Cincinnati 38, New York Jets 31
The Jets managed to outsuck the Bengals Sunday in a quagmire of turnovers and penalties. Chad Pennington swiss cheesed the Bengal secondary early with his wet noodle of an arm and proved once again that anybody can throw against Deltha and friends. A coat tree could tackle better than our corner backs. Bresnahan’s blitz calls have improved the last two games and the linebackers are limited but not directly losing games. It’s the secondary that continues to allow the blow up plays and we’ve invested two first rounders to dam that flood. We still have a good ways to go before the young tandem can become at all consistent. Down by 13 points in the second half to a lousy team at home, I thought we’d hit a new (recent) low.
Then things turned around in the second half when Bratkowski called his best game of the season, capped off by the shovel pass to Watson on 3rd and 7 inside the redzone in the fourth quarter. I’d been calling for that play all year. He stuck with the run behind by two touchdowns and that allowed the battered offensive line to get into rhythm. Behind Carson, Whitworth is the best draft pick under Marvin Lewis. For such a colossal guy he really moves down field well.
After two thorough drives to give us the lead, one thing became obvious; Watson is a more effective runner than Rudi. Remember when Corey Dillon got into a car accident on his way to the stadium in ‘03 against the Seahawks? Rudi came in and bashed Seattle and we never really saw Corey again. Now Rudi is on the outside looking in too.
Rudi has one style of running, straight ahead. If a play calls for a hole to be somewhere, Rudi either runs through it or tries to create his own hole if it isn’t there. The second Kenny Watson gets the ball, he scans the field and finds a hole even if it isn’t where it should be. He’s more patient than shifty, more finesse than power. He allows plays to develop in front of him and then squeezes through small openings to get him just enough for first downs, touchdowns, etc. Rudi puts his head down and tries to smash through walls.
But there’s more to it than just running style. With Watson’s ability to run to the outside, the Bengals play calling is opened up to a new set of possibilities. Maybe we’ll run a screen, a shovel pass, a draw, or a delay with Watson. When Rudi is back there, outside linebackers move in between the hash marks and wait for him to run right at them.
There’s also the style of the run blockers to think about. In ‘03 the Bengals had a smash mouth line who could push defenders backwards. Now we have some young athletic lineman who prefer to pull away from the line and get down field before laying a hat on somebody. Willie is older and not the same as his glory days, Levi has become 100 percent finesse, and Bobby Williams is just fat. But the youngsters, Ghaicuic and Whitworth, and even Stacy Andrews like running the screens, the pitches and the draws.
Watson is an older less explosive version of both Chris Perry and Kenny Irons. When one or both of those guys someday get back on the field, one can see how this offense can get back to the high powered days of old. Rudi may soon be watching the Bengals play on TV with Corey Dillon considering he’s due to collect over 6 million next year. It seems he’s reached his plateau as a Bengal and limits the play calling too much to remain effective. Running backs have a short shelf-life in the NFL especially for those considered a one-trick pony like Rudi.
Mojokong - Carting off workhorses to the glue factory.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Week 6 recap
Chiefs 27, Bengals 20
Whenever the Bengals are brought up in conversation these days, a roomful of people will furrow the brows, think a moment, and settle on one of many reasons why they aren’t winning games anymore. Eventually everyone agrees that nobody really knows why that is and go on to the next topic.
The fact nobody knows is the unsettling part. Surely somebody has to know or all hope is lost, right? No one wants to face that fact just yet.
If the conversation holds a minute longer on the Bengals, then we get the Time Machine Effect. First they think back to when winning seemed to fall into our lap (forty four times), and when Carson seemed to never make mistakes (101.1). 2005, the Should-have-been Super Bowl year!!!
Then they remember the dark ages when winning 6 games in a season seemed okay. Finally they just shrug at the mediocre team we seem to have settled on and again move on to another topic, usually Dusty Baker.
I don’t want to talk about the defense anymore. They aren’t getting much better no matter who gets healthy at linebacker. Losing Odell Thurman will continue to haunt this team until they can find a game changer. If we must indulge in the Time Machine Effect than he is the missing link from the limited (even pretty lucky) defensive success we enjoyed that season. He had five interceptions, five forced fumbles, over 100 tackles and most of all, everyone watching knew when Odell made the tackle. You rarely see players blowing up ball carriers so consistently. And he did all that his rookie season. He has been banished since and the absence of his impact still hurts two seasons later.
