Shaun Alexander Mentions Interest In Cincy

[DUKE]

I guess Alexander has been with Boomer in Jacksonville and has mentioned interest in returning home and that he'd listen to the Bengals if they called. I like Alexander, but I'm not as giddy about the possibility of getting him as so many others around here in Cincinnati. I'd rather spend that money on the other side of the ball personally, and I still think Perry will turn out to be a fine pick when it's all said and done. This is most likely a negotiating/leverage thing imo.

Alexander says he'd listen if Bengals called


By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Boone County High School graduate Shaun Alexander, who will be an unrestricted free agent, ran into former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason on Wednesday afternoon in the Super Bowl media center.

They were part of a presentation for the FedEx NFL air and ground players of the year.

Esiason is now a spokesman for FedEx, and Alexander - who finished second in the NFL in rushing for the Seahawks with 1,696 yards - was one of three running back finalists for the ground award.

It's unlikely that Alexander will re-sign with Seattle after five seasons. The Miami Dolphins are a likely destination, and Tampa Bay is believed to be interested, but Alexander would not rule out a homecoming.

"In two weeks, we'll know for sure," Alexander said when asked when he might make his decision about returning to the Seahawks.

Then the Bengals came up.

"You know, that's interesting," Alexander said. "Actually, being here with Boomer Esiason re-fired up my emotions about the Cincinnati Bengals. It's definitely a thought. If they come calling, I am definitely going to see if it would be best for me."

Rudi Johnson, the Bengals' featured running back, will be an unrestricted free agent, as well. The Bengals have yet to re-sign him, and Johnson's agent, Peter Schaffer, said two weeks ago that Johnson would sit out rather than play under a one-year contract. The Bengals maintain the option of putting the franchise tag on Johnson, which would limit his mobility as a free agent.

The Bengals, by policy, do not comment on continuing personnel matters, free agents or draft plans.

[no1cowboysfan]

Really? I think Perry will bust... as many others do. SA in Cincy would be great for you guys.

[NittanyLions]

I think this would be a dumb move for cincy, as Duke said, this money should be spent elsewhere. Hes a great RB but still, they need to focus on their needs

[DUKE]

Really? I think Perry will bust... as many others do. SA in Cincy would be great for you guys.

Well, I can understand why many expect Perry to be a bust. For one thing, he's a big ten back, and the KiJana's, Blair Thomas', Curtis Ennis's etc. (yes, I know we can go on and on ) have all had the "B word" to share in common. But, I very much trust Marvin Lewis's talent evaluation. He has made decisions (player evaluation) where I was left wondering what in the Hell he was thinking. First off, I wasn't exactly thrilled when we decided to draft Carson Palmer. I wanted to take Terrance Newman with our pick. Well, hindsight leaves me extremely happy with Palmer's golden arm heading the offense. As a first year Qb, the guy basically ended up winning games for us and leading Qb's in attempts before he went down for the last few games. Marvin also had me scratching my head after this past year's draft. I honestly wanted to take Vince Wilfork in the first, and wait and take either Julius Jones or Quincy Wilson a round or two later (hindsight shows that Julius didn't last too long and Quincy lasted until the 7th). I had a few coctails during the draft, and when they announced Perry, I screamed a few 4 letter words. Then when he used our 2 second round draft picks on Madieu Williams and Keiwan Ratliff, I truly wondered what Marvin was thinking . I spent so much time evaluating mock drafts and draft sites, getting caught up in so many others' "speculations" on who the best players were. I hardly even knew these two guys, but after seeing them play, I could make cases for both to be 2 steals of the draft. I saw Perry totally torch the #1 Ohio State Buckeye's defense with toughness, quick lateral movement, and pass catching ability. Marvin said and continues to say that Perry was his favorite back of the draft, and that he's the most complete of that whole class (also our RB coach swears he's going to be great someday). So, in a nutshell, I'm giving Perry and Marvin the benefit of doubt. He really didn't get a chance to show us one way or the other on his abilities due to his injury. I would've loved to see him get some time with the offense this past season so that the "Rudi decision" could be much easier, but for now we (us Bengal fans) just have to trust that they knew what they were doing when drafting Perry. If he does pan out like they say he will, that RB class will have turned out to be a damned good one, assuming Kevin Jones, Steven Jackson, Tatum Bell, and Julius Jones continue to shine.

[no1cowboysfan]

A very long, and well thought out dissent you wrote out there...

And yes, I agree. Talent evaluation is key. How do you think I felt when we traded away our first rounder to nab up a little sought after problematic RB from Notre Dame? I was hopeful, but still irritated we didn't get Kevin Jones with our pick (my top RB of the draft). I was wrong, it seems, and it was a genius move, depending on how we use that first rounder. And I could be completely wrong about Perry. Its not even that I think he's a bad RB, I just think he doesn't fit well in Cincy's offense. Perry I would classify as the perfect east coast back (Steeler ball)... pound up the middle, wear down the line, ball controll offense that works so well for some teams (or horribly, in the case of Dallas). Cincy, with a developing QB and great string of receivers, needs to be a pass heavy team, with a quicker, more versitile back (Tatum, maybe?) that would complement Cincy's underrated line.

We'll see what the future holds for Chris Perry and the Bengals.

[dave416]

Perry, while he is power back, is surprisingly adept at catching the ball, something Rudi can not do. I think Perry will contribute to the great string of receivers by acting as an outlet.

[The_Steel_Curtain]

I don't think Sahun would make a great fit in Cincinnati. Cincinnati alos has Rudi and Perry as options.

[chaindog35]

i think shaun could excel in cincy with that offense. But really perry i think is just rudi with better receiving skills, so i think rudi splits time this year and perry is the guy in 06, even though he's not flashy, neither is rudi

[The_Steel_Curtain]

I think Shaun will resign with Seattle anyway.