Bengals-Browns: Into the Brown Abyss

Cleveland Brown Stadium may as well be perched along the River Styx these days with Charon himself there to escort Browns fans into the NFL netherworld.

 

Nothing is currently working for the organization the color of mud, and, like the recession, experts are forecasting that the situation will worsen before there’s any hope of turning things around.

 

Cincinnati knows the feeling; it too was out to sea without a sail for countless agonizing seasons. As recently as last year, Bengal fans openly questioned how the team would repair itself after a four-win 2008 campaign.

 

But Marvin Lewis had enough useful existing parts to pull off a quick-fix with key draft picks and free-agents; Cleveland, on the other hand, has a scarcity of salvageable parts and a complete team-demolition seems like their only sensible alternative for their long-term future.

 

In fairness, a losing season in Cleveland was expected by most prognosticators of the game. They disappointed their fans with a letdown season a year ago, and brought in Eric Mangini to turn things around.

 

That sort of task doesn’t happen overnight and the situation was clearly going to be a work in progress, but the lack of response from Mangini’s team, coupled with some curious ways of handling the quarterback controversy, and compounded by a locker room scuffle last week, has warmed Mangini’s seat to an uncomfortable temperature after only three games.

 

Meanwhile, in the Southern tip of Ohio, the Bengals feel like a million bucks after slaying the Steeler dragon and defending their home turf. People in Cincinnati are still randomly chest-bumping and exclaiming “Who-Dey” as they walk past each other on the streets; crime is down!

 

Yet, being the consummate professionals they are, the Bengals’ players and coaches have put on their somber faces and have listed off all the reasons why the Cleveland Browns are still talented and dangerous. It’s the polite thing to do within the league.

 

But who couldn’t like their chances against the worst team in football?

 

The Browns have done so little offensively that it’s difficult to discern any actual game plan they have prepared. Against the Ravens, they ran lots of screens to Jerome Harrison and tried to throw to Braylon Edwards anytime they could. Brady Quinn looked completely ineffective but Derek Anderson looked Barnum and Bailey hilarious.

 

The defensive priority, with or without known Bengal-killer Jamal Lewis, is to not let Edwards make the big play. Lewis has slowed since peaking with the Ravens many years ago, and despite his big games against Cincinnati, he no longer frightens me at all.

 

Edwards has physical talents and can make the amazing catches at times, but he remains high on the list as a player who has yet to maximize his potential. Leon Hall has had some rough days going up against Edwards in the past, but Hall is playing well these days and Edwards isn’t.

 

I expect Zimmer to call the blitz on passing downs to further rattle whichever Browns QB Mangini decides to throw to the wolves, which should also hamper Edwards from busting loose.

 

The Browns defense is pretty dismal as well. Last week, they played soft zone and Joe Flacco methodically ran short passing plays out of the shotgun formation all day on them. Every play the Ravens ran appeared good for at least five yards and Baltimore had no problems dominating them on the ground and in the air.

 

I’d expect that Cleveland will play deep zones against us to and try to limit the explosiveness that the Bengals would prefer not to use anyway.

 

Look for the Bengals to try to run on the Browns until everyone is tired of watching Palmer hand it off every time.

 

Instead of reliving the shootouts that strangely manifest when these two Ohio teams meet, I would think Marvin would want to use his new-found muscle to grab Cleveland in a headlock and keep them there until it’s all over. With an improved running game and a skyrocketing defense, the best way of handling a weaker opponent is to pulverize them into submission.

 

Bengals 23, Browns 10

 

Mojokong—this is not a trap.

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Cincinnati Bengals Week 3 Preview: The Annual Pittsburgh Steeler Invasion

Dick LeBeau and his pack of wild attack dogs float down the Ohio River in a weather-beaten, black frigate this weekend looking to pillage and plunder the first football team it comes across.   The fair citizens of Cincinnati are alerted to hide away their children and precious metals because this angry, gruff bunch are worse than pirates; they’re Steelers.

 

In order for the Bengals to stand up against such villainy and protect their dwelling, they must adhere to the annual mantra of aggressive play and withstand Pittsburgh’s best shot to the face.  But more importantly this season, they must be completely prepared for the multiple angles of their attack.

 

Like the Bengals, this is a new breed of Steeler.  In the past few seasons, Pittsburgh moved away from the smashmouth running style we’ve been victimized by so often. This is partly because of multiple injuries to running backs last season and the maturation of Ben Roethlisberger.  They now run an offense that shows multiple formations and little dependency on one style of play.  Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians has kept enough core players to allow him to vastly expand their playbook over the years, and as a result, they are now essentially a pass-first team.

 

When Big Ben was younger and more wily, it seemed that keeping him inside the pocket produced better results than flushing him out and allowing him to improvise.  For whatever reason, the guy made more plays on the run or while being sacked than he did dropping back and throwing in rhythm.

 

But Roethlisberger has blossomed into a savvy, well-rounded QB, who still struggles at times with his accuracy, but excels in the ambiguous “intangibles” category.  No longer can opponents keep him in the pocket and wait for him to make a bad throw.  He’s still as strong and swashbuckling as ever, and blitzing him remains a risk in allowing the big play.

 

With Pittsburgh’s ground game struggling after the first two games, Arians runs wide receiver bubble screens (the trendiest play-call currently in the NFL), intermediate slants to Hines Ward, and dump-offs to Heath Miller in order to set up the deep crossing route or seam route to Santonio Holmes.

