Week 17 Preview: The Last Dragon

Gravity and balance.  That combination worked against poor Early Doucette on Christmas Eve as he twirled and stumbled his way to a fourth-down incompletion, killing a gift-wrapped comeback against the Bengals.  The same cosmic forces that let the Bengals down against the Texans swung back in their favor this time and reinforced the lesson that anything can happen in this crazy mixed up football league. 

As it is, Cincinnati is back in the sixth slot and only needs to beat one good team to get to the playoffs, and that's how it should be.  You gotta slay at least one dragon along the way to prove you're worthy.  Taking out all the cream puffs is fine, but there aren't many of those lurking where the Bengals are headed.

For Marvin Lewis, this is one of those career-definers.  A win-and-your-in finale is a playoff game, especially against a team whose already clinched but still has something to play for.  Plus Marvin knows this team perhaps better than any other opponent.  He has seen it all against the Baltimore Ravens.  If he enjoys his job, then this week should be fun for him. 

Still, there are concerns in the match-up against the Ravens. 

When San Diego beat Baltimore, they dropped their secondary deep into zone coverage, allowed Ray Rice to catch the ball on dump offs and ran up to tackle him.  They got a nice pass rush from Antwan Barnes that night and overall the scheme worked.  Then Cleveland played a bit more man coverage and found out their linebackers couldn't cover that well.  That scheme didn't work and the Browns lost.

The Bengals secondary is flimsy and must hold up against a quality offense.  The backup-quarterback trio Cincinnati has faced the last three weeks had a little too much comfort and rhythm for my liking.  I thought against Arizona, the secondary got tired thanks to two infuriating fumbles in the fourth quarter.  The old bones of Chris Crocker and Nate Clements must have inwardly groaned each time they watched the ball pop out of Cedric Benson's arms.  Adam Jones is the best remaining corner, but he's not enough, plus the miscommunication with the safeties on zone coverage just can't happen.  Baltimore has a handful of weapons they like to use to gain medium yardage and the Bengals must win on third down if they want to control the game. 

Of course, no pass defense analysis would be complete without the mention of getting pressure on the quarterback.  A healthy and effective Carlos Dunlap boosts this defense into a force rather than just a  serviceable unit.  His presence elevates Michael Johnson's game, and the two become a long-armed sack monster.  These guys mixed in with big Geno Atkins and the rest of the rotation give the Bengals teeth again on defense.  The Ravens passing attack starts out with long drop backs by Joe Flacco.  If he is under center and is passing, he often play-actions to Ray Rice on the stretch hand-off, rolls back into the pocket and looks way down field to either a streaking Torrey Smith or a deep crossing Ed Dickson.      Flacco can run well in a straight line, but he's not likely to juke his way out of danger.  Getting sacks on such deep drops from Flacco can be game-changers themselves.  We have also seen Flacco get rattled by effective pressure—Week 2, 2010 comes to mind—and if he gets knocked down enough, he and the rest of his team might think about packing it in for the playoffs.

The impressive part of the Ravens offense though, is its ability to adapt to different styles of the game.  They have Rice, and then there is Ricky Williams, but when Baltimore has to really go into bruiser mode, it's their fullback who blacks the eyes of his opponents.  Vonta Leach is a fearless man who explodes into potential tacklers.  He obliterates his blocking assignment almost every time, no matter their size.  Last week, you could see the Browns dragging themselves off the ground, wondering what mini-bus just ran them over.    When the Ravens run off-tackle, Manny Lawson and Thomas Howard will have to get very low on Leach to win that battle.  If neither can, it will up to Rey Maualuga and the safeties to rally and make the tackle.  Follow No. 44 when he's in there. 

On offense, the Bengals have to let it loose.  Rather than play not to lose, this is the game to empty the playbook and really keep a dangerous defense in check.  I think teams often play it safe against Baltimore because of their great players, and the Birds get used to the conservative play calling, but this time, Jay Gruden should come out blazing and attack the jugular.

AJ Green is great against anyone, and this week he will likely see a lot of Ladarius Webb.  Green is still the favorite in this match up, but Webb is a play maker that should not be toyed with.  On the other side, though, rookie Jimmy Smith will line up against Jerome Simpson.  The Chargers went after Smith with the lanky Malcolm Floyd and had success throwing in that direction.  Simpson has a similar build and, as demonstrated last week, supreme leaping ability.  Jerome had a pretty monster game in Baltimore earlier this season and could be the x-factor this week. 

If the Bengals are fortunate enough to have a second-half lead, it's important they keep the foot on the gas pedal.  In the last three weeks, one had a sense that the team relaxed and allowed their mentality to become conservative and cautious.  The good teams continue to go at their opponent with the same intensity and tenacity throughout the whole game.  Soft zone coverage with no discernible pass rush is not how champions play.  Back-to-back standard runs of no originality is not the way to keep the lead.  I recognize the importance of field position and time management.  I know that a punt in the fourth quarter with the lead can be a productive play, but that doesn't mean a team should shut down and hope that time runs out. 

Last time I wrote that I didn't think the Bengals would make the postseason based on injury and youth, but the cards—and the Cardinals—stacked up just right to make this thing real and possible.   So now, if the Bengals can get a pass rush, remain aggressive on offense, and ride the wave of the moment, they will prove me wrong.  It can happen.  It should happen.  It will happen. 

Bengals 28, Ravens 17


Mojokong—tackling matters.

Why Dalton is Better Than Palmer

In a word, pocket presence (I guess that's two words). 

 

It seems so long ago when we used to call Palmer elite that I barely remember that player. I recall him moving around better in the pocket and even showing some straight-line speed once he decided to run with it, but all of that seemed to die after Kimo Von Oelhoffen obliterated his knee and destroyed his confidence. Since that fateful moment, Carson has been sacked 130 times and suffered through many injuries and pains. From '06-10, he never gained back the instinctual third eye needed to avoid sacks, turnovers, injury and ultimately losses. Any comfort in the pocket was, and still is, a very tenuous sense of safety for him. When things get hairy, most times his eyes come off the receivers and he goes down for a loss on the play; escape ability is not on his scouting report. 

 

That isn't to say the man is completely devoid of such skills. As hard-edged as we Bengal fans might be toward old No. 9, he is still an adequate NFL quarterback. I think Raider Nation got a little tipsy from the kool-aid when the native son first returned to California—they were positively bathing in the stuff—but his arrival did instill a heavy dose of credibility to Oakland's season once Jason Campbell went down.

Since his donning of a silver helmet, though, Carson has been fair at best. Sure, he's in a new system with new receivers a new offensive line and so on, but watching him play, he's the same quarterback as last year. I think fans on both sides of the trade wondered aloud if the change of scenery would kick-start the magic for him again; if Palmer really was the shackled phoenix waiting for another chance to burn, or just another QB in the later portion of an okay career. He still makes some good throws and occasionally surprises me with his play-making ability, but he also still frequently has his what-were-you-thinking moments and has not yet led his new team to a comfortable position within their division.

On the other hand, the force is strong with Andy Dalton. When the pocket breaks down behind him he can feel it. It isn't something that can be taught—you either have it or you don't—and Red's got it. His calmness has guided an offense through seas that should have been stormier for a rookie Bengal quarterback. His play has been nowhere near perfect—he must improve on his accuracy—but his intangibles are what excites the onlookers. 

 

What I like so much is his balance between playing wily yet careful football. He plays with a backyard style, allowing his instincts to guide him into the right position to make a play, but then if he isn't satisfied with the coverage he sees as he moves around, he lofts the ball out of bounds and lives another day. His game-management skills are more consistent and trustworthy than are Palmer's and he knows his limitations on his throws. 

 

As for his throws, I feel that while Palmer can throw farther, Dalton can throw faster. Dalton's delivery is shorter and he can really zing it on close-range throws. His deep balls are not yet amazing—Jeff Blake remains the best in that category in Bengal lore—but he gets a lot of help by his tall and supremely talented outside receivers (mostly AJ Green) when he just hucks it up there for them. 

 

I also like his leadership skills more. While Carson always said the right things, from the outside, he never seemed to embrace the one-of-the-guys mentality. There was Mike Brown, Marvin Lewis, Carson Palmer and everyone else. The Bengals may have thrust this persona on the guy and demanded he conduct himself as more than just another player, but Dalton goes about his business in a humble and unassuming way. He shrugs off the negative and laughs easily. He's comfortable around large groups of fans; he's big when he needs to be and small when he needs to be, and that's not easy for everyone. The city loves him, the media loves him, and his future is solid gold as of now.

