Carson Palmer’s Passing Precision Perfectly Fine

The popular consensus this week is that Bengals QB Carson Palmer has dropped a peg on the quarterback hierarchy.

“He was beyond awful in Sunday’s Jets game.”

“He is throwing the ball away consistently on blitzes.”

“He doesn’t look like the same quarterback that he was in ’05.”

Well nobody can argue with the first two statements. He hasn’t been very good at handling pressure and he has had some questionable interceptions. It’s no secret, Palmer’s numbers haven’t been up to par in the second half. For the year he completed 282 of 466 passes (60.5 percent) for 3,094 yards with 21 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.

But the third statement is false, Palmer is just fine. After the Week 10 win over the Steelers, the Bengals sat at 7-2 with a 5-0 AFC North record. Coach Marvin Lewis decided that it was time to play keep away. The entire game plan revolved around the running game, bend-but-don’t-break defense, and controlling the time of possession battle. The passing game was very vanilla.

In the first half of the season the passing game was much more a part of the offensive philosophy. Palmer successfully led game-winning fourth quarter drives against every single divisional opponent (Browns, Steelers, and Ravens) and that is not counting the game-winning drive with seconds remaining against Denver that was wiped out by the immaculate deflection. Anytime the Bengals are in a game at the end, Palmer has delivered.

He led a game-tying drive against the Chargers that went for naught due to a poor prevent defense. He lead the division-clinching drive against the Chiefs two weeks ago. Put the ball in his hands at the end of a game and good things happen.

Each of those drives showed me that Palmer still has it. He comes up big when his team needs him most and doesn’t buckle under the pressure. Is it his fault that the offensive line has way to many false start penalties? Is it his fault that the pass protection has slowly but surely deteriorated?

Or how about his lack of receivers?

Jets CB Darrelle Revis was selected as a starting corner for the AFC in the Pro Bowl, and deservedly so. No receiver has more than 35 yards against him this season.

WR Chad Ochocinco is getting put on Reevis Island and somebody needs to give Palmer a reliable target…Laveranues Coles is a solid veteran that needs to show up, especially against his old team. He hasn’t been on the same page with Palmer this year but his numbers aren’t awful (514 yards, five TDs.)

WR Andre Caldwell has really lost his confidence since that game-changing fumble against Oakland. He has made some huge plays this season but none of late. He needs to create that separation on those slants that he seemingly loves to run. WR Chris Henry’s deep threat is missed greatly.

TE J.P. Foschi is not much of a receiving threat at tight end. He doesn’t have great hands and can’t make a guy miss in the open field.

Palmer isn’t working with a bunch of All Pro’s. Drops, missed blocks and penalties can’t be blamed on the QB. He is still accurate and more than capable of leading a team deep into the playoffs. Now the playbook will be opened up to trick plays and others that have been waiting on deck until the playoffs.

He has gotten this team into the playoffs and he knows the rarity of that. This is the third postseason appearance in the last 19 years for the Bengals. How bad do you think a seven-year veteran wants to win his first playoff game?

Saturday will come down to quarterback play and give me Carson Palmer over his former ball boy Mark Sanchez.

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Bengals Upend Chiefs, Cruise To AFC North Title

In a game that was closer than it should have been, the Cinncinati Bengals (10-5) finally clinched the AFC North title on their third try Sunday, with a 17-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs (3-12).

The Bengals were literally running on fumes by the time they took the field, after a tough loss in San Diego last week, they had a late flight home, then flew to New Orleans on Tuesday to attend Chris Henry’s funeral. The receiver died from injuries suffered during what police describe as a domestic dispute in North Carolina last week.

They had just enough left in the tank.  For only the second time since 1990, the Cincinnati Bengals will make it to the playoffs.

Cedric Benson had 133 yards on 29 carries as the Bengals pounded the Chiefs on the ground. He had a few long runs including a 32-yarder that jump-started the offense in the third quarter.

