No fan is an island, entire of itself.
Each is part of the main, a piece of the rock.

If by the sea the clods be washed away, or the bluff crag,
or thine friends home, or thine friends themselves,
Bengaldom is more the less.

Each loss burdens me, as I am involved in hob spin.
And so, ask not for whom the bell-cow lows.
It lows for thee. Moooooooo!

~Geoff Hobs-Dunne

What could possibly be more tedious than waiting for yet another NFL draft? Football-wise, it's by far the most excruciating time of the year. Might as well seize the opportunity to honor one of our very own MBS members. To be prepared especially for you, Belko -- an exhaustive catalog of Geoff Hobson bell-cow-isms. Periodically updated into perpetuity.

A current search on Bengals.com brings up 70 instances of the term. Rather than making one long post, I thought I would break things up into multiple entries. That way, I can add a dozen or two at a time, and return later when circumstances permit. The plan is to number each quotation for future reference. First set of entries to follow shortly.

Psychostats, is that you in the avatar pic you're using?

I do like this kind of insanely ordered, OCD-type thinking. I bet you number your paper clips, sticky notes, stuff like that.

I understand today, on a deeper level, the nickname.

Do you ever play Madden franchise mode? I totally vaporlock on to those ratings pages. Very soothing in an almost-autistic sort of way.

Maybe its just me...

TOBB -- I'm guessing you know it already, but that's the author of A Fan's Notes, Frederick Exley. He was an intense NY Giants fan who suffered from a "cacophony of chemical imbalances", as one reviewer quaintly put it. Give the book a look-see if you haven't yet, it's a great read.

My screen name is actually a play on "psychological statistics". I'm warped in my own way, but not with anything in the direction of OCD or OCPD. As a matter of fact, I drive the anal people crazy at work, but not nearly as crazy as they drive me. (And as I've noted before, I'm guessing that Mike Brown leans very heavily toward the anal side of the spectrum.)

I had a manager once who didn't like tables with percentages that failed to add up to 100. I'm talking about exactly 100.0. Nope, 99.9 or 100.1 just didn't cut it. This was a PhD who understood all about rounding errors, but still didn't like them. Had a self-professed history of obsessing over the numbers and carefully making "fixes". No joke.

While I tend to be absent-minded and laid back, I'll zone in on various activities. And be perfectionistic. I agree, zoning in on stats and ratings can be very stress reducing, depending on what the topic is. Never played Madden, though.

Bell-cow quarterbacks are like queen bees. Only one can take you to the land of milk and honey.

~ what Mike Brown should have said


INSTANCE 1 --- Coslet up close (posted Apr 27, 2000)

H: BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A BELL COW.

C: Take the worst case. What if both Corey and Ki-Jana are gone? Who's the next best guy? If it turns out he's a situational guy, then you bring them in and out and play them to their strengths. I did that in New York with Freeman McNeil, Johnny Hector and Brad Baxter, and we were pretty damn good. We went to the playoffs in '92. I don't know how that will come out.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Coslet-up-close/2C598292-FD41-4D12-ABC2-06E592311CE8

INSTANCE 2 --- On the Ball: A conversation (posted Jun 10, 2000)

HOBSON: All running backs want to be the bell cow. You ended up not running the ball much.

BALL: I was looking at my stats not long ago and one year I carried something like 10 times (in 1991) and 16 the next year.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/On-the-Ball-A-conversation/7CA6F713-F80C-46C6-93FD-946AFA74DBE6

INSTANCE 3 --- One back will emerge (posted Jun 14, 2000)

The last time the Bengals went into a season with no clear-cut bell cow in the backfield was probably back in 1984, when Anderson was a NFL rookie himself. In Anderson's first year on the staff, Cincinnati traded Pete Johnson to San Diego for James Brooks and while Brooks would go on to become the club's all-time leading rusher, he needed time to learn the playbook.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/One-back-will-emerge/BAC5882D-C3ED-494C-9066-1131DD114D3B

INSTANCES 4 and 5 --- A conversation: Coslet on the eve (posted Jul 20, 2000)

HOBSON: (Running backs coach) Jim Anderson says he wants one guy to emerge. He wants a bell cow instead of back-by-committee.

COSLET: I would agree with that. I did it that way in New York because I was forced to.

- snip -

HOBSON: With the drafting of receivers Peter Warrick and Ron Dugans and maybe no experienced bell cow running back, do you feel pressure to spread the field with more three-receiver sets?

COSLET: Not at all because I like to do that. I did it in New York because I had the receivers. If these guys show they can carry the load, I have no problem in doing that. My offense can be converted to that easily.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/A-conversation-Coslet-on-the-eve/50707749-DCDB-4CF0-9650-E9B403BF5493

INSTANCE 6 --- Gus-sing up a start (posted Aug 15, 2002)

Brown admits the club still has no "established bell cow quarterback." But he doesn't rule out any of the three evolving into one even though Kitna and Frerotte have banged around the league.

"Favre didn't do it in Atlanta and Warner didn't do it in Green Bay and sometimes that's the way it goes," Brown said. "I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I feel better about that position."

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Gus-sing-up-a-start/0DD9E4EE-2E05-494C-AE6B-F132252FA556

INSTANCE 7 --- Deal opens draft (posted Apr 9, 2004)

With O'Neal filling a hole at corner, the Bengals taking an offensive player in the first round for the fifth time in six years looms possible. It is a draft deep in big, long-ball wide receivers and contains some running backs (the Jones Boys Kevin and Greg?) that may be too tempting for a team that doesn't have a happy bell cow signed past 2004.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Deal-opens-draft/1F90D4D8-667E-4436-AB34-55048E3DD625

INSTANCE 8 --- "Unknown Title" (posted Apr 22, 2004)

There are some interesting bread-and-butter, bell-cow guys that they could get earlier, but Florida State's Greg Jones and Michigan's Chris Perry don't figure to be there when the Bengals take their first pick in the second round at No. 49.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/04-22-2004-UNKNOWN/12C8DE2B-7E41-40E5-9A40-430BD234FE68

INSTANCE 9 --- Bengals favor Perry (posted Apr 24, 2004)

But the Bengals have never been shy about having enough big, bell-cow running backs. After Ickey Woods finished off his Rookie of the Year season in 1988, the Bengals took UCLA running back Eric Ball with their first pick in the '89 draft and Harold Green of South Carolina in the second round of 1990. Two years after the Bengals took Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter with the No. 1 overall pick in 1995, the Bengals took Dillon in the second round

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-favor-Perry/38BCD6E0-DD69-4F7D-AE11-90C4AA730D2F

INSTANCE 10 --- Bengals tap Big (10) back (posted Apr 24, 2004)

[Repeat of quotation in Instance 9.]

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-tap-Big-10-back/A272C6E7-50D6-435C-B52B-7DCB5BBB6046

INSTANCE 11 --- Eye of beholder (posted Apr 27, 2004)

What's the problem? Their needs before the weekend were a nickel cornerback, a backup bell-cow running back, and a lot of help on defense. What didn't they do? OK, they couldn't get a center, but we like most of the other choices.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Eye-of-beholder/15C9C66A-E60E-4056-A28A-70555EE5E0DE

INSTANCE 12 --- New look backfield (posted Jul 7, 2004)

The 5-11, 218-pound Watson and the 6-foot, 230-pound Hicks both have the size and track record of a bell cow in case they need somebody to spell Johnson for anything more than a game. They also may get a chance to return some kickoffs in the preseason as one of the possible tiebreakers, where Watson also has an edge. He returned seven of his 30 career returns last year for the Bengals (a long of 27), and Hicks has just one NFL return.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/New-look-backfield/A8CD6440-B17B-4536-A49B-B8D83A501FE3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ExOkfaSCc&feature=related

------------------------------------------
In Memory of Dunn4QB

You know you watched a lot of wrestling in your life when this thread just makes you think of this:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbfqsr_the-ding-dongs-vs-cougar-jay-george_sport

Of course, it probably just makes more pop culture aficionados think of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_cowbell

BMN

I never grow tired of the cowbell sketch, which I have to admit I first heard about here, at MBS.

The wrestling match seems strangely appropriate for this thread, BMN. Hadn't seen one in years, decades actually. But, you know, the announcers missed so many punning opportunities, it's a humdinger of a crime. Where's the Johnny B. Good reference -- a variation on "playing the guitar like a-ringing a bell"? Or "rings on their fingers and bells on their toes" ?

But at least there was the unintentional, "Now there's bells all over the ring!"

Belko, August 12, 2007

"So, I've been noticing that whenever Slobsin writes Rudy Johnson down, he also writes the words...'Bell Cow'... Now he has started doing it with Kenny Watson... as in Bell Cow of the Preseason...lol...

"Should we keep track of how often he says it... maybe take a virtual shot every time he says it."

http://www.network54.com/Forum/90650/thread/1186948870/Bell+Cow

Belated answer: Yes!


