Week 16 Recap: The Fruits of Hard Labor

The way the Bengals clinched the division was a perfect representation of the kind of year it's been for Cincinnati. It had everything we're used to seeing from this team: a slow-paced ground battle, a strong defensive showing complete with another costly injury and of course their signature late-game drive to win.

It was the ultimate sample; an underwhelming 17-10 win against the lowly Chiefs. Nothing too fancy or even that interesting, but like the last brick in the pyramid it completed something great and wondrous---the Playoffs.

Getting there takes a lot of various things in the universe to all line up in just the right way. We in Cincinnati don't experience the phenomenon very often; it's our own Haley's Comet. Many of us are unsure how to properly celebrate something of this nature. Should we freak out and overturn cars? Should we keep cool and act like we've been there before? Should we pretend that we aren't satisfied until we win a Super Bowl? Or should we just grow our beards and smile strangely for the next few weeks?

I suppose there will be a little of everything until we collectively become more familiar with coping with success. I know there are many of us who don't like the Bengals' Playoff chances (and there's plenty of time to discuss such things), but for now look back. Remember August? Only the optimists gave Cincinnati much of a chance. I was in the skeptics’ corner holding up a sign that looked like this: 7-9. The division was too tough, the offensive line was too suspect, Carson Palmer was in decline. I underestimated their grit, and so did the rest of the AFC North. And now the smoky rubble and debris, the wreckage of a season, is piled behind them and while they appear a little worn and dusty, they stand here before us asking for more. Even if they drive you crazy most of the time, ya gotta love these guys.

Sunday was a predictable showing. After hemorrhaging gobs of rushing yards last week to the Browns, it made sense that the Bengals would try to run it down Kansas City's throat and that the Chiefs would try like hell to stop them. The Bengals found a little more fight from KC than they expected, and struggled to adjust before halftime.

Then, in the second half, things looked differently. Benson and the line ripped off big chunks of yardage, Carson sharpened up when he had to, and the defense held up enough to avoid the late collapse. It was a fairly nondescript game that had some fans nodding off by halftime. Excitement and revelry weren't exactly the order of the day but the 98-yard touchdown drive had its moments (I'm a huge proponent for the shovel pass and I thought the one to Brian Leonard on third-and-seven was well-crafted and perfectly executed).

The most noteworthy moment of the game, unfortunately, was when Rey Maualuga broke his ankle. The defense has successfully carried on without a handful of its starters at various points in the season, and Rashad Jeanty will be the newest replacement in Mike Zimmer's operation, but how long can they hold up as a top-5 defense while being forced to play so many reserves? I allowed my expectations of Maualuga to grow to wild proportions---I thought we'd see Mike Singletary from the first play---and while Rey didn't quite take the league by storm, he was an integral part to the scheme, surprisingly so in coverage. I thought his best attribute to the team was his ability to move laterally and force outside ball carriers to the sidelines. From the way Marvin Lewis talks, it sounds as if the ankle was a clean break and that Rey should have no problems being ready for next season---when I will once again amp up the Rey Maualuga hype---but for now, he's an afterthought.

Jeanty isn't a bad backup. He is strong against the run and is a solid tackler, but he is slow and can't cover the kind of ground Maualuga does. I would expect to see Brandon Johnson used at the SAM spot on passing downs, and Dan Skuta will now likely be rotated in more often to give the starters a rest. These are the scenarios that warrant the hours of debate on cut day. The reserves, even the ones way down on the depth-chart, are sometimes forced into action and they had better be ready when it happens.

At this point of the season, every team is dealing with injuries and positional depth becomes paramount. So far, the Bengals have enjoyed a valuable resource of quality backups; each seemingly prepared and trusted by the coaching staff. The new wave of backups-to-starters, if nothing else, provides a physical freshness while they learn on the job and gain valuable experience. Mike Zimmer is arguably the reason the Bengals will play in the postseason this year, and I expect him to plug in Jeanty without any catastrophic affects on the defense as a whole. His gang of castaways and rejects must continue its inspired play for the team to advance further into January, but again, that conversation can wait until tomorrow.

For now, I'm still not ready to leave my bubble bath, where I've been celebrating in bursts with raucous hooting and live ammunition, and filling my head with thick, syrupy stouts and talking with the ghost of Paul Brown himself. We're both very satisfied but we'd like to see Bernard Scott get more touches.

Mojokong---Please send each of our corners to the Pro Bowl. Thank you.

Week 16: Dreams Trapped in Cardboard

There are cardboard boxes somewhere inside Paul Brown Stadium with cheaply produced and poorly fashioned baseball hats and t-shirts that read “Cincinnati Bengals: 2009 AFC North Champions” inside of them. These boxes were lugged to Minnesota and to San Diego, but sat in the locker room ignored after each loss. They will be there again this weekend, and by Monday morning they should be empty, and then hopefully recycled.

It doesn't have to pretty, but it has to happen.

Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the first must-win game of the Bengals' season. It is strange that it comes in Week 16 against the 3-11 Kansas City Chiefs and is perhaps stranger that it's still not sold out, but it's been a weird year for this team so why should things start making any sense now?

First off, we might as well evaluate the worst-case scenarios. The most obvious of these is that the Bengals lose both remaining games and miss the postseason altogether---I don't even want to think about that.

A close second, however, might be losing to Kansas City and watching Pittsburgh beat Baltimore. While Cincinnati would win the division that way, the last thing this city wants is any help from those bastards. Putting on the championship hats and t-shirts after a loss is like singing Happy Birthday to your self; no one wants to see that.

