Ben Utecht will improve an already potent passing attack next season when he takes the field for the first time as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. Utecht was underused in Indianapolis because of Dallas Clark’s playmaking abilities. Now that he’s freed himself of Clark’s shadow, Utecht can prove to the rest of the league what he’s capable of doing.
As a member of the University of Minnesota, Utecht established himself as a tight end with excellent pass catching capabilities. I’m quite certain that capability will show through once again after Carson Palmer learns his tendencies in training camp. Palmer and Utecht will be very similar to that of Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark in Indy. Perhaps that is what the executives envisioned when they signed Utecht to the very reasonable tender that the Colts declined to match.
This was a blip on the richter scale that is free agency, but it will be viewed as one of the biggest impacts after the 2008 season. Kudos to the Bengals Brass for finding a diamond in the rough that will help the teams chances of making the postseason next year. Too bad Chad Johnson is ripping the Bengals at the core by shooting his mouth off about the coaching staff. It wouldn’t be such a bad move to deal him away for draft picks because the Bengals will never win a championship with a malcontent such as Johnson on their roster.
MJohnson@thenflunderground.com