Tag Archives: cincinnati bengals

NFL

Walter, Kevin

Card: Score 2009
Acquired: TTM 2010, Texans Blitz

Kevin Walter was a 7th round pick of the New York Giants back in 2003 out of Eastern Michigan. Unable to make the roster of the Giants the Bengals snapped him up off of waivers. Walter would play primarily on special teams  as his playing time increased over the next 3 seasons.  In 2005, he’d start two games and log 19 receptions for 211 yards for the Bengals.

The offseason would start with Walter being a restricted free agent and the Texans would quickly pay the bargain price of a 7th rounder to get Kevin from the Bengals.  (Being that Walter was from the same draft as Andre Johnson, it is inferred that the Texans really did their homework on wide receivers that year with an unusually deep class at the position.) While 2006 would be more of the same for Walter, he’d quickly work himself up the depth chart in 2007 opposite Andre Johnson with new starting quarterback Matt Schaub in the lineup. As injuries would limit Johnson’s production, Walter would step up and become the primary receiver for the majority of the season logging career highs in all receiving categories. He’d follow 2007 up with a just as productive 2008 making personal career highs in all receiving categories with 60 receptions for 899 yards, 15.0 average, 61 long and 8 touchdowns. As he plowed into 2009, optimism was high that the Texans would have 2 1000 yard receivers, but nagging injuries would limit Walter’s production to 14 games, and he’d log 611 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the offseason, the Texans resigned him insisting he was part of their overall strategy (over rumors that he wanted to sign with the Giants,) to a fairly lucrative contract, and his 2011 was a slight rebound off of his previous season with 5 touchdowns and 621 yards. Walter has experienced exponential growth as a receiver over the past few seasons in Houston and has even been praised by former teammates in Cincinnati. Overall he is considered one of the team’s smarter pickups and is ranked second All time on the Texans’ receiving charts behind Andre Johnson in yards, receptions, and touchdowns by a hair over teammate Owen Daniels. A precise route runner with extremely good hands, Walter is continued to be expected to work opposite Johnson for the foreseeable future.

Score 2009 cards are great. I really like the framing and design of the cards. They lack the perceived border restriction that a lot of cards have, while the design is current and relative with the splattered ink style. The delivery of the important information about the player is clever, yet slightly understated, and the photography is strong.  Something that I’ve never understood is why card companies make high glossy cards, because isn’t the other function of these cards other than collecting them, is to get them signed?  (So the ink never completely set on this card but did dry because of the gloss.) Oh well. Walter is a great sleeper still in many deeper Fantasy Football leagues. If I can I typically take a flyer on him in the latter rounds or even luckier on waivers.

I was told that Walter loves receiving football cards, collecting all his own, and even likes fan art. Below are his statistics through the 2010 season.

G/Gs  121/64      Rec 267      Yds   3387     Avg  12.3       Td 20      Lg  61

 

NFL

Simmons, Clyde

Card: ProSet 1990
Acquired: In Person, Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp 1994

Simply overshadowed by the presence of Reggie White on the other end, Clyde Simmons was a dominant end from Buddy Ryan’s criminally overpowered defensive line. After going to tiny Western Carolina, Clyde Simmons was drafted in the 9th round of the 1986 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. The 86 draft is notable because it provided a lot of depth across the board- both defensively and offensively to many teams. It wasn’t an overpowering draft in terms of ProBowl and HoF talent, but it certainly yielded many recognizable names.

At 6’5″, 292, Simmons had some great measurables coming out of college and was definitely a sleeper pick, going behind such names as Tim Harris, Charles Haley, and fellow teammate Seth Joyner. After a quiet rookie season, Simmons began to ramp up his statistics and by 1989, making 15.5 sacks from the other end. He’d follow this up with 13 sacks in 1991 and a career high 19 in 1992.  In both 1991 and 1992 Simmons was named to the All-Pro team and the Pro Bowl for his contributions. Cut after training camp in 1994, Simmons signed with the Arizona Cardinals. After adjusting for a season, Simmons would again reemerge as a threat notching 11 sacks in 1995. He’d sign with the Jaguars in 1996 playing with them for two seasons making 16 sacks, before one season with the Bengals in 1998, and 2 more seasons with the Bears, retiring after the 2000 season.

Well balanced- Simmons during his time was an imposing force against the run finishing with over 100 tackles 3 times in his career. Simmons is not well remembered by fans typically outside of Philadelphia. Overshadowed by Reggie White and more boisterous members of the Eagles defense, Clyde quietly amassed 121.5 sacks over his career and in 13 straight seasons never failed to make at least 5 sacks. He’d make over 10 4 times in his career and finished 3 off from the single season NFL record in 1992.

Simmons has been doing a lot of different things since retirement in 2000.  Moving to Georgia, he worked for a mortgage company, and was a probation officer but after watching his son play football, was disgusted by the bad fundamentals players were utilizing.  Clyde decided to join the NFL’s minority coaching fellowship and was a defensive line coach for the New York Jets in 2010.

G/Gs 236/185    Tac  914       Sac  121.5    Fum 14     Int 3    Yds  85     Avg  28.3     Td  2    Lg 60t

NFL

Klingler, David

Cards: Action Packed Rookies 1992, Classic 1992, SkyBox 1992
Acquired: TTM 1993, C/o The Cincinnatti Bengals. In Person 1996, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp.

David Klingler was another in a line of Houston Cougar record-setting quarterbacks (Andre Ware) under the Run and Shoot offense. He’d set a then record with 11 touchdown passes and 716 yards in a game against Eastern Washington in 1990, winning the Sammy Baugh award after that season. David would also break Ware’s career passing records and set the NCAA record for touchdowns in a season (since broken) with 54. In 1992, Klingler would be the #1 pick of the floundering Cincinnati Bengals franchise with the 6th pick overall (right after Terrell Buckley).(Thinking in terms of quarterbacks that were from the 1992 draft, the only members of this draft to make the Pro Bowl ever in their careers were Brad Johnson and Jeff Blake.) The Bengals had a fresh new coach in Dave Shula, and he wanted a fresh, new face at quarterback along with him. This meant Klingler also had the very unenvious position of replacing extremely popular player Boomer Esiason at quarterback. Klingler in his rookie season would start 4 games under center for the Bengals posting 3 touchdowns to 2 picks, and throwing for an anemic 5.4 yards per throw. He’d also be sacked 18 times in 1992- a rate of a bit over 4 a game. In 1993, Klingler was dubbed starting quarterback, where I’d send off through the mail to get his autograph. In 13 games, the Bengals allowed Klingler to get sacked 40 times, but he’d try to make up for it with his rushing ‘prowess’, running for 282 yards and a 6.9 yard average. He would only throw for 6 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. David would almost duplicate those numbers in 1994, starting in only 7 games and being sacked 24 times. In 1995, he had a forgettable season with the Bengals and was released. Considered one of the many busts of the early nineties, Klingler never really stood a chance behind a patchwork line and in his first career game he was sacked 7 times by the Steelers. The Raiders would take a flyer on Klingler, where he played 2 more seasons and I got his autograph in 1996 at Dallas Cowboys training camp. After his 1996 season with the Raiders, he’d be signed by the Packers looking for competition behind Brett Favre, but he’d lose out in training camp and retire soon thereafter.

Klingler since leaving the NFL has graduated with a Doctorate in Old Testament Studies from the Dallas Theological Seminary. He remains an avid football fan and backer of the University of Houston.

G/Gs   33/20    Att 389    Comp 718     Yds 3994     Pct        Td 16     Int 22   Rat 65.1