All of these nightmares can vanish with a win. It doesn't matter if it ends 3-0; any win will do. Only then will I sit back in my chair, pour myself a delicious Celebration Ale, and rub the stubble on my chin that will soon become a patchy, unkempt playoff beard.

It shouldn't be all that difficult for the men in stripes, but at this point we know better than to assume that any win is an easy one. The Chiefs are far from a scary team though and have little other than pride and a paycheck to play for.

They demonstrated a certain lethargy last week against the Browns, particularly in the form of bad tackling which allowed Jerome Harrison to run for nearly two-and-a-half football fields by the end of the day. The Bengals now employ one of the most prolific runners in Chiefs history who is itching to duplicate that kind of total against his ex-franchise. Larry Johnson in all likelihood will still play second fiddle to Cedric Benson, but maybe Marvin Lewis throws him out there an extra couple of times just to placate the man's thirst for revenge. Also, the Bengals expect Bernard Scott to return this week, providing outside running capabilities that are sorely missed when he's out. Scott's kick-returning talents might also prove more valuable than usual as the Chiefs allowed two returns for touchdowns last week to the great Josh Cribbs.

Although the dormant volcano of Mt. Carson and the passing game stirred a little last week, if the Bengals can rack up rushing totals even close to what Cleveland did I wouldn't expect much through the air. Brady Quinn ended with 66 yards passing but his team ended with 41 points; those are the kinds of totals these new Bengals crave.

Kansas City also happens to be plagued with the worst set of hands I've ever seen. Dwayne Bowe has a rare form of Braylon Edwards syndrome, he has some explosiveness but drops passes. Chris Chambers has become their best receiver but dropped a crucial pass to Buffalo in Week 14 which led to a Chiefs loss. Mark Bradley was cut this week for dropping too many passes. The list goes on.

Matt Cassell still isn't great---he is solid and should certainly improve---but he has received little help from his targets in KC. Chambers, despite his age, is still a viable deep threat who has made plays since joining the Chiefs. Cassell looks for Chambers down the sideline when he's left in single coverage, so Zimmer may want to give his side some safety help in that occasion, but I don't see the need to give too much attention to Kansas City's passing offense.

This is especially the case when their best offensive player looks to be their tailback, Jamaal Charles. He took over as the feature back in Week 10 and has put up respectable totals in that time, including gaining 154 yards last week. They like to give it to Charles on the pitch and on shotgun hand-offs, and also don't shy away from using him as a receiver. He's not the biggest back (199 lbs.) and like many smaller guys he looks most comfortable bouncing it to the outside. Bengal linebackers moving laterally and taking good angles that eliminate Charles from turning the corner should play a key role to how well the Chiefs can operate on offense.

Of course it would be nice if the penalties were minimized and the fumbles disappeared, but there isn't much to say about it that hasn't already been echoed a thousand times. If the goal is the Super Bowl and Beyond, than it must stop. It simply must.

Sunday’s game also seems like a game in which Jerome Simpson could get a chance to add to his two career receiving yards. I understand not wanting to rely on the greenhorn in a big game like that of the San Diego contest, but if he's activated again on Sunday, I'd like to see him get a few crumbs tossed his way. At this point, he's a second-round pick whose best proven ability has been taking up a roster spot. I'm all for the little guy getting over on The Man by getting paid to do very little, but I kind of want to see this guy earn some of that money that you and I can only dream of collecting.

Like I've said: I don't really care how it happens as long as it happens. Living through Week 17 with the stress of possibly missing the postseason is more than my nerves can handle. This is the week in which it gets done. This is the week our Bengals become a Playoff Team. This week. Sunday. Now.

Bengals 26, Chiefs 20


Mojokong---May the real Holidays begin January 9, 2010.

Week 15 Recap: The Routine of The Weird

With a lot on their minds and plenty at stake, the Bengals traveled West and fought valiantly in their Playoff dress rehearsal but still fell just short. That strange cloud of the unexpected continues to trail this team like Pigpen's dirt, first aiding the Bengals in their fourth-quarter comeback only to take it all back with another bizarre play against them when it really mattered.

Alas, it is hope, pride and encouragement that I have for this team after the loss. Respectfully putting aside the emotional damage the players are still working to repair after Chris Henry's death, the men on the field directly addressed many of the growing concerns voiced by the fan base and media over the past few weeks.

The offense found itself in a situation not all that unfamiliar to it: trailing in the second half in a huge game. Most knew this would be a game won through the air---except me, of course. The San Diego defense committed itself to stop runs up the middle, so Carson Palmer and his fleet went to work in the passing game. And guess what? It turns out that they actually can pass!

Carson went deep, quieting a large and impatient sector of the Bengal-fan community. He found ways to use Laveranues Coles and Andre Caldwell, relieving another crowd of critics. Quan Cosby made a couple of pivotal catches. Jeremi Johnson also caught passes---without fumbling---in some key spots of the game. J.P. Foschi was disguised as, dare I say, a pass-catching tight end. There were no passes thrown to Dan Coates! Life was grand; they were going to win!

And then an impact like that which created Earth's moon, smashed the ball from Caldwell's hands and rocketed it backward in a way many have never seen; how could there be a spiral on a fumble?

The ultimate point is that they put themselves in a position to win by adapting their attack and style of play; something many insisted was not possible for the Cincinnati Bengals. They proved that their beleaguered passing game can exceed 60 miles-per-hour when it needs to and that Palmer can still rise to the occasion of the grand stage. What all of this means is that teams will have to pick their poison when defending us; play the run and face Carson & Co., or play with deep safeties and live with being mauled by the run. Either way, a potentially effective counterattack exists within this Bengals team, and that alone is reassuring.

