Kevin Huber, the Bengals' all-time leading punter in his second year of retirement, has enjoyed watching rookie Ryan Rehkow’s all-time first month at the top of the NFL punting stats.
"I think right now the specialists' room for the Bengals is as good as it's been in a long time," Huber says as he also tips his toe to kicker Evan McPherson.
"It's one of those hidden yardage things. You don't really appreciate what you have until you don't have it. Having Evan making those kicks and Ryan flipping the field like that, it's such a good weapon to have. It can make up for things like injuries. It can mask a lot of those things."
The Bengals need every edge they can get in Sunday's game (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) at Paycor Stadium against two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson's dangerously interchangeable Ravens offense and a defense that gives nothing on the ground.
With head coach Zac Taylor and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh no doubt both scheming to keep the other offense off the field in a game of limited possessions, Rehkow and McPherson boost the Bengals in the netherworld of special teams. Where games go to die.
Although he's one punt shy of qualifying for the NFL lead, Rehkow's massive 58.4-yard average and his 49.7 net average are yards ahead of his closest pursuers.
Meanwhile, McPherson has a matchup with his idol, Ravens future Hall-of-Famer Justin Tucker. He comes in 15-for-20 from 50 yards and beyond over the last three seasons compared to Tucker's 10-for-21.
The 6-4, 235-pound Rehkow has already drilled an 80-yarder, and, with last Sunday's game on the line in Carolina, he uncorked a 50-yarder to pin the Panthers inside their 10 with 4:42 left in a game the Bengals led by a touchdown.
"The ball just gets small when he hits it some times, when it goes up in the air," says Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons. "I have not seen anybody who can hit balls high and as far as he can. That combination. Some guys hit the ball higher. Some hit the ball (longer). But the combination is pretty rare. He's the most powerful guy I've coached."
Huber is the franchise's all-time leader with 216 games played, but nowadays he watches from home ("Where the couch is comfortable and the beers are cold") and is impressed after spending some time with Rehkow one day at training camp.
"It must be nice to be a punter and be 6-3, 230, 240 pounds," said Huber, not exactly small at 6-1, 210 pounds. "His leg strength, just his size, you could tell there's something special about him. He has all the attributes. It was just seeing if he could do it in a game, and he's proven he has the talent and the ability.
"The mental aspect is there, too. He's not crumbling under the pressure. He's making big plays. He's done a pretty incredible job for a rookie in four games."
Rehkow, an undrafted free agent out of BYU, turned 26 a few days after his stunning debut in the opener against the Patriots saw him break A.J. Cole III's NFL record of 64.5 per at least four punts in a game. Simmons believes Rehkow's maturity has helped early on: He served a two-year mission in London, and he's been married for two years.
Simmons saw it when Rehkow told him he's gone back to his style he had as a BYU sophomore.
"Your most important ability is your repeatability and be on the same ball over and over again," Simmons said. "He's made a lot of progress since he's been here. He's a sharp kid mentally. He knows what he needs to be successful. He told me his best year in college is when he was a sophomore. He didn't have as good a year when he was a junior and senior and now he feels like he's back doing those things he was doing early on in his career."
Huber's best year came in his Pro Bowl season of 2014 when he had his high gross of 46.8 and his second-best net of 42.1. He hasn't spoken with Rehkow since camp, preferring to give him his space as a rookie. He's urging him to keep it going early with those flipped fields because it's going to change with the weather.
"In the division we're in, you've got to take advantage of the early months," Huber said. "When it starts hitting (late) October, November, December, it's a whole new ballgame in the AFC North. It's not the AFC South or the NFC West, where you've got dome games and games in California and Florida to make up for a bad game. You're lucky to get one dome game."
D-LINE UPDATE
Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (neck) went full Friday for the first time since he left last Sunday's game in Carolina after suffering a stinger with eight minutes left. Zac Taylor gave him the all-clear with a "tough," and an admiring shake of the head.
