Bengals 38, Dolphins 25
Bengals 19, Brownies 14
The Bengals won two consecutive games for the first time all year and kept Cleveland out of the playoffs. Cleveland is the team whose mascots are either a magical gnome or an orange spot. They’re the same Cleveland Orange Spots who kept the Bengals out of the playoffs in ‘03. The Magical Gnomes still had a decent year kick-started by our defensive ineptitude in Week 2. It doesn’t matter Cleveland you’re still the funny guy. We’re just the sad guy, you’re the funny guy.
I enjoyed these last two games because my three least-likeable players were out; Both safeties and Rudi J. The two youngsters at safety, White and Ndukwe, showed immediate dividends collecting turnovers and really hitting people. Kenny Watson continued to get yards on a fairly consistent basis but also showed us that he’s a fumbler. I don’t feel he’s reliable to carry the load because of it.
Ndukwe has two touchdowns in my book after that spectacular return he had against Cleveland which was marked out at the four-yard-line. He has good size, he hits people and seems to have a decent field presence. Marvin White is progressing but doesn’t look as comfortable. I expect coaches to focus on both safeties in training camp next year. They should be playing at a higher level next year and from what we’ve seen so far, that sounds promising.
On to the firings. Bresnahan met the chopping block as did linebackers coach Ricky Hunley. While it certainly can’t hurt to fire any of these guys, I don’t see it making much difference overall. We knew Chuck was close. He hasn’t had anythinAg even dressed like a decent defense. Bengal fans everywhere have groaned his name all too often in the past three years. He had a tough job and couldn’t hack it.
Hunley had a scrap heap unit to work with and couldn’t overcome national scrutiny. The fact every announcer this season pointed out how banged up the linebackers were didn’t help his cause.
So now do the Bengals have a chance to instill a winning defensive philosophy? With a focus on personnel change and the right hire, we may see a defense that can rank in the lower-twenties someday.
Tim Lewis looks good on paper. A former Steelers guy, knows the 3-4, played defensive back, is a younger black coach (younger black coaches are hot in the NFL right now. I think the idea is that they relate better to their players). A 3-4 defense could be worth looking into if we add some key pieces to make it work.
Rex Ryan isn’t bad. Ravens defenses are always nasty. He knows the division well. Could also handle a 3-4 change. Could lure Terrell Suggs here.
I don’t think anybody is gonna build a winning defense overnight in Cincinnati. It takes draft picks and player development coupled with scheme patterns and adjustments. The defensive coordinator job will be a crucial hire for the future of this team.
It’s Marvin’s last hurrah. If we don’t see improvement in the next two years he will be out of excuses. His stubborn nature will have done him in. But, if he gets it right and the machine starts working again, he’ll once more be crowned as Prince Marv.
Much more off-season stuff to come.
Mojokong - Can’t stop the spinning.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Week 14/15 recap
49ers 20, Bengals 13
Bengals 19, Rams 10.
The Bengals are a monkey who can’t pull an apple through the opening of a jar, so the monkey walks around with the jar around its arm because it wont let go of the apple.
During the off-season, players who don’t make a difference will be resigned (J. Smith, Madieu). Free agents will use us as bait and get better offers from teams they’d rather play for. Rudi and Dex Jackson will be back while DeDe will be lured back to Indianapolis. Our first round pick will pull something minor in training camp and miss the first six games. The league will finally admit they just don’t like Odell and suspend him for a third straight season. Marvin Lewis will move forward.
This square-peg-in-round-hole offense we’ve seen all year will continue to sputter as receivers run the same routes and as Rudi gets 14 carries for 28 yards. The defense will base their scheme on hope and good luck again next year. King Marv will never concede to adjustments.
This season was typified by the revolting loss at San Francisco Saturday. Frank Gore looked like an ore-hauler pushing whatever pile we stacked in front of him. The Niners knew every play we called and our best player of late, DeDe Dorsey, touched the ball twice. We’re now 1-3 against the NFC West and the win against the Rams is a forgettable one. The common sense advisor failed again on the challenge call late in the game, sacrificing a valuable timeout in the process.
The Bengals cannot handle pressure. In their only road win of the season, they choked seven times and had to kick field goals. The schedule is pockmarked with failed moments in crucial situations. Marvin has his team overanalyzing everything and it causes everyone to press more. When a team begins to press they collapse under pressure. They implode. We’re too big for our britches. We talk a lot about having so much talent but then look like a fancy car with no gas on game day. There’s not enough grit on this team. We need some silent workers who bust their asses when it counts and laughs about it when the jobs done. We should go back to the original uniforms of the seventies with the helmets that have BENGALS printed on the sides. Back to the basics.