The defense also responded well. Leon Hall did not have his best day as a pro, but he did make a handful of plays and to single him out as the reason for the loss makes analytical sense but for some reason doesn't feel right. He's a good corner who had a bad day, it happens; unfortunately, his mistakes directly affected the outcome of the game. Hall will continue to play well, and I bet he'd like another shot at Vincent Jackson to clear up that black eye on his resume.

Keith Rivers, a man singled out last week within these very pages for disappearing and rarely making meaningful plays, decisively shut me up. His interception was masterful---to fight off Antonio Gates and make that kind of catch takes serious concentration indeed---and he followed it up with a fourth-quarter sack (a sack helped by Leon Hall's coverage). Chinedum Ndukwe flew all over the field racking up double-digit tackles and applied nice pressure on safety blitzes. Dhani Jones, another player often criticized in this blog, played very well in the middle and even had some nice coverage on two occasions.

On the last pass of the game, Mike Zimmer sent a risky blitz and Hall gave too much cushion away from the sideline. It was not the right move on either man's part, but it's too late to fix now. The redeeming part to all of this is that there's a chance all of it could happen again, and next time, things may turn out better. After all, this team drags the unexpected around with it; anything can happen with these guys.

Anything.

At least we now know that the Bengals can compete with at least one of the supposed big dogs of the AFC. That means that if the Bengals can beat the Chiefs on Sunday, we can all attend the Playoff Party and really enjoy ourselves instead of waiting to be caught as an imposter and thrown out for being underage.

Let's take care of business this weekend and relax. We deserve it.

Mojokong---All those growing their playoff beards prematurely should shave this week to be sure that you aren't the jinx among us. I'm serious.

Week 15 Preview: A Mission of Sorrow

During the season, when a player is put on Injured Reserve, all those around him chalk it up as a casualty of war and move on without him.  In a sense, for that season, he is dead.  But when a player actually dies, we are reminded that these guys aren't always wearing their helmets, and though they are stronger and faster than most, human they remain. Only in death, especially while they are young and still playing, do these characters we see so often on television but rarely if ever see in person become mortal men.  
 
Such is the case with the tragic ending to Chris Henry's life.
 
It's important to take a moment of solemn recognition for a life lost and to bid him farewell.  Outside of that however it becomes a family matter, which is in turn none of my business.  Death is a larger force than our minds can fully deal with and I won't bother working out the complexities here, but Chris Henry has died and I suppose my way of coping with it is to not continue talking about it. 
 
That said, goodbye, Slim.
 
Now that utterly inconsequential event scheduled to take place this Sunday that we refer to as a game, which will change very little in the universe and have no real bearing on civilization, is still a big one to the Bengals as a football team. 
 
Everyone's flavor of the month, San Diego (founded in 1904 by the Germans), appears to have no chance of losing this match-up with the Bengals.  After all, the Chargers have won eight straight, Phillip Rivers is 16-0 in December, Cincinnati is sputtering and they don't travel well to the West Coast.  Now the team is dealing with personal tragedy.  How could they win?
 
Allow me.
 
Like Minnesota, the Chargers are loaded up with weapons.  Rivers, with that pronounced overhand delivery, throws nice gentle floaters to his tall receivers, or he fires it underneath to the ultimate safety valve, tight end Antonio Gates.  He steps up in the pocket on nearly all of his throws and trusts his protection to hold up.  
 
The Bengals aren't a fierce pass-rushing team, but they will have to get a push from their interior linemen when Rivers steps up to avoid pressure from around the edges.  Tank Johnson sat out of practice Wednesday and Domata Peko is still a few weeks away from returning.  That leaves Pat Sims and the newly-signed fatso, Shaun Smith, mixed in with Johnathan Fanene and Frostee Rucker to collapse the pocket from the inside out.  I would hope to see Mike Zimmer send Dhani Jones up the middle on blitzes to facilitate that process.  While there are certainly some things Dhani cannot do, he has always been a steady pass rusher when he's been asked to blitz.
 
As for stopping Gates, there are no easy answers.  He's bigger than any nickle-back in the world and he's  a tremendous route-runner that linebackers simply cannot cover; even safeties struggle keeping up with him.  Double-teaming him seems like the only solution, but it comes at a great risk.
 
The Chargers receivers are large and athletic.  Both Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd have developed into dangerous play-makers.  Each has overcome struggles with dropped passes and Rivers often rewards them with deep-ball opportunities.  Yet they aren't all that fast.  In fact, many times, Rivers just throws it up in their area and hopes for the best, even when they're covered.  
 
Fortunately for the Chargers, the best has taken place often this season, but the Bengal corners are no joke either and I think they can handle these guys down-field.  The biggest hurdle for the Bengals secondary is to avoid pass-interference penalties when challenging the Chargers big men on deep throws.  They have to be precise in the timing of their jumps and must turn their heads when the ball is in the air.    
 
The Chargers have run a successful trick-play in consecutive weeks and might continue to dabble with these gadget plays against Cincinnati.  Bengal safeties will have to stay deep on the end-around play so that they aren't beat on something sneaky.  This could allow some additional rushing yardage to the outside on reverses and such, but it likely beats giving up a big play.
 
They also run other sneaky plays that wouldn't be considered gadget or trick-plays, but are designed around deception and sometimes just plain cheating.  Watching tape of the last two Charger games, one can point out multiple occasions where coach Norv Turner runs the “rub” play---which means a crossing receiver rubs his defender off onto the intended receiver's man, causing a defensive car-crash and allowing the intended receiver to roam free for the catch.  It's really an illegal pick, and it should be called offensive pass-interference.  Like any good coach however, Turner explores the area between cheating and good-strategy, where shadow meets light; The NFL's  own Twilight Zone.  
 
