You got your coachability, escapability, signability and the ability to move in space, which should have made John Glenn the greatest football player. Don't forget your speed guys, try-hard guys, high-motor guys (good) and low-motor guys (bad); guys with burst, guys with bulk, guys who can stretch a defense and - often underappreciated but never overlooked - guys who are strong at the POA, which is, we're fairly certain, Point Of Attack and not the gentlemen's club on the corner.

Upside, downside, all around Mel Kiper's head. It's time for the NFL draft. Months of dissecting college players like lab frogs comes down to this.

As Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Monday, a little too gleefully: "We get to do everything we want with the guy. Roll him out there on the field. Jump him through hoops. Psychoanalyze him. Open up his brain and look in. This is fun."

In the end, after the last sleeve has been measured and head popped open, the 2004 Bengals won't win as much as the 2003 Bengals. Sometimes, moving forward means stepping back. If you remove your Marvin-colored glasses, you'll see a roster that's not quite as good as it was last April, and a schedule that makes Hannibal's trip through the Alps look like spring break.

(This is where we insert the disclaimer, so the e-mail load doesn't groan with heavy-duty condemnations of Yours Truly: Lewis has done good work, is doing good work and will do good work. I love the guy. OK?)

"We're better at running back," Lewis said. "I didn't know Rudi (Johnson) last spring. I didn't know what Rudi would do in the NFL. I believe we're better at quarterback, at wide receiver, offensive line. We have to get better at linebacker. Our defense is a little unsettled.

"I still see better than I hear," Lewis said, a pet phrase of his, meaning talk is cheap and he'll be much more educated by the end of August.

The best thing the Bengals have done this offseason is dump Corey Dillon. The Human Carcinoma yielded a second-round draft pick. He's free to spread his own particular brand of joy to all of New England.

Beyond that, the Bengals wanted a big-time cornerback in free agency. They didn't get him. They wanted a run-defending, jumbo man in the defensive middle. They had Warren Sapp. They flinched.

They have decided to start Carson Palmer at quarterback, which is like investing in a savings bond. In a few years, he'll mature. They have Johnson at running back. Dillon was right: He's no Dillon.

Great attitude, great toughness, great plowhorse. Take out the San Francisco game, Johnson had 176 yards in the last six games. Playing behind him is ... is ...

Deltha O'Neal and Kim Herring could be solid. Or not. O'Neal was burned so badly at corner early last year, Denver switched him to wide receiver. Herring missed the year with a broken arm. The Bengals are counting on Lewis' ability to motivate - and the Something To Prove chips on the players' shoulders - to answer the questions.

For the moment, the secondary is no better. Nor is the defensive line. The linebackers are slightly improved. Nate Webster is a maniac in the middle, with terrific instincts. The offensive line will be better, if only because Eric Steinbach and Levi Jones will be.

The Bengals have seven draft picks in the first four rounds. Lots of potential.

That's a metaphor for their progress under Lewis, if you're looking. For one more year, they'll be an unopened package. Good things come to those who wait.

---

E-mail pdaugherty@enquirer.com

Return to Bengals front page...