SB Nation - Rudi Johnson

Know Your Colts History: This is why Peyton is Tougher Than You Are

JakeTheSnake — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:00:16 -0000

Before I get to this week's post, I'd like to clear up something from last week that I didn't get to address in the comments because I was out of town all weekend. When I said that I was thankful that Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis don't rotate in and out like most other linemen, that was overstatement. They do rotate in and out like most other linemen, but they don't rotate nearly as much as other linemen and they burn a lot more energy on every play than other linemen do every single down. That's what I was trying to get at in the post, but I went a little overboard in getting the point across, and I apologize for that.

Anywho, this week I'd like to talk about a painful, but great moment for the 2006 season (since my computer is still on the injured list). The moment comes from Week 7 when the Colts were hosting the Redskins. It was Peyton's second-toughest moment next to when he returned to a game in 2001 one play after fracturing his jaw.

At a time when the cries about Peyton being "soft" were at their highest, Peyton showed just how much grit he had. He probably would have preferred to crush a can on his head or eat glass, but when two linemen decide to make you into a human catapult, you don't get to veto. Even more impressive than the fact that he was didn't miss a play after nearly being folded like origami is that he threw three touchdowns in the next quarter to put the game away.

The Colts were 6-0 after the win, so the NFL knew that the Colts were for real, but this was the game that set the tone for the rest of the season. In one play, Peyton exhibited the toughness the team would rely on to get them through the difficult moments in that Super Bowl year.

When the team slumped near the end of the regular season and let notable rushers such as Travis Henry (93 yards), Alvin Pearman (71 yards in garbage time after Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew had their fun), Rudi Johnson (79 yards), and Ron Dayne (who tallied up 153 yards!) raked the Colts defense, they were tough enough to stick with the system and know things would work themselves out. When the team had to play on the road in a hostile Baltimore environment, their toughed out those yards late in the game to seal the deal. When the team had to face an 18 point deficit in the AFC Championship, they stiffened up and pulled out the win. When it came to the big game, gutted out the win in the pouring rain, shedding their image as a soft, indoor team once and for all.

I see a lot of that grit and toughness in this year's team. They may not have that signature moment of toughness they did in 2006, but they've shown the ability to deliver again and again in tough situations this season. Six different times this season the Colts have been down in the fourth quarter, and all six times the Colts have come back to win. They've managed to win at home, on the road, while holding onto the ball for less than one-fourth of the game, without a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning, and without the services of several key players in most games.

Just like '06, the key to this success goes back to the captain, Peyton Manning. He still sets the tone, and everyone else gets on board with him. Hopefully this year he won't have to bend over backwards (literally) to show that to the world.

Bernard Scott named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Kirkendall — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:44:17 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

29 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Bernard Scott, left, returns a kickoff for a touchdown past Pittsburgh Steelers' Keyaron Fox in the first quarter of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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As if we didn't document Bernard Scott's weekend enough already, we've decided to pile on the mountain of awesomeness that is Bernard Scott. Every Wednesday, the NFL announces players of the week for offense, defense and special teams for the AFC and NFC. Carson Palmer won the award during his five touchdown day (aka, holy-freaking awesome day) against the Bears during week seven and Antwan Odom won it in week two after recording an impressive five sacks against the Green Bay Packers.

Add Bernard Scott to the list.

The NFL announced Wednesday that Scott won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after recording a 96-yard touchdown return against the Pittsburgh Steelers and 206 yards on kickoff return. Scott is the first Bengals player named the Special Teams Player of the Week since Tab Perry in week 13 during the 2005 season, ironically enough against the Pittsburgh Steelers, recording 197 yards on five kickoff returns, including a 94-yarder that setup Rudi Johnson's one-yard touchdown run giving the Bengals the lead (31-24) with 7:57 left in the third quarter (run-on sentences for the win!). Scott is also the first Bengals player to record a touchdown on kickoff return since Glenn Holt on November 4, 2007.

Here's the award winnings for week 10.

AFC Offensive Player of the Week: QB Peyton Manning, Colts
AFC Defensive Player of the Week: Safety Mike Brown, Chiefs
AFC Special Teams Player of the Week: RB Bernard Scott, Bengals
NFC Offensive Player of the Week: WR Sidney Rice, Vikings
NFC Defensive Player of the Week: CB Charles Woodson, Packers
NFC Special Teams Player of the Week: P Hunter Smith, Redskins

Cedric Benson, who ranks second in the league, breaks another Ravens rushing defense streak.

