On December 4, 2005, Rudi Johnson ran 14 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown against the Steelers, giving the Bengals a 38-24 lead. That moment was the peak of this regime. Since then, Marvin Lewis has watched his team tailspin back into oblivion.
Ah, the good ol’ days, when Sundays were a blast. When our offense purred like a Maserati and turnovers seemed to fall from the sky. The future seemed golden back then. We had all the ingredients to become the Colts. What could go wrong?
Lots went wrong. We lost some players to “the streets”, lost some to injury, lost control of egos and eventually lost games. The way the team has gone about their business since that treasured season has been curious at best. While the rest of the league has adjusted to trends and patterns, it seems that the Bengals are stuck in 2005. They don’t understand how the NFL is an amoeba that is constantly redefining itself. The formula that caught most teams off-guard three seasons ago, doesn’t produce the same results these days. You can’t rob the same bank twice.
Want statistical proof? The Bengals are 5 for 26 (19 percent) on third downs so far, as opposed to 84 for 196 (42 percent) in 2005. They average 3.5 yards a play now, compared to 5.6 then. Carson averaged 7.3 yards a pass when things were clicking. This year, a pathetic 4.5. There's more, but you get the point.
The stubborn nature of this organization has ruined any hope of a successful immediate future. A young team who knows its in a rebuilding phase is far more respectable than a veteran team who won’t admit that it sucks.
“I think the best way to look at our situation is that we're 0-2, we're by no means out of the playoffs, and we've got a definite uphill battle ahead of us. Who better to get your mind set back than going into the defending world champion's home and getting a win?” said an optimistic Carson Palmer after another embarrassing thrashing Sunday.
“We go out and practice every day. We bust our ass, run hard, complete everything ... and then in the game, for some reason, it just doesn't go down that way. I don't know why.” said confused Bengal receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh following an anaemic performance.
Here’s a hint: RUN NEW PLAYS!!!
Mojokong - troubling, disheartening, dubious, irksome, underwhelming, disappointing, uninteresting. Blagh!
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3 comments:
Couldn't agree more...
I charted 4 of the first 5 drives and did a prediction for each play, comparing my prediction to what actually transpired. I guessed right on 22/27 plays that I was able to watch. I missed the 4th drive and the rest of the game due to the storm.
Of the 5 I got wrong, 3 were 1st down plays. 1st down is irrelevant when determining predictability because the variable of down and distance is taken away. So I only guessed wrong on 2 non-1st down calls. THAT IS SAD.
In addition, I was able to correctly predict the direction of the run about 60% of the time and was able to tell when Carson would switch the direction of the run.
In addition, I noted situations that called for a Playaction. There were some IDEAL times for a playaction. For example:
2nd drive, 2nd and 2 - We ended up Running
2nd drive (new set of downs), 2nd and 3 - we called a Run
3rd drive 1st and 5 - we ran the ball again
3rd drive (same set of downs), 2nd and 1 - they were offsides and we quicksnapped, but based on formation, I guarantee that it was a run.
For the game, there was ONLY 1 PLAYACTION PASS called. That's terrible.
All in all, Drunkowski was predictable and sucked, as expected. However, Carson regressing, not using DeDe Dorsey more, and Utecht's first play drop also contributed to the overal SUCKiness of the offense.
FIRE DRUNKOWSKI!!!!!
Noon
The only thing I'm gonna say is that I'm glad Ike decided I didn't need to see the game. Thanks Ike!!!
Jeff A
The classic example of a wind/lose situation. I can safely say that my Sundays for the next month are suddenly free, allowing me time to clear debris from my property.
Lucca
PS Oh, never mind.
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