In an exciting subplot that didn’t pan out, ex-Chief Larry Johnson only had four carries for 11 yards.

The first half was uneventful, with both teams deadlocked 3-3, offensively stunted.  The Bengals, clearly distracted after just recently burying one of their teammates, were booed off the field after committing a plethora of mistakes and penalties. 

Cincinnati had 53 total yards of first-half offense, and Carson Palmer struggled mightily, going four-of-nine for just 19 yards and pick, and getting sacked once (for a nine yard loss).   Their offensive game plan was nothing but runs up the gut and short screens and slants.

The 10 total yards of net passing in the half was the worst by a Bengal since the legendary Jeff Blake against the Houston Oilers in 1996.

The Bengals received a late Christmas gift towards the end of the second quarter when the Chiefs long snapper Thomas Gafford sent one over the head of the punter, allowing the Bengals to set up inside the 10 yard line.  Yet the Bengals couldn’t capitalize, settling for a Shayne Graham 29-yarder with just under two minutes to play.

At the half, the scrappy Chiefs had outplayed the Bengals, and the crowd began buzzing, thinking about the “Bungels” of old; wondering if it was possible that their home team could falter for the third straight week and possibly not clinch a playoff spot. (Little did anyone know at the time that Cincinnati also would have won the AFC North even if they’d lost, thanks to the fact that the Ravens fell against the Steelers later that day).

The offense finally got the wheels in motion at the start of the third quarter on a drive that took 5:50 off the clock, and culminated in a Laveranues Coles 10-yard TD.

But the Chiefs battled back and were able to tie the game at 10-10 early in the fourth.

Later in the fourth, starting at their own two-yard line, the Bengals drove down the field to take the lead on a six-yard touchdown pass to Chad Ochocinco with 2:03 left on the clock. Ochocinco made a beautiful diving catch and then raised one finger on one hand and five on the other, a tribute to Henry’s jersey number 15. 

The entire Bengals team wore No. 15 decals on their helmets in his memory.

The Bengals’ 14-play drive went 98 yards with seven first downs and took 7:18 off the clock. It was their longest drive of the season, and they completed all three of their third down attempts.

The Bengals D would hold the Chiefs in check over the final two minutes, and with the win they were able to crown themselves division champs for the first time since 2005.

But the question marks surrounding the squad were not answered.

Another bad team another week of playing down to the level of competition. I’m assuming that offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski didn’t want to bust out much of the playbook against a clearly inferior opponent, but the “Cardiac Cats” cut it too close. There was a real possibility of them losing the game and the vanilla game plan didn’t help.

But once again the Bengals offense was able to get a score when they absolutely had to. Credit Palmer for not getting frustrated, and credit the line that blocked wonderfully on the game winning drive.

False start penalties continue to be a concern. Chronic guilty parties LT Andrew Whitworth and RT Dennis Roland both had flags tossed their way.  At this point in the season it seems that this is an issue that can’t be fixed and will have to be taken into account for the rest of the year.

A key injury will set the Bengals back even more defensively. Rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga broke his ankle and is likely done for the year. He will be sitting next to Antawn Odom, Roy Williams, and Reggie Kelly on injured reserve.

The Bengals’ tenth victory of the season allowed coach Marvin Lewis to pass team founder Paul Brown for second place on the team’s all-time wins list, with 56.

The Bengals played an ugly game, but they got the win and that’s what counts in the end. Next week they travel to New York to play the playoff hungry Jets (8-7) in the final game at the Meadowlands. It will be the first prime time game of the season for the Bengals, who can still get the three seed in the AFC with a win and a Patriots loss to the Texans next week.

The Bengals know that the only thing people will remember is how they perform in the playoffs.

“The AFC North hat is just a hat,” Palmer said.  “The AFC Championship hat is one you want, but the Super Bowl hat is what we are working for. The title is one of the many goals we set out to achieve. We are not going to pound our chest over this. We don’t feel like we have conquered the world. We still have a lot of work to do.”