Now, the other major difference to an 11 win season is that of a dominating offensive line. What in the hell has happened to Levi Jones? I questioned resigning him to a big contract when negotiations were taking place and this is what I was afraid of. A friend of mine has for years warned me of buying into Levi, even when he was drafted. I never listened until he came with a $40 million price tag for six years! I do think he will get better and move forward though. Ask Marv.
Willie is literally falling apart before us. His body ages in dog years and he’s just too lovable to have him put down. I can see Willie being one of those decrepit retired players who becomes the example of how football destroys your body. Poor guy. And he’d play if he was missing both legs if you asked him to. Here are some Willie quotes from this week:
"I'm all right ... no one is 100 percent,"
“They said it's up to me to play with the pain,"
We love ya Ol’ Yeller. I hope Willie is the next Bengals coach for the 8 to 10 years that he can still walk.
Then there’s Steinbach. He got paid a boat load to go to Cleveland, but they seem to have a decent line up there. I laughed when I saw what they paid him. I’m not laughing anymore. Also Guicec is not Rich Braham. This line isn’t near the caliber of ’05 and it is exposing our superstars as seeming vastly overpaid.
Will Rudi be back? Would trading Chad set back the passing game all that much? Could he bring a first rounder or a good linebacker? Is Carson a really a top three quarterback? All of these questions would have been scoffed at before the season and now are worth at least discussing. Chad isn’t getting traded, Rudi will be back and Carson is fine. It’s just the kind of speculation that ensues after a series of bad losses. What else are we gonna talk about? Oh yeah, Dusty Baker.
Mojokong – asking for a third down conversion this Christmas.
Whenever the Bengals are brought up in conversation these days, a roomful of people will furrow the brows, think a moment, and settle on one of many reasons why they aren’t winning games anymore. Eventually everyone agrees that nobody really knows why that is and go on to the next topic.
The fact nobody knows is the unsettling part. Surely somebody has to know or all hope is lost, right? No one wants to face that fact just yet.
If the conversation holds a minute longer on the Bengals, then we get the Time Machine Effect. First they think back to when winning seemed to fall into our lap (forty four times), and when Carson seemed to never make mistakes (101.1). 2005, the Should-have-been Super Bowl year!!!
Then they remember the dark ages when winning 6 games in a season seemed okay. Finally they just shrug at the mediocre team we seem to have settled on and again move on to another topic, usually Dusty Baker.
I don’t want to talk about the defense anymore. They aren’t getting much better no matter who gets healthy at linebacker. Losing Odell Thurman will continue to haunt this team until they can find a game changer. If we must indulge in the Time Machine Effect than he is the missing link from the limited (even pretty lucky) defensive success we enjoyed that season. He had five interceptions, five forced fumbles, over 100 tackles and most of all, everyone watching knew when Odell made the tackle. You rarely see players blowing up ball carriers so consistently. And he did all that his rookie season. He has been banished since and the absence of his impact still hurts two seasons later.
Now, the other major difference to an 11 win season is that of a dominating offensive line. What in the hell has happened to Levi Jones? I questioned resigning him to a big contract when negotiations were taking place and this is what I was afraid of. A friend of mine has for years warned me of buying into Levi, even when he was drafted. I never listened until he came with a $40 million price tag for six years! I do think he will get better and move forward though. Ask Marv.
Willie is literally falling apart before us. His body ages in dog years and he’s just too lovable to have him put down. I can see Willie being one of those decrepit retired players who becomes the example of how football destroys your body. Poor guy. And he’d play if he was missing both legs if you asked him to. Here are some Willie quotes from this week:
"I'm all right ... no one is 100 percent,"
“They said it's up to me to play with the pain,"
We love ya Ol’ Yeller. I hope Willie is the next Bengals coach for the 8 to 10 years that he can still walk.
Then there’s Steinbach. He got paid a boat load to go to Cleveland, but they seem to have a decent line up there. I laughed when I saw what they paid him. I’m not laughing anymore. Also Guicec is not Rich Braham. This line isn’t near the caliber of ’05 and it is exposing our superstars as seeming vastly overpaid.
Will Rudi be back? Would trading Chad set back the passing game all that much? Could he bring a first rounder or a good linebacker? Is Carson a really a top three quarterback? All of these questions would have been scoffed at before the season and now are worth at least discussing. Chad isn’t getting traded, Rudi will be back and Carson is fine. It’s just the kind of speculation that ensues after a series of bad losses. What else are we gonna talk about? Oh yeah, Dusty Baker.
