Bengals D Show Flacco, Ravens How To Be Top Notch

How long does it take to earn respect? Even after jumping to a 5-2 start, the Cincinnati Bengals were still not viewed as serious contenders.
 
Virtually all of the “experts” predicted the Baltimore Ravens defense would avenge the 17-14 loss of a month ago. Boy were they wrong on a gorgeous November afternoon. It turned out to be the Bengals’ defense that set the tone on a sunny side up 17-7 victory in front of a sold-out Paul Brown Stadium.
 
The Ravens were stymied by the excellent pass coverage of the Bengals secondary. The Ravens were a pawltry 1-10 on third down conversions in the game while the Bengals converted 8-18.  The one conversion for Baltimore came with 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
 
The Bengals DB’s are quietly becoming one of the top tandems in the league. Leon Hall had an INT, three tackles and two pass deflections while Jonathan Joseph also had an INT to go along with four tackles and five pass deflections. In the two-game sweep the duo essential shut down the Ravens’ receivers.
 
Ravens QB Joe Flacco and WR Derrick Mason connected on just three of 13 targets Sunday, and Flacco connected on just five of 18 receiver passes. Baltimore receivers in the two games against Cincy were thrown to 27 times and made just nine catches. A mind boggling stat that speaks volumes of the terrific coverage. For the game Flacco was 18/32 for 195 yards and two interceptions.
 
The Bengals offense came out firing much like in their last game against the Chicago Bears. After a hot start, QB Carson Palmer “cooled off” to finish 20/33 for 224 yards and one TD.
 
His favorite target on this day was WR Laveranues Coles who caught six balls for 74 yards. Coles finally looked like the player the Bengals signed for $27.5 million. He broke multiple SS Ed Reed tackles (tough task) and converted a couple stick-moving third downs.
 
It was another typical ’09 Palmer performance that featured slants, curls and a few more scrambles. The one deep ball thrown to Chad was forced into double coverage and broken up. Palmer’s newfound scrambling ability bought him and his receivers more time and now defenses have to stay at home on coverage down the field. It does seem that the days of long bombs are over for the Bengals.
 
After a 73-yard opening drive that culminated in a TD to WR Andre Caldwell, the Bengals drove 80 yards on their second series. Two pass interference penalties on the Ravens covering Chad Ochocinco—one of which converted a fourth down— led to a Cedric Benson one-yard touchdown.
 
Shayne Graham’s 23-yard field goal on Cincinnati’s third possession increased the Bengals’ lead to a 17-0. At halftime, the Ravens were out-gained in total yards 235-44. At one point the Bengals had 12 first downs and the Ravens had run 11 total plays. Mid way through the third quarter the Bengals had 19 first downs to the Ravens five.
 
Once again RB Cedric Benson ran for over 100 yards against a cocky Ravens defense. A few Ravens (mostly Ray Lewis) considered last month’s 120 yards a fluke. Well, after another 117 yards and TD, maybe Lewis and company will take him seriously next time.
 
He was aided by another stellar performance by the O-line. Benson enjoyed a few gaping holes in a first quarter where he gained 45 yards.  And for the first time all year…no false start penalties!
 
The multi-millionaire rookie RT Andre Smith could have played for the first time this season, but I think Marvin Lewis didn’t believe he was one of the best eight O-line players available. Not sure if that speaks to the terrific play of the line or the ridiculously slow progress of Smith. Either way it’s a luxury to have the overpriced BMW in the shop for as long as it needs to be.
 
Chad had a roller coaster ride of a game. He made several catches in double coverage while picking up first downs in the process. He made an unbelievable dive on a fade route that was a beauty to watch. He had 66 yards on five catches. BUT…
 
Once again he was stripped by Bengals killer Ed Reed and lost the fumble. It was a punishing drive that would have made the Ravens “kiss the baby.” Instead it gave the Ravens a little bit of life in the fourth quarter. He also had a second fumble that was nullified by an illegal contact penalty earlier in the game. Speaking of penalties…
 
The Ravens shot themselves in the foot time and time again. They had seven penalties for 80 yards on the day. The Bengals’ second TD drive was aided by multiple pass interference calls on the Ravens secondary. The Bengals knew what looks obvious to the rest of us now—the Ravens DB’s are unable to cover receivers one on one. This is a major issue for Baltimore and their alleged top-notch defense.
 