It wouldn't be fair to omit the fact that Dalton is playing under a much more sensible playcaller than what Carson was subjected to for his entire Bengal tenure. Perhaps Jay Gruden could have revived No. 9's career and put up the same kind of wins, but Hue Jackson had a sterling reputation as a playcaller before Palmer arrived. Once Carson was a Raider, Hue said he would install some Bengal stuff in the playbook to ease the transition, but I think that has been part of the problem for CP3. The old Bratkowski way never came to any success, yet Oakland looks like Bengal West with the likes of Palmer, Jackson, Chuck Bresnahan and even T.J. Houshmanzedah. Once Ochocinco hits the market again would anyone be surprised to see him as a Raider? I think Rudi Johnson is available too if they're interested.

When Palmer “retired” and Dalton was drafted, we figured it would take some time to get back to watching a competitive quarterback in Stripes, but the kid dazzled from the get-go. By Week 14, Dalton underwent a winning streak, a losing streak, some squeak-out wins and heartbreak losses. He has displayed a ton of heart, poise and composure, a stronger arm than most had thought, solid mobility, and most importantly, innate pocket presence. 

 

Since Palmer has begun to play football again, he has displayed everything he was last year: a turnover machine who does not excel at improvising and consequently has trouble winning games. 

 

I'll take the ginger, please.

Mojokong—and I still can't believe what they traded for him.

Third-Quarter Report: Grounded

No one said it'd be easy. The AFC North is unbearable to most. The defenses will scare you. Baltimore is a meat grinder. Pittsburgh is a street fight with chains. To hang in those kind of circles, Cincinnati had to be ruthless and bloodthirsty themselves, but each time against the big dogs, they flinched first and took their respective wallops. Had it not been for the heroics of AJ Green when it mattered most against Cleveland, many would be cashing in their Bengal chips right about now. Meddle was tested, lessons were learned. The measuring stick was brutal within the four-game divisional stretch and firmly established the respective roles of the pack. For now, the Bengals are still the “somedays”.

Because the Bengals accomplished two honorable comebacks against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, we fans all agreed with one another that it proved our team was only a play or two away from actually beating the bastards, but then the Steelers squashed them like bug in the rematch and forced that tired but justified yelling of uncle once more. Oh, the frustration.

And they aren't a bad team. They really are close to shoving divisional fixtures out of the way. Even during a rough patch, the characters on this team have remained calm. The program still appears sound despite a rash of losing. I'm still impressed.

The offense struggled, but not mightily, during the last four games. Their scheme is present—you can see how the pieces are supposed to work—but the group as a whole are not locked into place. Jay Gruden, Andy Dalton, the line and the receivers are still working on attaining perfect harmony—and it may never happen—but at least good philosophy is in place. That kind of conceptual foundation allows for logical adjustments within play-calling and style of offense. The Bengals have to view this past quarter as a minor failure on the type of tweaks they made, but the smaller successes of incorporating Baby Hawk and increasing Jermaine Gresham's presence could set up a much better December.

Hawk looks like a terrific slot receiver. He's quick, apparently runs good routes, and has been reliable as hell. Dalton likes him and I like him, especially on third down. Gresham is shaping up to be the bruiser we envisioned on draft day. He boxes out on passes and goes up strong to get catches. A grown-ass man. Then there is the skyrocket, AJ Green. This man is truly outta sight with the things he can do, but his best ability is to set his feet, leap above everyone else, comfortably come down with the ball and casually turn up field for YAC. He has already become one of the biggest deep-threats in the league and has also shown the ability to catch the slant in traffic. The superlatives are endless with this one and his potential is as vast as space itself, but to be fair, it was his false start in Pittsburgh that erased a touchdown and doomed the Stripes from there on out in that game. Finally, something he can improve on.

Jerome Simpson, though, is still not focused enough to be great or even all that reliable. His wild inconsistencies continue to frustrate me and he is a better blocker than anything else. He had a nice game in Baltimore when Green was out, but he is the fourth option at best on this team.

Overall the offense was competitive enough to win three outta four games this past stretch. And while special teams shit the bed in that stinker in Pitt, it has been the defense that has been the biggest letdown.

I don't want to be too rough on these guys. They are hard workers who do the best they can. I just don't think their best is good enough sometimes. Zim had these guys mobbing to the ball on every carry. Players were wrapping up and gang tackles were a regular occurrence. Early on, life was good, but without Carlos Dunlap, they've lacked the teeth necessary to enter into the tough-guy defense conversation. His absence is sharp and losing starting corners has only compounded the issue. Aside from the motor-head Geno Atkins, the vaunted front-four rotation of the Bengals looks tame and average again and it must improve in the last quarter of the season for the Bengals to have meaningful success in January.

I sense the team is getting tired and that's no good if I'm right. Tackling in the cold is a decision not an instinct. There are parts of a linebacker's brain that questions the motive of tackling in the cold. Your hands hurt, your knees don't want to move but you have to bring down this running back that just won't stop. With the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can't practice with pads this late in the season, so you can't really work on tackling throughout the week. Whether this preserves players or softens them up is a valid debate as bad tackling has cropped up recently in many cities. If fatigue does play a part in this discussion of tackling, then three home games in the last quarter can only help. Either way, tackling is basic and necessary and Cincinnati doesn't have the offensive prowess to afford arm flails and body bumps.

As a whole, it was a bad stretch but not a back-breaker. The odds of a divisional sweep weren't good this year and a couple of losses were expected, but the execution faltered from games 9-12. I won't go as far to say that the Bengals beat themselves, but I will say they didn't help their own cause in big games. If this team can put together a surge of smart, clean play like they demonstrated earlier this season, they will be fine. They have a few cupcakes left on the schedule and winding up in the postseason is still very real as they remain in the drivers seat of a wild-card birth, but improvements must be made in all three phases, as well as adjusting to injuries better, in order to roll into the playoff party this year.

There are two sides to the mini-wheat on this one for me. The fan in me thinks the Who-Deys will rally strong, buck up and be tough, and roll over these clowns to finish out the year, but the analyst in me sees youth, fatigue and injury eating away at a playoff season. The Bengals making it defies conventional thinking and not because of the franchise: a rookie quarterback on a team missing key defensive stars in an impossible division while battling four other wild-card teams with the same record typically translates to a letdown. So there you have it. Boldly spelled out in writing.

I don't think the Bengals will make the playoffs, but will hope like hell that they do.

Mojokong—blacked out.

Weapon Development

I used to think that good scheme and inventive playcalling could overcome a lack of talent. I remember banging the drum in 2009, saying the Bengals could win without Chris Henry—that the other guys would step it up. That didn't happen. True, it wasn't the most impressive coaching displays late that season by the offensive coordinator, but ultimately, it came down to simply not having the guns to move forward in the playoffs.

Last week against Pittsburgh, after AJ Green left the field, it felt that same way. Caldwell, Baby Hawk, and Jerome Simpson did not strike any kind of fear in the hearts of the Steeler defense. The timing went away, the routes became more round, and miscommunication set in like the ghost of Carson Palmer. It's amazing to think that by removing just one receiver from the game plan, the whole equation of success breaks down. Yet that is what happened in 2009 when Henry broke his arm and later died, and again in a much smaller dose last week in the second half when Green tweaked his knee.

The good news is that Green is going to be okay. Nothing tore in that precious knee of his and although the team will treat him delicately, his return is imminent if not for this week then for next. However, it seems logical on the part of the Bengals coaching staff to prepare the secondary-role players for more of a spotlight part should the team be in the same precarious situation again. Can anyone within their current receiving corps step up and at least act like a number one wideout, or must the group as a whole equally elevate their game to allow for further success? And even with Green on the field, can the others get better throughout the second half of the season?

Jay Gruden will have a heavy say in answering these questions. He must continue to change the shape of the offensive scheme week in and week out in order for the Bengals offense to remain fresh and unpredictable. I sensed more predictability in the playcalling last week than at any other point so far this year, but I also expected this as Dalton had yet to cut his teeth on the Steeler defense. I just knew that Marvin would want safe plays with lots of running and power formations and try to win with the kicking game—to protect Andy Dalton as much as he could. But once Green left the game, the talent level plummeted and training wheels were attached to the offensive scheme. It went beyond safe; it became mostly harmless.