INSTANCE 13 --- Hopeful Rudi on the clock (posted Mar 11, 2005)

With about $1 million to spend, indications heading into the weekend are the Bengals aren't looking to bring on a major salary via a trade or free agency as they try to wrap up Johnson, their bell-cow running back, and the only other signings they seem ready to make are a tweak instead of an overhaul.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hopeful-Rudi-on-the-clock/996D704C-800F-4186-873C-1C2237375D74

INSTANCE 14 --- Rudi on brink of 'Corey'-like deal (posted Mar 15, 2005)

If you simply go by the fact that the two sides were still working on a multi-year deal deep into Tuesday night, they should have beat the blackout deadline of 4 p.m. Wednesday. The hours spent negotiating certainly pointed to something big as the Bengals worked overtime to lock up their bell cow back. ESPN.com reported the deal at $26 million, much in the neighborhood of what Dillon signed on May 11, 2001 after two Pro Bowl seasons and four 1,000-yard years.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Rudi-on-brink-of-Corey-like-deal/A65FE6DC-2934-4B29-9EF8-DE4316D14517

INSTANCE 15 --- C.P.: Initial run with C.D., J.B., Rudi J. (posted Aug 11, 2005)

The addition of Perry marks more than a passing element in the transition away from the Dillon years. Except for his first and last years in Cincinnati, Dillon carried at least 262 times. The bell-cow theory stayed last year in the first post-Dillon season when Johnson lugged the biggest percentage of his team's carries in the NFL with a club-record 361 attempts.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/CP-Initial-run-with-CD-JB-Rudi-J/E7811700-8584-4D60-B516-6A9B130C89C2

INSTANCE 16 --- Even more Rudi, Rudi, Rudi (posted Dec 13, 2005)

But with Rudi so comfortable as the bell cow, the Bengals are looking for a guy to give them only five or six carries at the most. It's just that they got spoiled with Perry's 5.1 yards per carry.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Even-more-Rudi-Rudi-Rudi/DCD6BF46-8C55-43C5-9E9F-981BC077F5B0

INSTANCE 17 --- Notes: Taking care of business (posted Jun 15, 2006)

On a day Corey Dillon fumed in Foxboro about being disrespected and glowered at questions about possibly backing up a rookie, Rudi Johnson showed up quietly Thursday to punch the clock on his third straight season as the Bengals' Bell Cow back.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-Taking-care-of-business/20D55F9D-03E3-4297-BEAE-0D4DBA24E3AC

INSTANCE 18 --- Notes: Perry unlikely for opener (posted Aug 20, 2006)

The Bengals are right back where they started before they drafted Chris Perry in 2004. They've got very few bell-cow carries behind Rudi Johnson at running back for what could be the first half of the season.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-Perry-unlikely-for-opener/E8E49B76-0C0E-4D6B-9A41-1210E5950664

INSTANCE 19 --- Notes: Bengals defend Geathers (posted Sep 11, 2006)

"He's much healthier, a lot quicker, faster, top-end speed is faster," said Palmer of his bell cow who is no longer hampered by torn knee cartilage. "So he's going to be a lot better than last year this year, which is hard to imagine."

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-Bengals-defend-Geathers/FD9188A7-0AC8-4D1C-9772-4FF6F4DD864E

INSTANCE 20 --- Rudi looks to legs (posted Jun 6, 2007)

Johnson turns 28 on Oct. 1 and if you think he's ready to step aside and split the carries with rookie Kenny Irons, well, he's not that old. Johnson takes pride in the title, "Bell Cow." The man who averaged 345 carries the last three seasons without missing a game still expects to get the bulk of the carries as the No. 1 back.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Rudi-looks-to-legs/2789CCF6-869A-4DC6-BC48-E95D292CA2CD

INSTANCE 21 --- Backup in backfield (posted Jun 12, 2007)

RB Rudi Johnson, 5-10, 215, seventh season: The bell cow who takes pride in exactly that. No one has carried the ball more in the NFL since he became The Cow in 2004 and only three men have more yards.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Backup-in-backfield/8017A026-C0E8-4636-B483-5976659B3094

INSTANCE 22 --- Hobson's Choice: Signing deals and names (posted Jul 23, 2007)

Given that Perry racked up 4.6 yards per carry, there was a certain buzz that he should have had some more carries. It remains to be seen how well Irons plays, but he's certainly not the receiver that Perry is. That gave the Bengals 51 other occasions to get Perry the ball. If they can't do that for Irons, will they give him more chances to run with it? Maybe, but not enough to change Johnson's role of bell cow. Plus, remember, Perry was in his second season and not a rookie.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-Signing-deals-and-names/1E1A9BC3-1E59-45B9-AE87-8530BF219C38

INSTANCE 23 --- Irons shelved for season (posted Aug 10, 2007)

The Bengals are in a precarious position with depth behind starter Rudi Johnson. They are left with Kenny Watson, primarily a third-down back who has carried the ball an average of 25.5 times during his last three full seasons in Cincinnati and who is a solid receiver. Quincy Wilson is a clone of Johnson and while he has just two NFL carries he's probably a leading option at the moment if the team felt like it needed a bell cow for a game or two.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Irons-shelved-for-season/EFE3A6D7-E133-4896-956E-52446FF1DCA1

INSTANCE 24 --- Five observations (posted Aug 10, 2007)

Remember, the thinking last Cutdown Day had been if you needed a bell cow to replace Rudi Johnson for a game or two or more, you had to do it with the bigger, more durable Quincy Wilson instead of the 195-pound Dorsey?

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Five-observations/6782923A-914E-46FC-AC4F-68E9225EBBD0

Well, I think they were hoping the characters would last a little longer so that they could get all the puns and cliches in. That short shelf-life deprived us of years of word-play!

BMN

Guess what?! I got a fever, and the only prescription... is more bell-cow!

~ The Geoff Hobson on December 11, 2007?



INSTANCES 25, 26, and 27 --- Notes: Time right for Wilson? (posted Aug 11, 2007)

GEORGETOWN, Ky. - Quincy Wilson has been the Bengals bell cow running back the two previous preseasons on 70 carries and all he's had to show for it is two real carries in three real games.

- snip -

Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski realizes that he has lost that dimension of perimeter speed the Bengals lacked until they drafted Irons in the second round. But he also says if there are going to be any changes, "They will be very minor," and he disputes the notion the Bengals don't have a change-of-pace back for the inside game of bell cow Rudi Johnson. Although Watson has carried just 51 times in his two full seasons as a Bengal, Bratkowski considers him a counter to Johnson. The newest Bengal, rookie free agent Curtis Brown out of BYU, scored a touchdown on his first carry Thursday night, but it was wiped away by a holding call.

- snip -

Conventional wisdom holds that with Irons out, the Bengals now have to keep a bigger bell cow-type back to replace Johnson if needed in the Wilson mold, a guy that is in the Rudi mold.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-Time-right-for-Wilson/504E96AB-DE29-45BC-8742-2397B77EE416

INSTANCE 28 --- Rudi gearing up again (posted Aug 13, 2007)

Johnson shrugs at this knock-on-wood durability. Since the Corey Dillon trade before the 2004 season, Johnson hasn't missed a snap as the Bengals bell cow back.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Rudi-gearing-up-again/16C3755A-2A14-4A0F-BF89-C2CDC0A6FE9D

INSTANCE 29 --- Bengals, Pats eye pros (posted Sep 29, 2007)

Following a career at Penn State where he played receiver to help the team, the Redskins cut him after a rookie season he logged two 100-yard games in place of Stephen Davis. When Washington opted for people like Trung Canidate and Ladell Betts, Watson came to a club that would give its bell cow job to Johnson, who turned into the NFL's most durable running back.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-Pats-eye-pros/120C0CF8-FBFC-4D20-A80D-4EAD6FDCD571

INSTANCE 30 --- Notes: T.J. cools off (posted Dec 5, 2007)

As every Cincy school kid knows, the Bengals had the 24th pick in the 2004 draft and traded two slots down to St. Louis at No. 26 for a fourth-round pick. The Rams, with an aging Marshall Faulk, had their eye on Jackson. The Bengals, with Corey Dillon dealt to New England and Rudi Johnson never a full-time bell cow, had their eye on Perry.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-TJ-cools-off/003921BE-FE03-4DD8-85BF-964AEA6E393E

INSTANCE 31 --- DeDelightful (posted Dec 9, 2007)

Then came the last drive, those lead-protecting snaps that Johnson thrives, and he responded with eight yards per pop on the six carries to set up Graham's clinching 46-yard field goal with 2:22 left. If you didn't know how much pride Johnson has taken in being this team's bell cow as the NFL leader in carries the previous three seasons to go with 4.1 yards per carry, you know now.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/DeDelightful/9F27A525-B84E-4A4C-9729-4B36915DD96A

INSTANCES 32 through 37 --- Hobson's Choice: Rudi still bell cow (posted Dec 11, 2007)

Tough call given that they've only kept three tailbacks and one fullback. That means two have to go, right? Of the five, only one of them is a proven 20-carry, 16-game bell cow and that's Rudi.

- snip -

And, frankly, the other four backs are solid, even spectacular, but you don't know if any of them are NFL bell cows.


OK, so if you don't have Rudi, who is the bell cow?

-snip -

Once upon a time they thought Perry could do it and he's big enough, but how could you write him in as a bell cow now after missing three of his first four seasons with injuries? Dorsey (196 pounds) and Irons (202) are as exciting as hell. But for 20 carries a pop at their size? And I love both guys, but you can only have so many complementary pieces. And, maybe Irons will end up being one, but you don't know.

If the answer is you no longer have a bell cow, then you'd have to go back-by-committee. A 1-2 punch is good, even chic nowadays, and 1-2-3 sure looked good on Sunday. But one of those guys has to be a pounder so you know you're going to get the tough yards and kill the clock.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-Rudi-still-bell-cow/C14ECEA1-69A0-426C-BB74-9010FF102E81

As usual I am going to nitpick. But honestly, this entire thread just BEGS for nitpicking, indeed is born of nitpicking.

Here's my bone: Belated

I don't think there's a way to express this conundrum in temporal terms that everybody here will easily understand. Therefore, I will simply say that I would have preferred something in the vein of "posthumous" here, rather than "belated".

"Belated answer: Yes!"

I am complaining about a "vein". Psycho this is the highest praise possible for this post.

Mikey is cleverer than you think.

Posthumous? Hmm. Last I looked, I was still alive.

But no, you said you were talking about a vein of posthumous-ity running through the discussion, perhaps in the sense of "beating a dead cow", to alter the idiom ever-so-slightly. I do have something of a beef with that, as this is a living breathing (and mooing) thread. As long as we have Geoff Hobson, there will be bell-cow references. And as long as there are new bell-cow references, this thread will have something more to chew on.