Hard Knocks hero RB Brian Leonard once again provided some huge third down plays. He converted three of ’em and came a foot short of another. He has been everything that RB DeDe Dorsey wasn’t, a tough, physical grinder that always knows where the first down marker is.
 
The injury bug chomped down on WR Chris Henry’s form-arm. Looks like he will be out for the year (terrible luck in a contract year). LB Keith Rivers also left the game with a calf injury, as did G Evan Mathis with an ankle injury. CB Fabian Washington of the Ravens also went out of the game on the same play Henry went down.
 
Bottom line for the Bengals: last year they lost to the Ravens 34-3 at Paul Brown while being swept in the process. This year it’s a 17-7 home win and a Bengals sweep. My oh my what a difference a year makes. With the win, Palmer improved to 8-3 in his career against the Ravens.
 
At 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the AFC North, the Bengals are forced to play yet another divisional game that could decide the final standings when they travel to Heinz field to battle the Steelers. I’m sure the talking heads will favor Pittsburgh, citing last year’s success. But clearly last year means nothing in the NFL and especially to the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals.

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NFL Fans Suffer from Bye Week Blues

Without a doubt the longest stretch in the NFL season for a fan is the bye week.

The six days leading up to it crawl by as you read stories of players resting and taking a few days off.

The headlines on ESPN hype up the big matchups of the week and break down the upcoming games with no mention of your team.

Hearing of vacation destinations for bye week players makes me more nervous then interested in the off week (maybe because I’m a Bengals fan…but still).

Once Sunday arrives, your whole routine is thrown off. Who wants to watch the pregame shows when the team you root for will not even be mentioned? The Lions and Rams will get more coverage for this one week.

Once the games start, an odd feeling of indifference strikes. Most Sundays are filled with hype and a large dose of emotion. On bye week you are relegated to rooting for fantasy players and teams playing divisional foes.

By the end of the day nothing has changed much in the grand scheme of things. Maybe you gained or lost a half-game.

Then the highlights begin to roll in. There is no opportunity to see what the “expert” analysts think of your team’s game. (One of the great feelings a fan has is when his or her team wins and you can watch the highlights and talking heads gush over them on ESPN, NBC, FOX, and CBS.)

No predictions about the upcoming games or updates on injuries. Nothing at all when it’s bye week.

After it’s all said and done, the bye is still not over. Now the team is subjected to minimal mention at the beginning of the week because they haven’t played in a while. Rarely does a big story occur during a bye.

Dan Snyder and the Redskins had the perfect bye week because it allowed people to forget about their awful season for a week. The media pressure went down a notch (from boiling to simmering).

But for a team like the Cincinnati Bengals, the bye was ill-timed. Off a 45-10 pasting of the Chicago Bears, the momentum was strong for QB Carson Palmer and the offense. The team was relatively healthy and seemed extremely focused. Taking a week off doesn’t do anything for this team.

Odd stat of the day: Marvin Lewis is 1-4-1 with the Bengals after a bye. Not sure how to interpret that one. Do the players get too much time off? Does Lewis fail to keep the squad focused on the task at hand? Or is the stat a complete coincidence? I wish I had the answer.

So while byes can be quite beneficial for teams that are banged-up or trying to release some of the steam from the pressure cooker, it doesn’t always help every team—and it makes fans suffer through two painfully long weeks.

Sunday can’t come soon enough.

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Where Has Parity Gone In Sports??

As the NBA opens the book on the 2009-2010 season one thing is certain: the great teams are going to absolutely dominant while the bad teams might have historic loss totals. This trend extends beyond the NBA and into the NFL and MLB as well.

The Lakers are the team to beat for now.  They have the potential for a 60-win team with stars like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Ron Artest.

The San Antonio Spurs have reloaded with the additions of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess to go along with the big three.

