Unashamed

It's been a tough stretch for Cincinnati sports. The Reds blew it, the Bengals blew it, and just for kicks, the Bearcats blew it too. It was the Steelers loss, though, that forced our attention to the agony of defeat. I walked around with it for a day or two. Nobody felt like talking about it, only they were dying to talk about it. Even the mere mention of the Bengals would cause typically mild-mannered people to become angry, surly drunks and launch into a rant of negativity and usually profanity. Yet as you watch them fall into the old trappings of the Bengals Suck textbook, you look down and notice they're wearing a Bengals jacket. Ask them why and they shrug and turn their palms up. Who else am I gonna root for, they say without saying.

I know there are those who think it's the mentality of the city itself that keeps the Bengals from succeeding. They claim other cities would put more pressure on the owner and would get their desired results through any (legal) means necessary. They think that by supporting Mike Brown and the Bengals, by buying tickets and swag, we the people should continue to expect more football losses. Losing is our own fault, they say, or at least insinuate. They work at the Enquirer and are named Paul Daugherty.

He's probably right, though. Good owners usually own good teams. There is no more space in the chapter of Mike Brown Sucks (Chapter 1: Bengals Suck) for me to go on about the man, but I have been carefully gracious to dole out my compliments to him regarding some smart recent personnel decisions. I still get my digs in, sure, it's too easy and too fun not to, but the sun even shines in Paul Brown Stadium once in a while and I make sure to point it out when I can.

But this isn't about Mike Brown, or Paul Daugherty, it's about Cincinnati. The people that make up this metropolis aren't good fans. They are either despicably naïve and think the Super Bowl is a near certainty, or they are total dooms-dayers who seem to cheer on defeat yet still call themselves Bengal fans. Of course, there are still countless reasonable people rooting for the Bengals, but they are atypical of the city and even they, even us, allow those off-putting mentalities into our own way of thinking—it just comes with the territory of being a Bengals fan. Nonetheless, the people of Cincinnati give a damn about its football team. Why the lack of sellouts then, you ask? It isn't because of boycotts or sticking it to the owner, it's because of the ticket cost mixed with the preconceived notion or hidden fear that the Bengals will lose.

Outsiders pull their hair out listening to such illogical drivel. “Why support the team if you expect them to lose?” they ask. Because I'm from here and it's the only pro football team to choose from. And someday, maybe, they will win, and win some more, and maybe even win a little more. And if we die without seeing that happen, guess what, we're dead and it was only a game anyway. It's so easy to criticize the Cincinnati fan for swallowing spoonfuls of hype and chest-thumping prematurely. The reason we get carried away is because it's the only way to have fun with the NFL. We know we look ridiculous at the end of most years, and by and large, it's embarrassing being a Bengals fan, but we're like teenagers buying clothes at a North Dakota strip mall, we work with what we got.

Downtown, I see all types of people wear their Bengals gear everyday, not because they are super proud of the team, but because it's their coat. The Bengals live in Cincinnati and so do we. We're neighbors, and we're used to them. We want them to do well, and we naturally get frustrated when they don't, but neither one of us are leaving any time soon, so what the hell?

I've had to distance myself every now and then, take a cooling off period after really tough seasons, but I come back around. Two years ago, there were a lot of fans on the brink. Some proverbial bags were packed, but the following year made everybody feel better about things. Now we're getting a little grizzly about the team again and times are feeling tough at the moment, but even if the season tailspins out of control again, Cincinnati will never completely turn its back on the team. We simply cannot help it.

The morning after losing last Sunday night, two surprisingly intelligent football discussions simultaneously took place on the Route 17 bus and both groups vehemently expressed their sadness and frustration to one another. Later, during my lunch break, I saw one brave bastard stroll down Vine Street wearing his Steelers hat past the Main Library and five or six teenaged gangstas erupted with Who Dey chants directed at him. The city cares, and its mood is effected by wins and losses. The rest of the nation can mock us for our simpleton nature and can dismiss us as fools for rooting for a perceived loser, but when they start guilt-tripping us into supporting our home team, they've gone too far. Yeah, I hate the fact that Mike Brown bleeds the county of its tax money, and yes, I get angry at lots of Marvin's time-management decisions, and it really bums me out to see the Steelers thump us at home, but it's not my fault that I was born in Cincinnati and that I like the NFL. I deserve to root for the Bengals, and I think it's a commitment to back your home team. Getting angry with them is okay. Abandoning them isn't.