Kirkendall — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:16:31 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson runs against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Cincinnati. Benson ran for 117 yards and one touchdown as the Bengals won 17-7. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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It takes muscle and endurance to beat the Baltimore Ravens defense; along with a few missed Ed Reed tackle (have you ever seen him miss so many tackles against the Bengals?). Cedric Benson's rushing performance against the Ravens is in large part why the Bengals were able to beat a team that was favored in both games. The first time around, Benson rushed for 120 yards on 27 carries, which was the first time in 40 games that anyone rushed for 100 yards or more against the Ravens. Adrian Peterson would accomplish the same feat, rushing for 143 yards the following week.

So what does Benson do? He follows it up with another 100-yard performance. Dave Lapham asked the question. Who was the last running back to rush for 100 yards in consecutive meetings against the Ravens? Rudi Johnson actually came three yards short in 2005, rushing for 97 yards on November 6 and 114 yards on November 27. Both wins. Corey Dillon did do it in two seasons, rushing for 102 yards on November 10, 2002 and 127 yards on December 23, 2001. Pragmatic writes (through a Joe Reedy spirit or Twitter account) that it was Ricky Williams that last rushed for 100 yards against the Ravens in back-to-back games between 2002 and 2003. This Baltimore Sun article confirms it, writing that the Ravens defense "haven't allowed 100 yards to a running back in consecutive meetings since Miami's Ricky Williams in 2002-2003."

And more specific to our division's history, which running back has rushed for 100 yards against the Baltimore Ravens defense twice in one season? We looked. We scanned. The best we came up with was Jerome Bettis in 1997 -- rushed for 137 yards on October 5 and 114 yards on November 9 (if someone else, let us know).

Benson's rushing performance broken down by quarters
	Att	Yards	AVG	LG	TD
1st Q	9	45	5.0	21	1
2nd Q	9	35	3.9	15	0
3rd Q	7	19	2.7	4	0
4th Q	9	18	2.0	6	0
	34	117	3.4	21	1

As for the league, Chris Johnson put together another fine performance against the San Francisco 49ers rushing for 135 yards on 25 carries. He leads the league with 959 yards. Steven Jackson and Adrian Peterson were both off this week, allowing Benson to jump into second with 837 yards rushing.

One last impressive stat. Benson has recorded a rushing touchdown in four straight games, and six of the eight games this year.

Trust isn't an issue with the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals

Kirkendall — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:32:35 -0000

While Bengals fans might not be buying into the team after seven games this season, one Washington Post blogger isn't convinced of Cincinnati. Why? Mostly trust issues.

It's a fine story now, but Cincinnati is one of those teams you just can't trust. The Bengals have disappointed so many times that you're almost waiting for them to collapse. This is, after all, an organization that has had two winning seasons in 20 years.

Can we really blame him for thinking this way? Most of us have and probably still do. Aside from a struggling economy that has blue collar fans -- the heart of the Bengals fan base -- penny pinching, trusting the Cincinnati Bengals has been a difficult thing to maintain. An accurate reminder of trust issues could be traced back to 2006, when the Bengals went into a Monday Night Football game on December 18 against the Indianapolis Colts. The Bengals were 8-5, riding a four-game winning streak with wins over the Saints, Browns, Ravens and Raiders -- three of those four wins were won by 15 points or more and the Bengals beat the Browns 30-0.

It was simple, if the Bengals win just one their last three games, they make the playoffs. With a win over the Chiefs and a potential win over the Broncos during week 16 (game #15) the Bengals would own tie-breakers against two competing teams that were vying for the final wildcard spot. It seemed so easy. Win one, you're in. Maybe not as good as they were in 2005, these Bengals were still good.

The Bengals went 0-3 in the worst possible way.

Peyton Manning threw four touchdowns passes in a 34-16 route. Brad St. Louis made a poor snap that cost the Bengals an extra point that would have tied the Denver Broncos with 46 seconds left in the game. And in the final game of the year, the Steelers and Bengals battled into overtime when Ben Roethlisberger completed a 67-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes to end the Bengals season. Consider for a moment that the Bengals lost 23 of their next 35 games after beating the Oakland Raiders on December 10, 2006.

However, I believe the issue of trust shouldn't factor into whether you buy into this team this year. The Bengals are different. How much? Carson Palmer isn't putting up the passing stats he did in 2006. Then again, he's winning football games on last minute drives. Cedric Benson is on pace to equal Rudi Johnson's 12 touchdowns that year; his 1,645 yards rushing he's on pace for will shatter the club record. Offensively the Bengals are worse than that year. Defensively, they're far stronger. All around, the depth is better.

This club is like no other club Cincinnati has had during the Mike Brown era. There's unity. There's pride. There's ambition. There's a genuine lack of me-first personality. I can understand Gene Wang's point in the Washington Post. But having watched all the Bengals teams in the past, and immensely focused on this team now, I have to say that trust issues and recent history bear no relevance to the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals.