San Diego also runs their screens very well which highlights the combustible talents of the Mighty Mini, Darren Sproles.  This man is the quintessential jitter-bug of a running back who is best used outside in the open field and also happens to be a supremely gifted kick and punt-returner.  The Chargers are not a great rushing team, but their backs are good receivers and their linemen move well down-field.  They like to run play-action passes where the entire team will go left, but one guy will slip to the right and become open in the flat.  
 
They're a trickster offense.  They can make you pay on a well-timed screen on the wrong blitz or go up top when they want quick-strike yardage.  The key to stopping them remains limiting Gates with double-teams and staying at home on draws, screens, reverses, end-arounds, and anything else remotely sleight-of-handish.  The defensive bonus would be pressure from the line, especially from the middle.  Rivers goes down pretty easily when he feels the heat; it will be up to Zimmer to invent ways to make that happen
 
Defensively the Chargers appear fairly average.  They aren't a particularly fast group and their secondary has tackling issues.  There are some drives where they look completely incapable of slowing down the opposition's running game and have to rely on exotic blitz-packages to generate any significant pressure on the quarterback.  
 
The Bengals can run on them.  A consistent power-attack can wilt this defense, and that seems to be all Cincinnati has at the moment.  Once again, the offensive line must keep Carson Palmer upright and really allow him to feel comfortable being surrounded by them.  Last week, the Chargers keyed on Tony Romo's homeboy, Jason Witten, knowing that Romo wanted to throw to him before anyone else.    For the most part, the strategy worked.  The Bengals need to find ways to get their other receivers involved so that Chad Ochocinco isn't blanketed the same way all game.
 
If Bernard Scott can play, Bob Bratkowski can use the outside which is an area the Chargers' defense looks most vulnerable.  Both Felix Jones last week and Jerome Harrison a week before were able to work outside of the tackle box effectively.  Dallas mixed it up well using Marion Barber up the middle, and Jones to the outside which allowed for two long, sustained drives (disclosure: one of those drives resulted in zero points after Dallas was unable to score four times in a row from inside the three-yard line).  The Cowboys looked especially apt at gaining yards from the shotgun hand-off play.  This play of course, is designed to allow the running a back a moment to find a hole as opposed to straight-line power running.  Delays and draw-plays like this are perfect plays to enhance Scott's skill-set.  I hope he can play, and if he does, I hope the Bengals use him to maximize his potential; they have improved at this over the course of the season.
 
As for the penalties, I'll only say this: the situation is so out of hand that we who discuss such things in our various football salons are at a loss for an explanation.  To be near or exceed ten penalties in a game even one time is inexcusable; for it to happen four games in a row boggles the mind.  If it isn't rectified, or at least slowed for God sakes, then they really don't stand a chance.  Good teams don't beat themselves.  I'd prefer the Bengals didn't test this claim so rigorously.
 
So, this has become a tough week for our boys.  Tough beyond comprehension.  No one, not even themselves, know how they will react this Sunday in California.  For the players, the organization and its fans, it still means a lot, but after that recurring life-lesson we all must face, even for these people, it's still just a game.
 
Bengals 24, Chargers 16
 
 
Mojokong---If nothing else, I hope that Chris Henry's three children and their mother carry on okay without him.  It's all so sad.  Such is life.

Week 14 Recap: Black and Blue and Purple

The twenty-foot-tall purple robot---equipped with all of its deadly photon blasters, gamma-ray guns and sonic missiles---laughed at the smaller figure standing in its way.

“Why, you've brought nothing to the battle. How do you intend on beating me with so little? With that stick or with those rocks you have?” it roared with laughter.

“Tell you what,” it said and flung a few of its weapons away, “I won't use these things just to make it a fair fight, okay?”

It walked ten paces forward and squashed its opponent under its big metallic foot.

That's how it went down in Minnesota on Sunday for the Bengals; ugly and totally one-sided.

Watching the passing-game slip into such a hazy dementia so quickly is sad and frustrating. It seems like only yesterday when Carson Palmer was carving up the Bears along the Ohio River with touchdown after touchdown. Now, the offense has a hard time getting the snap off without losing yards. It's embarrassing.

It appears that at least part of the problem is a mixture of the offensive line's decline in effective pass-protection with Carson's distrust that the pocket will hold up. What that mix has created is an over-scrambly quarterback who can't find receivers downfield on the move.

It's hard to understand. Valid complaints surfaced early in '08 that Palmer was too stationary of a quarterback. Then in '09, he surprised many of us by moving well and hitting targets while scrambling. But now it seems like when he does move out of the pocket, he's looking to pick up a few yards and get out of bounds rather than locate receivers breaking off of their routes. I know ball security is a justifiably big deal on this team, and gaining some yards on a scramble is better than nothing on an incompletion, but when Palmer feels comfortable and secure---even on the move---the offense hums.

Another strange element to the pass-protection is that it started to unravel against the Raiders of all teams. The Browns followed up the next week with lots of pressure, and now the whole offensive line seems shaken. If the key to success starts and ends with those ugly hippos up front with their pass-protecting as well as run-blocking, then not only do they need to cut out the mindless penalties but they also must become a concrete wall once again. If Palmer knows he's safe, the Bengals instantaneously become a more legitimate contender.

Not that the Bengals want to pass all that much. When Marvin Lewis and his staff said they had committed to the run, they should have said they'd converted to the run. Cincinnati has to be the only team to put an offensive tackle in motion. They might as well have just told the Vikings that they were running and to which side. A baby can see it coming!

