49ers 20, Bengals 13
Bengals 19, Rams 10.
The Bengals are a monkey who can’t pull an apple through the opening of a jar, so the monkey walks around with the jar around its arm because it wont let go of the apple.
During the off-season, players who don’t make a difference will be resigned (J. Smith, Madieu). Free agents will use us as bait and get better offers from teams they’d rather play for. Rudi and Dex Jackson will be back while DeDe will be lured back to Indianapolis. Our first round pick will pull something minor in training camp and miss the first six games. The league will finally admit they just don’t like Odell and suspend him for a third straight season. Marvin Lewis will move forward.
This square-peg-in-round-hole offense we’ve seen all year will continue to sputter as receivers run the same routes and as Rudi gets 14 carries for 28 yards. The defense will base their scheme on hope and good luck again next year. King Marv will never concede to adjustments.
This season was typified by the revolting loss at San Francisco Saturday. Frank Gore looked like an ore-hauler pushing whatever pile we stacked in front of him. The Niners knew every play we called and our best player of late, DeDe Dorsey, touched the ball twice. We’re now 1-3 against the NFC West and the win against the Rams is a forgettable one. The common sense advisor failed again on the challenge call late in the game, sacrificing a valuable timeout in the process.
The Bengals cannot handle pressure. In their only road win of the season, they choked seven times and had to kick field goals. The schedule is pockmarked with failed moments in crucial situations. Marvin has his team overanalyzing everything and it causes everyone to press more. When a team begins to press they collapse under pressure. They implode. We’re too big for our britches. We talk a lot about having so much talent but then look like a fancy car with no gas on game day. There’s not enough grit on this team. We need some silent workers who bust their asses when it counts and laughs about it when the jobs done. We should go back to the original uniforms of the seventies with the helmets that have BENGALS printed on the sides. Back to the basics.
Mojokong - Letting go of the apple
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Week 13 recap
Steelers 24, Bengals 10
The year of the Bummer culminated Sunday night with another winnable game slipping down the drain pipe. Four turnovers, an average Willie Parker performance, and 30 plus pass attempts from Rothless are the ingredients one could hope for to escape Pittsburgh with a win. But, like we’ve seen throughout this season, when one piece starts to work another piece quickly breaks down. This time it came from Ol’ Faithful himself, marking the second time in three weeks where Palmer has struggled mightily.
We can cut him some slack Sunday night. Playing the first-ranked defense in the rain on a crappy field sounds like a battle scene from Lord of the Rings. ESPN commentator and super fan, Ron Jaworski, would bore you to death with his analysis of Carson’s throwing mechanics showing you film after film of exactly why he threw too high all night. He’d repeat words like ‘release point’ to you a thousand times and once ignored long enough, he would ramble off to his little room where he would continue his obsession of watching game footage. But the offense looked fine on their opening drive and the difference stems from play-calling more than Carson and a wet ball.
The Bengals started off with short routes and quick hitters. We used DeDe and Kenny Watson on screens and pitches. The line made holes for Rudi. We got in the end zone. It was working.
Then we got cute. All of a sudden we went back to the medium throws to the sidelines, the Rudi-for-Twodie and the long crossing routes. Bratkowski abandoned the short game with an insistence to run his style of offense instead of what the situation dictated. I realize that big-brained Dick Lebeau is gonna make the right adjustments in his coverage scheme, but why not come back to what worked? I liked that the Bengals went deep a couple of times to keep em’ honest. I didn’t mind some Rudi runs up the gut. I did mind that he had 14 carries and the other two running backs got a combined six. Rudi’s longest run was for a less-than-explosive four yards. On the year he averages less than three yards per carry. Every Bengal fan can see the play-calling revert back to the predictable set of 12 or so plays Brat is seemingly in love with. Defenses can see it too, and then stopping the Bengals becomes easy for them.. DeDe’s only carry was good for 15 yards. He averages six per carry. You can’t use Dorsey 20 times a game, but you can use him more than once.
The once laughable circus that was once the Bengal defense has moved along leaving a serviceable unit in it’s place. They’re causing turnovers again and aren’t being ax-murdered against the run anymore. They still need lots of attention in the off-season but at least fans and coaches have seen something they can work with. If the last four games have anything to keep an eye on it’s the butterfly version of this defense. If the caterpillar doesn’t surface again this year, it would serve as nice dose of optimism heading into free-agency.