The defense is a different animal altogether. It too lost a figurehead on their side of the ball in Leon Hall, but still kept it together enough to give the team multiple chances to tie things up late in the game. Steeler wide out Antonio Brown appeared impossible to guard in the short term—and I was worried—but the remaining corners got their act together and made winning possible in the end.

There were a lot of good things that came out of this game for the Bengals. The offensive line pass protected very well, Dalton displayed his tremendous pocket presence and many times threw the ball out of bounds rather than take a sack or force a pass into coverage. The defense put good pressure on Big Ben and kept the Steelers ground game to a minimal. Penalties were low and there was really just one bad turnover in the game (the deflected pass for the first interception gets chalked up to the “stuff happens” category). The national perception of this game is that it was an impressive loss for the Stripes and that they proved they could at least compete with the other divisional big dogs, and they did so after losing a couple of key pieces in the process. Nonetheless, the passing game looked weak without Green and future opponents are likely to take note of that and gameplan accordingly. If I were a defense, I would rather Jerome Simpson beat me then the high-caliber rookie.

The running game has proven to still be necessary in this pass-happy world, but throwing effectively will always be the quickest way out of trouble. Dalton and crew were modestly effective in the first half of the season but the unit will have to improve, not just remain average. I feel we all know what Caldwell brings to the table—he's consistently alright—but Simpson continues to be a frustrating wild card. He looks like a receiver, he runs well, but he drops way too many passes and he just can't put it altogether. I would rather have a less talented but more reliable player than an all-or-nothing guy catching the ball. Hawkins is a nice, jukey little player but doesn't seem to have the tools of an every-down number-two receiver. Gresham, of course, is the next best pass-catcher behind Green, but his role on this team isn't of the ariel-threat variety. Yes, he is an intriguing red-zone target, and is a tough runner with the ball in his hands, but he isn't much of a focal point to this offense the way Jason Witten is to his scheme, for example. Gresham has blocked a lot and hasn't been able to stretch the field much, yet both Donald Lee and Colin Cochart have had explosive plays the last few weeks—it's odd.

I'm not advocating panic in regards to the passing game; I'm only pointing out how the talent that does exist there, needs to get significantly better for the Bengals to win against the best teams. I think this is a well-coached team who will make the necessary developments to succeed and very possibly make the playoffs. Marvin spoke this week about the need to stay creative offensively and to not become predictable, so we at least know he is aware of the concern as well. The next few weeks are against familiar foes who seem much more beatable than perhaps many others would suggest. The Ravens and Steerlers II are games the Bengals should win if they're a team on the rise but they cannot settle for average performances if that is to happen; they have to learn to elevate their games in the face of difficulty and uncertainty no matter who is playing and who is injured.

Rise to the top. Surpass the limitations.

Mojokong—where is my coat?

Second-Quarter Report: Discipline

My, what an October it was!  Shortly after halftime in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, the Bengals decided they weren't gonna dress up as a bad team for Halloween this year.  They were going as playoff contenders and divisional threats and no one could convince them otherwise.  So they started to play the part.

First off was the thrilling comeback against Buffalo orchestrated by the cool and collected carrot-top, Andy Dalton. Then the schedule took a right on Easy Street, and the Stripes shoveled their way through three more wins over Jax, Indy and Seattle.  Suddenly all the doom predicted in the preseason looked totally baseless, and the Bengals stood up high among the oaks of the AFC at 5-2. 

Once Halloween passed, the Bengals still refused to take off their costume and return to their normal selves.  A crucial road game against a lingering Titans team formed on the horizon and served as the best test since Buffalo.  The going got tough in the first half.  The defense softened, the offense sputtered and the team once more found themselves down by two scores coming out at halftime.

This stretch of five wins in a row is nicely bracketed thus far by two impressive displays of effective halftime adjustments.  Unlike the Bills game, the Bengals comeback in Tennessee wasn't all that surprising.  The defense put on the clamps, Woody Dalton got in a groove and the rest is history.  It wasn't a blowout, but it really wasn't all that close either. 

This team doesn't know any better.  Never have I seen such a focused team under Marvin Lewis.  They're quiet, unassuming winners who seem to believe in themselves, each other, and the system as a whole.  You can see Marvin's personality bleed through to his players.  The egos are minimal; these men are workers. 

A lot of that stems from discipline.  On defense, the gap-discipline against the run game is topnotch.  The front four stay in their gaps, the linebackers flow to the football, and gobs of tacklers are constantly swarming around ball carriers.  The tremendous depth along their defensive line allows for a constant wave of fresh, large bodies, and the whole defense appears very well conditioned right now.  Many other teams have complained about how the lockout has produced poor tackling, but the Bengals have had no such problems.  They are a very good tackling team.  They are strong and immovable and each player has been impressive by sticking to their own individual tasks rather than playing outside of the scheme. 

Mike Zimmer continues to make a name for himself in this league by not only crafting excellent game plans, but also crafting die-hard relationships with his players; these guys would jump off cliffs for Zim.  Their discipline not only physically, but also mentally, has kept Cincinnati from blowing games late.  Defensive penalties is the secret ingredient to a bad loss.  The lack of them has allowed the Bengals to beat the teams they should.

The discipline is evident on the offensive side of the ball as well.  Jay Gruden's scheme has the signature element every effective game plan needs: when starters go down, the offense produces just as well with backups.  Mike McCarthy did it last year with the Packers and they did okay.  The Patriots have done it for years, even without Tom Brady.  Good offenses adjust and carry on undeterred by injury.  A nice side effect of that is that backups get more productive experience and become better players and eventually even starters.  Gruden's scheme isn't as complicated as other coordinators around the NFL, but, to me, that's the beauty of it. 

We Bengal fans were subjected to a needlessly sophisticated scheme for years with Bob Bratkowski.  It probably illuminated upon the chalkboard when he wrote it up, but in reality, it confused the players and the team lost games as a result.  With Gruden, everyone knows the plays well and the difference has shown up in the wins column.  It's a modest scheme that, for the most part, is based around conventional tried-and-true football philosophy.  The coaching discipline to make the right call rather than the brilliant one, and the player discipline to avoid turnovers and penalties, has allowed Marvin to play his coveted field-position game and win with good defense and Mike Nugent. 

Gruden and Dalton came into this thing tied at the cerebral cortex and are now on the same frequency when it matters the most.  Look around the league at the truly great offenses, and most times you find a strong mental bond between quarterback and play-caller.  Woody has shown himself to be an intelligent, able-armed QB with excellent pocket presence and decent mobility.  I think Gruden will continue to protect him as much as he can with a good amount of run plays, heavy power-formations with extra blockers and a ball-controlling short passing game.  Gruden will have to install some new stuff along the way to avoid blatant predictability, but I think the character of this offense has already been defined as a safe and disciplined one.

Overall, it's damn-near impossible not to be impressed by the second-quarter of the Bengals season.  Sure, we can nitpick about the easy schedule, but Cincinnati was supposed to be bad too, remember?  If you aren't daring enough to call them a playoff contender yet, fine, but at least we can all agree that they're good enough to wear the costume for a while longer.  This upcoming stretch of divisional games is like a dark and scary country road straight outta Scooby-Doo, and the Mystery Machine may take a wrong turn at some point, but if the Bengals remain this disciplined and the scheme continues to be fully understood by the players, I think they will come out just fine.


Mojokong—simply sterling.

In Defense of Terrell Owens

This guy can't play?

Terrell Owens is back in the news for no good reason, really; he wants to play in the NFL but nobody wants him. I would say there are tens of millions of people in the same situation

The weird part though, is that TO can actually play football but experts claim it's his attitude that is earning him the cold shoulder. I thought his attitude with a struggling Bengals team was fine last year. I don't remember hearing anything about tantrums or that he became the infamous locker room “cancer” he's been labeled elsewhere. It may not have been a healthy locker-room culture, but I attribute that more to frustrated veterans dealing with a letdown of a season rather than purely the presence of Terrell Owens.

TO works hard and stays in shape. Yes, he's old and coming off of knee surgery but I think he's getting a raw deal for the wrong reasons by the rest of the league. Why shouldn't the Titans be interested in him? They want Hasselback to throw more vertically, they're not satisfied with the receivers they've filled in for the injured Kenny Britt, and TO is that kind of receiver to fit into that kind of offense.