The 2009 Bengals didn’t dump Gatorade on coach Lewis after the game. They know that the bigger task at hand has only begun.

 

 

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Cincinnati Bengals Emotional Comeback Denied By San Diego Chargers

The set up was perfect.

The Cincinnati Bengals had been trailing all game long against the San Diego Chargers in a sunny Qualcomm. They looked deflated after the horrific tragedy that occurred Wednesday.

But with Chris Henry on the minds of everyone in stripes, the comeback began.

It all started with a outstanding bobbled one-handed interception by linebacker Keith Rivers with the Chargers up 24-13 and chalk full of confidence.

Carson Palmer found Laveranues Coles in the end zone a few plays later. After a courageous two-point conversion run by Palmer, the score stood at 24-21.

After punts by both teams the Bengals were backed up to their own three yard line with around six minutes to go. Palmer methodically drove the team down field with slants up the middle to JP Foschi and Andre Caldwell.

Quan Cosby, the punt returner, who made the first catch of his career earlier in the game, caught a huge third down bullet from Palmer.

Sitting at the 30-yard line of San Diego, it began to feel like one of those “cardiac cat” drives that the Bengals did on a weekly basis early in the season. The clock was under two minutes and the Bengals were making all the right plays.

But then a hard hit by safety Eric Weddle on Andre Caldwell knocked the ball back 20 yards and was recovered by a diving Palmer back at the 45 yard line.

The Bengals were able to get back in field goal range but couldn’t pick up the 36 yards needed for a first down. Shayne Graham drilled a game tying 34 yard field goal with 54 seconds left and overtime looked eminent.

But the Bengals prevent D prevented that from happening.

Phillip Rivers was able to get his team in field goal range with no timeouts and Nate Kaeding easily booted a 52-yarder with three seconds to go.

27-24, game over.

A few things must be remembered about this devastating loss:

Carson Palmer showed the doubters that he is perfectly fine going 27 of 40 for 314, with two TD’s and one INT. He showed how much he wanted to win the game with the run for the two-point conversion, the dive to save the Caldwell fumble, and the terrific block he executed on a Ocho Cinco reverse. He lead his team by example and his teammates needed to take note.

Chad’s performance was typical for him (three receptions for 79 yards and a TD), but the emotions he battled through and the focus he showed must be applauded. He was wearing a heavy heart and came through with an inspired performance. The 49-yard bomb for a TD was a thing of beauty and a refreshing sight for fans.

Keith Rivers had his best game as a Bengal. He only had three tackles, but one was for a loss and he had a INT, sack, pass deflection, and a QB hit. He played well in coverage and took away the gaps in run coverage.

Rey Maualuga, on the other hand, had one of his worst games. He over ran the QB and running back numerous times, he was shaky in pass coverage and missed a few tackles. He certainly played like a rookie.

While cornerback Leon Hall has been outstanding this year, he got lit up by the Chargers Vincent Jackson. Hall was beat on two long TD throws to Jackson and played too far off him in coverage.

Cedric Benson didn’t look very good (53 yards on 15 carries), but Larry Johnson (35 yards on four carries) looked explosive. Marvin Lewis needed to give LJ more touches as the game went along.

Penalties once again were a problem. The in-excusable sequence of three penalties and a timeout without even snapping the ball is insane for a NFL team. Nine penalties for 55 yards is not going to get it done against a team like the Chargers. They must clean-up the false starts and delay of game penalties or the Bengals are going no where.

Next up is a sorry Chiefs team that has nothing to play for. A win and the Bengals are in the play-offs. The chance of a two seed is history but the performance on Sunday leaves hope for the rest of this season.

A Bengals team that can have a key players return injury (Domato Peko, Chris Crocker, Bernard Scott) could certainly beat San Diego the second time around. This team has a lot of fight left in the tank and I think the best is yet to come.

The Bengals still haven’t peaked in ’09, but Sunday was a step in that direction.