Week in Review: Bengals must play the rest of the season like it's the playoffs

Kirkendall — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:23:54 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis breaks into a smile after the Bengals scored against the Houston Texans in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

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Carson Palmer is calling Sunday a must-win. Hasn't it seemed like we've called every Bengals game a must-win this year? Beating Denver was a must-win to prevent another eight-game losing streak out of the gate like last season. We've called Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Baltimore must-wins for their division implications. Now, we're calling the Bears a must-win. And this could be the best example of that.

If the Bengals beat the Bears Sunday, Cincinnati heads into the bye week with a 5-2 record, regaining some momentum, still controlling their own destiny. After that, the Bengals host Baltimore and travel to Pittsburgh in back-to-back weeks. If, and that's always a big if, Cincinnati wins the next three games, they control their own destiny. After that three-game stretch, the Bengals play the Raiders, Browns and Lions. Now, we're 10-2 with the Vikings, Chargers, Chiefs and Jets to close out the season. So maybe the Bears isn't just a must-win. Maybe the Bears is the first of three-straight must-win games if the Bengals are going to make a championship run.

On the other hand, if the Bengals lose Sunday, they head into the bye week with a 4-3 record, a two-game losing streak, no momentum with games against the Ravens and Steelers on tap. Now, suggesting that the Bengals will win the next three, I believe, is a bit hopeful. The Steelers and Ravens, looking to take control of the division, will make it very hard on the Bengals. With that thought in mind, the Bengals beating the Bears could be the difference between having a winning record and a losing record by November 16. And realistically, if the Bengals are going to survive the rest of the season, they need to be assured of a winning record in case Baltimore and Pittsburgh have their revenge.

Furthermore, the Bengals can't go into the bye week on a two-game losing streak and no momentum. So is Sunday a must-win? I think so. If we were in any other division, I think the urgency is reduced a tad. But we know what the Steelers and Ravens can do and the Bengals will have to do everything they can to keep themselves from falling too quickly by two teams that could easily win out their games in which they're not facing each other -- which we've seen both teams do before.

We've heard the expression before by teams that make incredible runs to the playoffs and I believe it applies right now. The Cincinnati Bengals playoffs starts this Sunday and a loss could mean elimination.

Defensive line injuries could take a toll. Will they step up? Even though Domata Peko didn't practice on Wednesday and Thursday, it appears that the team's best defensive tackle will go on Sunday after fully participating during Friday's practice. Surprisingly he's listed as probable.

“Right now it’s feeling great,” Peko said. “I’m excited. I want to get out there and be with my dudes against Chicago but if it ain’t right I’m not going to go.”

This is great news at a time when the Bengals defensive line suddenly felt short-handed earlier this week. We lost Antwan Odom. Tank Johnson had missed two straight against Cleveland and Baltimore before returning against the Texans recording a season-high four tackles and a quarterback sack. Pat Sims was listed on the injury report this week with a bicept injury; he's also probable. What's worse is that due to illness, Jonathan Fanene missed practice on Thursday and Friday. Fanene, who's listed as questionable, could be giving way for rookie Michael Johnson. The Bengals also needed depth. After Odom went onto injured reserve, Cincinnati signed Orien Harris back.

With all the injuries and illnesses on the defensive line, guys like Robert Geathers, Michael Johnson, Tank Johnson and Pat Sims will have to step up.

They're calling it Benson Bowl. The local media is calling it "Benson Bowl." Benson isn't thinking of revenge, but he's motivated. Since joining the Cincinnati Bengals, Benson has found happiness. He feels accepted and says that his "Dreams are coming true." Benson also claims that the Bears were "blackballing" him when the Bears organization, from Benson's point of view, screwed him over.

"Even the Bengals told me all the things, that they would call and inquire about me and get nothing but negative things. Just that I didn't work hard, that I was I guess a prima donna or I didn't work hard on the field, just wasn't focused, just anything negative that they could say, it was said. I'm sure that contributed largely to me not getting picked up right away."

I like Benson a lot. He's a hard worker and gives the Bengals the best running back they've had since Rudi Johnson's prime. The Cedric Benson in Cincinnati isn't the same Cedric Benson in Chicago. However, you have to wonder why Benson is going off about what the Bears may or may have not done to Benson. Even though he probably felt insulted, I believe Benson should take some responsibility for what happened in Chicago. The off-the-field issues were a result of his own actions, not the Bears. From my understanding, Benson didn't like sitting behind Thomas Jones and older reports suggested that Benson made things just as tense in the lockerroom as others made it tense for him. So I'm not so sure if Benson is totally blameless about what happened in Chicago. But in truth, whatever actually happened while he was with the Bears, is meaningless now.

What does matter is that the Bengals need Benson to rebound after his season-low 44 yards rushing last week. And just for fun, here's our post on the day Benson was signed in 2008. Re-read some of your comments and tell me how he's changed minds.