Superstar Carmello Anthony and his Denver Nuggets will be a contender after last year’s Conference Finals appearance.

Maybe Chris Paul pulls a miracle with the New Orleans Hornets or this is the year Greg Oden and the Blazers put it all together.

The Eastern conference will be decided by the Celtics, Cavs, and Magic.  All three will get 50-60 wins.

Shaq, Vince Carter, and Rasheed Wallace will all be counted on to play second or third fiddle (or fifth in Wallace’s case) to young guns and veteran all-stars. All three teams are head and shoulders above the rest of the conference.

The rest of the NBA seems to have a worse shot than Darko from deep.

The Memphis Grizzles, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Oklahoma City Thunder all enter the new season with virtually no shot of winning anything more than a high draft pick (bad news Knicks fans considering you don’t have one).

Ok, maybe one of the above teams surprise and sneak into the play-offs. The reward will be a juggernaut one seed that wipes 82 games out of your memory in the span of one week. If you are counting at home, 10 teams go into the season with slim to none chances, a third of the entire league!

The same can be said about the NFL. The bottom feeders are historically bad. The Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers all stink. They stink like a soggy sock after you step in a puddle.

That’s nine of 30 teams that are incredibly awful. Vegas is currently in shambles because they can’t set a line high enough on these terrible teams. I used to be afraid of any line that was higher than two touchdowns. Now it is a lock every freaking week. And the good teams are covering with ease! Week 7 was considered by many Vegas experts as the worst in terms of lost money EVER.

Baseball is usually about the have’s and have not’s. Oh, the Yankees are in the World Series? Big surprise. With the exception of the Tampa Bay Rays last year, the MLB is as predictable as a FOX news anchor’s reaction to Obama’s new plan on marijuana. The list of small market teams with little to no chance is staggering.

So what happened? Why did we arrive at this point? Well like most other occurrences in 2009, blame the economy.

The sports landscape has shaded the country and its financial state. Teams like the Yankees, Lakers, and Patriots have enough money to weather the storm. They can still take risks without worrying about losing all their assets and fan support.

C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J Burnett for more than some entire team’s pay-rolls? Sure we have our own T.V. station.

But most teams don’t have this luxury. The Cincinnati Reds need a shortstop, left fielder, and a catcher. The GM Walt Jocketty was told that they might be cutting payroll for next season. They will be the guy at Wal-Mart sticking his head half way down the bargain bin looking for that hidden steal of a washed up cheap veteran.

The Yankees will buy that Ed Hardy $100 T-shirt because they saw a commercial that made the shirt look stylish.

Over half of professional sports teams can’t take any risks. They have to think conservative because a couple of wrong moves mean your team could land in L.A., Las Vegas, Canada or even England.

The Memphis Grizzles cut their entire scouting department this summer in order to save a few bucks. The Cleveland Indians within the past year and a half had both pitchers set to start Game One of the World Series (Sabathia and Cliff Lee). But due to financial constraints and free agency, they had to sell them for 60 cents on the dollar.

NFL teams are dealing with potential blackouts that prohibit the hometown fans from even viewing the product. The 5-2 Cincinnati Bengals need Chad OchoCinco and a grocery store to bail them out and buy a few thousand tickets at the 11^th hour for two separate home games. Not even winning is always the cure.

This years NBA season will be extremely predictable. The cream of the crop will dominate all season, and a team like the Kings will struggle to reach 10 wins in front of half empty arenas.

The NFL is facing a scenario where a few teams could end up either win-less or with a one in the victory column. This is coming after the Lions already had to suffer the all-time embarrassment of having to endure a win-less campaign last year.

MLB is featuring the defending champs versus the all-time franchise. Teams like the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, and Cleveland Indians enter each year knowing everything has to go right for them to have a chance at the postseason.

Something isn’t right. Let’s hope this is nothing but a phase, much like the economic downturn.

In 2009, the rich get richer and the poor go broke. The middle class has vanished. Fan emotions run off the feeling of hope with a “ya never know” mentality. It has become next to impossible to have any.

