*Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, and offensive line coach Paul Alexander met the media following Cincinnati's fourth-round selection of Eric Ghiaciuc. The transcript follows: *
HEAD COACH MARVIN LEWIS
Initial comments:
"Eric is a really fine player. He's an offensive center — a big man who's very physical, athletic and has a lot of upside. He can come in and learn the NFL game and prosper. We had our eye on him for a while, and we were able to get him."
OFFENSIVE LINE COACH PAUL ALEXANDER
Q: You know Central Michigan better than anyone. How did you single this guy out and follow him?
"I know all the coaches there, and they know him very well. Everybody speaks highly of him. He's a great student with a 3.6 GPA. Ran 4.9 in the 40-yard dash. A very smart football player. He's a great kid — he really is — and we need a center."
Are you still looking for Rich Braham and Larry Moore to be there this year?
"Nothing has really changed with Rich on that front. We'll see. Hopefully things will work out, and if not, we move forward."
Q: You talk about short-area explosion with the nose tackle right on you. How is this guy in that area?
"He's pretty good right now, but he needs to get better. He's a space, quick guy who has good wrestling balance. He's not a big blocky guy, so to speak. He creates movement on big people with his quickness."
Q: He'll be able to handle all the calls?
"Yeah. He's a brilliant guy. Like I stated before, his GPA is something like a 3.6."
Q: How is this guy different from other centers you've taken in the past?
"I think he's a little taller than most centers usually are. He's probably going to play at 310 pounds. He's a good-sized center. I think body-wise he'll be able to match up with the nose tackles."
Q: How big is the learning curve with Ghiaciuc?
"There is a question that I put on my scouting forms asking how ready is he, and the answer I put down was more ready than you would think."
Q: Coach you said he has good balance and is he a knee-bender?
"Yes he is. He has good pad leverage and balance. He needs to play against the big boys' everyday. He had good games against Michigan State and Indiana but need a consistent basis. First time he sees Ted Washington he's going to think I haven't seen anything like this before."
Q: Do you expect him to start right away?
"That's up to him. I don't see why he can't. We wouldn't have drafted him if we didn't think he could play right away."
Q: Is he a guy who starting at another line position and evolved to center?
"No. He's always been a center."