 

Pittsburgh somehow manages to lull defenses to sleep with the pass, rather than with the traditional pounding of the run.  Be that as it may, the Steelers have had a 100-yard rusher in each of the past seven wins at Paul Brown Stadium, and sometimes tradition has a way of hanging around.

 

Therefore, the defensive priority for the Bengals should be to stop the run first, then keep all passing plays in front of them and make tackles on short routes, and finally, like always, bring Ben down once they get their hands on him.

 

I wouldn’t expect to see as much linebacker and safety blitzing for fear of giving up the big play that always seems to surface when the Steelers come to Cincinnati.   Instead, they should rush their formidable front four, keep their safeties deep and force punts rather than gamble on turnovers.  If Geathers and Odom can produce half the chaos they created against Green Bay, it will make the other defensive assignments that much more manageable and should limit the shape-shifting Pittsburgh offense to a modest day at the office.

 

The Steelers defense, however, is not all that different.  They still have their merciless wizard LeBeau, masterminding the carnage his band of roughnecks leave behind at stadiums every weekend. 

 

LeBeau continues to fire off his heat-seeking blitzes at every given chance and still has enough beef up front to limit rushing yards.  What he won’t have this time is his bushy-maned psycho of a safety and No. 1 henchman, Troy Polamalu.  Even Polamalu’s backup, Tyrone Carter, is banged up and is questionable to play on Sunday.  Polamalu has tyrannized this city with devastating tackles and pick-sixes since he’s been drafted; he will not be missed.

 

The Bengals would like to run on the Steelers, but wouldn’t everybody?  It’s one thing to run all over a defense that claims it runs a similar scheme to Pittsburgh, and it’s another to do it against the real thing.  If teams could even occasionally run against Dick LeBeau and his goons, they wouldn’t maintain the stigma they’ve earned; they’re the best defense in the league for good reason.  While the offensive line has exceeded expectations up to this point, lining up across from this gruff bunch will be the ultimate test.

 

So that means Cincinnati will have to go to the air, and that puts the onus on the Golden Boy, Carson Palmer.  If the Bengals are to pull out a win, Palmer must play great.  His performance must be better than his average and he simply cannot make brainless mistakes like his two picks last week.

 

Typically, Pittsburgh does not give a quarterback much time, which means hot reads and underneath routes could be what moves the ball downfield.   If the Bengals pass-protection holds up well, or if they find success on shorter gains, then they can try something vertical to Ocho or Henry, but to force it deep would be playing into their hands.

 

It would not be surprising to see a conservative play-calling approach from Bob Bratkowski after all of his failed missions against this team in the past.   I would be prepared to see a lot of throws caught short of the marker in hopes that the receiver makes a play, and attempted screen plays on third-and-longish; better to play it safe than to play it wrong.

 

So, as the Steelers wash ashore and fall out of their vessel, laughing and cursing at all of us, and prepare to shove around the Bengals and their fans once again, they should encounter more resistance than normal from Cincinnati.  This Bengals team has grown up some and is stronger and more willing to fight these days. 

 

But alas, they continue to be their own worst enemy with self-inflicted mistakes, and against a team that feels like a despotic older sibling, that still won’t get it done.

 

Prediction: Steelers 24, Bengals 20

 

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Cincinnati Bengals Week Two Preview: Cheese Whiz

The last time I remember the Bengals playing a regular season game at Lambeau Field, Brett Favre made his Packer debut and led Green Bay to a fourth quarter comeback win.

It was early in the season, the Bengals were 2-0, the Packers were winless, Cincinnati was up 17-3 in the third quarter, the meltdown ensued and a legend was born. The Bengals lost 37 of their next 46 games after that and the Packers went on win a Super Bowl.

Fast forward 17 years and the Bengals once again will roll onto the globally-warmed tundra to reverse history and set the course for their own Super Bowl victory (stop laughing). After being sucker-punched by fate and gravity last week, the Bengals should be a surly gang of roughnecks eager to deliver some unnecessary roughness and a few personal fouls.

With that kind of practice way outside the agreed upon rules and general spirit of the game, Cincinnati will have to make due with clean, physical play that results in a tired and battered Packer team, and more importantly, a win.

On paper, the Bengals have no business winning this Sunday. The Packer defense has big names at every position and their offensive skill players are just as formidable.

Aaron Rodgers, a high caliber quarterback with a strong arm and a bad mustache, has blossomed into a top-10 player at his position. His receivers, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, have enjoyed the seemingly limitless range on Rodgers’ throws and form one of the better receiving tandems in the NFC.

Cincinnati’s secondary will be challenged deep and must tackle receivers in open space, or they will be victimized by the big play. I would expect less safety blitzes from Roy Williams and more help in deep coverage this week because of the speed of the Green Bay receivers.

The most vulnerable attack point for Bengal defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer looks like the right tackle, Allen Barbre. After watching Barbre give up a few sacks to Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye last week, I would expect to see Zim load up that right side with blitzing linebackers like Rey Maualuga, to assist Robert Geathers in creating more pressure.

If Cincinnati is able to get sacks or even hurry Rodgers, those speedy receivers will have less time to get downfield on deep routes, and the Bengals can keep plays in front of them. Getting to the quarterback was an offseason priority that must come to fruition if this defense is going to maximize its vast potential.

