The Bengals announced Tuesday Hue Jackson's heir to coach one of the most talented group of receivers in the league, Mike Sheppard. Sheppard, a 13 year coaching veteran, will arguably get his toughest test in Cincinnati managing the personalities and egos of the flamboyant Chad Johnson, tough and short tempered T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and the talented but troubled Chris Henry. Sheppard said about dealing with egos,“The biggest secret is to get all of those guys to understand that great players don’t win, great teams win. If you can convince those guys and I think they all know it … as the guys figure out they can have great individual years and be lucky enough to get voted to Hawaii (the Pro Bowl), all that doesn’t mean anything when you walk back here and you don’t have any more games to play when the regular season is over. "
I think settling down this group of receivers will pay huge dividends on the field next year. I'm not sure if they are as completely team oriented right now as they should be. T.J. wants to establish himself as one of the best receivers in the league because he felt he was ripped off by his 7th round selection in the 2001 draft. I think that he has done that by registering his first 1,000 yard seasons and being selected as a Pro-Bowl alternate in for the competitive AFC. With all his accomplishments I think its time to switch from proving himself to proving the team as one of the best in the league. The same thing applies for Johnson and Henry, but hopefully Johnson doesn't lose his fun side. It seems like if there is a man that has the ability to tame these wild receivers, its Sheppard. Geoff Hobson of bengals.com reports that he is a "Lewis Clone" with a great ability to communicate.
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