Without hope in sports—fans get apathetic—they mock the team that they have invested so much time and money into.

The Redskins were once a proud and historic franchise. Now they have billboards pleading the owner to step down. They aren’t even allowed to bring signs to games anymore. This can be compared to the filthy rich CEO that blows his money on unnecessary material things that ultimately makes him look like a selfish jerk.

Here’s to hoping that the term “apathetic” doesn’t become a household word in the sports world. Until then, enjoy the Nets and T’Wolves barn-burner Wednesday night, or the Rams vs. Lions Sunday showdown.

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NFL Week 6: Dust is Starting to Settle

This week’s slate features the undefeated Giants going to the undefeated Saints. Both teams are rolling and both QBs are playing at a Pro-Bowl level.

Speaking of which, I think Week Six is the time to start labeling players possible pro bowlers. The season is 30 percent finished and certain players are consistently putting together big games in a row now.

This is also the time to start labeling players busts for single-handedly killing fantasy teams across the country (LT, Matt Forte, and DeAngelo Williams.) On to the picks:

 

Kansas City at Washington – The Redskins have yet to play a team with a win this year and yet sit at 2-3. The Chiefs are fresh off a heart-breaking loss to the Cowboys and officially have an awful running back. Larry Johnson is averaging less than three yards a carry. That’s not going to get it done against DT Albert Haynesworth. Redskins 20-16

 

Houston at Cincinnati – The cardiac cats have brought hope to the ‘Nati. Carson Palmer is looking more and more like the Palmer of ’05 and potential pro bowler Cedric Benson has resurrected his career. The Bengal corners, Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall, have been outstanding in pass coverage. This is a possible let down spot for them, but the talent level is too wide Bengals 26-17

 

Cleveland at Pittsburgh – The Pitt D is hurting after the loss of DE Aaron Smith. They were allowing the Lions to move the ball at will before QB Daunte Culpepper self-destructed in the fourth quarter. The Browns can’t move the ball on anybody, so even an overrated ’09 Steelers D will look like the ’08 version. Steelers 27-6

 

St. Louis at Jacksonville  – Not a good game to watch by any stretch of the imagination. The Rams have been blown out in every game this year and have 13 straight losses going back to last season. Make it 14. Jags 27-13

 

Detroit at Green Bay – The Packers had two weeks to fume over the Vikings loss. The Lions are not horrible, but they’re not beating the Pack at Lambeau. The Packers are still struggling with the new 3-4 defense, but this will be the week A.J Hawk and company figure it out. Packers 30-17

 

New York at New Orleans – This Game-of-the-Week features two of the top QBs in the NFC. Drew Brees has had two weeks to study the Giants, and Eli Manning has a foot problem that will likely bother him for the rest of the year. This one comes down to which D can get the crucial fourth quarter stop. I’m taking the better rested team Saints 24-21

 

Baltimore at Minnesota – Intriguing matchup that will be extremely physical. Ray Lewis will be eager to redeem himself after last week’s costly penalty. If the Ravens can get to Brett Favre then the gunslinger version appears. The Vikings have yet to play a D the caliber of the Ravens and it will be interesting to see how the Vikes offense handles it. Baltimore 21-18

 

Philadelphia at Oakland – The Eagles offense looks like top-five material. They can put points on the board with the best of them. Against Oakland? Blowout city Eagles 35-10

 

Arizona at Seattle – With Matt Hasselbeck, the Seahawks are a legit NFC West contenders. Hasselbeck is extremely accurate and provides quality veteran leadership. Arizona is hit or miss on a week-to-week basis. With one of the only home-field advantages left in the NFL, I’m going with the home team. Seahawks 27-23

 

Buffalo at New York – The Jets are not for real after all. But then again, nobody ever thought the Bills were. Reminder: never fire your offense coordinator right before the season starts. Jets 26-12

 

Tennessee at New England – The Titans are cooked. Stick a fork in them, they might as well throw in QB Vince Young. Or is he so bad that the Titans have absolutely no confidence in the former first-round pick? The Pats are coming off a tough loss at Denver, and they never lose two in a row. Patriots 27-19