I don't mind a running-team---in fact I much prefer it to a hot-rod, soft defensive squad any day---but once that team has identified itself as smash-mouth, it must do one of two things: either demonstrate creativity within the power attack or win on third and one. To do neither is still a team without an identity.

Being creative with a group of talented running backs can't be that outrageous of a task. Brian Leonard has shown a diverse set of skills, but sadly is apparently only allowed on the field on third and fourth down. Cedric Benson and Larry Johnson have both caught a couple of passes out of the back field but typically on check-offs; how about a set of plays designed to throw to these guys? After all, two of Minnesota's most crucial plays on Sunday came on running-back passes---one to Adrian Peterson for 28 yards on 2nd-and-20, and the other to Chester Taylor for 26 yards on 3rd-and-12. Bernard Scott is a great open-field runner. Clearing out receivers deep and dumping it off to Scott in one-on-one scenarios against the linebackers could let him move around in space and eventually draw the secondary closer to the line of scrimmage.

Blasting running plays up the gut repeatedly is fine if you have the strongest team in the league. The Bengals are certainly a rough-and-tumble group of brutes with a strong desire to win, but having to punt after failing on third-and-one doesn't indicate a supremacy in strength; it indicates a stubborn insistence to follow the formula no matter what. Yet, that's our team. It's the same one we've applauded most of the season and it's the one we're going to cheer into the Playoffs. Such is life.

But, as always, there were some bright spots that shined through all that muck and mire on Sunday. As always, it came from the defensive side of the team.

The starting cornerbacks on Cincinnati have to be one of the top-3 tandems in the NFL. While Jonathan Joseph swarmed his assignment all game, Leon Hall was hardly tested but made the most of the plays that were thrown his way. The comfort these two provide allows the defense to focus on stopping the run first which is the best way to approach damn near any team out there.

That being said, the linebackers had a rough game yesterday---particularly in coverage. It must be mentioned that Peterson is made of the same stuff all the great ones possess. He's a long-striding gazelle that can make tackling angles obsolete in a heartbeat. To ask any linebacker to cover him almost seems silly, but on occasion it must be done and it was not done well on Sunday.

It's no secret that ol' Dhani Jones is slow. He does a lot of things well, and seems like a decent leader for a young position, but he becomes a major liability when he's forced to cover one-on-one. Rey Maualuga has surprised me this year with his ability to contain receivers in the open field, but he's still a youngster who will occasionally take poor angles out in the flats. Keith Rivers has been a mild disapointment this season by simply not making many big plays. It would seem that other teams will try to find match-ups that exploit the linebacker's inability to cover speedy backs or tight ends in one-on-one coverage.

Honestly, I expected a lot more gusto this season from the USC linebacking tag-team of Rivers and Rey, but so far have only witnessed a modest total of solid plays. That's indicative of Zimmer's group as a whole; only collectively is this an impressive defense. Outside of the corners, they are still a fairly random hodgepodge of no-names. On Sunday, they allowed two long and backbreaking drives. Some of that damage was self-imposed on a few unfortunate penalties, but there will be games when they need some support from the offense. Last week was one of those times and the team failed without it.

Alas, there is still hope. There is gobs of it. The Bengals scrape themselves out of the huge crater left in the ground left by the purple robot's footprint and go back to work. Next up is a team hot off the fashion runway; America's next top football model---The San Diego Chargers. Everybody is completely head-over-heels for this jet-setting teen heart-throb of a team, but the Bengals would like to pose this question to it: what happens when it gets smacked in its pretty little face?

Mojokong---there are surprises around every turn if you know where to look.

Week 14 Preview: Just The Facts, Ma'am

There are very few secrets at this point of the season. We know what teams are made of and what they can do. The time for hypothesizing on gut-feelings is over; the keys to the game now lie in the facts.

The Bengals are a running team with a good defense. There's really no disputing that. Much has been written about what they can't do, mostly in regards to the deficiencies in the passing game.

The subject just will not die.

Here is my final take on it once and for all:

The Bengals were dissatisfied with the results of centering the team around Carson Palmer and the passing game. They wisely shifted the paradigm away from relying on Palmer and have given no indications of returning to that style any time soon. Many are beginning to worry that the shift is too pronounced, too obvious in its approach to sustain its productive output. I too have recently raised mild concerns that the philosophy may have evolved into an extreme one, but the facts say that Cincinnati is enjoying a rare season of tremendous success and I no longer want to stand in the way of such an occasion with my petty squabbling about needing more receivers.

We're a grind-house, smash-mouth football team, dammit, and if we have to out-muscle Roger Goodell himself in order to wind up on top, then that's the way it's going to be.

The more Marvin Lewis abandons conventional thinking and current trends by resorting to more of an archaic approach to the game, the more his team wins. His thinking may be so backwards that it's progressive; the facts certainly suggest such a claim.

So, why would we expect anything to change this week? Because Minnesota has a banged-up secondary and the Arizona Cardinals just finished filleting them through the air? Because the Bengals passing game must prove that it can assist in beating the “good teams”? Because it's more fun to watch?

I think not.

Even though the Vikings are second in the league against the run, I expect Cedric Benson to touch the ball over 30 times and run up the middle until the entire Metrodome falls asleep. I expect Jared Allen to get pressure on Palmer and frustrate the offense, especially on third down. I expect more field goals.

The Lions bottled up Benson on nearly every attempt to the outside last week. Minnesota lost their best linebacker, EJ Henderson, to a broken femur last Sunday night, but with Benson running slower than earlier this year, coupled with Bernard Scott's absence, any linebacker may be able to contain all short stuff to the middle of the field.

