There used to be a point, probably during the 2007 offseason, when I might've been surprised had the Bengals acquired another player with a criminal record. By that time, 10 Bengals had been arrested in the previous 14 months, and owner Mike Brown pledged to stock the team with solid citizens. That didn't last long. The club released Chris Henry prior to the 2008 NFL draft only to re-sign him four months later (against head coach Marvin Lewis' better judgment, it should be noted). And today, their latest acquisition only seems fitting: Tank Johnson, ex-Cook County Jail resident and former Cowboys castoff is now a member of the Bengals. Of course he is.
As the Dallas Morning News' Todd Archer points out, Johnson's Dallas career can best be summarized as that guy who walked off the field after the Week 17 Eagles' drubbing yelling, "I'm a free agent, baby!" Archer adds:
The Cowboys did not make an effort to keep Johnson, who had 45 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble last season. In his two years with the Cowboys, Johnson played only OK and never seemed to buy into the responsibilities of the nose tackle in this system. In other words, he freelanced too much.Unlike years past, the Bengals' defense wasn't the problem in '08 (they ranked seventh in the league against the run, 16th against the pass, according to Football Outsiders). Yet, ironically, somebody in the front office thought signing Johnson would be a swell idea. And last season's 4-11-1 record starts to make perfect sense.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-08-2009 @ 8:14AM
Havok said...
there's hope for Pacman, Vick and Burress
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4-08-2009 @ 10:11AM
NightFire said...
Tank just didn't register his firearms and now he is a constant criminal apparently. Has he done anything since? Seriously if you are going to bash him do it for his attitude or poor play but for an offense some 4 years ago is just asinine. Is this the best NFL Fanhouse can do?
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4-08-2009 @ 12:05PM
MHC said...
Wow, yet another objective article from someone with no real knowledge. Yes, the Bengals' defense was (marginally) improved last year but they had one glaring deficiency...pressuring the quarterback. They finished tied for 30th in the league in sacks. Fixing this problem has been a documented priority this offseason. Johnson is a much better fit in the Bengals 4-3 defense than as a nose tackle in the Cowboys 3-4, and will be used primarily on passing downs. Bengals' defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer believes he's a good fit (on and off the field), after doing some extensive research, contacting former coaches and team-mates before coming to that conclusion. Who did you contact? You Cut and pasted from a newspaper article. Enough said.
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4-08-2009 @ 2:25PM
bears0492 said...
I really wish Tank Johnson wasn't a bad guy. He was great when he was on the bears. If he hadn't been such an idiot, he would still be man-handling offensive lineman on the Bears.
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