 

Chicago at Atlanta – Coming off the butt whipping of the 49ers, the Falcons’ confidence is riding high. QB Matt Ryan throws a beautiful deep ball and plays more like a 10-year vet than a second-year guy. The Bears had a bye last week and will be fresh. RB Matt Forte has yet to really have a break out game… until now. Bears 23-19

 

Denver at San Diego – A Broncos win puts them in the driver seat in the AFC West. A loss opens the door for the Chargers. Broncos QB Kyle Orton is overdue for a clunker and Chargers QB Phillip Rivers is due for a gutsy, grind out type of win. Rivers has to be aware of the Denver secondary duo of Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey. There may even be an LT sighting. Chargers 21-17

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NFL Week Two Picks: More Questions Then Answers

Week one answered a few questions but created even more. Week two will answer some, but will leave fans more confused then ever. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2009 NFL!

Carolina at Atlanta- Jake Delhomme is already on the hot seat and needs, at the very least, a turnover free performance. After having 11 in consecutive games, fans in Carolina are ready to put Delhomme on the chopping block. The good news is that Delhomme’s teammates still believe in him.
 
Left tackle Jordan Gross was the most avid, telling USA Today, “I love that guy. He was one of the main reasons I wanted to re-sign here. I love blocking for him and he’s our quarterback.”
 
Wasn’t a huge fan of Atlanta going into this year and I’m still not sold on Michael Turner having another great year.  CAROLINA 24-21
 
Minnesota at Detroit- Brett Favre will once again be able to play the game manager role. The Williams’ on the Vikings D-line will stuff the run and give Matthew Stafford nightmares. Adrian Peterson will more than likely win your fantasy round this week if you got ‘em. MINNESOTA 31-17
 
Cincinnati at Green Bay- If the Bengals can apply pressure to Rodgers, then this game will be a lot closer than most would think. If Carson Palmer can have some time in the pocket, then he will put up plenty of points, if the receivers can catch the ball (7 drops last week.) Too many if’s. GREEN BAY 20-17
 
Houston at Tennessee- The Texans were the biggest disappointment in week one. An angry Titans team is not the cure. If the Texans got blown out in it’s home opener, how will they score on the road against the airtight Titans D? I don’t think Matt Schaub has the answer, in fact, he just raises more questions on if he is a legit NFL QB.
TITANS 21-10
 
Oakland at Kansas City- Matt Cassel will be a game time decision, but this game comes down to the wire either way. It will be decided by a play on special teams or a dumb T.O. Who is more likely to commit a dumb turnover in the fourth quarter? JaMarcus Russell. KANSAS CITY 31-28
 
New England at New York- The Jets are talking lots of trash and the Patriots are sitting back smiling. Tom Brady looked a lot more comfortable in the second half and that’s a bad sign for the Jets. The Jets D looked great against the Texans, but it’s too early to tell if that means anything. A rookie QB in his second game, going against a Belichick D? NEW ENGLAND 20-17
 
New Orleans at Philadelphia- Drew Brees is currently the best QB in the league, and Donovan McNabb ribs won’t allow him to play. The Saints offensive weapons are endless and the Eagles can’t win a shoot out with Kevin Kolb under center. NEW ORLEANS 31-17
 
St. Louis at Washington- Jason Campbell needs a win to get the Washington media off his back. Good thing the only scoreless team from week one comes to town. Clinton Portis will get a hundred yards and two scores… maybe by halftime. WASHINGTON 28-10
 
Arizona at Jacksonville- Arizona plays better on the road, and Jacksonville is not exactly a home field advantage. The Cardinals were banged up last week and Anquan Boldin looks to be feeling closer to 100 percent. The quest for Tim Tebow inches a little closer for the Jags. ARIZONA 24-20
 
Tampa Bay at Buffalo- After the Monday night debacle against New England, Buffalo is desperate. Trent Edwards looked like an above average NFL QB and that is great news for a QB challenged team like the Bills. BUFFALO 23-13
 
Pittsburgh at Chicago- If Willie Parker can’t move the chains, then the Bears have a chance. But with no Brian Urlacher, I don’t expect this to happen. Ben Roethlisberger will make more plays then the extremely overrated and whiny Jay Cutler. I would sit Matt Forte this week if he were on my fantasy team. PITTSBURGH 17-10
 
Cleveland at Denver- The Browns played superb for one half and still got blown away. The team’s only play-maker (Braylon Edwards) drops passes like the ball is on fire. They don’t have a running back, and their coach couldn’t decide on a QB till a few days before the season started. The D got abused by Peterson last week in Barry Sanders-like fashion.
 
