Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > May > 03 > Entry
Tale of two rookie defensive tackles
THE ‘S’ MEN (SIMS & SHIRLEY)
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis went on and on about rookie defensive tackle Pat Sims, the club’s third round draft pick out of Auburn.
Lewis praised Sims’ work ethic and conditioning, along with his “high energy” and “good burst.”
Lewis then unloaded on fifth-round DT Jason Shirley, whose technique is flawed.
Shirley told me he wants to drop 15 pounds from his 340-pound frame so he can play “sideline to sideline.”
“Jason has a lot to learn but I think that is something he’s going to have to do through the process,” Lewis said. “But he will be a willing learner.
“He’s a big, big strong man, so we’ll get him to learn to get into the correct stances that we want, 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.
“We’ll hope that when he leaves here Sunday afternoon that he’ll have a good understanding of what is expected of him when he comes back and into the off-season and training camp.”
Clearly, Shirley has a choice to make.
He can blossom into a John Randall or Bryant Young (his two favorite players).
Or he can deteriorate into a Matthias Askew or Kenderick Allen, a pair of monsters who wasted their talent.
P.S. Askew is attempting to resurrect his career with the Washington Redskins, who re-signed him on March 17, 2008, after cutting him on Sept. 1, 2007.
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By Jesse Coleman Jr
May 4, 2008 9:01 PM | Link to this
I think the Bengals will shock the world this year. Our defense will be a major surprise. M.Zimmer is all fundamental and my way or the highway coach! L.Fitzgerald will bring the best out of our LB’S. And the front seven should be R.Geathers-P.Sims-D.Peko-A.Odom. The LB’S will be K.Rivers-O.Thurman-A.Brooks. And the DB’S will be L.Hall-J.Joseph-M.White-D.Jackson. The Bengals signed a monster at DT sunday when they signed DT-Antwon Burton 6’2 325lbs. The Offense will be explosive. B.Utecht will strech the field and DeDe Dorsey will break off big runs. Who-Dey