Mojokong – asking for a third down conversion this Christmas.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
First Quarter Report Card
A solid D. That’s the grade the Bengals received for the first quarter of the season and not what they demonstrated on the field.
The offense gets a B, the defense a D- and the special teams an F.
The bad:
Cleveland Browns scored 51!!
Justin Smith was completely useless for the first quarter after being franchised in the off-season.
Leon Hall doesn’t pay attention in class.
Safeties can’t tackle.
Marvin treats Levi like an unwanted step child.
Willie looks like he can’t move after games.
Darren Simmons’ special teams are zombies with football helmets.
The good:
Kenny Watson doing all he can.
Our passing game.
Michael Myers
If you break the season into quarters, the Bengals need two quarters of 3-1 records and the other one they have to go 2-2 to end at 9-7. That seems tough. Take a hard look at this team and you can’t help but see another 8-8 season. They exemplify mediocrity. Marvin has had five years to construct a winner and it just isn’t happening. This team is all glamour and no backbone. It’s a yacht built out of ply wood and glue. These coaches don’t seem to prepare like other teams do either. We always hear the players saying that the opponent did “exactly what we thought they would”. Then why do we lose games when we know what’s coming?
This Sunday is the earliest must-win I can remember. It’s early October and we have to beat the Chiefs to have a shot at the season. While David Fulcher and Reggie Williams will not be returning for the Bengals defense this season, a few linebackers will. And even though that’s like bringing a band aid to Iraq, you never know what might save lives, or in this case seasons.
Mojokong - Ichabod Crane does my grades.
The offense gets a B, the defense a D- and the special teams an F.
The bad:
Cleveland Browns scored 51!!
Justin Smith was completely useless for the first quarter after being franchised in the off-season.
Leon Hall doesn’t pay attention in class.
Safeties can’t tackle.
Marvin treats Levi like an unwanted step child.
Willie looks like he can’t move after games.
Darren Simmons’ special teams are zombies with football helmets.
The good:
Kenny Watson doing all he can.
Our passing game.
Michael Myers
If you break the season into quarters, the Bengals need two quarters of 3-1 records and the other one they have to go 2-2 to end at 9-7. That seems tough. Take a hard look at this team and you can’t help but see another 8-8 season. They exemplify mediocrity. Marvin has had five years to construct a winner and it just isn’t happening. This team is all glamour and no backbone. It’s a yacht built out of ply wood and glue. These coaches don’t seem to prepare like other teams do either. We always hear the players saying that the opponent did “exactly what we thought they would”. Then why do we lose games when we know what’s coming?
This Sunday is the earliest must-win I can remember. It’s early October and we have to beat the Chiefs to have a shot at the season. While David Fulcher and Reggie Williams will not be returning for the Bengals defense this season, a few linebackers will. And even though that’s like bringing a band aid to Iraq, you never know what might save lives, or in this case seasons.
Mojokong - Ichabod Crane does my grades.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Week 4 recap
New England 34, Cincinnati 13
The Bengals played the roll of underdog well on Monday night. They looked overmatched, uninspired and outcoached to the mighty Patriots. The Bengals locker room continues to look like M*A*S*H and everybody’s yelling at someone else. But ask Marv what he’s going to do about it and he’ll tell you this, “We’re moving forward.”
That expression has become Marvin’s daily mantra. We hear it every press conference multiple times. It can fit into an answer for any question thrown at him. How are you going to fix this team? We’re going to get better and move forward. Will any linebackers be back for KC? They’re moving forward. Hey Marv, how was traffic this morning? Moving forward. It’s a little ridiculous.
The mentality of this team has been so delicate the past five years that it seems they could never become the model of professionalism that is New England. Cheating aside, the Patriots never panic. They too have had years when injuries press third and fourth stringers into action on defense but they still get it done thanks to exceptional game planning and an occasional hidden camera. Cincinnati on the other hand simply can’t handle the pressure of stepping up when the chips are down. The coaches don’t have an answer. The players are either penciling themselves into the Super Bowl or are convinced they’re a bad team without any grounded perspective after every game. The media overhype the players reactions because the coaches are always mum on any subject of importance. And it all results in a team who can’t be counted on when it matters most.
Before we move forward to the point where we miss the playoffs and fire Marvin, let’s step backward for a moment. When the schedule came out, pundits and fans all agreed we could easily be 1-3 at this point. The schedule really loosens up after the bye week. Can we go 9-3 the rest of the way? Probably not. Eight more wins seem at first overly optimistic, but look closer. On offense, Rudi, Chris Perry, Tab Perry, Chris Henry, and Eric Guicheck are all coming back soon. On defense there’s Ahmad Brooks, Landon Johnson, Rashad Jeanty, Caleb Miller and maybe someday Frostee Rucker. That’s a lot of help on the way and coupled with the easier second half schedule , you have yourself a legitimate bright side.