Mojokong - Letting go of the apple
Bengals 19, Rams 10.
The Bengals are a monkey who can’t pull an apple through the opening of a jar, so the monkey walks around with the jar around its arm because it wont let go of the apple.
During the off-season, players who don’t make a difference will be resigned (J. Smith, Madieu). Free agents will use us as bait and get better offers from teams they’d rather play for. Rudi and Dex Jackson will be back while DeDe will be lured back to Indianapolis. Our first round pick will pull something minor in training camp and miss the first six games. The league will finally admit they just don’t like Odell and suspend him for a third straight season. Marvin Lewis will move forward.
This square-peg-in-round-hole offense we’ve seen all year will continue to sputter as receivers run the same routes and as Rudi gets 14 carries for 28 yards. The defense will base their scheme on hope and good luck again next year. King Marv will never concede to adjustments.
This season was typified by the revolting loss at San Francisco Saturday. Frank Gore looked like an ore-hauler pushing whatever pile we stacked in front of him. The Niners knew every play we called and our best player of late, DeDe Dorsey, touched the ball twice. We’re now 1-3 against the NFC West and the win against the Rams is a forgettable one. The common sense advisor failed again on the challenge call late in the game, sacrificing a valuable timeout in the process.
The Bengals cannot handle pressure. In their only road win of the season, they choked seven times and had to kick field goals. The schedule is pockmarked with failed moments in crucial situations. Marvin has his team overanalyzing everything and it causes everyone to press more. When a team begins to press they collapse under pressure. They implode. We’re too big for our britches. We talk a lot about having so much talent but then look like a fancy car with no gas on game day. There’s not enough grit on this team. We need some silent workers who bust their asses when it counts and laughs about it when the jobs done. We should go back to the original uniforms of the seventies with the helmets that have BENGALS printed on the sides. Back to the basics.
Mojokong - Letting go of the apple
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Week 13 recap
Steelers 24, Bengals 10
The year of the Bummer culminated Sunday night with another winnable game slipping down the drain pipe. Four turnovers, an average Willie Parker performance, and 30 plus pass attempts from Rothless are the ingredients one could hope for to escape Pittsburgh with a win. But, like we’ve seen throughout this season, when one piece starts to work another piece quickly breaks down. This time it came from Ol’ Faithful himself, marking the second time in three weeks where Palmer has struggled mightily.
We can cut him some slack Sunday night. Playing the first-ranked defense in the rain on a crappy field sounds like a battle scene from Lord of the Rings. ESPN commentator and super fan, Ron Jaworski, would bore you to death with his analysis of Carson’s throwing mechanics showing you film after film of exactly why he threw too high all night. He’d repeat words like ‘release point’ to you a thousand times and once ignored long enough, he would ramble off to his little room where he would continue his obsession of watching game footage. But the offense looked fine on their opening drive and the difference stems from play-calling more than Carson and a wet ball.
The Bengals started off with short routes and quick hitters. We used DeDe and Kenny Watson on screens and pitches. The line made holes for Rudi. We got in the end zone. It was working.
Then we got cute. All of a sudden we went back to the medium throws to the sidelines, the Rudi-for-Twodie and the long crossing routes. Bratkowski abandoned the short game with an insistence to run his style of offense instead of what the situation dictated. I realize that big-brained Dick Lebeau is gonna make the right adjustments in his coverage scheme, but why not come back to what worked? I liked that the Bengals went deep a couple of times to keep em’ honest. I didn’t mind some Rudi runs up the gut. I did mind that he had 14 carries and the other two running backs got a combined six. Rudi’s longest run was for a less-than-explosive four yards. On the year he averages less than three yards per carry. Every Bengal fan can see the play-calling revert back to the predictable set of 12 or so plays Brat is seemingly in love with. Defenses can see it too, and then stopping the Bengals becomes easy for them.. DeDe’s only carry was good for 15 yards. He averages six per carry. You can’t use Dorsey 20 times a game, but you can use him more than once.
The once laughable circus that was once the Bengal defense has moved along leaving a serviceable unit in it’s place. They’re causing turnovers again and aren’t being ax-murdered against the run anymore. They still need lots of attention in the off-season but at least fans and coaches have seen something they can work with. If the last four games have anything to keep an eye on it’s the butterfly version of this defense. If the caterpillar doesn’t surface again this year, it would serve as nice dose of optimism heading into free-agency.
