spring Edition

Mike Zimmer — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:46:05 -0400

Beanie is resting for most of spring drills, but oh man, what a game he had last November against Meatchicken.

Buckeyes spring a bit less physical according to Columbus Dispatch…

The powers that be in college football tell Tres to prepare for late start on west coast visit come September…

Wolver-weenie cast away possibly a Buckeye Refugee?…

And we’ll see the SEC again for sure…like in 2018.

Ah, Spring! It’s time for spring practice back in Columbus near the banks of the Olentangy. Spring drills are underway as I hear and there is a few tidbits of news here and there.

According to a report I just read on the Columbus Dispatch’s Web site (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/football/stories/2008/03/27/osufb27.ART_ART_03-27-08_C5_1N9OQFF.html?sid=101), State Head Coach Jim Tressell is toning down hitting this spring and going with a more teaching oriented camp. Perhaps some of the injuries play into that or Tressell’s want to change things up a bit.

However, it seems that those factors along with the fact that the team doesn’t have as many challenges as it did going into last year including an offensive scheme change may have facilitated the less hitting approach.

While there isn’t that many position battles with so many returning faces, this might be a chance for the Buckeyes to focus on details. Other than that, it seems that Tressell’s spring camp might be a bit boring. Including the spring game in which he says in the report may be more like a controlled scrimmage instead of a full blown game come April 19.

The USC game’s gonna be a prime time match up. Really?

Also on that web site and which has been floating around quite a bit is that the Sept. 13 game out in Los Angeles against Southern Cal is more than likely going to be a Prime Time East Coast game on either ABC or ESPN. The National audience on ABC is probably the choice for this clash of titan-like programs meeting for the first time in years. It’s a no brainer. The downside for me? Uh, that’s 1 a.m. my time here in the UK. Yeah, that sucks for me.

Former Wolverweenie Justin Boren (No.65) has left scUM.

The Buckeyes may be in the running to perhaps be where former Michigan and Pickerington native Justin Boren lands. The son of a former Meatchicken player, the line-men left the school up north recently (the 3rd player to do so of late) and might make his way home. While this is a rarity, Boren was a prized recruit once upon a time and you can never have enough line-men. Even if he will forever be marked with a blue and yellow mark. I don’t like the way this one smells and can’t see it, but stranger things have happened.

And finally, the Buckeyes announced that they will once again play an SEC team in the future. And, in the regular season for the first time since 1988’s win over then No. 7 L.S.U. in Columbus. Ohio State will play Tennessee after the schools have agreed to play and home-and-home series.

However, this won’t take place until 2018 when the Buckeyes will travel to Rocky Top and play in front of the Knoxville faithful on opening day of that year. The Vols will return in 2019 for a rare trip up north to play in Columbus.

The teams have only played once back in the 1995 Citrus Bowl which was a 20-14 Vols win. Let’s see by 2018, Nick Saban will have made his way to Knoxville after having coached at every other SEC school despite vowing that each stop was his last and where he belonged and Tressell will be thinking of hanging em’ up after seven-more consecutive trips to the National Title Game.

Think about this for a moment: the players that will be playing in those games are now in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade at the moment. That’s right, when that game goes on and you’re out tailgating, the hot co-eds that happen by then are currently 8-to-11 years old. Creepy. Yours truly at the tender age of 42, will be going thru yet another mid-life crisis by then and have to drive north from his future home in Florida with his 3rd wife to see the game in Tennessee. And Big B still won’t have wireless in his garage where he’ll surely be hosting a shindig complete with creepy neighbors visiting late night. But, it’ll still be a good time.

Mike Zimmer cbusmike@hotmail.com
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