Sure we’re moving forward but in what direction?
Mojokong - The Orangutan of Optimism
The Bengals played the roll of underdog well on Monday night. They looked overmatched, uninspired and outcoached to the mighty Patriots. The Bengals locker room continues to look like M*A*S*H and everybody’s yelling at someone else. But ask Marv what he’s going to do about it and he’ll tell you this, “We’re moving forward.”
That expression has become Marvin’s daily mantra. We hear it every press conference multiple times. It can fit into an answer for any question thrown at him. How are you going to fix this team? We’re going to get better and move forward. Will any linebackers be back for KC? They’re moving forward. Hey Marv, how was traffic this morning? Moving forward. It’s a little ridiculous.
The mentality of this team has been so delicate the past five years that it seems they could never become the model of professionalism that is New England. Cheating aside, the Patriots never panic. They too have had years when injuries press third and fourth stringers into action on defense but they still get it done thanks to exceptional game planning and an occasional hidden camera. Cincinnati on the other hand simply can’t handle the pressure of stepping up when the chips are down. The coaches don’t have an answer. The players are either penciling themselves into the Super Bowl or are convinced they’re a bad team without any grounded perspective after every game. The media overhype the players reactions because the coaches are always mum on any subject of importance. And it all results in a team who can’t be counted on when it matters most.
Before we move forward to the point where we miss the playoffs and fire Marvin, let’s step backward for a moment. When the schedule came out, pundits and fans all agreed we could easily be 1-3 at this point. The schedule really loosens up after the bye week. Can we go 9-3 the rest of the way? Probably not. Eight more wins seem at first overly optimistic, but look closer. On offense, Rudi, Chris Perry, Tab Perry, Chris Henry, and Eric Guicheck are all coming back soon. On defense there’s Ahmad Brooks, Landon Johnson, Rashad Jeanty, Caleb Miller and maybe someday Frostee Rucker. That’s a lot of help on the way and coupled with the easier second half schedule , you have yourself a legitimate bright side.
Sure we’re moving forward but in what direction?
Mojokong - The Orangutan of Optimism
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Week 3 recap
Seattle 24, Cincinnati 21
The clown car of a defense the Bengals rolled out against Cleveland settled down some in a tough loss to Seattle on Sunday. The defeat was a mixture of poor special teams play, a slow secondary and thousands of long haired blue people. The Seahawk’s helmets should have a mullet attached to the back. Those fans were great.
Hasselback missed three long attempts at Seahawk receivers that had their defenders beat deep. Joseph, who does have a reportedly broken foot, simply could not run with Burleson or Branch. And Leon Hall had speed concerns coming into this years draft which becomes more confirmed each game. These two are making Deltha look like a shutdown corner because defenders have no reason to test him. The safeties aren’t off the hook either. Both Dexter Jackson and Madieu would go for one of Brett Favre’s hook shot fakes. Sometimes the two look like they can tackle but they never look like they can cover. With inexperienced corners it’s a must that safeties occasionally bail them out with a nice play in coverage but I just don’t see it happening so far.
Our special teams might show up to practice on the special bus. The opening kick off? After last week?? Then kicking the ball out of bounds with two minutes and a four point lead. I don’t blame Shayne Graham as much as I blame the decision to squib kick it in that situation. (Read this sentence to yourself in a John Madden voice) A football can sure take some funny bounces out there sometimes, so why not just kick it to the guy and rely on your tacklers instead of a lucky bounce? I have to agree with John on that one.
Everyone saw Rudi leave the game with a pulled hamstring. He’s a tough guy who has stayed on the field four straight years now. What we didn’t see was him getting any yardage before coming out. The offensive line pass protects with the best of them and you can bet Paul Alexander, line guru and overall bad ass, will get his unit to create more run gaps soon. Then again, it seemed like a matter of speed beating power to those run gaps as opposed to scheme. Either way, it wasn’t working out for Rudi.
I realized Sunday that I take Carson Palmer for granted. An elite quarterback doesn’t come around all that often. The guy makes perfect throws. Our passing game is finely tuned right now and were missing two major components expected to join the team later this season. Once the offensive line finds a consistency, this team could be carried to a decent regular season finish by the offense alone. The second half of the Bengal schedule is noticeably softer with the Rams, 49ers, Browns, and Dolphins wrapping it up. Don’t panic.