Another thing I’d like to see happen the remainder of the way is to play some bench-warmers a bit more. Let’s see what the kids can do. We’ve got two rookie safeties that should be in the defense’s plans next year. We’ve got three huge Samoans still growing along the defensive line. Let’s not forget the ethereal Frostee Rucker who may or may not even exist. Playing these guys more also gives the vets a chance to get healthier and rest up some for next year. I don’t think that’s giving up, but it’s being realistic.
Mojokong - I guess I'll root for Jacksonville in these playoffs.
The year of the Bummer culminated Sunday night with another winnable game slipping down the drain pipe. Four turnovers, an average Willie Parker performance, and 30 plus pass attempts from Rothless are the ingredients one could hope for to escape Pittsburgh with a win. But, like we’ve seen throughout this season, when one piece starts to work another piece quickly breaks down. This time it came from Ol’ Faithful himself, marking the second time in three weeks where Palmer has struggled mightily.
We can cut him some slack Sunday night. Playing the first-ranked defense in the rain on a crappy field sounds like a battle scene from Lord of the Rings. ESPN commentator and super fan, Ron Jaworski, would bore you to death with his analysis of Carson’s throwing mechanics showing you film after film of exactly why he threw too high all night. He’d repeat words like ‘release point’ to you a thousand times and once ignored long enough, he would ramble off to his little room where he would continue his obsession of watching game footage. But the offense looked fine on their opening drive and the difference stems from play-calling more than Carson and a wet ball.
The Bengals started off with short routes and quick hitters. We used DeDe and Kenny Watson on screens and pitches. The line made holes for Rudi. We got in the end zone. It was working.
Then we got cute. All of a sudden we went back to the medium throws to the sidelines, the Rudi-for-Twodie and the long crossing routes. Bratkowski abandoned the short game with an insistence to run his style of offense instead of what the situation dictated. I realize that big-brained Dick Lebeau is gonna make the right adjustments in his coverage scheme, but why not come back to what worked? I liked that the Bengals went deep a couple of times to keep em’ honest. I didn’t mind some Rudi runs up the gut. I did mind that he had 14 carries and the other two running backs got a combined six. Rudi’s longest run was for a less-than-explosive four yards. On the year he averages less than three yards per carry. Every Bengal fan can see the play-calling revert back to the predictable set of 12 or so plays Brat is seemingly in love with. Defenses can see it too, and then stopping the Bengals becomes easy for them.. DeDe’s only carry was good for 15 yards. He averages six per carry. You can’t use Dorsey 20 times a game, but you can use him more than once.
The once laughable circus that was once the Bengal defense has moved along leaving a serviceable unit in it’s place. They’re causing turnovers again and aren’t being ax-murdered against the run anymore. They still need lots of attention in the off-season but at least fans and coaches have seen something they can work with. If the last four games have anything to keep an eye on it’s the butterfly version of this defense. If the caterpillar doesn’t surface again this year, it would serve as nice dose of optimism heading into free-agency.
Another thing I’d like to see happen the remainder of the way is to play some bench-warmers a bit more. Let’s see what the kids can do. We’ve got two rookie safeties that should be in the defense’s plans next year. We’ve got three huge Samoans still growing along the defensive line. Let’s not forget the ethereal Frostee Rucker who may or may not even exist. Playing these guys more also gives the vets a chance to get healthier and rest up some for next year. I don’t think that’s giving up, but it’s being realistic.
Mojokong - I guess I'll root for Jacksonville in these playoffs.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Bonus Blog - Justin Smith
Justin Smith.
I have mixed emotions about this guy. I stand by my “worst franchise player ever” label of him, but he isn’t totally useless.
We all know he’s athletically, pretty solid. When he hits people, he usually brings them down. He runs down some fast guys on his trademark clean-up tackles. But he has no real impact to the games he plays in. We can pay a lot of guys less than $6 million to make plays eight yards down the field.
He hasn’t recorded double-digit sacks in a season and has two this year. He racks up a lot of tackles, but they’re always coming to the aid of a struggling defensive back clinging onto the ball-carrier for dear life. He’s constantly seen dropping back into coverage but hasn’t had a pick since he recorded two his rookie season, six years ago. He has an Anheuser Busch tattoo on his arm and looks like Larry the Cable Guy. He might drive a Jon Deer to the game and keep a stuffed ten-point buck head above his locker, I dunno.