Those fans who want Marvin Lewis fired have my respect because they want something better for the Bengals. Those who think Andy Dalton is an elite quarterback get a pat on the back because at least they're rooting for the right team. We Bengal fans can disagree until we're purple, but at the end of the day, we're all still Bengals fans and there is nothing wrong with that. Don't let other people tell you how to be a fan. Be a fan.

Mojokong—proud of you guys.

Week 7 Preview: When Sinking Ships Collide

Does a team ever truly deserve to win a game before it’s played?  Last week we ruminated on the question of karma in football.  Is it real?  Does it matter?  Browns fans will tell you no.  What happened last week was about execution, limiting mistakes and solid game-planning, not some flukey ripple in the space/time continuum.  Bengal fans might lean closer to admitting that there is some underlying unseen force that makes the league so hard to predict.  It’s what the old mantra of Any given Sunday is built upon.  The idea that you just never know what you’re going to get out of a team.  Otherwise, how did we lose to the Browns?

What is for sure is that the debate will not likely ever be completely settled.  After railing against any supernatural elements in the game last week, I feel prone to becoming a devout, born-again, spiritually-enlightened instrument of football karma, and write in these very same pages of how the Bengals deserve to win this Sunday night against the Steelers.  Their last win at home against the Black & Gold came in Week 3 of the 2009 season in a game that the Steelers let get away.  The year after, the Stripes just fell short on a valiant late-game comeback on Monday Night Football.  Then in 2011, Andy Dalton was introduced to the rivalry, only to be vanquished like so many other rookie quarterbacks before him, in a game that never felt all that close.

Now the big stage and bright lights find the Bengals once more along the banks of the Ohio River, and, despite the records, the vast majority of the universe still likes Pittsburgh.  And why not?  They’re one of the classiest organizations in sports, mollifying the blue-collared populace with their industrial home setting and with their tough colors and décor, while placating the band-wagoneers who take the easy road and flock to winners.  The Bengals have been an historical step-sibling to the Steelers, making noise on occasion but rarely submitting Pittsburgh into yelling "uncle".   In ’09 the Bengals got them twice—along with the rest of the division—and it seemed some ground had been made up between the two organizations.  Then the next year the ultra-hyped Bengals famously floundered their way to only four wins while the Steelers made it to another Super Bowl.   Logic says that there will be a time when Cincinnati truly positions itself to be better than the Steelers for an extended era of multiple seasons, not just a blip on the radar from time to time.  We Cincinnatians patiently await the natural process of aging to transform the Steelers into a group of has-beens who have lost a step and can’t remain healthy.   Pittsburgh laughs at such a sentiment as they plug in young strapping replacements who they expect to carry the torch of regional and divisional dominance for years to come.

The facts are that the veteran Steeler players finally are beginning to show some rust spots as they struggle to avoid injury and missed games.   The famous Hair, Troy Polumalu, is really beginning to deteriorate as his commando style of play has worn on his smallish Samoan frame.   Other longtime stalemates on the defense like Aaron Smithand James Farrior passed their expiration date already and are no longer on the team.  James Harrison and Larry Foote are nearing their finish line on a career faster than they’d like to admit.  Age is showing in the hardened face of the Steelers defense, but will it be enough to turn the tides?

The other facts are that the Steelers have lost more games than they’ve won and that they have yet to win on the road.  Does this prove that they are a less potent force in the AFC and that they are staring at a rebuilding stretch, or just that they have yet to truly get rolling and are angry with much to prove?

On the other side of that token, the Bengals are a hard team to figure out.  After blowing it to the winless Browns, Marvin Lewis publicly questioned his team toughness, calling them "too nice".  If that is the case, Marv has no one to blame but himself.  I love the Marvin Lewis Program, no secret there, but what I saw in training camp is what I’m seeing now: a team that goes through the motions without showing much emotion.  I wrote at the time that I felt the team had cultivated something of a golf culture over the summer— quiet, serene and often times pretty boring.  Some players took mild umbrage to their coach calling their toughness into question, defending their play as hard and physical.   I think both parties are correct.  They’re not mean people, but they do try hard.  Either way, I doubt that’s the problem. 

Take Jeff Faine, for example.  He’s got a kind of bad-boy persona but his play appears on the softer side of life.  Then there is Geno Atkins, a guy I mostly see smiling but was once dubbed the Tazmanian Devil for his high-energy and tight spin moves.  Sure it’s nice to see a mean-streak to these hulks, but go too far and you end up with a rash of arrests and other social ills.  If the personality of the team is a problem, it’s not because it’s too nice, if anything it’s because there is a certain inner-fragility on the team.  A team can be nice and still remain focused and headstrong.  Football is a game of mistakes that only discipline can overcome.  I don’t need my football team to be mean, but I do need it to be tough.