The rub about going up the middle against the Vikings is that damn “Williams Wall” of theirs. Pat and Kevin Williams are perennial Pro-Bowl defensive tackles who either reroute runners or swallow them whole. Not much gets past these human detours. Chances of big rushing totals against them are grim. The Bengals are likely to go right at them anyway, under the old it's-so-crazy-it-might-just-work adage. Good luck, Mr. Benson.

The assignment for the defense, however, may not be as dire.

For the first time in purple, Brett Favre looked frazzled, as he was hounded all night by those blitz-crazy Cardinals. The air of invincibility that normally surrounds the gray and revered wizard of quarterbacks quietly dissipated that night with the dry desert breeze. Under all that padding was just a man after all, running scared from the bigger men chasing him, just like anybody else would.

The Bengals have not collected many sacks lately. A consistent pass rush is one of the few things lacking on such an impressive defense, but Minnesota's well-paid line is currently ailing and Mike Zimmer has recently had success on linebacker blitzes up the middle and cornerback blitzes from the nickel position. Favre is as wily as they come, and it's clear that he's a tough guy, but if the Bengals can knock him off of his Hall-of-Fame pedestal the way Arizona did, they could keep the score in their comfort zone: low.

Typically teams also have to account for the superhero-like Adrian Peterson when preparing for Minnesota. Peterson has all the pedigree of a great one and often makes us spectators look at each other in disbelief. But the facts say that he hasn't been himself lately, averaging only three yards a carry in the last three games. They also say that the Bengals are the very best at stuffing the run, and the result, surprisingly enough, is that Cincinnati shouldn't have to worry about Peterson all that much this week.

The player I'd be most concerned with if I were Zimmer is the dazzling rookie receiver, Percy Harvin. This man was an excellent draft pick for Minnesota. Harvin is a rocket in the open field, and can blaze past corners on the deep ball. He's extremely dangerous in the return game and is a nightmare match-up when he lines up as the slot receiver. There is a chance that Harvin may not be able to play this week though, as he has been held out of practice with headaches.

A reputable sports news source published a story this week that somewhat erroneously claimed that the Bengals have a weak spot at their nickel position. Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace had a big day in Week 3, and tight end Owen Daniels supplied some big plays for the Texans in their win, but outside of those performances, I'd give rookie cornerback Morgan Trent outstanding marks for his play this season. Trent plays with excellent technique and fundamentals and looks to add quality depth to an already solid position for the team. I'm often perplexed at the reasoning “experts” supply when dismissing the Bengals as contenders, but this one stands out to me as simply false.

That being said, if Trent is left one-on-one with Harvin on Sunday, Trent may be the one with a headache. It will be tough for the Bengals to give Trent too much help in coverage because of Minnesota's other quality receivers, Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice. Zimmer will have to spend some extra time in the lab this week cooking up new formulas in hopes of solving this one. Or just hope that those headaches persist. Either way: good luck, Mr. Zimmer.

So there you have it. No wild schemes or over-thinking; just logical conclusions based around statistical evidence. There's no point inventing scenarios where the Bengals unveil a new, high-powered passing attack that produces tons of scoring and yardage. It's also no use thinking that the defense will wilt under the cannon-fire from Favre, Harvin or the rest of the Viking Ship.

We know this team; we've seen them all year.

Vikings 20, Bengals 16


Mojokong---Worry not; there is still much joy to be had in Mudville.

Week 13 Recap: The Sprout Of Doubt

The Cincinnati Bengals completed their ninth win of the season, ensuring them of their second winning season in the last 19 years, but it's been the team's drawbacks that are now forced into the limelight.

It's become an inescapable fact that the offense lacks the passing attack it enjoyed for years in its heyday. Chris Henry's absence has effected the production of Andre Caldwell, and Laveranues Coles continues to look like a man searching for his identity. The Bengals' tight ends may be the least dynamic men in the NFL, and Jeremi Johnson is of little relief to Carson on scrambling check-offs.

That leaves Chad Ochocinco as the team's lone passing threat, and as a result, the Bengals now run a monotonous and predictable offense that has been just good enough to win games. Fans and pundits are concerned with the lack of points and many are convinced that it won't be enough to win in the postseason.

In Cincinnati, worry has replaced elation.

Help might be on the way.

I remember Bob Bratkowski once saying that the game-plans are reevaluated in each quarter of the season. If that remains the case, we might see a shift in the play-calling during the home stretch to the Playoffs.

A good place to start the paradigm shift would be to revitalize the play of Caldwell. I realize that with Henry out, defenses can key on him when he runs underneath routes, but it still seems important to get those intermediate yards, especially on third downs. Early on in the season, Caldwell was instrumental in those come-from-behind wins and was on his way to earning the title "clutch player". Then he faded into obscurity with the rest of the passing game as the Bengals ran and ran and ran and ran.

Caldwell, or someone, has to become a reliable secondary weapon when Carson rolls out and has to improvise. A receiving tight end would be nice; if only they could draft a guy with some speed and good hands. A guy who could line up in the slot and become the safety valve every quarterback needs. Oh wait, the Bengals did draft a player like that, but have yet to play him once this season.

Edtors Note: All the follwing remarks about Chase Coffman are now irrelevent as he was put on IR with bone spurs today, but I didn't want to change the whole article so you'll have to deal with it.

I know that Marvin Lewis and his troop are a stubborn lot, especially this season. He's found a way of winning games doing things his way, so he must know something about running and maintaining his team. But ignoring Chase Coffman's ability to catch when the team could desperately use another play-maker seems like going overboard to prove a point.