I do know we pay him among the highest paid defensive ends, as the franchise tag dictates. I also know he isn’t playing anywhere near the level of Jared Allen, Osi Umenyora or even Xenia native and UC grad, Trent Cole - check that guy out sometime. Justin Smith was chosen fourth overall in the 2001 draft.
Smith does bring words like high-motor and effort-guy to the conversation. He has the kind of hustle Bob Knight strangles his players to get (Just kiddin’ Bob, ya know I love ya). He would run into brick walls if he had to. In fact, that’s all he does anyway. When does Justin Smith do a swim move or a spin to get to the quarterback? He sees red when the ball is snapped and bull rushes right at the opposing lineman every single time. As mentioned, he’s being dropped back into coverage a lot more lately. The thinking is that maybe Smith can don the Harry Potter invisibility cape and trick the QB into throwing it right to him. After all, a guy 280 lbs. dressed in bright orange, can be tough to locate.
I think Smith’s replacement can be a good start to retooling this defense. Who we settle on will tell us a lot about the future plans for this defense. Chances are, we wont convert a college defensive tackle into an end in hopes to transform the unit into a 3-4 defense. I would like to see Frostee Rucker do what most third-round picks do and that’s compete for a starting job at some point in their careers, but don’t hold your breath on that one. Instead I’d like a speed end with a variety of moves that can get to the quarterback. Like the Colts’ Robert Mathis. We have one of those guys already with Robert Geathers, the 117th pick in the 2004 draft. I’m not saying these guys grow on trees, but the tweeners who are too small to play end but can rack up sack numbers when they play, are available in every draft.
MK - Taxidermy is murder!
I have mixed emotions about this guy. I stand by my “worst franchise player ever” label of him, but he isn’t totally useless.
We all know he’s athletically, pretty solid. When he hits people, he usually brings them down. He runs down some fast guys on his trademark clean-up tackles. But he has no real impact to the games he plays in. We can pay a lot of guys less than $6 million to make plays eight yards down the field.
He hasn’t recorded double-digit sacks in a season and has two this year. He racks up a lot of tackles, but they’re always coming to the aid of a struggling defensive back clinging onto the ball-carrier for dear life. He’s constantly seen dropping back into coverage but hasn’t had a pick since he recorded two his rookie season, six years ago. He has an Anheuser Busch tattoo on his arm and looks like Larry the Cable Guy. He might drive a Jon Deer to the game and keep a stuffed ten-point buck head above his locker, I dunno.
I do know we pay him among the highest paid defensive ends, as the franchise tag dictates. I also know he isn’t playing anywhere near the level of Jared Allen, Osi Umenyora or even Xenia native and UC grad, Trent Cole - check that guy out sometime. Justin Smith was chosen fourth overall in the 2001 draft.
Smith does bring words like high-motor and effort-guy to the conversation. He has the kind of hustle Bob Knight strangles his players to get (Just kiddin’ Bob, ya know I love ya). He would run into brick walls if he had to. In fact, that’s all he does anyway. When does Justin Smith do a swim move or a spin to get to the quarterback? He sees red when the ball is snapped and bull rushes right at the opposing lineman every single time. As mentioned, he’s being dropped back into coverage a lot more lately. The thinking is that maybe Smith can don the Harry Potter invisibility cape and trick the QB into throwing it right to him. After all, a guy 280 lbs. dressed in bright orange, can be tough to locate.
I think Smith’s replacement can be a good start to retooling this defense. Who we settle on will tell us a lot about the future plans for this defense. Chances are, we wont convert a college defensive tackle into an end in hopes to transform the unit into a 3-4 defense. I would like to see Frostee Rucker do what most third-round picks do and that’s compete for a starting job at some point in their careers, but don’t hold your breath on that one. Instead I’d like a speed end with a variety of moves that can get to the quarterback. Like the Colts’ Robert Mathis. We have one of those guys already with Robert Geathers, the 117th pick in the 2004 draft. I’m not saying these guys grow on trees, but the tweeners who are too small to play end but can rack up sack numbers when they play, are available in every draft.
MK - Taxidermy is murder!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Week 10/11 recap
Cardinals 35, Bengals 27
Bengals 35, Titans 6
Heading into the gooey quagmire of Heinz Field Sunday, the Bengals have demonstrated some calming improvements recently. First, the hemophiliac-like defense has momentarily stopped the bleeding. It had an episode in the first half to Arizona, but it surged with the momentum of Dorsey’s blocked punt the rest of the way. Last week the defense made Young look...well, young. They’ve stuffed the run as if they might be growing tired of always being criticized. Apparently they have feelings too. I’m proud of them.
