By Adam Kiefaber
The Cincinnati Bengals are one day into their voluntary camp and with what the media is telling me there is no reason why this team won’t win the Super Bowl this year.
All the talk from the first day was about running backs Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry.
Mark Curnutte of The Cincinnati Enquirer writes, “starting tailback Rudi Johnson has increased his weight to 225 pounds, up from 212 last year, and looks again like the bruising between-the-tackles runner of 2004 and 2005.”
Chick Ludwig of The Dayton Daily News writes in his blog, “Rudi is determined to play at 225 pounds and become the Jerome Bettis-style hammer between the tackles that he once was.”
Wasn’t it just last year that the leaner Rudi Johnson was going to run past defenders, now he is Jerome Bettis?
The media’s answer would be, but Rudi was hurt last year!
I would have to fire back that he has been injured every year, after his 2003 breakout season, Johnson has missed the majority of the club’s weekday practices during every season. That excuse has always been there. I am a huge Bengals fan, but do we really need the hype?
Isn’t that how the fan base got to love “The WR”? The media made him out to be this fun-loving guy, when (I met him) he was really a spoiled brat. Honestly, with his background it may not be his fault, it might be the media’s - they fall in love with these players when they should be more objective since that is what journalism is all about.
It just baffles me that players Corey Dillion, “The WR” and Carl Pickens have had so much trouble with this media that loves them and would never write anything negative until they are avoided.
I am by no means trying to call out the media (I personally know that Chick is a great guy), but just don’t believe everything you read.
Sun. Sept. 21 at N.Y. Giants 1 p.m.