Pittsburgh is usually tough, but this year’s version is more bark than bite.  They’re still a respectable group with a few hall-of-fame names on the list, but dominant they are not.  Fifteen years ago, the Steelers would ground and pound with big backs and a monster offensive line. Today their offense is made up of speedy playmakers and a patchwork line.  One doesn't walk away with the bruises they used to suffer against the Steelers, but probably do walk away more winded. 

The guys going up against all this speed are not fast themselves.  They are either too old or too young to hang in man-to-man coverage.  I suspect a heavy dose of zone defenses demonstrated by Mike Zimmer and his defensive goons, and the underlying philosophy of the day will be based around strong open-field tackling.  Rather than try and match Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown stride for stride, why not keep the safeties deeper than the deepest, allow the check down throws and be sure to come up and make the tackle?  This will lend itself to more rushing yards to whoever the Steelers trot out there as their halfback, but as long as the Bengals defense forces third-downs and employ the bend-but-don’t-break style of play, Pittsburgh will be forced to kick field goals instead of touchdowns and Cincinnati will win.  Yes, Ben Roethlisberger is terrific on third down, and yes he typically finds ways to beat the Bengals, but he can’t do it all by himself.  If the Bengals can keep the speedsters in front of them, the gameplan should carry them through to a respectable outcome.  Allow the big play, however, and the hope will be vacuumed out of Paul Brown Stadium and blackouts for future home games will ensue.

On offense, the Bengals will try to run the ball, but there is no evidence to say that this time it will work.  Why would it?  Unless the Bengals offensive line can become noticeably stronger from last Sunday to this Sunday, getting yards on the ground will continue to be a struggle.  Cedric Peerman might get more looks—why not?—but the chances of stumbling upon another Rudi Johnson just waiting to be plucked from the bottom of the depth charts is unlikely.  If BenJarvus Green-Ellis continues to produce at such a meager rate, a midseason trade might become a sensible move.  The experiment of having BJGE as the premier back is officially a failure.  Either he must become someone else’s complimentary back or share equal time with one or even two other backs.  For all the good personnel moves Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis have enjoyed in the last few years, The Law Firm seems to be a swing and a miss.  Too bad DeDe Dorsey is no longer a Bengal.

If they can’t run, then they must throw and the whole world knows that A.J. Green will get the most attention in the passing game.  The man is great, and even when his opponents know it’s coming, he still gets big yards and a lot of touchdowns.  But he’s just one man.   The others are having a whale of a time carving out their own notch in the minds of defenders and Andy Dalton may be developing trust issues with his supporting cast.  If these secondary threats continue to peter out when targeted, defenses will tighten the noose around Green’s neck and eventually cut him off completely.  Viable weapons matter—we saw how a lack of them can kill a promising season like in 2009—and the chances of scoring a new legitimate player midseason seems remote, so then it’s becoming more vital every day that a current Bengals offensive player elevate his game to the point where defenses are worried about him.  Jay Gruden got by on some good playcalling to rack up three straight wins, but since then, his creativity has seemed tapped.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him pull a few tricks from his play-calling sleeve against the Steelers, but the Bengals need more than gimmicks and tricks to enjoy any sustained success.  They need better, more consistent execution from players other than A.J. Green. 

As for the flow of the game, I think it’s important to not fall behind too early.  I sense this team is on the brink of self-ruination brought on by a string of perplexing losses to seemingly bad teams mixed with a prolonged inability to defeat a team recognized as playoff-caliber.  If big mistakes happen early on, the Bengals may not have the heart to keep their spirit and wits about them.  So in that case, I would suspect that they will come out conservatively and allow the nerves and butterflies to dissipate before taking many chances.  If they get ahead, they will have to stay sharp throughout the dreaded third quarter to give them a shot in the end.   If it’s a shootout, I fear the Bengals lose, but grind it out with Pittsburgh and you never know how a close game will play out. 

To say it’s a pivotal game is an understatement.  It’s a huge road marker that will dictate this season and help define the career of Andy Dalton.  For Marvin Lewis it’s a measuring stick to gauge the progression of his overhauled team.  Marvin got to start over in 2011 and the results were pleasant, but a loss on Sunday might sour all the progression he and his fans have enjoyed up to this point.

I still think that to say the Bengals deserve to win is silly.  Nothing deserved, except for despair, frustration and heartbreak comes from losing a bunch of previous matches.  Luck, even bad luck, is still a superstition.   The only way that the Bengals win is if they play well and that is how the team and its fan base need to view this game.