At least the Broncos have a decent D with Champ Bailey and Elvis Dumervil.
DENVER 20-13
 
Baltimore at San Diego- The game of the week will come down to the running game of the Ravens. If they can grab an early lead and run Ray Rice to death, it should be a Ravens win. But if Phillip Rivers has a chance in the fourth quarter, my bet goes with the home team and the more experienced QB. BALTIMORE 22-16
 
Seattle at San Francisco- Frank Gore had 22 carries for 30 yards last week. No way they win if he puts up numbers like that again. The Matt Hasselback to T.J. Houshmandzadeh combination is going to do some serious damage to 49er corners. SEATTLE 27-19
 
New York at Dallas- This game has shoot-out written all over it. Tony Romo will be airing it out, but the O-line is a concern. He was sacked five times against a suspect Tampa D, while the Giants have the deepest D-Line in the NFL.
 
The Giants need a receiver to step up and take hold of the number one spot; my guess is the other Steve Smith. With all the hoopla surrounding the new Dallas stadium, the Giants come in and steal the first one. NEW YORK 34-28
 
Indianapolis at Miami- The Dolphins looked very vanilla against the Falcons. Chad Pennington has been the same average QB his entire NFL career. The Colts don’t have many options at receiver since Anthony Gonzalez will be out for two months. But I will take Peyton Manning and Dwight Freeney over the Fins Pennington and Joey Porter.
 
INDIANAPOLIS 23-16

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Cincinnati Bengals: Offensively Challenged in Week One

Sunday’s Cincinnati Bengals-Denver Broncos game was a cold, brutal example of the old saying, “It aint over, till the fat lady sings.”
 
A brilliant drive by QB Carson Palmer put the Bengals up 7-6 with under 40 seconds left to play.
 
But then the football gods struck.
 
With 38 seconds to go, QB Kyle Orton threw a deep ball that was deflected into the air off of CB Leon Hall’s hands and landed right into the gloves of WR Brandon Stokley. Then 87 yards later, the Broncos stole a victory in Cincinnati.

The final: 12-7…a rusty steak knife right through the middle of every Bengals fans’ heart.

 
Cincinnati’s Air Attack
 
The first pass of the game was an 18-yard bullet to Chris Henry. That was his only catch of the game. In fact, he wasn’t even thrown to again for the entire game.
 
On Palmer’s second pass, a 21-yard gain by Chad Ochocinco, he looked like he was in midseason form with the kind of zip and accuracy Bengals fans have come to expect.
 
However, Ochocinco then gets hit with a holding penalty that stalls the first drive and forces a punt. This would be the theme of the game, dumb mental errors.
 
The second drive is highlighted by another penalty and a huge third down drop by new Bengal Laveranues Coles. The pass simply bounced off of his hands.
 
After the drive stalls on the Broncos’ 10 yard line, a terrible snap by long snapper Brad St. Louis resulted in a blown opportunity for three points.
 
Up to this point, the massive Bengals’ O-Line has looked respectable against the smaller, quicker Broncos’ D-Line. RB Cedric Benson has space, and Palmer hasn’t been pressured.
 
This changes on the third drive. After another terrific throw by Palmer to Ochocinco for 34 yards, the O-Line begins to fall apart. A blitz by Denver catches RT Anthony Collins off guard and this results in a 10-yard sack. Palmer didn’t have a chance on the play. They are unable to recover from a 2nd-and-20 and are forced to punt.
 