Another thing I’d like to see happen the remainder of the way is to play some bench-warmers a bit more. Let’s see what the kids can do. We’ve got two rookie safeties that should be in the defense’s plans next year. We’ve got three huge Samoans still growing along the defensive line. Let’s not forget the ethereal Frostee Rucker who may or may not even exist. Playing these guys more also gives the vets a chance to get healthier and rest up some for next year. I don’t think that’s giving up, but it’s being realistic.
Mojokong - I guess I'll root for Jacksonville in these playoffs.
The year of the Bummer culminated Sunday night with another winnable game slipping down the drain pipe. Four turnovers, an average Willie Parker performance, and 30 plus pass attempts from Rothless are the ingredients one could hope for to escape Pittsburgh with a win. But, like we’ve seen throughout this season, when one piece starts to work another piece quickly breaks down. This time it came from Ol’ Faithful himself, marking the second time in three weeks where Palmer has struggled mightily.
We can cut him some slack Sunday night. Playing the first-ranked defense in the rain on a crappy field sounds like a battle scene from Lord of the Rings. ESPN commentator and super fan, Ron Jaworski, would bore you to death with his analysis of Carson’s throwing mechanics showing you film after film of exactly why he threw too high all night. He’d repeat words like ‘release point’ to you a thousand times and once ignored long enough, he would ramble off to his little room where he would continue his obsession of watching game footage. But the offense looked fine on their opening drive and the difference stems from play-calling more than Carson and a wet ball.
The Bengals started off with short routes and quick hitters. We used DeDe and Kenny Watson on screens and pitches. The line made holes for Rudi. We got in the end zone. It was working.
Then we got cute. All of a sudden we went back to the medium throws to the sidelines, the Rudi-for-Twodie and the long crossing routes. Bratkowski abandoned the short game with an insistence to run his style of offense instead of what the situation dictated. I realize that big-brained Dick Lebeau is gonna make the right adjustments in his coverage scheme, but why not come back to what worked? I liked that the Bengals went deep a couple of times to keep em’ honest. I didn’t mind some Rudi runs up the gut. I did mind that he had 14 carries and the other two running backs got a combined six. Rudi’s longest run was for a less-than-explosive four yards. On the year he averages less than three yards per carry. Every Bengal fan can see the play-calling revert back to the predictable set of 12 or so plays Brat is seemingly in love with. Defenses can see it too, and then stopping the Bengals becomes easy for them.. DeDe’s only carry was good for 15 yards. He averages six per carry. You can’t use Dorsey 20 times a game, but you can use him more than once.
The once laughable circus that was once the Bengal defense has moved along leaving a serviceable unit in it’s place. They’re causing turnovers again and aren’t being ax-murdered against the run anymore. They still need lots of attention in the off-season but at least fans and coaches have seen something they can work with. If the last four games have anything to keep an eye on it’s the butterfly version of this defense. If the caterpillar doesn’t surface again this year, it would serve as nice dose of optimism heading into free-agency.
Another thing I’d like to see happen the remainder of the way is to play some bench-warmers a bit more. Let’s see what the kids can do. We’ve got two rookie safeties that should be in the defense’s plans next year. We’ve got three huge Samoans still growing along the defensive line. Let’s not forget the ethereal Frostee Rucker who may or may not even exist. Playing these guys more also gives the vets a chance to get healthier and rest up some for next year. I don’t think that’s giving up, but it’s being realistic.
Mojokong - I guess I'll root for Jacksonville in these playoffs.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Bonus Blog - Justin Smith
Justin Smith.
I have mixed emotions about this guy. I stand by my “worst franchise player ever” label of him, but he isn’t totally useless.
We all know he’s athletically, pretty solid. When he hits people, he usually brings them down. He runs down some fast guys on his trademark clean-up tackles. But he has no real impact to the games he plays in. We can pay a lot of guys less than $6 million to make plays eight yards down the field.
He hasn’t recorded double-digit sacks in a season and has two this year. He racks up a lot of tackles, but they’re always coming to the aid of a struggling defensive back clinging onto the ball-carrier for dear life. He’s constantly seen dropping back into coverage but hasn’t had a pick since he recorded two his rookie season, six years ago. He has an Anheuser Busch tattoo on his arm and looks like Larry the Cable Guy. He might drive a Jon Deer to the game and keep a stuffed ten-point buck head above his locker, I dunno.
