Jerry Jones and Mike Brown represent
opposite ends in the football-owner spectrum. Jones is all glamor,
thrusting himself in front of the cameras and throwing vaults of
money at every new problem. Brown is all miser, preferring to own a
mom-and-pop operation and staying out of the limelight. Their
organizations reflect their personality and also the way each build
their team.
The Cowboys are sparkly with all of
their expensive skill positions. Their offense was made to zing with
all that speed and with Tony Romo behind the wheel, but the talent of
the line was misread and hasn't lived up to its price tag. Now they
find themselves winning again and keeping the season meaningful
despite really not playing that well.
They face a Bengals team on a four game
high, beating the crap out of teams and even overcoming the
California Curse last week in San Diego. It certainly is nowhere
near a perfect team, but it is one that is solidly built for the
future, and even the present. Brown scrimps where he can and always
will. He will not be remembered as a friend to the community. His
general management skills will always be vilified, fairly or not.
Yet this team is a highly talented group of really young guys and he
should get some credit for putting it together. Throw in an
additional second-rounder next year, an astounding amount of cap
space and a collective bargaining agreement that forces him to use it
up and you have yourself exciting things to come, my friend.
The Bengals have minimal excitement in
their skill positions. Of course there is the crown jewel of the
entire team, A.J. Green, and Jermaine Gresham has finally elevated
his game this year, but outside of that, no one cares about the rest
of the names on that list. We Bengal fans know the other guys and
what they can do, but for the most part, they are an unknown
commodity.
Especially Marvin Jones. What does he
bring to the table? We know he's fast and that he's a deep threat,
but that is one small dimension in being a receiver. Last week he
dropped a ball on a crossing route that was intercepted and really
never did much in his first real chance to make a difference in the
game. Losing Mohamed Sanu hurts more than we would like to admit.
The reason the offense became so effective after the bye week was
both the consistency of Trevor Robinson at center and the emergence
of Sanu in a variety of ways. With Sanu out, Jones has to make an
impact. Armon Binns flamed out really early in the season. Brandon
Tate hasn't looked like much of a wide receiver. They both missed
their chance to become starters. Jones is the last unknown
experiment and the pressure is on him to perform well this Sunday.
As for the aforementioned center
position, there is a rather vital decision to be made there for
Marvin Lewis. Robinson has brought stability to the line, and the
results—especially in the run game—speak for themselves. Now
Kyle Cook is healthy again, has practiced all week, and probably
wants his job back. A lot is made of left tackle, but center is such
an underrated position for the offensive line. Robinson didn't just
keep things afloat during his time as starter, he made the team
better. Jeff Faine showed what happens with poor play at the
position. Kyle Cook is way, way better than Faine and is without a
doubt starting material in this league, but why mess with success?
The Bengals take on a Cowboys defense
riddled with injury. Beginning the year, they had maybe the fastest
linebackers in the league. Now they play without Sean Lee or Bruce
Carter and things have slowed down a bit as a result. They are also
without Jay Ratliff or Orlando Scandrick this week and only have a
few difference-makers left.
The main difference maker is DeMarcus
Ware—nicknamed Shark Week for his prolonged intensity and violence
(D.O.)—and he will somehow find Andy Dalton know matter how much
the Bengals emphasize stopping him. The attention he draws usually
leads to more space for Anthony Spencer and a player that has caught
my attention of late, Jason Hatcher. These guys are going to get a
sack or two, Cincinnati just has to minimize the damage.
The Bengals can throw on these guys,
though. The Dallas safety play is vulnerable. The corners are good,
but the youngster Morris Claiborne is prone to drawing flags.
Gresham and Hawkins can beat the intermediate defenders and should be
important on third and mediums. Green really isn't all that
guardable and defenses will continue to give help to whomever has
that unfortunate task of going up against him. As long as Dalton
isn't being devoured by Shark Week and his shiver (a group of
sharks), he should be able to move the ball in the air well enough to
win.
Thing is, the Bengals offense may be
immaterial. This Mike Zimmer defense is back to its bare knuckle
brawling days, now leading the league in sacks. Geno Atkins is the
best pass-rushing tackle in the league, Carlos Dunlap is a growing
force of quarterback evil and when healthy is a top-ten NFL
pass-rusher, Michael Johnson is playing for a new giant contract and
even Wallace Gilberry has become an effective contributor. These
guys quietly get it done and lately they have been the difference
from a mediocre team to a playoff-caliber one. The underwhelming
Cowboys protection should fold like a wet napkin against this
fearsome foursome. While Romo is shifty and slippery in the pocket,
unlike Ben Roethlisberger, he goes down when you touch him. The Boys
offense want to go vertical and use their speed and explosion, so
it's important for Zimmer's gang to disrupt the timing and not allow
Dez Bryant and Miles Austin to go deep. Jason Whiten is going to get
his catches and the Bengals will just have to live with that, but
they cannot allow the long pass over their heads. Take that away,
mixed with heavy doses of pressure, and Romo will have to dink and
dunk his way downfield and settle for three instead of seven.
The scariest matchup of the day for
Zimmer is stopping DeMarco Murray. This guy is strong, fast and runs
hard. He can tear off large chunks of yardage regularly when he's in
there. Staying healthy has proven difficult for the young man,
inhibiting his production and ultimately his value, but he is plenty
scary once suited up. Cincinnati has been terrific against the run
of late. The are disciplined about staying in their run gaps and the
secondary has tackled well of late. Rey Maualuga was thrashed
earlier this year for his sloppy technique and a multitude of
mistakes, but his lost weight has seemingly revived him into becoming
a capable middle linebacker again and he deserves some love. Also
coming back to life has been Manny Lawson. While Rey took a lot of
the heat, Lawson practically disappeared from my television while
watching the games in the first half of the season. Now he's getting
after the quarterback again and he adds yet another element to the
pass rush. Murray is going to run like a wild horse this weekend and
the linebackers must continue their workmanlike approach to contain
him.
Ultimately, the Bengals pass rush makes
the difference in this game. Cowboys right tackle, Doug Free, seems
extra weak in protection and I have a feeling he will be mauled by
Dunlap all day. This forced chaos by the defensive line will be
enough to get some turnovers and win the game.
Bengals 23, Cowboys 13
Mojokong—ignoring
the pressures of a win streak.
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