Just how far away is Coffman from playing? Indirectly, Chase Coffman became a leading discussion. After back-to-back weeks of watching tight ends drop passes and fumble the football, the Bengals rookie tight end is still inactive. It will be telling if this week Coffman makes his debut, or if the Bengals are still refusing to reduce Daniel Coats' playing time. J.P. Foschi hasn't been bad, but he's not the tight end that the Bengals need. It's clear that the offensive philosophy was to use the tight ends more this year in the passing game, but it's not working out. Two fumbles by tight ends against Houston was one of several explanations to the Bengals loss. The dropped passes are ridiculous.

Why isn't he playing? What we hear is that Coffman isn't ready. He doesn't play special teams well and he's still struggling to become an NFL Tight End after a college career where he played more like a wide receiver.

Maybe Coffman will become something special in the Bengals offense. Time will only tell. The problem is that the Bengals are one game away from either fighting for the division after the bye week, or sinking. If the Bengals beat the Bears Sunday, they'll once again fight Baltimore and Pittsburgh for division supremacy. If the Bengals lose to the Bears, they run the risk of going 4-5 (quickly) if they don't beat Baltimore and Pittsburgh, which would end their chances of controlling their own destiny.

Of course, Coffman isn't the reason for all of that. But the Bengals desperately need better tight end play than what we saw the last two weeks if they're going to keep making a run.

And apparently the Bengals view it that way. It was reported earlier in the week that the Bengals attempted to trade for Dallas Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett, which Dallas declined. Bennett isn't the type of tight end to fill the gap until Coffman is ready. He's the type of tight end that could become the future, which left the question, what about Coffman?

The Return of the Giant. Andre Smith's return, or actually making a debut, is happening. This week, Smith practiced on Wednesday, though it was only non-contact drills. On Thursday, Smith practiced limitedly, but had contact. On Friday, Smith practiced fully. Furthermore, Smith claims he dropped his weight to 330 pounds and most observers are saying he's "noticeably lighter."

All indications are, while still out this week against the Bears, that Smith will make his debut against the Baltimore Ravens on November 8 after the bye week. Unless Dennis Roland and Anthony Collins utterly fail against the Chicago Bears, it's unlikely that Smith starts against the Ravens. Knowing how the coaching staff has worked in the past, it seems more likely they'll ease Smith in during running downs in big packages, lining up at tight end, or weak-side tackle on big formations.

Something else needs to be observed here. When the Bengals rush the football to the right, they are actually one of the worst rushing offenses in the league. The following is a chart of the team's directional report on rushing plays by NFL Game Statistics and Information System.

	LE	LT	LG	Center	RG	RT	RE
Avg. Gain	6.0	5.17	7.0	3.86	2.39	3.3	3.14
NFL Rank	11	10	3	18	27	24	28

Is there where we prove something? I've always agreed that Bengals offensive coordinator makes questionable calls. However, I always say that the players need to perform first and foremost. Last week was an example of an offense that lacked focus. Now, I'm going to make some people happy; or at least give them direction in their complaints.

As you saw in the chart above, the Bengals are clearly a better rushing offense to the left between Andrew Whitworth and the combination of Nate Livings and Evan Mathis at left guard. The issue here is that the Bengals are rushing the football outside the right guard more than rushing between the strength of their offensive line on the left. The next chart is broken down to three directions. Up the middle, which is between the two guards. And outside both guards on the left and right.

Dir.	Left (outside LG)	Between LG and RG	Right (outside RG)
Plays	41	61	53
Yards	226	250	171
Avg.	5.5	4.1	3.2
Note: Six rushing plays are unaccounted for.

Cedric Benson wins FedEx Ground Player of the Week; comparing his season to Rudi Johnson's franchise-setting season in 2005

Kirkendall — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:50:45 -0000

One could argue that Cedric Benson won the FedEx Ground Player of the Week award because he did it against a team that hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 39 straight games. With 27 carries, Cedric Benson recorded 120 yards rushing and a 28-yard touchdown. The touchdown, in the closing minutes of the third quarter, gave the Bengals a 10-7 lead over a heavily favored opponent. In Baltimore, no less.

Benson, the NFL leading rusher, has recorded two 100-yard rushing performances this season, three touchdowns with a season-average of 4.4 yards-per-rush. In five games this year, Benson hasn't recorded less than 74 yards rushing, and fell below 4.0 yards-per-rush in one game (Denver). Rudi Johnson holds the franchise record for most yards rushing in a season, rushing for 1,458 on 337 attempts and 12 touchdowns in 2005. Below, we compare Rudi Johnson's franchise setting season to Cedric Benson's season this year.