 

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Help Wanted: Cincinati Bengals Need Safety, Pronto

The Bengals came up well short of the measuring stick against the Minnesota Vikings.

And that’s not even the worst news.

One of the worst facets of the Minnesota debacle (aside from the 11 penalties and completely invisible passing game of 20 plus yards) was Chris Crocker’s re-aggravated ankle injury.

Crocker had been bothered by a bum ankle for a few weeks, but re-injured it during the 30-10 loss. He has been a key cog in the secondary in both the run and pass, and provided vocal support in the locker room.

Roy Williams has been on IR for almost two months and Chinedum Ndukwe has filled in just fine, collecting 67 tackles. He hasn’t been beat with the deep ball and is a reliable one-on-one tackler, but his man coverage leaves something to be desired.

According to ESPN’s James Walker, Crocker is expected to miss the next two to three weeks with the ankle injury.

Backup safety Tom Nelson filled in against Minnesota and is expected to start until Crocker returns. He was a star on HBO’s Hard Knocks this summer as one of the last guys to find out he made the squad. The undrafted free agent made a huge splash in training camp and survived being knifed. But he has only been active for six games this year and has seemed a step slow in coverage.

That’s it.

Kyries Hebert is listed at safety but the special teams captain is injured as well. That’s it. Cornerback Rico Murray was promoted off the practice squad to the 53-man roster before last week. Expect the inexperienced non-drafted rookie from Kent St. to be tested by QB Phillip Rivers and Co. as soon as he comes in. 

The secondary concerns are being over shadowed by the penalties and stale passing ouchfense.

The fact that seven of Cincinnati’s 11 penalties were mental errors screams a lack of focus. Yes, the Meterodome is loud, but baiting on Favre’s hard counts multiple times is inexcusable. The Bengals need to wake-up from the sleep-walking mode they have fallen into since beating the Steelers last month. The O-Line and Chad need to fix this false start issue quick if they want to actually strike some momentum.

Carson Palmer looks hurt; or at least that’s what the speculation was. In reality it seems as if Palmer has simply not been as accurate lately. Every other player on offense has been blamed for the deficiencies, but it is time to point right at the franchise. Palmer needs to do some big-time soul searching this week. The Bengals need him to be the guy he was earlier in the year.

Aside from all the sky-is-falling sentiment, this is not the time to panic.

In the grand scheme of things, a win at San Diego puts the Bengals back in the drivers seat for the No. 2 seed and that all-important bye in the AFC. The Bengals got a huge reality check and will come in with lots to prove against the Chargers.

Palmer will air it out and the Bengals will kick themselves for taking the ball out of No. 9’s hands in previous games.

The Chargers are rolling and the Bengals are reeling. The Chargers will more than likely abuse the Bengals secondary with slants to TE Antonie Gates. But the Bengals can stop L.T and contain WE Vincent Jackson.

Can the Bengals complete a deep pass and can they cover a deep pass? Check back Sunday for that answer.

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DeSean Jackson Jets Up Pro Bowl Ballot

Faster than the speed of a screaming Tom Coughlin.

DeSean Jackson is officially one of the best receivers in the league, after his performance against the New York Giants on Sunday night.

He caught six passes for 178 receiving yards and a touchdown, to go along with a punt return TD to boot.

Jackson scored on a 72-yard punt return and a 60-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, sparking the Philadelphia Eagles to their most points this season in a 45-38 shootout victory over the New York Giants on Sunday night.

Jackson missed last week with a concussion, but was in Pro Bowl-form in boosting Philadelphia (9-4) into the NFC East lead.

Jackson has eight touchdowns of 50-plus yards this year, tying the NFL mark.

The step-back move that set up the punt return was a thing of beauty.

The five or so defenders running full force towards him were all faked out and left in Jackson’s dust, as he bolted right down the sideline 72 yards. 

“I told them to get the ball in my hands,” Jackson said. “I think of myself as a go-to receiver. I want the ball there. I knew there were things we could do when they had me in single coverage.”

