Linebacker Ahmad Brooks has been accused of punching a woman in the face. The woman claims that Brooks and a neighbor were arguing and her children were upset by it. She says that Brooks told the neighbor he would “split his head open”.

So she went over and asked them to stop and “take it somewhere else”. Then she claims that “he then pulled back his fist and struck me in the left eye. I then fell and blacked out”.

Brooks has been summoned to appear in court on June 6 for the charge of misdemeanor assault, which is punishable by up to a year in jail.

This is yet another mark on the Bengals reputation. We’ll have to wait and see how the team handles this. Brooks is being counted on this season to help improve the defense. But if the team really wants to take a stand against players getting into trouble, they are likely to do something to Brooks.

The team waived linebackers Anthony Schlegel and Roy Manning. They now have nine linebackers on the roster and will have ten when Keith Rivers signs. Hopefully the injury bug doesn’t hit this position like last year.

Now that Shaun Alexander has been released by the Seahawks, his agent says that the Bengals will be one of the teams they check with. The question is, should the Bengals be interested?

It wasn’t that long ago that Alexander was the star of the league, setting records and looking unstoppable. Then he got injured and just never looked the same. It’s been quite a fall for him and the Bengals would have to figure out how much he has left to give.

Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry should be healthy. Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey played well at times and Kenny Irons was drafted last year. Irons is still recovering from a torn ACL. If all of those guys stay healthy, there are a lot of options for the Bengals to throw at opponents. But as we saw last year, injuries can quickly destroy any depth that you have.

I wouldn’t mind having Alexander on the team but only if he doesn’t cost a ton of money. If he would sign a short deal that is full of incentives, that might work out for both sides. But if the Bengals invest big money on him and he gets hurt again or just doesn’t show that he can play, that would hurt the team’s options for the future.

The Bengals did not pick a running back in the recent draft. I’ve heard some people say that must mean they are interested in Alexander but I don’t think that is definite. If the team is confidant that the running backs they already have will be healthy, they just might not want to add another player at that position.

I’m sure other teams will be interested in Alexander and there is probably a team that is willing to throw some money his way. Unless Alexander just really wants to play for his home team and takes a big paycut, it might not work out. But at the right price, I’m sure most people would welcome the addition.

Most of the articles I’ve seen have given the Bengals somewhere around a C grade. I’d say C- to C if you’re being generous. This is a team with problems but they’ve started to rid themselves of that. Chris Henry is gone, a few other troublesome players are gone.  Sure, there are still problems: Chad Johnson wants out, Levi Jones wants out (although he won’t make it the drama that the Johnson situation is).

The draft started out ok. They didn’t get Sedrick Ellis but I’m fine with Keith Rivers. He seems to be a talented guy who plays hard. I have no problem with having a guy on my team that people describe as “solid”. Then we get to round 2. They probably reached for Jerome Simpson but from what I understand, they really like him. If there is a guy you rate higher than everyone else, then you take him even if other players are there. With the other receivers falling, I have to imagine the Bengals thought they might still have a chance at one of them later (and they almost did).

They were able to grab guys at a few positions, although a few of the later picks will likely be helping on special teams. But that shouldn’t be looked at too badly. The Bengals were horrible on special teams last year. If any of these guys can come in and make a tackle or a big block on a return, all the better.

What I don’t understand at all are the picks of bad character players. How many times do the Bengals have to draft someone and then have to deal with their problems off the field? Maybe these guys have learned their lesson and we won’t be reading about them later. But I think I’ve hoped this before. Heck, I may have said that a time or ten about Chris Henry. I just don’t think the team needed this. After doing some good and getting rid of a few players, they go and bring in a couple of players with some of the same problems? I don’t get it.

I do think the team could have done more to maybe move up a time or two and get better quality players. I won’t get all down about reaching for Jerome Simpson, I will wait and see what he can do. I don’t know much about him so it’s just too early to say it was a bad choice. There were just several questionable choices here and if these guys don’t work out, something needs to be looked at and maybe they need to change how they scout and draft. The worst part about watching the draft was seeing other teams (like the Steelers) make good moves and get several players that could really help their teams.

At the 244th pick, the team took linebacker Angelo Craig from Cincinnati. Craig is 6′4″, 252 lbs. He has special teams’ experience and will probably be used there with the Bengals.

Last season, Craig played every game and had 43 tackles, 3 sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He was also disciplined for violating team rules last season. I’m not sure what he was disciplined for but he’s another guy with character issues that the Bengals have picked this year.

With the 246th pick, the team took wide receiver Mario Urrutia from Louisville. Urrutia is 6′5″-ish and 232 lbs.

Last season, he played in ten games and finished with 35 catches for 501 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He’s a big guy who can go up and get it so he’s more of a possession receiver. I’ve read that he has good hands but that he loses focus at times. He’s also not a real fast guy (4.62 in the 40).

The Bengals selected tight end Matt Sherry from Villanova with the 207th pick in the draft. Sherry is 6′4″, 250 lbs. He caught 37 passes for 461 yards and 5 touchdowns last season.

Even though the Bengals signed Ben Utecht, they had talked about adding another tight end. I’ve seen where they are looking to add more two tight end sets next season. If Chad Johnson does sit out, I don’t doubt that Carson Palmer will be throwing more to his tight ends.

With the 177th pick, the team selected safety Corey Lynch of Appalachian State. Lynch is a little over 6 feet and 204 pounds.

He should mainly help on special teams. Lynch blocked three kicks last season, including the one against Michigan that sealed the victory for Appalachian State.

I had seen the Bengals taking a RB in most of the mock drafts I saw. I think they would have been interested in Kevin Smith but he was snatched up in the third round.

I’m not sure if he would be a good fit or not but Mike Hart is still out there. He’s a tough runner for his small size. Probably not an every-down back but he could come in for a few runs now and then. And he’ll play hurt. Considering the Bengals already have some injuries at running back, that’s not a bad thing.

Hart surely thought he would be picked higher than this so he’s going to play hard to prove that he should have. There’s nothing wrong with having a player that will work hard and has something to prove on your team.

With the 145th pick, the Bengals selected DT Jason Shirley from Fresno State. He is a huge man at 6′5″, 335. From what I read, he looks like he has some talent but only in flashes. He tires out and takes plays off.

He was projected as a late round pick or a free agent because of his character issues. He was suspended from school after he was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving and then reinstated and later kicked off the team after getting cited for driving with a suspended license and expired registration.

So he can take up space, which is good but he might have personal problems, which is bad. I thought the Bengals were staying away from players like this. But if he can turn his life around and stay out of trouble, maybe the Bengals can get him into shape and make him a good player.

With the 112nd pick, the team took offensive tackle Anthony Collins from Kansas. Collins was rated as a second or third-round pick so this might not be a bad one.

I don’t know much about him yet so we’ll have to do some more research.