Mentions:
Dahani Jones deserves a mention for what sportscasters like to call a gutsy performance. Signed on Monday and making some solid tackles on Sunday, he and fellow scrapheap linebacker Lemar Marshall are keeping this defense just ahead of the Bearcats’. Ahmad Brooks returns this week and it’s clear we need that guy if we have any chance to stop teams this season. I wonder why Hartwell isn’t being mentioned to return.
Also Mike Myers has been a bright spot among some shady territory. This defense will take sacks any way they can get them. Big ups to Mike.
Mojokong - Free Odell Thurman,Free Odell Thurman,Free Odell Thurman,Free Odell Thurm...,
The clown car of a defense the Bengals rolled out against Cleveland settled down some in a tough loss to Seattle on Sunday. The defeat was a mixture of poor special teams play, a slow secondary and thousands of long haired blue people. The Seahawk’s helmets should have a mullet attached to the back. Those fans were great.
Hasselback missed three long attempts at Seahawk receivers that had their defenders beat deep. Joseph, who does have a reportedly broken foot, simply could not run with Burleson or Branch. And Leon Hall had speed concerns coming into this years draft which becomes more confirmed each game. These two are making Deltha look like a shutdown corner because defenders have no reason to test him. The safeties aren’t off the hook either. Both Dexter Jackson and Madieu would go for one of Brett Favre’s hook shot fakes. Sometimes the two look like they can tackle but they never look like they can cover. With inexperienced corners it’s a must that safeties occasionally bail them out with a nice play in coverage but I just don’t see it happening so far.
Our special teams might show up to practice on the special bus. The opening kick off? After last week?? Then kicking the ball out of bounds with two minutes and a four point lead. I don’t blame Shayne Graham as much as I blame the decision to squib kick it in that situation. (Read this sentence to yourself in a John Madden voice) A football can sure take some funny bounces out there sometimes, so why not just kick it to the guy and rely on your tacklers instead of a lucky bounce? I have to agree with John on that one.
Everyone saw Rudi leave the game with a pulled hamstring. He’s a tough guy who has stayed on the field four straight years now. What we didn’t see was him getting any yardage before coming out. The offensive line pass protects with the best of them and you can bet Paul Alexander, line guru and overall bad ass, will get his unit to create more run gaps soon. Then again, it seemed like a matter of speed beating power to those run gaps as opposed to scheme. Either way, it wasn’t working out for Rudi.
I realized Sunday that I take Carson Palmer for granted. An elite quarterback doesn’t come around all that often. The guy makes perfect throws. Our passing game is finely tuned right now and were missing two major components expected to join the team later this season. Once the offensive line finds a consistency, this team could be carried to a decent regular season finish by the offense alone. The second half of the Bengal schedule is noticeably softer with the Rams, 49ers, Browns, and Dolphins wrapping it up. Don’t panic.
Mentions:
Dahani Jones deserves a mention for what sportscasters like to call a gutsy performance. Signed on Monday and making some solid tackles on Sunday, he and fellow scrapheap linebacker Lemar Marshall are keeping this defense just ahead of the Bearcats’. Ahmad Brooks returns this week and it’s clear we need that guy if we have any chance to stop teams this season. I wonder why Hartwell isn’t being mentioned to return.
Also Mike Myers has been a bright spot among some shady territory. This defense will take sacks any way they can get them. Big ups to Mike.
Mojokong - Free Odell Thurman,Free Odell Thurman,Free Odell Thurman,Free Odell Thurm...,
Monday, September 17, 2007
Week 2 recap
Browns 51, Bengals 45
The Bengals are like those dum-dum lollipops with the question marks on the wrapper, you don’t know what flavor you’re gonna get. Sometimes you get the six turnovers and shaky offense flavor. Then other times you get the best offense with no defense at all taste. Imagine the repercussions the Bengals have on Las Vegas. Jimmy the Greek would have gone mad trying to forecast this conundrum of a football team.
No point of discussing the offense this week. They looked like what we expect from them every week, efficient. It should be noted that Glen Holt contributed nicely as a third receiver and as a kick-returner.
Marvin says he wont explain to the world what happened on defense. No need to, Marv, it looked pretty obvious to us. What I saw was a defense running around out there lost. I saw 11 guys who each decided to run their own play. When a corner is playing zone and the safety on that side blitzes, Braylon Edwards happens. When linebackers play zone with they’re backs turned, Kellen Winslow happens. When the entire team runs to one gap during a run, Jamal Lewis happens. It’s pretty fundamental. When a defense doesn’t understand how to play it, you give up fifty points to last week’s worst team in football.