All, but Dexter Jackson, that is. He’s beginning to smell like Ohalete, and that smells like moth balls and diapers. Two long completions to Anquan Boldin and Justin Cage can be directly traced to Dex’s heavy feet. When he’s sent on a safety blitz, he makes contact with a quarterback and then tries his hardest to pull the guy down to the ground. There’s no impact to his hits. His equipment is made of old couch cushions.
On a brighter side, the linebackers have elevated their status to serviceable. Dahani Jones and Schlegel also lack speed but they’re pretty good tacklers. Rashad Jeanty somehow makes a difference. Since he’s returned the unit has found some cohesiveness. Geathers is no longer needed to do anything but pass rush and that’s what he’s paid to do. We no longer mourn the loss of the fallen linebackers of yore. We’ll see if they can stop the Steeler steamroller in the soup Sunday (a little Suess action for ya), but they’ve certainly given us some much-needed optimism against the run. I’m so glad Ricky Williams is hurt for the year. I had visions of him racking up 200 yards or so and getting their only win of the year against the Bengals in the finale. I wish him the best next year though.
Hall and Joseph have held up nicely against the deep ball in the recent stretch too. Hall gets better every week and I feel pretty good about that pick. Joseph struggled mightily in the early games this year but must be healthier because he’s playing at around the same level he showed us last year. Deltha continues to make excuses for his mistakes and seems to be talking his way off of this team. He shouldn’t feel betrayed that the organization wants to start it’s two first-round corners. He still has good ball skills when it’s in the air and he occasionally still makes plays, but that’s the biz. Suck it up, Deltha. You’re a professional.
Who doesn’t love DeDe Dorsey? He’s what old-timers like to call “a football player”. Of course they’re all football players, but they say it as if that kind of a guy represents what a football player should be. A do-anything-you-ask kinda guy. A grunt who’s just glad to be playing at all. A Ryan Freel type of football player. DeDe plays with the youthful exuberance of his college days at...Lindenwood? Where in the hell is Lindenwood? Doesn’t matter. He is a different type of weapon for Carson and Brat that they haven’t really seen here before. He’s similar to the Irons/Perry/Watson kind of back, but is still unique in his punt return style of running the ball. He’s a hell of a find off of the scrap heap. One thing Marvin is pretty good at is finding nice buys at the dent and scratch sales of NFL free agency. He picks up a linebacker, examines it closely, wipes off a little dust and dirt, spits on it, polishes it, pats it on it’s head, and tell it to ‘go get em’. Schlegel, Dahani, Jeanty, Marshall, Dorsey, Glen Holt. Marv’s thrifty.
This Sunday night serves as the last hurrah for Bengal fans. Not for any playoff chances, we’re pretty much over that, aren’t we? The odds of a meteor strike seem safer than the playoffs right now. But it’s important because our genetically predisposed venom as Bengal fans surface when we think of the Steelers. Beating them would make a 7-9 season easier to digest. The sweetness from a beaten Steeler team is like no other. We take pleasure in their suffering. It’s sick, really.
But we know all too well that sting we feel from a loss to the Dark Side. We listen to Steeler fans talk their garbage around the office and at the bar. They’re smug little towels waving in our angry faces. We can’t have this happen.
With field conditions similar to those of trench fighting in WWI, our grit is going to be tested. This could be Willie’s last stand if he gives it a go. The aged battle hero slugging his way through the muck and mire may not have enough in the tank to come out of a game like that. Of course I want Willie to be the right tackle for the next 100 years, but the guy is a purple-hearted veteran with some ligament damage. You have to wonder what the last straw would be for a trooper like him.
Mojokong - releasing the inner-ape
Bengals 35, Titans 6
Heading into the gooey quagmire of Heinz Field Sunday, the Bengals have demonstrated some calming improvements recently. First, the hemophiliac-like defense has momentarily stopped the bleeding. It had an episode in the first half to Arizona, but it surged with the momentum of Dorsey’s blocked punt the rest of the way. Last week the defense made Young look...well, young. They’ve stuffed the run as if they might be growing tired of always being criticized. Apparently they have feelings too. I’m proud of them.
All, but Dexter Jackson, that is. He’s beginning to smell like Ohalete, and that smells like moth balls and diapers. Two long completions to Anquan Boldin and Justin Cage can be directly traced to Dex’s heavy feet. When he’s sent on a safety blitz, he makes contact with a quarterback and then tries his hardest to pull the guy down to the ground. There’s no impact to his hits. His equipment is made of old couch cushions.