He is the most explosive receiver in the NFC East and maybe even the entire conference.

He possesses the lateral quickness to turn the corner, and has the blinding-fast foot speed to glide right by with reliable hands that don’t turn the ball over.

Sounds like everything you would want in a receiver or return man.

“There’s nothing he can’t do on a football field,” said Michael Vick, who at one time received the same complaint. “He’s going to be a great one. I’ve never been around anyone like him.”

With the Eagles’ former most explosive player’s (RB Brian Westbrook) season in doubt, Jackson has been able to keep the pressure off backups Leonard Weaver and LeSean McCoy, who combined for a pedestrian 61 yards against the beat-up Giants D.

Jackson is a Pro Bowl lock. Even having missed a game, he has 947 yards and 10 total TD’s (seven receiving, two punt returns, and a rushing TD).

Sidney Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, Miles Austin, and Steve Smith (NYG) all have more receiving yards than Jackson in the NFC.

Only Fitzgerald and Austin have more TDs, while Jackson is the only one in the group to return punts.

Jackson is approaching a Devin-Hester-in-’07-like level.

Defenses are terrified of getting beat by him deep, yet it continues to happen.

Why did the Giants not double-team Jackson at any point?

The explosive play ability of Jackson and the Eagles will keep this team afloat well into January.

In only his second year, Jackson (who needs a nickname ASAP) has a chance to be one of the top receivers for the next five to 10 years.

“He loves to play the game,” Eagles’ coach Andy Reid, who can’t help chest-bumping Jackson after a TD, said. “He wants the ball, and I love giving it to him.”

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The Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Has Some Explaining to Do

The hilarity of the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers continues.

One would think that losing to the Browns 13-6 was enough of an embarrassment. At 6-7, the Steelers are all but eliminated from playoff contention. After the game one Steeler fan took it out on the elderly.

This wasn’t just any fan, it was 2008 defensive player of the year James Harrison’s mom .

Sports Illustrated reports that Akron police say 62-year-old Mildred Harrison was one of three people cited after a fight at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post Thursday.

What an embarrassing story for the whole Harrison family. There will be fun questions to ask him like:

“So what is your mom’s next move…UFC, MMA, or wrestlemania?”

“Will the opponent be a Golden Girl or Joan Rivers?”

“What kind of beer does a 61-year-old women drink?”

“Is that where you get your big hit ability James?”

This is yet another example of how this isn’t the Steelers year.

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Cincinnati Bengals Stale Pass Offense Still Sputtering

Another day another win full of question marks for the Cincinnati Bengals after Sunday’s 23-13 victory over the Detroit Lions. Of course it’s incredible that the Bengals control the AFC North at 9-3, only a year after finishing 4-11-1.
 
Cedric Benson picked up where he left off after a two game hiatus to gain 110 yards on 36 carries. The run blocking continues to impress and Benson looked fresh (although 36 carries is too much when you have a healthy Larry Johnson).
 
The problem is that the previously standards have been set for this team. The bar has been raised a few feet and now the new expectations are not being met.
 
This has nothing to do with the defense that has given up the fewest points in the league at 187.
 
The job that defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has done will likely earn him a head coaching gig next year. Middle linebacker Dhani Jones is the definition of a leader, both on and off the field. And the starting corners Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall both deserve Pro Bowl consideration.
 
Kudos to the entire D. BUT, let’s talk about the offense. Throw out the Jonathan Fanene defensive TD, and the Bengals offense scored 16 points on the leagues worst secondary. This is a week after dropping 16 on the punch-less Browns.
 
Is it the QB’s fault?
 
For the first time since 2004 Carson Palmer is looking quite average. He finished 17-of-29 for 220 yards with one TD and two INT’s plus a lost fumble. Although both INT’s looked to be Laveranues Coles’ fault, Palmer was not very accurate. He missed a couple of throws down the field and at times got “happy feet” in the pocket.
 
