Sinking In

Well, well. Looks like someone has been reading my blog.

Nine days ago, things made sense for the first time all year. The Bengals didn’t win because the cosmos aligned itself in just the right order. They didn’t win because they tried harder or got a good night’s rest the previous day. They won because they played to their strengths. The coaches seemed to finally recognize the giant hunk of clay that is their team, and formed it into something resembling a football team. It’s not quite Michelangelo’s David, but it’s a step up from McDonald’s Grimace.

The west coast offense was in full effect that day, with Fitzpatrick in the shotgun handing the ball to Benson on delays. No receiver caught a pass longer than 22 yards even though Fitzpatrick threw it 31 times. The short game coupled with the successful delayed running attack, drew the Jaguar defense in and Chad had a few shots deep that were all overthrown to him. No matter. The Bengals took care of business inside the redzone, and with the sensible play calling of Bratkowski (*gasp*), the offense dictated the game converting an astonishing 20 first downs.

Enjoying the respite most defenses have grown accustom to around the league, the Bengals unit looked refreshed and aggressive, particularly in stopping the run - Jaguars had 68 yards rushing on 21 carries. The secondary redeemed itself in a big way after the Houston game where they seemingly gave up. Rookie defensive tackle Pat Sims continues to impress, and alleviates the sting of a wasted second-round pick. We even collected three sacks and applied consistent pressure on Gerrard all day.

Still, the coaching staff sailed too far into the uncharted waters of playing with a lead and didn't know how to handle the situation. The old cautionary run-up-the-gut calls and short passes to Reggie Kelly resurfaced, and the offense stalled as a result. Then the fight broke out between the two giant ogres, Whitworth and Henderson, and negated a 23 yard first down completion. There were three penalties on the play: an illegal contact call against Jacksonville and the offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct calls. The illegal contact call somehow got lost in the shuffle of ejecting the sparring lineman and the Bengals were sacked on the next play, forcing a punt. A poor refereeing job if you ask me.

The defense got soft from that point on. No blitzing, no tight coverage. Just containment zones and cushiony man-to-man assignments. Playing it safe and relaxing with the lead is not what the great teams or the great coaches do. Going after the jugular and demanding animalistic intensity from their players throughout the entire game is more like it.

And then there’s Glen Holt. Why is he here? He’s worthless. A kick returner can be one of two things: a dynamic return man who may fumble but may break one for a score, or a consistent returner who isn’t scoring touchdowns, but never fumbles. Holt is neither, and wouldn’t have a place on any other team in the NFL. He’s exactly the kind of dead weight that is sinking this ship.

All in all, we seemed to have grown up a little bit. It’s only one game, but even an adolescent Bengals team is a step up from the infantile squad we’ve suffered through all season.

Mojokong - Only you can prevent forest fires.