Somehow, Daniel Coates dropped another touchdown pass against Detroit. You'd think he would have accidentally caught one by now. J.P. Foschi is okay, but the Bengals passing game needs a charge of energy, a spark, a flicker, anything. While he appears to be a proficient blocker and isn't awful when he goes out for a pass, he doesn't have the spark to light a birthday candle. Coffman does. Coffman can do (to a lesser degree) what Jason Whitten does for the Cowboys' offense. In college he often lined up in the slot and went on to catch more passes in history than any other collegiate tight end. A third-round draft pick was invested in the man; why is he not playing?

I used to defend Marvin's decision of refusing to play Coffman because he couldn't block. A man of his size should be able to keep tacklers at bay to some degree---look at Little Laveranues, or even Chad, of all people, blocking well down field. Blocking is an important attribute on a run-first offense, but that still doesn't excuse refusing to utilize the man's talents; talents that would help out arguably the worst position on the team.

Chris Henry's absence isn't the only one having a negative impact on this offense. Without Bernard Scott last week, the Bengals had no success running to the outside, being dropped for a loss on seven occasions. Cedric Benson was unable to turn the corner on every attempt outside of the tackles. After coming back from a strained hip muscle, it was both surprising and a little concerning that he was given the ball 36 times, especially when he appeared a step slower than he looked before the injury. The repeated runs up the middle could have been shared by a healthy Larry Johnson, but LJ was only used twice. Wearing out the team's best runner as soon as he returns to the line-up makes little sense to me.

Lastly, the penalties are officially out of control. Against the lowliest of foes, the Bengals stacked up a staggering 27 penalties in three games. Out of all the concerns facing this team, this obnoxious, festering penalty issue is the most serious and season-threatening. Self-inflicted harm is ruinous to the most talented of teams; for a group of blue-collard schleps like the Bengals, penalties in big games could easily become their demise. The coaches are to blame for this problem only to a certain extent. Players must show the discipline and focus it takes to play within the rules. They can be taught hand-placement and pre-snap cadence all day in practice, but then they have to actually go out and do it on game-day. Nine penalties a game just won't do.

All of these concerns become more valid after each passing week. So far the defense has been the ultimate neutralizer and the team's salvation. They are a rugged bunch of no-name hombres here to go to work and earn their living. They have kept the Bengals in the thick of things all season and have been fun to watch, but will it be enough? Can they keep it up?

The next two weeks will prove once and for all what we're dealing with from these Cincinnati Bengals. By the time the team returns home to play the Chiefs in Week 16, many of our questions will be answered. These two scenarios, however, seem most likely: the Bengals are either an unimaginative, type-caste team built upon the old-school conventions of defense and the rushing game, or they're a team with many quality parts that can adjust and adapt to win games. Time will tell.

Mojokong---Still a believer nonetheless.

Week 13 Preview: Three Is The Magic Number

Having strayed from the Scarecrow and Tin Man, the cowardly Lions find themselves in Cincinnati this weekend in search of courage and an improbable road win against their fellow felines, the Bengals.

Detroit is banged up, young and just bad at many positions, but the most vulnerable of these many armor chinks resides in their secondary where rookies and castaways are often burned and victimized against opposing passing attacks.

For the many deep-ball junkies lurking around the Bengal Universe, this match-up is the most promising of the remaining schedule to get the fix they so desperately crave. Detroit ranks dead last against the pass and the Bengals have recently appeared off-kilter when going to the air. An emphasis for this week to kick-start Carson Palmer and his passing troop makes perfect sense, but I still don't think it will happen.

Let's, for the moment, make you the Lions defensive coordinator. You watch tape and see how the last two Bengal opponents, both inferior teams like yourself, have kept the score close by completely eliminating Chad Ochocinco on deeper routes. These defenses allowed sizable rushing totals and long third-conversions on crossing routes in the middle, but both times the Bengals were held under 20 points and that's not a bad goal to achieve for a losing team.

Why would you, the Lions' coordinator, do anything differently?

When Chris Henry went down, it eliminated the duel deep threat the Bengals enjoyed within in their game plan. With Henry, defenses would often have to pick their poison on who to double-team on deep routes: Chad or Slim? Andre Caldwell and Laveranues Coles don't scare defenses in that same way and it shows by the meek passing totals the offense has put up in the past month or so.

The Bengals think-tank has settled on a conservative, possession offense that will not succumb to that pestering itch to go deep---even against teams like Detroit.

Instead, they persistently abide by the ancient ethos of taking-what-the-defense-gives-them and that means running in the huge unguarded areas of the field that have been sacrificed in order to protect against the deep ball. It's worked to some degree, but the formula could be challenged with the absence of Bernard Scott who is out with a mild turf toe, which sounds like a weird salsa.

Scott's patient, open-field style of running on the outside provides the perfect compliment to the straight-ahead version of Larry Johnson and the cut-back flavor of Cedric Benson. Without him, Cincinnati will have to work the outside on wide-receiver screens and end-rounds to prevent Detroit from packing the middle and waiting for runs up the gut on early downs. Blocking on the outside and in the open field is an area the offensive line and receivers have excelled in this season. CedBen is good for a pitch to the outside as well, but I wouldn't want to ask him to do too much on his first game back from a muscle strain. Look for LJ to share a significant portion of the running load again this week.

Instead of obsessing over the deep ball, I would like to see Carson and Crew look sharper in the shorter passing game. If the Bengals truly are a ball-control offense then polishing the quick, intermediate throws is necessary to make the push to the Playoffs and beyond. With possession receivers, a West-Coast Offense style of a passing game can work, but the timing and concentration needs to improve from everyone involved, particularly on third down.

That includes an offensive line that has not pass-protected at an acceptable standard against the Raiders or the Browns. The Lions don't have a ferocious pass-rush, but neither did the other bad teams. Carson Palmer's health is kind of a big deal; failing to protect him would ruin everyone's hopes and dreams. Let's not allow that to happen again.