The Bengals also appear to have a glaring weakness along its offensive line this week. Starting left guard Nate Livings has some kind of knee injury (Dr. Marvin Lewis described the injury as simply “a knee”), and his replacement is a person named Evan Mathis.

A few years ago, Mathis started 15 games with Carolina, but hasn’t since with the Dolphins and now with the Bengals. Mathis remains a question mark going up against a beastly 3-4 defensive end in Cullen Jenkins. I would expect Green Bay to send a variety of their six talented linebackers on blitzes up the middle, testing the pass protection of Mathis and center Kyle Cook.

Another lineman with a tough assignment will be tackle Andrew Whitworth going up against Packer sacker, Aaron Kampman. In Green Bay’s 3-4 defense, Kampman moves to outside linebacker from defensive end; a position where he collected 38 sacks in three seasons. The blocking of tight ends and running backs will also be a factor in limiting the havoc that Kampman can create.

Carson Palmer had time to throw last week and played well as a result. If the offense is going to find a rhythm and score some points this week, Palmer’s comfort in the pocket will be paramount. I expect Green Bay to blitz more than Denver did, which means more one-on-one matchups on our receivers and possibly more chances to throw down field, but only if Carson has time.

As for the running game, if Mathis and Cook are unable to hold up in the middle, I would expect more toss plays, misdirections and off-tackle runs. Cedric Benson has looked more comfortable bouncing runs to the outside than he does pounding it up the middle. I love the way he builds up steam when he turns the corner and punishes tacklers upon impact.

Complimentary back, Bernard Scott, should get a few more touches this week if the outside does prove to be a more effective running lane. His only carry last game was on a screen play that Denver sniffed out before the ball was even snapped.

Like so many other fans, I would like to see the offensive play calling catch a team off guard; nothing too fancy, just the kind of sequence that keeps defenses guessing. The game plan for last week was solid and aside from a lack of concentration, the team executed it they way they practiced it.

This week, I would expect to see a more complex game plan that is successfully ran by a team hungry to prove itself as a legitimate competitor in this league.

Green Bay is a good team which I see in the Super Bowl this year, but they’re playing the Bengals on the wrong week.

Bengals 21, Packers 17.

Mojokong—this week is more of an Upton Sinclair Jungle than a Guns N’ Roses Jungle.

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Cincinnati Bengals Working Out the Kinks

Last Sunday, Marvin Lewis and his coaches stood in front of a hulking object, covered in a tarp inside of Paul Brown Stadium. A crowd gathered around it and the tarp was removed. There stood the new Bengals machine of 2009, shiny and new, purring idly and waiting to operate. The coaches set it in motion and the machine went to work with only a few minor setbacks; coughing out an occasional plume of smoke on a penalty or losing a bolt on a dropped pass. 

 

After a few hours, the machine seemed to have completed its task—albeit without much grace or style—and the crowd seemed satisfied enough. But then, out of nowhere, the machine was struck by lightning and died; the crowd left disappointed and the coaches stormed back to the lab to work out the kinks.

 

But what are the kinks?

 

The defense looks fine; no problems there.  Carson Palmer had one bad throw in the third-quarter deep in his own territory which should have been picked off by a linebacker and returned to the house, but luckily was dropped instead. Outside of that pass, there were no glaring errors made on his part, so he doesn’t seem to be the problem. Special teams had a major gaffe made by a rookie punter, but that isn’t likely to keep happening. Penalties and drops are small annoyances that are easily fixed. So what’s really keeping this rocket-ship from blasting off?

 

Most fans will shout in a raspy, aggravated tone that it’s the play-calling.

 

Ah, the “Bratkowski sucks” mantra heard anywhere Bengal games are broadcast.  This year’s machine was promised to feature a new offensive playbook that would dazzle defenses and appease fans, yet the complaining started at halftime of the first game and the anger rose in the stands after watching too many first-down hand-offs. 

 

For the record, there need to be some first-down runs. Even the no-gainers up the middle are necessary to set up other plays in the same formation later in the game, and runs early in each half helps wear down the opposing defense. But it appears that Bob Bratkowski is still leaning on that lever a little too hard. 

 

The running game is least effective when the Bengals get stopped for a minimal gain on first down, then try again the next down (in fairness to Brat, some of that happens when Palmer audibles to a run, which rarely seems to work, but, I suppose, is better than an interception or sack). Either Brat or Marvin or both, make “manageable third-down scenarios” such a high priority within the sequence of play-calling that it seems to detract from the rhythm and strengths of the offense. If the Bengals were more willing to attack rather than chip away on second & longish, perhaps there would be less third downs to worry about in general.

 

Another priority within the Bengal playbook is the vertical passing game. Fans,  loudmouth receivers, and golden boy quarterbacks love it, but it’s a tough strength to gamble on. Denver eliminated the vertical passing game after Chris Henry’s 18-yard catch on the first drive. Brian Dawkins was rarely ever in the television screen before the ball was snapped. With the secondary dropping so far back, Palmer relied on his receivers gaining yards after the catch on shorter routes which they were able to do with some success. 

 

Bratkowski ran many play-action passes and Palmer wanted to air it out on a handful of them, but the Broncos insisted the Bengals beat them another way, so Palmer had to go with check-offs. I thought Carson looked good moving out of the pocket, throwing on the run and finding his safety valves when the deep routes were taken away. 