If they're worried about TO dropping balls, breaking off his routes, and shying away from dangerous hits, then they have a valid point. TO the player seemed more frustrating than TO the teammate last season. He put up big numbers and at times was sort of dominant, but he and Carson never got on the same page and the two persisted that way all season long. I attribute a great deal of this to the reason why the Bengals collapsed and died after suffering through a ten-game losing streak in 2010. The former Bengals play-caller, Bob Bratkowski, forced TO into the action too much last year; Even Terrell Owens himself had to question the play-calling even though it benefited him the most. The problem with Owens was this: the Bengals didn't need him, but when they brought him in anyway, they used him in the wrong role.

Just in it for the Super Bowl party.

A good comparison of a similar situation handled differently is his buddy and former teammate, Mr. Ochocinco in New England. The Patriots already have their star in Wes Welker, a young tight end (or two), and some complimentary role players. They've tried working Chad in slowly with little success, but the rest of the offense hums along without any problems. TO signed when the Bengals already had their star in Ocho, had a young tight end, and some complimentary role players. The Bengals threw a ton of passes to No. 81 and went all in on the success of the new guy with a big name and lost. I bet if the Patriots threw at Chad all the time, his numbers would obviously be better, but that seamless design of an offense would run less efficiently and Brady would have to force passes to Ocho that contradict common sense. Instead, they either can use him more later in the season as they adjust their offensive scheme, or just continue to largely ignore him and win more games. Either way, TO, like Chad is now, should have either been a compliment or a non-factor—not a focal point. If there is another team in TO's future, they would be wise to keep this in mind.

I can't imagine TO demanding a ton of money. If his knee can hold up, he could really help a team like the Titans, and if not, the risk is low. Tennessee offense reeks of atrophy and decay right now. Their running game is uncharacteristically nonexistent, their receivers seem to get worse every week and Britt isn't coming back this season. They're in the thick of things in a soft AFC South and are too relevant to let the offense grind to a halt. I won't say they need TO, but I think they could really use him.

TO has done a lot of regrettable stuff in his life and he burns under the hot gaze of the media microscope. We've seen him range all across the emotional spectrum from explosions of anger to weeping over his quarterback. He damn sure ain't perfect, but to say that he is unable to play football like a professional seems unfounded after a rather docile 2010. I still think it's a non-story that he hasn't signed, but the reasons as to why that is are off-base and almost unfair.

Mojokong—get your pop-rocks ready.

Everything Has Its Price

Carson Palmer took the warm weather with him back to his native land of California as he was mercifully traded by The Tyrant to the Oakland Raiders earlier this week. It's been rainy and crappy here ever since, yet spirits are high within the Bengal fan base.

The Golden Boy quarterback famously quit on the Bengals after a 2010 season that burned and crashed like a German zeppelin within Paul Brown Stadium. Palmer could not soldier on and remain the company man that he so expertly fulfilled for eight long years. He felt unloved and frustrated with those around him in the end. Fans threw garbage in his front yard. He didn't want $50 million dollars if it meant one more day with the Bengals. “Keep it,” he said.

Then, on the other side, you had Big Daddy Brown with his arms folded across his belly and his bottom lip sticking out, turned rigidly away from Palmer's direction. MB wasn't going to pander to a crybaby's wishes. The star player made a deal, signed a contract and had to fulfill his promise. That's the law; that's America. If he caved to his premier guy—his face-of-the-franchise—then everyone down to the long-snapper would try to muscle him around. No sir, he simply wasn't going to get rid of Carson Palmer so that he could prove a valuable point to the world: Mike Brown will not be strong-armed. So that was that; Carson would remain retired, and life would carry on without him. No offer would change The Tyrant's mind.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles West, another quarterback dropped back to pass, scrambled out of the pocket and dove forward, stretching the ball out just short of a first down. As he struck the earth, his right collarbone gave way under gravity's pressure and snapped, rendering the big man's throwing arm useless for many weeks. After the game—a win for the Raiders—Oakland found itself with a 4-2 record but without a capable QB. Their beloved patriarch, Al Davis, had passed away the week before, and there was pressure within the organization to just win now, baby.

The skull-phone rang in The Tyrants chamber and echoed off the stainless steel walls of his bomb-shelter office. He picked up the head and listened to his former employer, Hue Jackson, beg him for his forlorn QB. The offer that could not be refused was made. One and possibly two treasured first-round picks for a player no Bengal fan wanted in Cincinnati anymore; there was nothing to think about.

Of course, when discussing the Bengals general manager, one has to think back to the alleged Washington Redskins offer for Mr. Ochocinco in 2008, when the famed mouth tried publicly campaigning for an escape from Cincinnati. Brown refused two first-round picks then, and was burned once more when that information became public.

This time, though, he hung up the skull having made a deal. He made the right decision, but, as mentioned, it was a no-brainer. The fact that we Bengals fans feel good that our GM didn't do the stupid thing again and allow his stubbornness to foil sealing such a terrific deal, speaks to the character of the guy making these decisions. The man writing the checks and the man collecting the talent should be two different men, otherwise the business is subject to bias and emotion that can ruin good decision making. But not this time, thank God.

Yet, rather than focus more on the bad, I'd like to cheer things up and look at how everyone involved in this new arrangement is simply thrilled.

First off is the man himself, Carson Palmer, now dressed in the best uniform in football and back in the time-zone he was born into. He now has a tremendous play-caller, an abundance of pure speed in his receiving corps and an out-of-this-world running back to play with. He has a new fan base that now love him, his old Heisman number, and a new lease on life. This is the breath of fresh air that old No. 9 was gasping for, this is what will make him happy.

Then there are the Raider fans. They are fueled with excitement and optimism with the return of their California native son. They felt they were Super Bowl contenders with Jason Campbell, and now they feel even more so with Carson. In fact, I've always considered the two to be comparable quarterbacks in their style and size, and Hue Jackson won't have to change much of his scheme due to their similarities. If the Raiders do make a playoff run and wind up in the AFC Championship, the 2013 pick the Raiders traded to the Bengals materializes into another first-round pick in the deal, and once more, everyone wins.

Finally, are the Bengals. With their new premium picks, they can beef up a brimming stockpile of quality young talent that looks promising and exciting thus far. With two first-rounders in the next two drafts, the Bengals can lock up areas for years to come and really help themselves to a bright future. Even Woody Dalton should feel better having no longer to think about a Carson Palmer appearance in the Bengals locker room anymore, and Marvin Lewis won't have to answer more questions about a topic he doesn't like talking about. We Bengals fans get to put to rest the tired saga of Carson Palmer, and can rally behind our own 4-2 record.

Yes sir, this is a fine day for football and a damn interesting turn in the story of the Bengals. It marks a distinct and clear-cut chapter break that begins anew with the Woody Dalton era. The Carson Palmer segment of Bengal history is over but leaves us with a moral: take nothing at face value. 

Mojokong—so long and thanks for all the picks. 

First-Quarter Report

How strange all this has been. After the Bengals lost their twelfth game in the finale in Baltimore last season, we all feared another prolonged drought of winning football in Cincinnati. Yet only four regular-season games later, we're feeling much better about things. The weird part though, is that this team should not be this competitive. When the star quarterback and star receivers and star corner all pack up and move on, there is supposed to be some fallout, but this team is better than the 2010 version despite its inexperience and youth. How could this be?

Change

Naturally, we can point to what's different from then. Last week on TV, I saw Matt Ryan sitting on the bench and talking with his quarterbacks coach. Seeing that coach felt like seeing a floating apparition of a distant grandparent in a creepy attic. It was Bob Bratkowski himself; he might as well have been wearing chains and a bed sheet.

Removing such a failed philosopher from the field was the smartest decision The Tyrant has made in years. I'm still convinced that he didn't wanna do it, but had to save his own head. Brat was tossed to the bloodthirsty mob and a ray of sunshine poked through the black clouds above. It was a start to better days ahead.

His replacement, Jay Gruden, has brought a sense of simplicity to this offense. Some may view such an approach as too basic and easily thwarted, but I've always thought that football is a simple game often made needlessly complicated by strategy-crazy coaches. Besides, when building anything new, a basic framework must be put in place before any stylish décor can be applied. The west-coast skeleton of play-calling Gruden has displayed thus far makes a lot of sense while employing his young personnel. Some fans are already frustrated with the limited variety of plays called, but I'm confident that more wrinkles will become exposed along the way. The best offenses adjust from one phase to the next over the course of the season. The inability to do just that was perhaps the fatal flaw in Bratkowski's tenure here. As Gruden learns more about his players, I think he will expand the playbook and keep defenses one step behind along the way. At least that's the hope.