I can’t help but shoulder most of the blame on the coaches. They would tell me that they can’t go out there and play for the players but that wasn’t the issue yesterday. While there definitely were some missed tackles yesterday, the main problems were formation breakdowns and lack of clear communication throughout the entire unit. Blitzes came from areas where blockers waited to pick them up. The secondary seemed to bunch together around the sideline allowing the middle to be open every time. I realize Caleb Miller and Leon Hall were in there as replacement starters and most of the big plays could be tagged on those two, but the coaches need to adjust better for their inadequacies. Did they not watch the tape of Cleveland last week? Pittsburgh blitzed them for four quarters up the middle creating turnovers and chaos for young Derek Anderson. The Bengals blitzed from the outside and became immediately neutralized by tight ends and full backs. Sure Pittsburgh has the greatest defensive mind in the history of football in Dick Lebeau and they play a 3-4 set, but the vulnerabilities were exposed and we didn’t jump on them.
Marvin has already gone through one defensive coordinator in his short tenure here in Cincinnati. Bresnahan has to be nearing the axe after a showing like that.
Now for special teams. Darren Simmons has more starters than most teams playing special teams due to injuries. So in theory, they should be able to tackle better, but that’s not the case. When the Bengals used to be miserable, special teams lost us five or so games a year. Giving the opposition laughable field position regularly is an easy way to rack up avoidable losses. The great Dallas teams of the 90's prided themselves on their starters making their special teams great. We on the other hand, run into blockers and pave running lanes for quick returners to zoom through.
Consistency on this team has proven to be a far-fetched ambition. Our talent is too obviously lopsided on offense and it has killed us for five years now. It is still early and we don’t have to freak out just yet, but the mystery flavors better start tasting better than that. Gross!
Mojokong - disgusted.
The Bengals are like those dum-dum lollipops with the question marks on the wrapper, you don’t know what flavor you’re gonna get. Sometimes you get the six turnovers and shaky offense flavor. Then other times you get the best offense with no defense at all taste. Imagine the repercussions the Bengals have on Las Vegas. Jimmy the Greek would have gone mad trying to forecast this conundrum of a football team.
No point of discussing the offense this week. They looked like what we expect from them every week, efficient. It should be noted that Glen Holt contributed nicely as a third receiver and as a kick-returner.
Marvin says he wont explain to the world what happened on defense. No need to, Marv, it looked pretty obvious to us. What I saw was a defense running around out there lost. I saw 11 guys who each decided to run their own play. When a corner is playing zone and the safety on that side blitzes, Braylon Edwards happens. When linebackers play zone with they’re backs turned, Kellen Winslow happens. When the entire team runs to one gap during a run, Jamal Lewis happens. It’s pretty fundamental. When a defense doesn’t understand how to play it, you give up fifty points to last week’s worst team in football.
I can’t help but shoulder most of the blame on the coaches. They would tell me that they can’t go out there and play for the players but that wasn’t the issue yesterday. While there definitely were some missed tackles yesterday, the main problems were formation breakdowns and lack of clear communication throughout the entire unit. Blitzes came from areas where blockers waited to pick them up. The secondary seemed to bunch together around the sideline allowing the middle to be open every time. I realize Caleb Miller and Leon Hall were in there as replacement starters and most of the big plays could be tagged on those two, but the coaches need to adjust better for their inadequacies. Did they not watch the tape of Cleveland last week? Pittsburgh blitzed them for four quarters up the middle creating turnovers and chaos for young Derek Anderson. The Bengals blitzed from the outside and became immediately neutralized by tight ends and full backs. Sure Pittsburgh has the greatest defensive mind in the history of football in Dick Lebeau and they play a 3-4 set, but the vulnerabilities were exposed and we didn’t jump on them.
Marvin has already gone through one defensive coordinator in his short tenure here in Cincinnati. Bresnahan has to be nearing the axe after a showing like that.
Now for special teams. Darren Simmons has more starters than most teams playing special teams due to injuries. So in theory, they should be able to tackle better, but that’s not the case. When the Bengals used to be miserable, special teams lost us five or so games a year. Giving the opposition laughable field position regularly is an easy way to rack up avoidable losses. The great Dallas teams of the 90's prided themselves on their starters making their special teams great. We on the other hand, run into blockers and pave running lanes for quick returners to zoom through.