 

Offensive tackle Anthony Collins, was beat a few times on the outside speed rush and Cedric Benson completely wimped out on a chip block on Mario Haggan, but aside from that, the pass-protection was solid, which allowed Palmer to play sharper than I expected of him. In this instance, Bratkowski cannot be accused of refusing to take shots downfield; the defense simply wouldn’t allow it to happen.

 

It’s not a bad approach against this offense: take away the quick strike, allow a lot of short plays underneath and force the offense to trip over its own feet.  The Broncos almost threw a shutout with that game-plan and other teams without elite pass-rushers will probably try the same.  But that philosophy is a passive approach to defense, and the Bengals should learn to score points against it once they improve their concentration. 

 

For years the identity of the team was its explosive passing attack and once the league found out how to stop it, the Bengals were exposed as a team without much of a core. I see Marvin turning the Bengals into a smash-mouth team as an attempt to strengthen the machine’s foundation. 

 

After his centerpiece broke down and he was left with virtually nothing else to work with last season, I believe Marvin learned then that to be consistent in the NFL, a team needs to have more than one way to win games. Once he works out some of those kinks, I think we’ll see that happen this season.    

 

Mojokong—strangely enough, encouraged by what I’ve seen. 

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Cincinnati Bengals Week 1 Play-By-Play Analysis

Roy Williams prevents huge run on first play by Buckhalter.

 

Geathers on nice run stuff.

 

Marshall drops screen pass

 

No pass rush, nice coverage by Crocker.

 

First play of the year is a run up the middle for no gain.  Imagine that.

 

Second play is run off tackle for no gain.

 

Good pass protection; 18 yards to Slim over the middle.

 

Nice pass to Chad on medium slant route.

 

Benson shows nice vision by bouncing the run to the outside for a good gain; brought back by Chad’s hold.

 

Coates drops bullet pass.

 

Benson with nice off-tackle run.  Good blocking.

 

Good pass-protection; slightly errand pass; Coles gets fingers on it but no catch; fourth down & punting.

 

*Drive was killed by holding penalty.

 

Poor punt; first one ever.

 

Boring 6-yard run; Tank with a good tackle.

 

Rivers with great pursuit on outside run; no gain.

 

Odom with deflected pass; forced to punt.

 

Cosby with good punt return after fielding on bounce; one ankle tackle away from a big one.

 

Palmer with lots of time on play-action, finds Chad on the sidelines on a great play that was brought back b/c of an ineligible man down field.

 

Benson with a strong, power run on Whit’s side; puts head down and blasts for extra yards.

 

Another nice run, this one in gap between Livings & Cook. 13 yards on last two runs.

 

Coles drops easy first down catch, nearly leads to a pick.  Fourth down and forced to punt.

 

Awesome fake-punt/wildcat thing to Leonard for a first down.  Awesome.

 

Play-action on first down; wanted to go long; Palmer scrambled a bit, but kept his cool and found Benson on a check off to the sideline; Benson juked a defender and gained a good chunk of YAC.

 

Bubble screen to Caldwell for 6 or so on a play that Housh used to run.

 

Run behind Livings for two.

 

Stretch run to Leonard for nothing on an awful play-call.  Fourth down. 

 

*The two play-actions on first down were great on this drive, as was Leonard’s fake, but running a stretch run on third & 2 on the 11-yard line in the red zone to our “power back”, makes no sense here.

 

Huber can’t catch a slightly below average snap on FG try; loss of like 50.

 

Fanene sacks Orton on play-action by beating RT on the outside.  Decent juke-move to get to him

 

Dhani over-pursues on pass across middle to Marshall.  Roy cleans up.

 

Geathers knocks Clady on his ass, flushes Orton out of pocket and Odom cleans up for the sack.  Fourth down.

 

Cosby runs straight for yardage; doesn’t dance.

 

Palmer to Chad on sideline for nice gain, but Chad opts to run to the middle of the field instead of going out of bounds and picks up big yardage.   He looks explosive and more willing to get hit.

 

End of 1^stQuarter; Bengals crushing in yardage and TOP, but holding call, dropped third down pass and botched FG= no points in three drives. 

 

Collins gets beat by A. Davis on sack, right after the big play to Chad; momentum ruined.

 

Benson on nice cut-back for 7 or so; good vision.

 

Long pass attempt broken up by rookie corner back.  Slightly under-thrown but good try.

 

Ok punt by Huber.

 

Crocker ankle tackles Gaffney on screen for no yards.

 

Orton play-action, Pat Sims pursues,  goes deep to Marshall, nice coverage by Hall, through Marshall’s hands though it would have been a very difficult catch.  Roy Williams was a step slow.

 

Pass deflected by Geathers, Dhani tackles Gaffney, fourth down.

 

First-down check-off pass to Benson for 7.  Good decision.

 

Run for zip up the middle.  JJ didn’t get enough of his man.  Denver knew it was a run even though it was a soft delay run. 

 

Coates sneaks out of backfield for good yardage.  I worried about him fumbling as he rumbled for a good 10 or more yards after the catch.

 

Benson showed speed turning the corner on first down off-tackle run.  8 yards, Gus Johnson got excited.

 

Quick, backward screen to B. Scott that was sniffed out from the get-go; loss of 6 and questionable play-call.  Andre Davis was not having it.

 

*Again, the play design to Coates, was actually very good (even though I don’t like throwing to him), but when B. Scott checked into the game, the Denver defense perked up and followed him outside on the screen.  I understand that they want to use him, but it’s still important to remain sneaky and not so deliberate on their play-calling.