In Cleveland a hole was dug.  If they aren't careful on Sunday, that hole will be filled up with dirt with the Bengals still inside.   Change must come now.

Bengals 17, Steelers 16

Mojokong—because they have to.

Week 6 Recap: Man Bites Crow

Football taught me the age-old lesson that comes with the territory of chest-thumping, overboard smack talk which was haughtily displayed within these pages less than a week ago. My tone was mouthy and flippant and I only sprinkled the Browns with the flimsiest of respect. I knew I was taunting the Gods, mocking the force that rules the football universe, describing it as a silly karmic undertow. I've watched enough football to know that divisional match-ups often play out illogically, but I was high atop my pedestal in full throat, peeved by the naysayers. I let them get to me and I am the one now feasting on crow, not them. As solid as the analysis and talking points may or may not have been, I eliminated even the possibility of an upset, and for that I feel somewhat responsible that it happened at all.

The game was a funny one, weird in its nature. Initially everything was fine, but then Josh Cribbs cashed in on a big punt return and the shroud of doom lurked around the Bengal sideline. Next an interception gave the Brownies three more easy points and doom took a step closer. Montario Hardesty entered the game and lifted Cleveland's offense in an instant. The scattered style of Trent Richardson wasn't scaring anyone, but Hardesty took the ball and ran straight ahead, seemingly confusing the Bengals in the process. A couple of bad zone coverages later, the deficit was ten with eight minutes to go and the unthinkable was unfolding right before us. Once Any Dalton threw his second pick—returned for a score—doom began whispering into Marvin Lewis' ear. The sack fumble at the end was the icing and it rendered the Bengals mediocre at best for now.

A lot of this loss is heaved upon the shoulders of Dalton. He didn't play well. The two picks were avoidable and mostly on him. That being said, Cedric Peerman couldn't make his block and it spooked Red into throwing a bad ball on the first one, and Brandon Tate ran an awfully rounded slant route on the second one. Still, Dalton threw too high on a number of passes, didn't look like he recognized a lot of the Browns' coverages, and rarely appeared in rhythm. Andrew Whitworth got beat on the sack fumble, but for the most part, I thought the offensive line pass-protected well. I feel on a lot of Dalton's scrambles, he moved out of the pocket because he was confused, not always because he was being chased. His inability to regularly find safety valve check-down receivers is costing a lot of hidden yards in field position. I still love Big Red as the quarterback, but for all of the intangibly good things he does, his report card does come with some legitimate gripes. My ultimate concern surrounding Dalton and the Bengals is that they attempt to harness his wily instincts and robotize him like they did Carson Palmer. By the end of the Palmer-era in Cincinnati, he had become a programed cyborg who played with an uncompromising predictability. Last year, Dalton's greatest attribute was his pocket presence and I already feel that has marginally declined here in 2012. I sense he panics more than he did last year and the reason could be because he is asked to do more and therefore has more to think about rather than just reacting to the play. Who knows? He is still putting up nice statistics, but I feel his command of this offense is not quite yet where it needs to be.

As documented, the defense did not play all that poorly despite the big point total. Outside of the Hardesty effect, Cleveland struggled moving the ball, they just benefited from Cribbs and turnovers. Vontaze Burfict played very well and continues to impress. He's active, hard to block and wants to hit people every time. I can't say the same for some of the other linebackers on the team. The pass rush was mild on Sunday, but good enough to keep things in order. Terence Newman has proven himself to be a pretty fearless hitter and rather excellent in run support, but his man-coverage skills are seriously lacking. When random tight ends are running successful out patterns to the sidelines on him, you know speed is a concern. Leon Hall continues to play with good technique but he too looks to have lost a step from an already below-average speed. I hate to keep harping on how slow these guys are, but it keeps showing up. Hopefully Kirkpatrick can alleviate some of this concern after the bye week.

Another player I am hopeful returns is Kyle Cook. While Jeff Faine filled in admirably early on in the season, he is now getting pushed around on a somewhat regular basis. He looks okay in pass-protection, but his running blocking rarely has a positive impact. Trevor Robinson came in for a series and looked to do okay against Cleveland, perhaps indicating a shared concern by the coaching staff about the center position. I haven't read or heard about Cook in a while and have no idea of his recovery, but if he can come back this season, it would be a sizable upgrade along the offensive line.

Lastly, Armon Binns struggled on Sunday and may have given more snaps to Marvin Jones. In my last entry, I mentioned how the supporting cast behind A.J. Green needed to show more pizazz. Binns showed the opposite, and his targets are coming up empty too often to stay on the field.