I do know we pay him among the highest paid defensive ends, as the franchise tag dictates. I also know he isn’t playing anywhere near the level of Jared Allen, Osi Umenyora or even Xenia native and UC grad, Trent Cole - check that guy out sometime. Justin Smith was chosen fourth overall in the 2001 draft.
Smith does bring words like high-motor and effort-guy to the conversation. He has the kind of hustle Bob Knight strangles his players to get (Just kiddin’ Bob, ya know I love ya). He would run into brick walls if he had to. In fact, that’s all he does anyway. When does Justin Smith do a swim move or a spin to get to the quarterback? He sees red when the ball is snapped and bull rushes right at the opposing lineman every single time. As mentioned, he’s being dropped back into coverage a lot more lately. The thinking is that maybe Smith can don the Harry Potter invisibility cape and trick the QB into throwing it right to him. After all, a guy 280 lbs. dressed in bright orange, can be tough to locate.
I think Smith’s replacement can be a good start to retooling this defense. Who we settle on will tell us a lot about the future plans for this defense. Chances are, we wont convert a college defensive tackle into an end in hopes to transform the unit into a 3-4 defense. I would like to see Frostee Rucker do what most third-round picks do and that’s compete for a starting job at some point in their careers, but don’t hold your breath on that one. Instead I’d like a speed end with a variety of moves that can get to the quarterback. Like the Colts’ Robert Mathis. We have one of those guys already with Robert Geathers, the 117th pick in the 2004 draft. I’m not saying these guys grow on trees, but the tweeners who are too small to play end but can rack up sack numbers when they play, are available in every draft.
MK - Taxidermy is murder!
I have mixed emotions about this guy. I stand by my “worst franchise player ever” label of him, but he isn’t totally useless.
We all know he’s athletically, pretty solid. When he hits people, he usually brings them down. He runs down some fast guys on his trademark clean-up tackles. But he has no real impact to the games he plays in. We can pay a lot of guys less than $6 million to make plays eight yards down the field.
He hasn’t recorded double-digit sacks in a season and has two this year. He racks up a lot of tackles, but they’re always coming to the aid of a struggling defensive back clinging onto the ball-carrier for dear life. He’s constantly seen dropping back into coverage but hasn’t had a pick since he recorded two his rookie season, six years ago. He has an Anheuser Busch tattoo on his arm and looks like Larry the Cable Guy. He might drive a Jon Deer to the game and keep a stuffed ten-point buck head above his locker, I dunno.
I do know we pay him among the highest paid defensive ends, as the franchise tag dictates. I also know he isn’t playing anywhere near the level of Jared Allen, Osi Umenyora or even Xenia native and UC grad, Trent Cole - check that guy out sometime. Justin Smith was chosen fourth overall in the 2001 draft.
Smith does bring words like high-motor and effort-guy to the conversation. He has the kind of hustle Bob Knight strangles his players to get (Just kiddin’ Bob, ya know I love ya). He would run into brick walls if he had to. In fact, that’s all he does anyway. When does Justin Smith do a swim move or a spin to get to the quarterback? He sees red when the ball is snapped and bull rushes right at the opposing lineman every single time. As mentioned, he’s being dropped back into coverage a lot more lately. The thinking is that maybe Smith can don the Harry Potter invisibility cape and trick the QB into throwing it right to him. After all, a guy 280 lbs. dressed in bright orange, can be tough to locate.
I think Smith’s replacement can be a good start to retooling this defense. Who we settle on will tell us a lot about the future plans for this defense. Chances are, we wont convert a college defensive tackle into an end in hopes to transform the unit into a 3-4 defense. I would like to see Frostee Rucker do what most third-round picks do and that’s compete for a starting job at some point in their careers, but don’t hold your breath on that one. Instead I’d like a speed end with a variety of moves that can get to the quarterback. Like the Colts’ Robert Mathis. We have one of those guys already with Robert Geathers, the 117th pick in the 2004 draft. I’m not saying these guys grow on trees, but the tweeners who are too small to play end but can rack up sack numbers when they play, are available in every draft.
MK - Taxidermy is murder!
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