Then there is the new quarterback, Andy “Woody” Dalton. It seemed people were eager to point out the negatives with this kid. His arm's weak, he's not that big, he's got orange hair, but a lot of that has quieted after an impressive start to his pro career. While he still makes the natural mistakes the learning curve demands, he also shows the occasional glimpse of greatness.

Last week against Buffalo he found himself down by seven in the fourth quarter around midfield. On a pass play, he was flushed from the pocket, rolled out to his right, and hurled a wild pass down field that looked destined to sail into the sidelines for an incompletion. But then, out of nowhere, Jermaine Gresham appeared out of nowhere and pulled the pass in along the sideline, dragging both feet in bounds behind him. A few plays later, Woody shuffled into the endzone untouched on a quarterback draw for the game-tying touchdown. The Bengals came from behind to win that game and handed the Bills their first loss of the season. Dalton's early legacy evened out after a bad game in Week 3. Skeptics remain impressed, for now.

The other budding young supernova is AJ Green. Green's talent and potential is high-grade stuff and its effect when consumed is intoxicating and euphoric. Watching this guy haul in deep passes and sideline snags gives me the goosebumps. He still hasn't put it all together to truly take over the league, but it's coming, don't worry. Throw in Gresham's strength, hands and bar-brawling toughness and you have a premium passing attack to build around for seemingly ages (more on that later).

Changes defensively have made all the difference as well. The change that has had the biggest effect isn't a new free agent or draft pick but rather simply moving a player over a little on the field. Putting Rey Maualuga at middle linebacker jerked this defense to life like putting defibrillator paddles on a struggling heart. Dhani Jones used to wait on tackles; Rey goes and gets them. Sure he sometimes plugs the wrong running lane and he gets a little overly commando on his tackling technique, but he's making offenses—especially running backs—account for where he is at all times. On Monday morning sitting in their ice bath, running backs feel Rey Maualuga.

Let's not forget the new outside backers, Thomas Howard and Manny Lawson. Both have been pleasant surprises at their position and Howard's down field pass coverage has been most impressive. With the linebackers playing so well together, one has to wonder where Keith Rivers will fit in once he returns from injury. Perhaps Rivers will become more of a spot player that sees twenty snaps a game. Of course, such a violent position lends itself to injury and having Rivers as depth certainly can't hurt, but anointing him a starter again as soon as he's activated may not be the wisest of moves.

The secondary has not been the weak link as feared either. While Nate Clements isn't necessarily of all-pro caliber, he plays with a nice chip on his shoulder and isn't allowing huge plays against him all the time. Reggie Nelson has hit full stride under the Zimmer D, even becoming the hard-hitting safety Zim covets. I remember when Nelson was knocked for his tackling, now he's the one doing the knocking. This underrated performer has shown up on numerous situations this season with some grindstone type of play. Even Chris Crocker is keeping his age and slowness to a minimal. Leon Hall is an unchanging professional. You know what you're getting from Leon, and that's consistent quality play.

The defensive line is young and exciting as well. Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins are steadily improving into the stars they can become. Michael Johnson appears more disciplined and is finally utilizing his extreme athletic ability to its fullest. Domata Peko gets low on running downs and is back to smiling a lot these days. The biggest difference on this year's line though, is the return of Jonathan Fanene. While not putting up huge numbers or getting loads of sacks, Fanene's high motor shines through on game days. He's one tough hombre that takes his work seriously and has the physical characteristics of a Hell's Angel. Mix in the wily Frostee Rucker playing healthy and hard, and suddenly this no-name defense looks tough again. Zimmer's henchman are back and forcing punts to the fullest.

Consistency

Not everything has changed though. Still up in his lair, The Tyrant leers over his empty stadium and stuffs Burger King into his rich pie hole. He whips his secretaries and feeds living squirrels to his many doberman pinchers that sleep around his throne made of gold and human bone. He remains a blithering miser only intent on satisfying himself rather than the community that is stuck with his sorry ass.

One would think that a coach would want to keep a safe distance from a such a moral train wreck but Marvin Lewis signed up for more. The reasons aren't known to any of us. Maybe Marv likes the challenge of winning in the North Korea of the NFL. Maybe he enjoys the job security that comes with coaching the Bengals; you can lose and actually keep your job in Cincinnati. Or maybe, just maybe, Mike Brown isn't as bad as I make him out to be, but I doubt it.

The reason doesn't matter. Marvin is still here even if all the other listed components aren't, and, although I was dubious at first, I think that's a good thing. He's done this for a while. He knows how the league works, and you can see his logic come through on many personnel decisions. His in-game decisions have been fairly criticized, frustrating the hell out of us in the process, but what he lacks as a game-manager, he makes up for as an actual player-developer. If you think about Marvin Lewis working in a more reasonable organization it wouldn't be that far-fetched to picture him at least making it to the Super Bowl by now.

I also get the sense that Marvin is more confident these days. He slipped up to the media after Week 3 when he told reporters that they would be 2-2 after playing the Bills, but I thought that whole thing was overblown. However, in other press conferences, Marvin has the tone of a person who isn't worried about his team anymore. He knows they will make some mistakes and he's okay with certain kinds of them, but he seems relaxed about the direction these youngsters are moving toward. I feel that, with all the changes made, he gets to start over with this team, only this time he's wiser and more experienced; why not be confident? The players are buying into his system because he knows exactly how it's supposed to look and operate and everybody feels better surrounded by certainty.

Trends

The NFL doesn't have time to wait on players to slowly develop anymore. It becomes a younger league every season and teams need the most out of every player activated on Sundays. Last year, Green Bay overcame a tidal wave of key injuries to still win the damn Super Bowl. A young team can become a legitimate contender in two years these days with good player development, solid preparation and a smart scheme. A well-informed, hard-working team can beat an athletic undisciplined one more often than not in today's league. In fact, this team reminds me a lot of the 2003 team—Marvin's first—with Woody Dalton doing his best Jon Kitna impression. That team was supposed to be awful, but they really hit their stride in mid-season and actually sniffed around for a playoff spot before flaming out in the last two games. That was the season that propelled the franchise back to legitimacy, and was the most fun I've ever had as a Bengal fan. This team is younger than that one was, has better prospects across the board and doesn't care about being noticed by the national media. This year could be fun too.

The other reason the Bengals are more competitive than expected is because they have shown that they can be an effective passing team. The league is all about passing right now and the teams who aren't up to snuff are struggling the most. Dalton hasn't been lighting up per se, but slinging it around in crazy comeback attempts has given everybody in stripes confidence and the opposition concern. So far, Benson and the run game have been good, but if the passing game falters and the Bengals are forced to rely almost exclusively on the run, panic will set in and the season will crumble. No worries though, I think the youngsters in the passing game will only get better and avoid planting any seeds of doubt for some time. That, in turn, will help the running game blossom even more, and an offensive utopia will be born. How's that for optimism?

So there you have it. The first quarter of 2011 has been a pleasant surprise that has fueled the Bengal fan base with a dose of much-needed hope and entertainment. While the stench of Mr. Brown is still heavy and gross, the other stuff is cool and we can just focus on that instead. There are sour-heads out there that will say a 2-2 record sucks against such blasé competition, but I ignore them too. The Bengals are supposed to be among the bad teams as well, but so far they aren't. If this thing can stick around the .500 pace, this season will be memorable indeed.

Mojokong—giving you the answers.

Mojokong Lives!

When I left, I walked a great distance into the wilderness. It was either hot or cold and rarely pleasant out there. I sometimes heard sounds behind me but then I quickened my pace and felt safe again. I came upon a dessert canyon and camped atop a cliff along the ridge. I allowed myself to relax there. No greenery could be seen anywhere, no real observable life at all. Just rocks and dust. Finally, I felt I had escaped. This new terrain was my future now. This brave new world. Then, behind me, the sound of foot on gravel became louder as the thing approached—it had tracked me! I had no more space to move, nowhere to flee; it was face it or jump. I stood up, turned to it and looked it in its eye. A feeling of resignation and something like defeat entered into my conscious. The Bengals had found me once again.

So here we are. Me in front of lettered keys, you staring into an LCD screen, and the Bengals milling about like old inhabitants of a refugee camp. A nomadic peoples, starved of resource and given just enough attention not to die. Their story goes on, even if it seems unchanging, and it is me, the chronicler, who must see it through to either my end or theirs.