Maybe next time I won't be so brash about my Bengals support. Perhaps I should remain a bit more grounded for credibility purposes, but above all other football-related things, I am Bengals fan and it bleeds out in my writing. We should have beat those Browns and everyone knows it, but to tempt fate by saying we couldn't lose was a mistake. I must be sage at my post. Lessons learned, I suppose.

Mojokong—week-old humble pie.

Week 6 Preview: No Good Reason To Lose

Those predicting the Bengals to lose this week in Cleveland are only saying so because they think karma is on the Browns' side, writing things like “if they can't beat Cincinnati, who can they beat?”

This is a symptom of chronic Bengal hating. The idea that the Bengals are still not a good team.

Analytically speaking, there is no logic behind picking the Browns. They are not very talented, not very deep and frankly not well coached. They are currently a flawed organization that has been poorly managed by Mike Holmgren and are perpetually in rebuilding mode. Selecting a 29-year-old rookie quarterback in the first round only adds to the skepticism of the front-office decision making. Brandon Weeden does make some nice throws on occasion, and he can become an alright QB in this league someday (maybe), but if that happens in three years he will already be old in the NFL sense. If next year the Browns select Matt Barkley fans will groan over wasting an important pick on an obvious career backup in Weeden. He goes through his progressions slowly, he panics easily and looks shaken and lost all too often—typical gripes for rookies—but because of his age, he seems more of a joke than a budding prospect. That being said, Weeden had a nice game against the Bengals in their first match up, as Ryan Tannehill did last week, so a decent showing would not shock me, but in general, Brandon Weeden seems like shark bait against most defenses.

Speaking of defenses, the Bengals seem a bit more grounded in that department these days. Trent Richardson is easily the most exciting offensive player in Cleveland and he will continue to be the focus of the defensive preparation throughout the week. Last time these teams played, I advocated for a focus on stopping Weeden on third down and allowing Richardson to get his yards, but now that the run defense looks more capable, I say load up the box and dare them to throw. Unbelievably, every man on the active Bengal roster practiced this week, so a full stable of healthy corners to rotate in and out should breathe even more life into Mike Zimmer's crew. Cincinnati also gets to see what the previously suspended Dontay Moch can do as a pass-rusher. I felt the Carlos Dunlap Effect was slightly less than usual last week and once more, having another guy in the rotation helps the entire defense. I suspect a strong showing on Sunday.

The Browns defense, however, is banged up. Joe Haden is a remarkable player, a top-five corner in my mind. Of all the dubious Holmgren picks one can think of, Haden is a gem. His match-up with A.J. Green will be premium stuff to watch and Andy Dalton will have to treat him with respect. Some of the other guys in that Cleveland secondary, however, appear extremely vulnerable.

Once Miami completely shut down the Bengals running attack last week, they dropped their safeties deep and dared Cincinnati to throw short on them. I thought Jay Gruden and Dalton could survive a bit longer running a one-dimensional short-passing offense before it became a glaring problem, but by the end, the predictability became tangible and an interception felt inevitable. In a sense, the Bengals were exposed a bit as to how to limit big plays by taking their running game away. This week and beyond, teams will make Cincinnati prove that they can produce meaningful rushing yards. To compound the issue, Bernard Scott, a fragile-bodied man with an often wasted skill set, has busted his knee and is out for the year. The other Bengal backs are bigger guys and not of the super-jukey variety like Scott. The offensive line, a group I flooded with praise just a week before, needs to push the opposition around a little better than what we saw against the Dolphins to make this whole thing work.

Against Cleveland, I think the rushing totals will improve but not dramatically. I would expect Brian Leonard screens and the obligatory end-around to Andrew Hawkins to help the ground game. I also think the other receiver, whoever it may be, opposite of Green needs to find himself in single coverage deep and Dalton needs to give him a shot. A.J. Green is a classically trained wide receiver, but the other guys need to take more advantage of the attention he gets. Perhaps they haven't been as integrated into the scheme yet, keeping them in the freezer for the season's second half, but nonetheless, I would like to see more production from the players not named Green, Hawkins or Gresham. Last week on a crucial third-down play late in the fourth quarter, Brandon Tate dropped a tough pass to set up what would be a missed field goal. As important as it is for Gruden to involve them, it's equally important they make the plays called for them. That's what has made Hawkins so great: he makes the most of his chances. These supporting cast members will be vital to the Bengals success later in the season. It's important they start showing more of what they can do now.

