Hi, Folks. I haven’t died. I’m sorry to break the news to anyone, but I’m still alive. It may seem that way, since I haven’t written a blog since people could swim in the Gulf Coast without the fear of encountering the Loch Ness Oil Monster (okay, not THAT long, but it feels like it).

It’s not like a TON has happened since I last blogged about the Bengals. At least, nothing catastrophic. I mean, the Bengals had some OTAs (wow! They practiced football), and there was a slight media storm around Pacman “Please Don’t Call Me Adam—Wait, it’s the Other Way Around but Who Cares” Jones when he first practiced. And, of course, he said all the “right” things at practice about working hard and shaking off the rust and stuff.

But what kills me is this quote: When a reporter asked Jones if he still has “swagger” on the field (not the Old Spice kind with that annoying muscle-ly dude who just screams at you), Jones replied something to this effect (paraphrasing here): “Of course I still have swagger. I wouldn’t be playing the game if I didn’t have swagger. But it’s not ‘pants on the ground’ swagger.”

Damn. Jones, don’t you understand that’s what the Bengals needs? We need a team FULL of guys on the field, having their pants on the ground, holding onto their junk like it’s their girlfriend’s hand. This is how you win football games, damn it!

Okay, I say that all in jest. I’m actually glad that Jones doesn’t need to have his “pants on the ground” to have swagger. Aside from the difficulty of actually playing football in that condition, I would hope that the Bengals have athletes who aren’t that cocky. You want guys who are confident, but I don’t think Jones can be too cocky/confident since he hasn’t played in a while (really, what does “pants on the ground” swagger actually mean?  I mean, that American Idol guy called it “looking like a fool” with your pants on the ground.  Why would you feel more confident if your pants were on the ground? If you were one of those guys who had this “pants on the ground” swagger, would you go into a game and say something like, “Hold on, my pants are still on [whoosh!].  I’m ready.”  I mean, I sort of know what “pants on the ground” sort of means sociologically speaking, but, really, I– it’s just weird, okay?).

Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer liked what he saw from Jones; he said he saw Jones flash some first-round athletic ability, getting good jumps on balls, but his technique needs work, which should be expected for someone who hasn’t played a professional game in over a year. My initial reaction to this signing was a negative one, just like everyone else on the planet outside of the Bengals organization. But with all the tough QBs that the Bengals face this year – Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Joe Flacco to name just a few – it would be great to have a nickel corner who can cover whoever their third receiver is.

In addition to adding Pacman Jones, the Bengals signed safety Gibril Wilson from the Miami Dolphins. The club did not draft any safety in the draft, and, because both Chris Crocker and Roy Williams were injured last season, it seemed like the Bengals needed to add more depth at safety. And this is what they did with that signing. Even though Wilson isn’t a spectacular signing, he will add a veteran presence to the secondary.

But what has been truly interesting for the Bengals defense is the move of defensive end Michael Johnson to SAM linebacker during the OTAs. If the 6-7 Johnson starts the 2010 season at the SAM LB position, that would almost certainly mean that Rey Maualuga would move to the center. With Keith Rivers on the other side, it seems like the Bengals may relegate veteran Dhani Jones to a backup role. I don’t know how well that would sit with him, since he did lead the Bengals in tackles last season, but I would be pretty excited for a few reasons:

1. It’s just a matter of time before the 32-year-old D. Jones would be replaced by someone younger and more talented than he is. That pains me to say that, since he has played very well for the Bengals, but he does not have more athletic ability than either Rivers, Maualuga, or Johnson.
2. Maualuga has had a year under his belt to become familiar with the Bengals defensive playbook, so that should give him a smooth transition to take over the position that he played in college.
3. Johnson is a freak of nature. If you can have a 6-7 guy on every down who can run like a deer, you gotta use him.
4. D. Jones can still be used on third downs and Johnson can be put back at defensive end, which would maximize the skills of both guys.

And then – after you add Pacman Jones, Gibril Wilson, and Michael Johnson – there is second-round pick Carlos Dunalp. During the OTAs he could’ve had 3 sacks in a row. Granted, he wasn’t wearing pads, and it’s just practice, but pundits say that  he should’ve been a first-round pick if he didn’t have “character issues.” Cue the Bengals! We’ll take him! He probably won’t start, since we already have Antwan Odom and Robert Geathers at defensive ends, but he will definitely take a significant number of snaps that he should be able to make a decent impact.

The Bengals finished fourth in total defense last season. I think they are only going to improve in 2010. And I haven’t talked about the offense yet. I think I’ll save that for later on this week. I promise I won’t disappear in the oil spill of the gulf (seriously, when the hell are they going to fix that damn thing?).

Follow David Jacob at http://twitter.com/HoldenCarraway

Other Bengals Blog: www.cincyjungle.com