When we last spoke, nothing felt good. The entire 2010 campaign could accurately be summed up in a single crisp profanity. A dead, bloating corpse of a franchise was poked with a stick and rolled lamely into a nearby pond. The result: a 4-12 record, the career suicide of the franchise quarterback, and a fan base that either frothed with venomous hatred or laughed with self-protected indifference. The whole thing stank and garbage day was eagerly anticipated.

That garbage truck came in the form of the NFL Draft when a breeze of fresh air wafted into the dank quarters of Paul Brown Stadium. Here was A.J. Green. A lanky, super-quick receiver cut from the cloth of Randy Moss. Like that little guy, Willow, once said, “This child is special!”, and it has already begun to show. After a quiet first game, Green exploded in Week 2, highlighted by an incredible touchdown catch in the north end zone of Mile-High Stadium. The boy is hard to guard and aimed to maim and has more potential than any receiver a striped helmet has ever known.

Then in round-two, a carrot-topped, baby-faced gunslinger named Andy Dalton appeared on the list of Bengal draftees and selected jersey number fourteen to wear on Sundays. There was a lot of reservation and concern that swirled around this Horned Frog and it wasn't until Week 3 of the preseason that I myself was sold. As most expected, he has not preformed like an All-Pro oak tree but rather like a budding sapling, often in an awkward phase of its development. But the kid's got moxie. My favorite moment of Dalton's career thus far was seeing him rally his troops on the sideline after a crucial dropped pass that could have put the Bengals in the driver seat toward a win in Week 2. There is a certain humble optimism about Andy Dalton that reminds me of Woody from Toy Story. In fact, rather than the phallic nickname of Red Rocket or whatever it is people are calling him, I choose a different phallic nickname of Woody. Woody Dalton, not bad.

Since 009 decided to turn in his gun and badge and lay around on the beaches of California for the rest of his life, Woody literally became the new sheriff in town. He started out with a great new receiver, a promising blue-chip prospect at tight end, and most importantly, a new play-caller. The mere mention of offensive coordinator Jay Gruden's predecessor, forms an angry storm cloud above my head, so we will resist saying his name and agree we understand who I mean. That guy was finally served his walking papers after far too many seasons of miserable job performance, and was replaced with a bright young coach who actually makes sense when calling plays (*gasp*). Gruden's system is rhythmic and adjustable and even has pockets of effective tricks mixed in. With such vast inexperience on his side of the ball, execution hasn't always been there for him (2 for 21 on third down in the last two games) and I don't always agree with every play called, but to see multiple instances of actual coaching sanity in games is a nice change of pace from the last guy.

This is the new regime on offense. It's not pretty yet—it's clay before the kiln—but these underdogs are fun to root for and easy to forgive.

Not everything has come up roses, however. While the players and coaches come and go the owner stays the same and as I have exhaustively detailed in previous ramblings, the man is bad for the world. To rail on him some more would be like digging the horse up from its grave and giving it a kick, so I will spare us all, but until he either begins to experiment with hallucinogenics, has his team forcibly removed from him, or mercifully dies, there will be no overarching success and will remain the blight of our fair city.

Sadly, even with the new positives cropping up within the organization, the bad press deservedly continues to roll in like the high tide. The local populace has collectively denounced the villainous owner and home games have been only two-thirds full, making the fan response a national story. Many Bengal fans echo the mantra that they support the team but not the owner and would rather do everything in their power not to give the Bengals any of their money. It's an unfortunate conundrum to like the players but despise the owner, yet that is the reality in Cincinnati. As a result, I expect only the Steelers game to be televised locally in 2011. C'est la vie.

Then, of course, are the arrests and suspensions—seemingly a staple in the diet of Bengal players. Already two Bengals have been issued suspensions—Bobbie Williams for 'roids and Cedric Benson for dispensing knuckle sandwiches in Texas—and another, Jerome Simpson, had six pounds of dope removed from his house. Six pounds. Pac Man Jones was nabbed in the offseason for getting rowdy at a Downtown nightclub, but his neck has yet to heal and he's too irrelevant for the league to suspend or even bother with at the moment.

Then there is Carson Palmer. Many might boo him if they saw him, but the guy put up with a mountain range of shit while in Cincinnati. Sure, he was paid obscene amounts of money to nod his head and say everything was great with the Bengals, but he was living a lie and bailed on $50 million out of principle. No other player was as inside as No. 9, and he got out before it consumed him entirely. He might not have been able to stomach a whole lifetime of apologizing for a broken franchise. Doing local car commercials, golfing with the same eight or nine lame white guys, donning polo shirts with little Bengal heads on them, voting conservatively and attending Moeller games with the other GCL schleps probably scared the hell out of him. I don't blame him. More than Carl Pickens' or Corey Dillon's tirades against the man in charge, Palmer's actions rather than his words against his former employer truly exemplifies how tragically fucked the Cincinnati Bengals are under the Mike Brown rule.

Alas, as always, all is not lost. It is still fun to root them on. The first two games proved such a thing.

Week 1 in Cleveland looked like it was going to be an easy win. Woody came out blazing in the first half and went up 13-0. Then, in the second quarter, the Bengals came back down to Earth and watched the Browns take the lead with two touchdowns. Dalton hurt a wrist or a hand or something—I'm still not positive—and backup Bruce Gradkowski had to trick play the Bengals to a win. Doc B, as Deon Sanders calls him, looked like a man without any knowledge of the offense he was instructed to run and my heart sank watching him squirrel around fearing the worst for young Dalton. A win is a win, but without Woody running the show, a long season was shaping up.

Week 2 came around, and No. 14 was back under center. The Bengals hadn't won in Denver since 1975, and neither team came into the game as all that favored over the other. It looked like it would be another dull game of Bengal punts and futility with Cincinnati down 17-3 in the third quarter. Then Dalton and Gruden said the hell with it, started airing it out and before you know it, the Stripes were down two with the ball late in the game. The situation was 4th&1 on the Denver 36 yard-line. Nugent had the leg and the thin air to drill a clutch field goal from that distance, but Marvin felt wily and wanted to prove to his team and to the world that they really could convert a short-yardage play after all. A slow-developing bootleg roll-out was called, the Bronco linebacker didn't bite on the play fake and Woody flailed the ball to the turf as he went down. Game over. Bengal fans walked away from their TV sets, disappointed but not disheartened. Woody had brought them back and made a game of it. Perhaps things would be okay after all.

Then in Week 3, boredom returned. In an ugly game of punts and penalties, the offense appeared hungover and disheveled. Nothing really worked that well, and the third down and short-yardage problems persisted. A very quality defensive effort was wasted with a complete stinker of a game from the entire offensive portion of the team. Grumblings could be heard about Woody, Gruden and even the old draft horse, Cedric Benson. San Francisco simply managed to not suck quite as bad as Cincinnati, and for that, they were awarded a win. When Woody had another chance to be a hero, he threw a rookie interception. Then when he had the same chance a second time, the ol' miscommunication reared its head and delivered another stinging interception, Flashbacks of Palmer missing TO with an errant pass in a crucial situation were conjured up and I became nauseous. The game changed the taste of the season for the worse like discovering a cigarette butt in your beer. It wasn't necessarily the loss, but rather how the loss unfolded that remained stuck in the crawl of Bengal fans everywhere.

And that's where we are here in 2011.

Things aren't as bad as they could be, nor are they as good. The team, its fans, its owner, and the season as a whole just sort of floats along. There will likely be more losses than wins in this inaugural season for the key new members of the offense, but it's the development that is worth watching and is what brought me back to my post. If winning is all that interests you, turn away now, you won't be satisfied, but if it's improved football you're interested to see...then stay tuned my friend.

Mojokong—chained to this thing.

The Long Walk Away

In a passage titled, The Literary Shipyard, Mark Twain describes his writing process as a gas-tank that over time runs dry. He wrote that he always had unfinished works lurking somewhere like half-built ships awaiting their completion. When the tank ran dry on whichever novel he was writing, he would dock it with the others and find renewed interest in something else. Sometimes he would get around to finishing a few, I'm sure you've read one or two of them, but not always.

While I have nowhere near the necessary skill nor bravado to ever dream of comparing myself to the masterful Mr. Twain, I share his sentiments on dry gas tanks and old boats. I too have stories yearning to be told, but they are victims of my Bengal distraction. It wouldn't be fair to starve them outright until their whole concepts are forgotten, and to keep that from happening, the Bengals are out.