	Cedric Benson (2009)	Rudi Johnson (2005)
Yards	487	464
Carries	111	110
Touchdowns	3	5
Yards/Rush	4.4	4.2

Question of the Day: Should the Bengals think about rotating backup running backs more during games?

Kirkendall — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:28:17 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson, right, runs in a touchdown as Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, left, and cornerback Chris Carr pursue during the third quarter of the NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Baltimore. Cincinnati won 17-14. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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Unless Dolphins' running back Ronnie Brown records 119 yards rushing or more during tonight's Monday Night Football game against the New York Jets, Cedric Benson will lead the NFL with 487 yards rushing. He has six more yards than Adrian Peterson, arguably the most talented running back in all of football. Benson leads the NFL with 111 carries, ranks third with 20 first downs and second, behind speedy Chris Johnson, with four 20-yard rushing plays. Benson was the first running back to record 100 yards in 40 games against the Baltimore Ravens defense.

Benson has been very good this year. In fact, Benson's rushing total against the Broncos, Packers, Steelers and Ravens is the most yards rushing allowed by the respective defenses this year. Benson's 76 yards rushing against the Broncos is the most yards allowed to a running back this year against Denver's defense. Benson's 141 yards rushing against the Packers is the most yards allowed to a running back against Green Bay's defense. Benson's 76 yards rushing against the Steelers is the most yards allowed to a running back against Pittsburgh's defense. Benson's 120 yards rushing against the Ravens is the most yards allowed to a running back against Baltimore's defense.

The argument could be, and perhaps should be, made that the rebuilt offensive line is largely to thank. Kyle Cook has been holding his own against opposing nose and defensive tackles. From my non-scientific and non-statistical based point of view, Cook's performances across the board have been very solid. His biggest struggle came against a defensive tackle that many guards and centers struggle against. Cleveland's Shaun Rogers. It also helps that the Bengals have called the Big Packages more this year than I can remember, bringing in backup tackle Dennis Roland to play tight end, or moving Andrew Whitworth to the right side alongside Anthony Collins.

Even though the Bengals have the league leading running back, they're still only ranked ninth in NFL, averaging 126.6 yards-per-game. That's because Benson gets the bulk of the work, accounting for 77% of the Bengals 144 rushing plays. Combined, Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard have 15 rush attempts and 56 yards rushing. Carson Palmer is actually the team's third leading rusher, picking up 42 yards rushing on 12 scrambles.

Benson is on pace for 355 rushing attempts, six rushing attempts shorts of Rudi Johnson's franchise record 361 rushes in 2004.

On one hand, why not keep the train rolling? Benson's performance this year is great and the team's balanced offense is in part why they're doing so well. On the other hand, the Bengals run the risk of wearing Benson down as the season progresses, especially in December. Here's your question of the day. Should the Bengals keep going the way they're going? Or should they start thinking of relieving Benson more, giving Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard more playing time to make sure Benson is fresher towards the end of the season?

A lesser error doesn't justify the fact it's an error; DeDe Dorsey scores two touchdowns

Kirkendall — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:50:31 -0000

I typically defend Geoff Hobson more often than not. No one has answered me when I ask who works harder than him on any other NFL team website. And if you complain he tends to have a favorable spin on the Bengals, well, then duh. How many times have you gone to your boss and said, "your product stinks and you suck at nearly everything you do." Oh, oh. I almost saw a hand back there. No? You have to put things in perspective. However, I can't defend him here.

One reason the Bengals don't make a move on long snapper Brad St. Louis? His punt snaps have been solid. If they get a guy in here that can do the short snaps but struggles with the long ones, that could be more damaging because a bad punt snap can end up in a touchdown as opposed to a missed three points or one point.

I can't. I can't possibly defend him. He's a good guy. And he pumps out information quicker than any beat writer out there. But I can't defend him here. I just, I just can't. I can't justify the logic of one error weighing more than another. They just shouldn't happen. Long snap. Short snap. Under center. Alright. That's enough of that. On to more important things.

+ Watched parts of the first UFL game on Versus Thursday night. The stadium wasn't even half full and the game seemed generally sloppy, which shouldn't be surprising. This is the first game of a new league and it will take time to build a following, provided they keep appealing to NFL fans during days in which the NFL isn't playing. Former Bengals running back DeDe Dorsey scored two touchdowns, leading the Las Vegas Locomotives to a 30-17 win over the California Redwoods.

Moving on, swan.

We had brought up the topic that maybe T.J. Houshmandzadeh's departure was a good thing. I referenced an old piece in which the team had gotten tired of Chad Ochocinco and Houshmandzadeh yelling at the God of Golden Arms Carson Palmer. John Thornton tweeted us, "TJ wasn't a problem in lockeroom tho or with Carson. TJ and Carson were closer than ppl know".