Or is there an other-worldly connotation I'm missing?

OK I was admittedly picking a fight where there wasn't one. But I wasn't referencing you as dead, nor the bell-cow metaphor-bashing as dead, nor this post as dead, but merely the post which was referenced within this post. It's not something that was pre-set, like an anniversary or birthday, nor was the referenced thread recurring. So while I'll surrender "posthumous" as a stronger vein than "belated", I certainly think that there is something which represents a more consistent literary theme with missing it once rather than in an premeditated and informed or willful way.

Mikey is cleverer than you think.

"It's not something that was pre-set, like an anniversary or birthday, nor was the referenced thread recurring. ...I certainly think that there is something which represents a more consistent literary theme with missing it once rather than in an premeditated and informed or willful way. "

Well, let me think it over for three days, and then maybe the answer will arise. Should be uplifting when it happens.

Alright, it's now been three long days. Time to revisit your question. What literary theme does this thread call to mind? It's not the bell-cow part itself that you're interested in, it's how an old idea (thread) by Belko was reclaimed and renewed.

I was feeling a little cross today as I pondered the question. Then I slipped it back in my pocket as a sense of inspiration enveloped me like a shroud. Yes, it's that certain time of the year! Spring has arrived along with its familiar symbols. All the holiday talk gives rise to the answer. The theme could be... it might be... it really should be... Jellybeans!

Huh? Huh?

I don't like those marshmallow rabbits so much? But the Jellybeans...

Ok I think I'm catching your drift.

"Well it's easter time. And that always reminds me of the heartwarming account of Elijah and the she-bears..."

Enjoy that.

This is roughly congruent to complaining about azimuth or zenith or whatever it was I was nitpicking (I live in an mmj state after all...). I think the vein I was hopeful of may be "20-20 hindsight" versus "posthumous", although the original and specific object of the adjective posthumous was to the original (and only)opportunity on which to capitalize.

I'm not sure I remember the original question.

Mikey is cleverer than you think.

Run, moo, run, moo, Christmas bell-cows are rushing

~ Carrying, Carrying


INSTANCE 38 --- Hobson's Choice: Status quo? (Posted Dec 29, 2007)

I'm with you on the tight end, but you've got to have priorities. Anything on defense is more of a pressing problem than the tight end and so, arguably, is finding a bell cow running back if they think Rudi Johnson can't do it any more.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-Status-quo/A38C4359-00EC-4219-92A9-4A81B8ECF797

INSTANCE 39 --- Oh for '07 (Posted Jan 1, 2008)

BIGGEST OFFSEASON QUESTION, Offense: How patient are the Bengals with running back Rudi Johnson and do they get another bell cow?

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Oh-for-07/BF167DC9-5716-465C-A0D2-C92272129E03

INSTANCE 40 --- Hobson's Choice: Wheel and deal (Posted Jan 24, 2008)

By the time you re-sign Andrews, deal with insurance for the bell cow running back situation in case Rudi Johnson isn't 100 percent, and grapple with a receiving tight end (all things they need at some point, right?), they have to make sure they don't short the defense.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-Wheel-and-deal/924A2FA1-5EEF-4CE5-B65E-12B4A31B3188

INSTANCE 41 --- Up front about needs (Posted Feb 14, 2008)

Irons, the second-round pick last year, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in preseason and may not be ready right away. Perry didn't play at all last year coming off a dislocated ankle so Lewis indicated the Bengals are looking for some stable depth to go along with Kenny Watson in the effort to find a healthy bell cow back.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Up-front-about-needs/EA030582-5FA9-418A-8469-7B0D2C9925E4

INSTANCE 42 --- State of combine (Posted Feb 22, 2008)

But Lewis said the club wants to see how Johnson responds physically before deciding for sure if it needs to find insurance for his bell cow spot, reiterating he thinks the enormously-proud Johnson will return as hungry as the guy that won the job in 2004.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/State-of-combine/3ED28B81-0873-4156-91FC-ADA6F1C80419

INSTANCES 43 through 47 --- Backed up at combine (Posted Feb 23, 2008)

Throw in more physical questions to the bell cow Rudi Johnson and even head coach Herman Edwards of the back-rich Chiefs says, "The Bengals need to get one. We've got to get one, too. I've got two hurt running backs. I don't know what's going to happen."

- snip -

Which brings you back to the question if the Bengals need insurance for Johnson at bell cow.

- snip -

"You always have to have three because you know one is going to get hurt," Edwards said. "Then you're going to be down to two guys and if he ain't the bell cow, you've got to have a guy that can rotate (in) the system to be a player." [This one doesn't count. Hobson is quoting someone else.]

It's hard to believe after the carnage since '04 that the Bengals would spend a pick on a back before the fourth round, where they plucked Johnson in 2001. And with complementary guys like Watson, Perry, Irons and DeDe Dorsey stacking the roster, the move would have to be for a bell cow.

- snip -

The consensus is the bell cows are going to start going in the middle of the first round to the middle of the second. With one caveat.

- snip -

Smith has bell-cow size at 6-1, 210 pounds, which guys like Michigan's Mike Hart (5-9), West Virginia's Steve Slaton (195 pounds), and Rutgers' Ray Rice (5-9 and 195) don't have. Rang says that's why they may drop and it's why the Bengals probably would pass, too.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Backed-up-at-combine/F1C4DE84-6EC0-4965-AA3E-D30635C5872B

INSTANCE 48 --- Clock watchers (Posted Feb 24, 2008)

But there is a history of recent late-round picks and free agent becoming bell cows. Head coach Tom Coughlin of the Super Bowl champion Giants, who got a big postseason from seventh-rounder Ahmad Bradshaw, says reasons for that are college production and the play of the offensive line.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Clock-watchers/764C8375-E5F9-4B98-9FDB-F9B5E0320C66

INSTANCE 49 --- Mock of ages (Posted Mar 6, 2008)

The 6-foot, 200-pound Jones could solve a lot of ills in the kick return game, where he had two touchdowns, and he runs with power and was durable enough to rush for 1,162 yards. The 5-11, 232-pound Stewart has bell-cow size and though he won't run away from defenders he's a good enough contact runner to have had a 1,722-yard junior year. The 5-11, 210-pound Mendenhall has 4.48 speed, good size, and displayed a nice nose in the red zone in 2007 with 19 touchdowns.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Mock-of-ages/E215FA45-7F72-48E4-8F7F-FB6435D5F278

INSTANCE 50 --- Mock Madness (Posted Mar 19, 2008)

Hard to believe that a 6-2, 210-pound fast and powerful prolific bell cow like Arkansas running back Darren McFadden would be there, so it's a 99.9 percent chance that he won't be. There are very few that believe McFadden is getting past the Jets, and The Newark Star-Ledger reported McFadden met with club officials Tuesday.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Mock-Madness/51D26FA3-8795-48D6-AA17-169684F7F9DE

Tired hung over and having fun on the Oregon Coast... riding my bell cow vodka all the way to the milk and honey... If thread is still alive after vacation I'll piece together some sort of comment..although i'm clearly outclassed in both witticism and bengal knowledge here on the board..still by far my favorite place on the world wide web..cheers gentlemen.

"Well, it ain't braggin' if it's true
Yes sir, yes sir
It ain't braggin' if it's true
Muhammad Ali said that
Back when he was a young man
Back when he was Cassius Clay
Before he fought too many fights
And left his brain inside the ring"

If you have the bell cow quarterback, it works. You have to have the key guy. If you don't have the key guy, it doesn't matter.

~ a real quote from Mike Brown, December 1997



INSTANCE 51 --- Draft Q and A (Posted Apr 14, 2008)

If the Bengals think that Johnson can get back to where he was in 2004 and 2005 and that he's healthy, then, OK, they don't have to go out and get a big bell cow back. The biggest ones (which often translate to the best three-down backs) are gone before they pick at No. 46.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Draft-Q-and-A/D9727F5B-E48B-440A-B79E-B3AB8C0931B5

INSTANCES 52 and 53--- Offense to be taken (Posted Apr 23, 2008)

The problem is that while receiver is the hottest priority, the club believes the kind of big, bell cow back isn't around very often after the second round. Names like Jamaal Charles of Texas (5-11, 200) and Chris Johnson of East Carolina (5-11, 197) bubble up at No. 46.

- snip -

"You can usually only get the bigger backs early," says Jerry Jones, the ex-Cincinnati pharmacist who publishes the draft survey The DrugStore List and knows full well the Bengals' philosophy that you can count on getting a bell cow in only the first two rounds because of size.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Offense-to-be-taken/A7AAEFEA-3AF6-4D11-92DC-38448E1B2020

INSTANCE 54 and 55--- Mock Moves (Posted Apr 25, 2008)

PANTHERS: RB Jamaal Charles, Texas; Pat Yasinskas, ESPN.com: The Panthers need someone to shoulder the burden with Deangelo Williams, a guy that is going to get the first crack at starting but can't continually pound it at 25-30 times a game. At 5-11, 200 pounds, Charles is seen by some as the last top bell cow available if Kevin Smith's small-school exploits don't impress

- snip -

But don't forget the running back Smith, at 6-1, 217, the last guy with any size that could conceivably provide bell-cow insurance for Rudi Johnson.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Mock-Moves/08DD08DB-EE2B-4322-99C1-56A8BD6CA762

INSTANCE 56 --- Notes: Back to a surprise? (Posted Apr 25, 2008)

Which means if Johnson sits out, jacking up the running game with a vet-rookie bell cow tandem of Johnson and Mendenhall, or Johnson and Stewart could be the best answer for a depleted receiving corps.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-Back-to-a-surprise/50F70EE6-A13A-420D-A1B5-0AD56E72460F

BONUS INSTANCE --- Camp notes (Posted May 3, 2008)

"He looks like a bear out there. An athlete. To see him play, it's hard to believe they got him in the fourth," [Dave] Lapham said after the morning practice. "Anytime you sat down with their coach (Mark Mangino) and asked him who his bell cows were, Collins would be the first guy he'd mention." [Hobson is quoting someone else.]