Maybe it’s due to the multiple injuries he has suffered over the years, but Palmer does not hang in the pocket and trust his lineman the same way Tom Brady or Brett Favre does. He is tucking the ball away and running more than ever.
 
The issues with any receiver without a Hispanic last name are becoming more apparent as well. As stated above, Coles was either not breaking correctly out of his routes or Palmer miss read the defense on multiple plays.
 
Caldwell, the supposed third receiver, didn’t have a single catch. A closer look reveals that he simply wasn’t open. If he can’t create separation against the Lions 31st rank pass coverage then there is a problem.
 
The lack of a deep threat continues to plague this team. Without Chris Henry, the deep ball isn’t even an option any more. And the second round pick of last year, Jerome Simpson, is unable to get on the field. He was drafted for his explosive play ability and superior speed. He has been a complete bust so far, especially considering the outstanding play of this years second round pick—linebacker Rey Malaluga.

Simpson has one catch for two yards in his career.

Having said that, Chad OchoCinco is looking just fine (except for the false start that has become routine). Nine catches for 137 and a TD is another day at the office for “the interesting one.”  The best play of the game was a 36-yard beauty that Palmer led right into the hands of Chad for the lone offensive TD. It was a reminder of what could be done in this offense.
 
But Chad can’t do it alone. The tight end position continues to be a major weakness. Ben “stone hand” Coats dropped yet another TD. J.P. Foschi wasn’t much better; he only had a 16-yard grab with a holding penalty to boot. As the season rolls along it has become clear that the tight end spot is the weakest on the team.
 
Meanwhile fourth round pick Chase Coffman, out of Missouri, rots away on the practice squad. He had all the opportunity to make a difference, but it seems he is simply not NFL ready yet. Consider this a red shirt season for Coffman.
 
Penalties are not helping either. Nine more for 75 is not going to cut it against better teams. The offensive line has been called for way to many false starts and holding penalties. Andrew Whitworth seemingly has at least one of each per game. Dennis Roland has been guilty of similar crimes in recent weeks.
 
As the season rolls along the cliché “we are who we are” begins to ring true. The 2009 Bengals are a team built off defense and running the ball. The offense isn’t going to light up the scoreboard. Yards are gained in chunks, not gobs. The big play, quick strike ability doesn’t exist in Cincinnati this year.
 
It’s about ball control, time of possession, and sound special teams coverage. Will this formula work outside of the AFC North? A date at the Metrodome with the Vikings is on tap, followed by a trip to sunny San Diego to decide who get the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
 
The Bengals have played to the level of competition all year long, will this trend continue?

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Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals Need to Air It Out Sooner or Later

OK, we get it, Marvin: the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals want to establish the running game.

You have proven to the entire league that the four-headed monster that is Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott, Larry Johnson, and Brian Leonard can run, jump, juke and spin around opponents.
 
Fans are beginning to wonder if QB Carson Palmer is even the key to success anymore.
 
While the pass happy magical-turned-nightmarish 2005 is a distant memory, the key to winning is the same. Palmer was a Pro Bowler that year, had a fantasy player’s dream of a stat line.

Now he is tucking the ball and running at a career-best rate. Everybody is getting in on the running game it seems.
 
Palmer hasn’t thrown for over 300 yards going back to the 2007 season. He threw for 110 yards against the freakin’ Browns last week. What is the deal with Palmer, has he lost his skills?
 
Not quite…
 
Palmer is one of the top seven or eight QBs in the NFL. He is forgotten by the national media because of the flashy, yet overrated young guns like Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, and Tony Romo.
 
This season he hasn’t been asked to carry the team until the end of games. When he does throw, it has been screens, slants, and curls. Long bombs have been harder to find than a believable Tiger Woods excuse.
 
This has nothing to do with Palmer’s arm strength or accuracy. It’s the lack of a deep threat (Chris Henry on IR hurts bad) as well as the overall offensive philosophy that has changed.
 
Why not have Palmer sit back in the pocket that extra two-to-three seconds and wait for the deep ball?