Don't forget to checkout the SB Nation Fantasy football updates -- I should be making an appearance this afternoon.

A South Carolina newspaper did a feature on former Gamecock cornerback Johnathan Joseph.

Who Dey Fans hopes the Bengals better use a two-running back system. They also examined the Bengals scouting department with a clear mind that doesn't include the ramblings of tired talking points.

Chad Ochocinco "all but guaranteed a Bengals' victory in Baltimore"

"They don’t really stand a chance, realistically speaking," Ochocinco said.

Pete Prisco analyzes the first quarter of the season. About all of the mentions we got was being runner up as the surprise team of the year (Denver took the nod) and being the team on the other side of the Fluke Play.

Don Banks says that Carson Palmer and the Bengals are back, while taking note that they're one bounce away from being an undefeated 4-0.

John Erardi talks about quarterback Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense. Erardi and Joe Reedy talk about Baltimore's killer rush defense.

Since 1999, there have been only 18 games where the Ravens have allowed a 100-yard rusher (the last was Kansas City’s Larry Johnson in 2006). The Bengals have done it three times: two by Corey Dillon and one by Rudi Johnson.

The Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston, while calling the Bengals soft, predicts a two touchdown lead. This is one of the posts we'll have on file next week if the Ravens lose.

Kevin Vanvalkenburg (apparently a costar in Van Helsing), writes that the Ravens left tackle Jared Gaither is looking like a long shot to play Sunday.

Cedric Benson on pace to shatter Bengals single-season rushing record

Kirkendall — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:43:28 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson (32) runs past Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Evander Hood (96) and linebacker James Harrison (92) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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[Editor's note: Chris also ran a feature about Cedric Benson on his other blog, Intentional Foul. We have an open relationship. Even though I tend to be the jealous type, I gave my consent that Chris can write for another blog. It hurts sometimes, but aside from sleepless nights, I'm getting through alright.]

So one of the primary storylines this season on the offensive side of the ball is Carson Palmer. Is he back? Is he good? Should we think about replacing him? Blah. Blah. Blah. If there's one stat that shows Palmer is going to be alright, once he gets a season-worth of rust off his rehabilitated elbow, is that in two of the three games this year, he led the offense to a last minute touchdown drive to take the lead. What else could you want? Is the offensive line going to hold things together or will they breakdown? The defense has been a story of high interest this year too; only because our new-found understanding that defense means more than guys accidentally getting in the way of the opposing offense.

However, there is another aspect of this team that's immensely improved. In fact, let me say it with a ballroom echo where my voice sounds godly. Through three games this season, Benson is recording one of the best starts of any primary running back in the past 11 seasons. Not even Corey Dillon has come close to the numbers that Benson is putting up to start the season.

The only season in which someone put up better numbers to start the season was 2005, when Rudi Johnson recorded more yards (300) and touchdowns (3). Only twice have Bengals running backs recorded a better average than four-yards-per-rush or better in the previous ten seasons. In 2009, Benson is shattering that, averaging 4.44 yards-per-rush.

		Att	Yards	Y/A	TDs
2009	Cedric Benson	66	293	4.44	2
2008	Chris Perry	60	180	3.0	2
2006	Rudi Johnson	58	177	3.05	0
2005	Rudi Johnson	73	288	3.95	3
2004	Rudi Johnson	73	300	4.11	1
2003	Corey Dillon	40	144	3.60	1
2002	Corey Dillon	49	184	3.76	0
2001	Corey Dillon	57	207	3.63	1
2000	Corey Dillon	41	82	1.98	0
1999	Corey Dillon	53	216	4.08	1
1998	Corey Dillon	52	196	3.77	2

I'm fully aware that stats like this are meaningless through three games. Perhaps I'm simply taking advantage of your optimism to spill additional happy-joy feelings for at least a week. I'm a prick like that.

However, for those of you that dig stats and want more of it, this is another piece of evidence that shows the Bengals offensive line is better than last year, if not the best we've seen since the 2005 group of young Levi Jones, Pro Bowler Willie Anderson, versatile Eric Steinback, Bobbie Williams and the guy that every Bengals fan loved that no one else knew about, Richie Braham.

Are Anthony Collins, Andrew Whitworth, Kyle Cook, Evan Mathis, Nate Livings, Dennis Roland and Bobbie Williams as good as that group? Hell no. Are they serviceable to the point that your concerns about the offensive line is starting to fade, game by game? Hell yes. All the while first round pick Andre Smith is working to get back on the field with a busted foot and a lengthy negotiation process that pushed back his progression. Even when he's introduced to the field in the NFL, the Bengals won't incorporate an offensive line as good as that 2005 unit. On the other hand, the team's depth with this squad is very impressive.