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Camp-notes/EFBFB68A-9C33-4CF2-8AEE-CF21C1EF37F7

INSTANCE 57 --- Hobson's Choice: No backing off (Posted Jul 24, 2008)

You'd think the only way they would keep four running backs is if Jeremi doesn't make it. Usually, Jeremi would be the fullback and that would leave room for just three running backs. Yes, you're right. Perry and Dorsey seem to be the same kind of speed-back type guy, but Perry is bigger and could be a bell cow if needed.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hobsons-Choice--No-backing-off/C0AB15F4-5721-4878-BBE9-20523772ECA2

INSTANCE 58 --- Bengals find points in 27-7 win (Posted Aug 28, 2008)

Does he think the Bengals will cut him? He said this week, "they've been trying to get rid of me ever since I've been here." But the other veteran running backs, Perry, Watson and Dorsey, aren't proven 16-game bell cows like a healthy Johnson.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-find-points-in-27-7-win/A1CDD471-BC68-4161-AB27-61079CE36D54

INSTANCE 59 --- Vet vetting (Posted Aug 30, 2008)

Even though he returned to practice last week, the Bengals apparently decided they hadn't seen enough of the new and improved Johnson this summer and cut the man projected to once be their bell-cow running back in 2008.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Vet-vetting/77324449-08AD-48C4-A6FE-40078BC55389

INSTANCE 60 --- Marvin Lewis Press Conference (Posted Aug 30, 2008)

Q: Is Perry the bell cow?

ML: Right now he'll be our starting back. We have felt very comfortable keeping him in there on third down, so I think he'll log more playing time than anyone we've had back there for a while.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Marvin-Lewis-Press-Conference/23EEDDE7-B5B7-4F5E-9E26-27E617154A53

INSTANCE 61 --- O is oh for '08 (Posted Sep 7, 2008)

It will have to start up front, where running back Chris Perry made his bell cow debut with 2.1 yards per his career-high 18 carries. The Ravens came blowing up the middle, particularly on the biggest plays of the game, a fourth-and-two from the Ravens 36 late in the third quarter and fourth-and-one from the Ravens 25 with about seven minutes left in a 17-10 game.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/O-is-oh-for-08/1FD6F703-C71C-4DE6-A89D-73A08EA63E34

BONUS INSTANCE --- Tackling No. 6 (Posted Dec 30, 2008)

"Unless they are sold on Cedric Benson being their bell cow," says Rob Rang, senior analyst for NFLscoutdraft.com, "then another possibility for them has to be Beanie Wells. But any of those four tackles can come on in and pretty much play right away, especially the three seniors." [Hobson is quoting someone else.]

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Tackling-No-6/2E580823-3D78-48D9-868A-07BF9C572BA4

INSTANCE 62 --- Hobson's Choice: Raid second tier (Posted Feb 5, 2009)

But at 5-6, he can't be your bread-and-butter guy and I don't know how much you can pay a guy like that and still get a bell cow. Maybe you overpay Sproles and draft your complementary running back. The thing about Sproles is the punt and kick return factor, a spot where the Bengals have been damn near negligent in the draft. It can no longer be ignored.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-Raid-second-tier/1891E306-9955-42F3-A874-7F56D490920E

Belated edit: Added link for Instance 61, which had been unintentionally omitted.

Hysterical...

"Insert witty quotation here"

somebody should email this link to Hobson

Storm, didn't you say that Hobson occasionally comes here and scans the threads? He's probably so desensitized to criticism by now that he wouldn't give it more than a shrug. Anyway, I'll send him a note, if just for the sake of completeness.

Belko, June 2, 2009

"After a 2 year Hiatus...Hobson gets to use his favorite phrase once again... don't you just love our new 'bell cow' running back.... ding dong...."

http://www.network54.com/Forum/90650/thread/1243963381/Hobson+gets+a+Goober+for+Benson

Actually, Belko, now that we take a closer look, we can see it was more like a 3-month hiatus. Oh, well. What's a few bell-cows among friends!



BONUS INSTANCE --- Lewis: Looking for offense (posted Feb 20, 2009)

"Yeah, I've talked to him," said Lewis when asked if he'll see that commitment. "I don't get into Chad's moods. That's personal to Chad, our conversations. I do know he wants to have a better, more productive, healthy season than he did last year, and get back to the guy he was in '03, '04, '05, and make big plays, and make big catches and really be our bell cow, be a leader for us in every single way." [Hobson is quoting someone else. Note that this is about a bell-cow wide receiver.]

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Lewis-Looking-for-offense/A558C8B1-3718-4F9D-9A74-469B0A46BCD9

INSTANCE 63 --- Impressive exercise (posted May 26, 2009)

Benson says the reason he's flying around is probably because he doesn't consider himself established. He'd always been the bell cow, but since he got to the NFL and the Bears in '05 and had to split time with Thomas Jones, he's never seen that number of chances.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Impressive-exercise/ab03160f-f1a0-4324-97c5-9ac2827e7ff7

INSTANCE 64 --- Work force (posted May 27, 2009)

Cedric Benson doesn't turn 27 until the last week of the season and the Bengals new bell cow of a running back has been looking like a coltish yearling kicking around the Bengals on-field workouts.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Work-force/d2c7c2c4-d85d-4589-ac63-ec34612c3981

INSTANCES 65 and 66--- Hobson's Choice: Can't sit these kids (posted Jun 23, 2009)

They do need a bell cow behind No. 1 Cedric Benson with the leading candidate 225-pounder Brian Leonard because of his track record. They've left the impression they don't think Kenny Watson is a bell cow because they've never used him that way over an extended period despite some big games. DeDe Dorsey and James Johnson are other 200-pounders.

http://www.bengals.com/news/hobson-online/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-Cant-sit-these-kids/fca22073-0d35-4422-8a40-8a99e599cfa7

INSTANCE 67 --- Education in the slot (posted Oct 7, 2009)

Both SAM linebackers, Rey Maualuga (knee) and Rashad Jeanty (finger) didn't work, and safety Chinedum Ndukwe (hamstring) didn't either. Also, running back Cedric Benson (hip) sat out with a new body part after nursing a knee the past couple of weeks as they give their bell cow a break. Benson and the Vikings' Adrian Peterson lead the NFL with 84 carries.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Education-in-the-slot/78e179d6-fae1-4b54-b0c4-30d132d172c0

INSTANCES 68 and 69 --- Bengals don't hedge with Benson (posted Oct 8, 2009)

Bengals running back Cedric Benson, the unequivocal bell cow of a running team, couldn't figure it out, either. How he ended up with 4.5 yards per carry last Sunday in Cleveland and how the Bengals ended up with 154 yards on the ground for 5.1 yards per carry had him amazed, too, because it certainly felt a lot tougher than that.

- snip -

It sounds like an assignment for a bell cow. With 34 carries in two AFC North games, that computes to Benson not getting sore until the 26th carry Sunday.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-dont-hedge-with-Benson/4f2f3761-87ab-46d9-9426-6989ddc6f57d

INSTANCE 70 --- Tuesday notes: No exit for no huddle (posted Oct 20, 2009)

Bratkowski admits there is never a perfect time to give the team's bell cow, Benson, a break.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Tuesday-notes-No-exit-for-no-huddle/aa36c9a9-dedb-4118-ac2f-9d03a57ecd34

INSTANCE 71 --- Ced to say it on field (posted Oct 21, 2009)

Throw in two off-field arrests in the spring of 2008 and the Bears cut him long before a Texas grand jury exonerated him in both cases. Benson showed up three days later on Sept. 30 and a year and a month later he is a true NFL bell cow, bidding to become the first 1,500-yard runner in club history.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Ced-to-say-it-on-field/1f6b0e74-1611-4138-98bf-3114c70e3b74

INSTANCES 72 and 73 --- Bengals fire depth charge (posted Nov 16, 2009)

With Cedric Benson hampered by a sore abductor muscle that has made him iffy for Sundays game in Oakland and maybe beyond and Johnson looking impressive in a Paul Brown Stadium workout Monday, the Bengals appear to be opting to bring the 6-1, 230-pound former two-time Pro Bowler into the mix as bell cow insurance and not a threat to Benson's No. 1 status.

- snip -

Along with Benson's injury, there is some concern about Scott's sore knee and Leonard is pretty much a third-down back. So there is no backup bell cow back. One non-Johnson option is to sign James Johnson from the practice squad and go back-by-committee. DeDe Dorsey is with the UFL, a season that goes until the end of the month.

- snip -

It's not all that of a surprising move. If Bengals president Mike Brown is known for giving second chances to guys like Benson and Chris Henry, he's also known for stockpiling big backs he calls "bell cows". [Hobson is technically quoting someone else here, even though he has worked the term in again, on his own volition. So consider this another bonus instance.]