It will be a difficult subject matter to ignore. Because it has dominated so much of my attention for so long, it will take time to clear away some of that mental space, but it will never go away entirely. They are a morbid curiosity, a train wreck I cannot turn away from. Every time they release any information, I get even crazier than the time before and allow my stress-levels to rise. They certainly know how to get my goat. Well, no more, my friends. Rather than continue to spew hot-blooded hatred across the page at their expense, I choose cold indifference and leave it blank instead. In my opinion, a reader can only take so much negativity before being turned off by the writer entirely, and my mama always taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Mama is always right.

That isn't to say you should stop reading about them though. You, the reader, are the only reason I ever carried on for all these years. If any credit is to be tossed around for the success of a blog, it is tossed to you. Besides, there are some terrific Bengal writers that need your readership to survive in their craft. If your interest level remains in the black and you're still excited for the local football team, then keep on brother, but as for me, my conscience won't at the moment allow me to take another step in that fruitless direction. There are bigger, and tastier fish to fry.

Still, this decision does come with a grain of regret. I promised you a thorough review of the season, where, upon completion, I would surmise a researched reason for the crappy year we all sat though during 2010. I like finishing these kinds of endeavors as painful as they might be, but this one will be docked as half-assed and abandoned. I'm sorry. Yet, as a feeble attempt to placate you, the loyal reader, here is a summarized conclusion on the matter:

The Bengals were doomed when they signed Terrell Owens. At the time, it looked like a splendid idea, but every tool has to be used the right way to achieve maximum efficiency, and TO was not a tool used well. As a result, every player on offense—including TO himself—didn't fully understand his role or function to the team and struggled to find a cohesive identity with each other. The season before, everything went well until Chris Henry broke his arm, and it was assumed offensive coordinator, Bob Bratkowski, would return to that style of play. TO could have taken the place of Henry and everything could have moved along swimmingly, but Bratkowski changed the entire scheme with the new superstar in training camp and everything went to shit.

Cincinnati trudged along this way, steadfast in their ineffective approach. Games were lost and the playoffs quickly floated out of reach. The offense was a sputtering nightmare which made the defense worse. Players started questioning their coaches to the media. A 10-game losing streak added a new and prominent scar to the already slashed and burned facade of the franchise.

Once the season finally ended, team ownership explained to the public that they liked their old-world business model and that they had no intentions to make any changes. The fan base responded with a frothing crescendo of spectacular fury toward Mike Brown, threatening to turn their backs altogether on him and his toy football team. Brown sacrificed his long-time scapegoat Bratkowski to the unruly mob as a gesture of his benevolence and the resistance did indeed quiet down some.

That summary demonstrates a flow-chart of blame for last season—as well as a few more jabs to the old man on my way out.

It's TO's fault for signing with the Bengals. Even though it was consistently reported that TO worked hard and was a good teammate to everyone present all season long, simply having him there negatively affected the way the rest of the offense was used.

Next to blame is, of course, Bratkowski for force-feeding the ball to TO and even Chad Ochocinco. I think it's safe to say that Brat thought a lot of TO and his abilities—he was drinking the kool-aid, as the kids say. Third-and-anything? Throw it up to TO. The result was 81 having a lot of yards and the team having a lot of losses. That particular offense was a promising one gone bad.

And, finally, the man who employs them all, Mike Brown. There's no need to further belabor the point that he sucks—feel free to page through any previous ramblings about him for that—but it can't hurt to point out once more that greed and personal villainy aside, his team has been the laughing stock of American professional sports since the day he took over. Everything under his umbrella of control—no matter how lucrative its potential—is likely to be wasted and mismanaged. Before any of us murmured the words “Super Bowl”, we should have first recalled who was in charge of getting us there. A poor assumption on our behalf, I guess.

So there you have it. A three-part interconnected answer. In all honesty, there was no reason to look for any others when the right one was staring right at us the whole time. The good news, I suppose, is that two of the three men blamed here are gone. The bad, of course, is that the most important of the three remains in his seat of power.

That is why, after 300 postings, I am hanging it up for awhile. It's all so bleak and ridiculous now; it's like sharing my opinions on support-group meetings for alcoholic clowns. There are many great and majestic interests in this world worth exploring and it's about time I get around to a few. Farewell, my striped brethren. May the tides turn soon.


Mojokong—it's been real.

The Other Brother

Jay Gruden: The new man with the new approach.

Had it been a public vote, he would have crushed his predecessor without the need for corny slogans like these. The mere fact that he operates with a different brain than the one we've seen in action for the past decade is all Gruden would have required to appease most of the fan base. Plus, because of his famous sibling, like a horror-film title, he is currently known as Chucky's Brother and that's just funny to me. Imagine a little murderous puppet patrolling the sideline and scaring the hell out of everyone—sounds like John Calipari actually.

Yet, Gruden isn't (presumably) murderous, or a puppet, or even all that little. He also isn't well known to most folks; only the association of his brother keeps him from being completely random. Still, he has paid his dues in the coaching ranks, including working with the his brother in Tampa, then winning championships in the Arena Football League, followed by his last stint in the United Football League with Odell Thurman's team, the Florida Tuskers. In a way, he exists professionally within the rich tradition of the Bill Walsh coaching tree, stemmed from the branch of Jon Gruden who in Green Bay worked with Mike Holmgren who in San Francisco worked with Bill Walsh. Jay Gruden has already used the words “west-coast offense” when describing his offensive philosophy, and that comes as music to my ears.

I was dubious of the hire at first. I hadn't heard of the man, and the whole thing conjured up those horrifying memories of the Dave Shula years. Like Shula and Gruden, Mike Brown is also the relative of a football great, and bringing in “legacy kids” such as these, made this most recent move more about Brown than about the team. But after researching his career and listening to other legitimate football minds compliment him and his style, I'm now convinced that Gruden would have been hired by some NFL team very soon had Brown not inked him into the coordinators booth first. His past indicates success everywhere he's been and it's nearly impossible not to label him as a bright, young, passionate guy who has surrounded himself with proven men along the way. This hire is more than just giving some obscure family member of a more noteworthy coach a chance at the big time. In short, he deserves this job for what he's done on his own accord and not because of his last name.

As for the job itself, it's a doozy. The more important veterans to this Bengals offense are mightily unhappy, and totally fed up with the losing and disappointment. In one corner of this dark dystopia you have the face-of-the-franchise quarterback remaining invisible somewhere in California and only sending out smoke signals that spell out trade demands and threats of retirement.

In another corner, exists two high-profile motormouth receivers that were key participants in the failed experiment of 2010. The bigger one is free to test the market and has not looked back in the Bengals' direction since being relieved of his contract after Week 17. He has given no indication that he intends to return to wearing stripes. The smaller one is shackled in Cincinnati for one more season and on some days voices his displeasure with the only franchise he's ever known and on other days sounds supportive of his team and its appointed leadership—an enigma wrapped in a conundrum if there ever was such a thing.

Then, in a third area of gray uncertainty sits a feature-back who has not hesitated to softly expound on the problems of the Bengals offense. He's been cooperative in his daily routine with the team, even though for the most part of 2010, he strongly disagreed with the approach taken by his former coordinator. Despite his dissent, he went about his business like a professional, recognizing his place within the organization's hierarchy and biding his time for his release. He is now officially a free agent but has been complimentary toward the developments of making Gruden the new offensive boss, and may be reconsidering fleeing the team that resuscitated his career three years ago.

Alas, even if all these aged footballers decide to collectively desert the team that has struggled for what seems like eons to gain a foothold among the league's elite, there remains a healthy stockpile of usable young talent to build a new machine from scratch. What is most encouraging to hear from and about the new OC, is that he is unafraid to use multiple personnel packages that gets all of his players involved. What doomed the previous play-caller was his insistence to force the ball to the proven veterans. From the sound of it, Gruden intends to hold each player accountable and throw them into the fire to see what they've got. There are far too many unique skill-sets on this team to ignore and keep dormant, and finally, the Bengals have employed a man who claims to see things that way as well.