Right now, Benson is on pace to record 1,562 yards rushing, which would be over 100 yards better than Rudi Johnson's 1,458 yards rushing record set in 2005.

If you look at the Cincinnati Bengals roster, you have to ask yourself, is this team better than 2008?

Kirkendall — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:59:11 -0000

Relatively surprised by the lack of overall reaction from other fan sites, I had hoped for an idea of what others thought about the team's 53-man roster. Maybe some expected the look we received Saturday afternoon, thus electing to play off the analysis. Others could be sitting by, waiting for the practice squad announcement, as well as any changes after the Bengals make claims on the waiver wire; as well as possibly signing veterans; not that the practice squad has anything to do with the 53-man roster the Bengals will have heading into the regular season. And then maybe some are simply too disgusted to logically differentiate how the Bengals look this year, compared to last year, that led to a 4-11-1 season.

I've often chalked up last year as a season in which the Karma gods said, "it's your turn" to have a bunch of things happen that you won't recover from -- such as losing the starting quarterback, a disgruntled receiver, over 20 guys on IR (many of whom were starters), aging players where their body's are breaking down, etc. I know. It's an excuse. Excuses don't change the fact the Bengals started last year 0-8 and finished with the worst ranked offense in the league (note: we had a better record than Cleveland, so that's cool). That also doesn't mean the Karma gods won't point at us again in 2009. Perhaps it's our turn again. Carson Palmer goes down, the offensive line continues to struggle and the rushing offense becomes the biggest disappointment after high expectations. The defense has to bail us out, and historically speaking, that's not something we're capable of believing. Then again, if you believe in balance, all the went wrong last year, is righted. Palmer retains his title as the God of Golden Arms, the rebuilt offensive line comes through and Cedric Benson resumes what he did in the final three games last year -- averaging 154 yards from the line of scrimmage per game. Oh, and last year's 12th ranked defense with added personnel, makes a run at the top ten. Hey, anything could happen, right? After all, the Bengals are playing a much weaker schedule than they were in 2008. And in the division, during the past two even numbered seasons, the Baltimore Ravens struggled (6-10 in 2005, 5-11 in 2007) and the season after winning the Super Bowl in 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs. We can only hope for trends.

Will the Bengals make a run this year? That, like most things in life, is totally unpredictable. And no one predicted that quarterback Carson Palmer would miss 12 games in 2008. However, I believe that the Bengals will be far better this year than 2008. You can see that if you take a position by position look at the roster.

Quarterback - Saying that Palmer is returning assumes he won't get hurt again in 2009. And I won't say that durability issues are starting to become worrisome with our starting quarterback. The fact is, injury forced him to miss 75% of the regular season last year and this year's preseason (though mostly out of caution and additional time for rehabilitation during needless preseason games). The foundation of where the question is more answerable, points towards the team's backup quarterback. If Palmer goes down again, do you believe J.T. O'Sullivan is a better passer than Ryan Fitzpatrick? Some could point to this years preseason and answer yes. O'Sullivan also has a history of being a decent performers in some regular season games. Others will point to the same collection of arguments saying that Fitzpatrick had a good preseason in 2008 and J.T. O'Sullivan also has a history of being a disaster in some regular season games.

Running back - Let me remind you of last year. Chris Perry and Rudi Johnson had decent offseasons which fooled enough people into believing that both would mimic their incredible one-two combination in 2005. Johnson was hurt through the preseason and subsequently released. Perry never recorded more than 75 yards rushing and through six games in which he recorded 10 rushing attempts or more, he averaged three yards or more in only two games.

This is what you have to ask this year, adjusting your mindset into a comparitve analysis of where we were last year: Is Cedric Benson a better option than Chris Perry? Is Bernard Scott a better option than Kenny Watson? Is DeDe Dorsey in 2009 a better option that DeDe Dorsey in 2008? I suppose if he plays more than four games this year, that answer is yes.

Wide Receiver and Tight End . T.J. Houshmandzadeh leaves and Laveranues Coles arrives. This, to me, isn't the argument. Chad Ochocinco is far more motivated to play this year and he looks to play two combined Pro Bowl seasons in 2009. Chris Henry looks like he did his first two seasons where he recorded 15 touchdowns; along with his total life change in which you get the feeling that you can finally trust him. Even if you're asking for a comparison between two wide receivers (Houshmandzadeh and Coles) to see if the position is stronger, I believe looking at Chad and Henry's motivations clearly makes the position stronger alone.

Tight End on the other hand, is different. I do believe the position is weaker. I won't go on what we expect out of Chase Coffman, he's a rookie. We won't know until the season plays itself out. Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht going down hurts the position, because two rookies are manning the position with Daniel Coats, who benefited greatly after Kelly went on IR because he was fighting for a roster spot with Coffman as the team's third Tight End. Now Coats, having the perfect scenario of two injuries playing out to make a roster spot, is now the team's starter. This will be the second time in two seasons he became the default starter because of injury.