Consistency on this team has proven to be a far-fetched ambition. Our talent is too obviously lopsided on offense and it has killed us for five years now. It is still early and we don’t have to freak out just yet, but the mystery flavors better start tasting better than that. Gross!
Mojokong - disgusted.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Week 1 recap
Bengals 27, Ravens 20
I just love the word opportunistic when referring to the Bengals defense. You heard that term tossed around a lot during the 05' campaign when they won 11 games and led the league in turnovers. Coming away with six turnovers in the opener is a good way to earn back the opportunistic label.
I’ve already heard the grumblings that Baltimore gave the game away. That the six turnovers weren’t forced and that the Bengals were lucky to escape with a victory. That’s nonsense. I’ll admit the one missed hand off was a gimmie. But jarring the ball from the quarterback’s hands on a sack and defensive lineman sprawling out to make shoestring catches are forced turnovers. The Bengals defense looked fast and physical. Players we were worried about coming into the regular season as untested or inexperienced showed lots of promise when it mattered. Leon Hall and Ahmad Brooks showed why Marvin isn’t as concerned as the rest of the world about this unit. They collectively did a good job against the run with some minor exceptions against Musa Smith and Bresnahan finally showed some backbone with an aggressive blitz scheme.
Of course the seven-play goal line stand sticks out as something to be proud of. I admit the push-off called against Todd Heap was a bad call and they should have tied it on that play. But the next play was a bad call too, an immediate make-up call, and the Bengals had to stop them three more plays.. It needs to be pointed out that the blitz called on the play where Madieu was called for illegal contact was a great blitz call. The question to me still remains, why did the Ravens pass so much inside the five? With Kyle Boller at that?
The Bengal defense still showed that soft zone coverage coming down the stretch. The philosophy of making the offense work for yardage continues by the defense allowing catches underneath and being quick to the ball to make tackles. Missed throws and dropped passes make the theory seem that much more plausible but against sharper offenses that style of defensive play calling will prove problematic. Still, I liked what I saw Monday night. It was one of the more blitz happy games for the Bengals in recent memory and both Geathers and Landon Johnson are ready to emerge as something more than just serviceable players. I’m not ready to make comparisons of Geathers to say, Dwight Freeney , but I’m comfortable comparing him to Robert Mathis. He was a good player to re-sign. Johnson is a faster Brian Simmons who will once again rack up over 100 tackles and hopefully continue to ball hawk. Also Lemar Marshall had a good game. He was a good waiver wire pick up.
I cant figure out what’s going on with Levi Jones. Here is a guy who at least was considered a top-notch tackle as of last season, a guy we re-signed for big money and lots of years who says he’s healthy and ready to go but is one of two players on the roster not to play Monday night. He hasn’t been told of why he’s a backup and he is quite obviously frustrated about it. Whitworth is a good player and Stacy Andrews seems to be a pretty decent guard, but Levi is a big-time talent who has protected Carson’s blind side very well when he’s in there and healthy. Just another enigma to the way Marvin runs his team.
That being said, the backup linemen played excellent against the ferocious Ravens defense. Steponovich coming in for Guicheck received little attention but it’s a very big deal when a backup center can come in and be immediately effective. Kooistra came in for Willie and did nice job. Whitworth and Andrews have been groomed for a while to play in situations like that and proved they’re both ready for it. The o-line could have opened up holes a little better for Rudi, and though the Ravens only had one sack, they did enough to disrupt the rhythm of the Bengals passing game and it really showed down the stretch. Still, for a back up unit on a big stage against maybe the second best defense in the league, they did a great job.
I didn’t like the play calling on offense in the second half. Carson threw three yard passes the whole second half and Bratkowski continues to call reverses on the first play of crucial drives. I realize there’s a lot more that goes into play calling and how the play actually develops but its frustrating to see the offense go three and out time and again in the second half down by a point. Also, deciding to kick a 54 yard field goal with an injured kicker on fourth and five on the 37 yard line is dumb. We need a healthy Shayne Graham to make the playoffs. Brad St. Louis, we’ve noticed you far too much in the past year and half. I don’t wanna hear your name called again this season. Just snap the ball and go home after the game.
Ed Reed will go down as one of the best special teams players in history when his career is over. Ray Lewis is a maniac who truly comes from another planet, a tougher planet. Ogden might not come back. I guess even human mountains have to hang it up someday. McNair looks old, but Boller still looks bad. I can’t understand Billick’s love affair for that guy, but it will cost him his job if he sticks with him after this year when McNair has retired. Leftwhich is still out there, Ravens. You may want to get him on the phone.