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-fire-depth-charge/abfa73cd-6660-45fb-8cab-d4d648a2b0f0

INSTANCE 74 --- Bengals Raided in clutch (posted Nov 23, 2009)

The Bengals stayed true to the run even without their bell cow, the injured Cedric Benson, and just two runs for the newest Bengal, former Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson. They got 119 yards from Scott, more than half coming on the longest run in the Marvin Lewis era, a Galloping Ghost-like 61-yard zigzag job out of a sure stop on the left sideline.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-Raided-in-clutch/ef2a5008-5ff2-470e-9d92-20821c480f85

A veritable bovine extravaganza!

~~~


INSTANCE 75 --- Bengals solve division problem with run (posted Nov 29, 2009)

Benson believes that hell go back to being the bell cow getting the lions share of carries. When asked if there were enough carries to go around for three quality backs, Benson was a bit bemused.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-solve-division-problem-with-run-/346185ef-5462-4b90-9057-11da582a84fe

INSTANCE 76 --- Lions in Bengals' den (posted Dec 4, 2009)

Benson is back after missing the last two games and while the Bengals barely missed a beat with Bernard Scott and Larry Johnson each chipping in with a 100-yard game, don't forget that when Benson went down with a pulled hip muscle he was averaging nearly 95 yards per game and on record Bengals pace. Plus, Scott (toe) is out so Benson is going to be in bell-cow mode.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Lions-in-Bengals-den/907db39e-d345-4826-8149-542d3ad158fd

INSTANCE 77 --- I got you (posted Dec 23, 2009)

Johnson, 30, is very appreciative of how the Bengals have treated him, but he doesn't expect to be back here next year with Cedric Benson having one year left on his deal and the emergence of rookie Bernard Scott. Besides, he feels like he can still be a bell cow.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/I-got-you-/4a730db3-5333-4cd2-b682-2ab3d6e7ee21

INSTANCE 78 --- Bengals to Jet into playoffs? (posted Jan 2, 2010)

Benson tees it up against the top-ranked Jets run defense and Jones, his archrival in the Bears backfield, where there was no love lost. They couldn't live together and it forced Joness trade to the Jets and this season they are both bell cows for playoff teams and contenders well over 1,000 yards and alternates in the Pro Bowl.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-to-Jet-into-playoffs/c163bb1d-53a6-4053-b8d2-7f5ba2661442

INSTANCE 79 --- Friday notes: Time to sell out for Benson; No. 14 remembers (posted Jan 8, 2010)

There wasn't enough room for Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones in the Chicago backfield of 2005 and 2006. But there is plenty of room at Paul Brown Stadium Saturday for them in the Wild Card game with Benson running the ball for the Bengals and Jones bell-cowing it for the Jets. Jones made first alternate Pro Bowl and Benson second alternate and Benson has to smile when he sees the alternative for the Bears is that they'll be watching at 7-9.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Friday-notes-Time-to-sell-out-for-Benson-No-14-remembers/3a612106-e62d-448d-a222-1ab06f93af30

INSTANCE 80 --- Hobson's Choice: Line dance (posted Mar 16, 2010)

Protect Palmer? Keep running the ball effectively. I'm more concerned about finding a backup bellcow running back for Cedric Benson insurance if he misses a few games. Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard are his backups and they are untouchable valuable. But if Benson needs a month, they need a 25-carry guy to go with them.

http://www.bengals.com/news/hobson-online/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-Line-dance/4d62d773-cb1a-4e6f-9f93-0e047449a817

I say when we make it to 100 (and I know we will), we raise a toast!

BMN

Usually there's a loud low rumbling when a stampede of cattle approaches. In this particular case we have an accompanying cacophony of clanging and jangling. Lookout, everybody! Those 70 links found on Bengals.com translated to 80 frisky bell-cows trampling our way. More if you count the bell-cows generated by Geoff Hobson interviewees.

And what a variety of specimens they are. We have clear-cut bell-cows, happy bell-cows, bell-cow guys, needed bell-cows, full-time bell-cows, backup bell-cows, 16-game bell-cows, big bell-cows, top bell-cows, vet-rookie bell-cow tandems, new bell-cows, unequivocal bell-cows, and true bell-cows. As if that weren't enough, we also have the bell-cow theory, the bell-cow debut, the bigger bell-cow-type, the bell-cow job, the bell-cow insurance, and my personal favorite: the lions share of the bell-cow carries. Whoa doggie, that's one well rounded-up herd.

For you, Storm -- here's the baaing (mooing?) question I sent to Hobson Online. The link takes you right back to this page:

I'm frankly bullish on our bell-cow situation for 2010. Cedric Benson is a top back in the league,
and Bernard Scott filled in admirably when given the chance. Not to forget Brian Leonard, who
frequently came through in the clutch.

Then again, as they say where I come from, you never can have too many bell-cows. So it
wouldn't shock anyone to see them beef up at the position. (Jim Anderson, I'm sure, needs
very little prodding.) Regarding the draft, just how low do you think they'll they go before they
moove on a halfback?

P.S. You've got to see this discussion on bell-cow backs. http://bit.ly/clcbPa

Ring Bovine
Clangmore, WI

DaCow, please take note of the extra herd member in Instance 21.

TOBB, I responded again to your question above, but the post is way up in the thread.

BMN, I completely agree about the century mark celebration. And the brew of choice is of course... Spotted Cow!

I got a fever and the only cure is more cow bell.

Cheers to Psycho our very own Bell Cow poster..obviously he can carry the load

"Well, it ain't braggin' if it's true
Yes sir, yes sir
It ain't braggin' if it's true
Muhammad Ali said that
Back when he was a young man
Back when he was Cassius Clay
Before he fought too many fights
And left his brain inside the ring"

Mooooooooo oooooooooo!

Hear that? That's the bell-cow lowing for you, Belko. But have no fear. We'll easily counteract the annoyance factor in any future bell-cow-isms.

Many thanks, and looking forward to having more fun with this topic.

This thread has me utterly impressed

"Well, it ain't braggin' if it's true
Yes sir, yes sir
It ain't braggin' if it's true
Muhammad Ali said that
Back when he was a young man
Back when he was Cassius Clay
Before he fought too many fights
And left his brain inside the ring"

Ha! Udderly...

Mikey is cleverer than you think.

Hobson's new blog is barely more than a week old, and he has finally graced us with another bell-cow. What took so long?


INSTANCE 81 --- Hobson's Choice Blog: Next up... (Posted April 26, 2010)

Look for the Bengals to look for a few things between now and training camp:

- snip -

* A veteran running back in the Larry Johnson mold who can lug it 25 times if Cedric Benson has to sit out a few games. Brian Leonard and Bernard Scott are perfect spot players, but the Bengals need a backup bellcow. Which would seem to suggest they'll go with four running backs and one fullback.

http://blogs.bengals.com/2010/04/26/next-up/

Alright, Whit. I'm sure you approve of the sentiment.

I love the fact that Hobson is so in love with the term that he regularly applies it to backups. It's like calling Peyton Manning's backup a workhorse...

BMN

A nice profile on Cedric Benson. For a while, Hobson seemed to avoid the term while discussing our star running back. But now the stars are back in alignment.

INSTANCE 82 83 --- Finding Ced (posted June 9, 2010)

Anybody could have missed it. If you're looking to find the home of the Bengals bell cow running back in Greater Cincinnati, this wouldn't be in the multiple choice. The West Side is usually behind the Westchester-Montgomery corridor, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Avenue, and downtown on the list of player addresses.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Finding-Ced/a4e7848b-6085-4062-8d38-1f347f32d207

Benson has an interesting take on running within the Bengals system. Smooth like Sinatra, with bursts of Metallica mixed in.


EDIT: Numbering corrected. See post below.

Oh how I wish somebody would snip together a medley of two songs. That would be Sinatra's Ring-A-Ding Ding and Metallica's For Whom the Bell Tolls. Perfect background music for a Ced Benson highlight reel.

psycho, I thought about you when reading that Hobson piece. I figured you'd get a kick out of the bell cow reference.
Coincidentally, I listened to those two songs recently -- both real toe-tappers. I might have more respect for Benson's interest in Sinatra if he hadn't found out about Ole Blue Eyes via Michael Bublé. I'm think I'm going to go vomit now.
Now I realize there's a couple of Sinatra references built into my original sentence.

REY MAUALUGA, THE NEXT GREAT
LINEBACKER IN "STRIPES"

That's the spirit, BA. We'll be able to milk the the Sinatra references from here to eternity. Some people may get tired of it, but that's life.

I get no kick from champagne.
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me why should it be true
that I get a kick out of you?

Some they may go for cocaine.
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff,
It would bore me terrifically too.
Yet I get a kick out of you.

~Sinatra sings Cole Porter

Yikes, I'm losing track of the bell-cows! The previous instance now bumped to 83. Forgive me, as it was a sin to overlook a reference to 505 FS Jesus.


INSTANCE 82 --- Battle at the front (posted May 21, 2010)

The Bengals apparently haven't given up on the idea of bringing back fullback Jeremi Johnson. Indications are they are still talking about it. Right now they're two deep there with last year's seventh-rounder Fui Vakapuna, and rookie free agent Joe Tronzo out of Louisville. Fullback may be in the same category as a backup bell cow running back. Veterans become available in late August.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Battle-at-the-front/964e6e0f-25a4-48e2-beb7-0590c3a9f68b

INSTANCE 83 --- Finding Ced (posted June 9, 2010)

Anybody could have missed it. If you're looking to find the home of the Bengals bell cow running back in Greater Cincinnati, this wouldn't be in the multiple choice. The West Side is usually behind the Westchester-Montgomery corridor, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Avenue, and downtown on the list of player addresses.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Finding-Ced/a4e7848b-6085-4062-8d38-1f347f32d207

You knew it was coming: a celebration of Bernard Scott, our No. 2 running back who displays a hard-charging, workhorse mentality. Together with Brian Leonard, he forms a dynamic duo of backup bell-cows, ready to relieve Cedric Benson at a moment's (or commissioner's) notice.