Offensive Line. Not only is this the most critical for the team to improve upon, it's also one of the more dramatically changed compared to the starting lineup last year against the Baltimore Ravens.

	2008	2009 *
LT	Levi Jones	Andre Whitworth
LG	Andrew Whitworth	Nate Livings
C	Eric Ghiaciuc	Kyle Cook
RG	Bobbie Williams	Bobbie Williams
RT	Stacy Andrews	Anthony Collins

* Projected

I believe while we've improved at left tackle, we've dropped at left guard; Livings is replaceable at best. I also believe it's obvious that we've improved at center, while as of right, we're kind of pushing at right tackle. However, I'm too hesitant to actually say if we're improved or worse. Apart of me wants to say we are, because of the changes in perseonnel. However, another part of me just isn't sure.

Defensive End. Oddly enough, this position holds the same personnel this year as it did last year with one exception; Michael Johnson, who did not record a single sack during the preseason. In fact, this group only recorded two sacks in four preseason games; Robert Geathers sacked Tom Brady and Frostee Rucker had a sack, forced fumble and fumble recover.

This is where I believe we improved (albeit only slightly). Antwan Odom entered last year with a bum ankle, having been carted off at the start of Training Camp when he suffered the injury. He missed four games in the season and recorded three sacks on the first year of a well-paid contract. During the offseason, he gained bulk without losing the speed. Geathers looked great in the preseason, aggressively fighting blockers against the run and pass. I believe he's the best overall defensive end on the roster. Fanene has always been solid and can play both end and tackle. The biggest chance that the Bengals took was holding onto Rucker for one more season. It's not that he lacks talent; he just lacks the ability to stay healthy.

Defensive Tackle. John Thornton went into semi-retirement after this year, Jason Shirley converted to an offensive linemen and Michael Myers wasn't re-signed. The Bengals responded by replacing all of them with Tank Johnson. The Bengals will go into the regular season (as of this post) with three defensive tackles, likely using Rucker and Fanene in rotation. Is the position improved, worse or is it a push? I think this has everything to do with Sims, who led the team with three quarterback sacks during the preseason and led all defensive linemen with 13 total tackles. It's with my belief that he, not Tank Johnson, made a convincing argument to start opposite Domata Peko. The question though, is the position stronger than it was last year? I believe it is.

Linebackers. Think of it this way. Brandon Johnson recorded 112 tackles and Rashad Jeanty recorded 97 tackles last year. They ranked second and fourth respectively on the team. And there's a shot that neither will be starters against the Denver Broncos. Keith Rivers will retake his spot as the team's weak-side linebacker and it's evident that the Bengals coaching staff wants to start Rey Maualuga over Jeanty on the strong-side. Having two guys that combined for 209 tackles just shouts to the heavens that the Bengals strongest position, in terms of depth, is linebackers. The team's starting middle linebacker, Dhani Jones, is coming off a season in which he led the team with 165 tackles.

Compared to last year, the Bengals replaced Darryl Blackstock with Maualuga and Mays with Abdul Hodge, who led the Bengals with 18 tackles (13 solo) this preseason. Furthermore, if you watched the way Rivers played this year, he already looks far superior last year. He's quicker, stronger and far more aggressive than he was last year. He has the potential to be a multiple Pro Bowler. It's my belief that the Bengals linebackers is the strongest position on defense.

Secondary. Simeon Castille, Dexter Jackson, Herana-Daze Jones, Corey Lynch and Marvin White all have something in common; all were with the Bengals in 2008 when the season started; none are with the Bengals in 2009. Replacing those five are Geoffrey Pope, Morgan Trent, Chris Crocker, Roy Williams and Tom Nelson. I believe cornerbacks is improved, mostly because Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall look better this year than last. Morgan Trent lacked a solid pedigree with the Michigan Wolverines that makes us conclude we've improved the position with Geoffrey Pope as a filler. The Bengals could even look at upgrading the position from now until the season kicks off on the waiver wire or on free agency.

As for safety, we appear better. The questions are; is Tom Nelson better than Corey Lynch and is Roy Williams better than Marvin White? Chris Crocker is obviously an improvement, considering he could be one of the team's secondary leaders.

Special Teams. Kyle Larson. Kevin Huber. Set. Serve. Match.

The roster as it is, isn't perfect. No roster in the NFL could possibly be perfect. However, that isn't the question. The debate right now is: Is the 2009 Bengals better than the 2008 Bengals?

Poll

Simple poll question. Do you believe that the Bengals roster in 2009 is better than the roster in 2008?

Yes

490 votes

No

40 votes

530 votes | Poll has closed