On a brighter side, the linebackers have elevated their status to serviceable. Dahani Jones and Schlegel also lack speed but they’re pretty good tacklers. Rashad Jeanty somehow makes a difference. Since he’s returned the unit has found some cohesiveness. Geathers is no longer needed to do anything but pass rush and that’s what he’s paid to do. We no longer mourn the loss of the fallen linebackers of yore. We’ll see if they can stop the Steeler steamroller in the soup Sunday (a little Suess action for ya), but they’ve certainly given us some much-needed optimism against the run. I’m so glad Ricky Williams is hurt for the year. I had visions of him racking up 200 yards or so and getting their only win of the year against the Bengals in the finale. I wish him the best next year though.
Hall and Joseph have held up nicely against the deep ball in the recent stretch too. Hall gets better every week and I feel pretty good about that pick. Joseph struggled mightily in the early games this year but must be healthier because he’s playing at around the same level he showed us last year. Deltha continues to make excuses for his mistakes and seems to be talking his way off of this team. He shouldn’t feel betrayed that the organization wants to start it’s two first-round corners. He still has good ball skills when it’s in the air and he occasionally still makes plays, but that’s the biz. Suck it up, Deltha. You’re a professional.
Who doesn’t love DeDe Dorsey? He’s what old-timers like to call “a football player”. Of course they’re all football players, but they say it as if that kind of a guy represents what a football player should be. A do-anything-you-ask kinda guy. A grunt who’s just glad to be playing at all. A Ryan Freel type of football player. DeDe plays with the youthful exuberance of his college days at...Lindenwood? Where in the hell is Lindenwood? Doesn’t matter. He is a different type of weapon for Carson and Brat that they haven’t really seen here before. He’s similar to the Irons/Perry/Watson kind of back, but is still unique in his punt return style of running the ball. He’s a hell of a find off of the scrap heap. One thing Marvin is pretty good at is finding nice buys at the dent and scratch sales of NFL free agency. He picks up a linebacker, examines it closely, wipes off a little dust and dirt, spits on it, polishes it, pats it on it’s head, and tell it to ‘go get em’. Schlegel, Dahani, Jeanty, Marshall, Dorsey, Glen Holt. Marv’s thrifty.
This Sunday night serves as the last hurrah for Bengal fans. Not for any playoff chances, we’re pretty much over that, aren’t we? The odds of a meteor strike seem safer than the playoffs right now. But it’s important because our genetically predisposed venom as Bengal fans surface when we think of the Steelers. Beating them would make a 7-9 season easier to digest. The sweetness from a beaten Steeler team is like no other. We take pleasure in their suffering. It’s sick, really.
But we know all too well that sting we feel from a loss to the Dark Side. We listen to Steeler fans talk their garbage around the office and at the bar. They’re smug little towels waving in our angry faces. We can’t have this happen.
With field conditions similar to those of trench fighting in WWI, our grit is going to be tested. This could be Willie’s last stand if he gives it a go. The aged battle hero slugging his way through the muck and mire may not have enough in the tank to come out of a game like that. Of course I want Willie to be the right tackle for the next 100 years, but the guy is a purple-hearted veteran with some ligament damage. You have to wonder what the last straw would be for a trooper like him.
Mojokong - releasing the inner-ape
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Week 10 recap
Bengals 21, Ravens 7
Earlier this week, a cantankerous local sports columnist complained about the vast mediocrity we see in the NFL today, particularly at the quarterback position.
Parity in the NFL is what makes it great. The nostalgia of the 80's dynasties sometimes sickens me.
“There is one great team in the NFL now. The rest is just bad football.”
I’m sorry, but I don’t miss seeing the NFC East play San Francisco in the conference championship game every season. It was boring watching Jim Kelly’s sad-face year after year and I certainly don’t miss the days when the Bengals never stood a chance.
New England dominates the league now, and while we all agree they’re a bonafide dynasty, it gets old to watch. The fact that a team can climb out of the cellar to win the division the next year keeps people interested. It also, of course, makes the NFL an insane amount of revenue but you can’t fault good business. Attendance records are being made every week/year/decade. Compare that to the Reds who only sell out when the Yankees come to town and I’m not sure who would ever want to go to say, an Atlanta Hawks game.