INSTANCES 84-85 --- Stockpiling Scott (posted Jul 22, 2010)

Scott knows that there are concerns about his 5-10-195-pound durability, especially after cramps forced him from that 119-yard effort in Oakland and the turf toe that robbed him of another 100-yard day the next week against Cleveland when he left with 89 yards and didn't play for the next three games. Even when hes healthy hes not seen as a full-time banger, but like James Brooks, Scott has that 230-pound bell-cow mentality in a 195-pound body.

- snip -

While the Bengals see Scott and Leonard as bell-cow complements to Benson and would like a backup that can carry it 75-100 times in a month if need be like when Benson hurt his hip last year, Scott has the belief he can do it. Youre talking about a guy that had 313 touches as a senior and even though it was in the Lone Star Conference, the workhorse mentality is there.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Stockpiling-Scott-/fdd21445-f8f8-465e-9dda-55b7d88626db

Hooray for the homers in the blog comments section! They milked a couple of extra instances out of Hobson. After an interlude of about five weeks, we're now treated to a syncopated symphony of sycophantic lowing. Follow the link for the... gulp... stirring exchange.

INSTANCES 86-88 --- Hobson's Choice Blog -- Two-minute drill (Posted August 30, 2010)

Excerpt from the main blog post:

0:34: Huge battle at running back for that last spot with James Johnson and Cedric Peerman. It seems they are fighting for the right to be cut when Leonard returns in the first couple of games of the season. But there is also a larger issue of backup bell cow running back. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski talked about that last week.

Part of a reply to a reader in the comments section:

I dont know if Lynch is the guy, but if you see a bell cow out there and youre going to keep four back until Brian Leonard comes back any way, go get him. The problem is, how long can you keep four?

Part of an additional reply in the comments section:

In fact, everybody gets excited about the Cut down wire until they see who is on it. People are talking about finding a kicker, backup safety, backup QB, and back up bell cow running back all out there on Sunday.

http://blogs.bengals.com/2010/08/30/two-minute-drill/

I still can't keep up with all the bell-cows. The Bengals.com search engine doesn't work with Hobson's blog, and I've been slacking on the reader comments. Shame on me. From now on, I'm using this search request in Google: bell-cow site:bengals.com.

To hell with chronological ordering; I'll just tack these on to the end. Hey, only ten more to go before we hit the century mark. From early July:

INSTANCES 89 and 90 --- Hobson's Choice Blog -- No deadlines (Posted July 6, 2010)

From a reply to a reader in the comments section:

Scott was able to pinch hit for one game off the bench and went over 100 before he got hurt. But even before then it was clear he's not a month-long bell cow and is a complementary (but explosive) player.

I get the sense they find this backup bell cow late in training camp, cut from another team to join Benson, Scott, and Brian Leonard, or else they would have made more of an effort to draft one.

http://blogs.bengals.com/2010/07/06/no-deadlines/

Nine more to go! With the Bengals at 2-5 and headed for a slaughter against the Steelers, at least I have this to keep my interest piqued. Are you still out there, Belko?

INSTANCE 91 --- T.O. means tune on MNF (Posted Nov 3, 2010)

Benson, the Bengals bell cow running back, is having no problem standing up physically in this 2-5 start. But he admitted Wednesday the mental strain has been exacting.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/TO-means-tune-on-MNF/571b5f20-6bc5-4c21-8da7-94b98ae2b487

i'm here... a troubled football season in Idaho.

Forgot to make my pick-em

dropped the wrong redskin in fantasy and accidentally lost Santana Moss off my pathetic team

Boise State winning  by a zillion points, and still dropping in the polls.

but yes.. feeling the cow bells with pleasure.

 

Belko

"Well, it ain't braggin' if it's true
Yes sir, yes sir
It ain't braggin' if it's true
Muhammad Ali said that
Back when he was a young man
Back when he was Cassius Clay
Before he fought too many fights
And left his brain inside the ring"

I do believe this is the first time that Hobson has referred to another team's bell-cow, other than a potential draft choice. Eight more to go until the Big 100. TOBB, I hope you make another appearance by then.

INSTANCE 92 --- Bengals look to roam on Bills (Posted Nov 20, 2010)

Pettrey's NFL debut is against a well-coached and deep unit. Spiller is out, but McKelvin has an NFL return TD and his punt return for a TD last week got called back on a hold. Fred Jackson is going to be Buffalo's running back bell cow Sunday, but he's dangerous, too. Last year he became the first player in NFL history to rack up 1,000 yards rushing and kick returns.

http://http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-look-to-roam-on-Bills/49133903-e7c0-407d-845a-3705163b5a9a

Well, well. The expected rate of bell-cows seems to have fallen off lately, and that's a darn shame. This alarming trend has me pouring over the data, trying to determine what is going on. When, oh when, might we hit the Big 100?

Check out the graph below for Hobson's historical usage of the term. You can see the running total as it increases over time, with each year being divided into thirds (January-April, May-August, September-December).



What really stands out are the two shaded zones, especially the one on the left. From May 2007 through April 2008, the bell-cows increased by a whopping 38 instances. That's over one-third of the total instances in a mere 12-month period! That's out of 11 years.

Talk about perspective. No wonder we had poor Belko howling at the mooin'.

Then there's the second zone, spanning September 2009 through August 2010. Here we had an increase of another 24 bell-cows. Think about that. Counting both zones, we had 60% of the bell-cows in only 19% of the total time period.

So what was going on during these two periods, and do they inform us of the future? I think they do. First we had the saga of Rudi Johnson. The old war-horse of a bell-cow was hanging on to his job in the face of age and declining skills.

Then we saw the dramatic emergence of a new bona fide bell-cow. Cedric Benson had his great 2009 season and playoff game, with the excitement extending well into the offseason. With his career turnaround, it was truly a great story.

Looking toward the immediate future, we now anticipate the potential loss of our beloved bell-cow running back to free agency. Talk of negotiations and college prospects should bring Hobson plenty of opportunities to wax bovinely. We may be on the verge of yet another big jump in bell-cow instances. And if we're lucky, we'll hit 100 sometime around the 2011 draft.

We're still in a holding pattern at 92. Can't count this one as a real instance. It's presented as part of an anonymous media-person question, not as Hobson writing in his own voice. Thus we have another auxiliary herd member. For your reading pleasure:

BONUS INSTANCE --- Marvin Lewis combine transcript (Feb 26, 2011)

Can Bernard (Scott) be a bell cow?
ML: I think Bernard has to take another step in development and maturity-wise, maturation physically and mentally and then, I don't know. I don't like when people set limits on people. He's a little slight. That speaks to maturing more physically. And your habits, maturing a little bit in your preparation. He certainly has great ability and we don't want to downplay that. Right now Ced (Benson) is one of those guys that we have at other spots that is unsigned. Now you're looking at Bernard Scott.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Marvin-Lewis-combine-transcript/efdae1cb-0abb-4484-bab6-3517d382e9fd

I was all set to post that we were in the midst of the longest bell-cow drought since 2006-07. Then Hobson obliges and leads two more into the barnyard for us. Six to go before we celebrate. Nice excuse for the next get-together at Molly Malone's?

INSTANCES 93 and 94 --- More Thinking and Believing (posted March 15, 2011)

Jay Gruden's West Coast scheme is perfect for backups Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard and by virtue of being The Bell Cow, Cedric Benson would probably grab 30 to 40 by himself. In his three seasons here, Benson's high has been last season's 28 catches, but they seemed more out of desperation and it didn't look like the checkdowns were emphasized all that much. Benson may not be a scatback, but try tackling him in space when hes got a running start. Remember late in the '08 season when he burned the Redskins on a 79-yard screen that was the Bengals' longest play of that season? And the clinching TD he caught against Carolina last year?

The Bengals haven't always been infatuated with Scott's attention to detail in the passing game, but if he's heard about this playbook yet -- and it's anything like the usual West Coast -- this thing is right down his alley out of the backfield. For whatever reason, he's the most under-used guy on this roster. I'm not saying 15 to 20 touches a game, but how about between eight and 12? Or maybe even make him a bell cow for a couple of series like they were using him late in the year. In the coaches' defense, he did get nicked up here and there and that cut down on his availability.

http://blogs.bengals.com/2011/03/15/more-thinking-and-believing/

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Weekend-moves/96d6555b-a71b-49f6-ab2f-e2bfec357c8c

"No matter what, Benson is a free agent and the Bengals would dearly love to have back their BELL COW of the last three seasons. If they could have signed him in March, it would have opened up their draft board a tad. But this isn't any other year and not only is Benson free, so is third-down back Brian Leonard if the 2010 rules are in place."

Thanks, BAC. This is more fun when other folks join in.

That was officially Instance 95. If the Bungs draft another back, we might get a few more this week.

INSTANCE 95 --- Weekend moves (Posted April 27, 2011)

[See post above.]

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Weekend-moves/96d6555b-a71b-49f6-ab2f-e2bfec357c8c

Two more came in over the past two weeks. We are moooving closer to the big number.


INSTANCE 96 --- Biggest roster questions (Posted May 9, 2011)

RB: How many touches for Bernard Scott?

Assuming Cedric Benson and Brian Leonard are back, this is still the huge question. In his two seasons Scott has averaged 4.6 yards on his 135 carries and he's coming off a year he averaged 4.9 on a team that averaged 3.6. And he's caught just 16 NFL passes. The Grudens love to throw to their backs. Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman averaged 47 catches per his six seasons under Jon and Jay Gruden and Jay has indicated he'll have no fear throwing even to his bell cow Benson.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Biggest-roster-questions/0cfcb1d0-e6d9-43f8-8959-42f06c3c8d41