 

Palmer moves well outside of the pocket and finds Coles on the sideline for a first-down.  Palmer looks really good on the run today; not freaking out.

 

Benson up the middle for 3.  Not bad.  Fans don’t like it, but you need some of this for a variety of reasons. 

 

Benson up the middle for nothing.  You don’t need it that much; bad play call.

 

Palmer to Chad on slant with 1-on-1 coverage with Champ; Champ get’s there sooner, tips ball up and Chad wimps out on jump ball and allows an interception.

 

*Fourth squandered drive.  Could at least be 12-0.

 

Maualuga on nice take down for no gain on run.  Waited for runner to come to him.

 

Rey on good pursuit to sideline on bubble-screen; Roy pops Royal on clean up tackle.

 

Awesome pass coverage by B. Johnson on third down.  He’s good at that. 

 

*I like Zim putting Johnson in there on passing downs.

 

Benson up the middle for nothing.  Poor play-call.

 

Reverse to Chad who looked more scared than dangerous.  Palmer didn’t make a good block.  Weird play for 8 yards.  At least it’s different. 

 

*They shouldn’t run that play again for at least 3 weeks so it doesn’t become predictable the way it use to be.

 

Benson up the middle who fought for a first down.

 

Benson on nice off-tackle behind Whit for 6 yards.  Whit blocked two Broncos on the play.  Whit moved to right tackle for that play.

 

Quick out to Benson for nothing. 

 

Bad pass to Caldwell; behind him. Dunno if it was intentionally thrown that way.  Doubt it.  Have to punt.

 

Average punt.

 

8 yard Buckhalter run.  One of the longer runs for Denver on the day.

 

Tank on good wrap up but still a first down.

 

Pat Sims gets back down field on screen and makes nice tackle to keep screen from developing.  The big guy can move.

 

Great coverage near the sideline by Hall on B. Stokely. Quickness looks fine.

 

Royal converts third down on shifty screen.  B. Johnson cleans up.

 

Orton has lots of time and finds Gaffney wide open on sideline against zone.  No pass rush and soft zone=big yardage.

 

Leon Hall knocks ball loose for incompletion.  Almost a fumble that woulda been a touchdown by Ndukwe.  Almost.

 

Tank Johnson smothers Moreno for no gain on run.

 

Good from 48 to end half. Their guy has good range.

 

Bengals look good at the half but have no points.  They’re getting yardage, and look great on defense but they keep stalling when it matters most. 

 

Bad pass to Chad on screen.

 

Check off to Benson for 6 or so.  Good hands on the catch.

 

Quick slant to Chad on hot read for first down.  Nice on both ends.

 

Play-action, Palmer wanted deep ball settled for check off to JJ who dropped it.  Good play call.

 

Quick pass to Foschi.  Don’t know why he gets passes and not Coffman.

 

Great pass-protection (especially Coates); great throw, dropped pass by Coles.  Fourth down.

 

Good Punt.  Brad St. Louis on tackle.

 

Odom tackle for loss. (the guy slipped)

 

Nice drag down by Geathers.

 

Good prevent on third and long, Crocker makes tackle.  Fourth down.

 

Awful punt for Denver.

 

Benson on nice run behind B. Williams for 6.

 

Palmer sacked, Benson missed block.  Loss of over ten.  Haggen with the sack.

 

Palmer sacked again.  Collins gives up second sack.

 

Great punt by Huber.

 

Roy on good run support.

 

Dhani misses tackle to allow Graham’s first down.

 

Pitch play to Moreno and Roy knocks him silly and causes fumbled that was ruled down.  Huge hit.

 

Rey misses tackle and allows gashing run by Buckhalter.

 

Rey unloads on Marshall.  Love this guy.

 

Fanene tackle for loss on hand off.

 

Roy on decent coverage on strange third down play by Denver.  Incomplete.

 

Pitch play to Benson that loses yards on first down.

 

Terrible pass to JJ that was very close to a pick that would have been a TD.  Really stupid attempt under pressure.  Needs to throw out of bounds instead.

 

Caldwell almost makes it to a first on completion, but no.   Punt.

 

Scheffler wide open in zone coverage; good gain of 25 or so.  I hate zone coverage.

 

Dhani on nice run stuff.

 

Rey so close to first sack on ankle tackle.  Orton scrambles for 3.

 

Stokely drop.  50 yrd fg.

 

Caldwell not a good return. 

 

Beautiful play-action roll out play, Palmer throws on the run, hits Chad in stride for about 20 yards.  Brought back for off. PA.   Nice play-call; good looking play design.

 

End of third quarter.  Bengals still have stat advantage but some player mistakes are killing them.

 

Caldwell over the middle. Good game for him.

 

Brian Leonard on shovel pass.  Nice play-call again.

 

Short throw to Caldwell on third down no good.  Not a great decision.  Punt.

 

Roy on nice tackle to Hillis for a short passing gain.

 

Rivers on big hit to force incompletion. 

 

Marshall gets easy receiving third down conversion. 

 

Rey with nice run-stop for nothing.

 

Bengals pass rush leads to holding call.

 

Roy misses on safety blitz; Orton buys time and makes first down completion.  Gotta make that sack.

 

Roy on safety blitz up the middle, Buckhalter catches check off and runs for long first down.  B. Johnson misses tackle.  Brought back from holding call.