While there are still plenty of organizational oddities that remain in place within the Cincinnati Bengals, hiring Jay Gruden seems like a sensible move that should generate grains of hope and excitement to the dwindling fan base which has endured spoonfuls of misery in the past year. Gruden shares an intensity with his brother, albeit a more subdued version, and hopefully also an infectious enthusiasm that forces his players to rethink the game of football. He has talked about committing to a scheme that emphasizes simplicity yet flexibility in its ability to use a plethora of players at its disposal. The words “west-coast offense” suggests a series of short passes mixed in with a heavy dose of runs that encourage sustained drives, clock usage, and field-position advantages inherent to its essence. No longer should Bengal fans need to murmur quick prayers that the ball in the air should land in the receiver's hands on the overused deep pass. Now it's up to the players to get the ball quickly and make plays on their own terms rather than wait around for any kind of twisted divine intervention to take place.

Of course, Gruden may not be the savior we are all so eager to label him as. He still must work within the backward confines of Paul Brown Stadium and listen to the man on top who remains convinced he has this running-a-football-team thing well in hand. More than perhaps any other opening in the league, this job opportunity comes with significant hurdles and traps and is not cut out for the weak-of-heart nor the go-it-alone commando type of coaches. Gruden must learn to tell his players no and his boss yes. Failure to do this will either result in a player-revolt or a jaded owner, each equally harmful to a coach's career. It's a tricky tight-rope walk to manage one's ego and aspirations to win without rocking the boat in the process. Mike Brown doesn't need Gruden to win. He just needs him to be good enough to convince the season-ticket holders that a healthy change of philosophy is well underway. That by hiring Gruden, Brown is really “doing something about it”.

You and I, however, need Gruden to win. We're beyond the smoke-screen of remaining competitive. While finishing in the middle of the pack once placated our wrath enough to still tune in and really care, the human condition always demands more and better, and our patience is waning. The right direction still remains a mystery to us who live in and around the Bengal universe. We thought we knew, but it was all a sham. It seems now that hiring Gruden might be a step in that direction, but, because we've been burned so many times before, we should remain steadfast in our skepticism. I wish him the best and am encouraged by his appointment, but I'll take the wait-and-see approach until I am fully convinced. God speed, Mr. Gruden. I pray you know what you're in for.


Mojokong—For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.

Annual Reviews Part 5: Batman & Robin

The strange relationship between Terrell Owens and the Cincinnati Bengals began last year at the Super Bowl when Chad Ochocinco publicly campaigned for the hall-of-famer. They would be Batman and Robin, he promised, TO playing the role of Batman and Chad volunteering to become his sidekick.

Even though the team first signed Antonio Bryant only to find out he was damaged goods, TO did eventually end up in stripes and despite turning in a tremendous 14 games, he was perhaps the main ingredient to the offensive struggles throughout the season.

Someone within the Bengals became obsessed with getting the ball to TO. Many times, the ball was forced his way, typically just thrown up for grabs. The success rate for completions was low in this scenario, and more often, turned into immediate disaster. Not to say TO didn't make some great catches—the juggling act in the end-zone on a deep ball that was waived off from a holding penalty against Buffalo comes to mind—but there were multiple occasions where I felt he didn't make enough of an effort to either make the catch or break up the pass to prevent an interception. He may have giant, muscular arms, but it seemed they got awfully short if there were defenders running with him. He isn't one to stretch out and make the diving catch; the ball is either thrown into his arms or it falls incomplete—he will not go get it in the air.

Had he been targeted 30 less times or so on the year, Chad, Jermaine Gresham, and Jordan Shipley could have had more of an impact and force defenders to take on a much more balanced throwing attack—and he still would have ended with 42 catches and around 600 yards on the year. Would he have been satisfied with such low totals and kept his cool? Not if they were still losing, but ultimately, I think he would be satisfied with any role that wins games. He could have been an effective weapon with a unique skill-set if used in harmony with the other receivers, but instead he became the alpha dog of the pack and was overused, allowing defenses to hone in on the predictably of the play-calling and the telegraphed throws from Carson Palmer.

Eventually he blew up his knee and was mercifully removed from the equation. The moment that injury occurred, the balance returned and the offensive came to life.

Was it coincidence that the backups looked better than men dubbed Batman & Robin once they were put into the game? Not a chance. The younger the receiver is, the more he has to learn. Players like Gresham, Shipley, Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell have a lot more to worry about than nicknames, and I think that's what makes them better football players: attention to details that actually matter. Who consistently ran the wrong routes this season? Chad. Who dropped the most passes? TO. Who was the most reliable receiver by mid-season? Shipley. Who played with a mean streak and gave the most effort? Gresham. Who is your favorite receiver going into next season? Simpson. This little Q&A demonstrates what went wrong with the projected glory that Batman and Robin were so supposed to provide. A series of little problems culminated into one giant cluster-cuss by the end.

Now Chad is feeling a little ignored because of his crappy season and is making as much noise as he can through the social-media channels he adores. His value is at an all-time low and the success of the younger guys late last year demonstrates how replaceable he has become. In fact, Simpson looks like Chad Johnson in 2003. He moves like Chad, runs the same routes, and even has the ball-security issues after the catch. Why keep both when one is younger with limited mileage, and the other is no longer great but still commands good enough value in a trade? Seems like a no-brainer. Chad should go to New England and win Super Bowls in exchange for a couple of those first-day draft-picks the Patriots have stockpiled in this draft.


Alas, he will not be traded because that isn't the Bengal way. He will suit up next year with reportedly “Johnson” on his back and throw up his hands after he and Carson fail to communicate for the four-hundredth time in their careers. I like the guy, but he's frustrating. Getting the ball to him has become tediously difficult. When he does bring a pass down, I'm typically more relieved than pleased, and that hasn't always been the case with 85. I can't tell if his skills are eroding, or if the offense has grown out of hand for him to fully master. Either way, he doesn't frighten defenses like he used to and one begins to wonder if he ever will again.


Even if TO and Chad leave, the Bengals have one guy to lean on and build a passing game around: Gresham. This is a monster-man capable of Antonio Gates-like performances. There is no reason why he should not be a pro-bowler soon and end up as the best Bengal tight-end in the team's history once he hangs it up. The best part about Gresham is that he knows how big he is. He knows how to position himself just right to where smaller people cannot interfere with him making the catch. He knows he's big enough to mix it up with linebackers which he does often, and he knows where the first-down marker is and will battle to reach it. He's one of the nastier players the Bengals have drafted in a long time and fits in well with AFC North. In a run-first offense, the tight-end becomes a crucial player to convert third-and-mediums, which Gresham can do in a variety of ways. He runs the screen well, gets to the flats (except in New York, apparently), and uses his size in the end-zones. If safeties and linebackers begin doubling him, it would clear a lot of space for the shifty little Shipley to operate in.

Shipley is solid with excellent fundamentals. He runs crispy routes, is fearless running across the middle and has very good hands. The comparisons to Wes Welker may have derived from racial stereotypes in football, but it turned out that the two were used pretty dag-on similarly in their respective offenses. The smallish slot-guy targeted on third down is essentially a safety valve for the quarterback to pick up some key yards-after-catch and keep the drive going. Shipley can do exactly that, and could become Palmer's other go-to guy. Imagine Gresham and Shipley working as the inside receivers as they develop and improve. Third-down and red-zone conversions should become a forte to an offense with reliable receivers like that. Even if wide-outs, Simpson and Caldwell, don't consistently produce the way they did those last few games, the inside guys can easily make up the difference.

Out of those two outside players, Simpson seems like the more attractive one to keep for the long-term. Caldwell has had his moments—he boasts some game-winning plays within his highlight reel—but he hasn't had a season's worth of consistency. He seems like a hard worker and he still has some quality years in him, he certainly isn't a lost cause, but he needs to raise his game a few notches if he wants to be a starter in this league and force the Bengals to move Ochocinco.

As for Simpson, the man has enormous hands, is fast and lanky, showed some heart last year down the stretch and had ample time to learn how to be a professional. He has earned the increase in passes he is sure to see next year and he adds an element of entertainment for Bengals fans. After swearing him off for not playing—some questioning his existence altogether—so many of us are now intrigued to see the myth play well.

All of these young guys to throw to would excite most quarterbacks, especially since they're ripe to mold and call your own, but Carson Palmer is not excited. He appeared to enjoy himself more playing with this group of backups last year. The drama which he detests might finally drift away from PBS this offseason if the divas indeed find new homes next year, but that apparently isn't enough to tempt him into returning. Therefore, a new coordinator will call the plays for these young receivers in 2011 and a new quarterback will throw to them—to predict any future scheme is impossible at this point—but who ever these newcomers are, they will have a solid foundation of talent to use in the passing game. Without TO gobbling up the ball all the time, the young bucks should blossom in short time.


Mojokong—the sun is out.