The Bengals are well aware that No. 9 going down also means the team goes down. He is the one guy that can’t get hurt. They already had two scares this season with his health.
 
In a “here we go again” moment, Palmer sprained his ankle in the first game of the preseason and didn’t play again till Week One after missing 12 games last year. In October, Palmer sprained his non-throwing hand, having to wear a protective glove and hand-off with his throwing hand ever since.
 
So, naturally, Bengal fans are concerned for his health. But concerned with the 29-year old’s ability? No way.
 
Remember earlier in the season when the Bengals earned the nickname “the Cardiac Cats”? They made a habit of demoralizing the opponent with a last second scoring drive.
 
Palmer drove the length of the field to beat the Broncos with 17 seconds left (until the immaculate deflection).

He conducted a clock devouring six-minute drive that culminated in a TD and a win with 20 seconds to go against Pittsburgh. He had a 15-yard scamper setting up a field goal on a fourth down in overtime against the Browns that prevented a tie, and he marched down the field against Baltimore in the final minute as well.
 
Coach Marvin Lewis understands this. He knows what Palmer is capable of. That’s why he is protecting him so much. But as the NFL schedule hits Week 13, it’s time to go deep.
 
Enter the Detroit Lions.
 
The Lions will visit Paul Brown this Sunday sporting the 31st-ranked passing defense. They rarely pressure the QB and have an extremely mediocre secondary.
 
This is the game where Palmer can dial up some bombs to Chad or some deep slants to Coles. They need to put up 21 by halftime, to show the Lions (and more importantly the rest of the NFL) that they are more than a running team. Open up the floodgates early to quiet the offensive doubters.
 
Aside from the 45-point Bears explosion, the offense has put up a measly 17, 18, 17, and 16 points. But they won three out of four.

Sunday needs to be the day to take advantage of the matchups and make a statement, not to mention the importance of keeping the one and only Chad Ochocinco interested. You know deep down he is fuming over the pedestrian numbers being put up. The last thing the Bengals need is a late season Chad concern.
 
I have a feeling this won’t be the case since coach Lewis brought in his new toy, Larry Johnson.

He is saving the majority of the playbook for the Vikings and Chargers in back-to-back road games following Sunday. Lewis understands the significance of those two games, and the insignificance of the Lions game.
 
Be prepared to complain about the offense for another week Bengals fans. But when they travel to the Metrodome to play the Vikings, I’ll expect the offense to finally have the training wheels taken off.

Maybe a basic game plan can still yield 28 against the Lions, or it will be another 16-7 yawner.

 

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Bengals-Browns: Cincinnati Runs Over Hapless Browns

The Cincinnati Bengals played the ball control game as they ran the rock down the Cleveland Browns’ throats in a 16-7 workman-like victory.

The Bengals held the ball for just over 38 minutes as they rushed for 210 yards on the ground.
 
The Browns were simply unable to stop the Bengals two-headed rushing attack of Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott. With Cedric Benson out for the second-straight game with a hip injury, the team continued to impose its will in the running game. Johnson had 22 carries for 107 yards; Scott had 87 yards on 18 carries.
 
The stellar play of the Benglas defense continued Sunday. An overmatched Brady Quinn looked awful, going 15/34 for 100 yards. That’s a 51.3 QB rating.

He threw behind several receivers. His passes too often were at the shoelaces. A couple of times, he threw downfield between two receivers—but the pass was so bad, that it was hard to know who the intended receiver was.
 
Quinn wasn’t even pressured much by the Bengals front four, but the pass coverage was once again top-notch. The linebackers were all over the field, especially Brandon Johnson, who had eight tackles. The Browns finished with only 58 yards on the ground and 169 total.
 
Overall, the Bengals’ game plan was incredibly vanilla.  They had zero trick plays and lots of runs between the tackles. No reason to empty the play book in a game like this.
 
“There are no tosses or loop-di-loop plays. It’s basically, `Line up and go after it,’ ” Johnson said.
 