 

Odom with a huge sack.  Inside pass-rush move, squeezes through and pushes Broncos out of FG range  with sack.  Huge.

 

THE DRIVE:

 

Run up the middle for three.  Fans hate it.  Gives them room.

 

Quick slant to Chad for first.

 

Hand off to Benson for loss.  Awful play call.

 

Great throw to Chad for a first on a long hook route. Nice protection.

 

Benson with a big off-tackle run for over 20 yards.  Weird two fullback formation; great block by JJ and Whit.

 

Palmer play-actions, finds no one and settles for a three yard scramble.

 

Caldwell on hook route in the slot over the middle.  Housh-like again.

 

Dump off to Leonard for good yardage.

 

Caldwell on quick out route for seven.

 

Caldwell on curl route just short of goal line.

 

Benson TD on power run.  JJ with good block.

 

Joseph with great pick but just out of bounds.  Should have been challenged. 

 

Shit happens.  Bengals lose.

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Cincinnati Bengals Week One Recap: Stuff Happens

After the stunned silence and the eruption of outrage, after the philosophical musings about the mysterious ways of the universe and after letting it go with a sigh and a beer, we can talk about what happened yesterday in a serious, analytical tone that has nothing to do with hexes or of team ownership.

 

Outside of the tip, that was brought on by natural defensive instincts and a hailstorm of bad luck, the Bengals’ game-plan was solid. 

 

The defense shut down the run, made tackles, and got pressure. They looked fast and hit hard, forced lots of punts and maintained field position as well as anyone could ask.  The Bengals’ defense is the strength of the team and they proved it yesterday.

 

The offensive game-plan had some questionable moments—like a stretch-play hand-off to power-back Brian Leonard for no gain on 3rd-and-2 from the 11-yard line—but also had lots of play-action, some quick slants and outs, a weird fake-punt/wildcat run, and, a personal favorite, the shovel pass.  The run game wasn’t glamorous, but Benson got big chunks of yardage late in each half. 

 

The pass-protection seemed good enough; the lone exception coming from back-to-back sacks due to missed blocks by Benson and Anthony Collins. Carson Palmer appeared comfortable in the pocket and moved well when flushed out. Penalties, dropped passes, and a botched field-goal prevented the Bengals from scoring in the first half, not the coaching, bad quarterback play, or the game-plan. 

 

Laveranues Coles is not going to drop passes all year long the way he did in Week One.  The penalties can be cleaned up, and the rookie punter can relax after getting his first game, and first blunder, out of the way. 

 

The point is, if the Bengals stick to the game-plan they showed against Denver, the wins will come. The offense looked a little rusty and they definitely have a few bolts to screw down before they start to click, but there is too much firepower to silence this arsenal all year.

 

It’s been a long time since a Bengal team had been defined as physical, but this lot looks pretty hard-nosed. Many fans already feel deflated after losing in such a ridiculous manner, and it was one helluva horse-pill to swallow, but what I’m seeing from this year’s Bengals is distinctly different from what I’m used to seeing from a Marvin Lewis-coached team. 

 

As demonstrated, we’re not going to win all the time, but I bet there won’t be many blowouts on the Bengals’ schedule this year.  If nothing else, we’re going to see this team fight.

 

Mojokong—sometimes you just have to laugh it all off.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Marvin Tries Again: Revenge Of The Myth

The team that will follow Marvin Lewis out of the tunnel and onto the field against the Broncos on Sunday, marks the coach’s second attempt at constructing a successful NFL roster. 

 

Lewis’ first go at constructing his own team in 2003 was essentially a patch-work job that consisted of second-rate free agents and quick-fix draft picks.  Only Carson Palmer, Brad St. Louis and Ochocinco—then known as Chad Johnson—remain from that season.  Lewis tried to install new parts here and there along the way, and the results were occasionally promising. But by the middle of last season it had become apparent that the roster needed a dramatic overhaul and the Bengals think-tank went to work.

 

After months of negotiating, drafting, and coaching, the 2009 roster was unveiled Saturday, and, if nothing else, it appears much sturdier than that first attempt seven years ago.  Outside of drafting Andre Smith in the first-round, Cincinnati seems to have made good decisions every step of the way during this offseason—Smith may still pan out, but his start as a professional so far has been laden with setbacks. 

 

Further proof that the Bengals are on the right track came on Saturday when the team released its final 53-man roster that included all four running backs who were thought to be in a competition to make the team.  Cedric Benson, Brian Leonard, DeDe Dorsey, and Bernard Scott, each showed a distinct, unique ability that proved too effective to release to another team. 

 

Also this week, rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga told the media that he is scheduled to start Sunday against Denver.  While this isn’t much of a surprise, it’s noteworthy because Rashad Jeanty had been atop the depth chart throughout the preseason.  Maualuga is too talented to watch plays from the sideline.  He still may be a little raw and will likely show some occasional growing pains, but last year’s college defensive player of the year has tremendous instincts, plays fearless and brings a heavy dose of chaos to the field with him.  Marvin once coached a player named Ray Lewis in Baltimore with similar characteristics and that worked out well for everyone involved. 

 

Excuses are no longer tolerated on this team.  Players who have survived the final cuts have done so because they practice hard and take the game seriously.  Extra role models have been added to assist the younger players’ maturation into the league, and to allow the coaches to teach more and babysit less.  The idea is that the new team culture will permeate throughout the locker room and demand a sense of professionalism from the players all season long.  No longer are the Bengals here for show or for fun or to simply get paid; they’re here to work.