Great start to a tough season. Beating the division champs is important.
Mojokong- pleased
I just love the word opportunistic when referring to the Bengals defense. You heard that term tossed around a lot during the 05' campaign when they won 11 games and led the league in turnovers. Coming away with six turnovers in the opener is a good way to earn back the opportunistic label.
I’ve already heard the grumblings that Baltimore gave the game away. That the six turnovers weren’t forced and that the Bengals were lucky to escape with a victory. That’s nonsense. I’ll admit the one missed hand off was a gimmie. But jarring the ball from the quarterback’s hands on a sack and defensive lineman sprawling out to make shoestring catches are forced turnovers. The Bengals defense looked fast and physical. Players we were worried about coming into the regular season as untested or inexperienced showed lots of promise when it mattered. Leon Hall and Ahmad Brooks showed why Marvin isn’t as concerned as the rest of the world about this unit. They collectively did a good job against the run with some minor exceptions against Musa Smith and Bresnahan finally showed some backbone with an aggressive blitz scheme.
Of course the seven-play goal line stand sticks out as something to be proud of. I admit the push-off called against Todd Heap was a bad call and they should have tied it on that play. But the next play was a bad call too, an immediate make-up call, and the Bengals had to stop them three more plays.. It needs to be pointed out that the blitz called on the play where Madieu was called for illegal contact was a great blitz call. The question to me still remains, why did the Ravens pass so much inside the five? With Kyle Boller at that?
The Bengal defense still showed that soft zone coverage coming down the stretch. The philosophy of making the offense work for yardage continues by the defense allowing catches underneath and being quick to the ball to make tackles. Missed throws and dropped passes make the theory seem that much more plausible but against sharper offenses that style of defensive play calling will prove problematic. Still, I liked what I saw Monday night. It was one of the more blitz happy games for the Bengals in recent memory and both Geathers and Landon Johnson are ready to emerge as something more than just serviceable players. I’m not ready to make comparisons of Geathers to say, Dwight Freeney , but I’m comfortable comparing him to Robert Mathis. He was a good player to re-sign. Johnson is a faster Brian Simmons who will once again rack up over 100 tackles and hopefully continue to ball hawk. Also Lemar Marshall had a good game. He was a good waiver wire pick up.
I cant figure out what’s going on with Levi Jones. Here is a guy who at least was considered a top-notch tackle as of last season, a guy we re-signed for big money and lots of years who says he’s healthy and ready to go but is one of two players on the roster not to play Monday night. He hasn’t been told of why he’s a backup and he is quite obviously frustrated about it. Whitworth is a good player and Stacy Andrews seems to be a pretty decent guard, but Levi is a big-time talent who has protected Carson’s blind side very well when he’s in there and healthy. Just another enigma to the way Marvin runs his team.
That being said, the backup linemen played excellent against the ferocious Ravens defense. Steponovich coming in for Guicheck received little attention but it’s a very big deal when a backup center can come in and be immediately effective. Kooistra came in for Willie and did nice job. Whitworth and Andrews have been groomed for a while to play in situations like that and proved they’re both ready for it. The o-line could have opened up holes a little better for Rudi, and though the Ravens only had one sack, they did enough to disrupt the rhythm of the Bengals passing game and it really showed down the stretch. Still, for a back up unit on a big stage against maybe the second best defense in the league, they did a great job.
I didn’t like the play calling on offense in the second half. Carson threw three yard passes the whole second half and Bratkowski continues to call reverses on the first play of crucial drives. I realize there’s a lot more that goes into play calling and how the play actually develops but its frustrating to see the offense go three and out time and again in the second half down by a point. Also, deciding to kick a 54 yard field goal with an injured kicker on fourth and five on the 37 yard line is dumb. We need a healthy Shayne Graham to make the playoffs. Brad St. Louis, we’ve noticed you far too much in the past year and half. I don’t wanna hear your name called again this season. Just snap the ball and go home after the game.
Ed Reed will go down as one of the best special teams players in history when his career is over. Ray Lewis is a maniac who truly comes from another planet, a tougher planet. Ogden might not come back. I guess even human mountains have to hang it up someday. McNair looks old, but Boller still looks bad. I can’t understand Billick’s love affair for that guy, but it will cost him his job if he sticks with him after this year when McNair has retired. Leftwhich is still out there, Ravens. You may want to get him on the phone.
Great start to a tough season. Beating the division champs is important.
Mojokong- pleased
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