Cincinnati begins to move the ball down the field again on their next drive. FB Daniel Coats redeems himself with a 16-yard play after dropping an easy one earlier. After the O-Line gets pushed back twice in a row, Laveranues Coles catches an 11-yard tight spiral from Palmer, first down on Denver’s 31.
 
On 3rd-and-six, Palmer forces a pass to OchoCinco. CB Champ Bailey tips the ball before Ochocinco can get to it, and Wesley Woodyard picks it off. It was a forced throw by Palmer that should have been incomplete, but on this day, it fell right into the arms of Woodyard.
 
After another drive of short Benson runs stall out, it’s halftime. Zero points for the Bengals. 3-0 Denver.
 
At this point Palmer is 9-of-15 for 132 yards with an INT, while Ochocinco had two receptions for 56 yards. They drove into Denver territory on their first five drives, but had nothing to show for it.
 
The second half wasn’t any better.
 
The Bengals had three drives in the quarter, but two of those went three-and-out. On the second drive, they got the ball on the Denver 45, but back-to-back sacks of Palmer killed the drive. He is getting no chance to read the defense before the Broncos are in his face now.
 
FB Jermi Johnson drops a short throw then Coles followed suit with his third on the day. Great start with your new team Coles. Twice on Sunday, he dropped first down passes on third down.
 
Cincinnati had seven dropped passes on the day.
 
Through three quarters, the Bengals have a 201-167 advantage in total yards. Palmer’s line is 13-of-23 for 167 yards.
 
The fourth quarter starts with a 23-yard catch by Ochocinco erased by an offensive pass inference call on him. Palmer is facing more and more pressure as the game progresses. The lack of depth on the O-Line is starting to be evident (thanks A. Smith).
 
The running game has come to a halt. Benson is getting no push from the O-Line at the point of attack and Palmer is rushing throws because of the pressure.
 
Down 6-0 with 6:21 left in the game, the Bengals take over at their own nine yard line.
Ochocinco has a 12 and a 13-yard catch sandwiched between a three-yard loss on the ground by Benson. A Palmer bullet to WR Andre Caldwell for 13 yards puts the Bengals on the Broncos 32.
 
With decent protection, Palmer finds a wide-open Brian Leonard for an 18-yard pickup. Great decision by Palmer, he was looking for somebody else, but found the open man.
 
Inside the Broncos’ 10, Caldwell catches another that puts him down to the one-inch line. His butt was in, but the ball wasn’t.
 
With plenty of push, Benson bullies his way into the end zone for the first and only Bengals TD of the game with only 20 seconds left for Denver.
 
Then the refs’ inexplicably say that the previous play (Caldwell catch); was considered a lost challenge by Marvin Lewis and the Bengals. They were docked a timeout.

And some how they tack on 18 additional seconds. Too bad that with under two minutes in the game, everything is a booth review.
 
You know the rest of the story…the final: Denver 12, Cincinnati 7.
 
“We have to find a way to score points on offense, and we will. It’s disheartening,” said Palmer, who was 21-of-33 for 247 yards and two interceptions. “We moved the ball effectively, but just not into the end zone.”
 
He shook off some rust early, but looked fine for the most part. The second INT was a last prayer Hail Mary to end the game.
 
Ochocinco had five catches for 89 yards and looked rejuvenated. He was getting yards after catch (YAC), on every reception. Caldwell had 54 yards, Benson 32, while Leonard 24, Henry 18, Coats 16, Coles 11, and Foschi just three.
 
The O-Line had its moments, but it’s certainly a work in progress.
 
Coles is the goat of the game for his three drops.
 
The Bengals now go to Lambeau to play the Green Bay Packers, and then it’s a date with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Can they just hit the reset button?
 
Green Bay’s defense was extremely aggressive against Chicago. QB Jay Cutler threw four INT’s and was roughed up physically by the Packers’ front seven. Palmer is going to have to keep his eyes on Cullen Jenkins all game long next week.
 
If Palmer and company can’t establish the run against a stout Packers’ frontline, it’s going to be a long day.

Thanks again A. Smith.