All in all, the Bengals win this game. They are a better team, and while it always feels scary to play a winless opponent, execution, not karma, wins football games. Cincinnati is healthier, angrier, has a better quarterback and is better coached than is Cleveland. The Steelers loom next on the schedule and some teams may overlook their present for a game like that on the horizon, but this team is better than that. The pundits who can't help but doubt the Bengals at every step have gone overboard picking the upset this week. There is no good reason it should happen. None.

Bengals 27, Browns 9

Mojokong—know thy self.

First-Quarter Review: Topsy-Turvy Times

Despite his best efforts to remain steady and consistent, Marvin Lewis is a trickster. His teams play opposite day, or in this case opposite year, annually moving in a different direction from the season before. Sometimes the change comes in wins and losses, and sometimes it comes with an identity switch.

We Bengal brethren grew accustomed to watching a more prototypical AFC North team in the past few years. One that solidified playoff spots with defense. Yet once again, the tides have seemingly turned as a wave of offensive innovation has the Bengals looking potent despite a modest collection of talent on that side of the ball. Meanwhile, the defense needed three games before getting out of bed and looking like their old selves again.

Within these pages, the gentle reader can find numerous espouses of Marvin Lewis' program. The long-tenured head honcho has pretty much seen it all here in Cincinnati and at this point, he has the details of the modern NFL game in clear focus. His coaching staff is arguably unparalleled across the league. Together, for the first time since 2005, these men are putting on a product that appears smarter and a step ahead of their competition. The opener was the total opposite. The team looked weak and unprepared and a figurative bomb of concern and worry exploded within the Bengal fan base following such a bloodbath. The following three, though, were offensive symphonies orchestrated masterfully with flicks of trick plays and swoops of logical calls. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, the playfulness of Jay Gruden's scheme reminds me very much of the Sam Wyche days.

These topsy-turvy Cincinnati Bengals have the same players on defense, yet they're far worse than a year ago, while the offense lost a handful of what many considered serviceable players and they are much improved. Furthering the nonsensical pattern, individual players are playing at the caliber many of us expected, on both sides, but the two groups as a whole are not. It's goofy, I know.

It wasn't surprising that the team loaded up on multiple veteran corners and that turned out to be slow and injured. Rey Maualuga is empirically proving our suspicions of just how overrated he still is. Taylor Mays remains a brainless hitter. These things we know.

We also know that Geno Atkins is great—best pass-rushing tackle in the league—and even the visually impaired can see the impact Carlos Dunlap has on the game when he's healthy. One admitted unknown variable, however, is Vontaze Burfict. The experiment so far has come up roses and he may just be the best rookie on the team.

Likewise, on offense, close Bengal observers knew what they had there too.

A.J. Green is All-World, no need to gush there any further. He's made of hall-of-fame stuff and it's already showing. Jermaine Gresham still has not broken out. While many of us hoped he would by now, we had to see it to believe it and I am still not sold.

Then there is Andy Dalton. The outside world has a hard time trusting that Andy Dalton is a good quarterback. I think he has improved in every game this season and his accuracy is notably accomplished for a second year slinger. He must slay the dragon of beating a playoff team, yes, but the way he's playing, that won't be long now.

Another guy the sports kingdom is just now getting around to, but one we have enjoyed for a while is Andrew Hawkins. What a perfect player for his role. Plays hard, makes very limited mistakes and is smallish. Easily a crowd favorite. No wonder Jordan Shipley became expendable. Baby Hawks makes all of his plays.

The biggest surprise from the offensive players has been within the interior linemen. The backup, the rookie, and the guy-off-the-street were under the microscope for a week or two due to their unfamiliarity of the situation. Like all good linemen, they have become an after-thought fading seamlessly into the background. Offensive line coach Paul Alexander deserves a lot of credit for the trio's stability and production.

Marvin Lewis seems especially proud of this year's team. He appears calm, assured. Could he have known that the output of his two major units would be flip-flopped from last year, or is he simply resigned to the nutty nature of the NFL? Either way, he has simply rolled with it, going 3-1 in the process. If this trend continues, the Bengals will end up described as a juggernaut, outscoring teams for wins. Hard to believe...or is it?

Mojokong—the words write themselves.

Week 4 Preview: Intelligence Prevails

Good coaching is bleeding through this team. What looked incomplete and overwhelmed in the beginning now looks like a reasonable work in progress. Last week's win over Washington made a statement—as low-profile as it may have been—that this offense is a clever one and that points will be had. Even some of the bewildering doom and gloom surrounding Mike Zimmer's unit dissipated with the return of Carlos Dunlap. Marvin Lewis speaks so proudly of his young squad and his contentment eases some of my concerns too.  Maybe this is an all-star cast of coaching after all, or maybe this is the easy portion of the schedule and we're getting ahead of ourselves. 