Look at the NFC North. The Packers were bad and the Lions won two games all year, while the Bears made it a all the way to the Super Bowl (with a bad quarterback at that). This year the Packers and Lions combined have less losses than Chicago. Tony Romo, last year an average QB, this season has vaulted himself into my coveted top-five list. Steve McNair went from being pretty damn solid to pretty damn laughable in one season. Derek Anderson!?
True, a good quarterback makes up for a lot of other team inadequacies. Payton Manning has led his team to a ton of wins with some horrific defenses. Last year they ranked last and they won the Super Bowl. But the Bengals have proven to be a shining example of how a great quarterback can’t do it all, even with some decent talent around him. If it’s a quarterback’s league, why are we destined for a lottery pick?
The point is, the NFL season is a war of attrition and the best teams demonstrate good coaching and reliable depth. I don’t think that makes the games boring, it makes it heady. It becomes more of a thinking man’s game to watch with so much parity. The league has top five players at every position and then it gets pretty random after that. Mostly due to the effective salary-cap, a team can’t pay too many top-five guys to become like the old 49ers teams and the talent gets evenly distributed. It puts more emphasis on player development and game management, and at the end of the day, the coaches and GM’s are held more responsible than the players are. It’s beautiful.
College football is enjoying one of it’s most exciting seasons thanks to parity. To win in major league baseball almost always means you had to outbid someone for it. George Mason’s run in the tournament was thrilling because it proved that the parity of mid-majors had become stronger. The NBA is a better example of some gross mediocrity. You want to find a boring product in professional sports, check out a game. The San Antonio Spurs play with the excitement of C-Span.
Sports fans seem to love parity. Sports writers seem to love to gripe about it.
Mojokong - Cincinnati needs to cheer up.
Earlier this week, a cantankerous local sports columnist complained about the vast mediocrity we see in the NFL today, particularly at the quarterback position.
Parity in the NFL is what makes it great. The nostalgia of the 80's dynasties sometimes sickens me.
“There is one great team in the NFL now. The rest is just bad football.”
I’m sorry, but I don’t miss seeing the NFC East play San Francisco in the conference championship game every season. It was boring watching Jim Kelly’s sad-face year after year and I certainly don’t miss the days when the Bengals never stood a chance.
New England dominates the league now, and while we all agree they’re a bonafide dynasty, it gets old to watch. The fact that a team can climb out of the cellar to win the division the next year keeps people interested. It also, of course, makes the NFL an insane amount of revenue but you can’t fault good business. Attendance records are being made every week/year/decade. Compare that to the Reds who only sell out when the Yankees come to town and I’m not sure who would ever want to go to say, an Atlanta Hawks game.
Look at the NFC North. The Packers were bad and the Lions won two games all year, while the Bears made it a all the way to the Super Bowl (with a bad quarterback at that). This year the Packers and Lions combined have less losses than Chicago. Tony Romo, last year an average QB, this season has vaulted himself into my coveted top-five list. Steve McNair went from being pretty damn solid to pretty damn laughable in one season. Derek Anderson!?
True, a good quarterback makes up for a lot of other team inadequacies. Payton Manning has led his team to a ton of wins with some horrific defenses. Last year they ranked last and they won the Super Bowl. But the Bengals have proven to be a shining example of how a great quarterback can’t do it all, even with some decent talent around him. If it’s a quarterback’s league, why are we destined for a lottery pick?
The point is, the NFL season is a war of attrition and the best teams demonstrate good coaching and reliable depth. I don’t think that makes the games boring, it makes it heady. It becomes more of a thinking man’s game to watch with so much parity. The league has top five players at every position and then it gets pretty random after that. Mostly due to the effective salary-cap, a team can’t pay too many top-five guys to become like the old 49ers teams and the talent gets evenly distributed. It puts more emphasis on player development and game management, and at the end of the day, the coaches and GM’s are held more responsible than the players are. It’s beautiful.
College football is enjoying one of it’s most exciting seasons thanks to parity. To win in major league baseball almost always means you had to outbid someone for it. George Mason’s run in the tournament was thrilling because it proved that the parity of mid-majors had become stronger. The NBA is a better example of some gross mediocrity. You want to find a boring product in professional sports, check out a game. The San Antonio Spurs play with the excitement of C-Span.
Sports fans seem to love parity. Sports writers seem to love to gripe about it.
Mojokong - Cincinnati needs to cheer up.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Week 9 recap
Bills 33, Bengals 21
We can’t keep talking about the same things every week.