 

Lewis knows that he too is out of excuses. 

 

“I get the blame now,” he told Geoff Hobson.   

 

That is rather telling for such a short statement.  It implies that in years past, perhaps he was not to blame, but rather his players were.  It also indicates that he is finally satisfied with his roster and that the necessary pieces for success are in place. 

 

Marvin Lewis is a man who is cautious with his words and is driven by principles.  If, for the first time, he feels confident in his players’ abilities and their emotional fortitude, it makes me believe in this team more than I would otherwise.

 

Mojokong—from the island of Elba.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

At The Heart of a Bengals Fan

It’s ready.

A fresh 16-game Bengal season, bloomed and fully ripe, rests inside our cable boxes waiting to be slowly and painstakingly devoured, bit by blissful bit.

It seems like a lot at first, 16 games, but the wins and losses stack up fast, and suddenly teams are playing in games that they must win in order to keep their season interesting.

That’s the beauty of Week 1; it’s the same for everybody. The rosters are set, every team is tied for first place, and the pressure of losing has yet to surface. There’s little to worry about and much to enjoy.

I usually wake up on the Sunday morning of Week 1 wearing a weird grin along with my disheveled pajamas and bathrobe. I make it a point to put on some NFL Films music on that day, complete with its string orchestras and dramatic tympani drums and go about my morning business in exaggerated slow-motion, juking my dog on the way to making coffee or stiff-arming the doorways as I walk through them.

I erupt with spontaneous fits of giggling and clap my hands together for no visible reason. I become a giddy schoolgirl; I can’t help myself.

There are countless reasons to behave this way on the Second Sunday of September. Everyone’s experience is unique in their own way, but here are some of the more basic and universal reasons.

First off, it’s the NFL; the best of all the professional sporting leagues in America. The fewer number of games and the league parity make wins more of a premium than in MLB or in the NBA. The sport is perfect for television and falls on a day when responsibilities are customarily ignored anyway.

Outside of God and grass-mowing, what else should Americans do on their Sundays?

The second reason to celebrate the elation that comes with the return of football season is because we’re lucky enough to share a favorite team.

The game is aesthetically pleasing enough on its own to entertain the most casual and indifferent of spectators, but to be emotionally invested in the action by rooting for a favorite team harkens back to sport’s oldest cliché concerning the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat (the skier that springs to mind when hearing those words turned out to be fine after that dreadful crash).

Having a favorite team makes a person feel more participatory within the sport, and the emotional highs and lows somehow make the experience more fun. It’s a strange drug, the NFL, and right now I’m completely off the wagon; it’s too bad the local dealer only peddles the lower to mid-quality stuff around Cincinnati, but it’s Week 1 and I’m jonesing, so I’ll take it.

This year’s crop of Bengal, however, promises to be of higher-grade compared to the foul-smelling dregs of last season. How much better is still anyone’s guess as opinions and predictions of this year’s team are all across the win-loss spectrum.

Still, it’s almost unanimously agreed that the Bengals won’t repeat last year’s misery and that is reason alone to crack a smile.

Even if Cincinnati doesn’t win many more games, they will be, without a doubt, a more interesting team than a year ago.

There’s the young promising defense with new heavy-hitters, including one dynamic rookie linebacker who should blossom into a superstar right before our desperate eyes.

The defensive line looks deep and fierce, and is likely to get more pressure and sacks.

And don’t forget about the two first-round corners, healthy and ready to come into their own, plus another linebacker returning from a broken jaw who could be the best of them all.

The offense has elements of intrigue as well. There’s the new veteran receiver to replace a pony-tailed legend, a new hotshot tight end and four running backs that can all do different things. They have a loud-mouth who looks sharp, a slim third receiver with tons of potential, and their golden-boy quarterback returning from injury.

Yes, there are plenty of reasons to smile on the eve of Week 1. All the stress and heartache, the yelling and cheering, the seriousness of it all, will come.

For now, let’s toss aside the caution and analysis, allow our inner-fan to emerge and all agree that the Bengals will win the Super Bowl this year, once and for all.

Mojokong—keep your birthdays and Christmases; I’ll take this.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

More Andre Smith Humor: Lard Knocks

Andre Smith is so fat, the bones in his feet fracture under the weight of his enormous girth.

The rookie broke his foot just two days after ending a lengthy holdout during a non-contact drill. This only adds to the speculation that Smith is grossly out of shape and also adds to the stigma that won’t dissipate surrounding the Bengals first-round picks.

HBO‘s “Hard Knocks” showed Smith meeting with team owner and local dark lord Mike Brown, who complained to the hippopotamus about the hold out and about the reports of his cushiony physique. Smith showed little verbal prowess in the meeting, nodding his fat head and murmuring “yes sirs” to all of Mike’s gripes.

Then, the young prospect the size of a work van took the field and dragged small men on ropes around the field as part of his training regimen. Somewhere along his day, Andre the Obese overdid it and cracked one of his swollen, miserable feet.

While he heals, he will have time to learn the playbook and lose some friggin’ weight, for Christ’s sakes. He could be back on the field in three weeks where he can demonstrate how much he has learned while resting on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Anthony Collins can take a deep breath and relax a little. Andre Smith may have a contract as big as he is, but there’s no way he can take Collins’s job with his leg in a cast and his enormous moobs preventing him from squeezing through most doors. With Smith one meal away from classifying himself as a structure instead of a person, a problem so magnified that his own limbs are beginning to go on strike, any real service to the team looks a good ways away.