Nonetheless, thirty points have been exceeded two weeks in a row and Andy Dalton appears to be in command of his offense. Andrew Hawkins continues to flabbergast with his effort, his quickness and his will to succeed. No other player gets more out of his opportunities than does Baby Hawk. A.J. Green has officially reserved a seat in the elite receivers' row of the NFL, and Jermaine Gresham bounced back from a tough start with a nice performance in D.C. I liked seeing Orson Charles get involved, and Armon Binns has thankfully made it easy to forget about Jerome Simpson.  The receiving corps is multifaceted and hungry to prove themselves.  Jay Gruden is utilizing them to the best of their abilities and you can sense their collective confidence growing.  The only thing fun about the NFL is success, and this passing attack appears to be having fun right now.

The one blight on the day offensively last week was BenJarvus Green-Ellis suffering his first ever fumble, but it was bound to happen and I'm just glad that it's outta the way. I know some are worried about the running game, but I think its design fits the rest of the scheme. Some teams rely on explosive runs, but the Bengals rely on short passes that act as runs. All the Cincinnati backs have to do is move forward and hold on to the ball. Bernard Scott may be a lost cause if he can't get on the field more often, but Brian Leonard has a chance to shine as a backup runner for Jay Gruden. The offensive line is not the panic we feared it would be after losing two interior starters to injury and the whole rushing game needs to keep grinding and be okay with three-yard runs. Gruden is a sensible play-caller with smart creativity. Cincinnati is lucky to have him.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, however, have Bob Bratkowski calling their plays. Okay, let's take a moment to laugh it out and collect ourselves before continuing. Right then.We know what Brat likes and dislikes. What  Bengal fans are less familiar with though, is the influence of Mike Mularkey. When Marvin Lewis was hired, Mularkey was a serious candidate for the same job in Cincinnati. He's called plays in Pittsburgh and Buffalo and probably other stops that aren't worth researching. The inanity of Brat's outlook on offensive football may be reigned back with the presence of Mularkey as head coach. If not, look for the Jags to run Maurice Jones-Drew on an off-tackle stretch play every first down and try long vertical passes on third-and-short situations. Brat doesn't, or at list didn't, make adjustments. His quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, is only mildly improved from a disastrous rookie year and still gets really frazzled in the face of the pass rush. The weapons surrounding Gabbert is a modest list of names highlighted by the big rookie receiver Justin Blackmon. The big-time draft pick has not been thrilled with the start of his professional career and has grumbled about it some to the media. Look for the Jags to force him the ball in order to placate his ego and justify some of the millions that they have invested in the young man.

MJD is a lot like Ray Rice, everyone says so. They're small but strong, hard to tackle, have legs like fire-hydrants and are explosive in the open field. The big difference is that Baltimore has many more options outside of Rice, while the Jags become paltry at best without MJD. So rather than run-blitz, I would stay at home on running downs, giving Mojo four or so yards and then come after Gabbert on third down with intense nickel and dime blitzes. If MJD moves them downfield for field goals but Gabbert can't get comfortable enough to throw touchdowns, the Bengals win. If Zimmer worries too much about the running game and leaves the secondary in tough one-on-one situations they may be needlessly shocked by a big game from Gabbert.

For some reason, I feel that the Jacksonville special teams is vulnerable in the return game too. Watching them on tape, one can get a sense of weakness coming from somewhere within its ranks. I boldly predict two big returns in this game, one for a score. Despite the momentary trickery run amok last week that resulted in Kevin Huber relying on a Domata Peko block to spring him for a 12-yard scamper to the end-zone on a fake field-goal attempt, Darrin Simmons and his boys have been pretty solid.

It's difficult to score 30 points three weeks in a row. Jacksonville can be ran on and if the Bengals secure a lead, I would expect more BJGE than what we saw last week. Teams will begin to game-plan the Bengals by trying to take away the quick pass. This will help the rushing totals, time-of-possession, and general game-management if the right adjustments are made. The Jags are only minutely improved from last season and should remain a beatable team.

Bengals 28, Jags 12

Mojokong—make mine a double.

Week 3 Preview: Set The Edge

From what I'm told, the seats inside FedEx field are a tight squeeze. Leading the league in capacity, Dan Snyder does everything he can to pack them in on Sundays. What he's done recently, of course, is add a premium playmaker and a crown jewel piece to the franchise. Robert Griffin III should keep fans from doing much sitting in those tiny seats for years to come with his electrifying skill set and dynamic ability. Sunday will be his the first true display in Washington. Like a Smithsonian exhibit, Skins fans will marvel at the rare and gifted abilities of RGIII. He fuels excitement. He's a human sports-drink.