Limiting the penalties is the remaining area of concern this week. Far too many first downs have been negated in the last two games due to holds and illegal procedure calls. The Bengals have been called for 18 penalties in that span and that is the magic ingredient that keeps crappy teams in games. If both sides suffered an abundance of penalties then we could blame the refs, but the opposition has only been called for seven, which translates into the Bengals playing with sloppy technique. It has been hard to criticize the line for most of the year, but their performance has plummeted of late, and has become worrisome.

Defensively the game plan remains the same. The Lions have perhaps the most physically gifted receiver in the league in the large form of Calvin “Megatron” Johnson Jr. If he weren't perpetually nagged by various ailments, including a fitful knee, he would be the perfect prototype for a clone army. The problem in Detroit (okay, one of many problems in Detroit) is that he's the only player teams have to worry about defending.

Sure they have a decent running back in Kevin Smith, but the Bengals snack on running backs like bags of Grippo's, and they quit worrying about stopping the run way back in Week 3. Young Matt Stafford has a rocket-launcher that hangs from his shoulder but the missiles it shoots aren't the honing variety and often times are needlessly intercepted. The Bengals pass rush has been tame of late, but it needs to fluster the rookie quarterback early and often this week. Sacks aren't always necessary, but pressure certainly is.

The loss of Detroit's blue-chip tight end prospect Brandon Pettigrew made the linebackers' and safeties' jobs a lot easier this week. Pettigrew is one of a handful of bright spots that this struggling franchise can build around and he has a great future in the NFL. Sadly however, he and the rest of the team will have to wait until next year. Yet again.

I think the Bengals realize now that there are no “tune-up” games in the regular season. A gnarly road-trip awaits this team after Sunday, and much of January's itinerary will be determined during that crucial stretch. This fact however remains: three more wins equals an AFC North title. A golden opportunity to cut that magic number to two awaits the Bengals this weekend. Pray that they don't lose sight of that.

Bengals 23, Lions 11



Mojokong---at this point, you should be mentally preparing yourself for the Playoff Beard you are going to grow. It's happening, so warn your boss or girlfriend or whoever you have to that once the Bengals clinch, it's happening.

Week 12 Recap: Watching Paint Dry

Sports fans want it both ways; they want their team to win, but they also want to be entertained. Marvin Lewis doesn't care about entertainment. In fact, he'd prefer every game this season to be just like the one against Cleveland: slow, tedious and uneventful, but a victory nonetheless.

The last two weeks have been a bore, with the only excitement coming in the form of a Bengals meltdown in Oakland---not quite the thrill we fans had in mind.

Against such dismal opposition, we expected a demonstration of might and superiority. Instead, it seems like the Bengals are playing with one hand tied behind their backs to make it a fair fight.

The coaching staff continues to experiment on their team, further exploring the question of whether they really need to pass at all to win in the NFL. Tinkering with Larry Johnson has already produced some encouraging results and Marvin looks to have acquired a premium insurance policy on the cheap. Bernard Scott is really becoming snug in his role as a change-up back and, with Cedric Benson's return on the near horizon, this Bengals team is ready to do battle into the snowy winter months.

The recent obsession to bolster the running game feels like an overreaction from all those failed years of relying so heavily on Carson Palmer's arm.

From the outside, it seems the passing game isn't getting its fair share of attention during the week's preparation: Carson was less accurate than in weeks past, pass protection was sloppy and Laveranues Coles still hasn't found a decent rhythm in the Bengal offense. It's possible that introducing LJ to the offense and working him in required more of the coaches' time and took them away from investing much to the passing game. Even if that is the case, it doesn't excuse the offensive line from poorly protecting Palmer on the limited passing plays that were run on Sunday.

The line has earned gobs of well-deserved credit this season and is agreed by most to be a primary reason for the team's turnaround, but they've been shaky the last two weeks and pass rushers are getting to Palmer more than ever. The Bengals were called for 18 penalties in those games---six against the offensive line. Paul Alexander may want to brush up on hand placement and technique with his men this week to cut down on some of those costly holding penalties; those kinds of self-inflicted setbacks will not work against the better teams remaining on the schedule.

On the bright side, the defense continues to establish themselves as one of the best in the league. The defensive line stays in their gaps against the run, and the linebackers and secondary flow to the ball carrier on the outside. I've seen an improvement against the screen pass since the Texans fooled them on multiple occasions, and the corners haven't been beaten deep in many weeks. A skeptic can point to the lack of a consistent pass-rush, but sacks are secondary on this defense to stopping the run and limiting the big play. Mike Zimmer was able to create pressure on Brady Quinn by sending Morgan Trent on corner blitzes---once resulting in a sack---but the front four do a better job of containing a quarterback than they do sacking one.

Another encouraging sign of improvement came from the leg of Shayne Graham. After blowing an easy one in Oakland, Golden Graham nailed a 53-yarder before halftime, proving to doubters like myself that he is capable from 50 or more yards. He did have a kick off roll out of bounds but we'll look the other way on that one in the face of his two key field goals.

I know it's tough to swallow, but winning with field goals is the real objective for this team---touchdowns are bonuses, but not scripted in the game plan. The recipe for Bengal wins is as bland as porridge: run the ball, use clock, play good defense, kick field goals, yawn, win and go to sleep.

Easy as that.

So as you feel underwhelmed with 200 rushing yards and 17 points, try to remind yourself that the Bengals are winning and that was our wish all along. We just wanted to win; it didn't matter how. Remember saying that?

Well, this is it, even if it is just...this.


Mojokong---Careful what you wish for