Punter Kevin Huber was able to keep the ball out of Josh Cribbs’ hands on punt returns. Cribbs barely touched the ball at all. Although he did throw an 18-yard bomb to Quinn, that was the second biggest offensive play all day for the Browns.
 
The Browns defense knew what was coming but simply couldn’t do anything about it.

Carson Palmer had a pedestrian 110 yards, completing 13 of 24 passes with a touchdown. He didn’t have an exceptionally accurate day. He has gone 15-straight games without having a 300-yard passing day. He only has two TD tosses in the past four games.
 
Palmer has really adapted to the “game manager” role in this offense. He doesn’t have to do it all for the Bengals to have a chance. He continues to take care of the ball and be the leader on offense.
 
“It felt like a bad-weather game,” said Palmer. “It was just a physical, run the ball, control the field position and feed off the defense game.”
 
Past concerns did arise during the game. The team is averaging around 18 points a game minus the 45-point explosion against the Bears. The offense is settling for field goals and getting killed by penalties. An infuriating 10 penalties for 75 yards continually killed momentum on drives.
 
The main culprits were the offensive line—too many holding penalties. The pass protection was below average as well. As great as the run blocking was, the pass blocking was pretty awful. Palmer was sacked three times and hurried throughout the game.
 
Chad Ochocinco (three receptions for 38 yards) is still playing at a high level, but if teams take him away, Palmer is struggling find other receivers. It’s partly because they are not getting open, and also because he is getting hit before he can get to that second or third read.
 
So what does it all mean?

Well 8-3 is 8-3. A perfect 6-0 divisional sweep for the first time in franchise history is a tremendous achievement. But there are still things that need to be cleaned up.
 
CBS Sports analyst Boomer Esiason said it perfectly after the game. Maybe it’s a good thing that the Bengals haven’t hit on all cylinders yet. They are doing what needs to be done in order to win the game.

Maybe they’re saving the best for December and January.
 
“If we can run the football and play good defense, I can drive into the stadium pretty confident most days, and that’s a good feeling,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “I think we are at that point.”

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Child Please: Chad OchoCinco Fined $20,000 For “Bribe”

The No Fun League strikes again.

On Friday, Cincinnati Bengals wide-out Chad Ochocinco was fined $20,000 for flashing a dollar bill at an official during a replay review in the third quarter of last Sunday’s 17-7 win against the Baltimore Ravens.

He had what appeared to be a first down catch over two Raven defenders before Baltimore threw the challenge flag. The play was overturned and the Bengals were forced to punt.

What urked the league office was his use of the word “bribe” during postgame remarks. 

Ray Anderson imposed the fine on Ochocinco for violating Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (b), of the Playing Rules which prohibits use of abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures toward game officials.

He was also in violation of Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (f) of the Playing Rules which prohibits possession or use of extraneous objects that are not part of the uniform during the game on the field or sideline.

In a letter to Ochocinco, Anderson said, “The very appearance of impropriety is not acceptable. Your conduct was unprofessional and unbecoming of an NFL Player.”

Earlier this season Ochocinco was fined $7,500 and $10,000 for chinstrap violations. Ochocinco is now up to $37,500 for the season in fines.

This is yet another example of the NFL thinking they are an “image conscious” league.

They fine players for the most ticky-tacky actions.

Meanwhile, the NFL off-season is plagued by off the field incidents that can include DUI’s, drug usage, manslaughter, possession of unregistered fire arms, dog fighting, and even murder.

That’s OK as long as it’s not on a Sunday in the fall.

The NFL under Roger Goodell  is a joke and something needs to be done, but at the same time, $20,000 is nothing for the “Mexican footballer” Estaban Ocho Cinco aka Chad Johnson.

But seriously, $20 G’s for what was clearly a gag? Does the league office really think he is serious? Do they think the refs can be swayed by a George Washington? How much do the refs get paid? The NFL perplexes me.

Today, and for the past couple of years, the NFL gets a big “Child Please” from this writer.

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