On the other end of all of this are the Cincinnati Bengals. After a pitiful opener followed by a tie-loosening win over the Browns, Bengals fans are still waiting for a faith-restoring performance worthy of calming their nerves and relaxing their anxiety about this team. The defense continues to smack of mediocrity and while statistically not bad, Andy Dalton has not been at his best—no matter what the national media say.

There is a lot to be encouraged by within this offense. You can see the growth in this squad and I think they will really begin to come into their own soon. That being said, I feel that the team still isn't entirely on the same page offensively yet. While not taking any real shots, Dalton was sacked six times last week and almost all of them were the result of a busted play or a bad read. The pocket presence that was so sharp for Dalton last year just hasn't been that impressive so far in 2012. He looks freaked out more often and when the first read hasn't been there, there's been no plan B in place to prevent a loss on the play. I still think Jermaine Gresham is vital to this offense and if he doesn't raise his game soon, there will be a gaping void where a major weapon should be and the results will become tangible. Andrew Hawkins has dazzled as most of us Bengal fans expected, but he still seems to be taken too lightly by the opposition. The success of Hawkins has lessened the letdown of Gresham's lack of impact, but Gresham must realize the physical monster that he is. His brain must work with his huge frame and stay focused through the whistle. There's no question that focus is all he lacks.

And while Gresham remains a potential mismatch against nearly every team, I think it will be Hawkins who again will be the difference maker. The Washington secondary is not that great on tape. Danny Amendola absolutely torched them last week, mostly on shallow crossing routes and Hawkins is a similar kind of slot receiver. It was reported that there was some dissension in the ranks within the Redskin coaching staff, resulting in defensive backs coach, Raheem Morris, calling man-to-man plays over defensive coordinator Jim Haslett's zone scheme. If the Skins go back to Haslett and the zone, Baby Hawk is the ideal player to find open spaces underneath and keep drives alive. If they go man-to-man, they will have to match up with A.J. Green individually and that doesn't bode well for any cornerback in the league. Look for Washington to blitz from the safety and nickle spots on third down in order to compensate for the loss of their best pass rusher, Brian Orakpo, out with a torn muscle. I think Dalton will continue to throw the ball often and end up with another day of high yardage, but I would like to see him in even more command of this offense.

Defensively the Bengals must account for the speed of the Washington offense. Even though Pierre Garcon is looking iffy to go on Sunday, the Skins employ other speedsters who they like to get the ball to early and in space. The Redskins run so many of their plays out of the shotgun read-option. They almost always play-action in the shotgun formation, but, of course, sometimes their new running back, Alfred Morris, takes the hand off and runs off tackle. Then RGIII will take it himself and skirt to the outside. Then he will play-action and throw a quick bubble screen to his fast, kick-returner-like receivers. Then he will fake the bubble screen and instead fire it to his tight end, Fred Davis, on a seam route up the middle. So many options.

For the Bengals, the defense has to set the edges on the outside. Carlos Dunlap returns this week to assist a struggling Bengals pass rush, but he and the other defensive ends have to be sure not to get too far upfield or sucked into the scrum of blockers. Keeping RGIII in the pocket and sacrificing up-the-gut runs for outside containment should be the plan against such a dynamo at quarterback. If Mike Zimmer is going to blitz, he should do so from the middle to flush Griffin out into the awaiting ends. Zimmer has used similar strategies for Ben Roethlisberger to prevent him from rolling out and improvising his way into a big play. If RGIII can shake-and-bake his way to the flats and become the duel-threat that Mike Shanahan envisions of him, the slowish Cincinnati secondary has no chance to cover the speed of the Washington passing attack for that long. If the edge isn't set, the points could go up in bunches.

When the schedule first came out, most locked this up as a Bengals win. Now, three weeks into the actual games, there is a new feel to this match-up. Marvin Lewis teams in the past have thrived when the spotlight moves away from his team and onto a more interesting media spectacle like RGIII. The hype is certainly strong with this young Jedi and the expectations are rapidly growing. Those ninety thousand or so fans squished into a giant FedEx box somewhere in Virginia on Sunday will expect fireworks. If they get their wish early in the game, the momentum may spin out of control and allow Robert Griffin III to feel unstoppable. If the Bengals defense can somehow humble him, the respect will swing back their way. There's a lot on the line for it only being Week 3. Many lingering questions should be answered by Sunday night. Hope I got the wrong feeling.

Redskins 31, Bengals 28

Mojokong—a lot to prepare for.