None of this can come as much of a surprise for seasoned Bengal fans. We who have suffered so mightily have seen handfuls of young prospects plucked from the league thanks to injury or general incompetence. In Andre Smith, we’re seeing both happen simultaneously.

Smith’s brief professional career is already littered with questionable decisions regarding his hiring of an agent and auditioning for pro scouts. After those gaffes, he then missed the entire Bengals training camp in a holdout and eventually reported to the team weeks later so large that he darkened entire Cincinnati hillsides and frightened scores of area children.

The whole affair has been a disaster. Both sides of the negotiation table look foolish now. The Bengals drafted a player that can’t stay in shape and had a hard time signing, and Andre Smith and Alvin Keels look like swindlers selling bunk goods. It isn’t as if the man needs to be svelte and sculpted; I like linemen with sizeable guts. But weighing in at closer to 400 pounds than 300 isn’t helping anyone involved.

The deal he and the Brown family did agree on contains a clause that reduces Smith’s pay if he hovers above 350 pounds. For those unaware of NFL rookie contract deals, that’s an embarrassing clause to be included in writing.

Maybe this is just a morbidly obese bump in the road that Andre Smith will overcome on his way to becoming a Pro-Bowl tackle. But, up to this point, it looks like another Bengals hot-air balloon, inflating itself to dangerous proportions.

Mojokong—suddenly in the mood for a salad.

Cincinatti Bengals Preseason Week Two Preview: To Get You Through the Day

Week two of the NFL preseason tells a lot about a football fan.

 

If you’re one to know that a game is scheduled and that it may or may not be on TV and that if it is on, you might check it out, then you’re a normal fan with more important things to do. Good for you.

 

If you’re a person that was aware that the preseason had started but you don’t know how far along it is, you’re a bandwagon fan who gives up on the season with a 4-4 record and no one but team owners really needs you hanging around in the first place.

 

If you watch the game with a notebook while you DVR it to watch again later on and you curse meaningless third-stringers strictly out of habit, then you’re like me. Come on in.

 

While you’re here, let me point you to some potential areas of interest.

 

First is that of the running backs. Starter Cedric Benson has looked good, but fumbled last week against New Orleans. A nice hard-running, fumble-free game would make lots of Bengals fans feel better about things.

 

The backup spot is a battle between the stockier free-agent pick-up Brian Leonard, and the explosive rookie Bernard Scott.

 

While Leonard was ahead of Scott in the depth chart last week, the rookie has come on strong and could apply even more pressure with a solid showing against New England.

 

The shifty DeDe Dorsey needs to maximize the limited snaps he is likely to see as he seems on the outside of the running back derby at this point.

 

Also worth observing is the debut of rookie linebacker, Rey Maualuga, who sat out last week to rest a minor injury. Bengals fans have been itching to see the wild man hit someone, and reunite, side by side, with his old college teammate, Keith Rivers.

 

It will also give less stringent fans the chance to learn the differences between Maualuga and fellow big-haired defenseman, Domata Peko—no one will blame you for mistaking the two in the preseason. But by Week One, we all expect you to have it straightened out.

 

After Marvin Lewis publicly called out Chris Henry for dropping too many passes thus far, let’s all keep our eyes peeled to see if Slim can’t hang on to each pass he touches.

 

Marvin said that he kept Henry in the game longer than usual last week in order to work on his inconsistencies. More setbacks and dropped passes could make his remaining weeks of practice before the opener that much more gruesome.

 

Another one groveling in Marvin’s doghouse is current backup safety, Chinedum Ndukwe. Once a player battling veteran Roy Williams for a starting spot at strong safety, Ndukwe now needs to redeem himself in the coaches’ eyes in order to gain that sort of recognition again from the people in charge.

 

Franchise-tagged kicker Shayne Graham would ease the troubled minds of many if he could demonstrate some consistency after missing a chip-shot last week and also after reportedly having a shaky training camp.

 

Graham is getting a one-year contract of the average salary of the top-five highest-paid kickers in the league. It’s time he starts kicking like it.

 

The last thing to watch is how the second and third teams hold up against the Patriots’ backups.

 

After watching the Bengals fall victim to a plague of injuries last season, fans and coaches alike know the importance of team depth. Cincinnati has been knocked early for their scrapheap of backups, and they wilted in the second half in New Orleans.

 

While the majority of this kind of cannon fodder ultimately proves inconsequential, when a specific position is hit unusually hard, it’s these very grunts who can determine the difference between a wild-card birth and sulking at home for the winter.

 

Teams like the Patriots have proved that Super Bowl victories can still be obtained with backups acting as stop gaps for decimated positions. Receivers like Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell spring to mind as examples.

 

The repugnant dross the NFL passes off as preseason football will be even more magnified than usual with the absence of Carson Palmer and his mild high-ankle sprain—as opposed to the medium and hot flavors of high ankle sprains.

 

If you do tune in to watch, then these points should entertain you without needing to resort to preseason gambling or expensive liquor, or both.

 

Although that, I hear, can make for one hell of a preseason football party.

 

You’re only young once, you know?

 

Mojokong—to that Old Janks Spirit, for once and for all.

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