INSTANCE 97 --- Rey lifts off (Posted May 12, 2011)

» Bengals running back Cedric Benson made headlines in the past 24 hours when he said on Sirius Radio that he wants a major contract as a free agent. Welcome to the lockout, where anything uttered in a new cycle gets the World War II headlines.
Back on Feb. 15 he said he's "looking for what I lost" when it comes to his first contract since he's proven he's a reliable bell cow.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Rey-lifts-off/e236a6a2-8681-4724-b21e-549105ba7be3c

....does'nt say if Hobson wrote this...but it's posted on Bungs.com.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bensons-fortunes-soar-in-Cincy/8f268cc0-860b-4158-ac43-2fbdfc5e4499

"Since signing with the Bengals in September 2008, Benson has been the teams BELLCOW rusher, a leader in the locker room and a player known by media as a consistently cordial and thoughtful interview subject. He has led the team in rushing three straight years, with more than 1100 yards in each of his two full seasons. On Oct. 25, 2009 vs. the Bears, he ceremonially put an end to any lingering demons from his Chicago years, leading a 45-10 Bengals stampede with a career-high 189 rushing yards. The total stands through today as the most rushing yards ever gained by an NFL player against one of his former teams."~~~Hobson?!? @Bungs.com?

It's under Hobson's byline. He's not quoting anyone else. It counts.

Ninety-eight down and two to go! Thanks again, BAC.


INSTANCE 98 --- Benson's fortunes soar in Cincy (Posted June 23, 2011)

[See post above.]

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bensons-fortunes-soar-in-Cincy/8f268cc0-860b-4158-ac43-2fbdfc5e4499

I have some thoughts on how to celebrate when we hit 100. I guess it has to be a virtual celebration, unless a bunch of you come to Wisconsin so I can buy a few rounds of Spotted Cow.

The gift that keeps on giving

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Whirlwind/547311f9-6021-4a63-bca5-3b0fa889a0c0

"That's supposed to come Monday morning in what has become Camp Turnstile all around the NFL. On Sunday they lost one player to a physical (Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui), gained their "BELL COW" running back (Cedric Benson), and saw Twitter blow up about being close to another deal (Bills safety Donte Whitner) while they already prepared to add one starter to the secondary (49ers cornerback Nate Clements.) Usually these deals are done in March, April, May. Not during stretching."~~~Hobslob

Nate Clements a starter?

Bwahahahahahahahaha!

"We do do, and we do it at a very, very high level," Lewis said.

Thanks again, BAC. I'm still thinking of ways to celebrate.

Ah... so close I can almost hear the clanging and jangling of Bell-Cow 100, way way off in the distance. And it's softly lowing for us. Moooooooooooooooo. Moooooooooooo. Moooooooooooo...


Edit: Adding formatted entry... for future reference:

INSTANCE 99 --- Benson's fortunes soar in Cincy (Posted Jun 23, 2011)

Since signing with the Bengals in September 2008, Benson has been the teams bellcow rusher, a leader in the locker room and a player known by media as a consistently cordial and thoughtful interview subject. He has led the team in rushing three straight years, with more than 1100 yards in each of his two full seasons. On Oct. 25, 2009 vs. the Bears, he ceremonially put an end to any lingering demons from his Chicago years, leading a 45-10 Bengals stampede with a career-high 189 rushing yards. The total stands through today as the most rushing yards ever gained by an NFL player against one of his former teams.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bensons-fortunes-soar-in-Cincy/8f268cc0-860b-4158-ac43-2fbdfc5e4499

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Roster-scrum-begins/37c9e20c-6bc7-471f-b45a-afa263e3c3f9

"It looks like Benson won't be disciplined by the NFL, but no one seems to know for sure. What is for sure is that he's the BELL COW, and it would take a surprising performance to knock out Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard as his backups. If he did get disciplined, they would have to go to the waiver wire or practice squad to get a guy and all of them are eligible for the squad and two of them might end up there."

Excellent, BAC! You're good at spotting these! And thanks for the virtual Spotted Cow! I'm pouring myself a tall one right now, of the non-virtual variety. Ahhhhh, that's good!

Woo hooo! (Or should I say, moo mooo?) 100 bell-clankers it is! CALNKITY CLANK CLANK!!

I have another thought in mind to celebrate, but for now, what could be better than some music? Yes, I'm referring to the incomparable Slim Whitman and his classic version of Cattle Call.

Take it away, Slim:



Wish I had you all here in Wisconsin so I could buy a few rounds.

Belko, where the heck are ya?!


INSTANCE 100 --- Roster scrum begins (Posted Aug 7, 2011)

It looks like Benson won't be disciplined by the NFL, but no one seems to know for sure. What is for sure is that he's the Bell Cow, and it would take a surprising performance to knock out Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard as his backups. If he did get disciplined, they would have to go to the waiver wire or practice squad to get a guy and all of them are eligible for the squad and two of them might end up there.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Roster-scrum-begins/37c9e20c-6bc7-471f-b45a-afa263e3c3f9

And here is Version 1.0 of Bell-Cow Base, an exhaustive listing of all Hobson bell-cow references on Bengals.com:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/506360/MikeBrownSucks/Bell-Cow%20Base%20v1.0.xlsx

Whoa Doggie, that's one well rounded-up herd!!

Come on, you guys, any words for this momentous occassion?

whoop de dee... over my morning coffee in the airpot... gotta love hobslob, can't believe it took so long, I'll be mooing about this all day... running with utters.

"Well, it ain't braggin' if it's true
Yes sir, yes sir
It ain't braggin' if it's true
Muhammad Ali said that
Back when he was a young man
Back when he was Cassius Clay
Before he fought too many fights
And left his brain inside the ring"

Who'da thunk they thunk it! Here's Hobson's buddy and fellow Boston native Peter King in Monday Morning Quarterback (9-12-11). As seen under Ten Things I Think I Think, item 10.h.

Beernerdness: Yes, I had the Spotted Cow in Wisconsin. Good summer beer. Light and a little cloudy-yellow. You could probably drink a lot of them and be relatively unaffected. Problem was, I had it at the end of a very long day in Green Bay last Wednesday (at the incomparable Nicky's Lionhead), and barely made it through one. Too tired. But I approve.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/peter_king/09/11/week.1/index.html#ixzz1XnD1ZwRD

I'll give the man credit. On this occasion, at least, he has good taste in brews. Sounds like he might have received plenty of recommendations. Good thing that was a lighter beer.

You do remember, don't you, that this is supposed to be a perpetual thread? No need for us to stop at 100 when the cattle range stretches endlessly before our eyes. And what a shame it would be to miss Dave Lapham and the first mention of ... bell-cow D-linemen!

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside... Bell-Cows 101, 102 and a bonus.

INSTANCE 101 AND A BONUS BELL-COW --- Update: Class of '83 salutes new No. 1 defense; Of mice and men; Bobbie exempted (posted Oct 3, 2011)

"Eddie was the bell cow on that line," Lapham said. "He was the guy that offenses had to find and would have to scheme. These guys don't really have that guy, but I think it's almost better to have eight above average guys, and I think that's what they've got. You look at the roster, the defensive line is the strongest position on the team."

Lapham says the closest lineman to a bell cow now is second-year man Carlos Dunlap, still seeking his first sack at left end after ripping off 9.5 last season in the final eight games.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Update-Class-of-83-salutes-new-No-1-defense-Of-mice-and-men-Bobbie-exempted/5db8c4c4-c16f-4cca-88ed-a890011b6d3e

Recall that the bell-cows are counted only when Hobson speaks directly. When he quotes someone like Lapham here, it's a bonus.

INSTANCE 102 --- Notes: Williams back Bossing; MJD backs outspoken Ced; Lee sees Finley in Gresham (posted Oct 5, 2011)

CED AND MJD: Only the Vikings' Adrian Peterson has carried the ball more times this season than the two bell cows that are no doubt going to continue to get a bunch of work Sunday in Jacksonville so that they protect their rookie quarterbacks.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-Williams-back-Bossing-MJD-backs-outspoken-Ced-Lee-sees-Finley-in-Gresham-/a465ee37-6a63-45c9-911e-6f5ca6305c68

Dude--you are like the Energizer Bunny. You keep going and going and going and........

No, it's not that I don't like it--I do. Keep it up man. See if you can't go to 200.

Does Geoff Hopspin read this board? If not, he should.





"So he got fired? Big deal. It's happened to the best of us. So he got kicked out of his house by his 400 lb'ed wife?!?!? That's probably better for him anyways."-OldSchooler on ChrisMBHater's absence

Two more clangers as the season comes to a close. Check out the very special herd member in 103 for Bronco, T, and rest of the Bucknuts.


INSTANCE 103 --- Cardinals-Bengals Preview (posted Dec 23, 2011)

Cardinals RB Beanie Wells, an Akron, Ohio product who became a Buckeye bell cow at Ohio State, has a semi-homecoming. He followed both the Browns and the Bengals and his favorite back growing up was Bengals all-time leading rusher Corey Dillon. The last time the Bengals beat the Cards, Dillon had the third biggest game of his career with 216 yards at PBS in a 24-13 win Dec. 3, 2000.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Cardinals-Bengals-Preview/de90d1a9-0dd9-462a-96f7-1cd7deaffc1e

INSTANCE 104 --- More notes: Gruden stays grounded on flip; Sticking with Benson; Limited Cundiff may bounce Graham (posted Dec 27, 2011)

Gruden is concentrating on making sure his bell cow still has his signature confidence.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/More-notes-Gruden-stays-grounded-on-flip-Sticking-with-Benson-Limited-Cundiff-may-bounce-Graham/d29e5e4b-e4a9-4f4d-be71-f0fc78b182d8

Could this be the very last reference to Benson as our bell-cow?


INSTANCE 105 --- Notes: Lewis upbeat; Ced's future? (posted Jan 9, 2012)

But while Benson had slightly more runs of at least 20 yards or more than last year (four compared to two), it was nowhere near his 10 of 2009. His eight runs of at least 15 yards didn't rank in the NFL's top 20, according to Elias.

Despite averaging 3.9 yards per with the limited carries, Benson retains his confidence of a bell cow back.