Let’s see, we’ve covered the Old Rudi Is Dead thing. Everyone on the planet knows of the defensive woes, we’ve gone over the offensive line characteristics and discussed the many drops of Chad. What else is there?
The paper brought up the murky subject of a general manager which was immediately and expertly swatted from the podium by Mr. Lewis in Monday’s press conference. He’s a mysterious character by nature but the issue of what kind of GM roles he is responsible for remains somewhere in Area 51. What does Katie Blackburn, daughter of Bengals owner, actually do? What does her husband do? What does Brown himself do?
The legendary Paul Brown was a mind made for football. This man was ahead of his time with his play designs, player/coaching roles and innovations for the game. Did you know he had the idea of shortwave radio helmets to call in the plays with? In the 60's. But son Mike Brown, time and again, has exemplified his lack of any understanding of football talent. Apparently that apple got caught in a gale wind when it fell from the tree. So Brown continues to trust his family more than proven, trained eyes to scout and obtain talented players. And then he allows a person who married into the family to become a part of the brain trust in deciding who becomes a Bengal? Really? That’s all it takes to give your input into our draft?
Cincinnati has wanted Mike Brown strung up on Fountain Square a few times throughout his tyrannical rule here. He bought him some years until the next uprising by hiring Mr. Lewis, but without even mediocre results the new car smell wares off fast. The fuzzy-sweater feeling people had for the Christmas of ‘05 now feels like we’re back in that Viking ship rowing away and being whipped again like the 90's. Someone is gonna take the heat if we do (which I think we’re gonna) end up with six or less wins.
Could Mr. Lewis - that’s how I’m going to refer to him as until I like him again- be a decent GM? Would he be a better coach if that’s all he had to do? We hear these questions every time we travel to Baltimore because of the success their GM, Ozzie Newsome, has enjoyed there. I still think it’s a little early to light the fire to the feet of Mr. Lewis. Lets not be the knee-jerk fans that resemble lynch mobs in some cities. Instead, we take notes, observe and when we have a legitimate case, we take action. I still believe in Mr. Lewis’ abilities in running a football team and I don’t have a better alternative so we all have to live with a bad year of football. But notice has been served, Mr. Lewis. Notice has been served.
Mojokong- Available and interested in the general manager position
We can’t keep talking about the same things every week.
Let’s see, we’ve covered the Old Rudi Is Dead thing. Everyone on the planet knows of the defensive woes, we’ve gone over the offensive line characteristics and discussed the many drops of Chad. What else is there?
The paper brought up the murky subject of a general manager which was immediately and expertly swatted from the podium by Mr. Lewis in Monday’s press conference. He’s a mysterious character by nature but the issue of what kind of GM roles he is responsible for remains somewhere in Area 51. What does Katie Blackburn, daughter of Bengals owner, actually do? What does her husband do? What does Brown himself do?
The legendary Paul Brown was a mind made for football. This man was ahead of his time with his play designs, player/coaching roles and innovations for the game. Did you know he had the idea of shortwave radio helmets to call in the plays with? In the 60's. But son Mike Brown, time and again, has exemplified his lack of any understanding of football talent. Apparently that apple got caught in a gale wind when it fell from the tree. So Brown continues to trust his family more than proven, trained eyes to scout and obtain talented players. And then he allows a person who married into the family to become a part of the brain trust in deciding who becomes a Bengal? Really? That’s all it takes to give your input into our draft?
Cincinnati has wanted Mike Brown strung up on Fountain Square a few times throughout his tyrannical rule here. He bought him some years until the next uprising by hiring Mr. Lewis, but without even mediocre results the new car smell wares off fast. The fuzzy-sweater feeling people had for the Christmas of ‘05 now feels like we’re back in that Viking ship rowing away and being whipped again like the 90's. Someone is gonna take the heat if we do (which I think we’re gonna) end up with six or less wins.
Could Mr. Lewis - that’s how I’m going to refer to him as until I like him again- be a decent GM? Would he be a better coach if that’s all he had to do? We hear these questions every time we travel to Baltimore because of the success their GM, Ozzie Newsome, has enjoyed there. I still think it’s a little early to light the fire to the feet of Mr. Lewis. Lets not be the knee-jerk fans that resemble lynch mobs in some cities. Instead, we take notes, observe and when we have a legitimate case, we take action. I still believe in Mr. Lewis’ abilities in running a football team and I don’t have a better alternative so we all have to live with a bad year of football. But notice has been served, Mr. Lewis. Notice has been served.
Mojokong- Available and interested in the general manager position
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