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Hard Knocks No. 5: Final Cuts

The series finale of Hard Knocks focused on the Bengals organization trying to cut the team down to 53.
 
The opening scene is coach Marvin Lewis talking to all the first and second year players. He tells them how important the final preseason game is, telling them there are jobs still available.
 
After Chad OchoCinco drops a pass, safety Roy William tells him to stop dropping balls. Chad defensively replies by telling him he has only dropped two balls. Williams shows some veteran leadership in his response:
 
“Don’t be so sensitive. You want to be the best. I’ll push you”. Chad respectfully agrees. Williams is new to the Bengals and is willing to stand up to Chad, unlike most of his teammates. This is a good thing.
 
Off the field Chad is once again the star. He looks quite sad while he tells the cameras he no longer does twitter or ustream. Then he unleashes this gem:
 
“Losing twitter and ustream is tough emotional for me, as tough as losing my Johnson”.
 
I give Chad the comedian an A plus for this show. He has had some great one-liners: kiss the baby, child please, it may seem stalkerish but it works, OchcoCinco condoms; catches whatever your Johnson shoots, and now this latest one.
 
Tank Johnson thinks Chad is his own media market. In the segment about OchoCinco being “the NFL’s Twitter king,” Johnson said:
 
 “You’ve got New York, you’ve got Chicago, you’ve got Los Angeles, and you’ve got OchoCinco, the fourth largest media market in the country right here”.
 
The show went into the origin of the “Who-Dey” chant, which started with the first-class Bengal teams of the 1980s. Said rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga, who played for USC and is from California:
 
“It’s a little corny. But, you know, it’s part of the program”.
 
Not too many surprises as far as final cuts were concerned.
 
Safety Tom Nelson beat out Corey Lynch, whom was signed to the practice squad. None of the running backs were cut. DeDe Dorsey didn’t look too thrilled to get the call from Marvin Lewis. I wonder if he had another team ready to snatch him if he got cut.
 
Both fullbacks Chris Pressley and Fui Vakapuna were cut. Pressley was signed to the practice squad, but Vakapuna was released. The look on his face is the sad reality of the life of a player being denied an NFL opportunity.
 
DT turned OT Jason Shirley made the practice squad. But Gus Parrish got the axe.
 
In the final interview with (captain obvious) President Mike Brown said:
 
 “We’ve hit a low spot, and we have to earn our way back. There’s only one-way to do that, and that’s win games on the field…. We’re going to try our best to have the kind of team that’s a winning team, and I hope it’s a playoff team.”
 
Notice how he never says the words “super bowl” or “championship” at all. This show makes it painfully obvious that Brown could care less about winning a championship. He is in it for the dough and everything else is secondary.
 
At the end of the show the team poses for a team picture.
 
Narrator says: “These are the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals. Destination defined, destiny unknown.”
 
Carson Palmer says he has never felt better about his team. He expects to have the best year of his career.
 
Marvin tells the team, “Our goal is to win all of our home games, win the AFC North and eventually be World Champions”. Now that’s more like it.
 
Who dey think gonna beat them Bengals in the ratings? Nobody! Based on the first three weeks (of five), the Bengals Hard Knocks show is setting a HBO record for the series.
 
This year’s Hard Knocks has averaged three million viewers a week through the third week, slightly ahead of the 2007 Hard Knocks with Kansas City. Ratings for all five weeks will be available by the end of next week, says Ray Stallone, HBO Sports spokesman.
 
Looks like the ’09 Bengals are already on a winning streak of sorts. Great season of Hard Knocks, HBO rewrote the story on a team that desperately needed one.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Fantasy Football Draft: What to do with the 8th Pick

Adrian Peterson is the number one pick in almost all fantasy leagues, that’s the easy part. After that the upper tier of running backs (Michael Turner, Maurice Jones-Drew, DeAngelo Williams, Stephen Jackson, LaDainian Tomlinson and Matt Forte) will be at your disposable. Each have loads of upside as well as some downside.

After the running back tier the best available players are tough to figure out. Here is a good 2009 fantasy team with the number eight pick in a 10 person league.

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