"As long as the field is 100 yards long and the games are being played outside," he said, "they are always going to need someone to pound the rock."

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-Lewis-upbeat-Ceds-future/3f05e19f-e692-44ce-8085-eff7a3997aa7

For those of you playing the drinking game at home, you should have two whenever Hobson uses bell-cow and "rang" in the same paragraph. And three whenever he uses them in the same sentence.

INSTANCE 106 --- Feeling a draft (posted Jan 13, 2012)

But Rang thinks Miamis Lamar Miller and Virginia Techs David Wilson could be options for the Bengals at No. 21. Neither have the size the Bengals always seek in their bell cow backs, but Rang believes the 5-10, 205-pound Wilson and the 5-11, 212-pound Miller can be franchise backs.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Feeling-a-draft/8cddb07b-0648-484a-8555-6386b7e70bb9

Cheers!

Uh oh. Our OC thinks that no one can be a bell-cow back anymore. Tragedy! From where shall our future bell-cow references come? But our RB coach is looking for a new one, so maybe there's hope.


INSTANCE 107 --- Boomer makes a Super call (posted Feb 2, 2012)

Scarnecchia is back in the Super Bowl four years after winning the Super Bowl with a line that has three new starters. Anderson heads into a draft the Bengals are supposedly looking for a new bell cow running back with an all-time top five rushing list in which Anderson has coached every yard.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Boomer-makes-a-Super-call/04596d18-1754-4535-9092-4d4052afb7f3

INSTANCE 108 --- Gruden hopes practice makes perfect (posted Feb 20, 2012)

The signing of former Lions running back Aaron Brown on Friday as Cincinnati's first foray into free agency has contributed to the buzz the Bengals are going to make a change. But Gruden says Benson is still an attractive player, although he's also convinced no one can be a bell cow in this day and age.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Gruden-hopes-practice-makes-perfect/b014c730-ce51-4869-ba3c-9b8c1d74661d

"The signing of former Lions running back Aaron Brown on Friday as Cincinnati's first foray into free agency has contributed to the buzz the Bengals are going to make a change. But Gruden says Benson is still an attractive player, although he's also convinced no one can be a bell cow in this day and age."


1. Brown--WHO?!?!?!??!?!?! NEVER HEARD OF HIM!!!!!!! Only he has the unfortunate last name of our lovely owner.

2. What exactly is a f*cking "bell cow" or "cow bell" running back? Sounds stupid as f*ck to me. Jesus. When I think of cow bell, I think of something in a pasture. That can't be any kind of good.

3. Other than Christopher Walken's bit on Saturday Night Live, what else does this f*cking sh*t mean??!?!?!?!?!??!!?!?


Nice lame-o attempts, Slobson/Gruden. And Gruden--Goddamn dude--I praise you all season--and you come at us with this lame attempt to cover up your superiors. That just sucks. Like I said before--get out of Cincinnati while you still can.





"So he got fired? Big deal. It's happened to the best of us. So he got kicked out of his house by his 400 lb'ed wife?!?!? That's probably better for him anyways."-OldSchooler on ChrisMBHater's absence

What if that rumor were true, the one where the Bengals trade up and draft Trent Richardson? The mind boggles.

INSTANCE 109 --- Rewind button for draft tape (posted Feb 28, 2012)

What is going to be interesting is that Gruden seems to have a different taste than what has usually passed for the typical Bengals bell cow. Except for Brooks, they've all been at least 5-10, 220ish pounds. All of them played in college's biggest leagues, ranging from the SEC (Brooks, Rudi Johnson), the Pac 10 (Dillon), the Big Ten (Pete Johnson) and Big 12 (Benson).

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Rewind-button-for-draft-tape/e46a5676-98ad-45ea-8299-52affde1540c

And here, Falc, is an old poem that helps answer your second and third questions. Nixon Waterman was a poet and writer born in 1859.

The Old-Bell Cow By Nixon Waterman

WHEN I was but a boy, I loved so happily
    to roam
Through every nook and corner of the dear old
    country home;
At dewy morn to pasture I would drive the cows,
    and when
The shades of eventide drew on, I drove them
    home again.
And one among their number I remember very
    well,
It seems but yesterday I saw the cow that wore
    the bell;
She was not fairer than the rest, nor any finer
    breed,
Yet all the others followed her, wherever she
    might lead;
And in my youthful mind I used to wonder why
    and how
It was that all the cattle tagged the old bell-cow.
 
Strange years of shadow and of shine have
    passed away since then,
And now I mingle daily with the hosts of busy
    men.
And still I muse more earnestly than what I
    used to do,
For men, I find, are likewise quite peculiar
    creatures, too.
And some have natures made of gold, without a
    speck or flaw,
While some are only gilded forms, all padded
    out with straw;
And while the modest, worthy man the world is
    slow to heed,
The counterfeit, who loudly brags, steps in and
    takes the lead.
The one who makes the noise is sure to catch the
    crowd; and now
I know why all the cattle tagged the old bell-cow.

http://www.tastearts.com/tag/cow-poems/

_{EDIT: Corrected count.}

"Pasture"


Whelp. Explains a whole lot--and the word "pasture" is included in the text. Great. Like I said. Not good.

LOL!!!!





"So he got fired? Big deal. It's happened to the best of us. So he got kicked out of his house by his 400 lb'ed wife?!?!? That's probably better for him anyways."-OldSchooler on ChrisMBHater's absence

It's a sad, sad time in Bengaldom. For you see, Geoff Hobson has declared the bell-cow concept to be officially dead.


INSTANCE 110 --- Bengals get a hold of Green-Ellis (posted Mar 21, 2012)

The bell cow concept keeled over on the Paul Brown Stadium field and died with Benson's second fumble of the Christmas Eve fourth quarter against Arizona.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-get-a-hold-of-Green-Ellis/9a49e89c-d0fd-4780-b048-8ed89fb3b438

May it forever rest in peace.


At this time of intense mourning, I would like to present a reading.

No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Then you shall hear the surly sullen bell [cow]
Give warning to the world that I am fled
From this vile world, with vilest worms to dwell [now].

_{From William Shakespeare, Sonnet LXXI}

And yet we shall steadfastly maintain our vigil, staying in the ready, and faithfully coral any stray bell-cows that might wander through the Bengals.com pasture.


_{EDIT: Corrected count.}

Not only has Geoff "Nietzsche" Hobson declared the The Bell Cow to be dead, he now talks of species-wide extinction.


INSTANCE 111 --- Springing into summer (posted June 20, 2012)

But they know why The Law Firm is here. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden is going running-back-by-committee. The Bell Cow is extinct at PBS and BJGE is going to be teamed with B. Scott and B. Leonard.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Springing-into-summer/7b7d04e9-6882-4f1a-857b-8fc59d6685bb

I've also noticed the term "workhorse" to be gaining currency among national sports writers, so it seems as if Belko's favorite word is also going the way of the DoDo.

_{EDIT: Corrected count.}

my bet is that the term may be shelved for a few months, it will however make a come back.

people always assess their own performance as "above average" even people who, when tested, actually perform at the very bottom of the pile. [Incompetent People Too Ignorant to Know It]

The bell-cow running back may be dead at Paul Brown stadium, but clearly we're still in the midst of a Golden Age. Check out the updated tracking chart:





Note again the sharp increase that began about five years ago. You might say that the Golden Age of the Bell-Cow at Bengals.com commenced on June 6, 2007. There have since been 92 instances of the term, a rate of about nine every six months. And after Ced Benson's last carry for the Bungs in January, seven more bell-cows strolled into the barn. (Eight if you start counting from the day the bell-cow died.) We're still pretty much on track.

Belko is right.

No, not even Jay Gruden can kill our favorite bovine. Just as we thought.


INSTANCE 112 --- Benson recalls Bears game in PBS return (posted Aug 21, 2012)

While Gruden said the Bengals "weren't looking to run him out of town," they also pursued New England's BenJarvus Green-Ellis to team with Scott. Before The Law Firm got hurt in the opener, BJGE flashed why the Bengals sought him: Patience, a nose for the goal line, and good hands in the passing game. Although he said Monday either Green-Ellis or Scott could claim the bell cow job, Gruden has indicated he'll use both. Ironically, while Benson makes his debut, Green-Ellis (foot) and Scott (hand) won't play.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Benson-recalls-Bears-game-in-PBS-return/c0905c3c-c2d1-4879-a7fc-f08023bf1b82

The bell-cow hath risen! With the oft-injured Bernard Scott now out for the season, it's the bell-cow-by-committee approach that's dead and gone.


INSTANCE 113 --- Bengals seek key to run game (posted Oct 9, 2012)

In Green-Ellis, the Bengals have the consummate pro. Plus, Lewis also looks at the $3 million per year deal they gave him and sees a guy that can handle a bell cow's diet of 300 carries even though his career high is 229 in 2010. He's already halfway to last season's 181.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-seek-key-to-run-game/47db7dc7-3102-4459-837b-591b8c41c9af

Our old bell-cow up in Green Bay has the dreaded Lisfranc injury, by the way, and won't be milking rushing attempts any time soon. Our new bell-cow is chewing on a steady diet of carries while trying to hang on to the football. Not sure where that takes us, but maybe I'd prefer the old bell-cow, even with one bad hoof.

We were getting a little off pace here with the last instance coming back in October. With the draft coming up, combined with the prime need for another bell-cow back, things are starting to heat up again. We get a little bell-cow history this time around.

INSTANCES 114 and 115 --- Bengals hope complements abound (posted Jan 23, 2013)

When Anderson arrived in 1984, the Bengals were the epitome of the big-back team and their bell cow was a fullback in Pete Johnson. Owner Paul Brown had the first modern big back in Jim Brown in Cleveland and his best Bengals offenses had 230-pound plus guys like Johnson and Ickey Woods, and the best back in Bengals history is 225-pound Corey Dillon. Current owner Mike Brown muses in the stands here Tuesday there was a time 60 years ago when backs were rarely 215 pounds and it's getting that way again. His current bell cow, Green-Ellis, goes 5-11, 220.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-hope-complements-abound/88a92543-643f-4332-a039-8f47f95c5750

Having Mike Brown scouting at the Senior Bowl is like having a monkey at a Quantum Mechanics seminar...