Taylor also said after Friday's practice that he expects to have on hand Sunday three defensive linemen he hasn't had for basically the last three games.
Two of them, edge Myles Murphy and tackle McKinnley Jackson, are coming off stints on injured reserve with knee injuries and will make their season debuts after a week of going full in all three practices. Jackson, the 330-pound third-rounder, is playing his first NFL game.
In order to make room for Murphy and Jackson, the Bengals cut defensive tackle Zach Carter after he played 58% of the snaps this season in the wake of the slew of injuries at the position. It's the first time rookie tackle Kris Jenkins Jr., the second-rounder, has suited up with Jackson.
Taylor ruled out the other starting defensive tackle, Sheldon Rankins, for the third straight game with a hamstring issue. Rankins, the $13 million per year free agent pick is one of the reasons Taylor remains bullish up front.
"We have high regard for Sheldon and we drafted two tackles in premium rounds. No one could see the season playing out like it did," Taylor said of the rash of tackle injuries. "I'm excited about that group collectively."
The third returning D-lineman, starting tackle B.J. Hill, comes back from the hamstring injury he suffered in the first quarter in the Sept. 15 game in Kansas City off Friday's first full practice since the injury.
"It's the spelling of guys that will help us with the depth," said Taylor, when asked what he can expect from guys like Murphy and Jackson who haven't scrimmaged since August.
Jackson looks to be the wild card since he had just three padded practices before getting hurt. Murphy got hurt two weeks later in the Aug. 20 scrimmage against the Colts after following up a promising rookie year of bits and flashes with a solid training camp.
"Explosion. Natural athleticism," Taylor said.
Murphy thinks he's in enough of a groove to play.
"It's not that the knee felt better. It's just being confident and to see how it felt," Murphy said. "When I did a move one time, I was good for the rest of practice. That was the main mission. To put it through the gauntlet to see what I can do. Honestly, pretty much everything."
Murphy admitted that he and Jackson don't know how many snaps they'll be able to give defensive line coach Marion Hobby because practice time is limited and no one knows how many snaps the Ravens are going to run.
"It's important to have as many healthy bodies as possible because we've got a lot of veteran guys who have played Lamar plenty of times and have a feel for him already," Murphy said. "Having as many of us on the field as we can is going to be beneficial."
SLANTS AND SCREENS
Speaking of tough, how tough is 5-9, 184-pound slot cornerback Mike Hilton? After hurting his knee on the first drive Sunday, Hilton returned to play a season-high 48 snaps. But he didn't practice this week and is questionable.
He's in a rare spot, missing only two of his possible 54 Bengals games. As opposed to years past, the Bengals have multiple options backing up Hilton in the slot, starting with fifth-rounder Josh Newton …
In Baltimore, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh took note Friday in his news conference that the great Derrick (The King) Henry is running the ball Sunday for the first time in the AFC North that he was made for.
"I think he's built for it. I'm sure he's ready," said Harbaugh, who was asked what stands out about the former NFL rushing champ. "The same thing that sticks out to all you guys, it's that arm sticking out, and it's in the tackler's face. As an old defensive back, I just envision myself trying to knock that thing down and hanging on for dear life."
Someone then asked Harbaugh, the old Miami of Ohio DB, to confirm he never got stiff-armed in Oxford.
"As far as anybody knows," he said …
Henry is 18 yards shy of becoming the 21st player in NFL history to rush for 10,000 yards in the first nine years of a career. He's got 386 of those yards in five games against the Bengals on 4.4 yards per carry and is 2-3. Cincinnati put up a masterpiece against him in the 2021 AFC Divisional in Tennessee, holding him to 62 yards on 20 carries. They followed it up the next year too, stoning him for 38 yards on 17 carries. He's also got two 100-yard games against the Bengals, including last year's 122 on 5.6 yards per pop.
"It's different this time," said Murphy of Henry running the ball with Lamar Jackson. "In Tennessee, he was the centerpiece of the offense. Now they've got the other back (Justice) Hill and Lamar, as well as a good passing game." …
