SB Nation - David Pollack

9-3. Ahh, it feels good, don't it?

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:34:30 -0000

9 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals running back Brian Leonard leaps through the air while jumping over a Detroit Lions defender during the second half of their NFL football game in Cincinnati, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

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The Cincinnati Bengals, nay YOUR Cincinnati Bengals, today beat the Detroit Lions to extend their record to 9-3. They are now 6-0 in the AFC North and 3-3 outside of it.

Had it not been for a tipped pass and a fumble on a kickoff return, your Cincinnati Bengals would be 11-1.

Yes. The Cincinnati Bengals are two plays away from being 11-1.

Was it a pretty win today? Absolutely not. Did the Bengals leave some points on the board? Absolutely.

Oh, by the way? The Vikings are getting their heads knocked around by the Arizona Cardinals right now.

Mike Zimmer and Bob Bratkowski, I hope you're watching Sunday night football.

Things started a little differently than I expected today, the Bengals aired the ball out in the first series. The first play from scrimmage was a first-down pass to Chad Ochocinco. It appeared that Bob Bratkowski had taken a glance at the league statisical breakdown that shows the Lions to be utterly putrid against the pass. After that and for the most part again today, the passing offense of the Bengals was mainly pedestrian once again. There were a couple glints of former glory through the air, but once again this Sunday the Bengals proved that they are, make no mistake, a run-first team.

I really wish that Bratkowski would utilize the play-action pass a bit more, because in the event you didn't know this the Bengals are a pretty damn good team running the football. Like, a "first-team-ever to have three different 100-yard rushers in three consecutive games" good team running the football. That said, as I mentioned a week ago I hope that the defense remains up to the task of playing amazing, inspired, league-leading defense because (Oh, Brett Favre just got sacked again) if the Bengals fall behind I'm not sure at this point that the passing game is going to be able to carry us to victory.

Now, before you accuse me of beating the proverbial dead horse, let's examine something here. What is the best way to beat a team like the Vikings, the Chargers, the Colts or the Saints?

You keep Brett Favre, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees (Wayne's World-esque "we're not worthy" bow to Mr. Brees, a gentleman and a scholar) on the sideline by gutting it out with Cedric Benson, Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott. That's how you beat those guys. Let's examine something for just a hot minute, shall we?

Time of Possession

Bengals	Opponents
38:48	21:12, Lions
38:11	21:49, Browns
38:24	21:36, Raiders

Over the past three games, the Bengals have held the ball for 114.83 minutes compared to the Bengals' opponents holding the ball for just 63.97 minutes. This is a Cincinnati offense that isn't going to burn up the scoreboard (I don't know what happened in the Chicago game...maybe the team traveled to the stadium in a DeLorean?). This is a Cincinnati team that will look you in the eye, be manly and spit on the ground, growl something about running the ball (maybe you should try to stop it, you girly man) and then do it anyway.

This is what I've missed about the 2005 Cincinnati Bengals over the past four years. With Rich Braham over the ball, he could look at the opposing nose tackle and say "Hey, we're going to run off tackle to my right. Your left. Stop it." And you know what? They'd do it successfully. We haven't had that since the good Mr. Braham was taken from the gridiron in week 2 of 2006. I hate that game. That day we lost Rich Braham, Tab Perry and David Pollack forever.

Anyway, I digress. What's important is that our Bengals are 9-3. They were just passed for the second seed in the AFC by the San Diego Chargers by virtue of conference victories, but we'll take care of that in fourteen days when we pimp-smack them all over Qualcomm Stadium. Oh, by the way, the Vikings' starting middle linebacker was just carted off the field. Good luck stopping the Bengals' rushing attack without your best 'backer, Vikings (Hope you're okay, E.J.).

The Bengals continue to serve notice to the rest of the league that they are not the same old Bungles that everyone outside of Bengal Nation has grown to know and love. This is a mean, gritty tough football team that would make every Howie Long, Lawrence Taylor and Jack Lambert in the world proud of which to be a part.

Bring it on, Vikings. We're ready for you.

Sincerely,

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

Sage advice from Mo Egger for new/returning Bengals bandwagon fans:

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:37:20 -0000

This is just brilliant satire from our friend Mo Egger's blog over at The Homer. You'll see it was posted a couple of days ago due to the fact that he refers to Brad St. Louis as a current Bengal, but I'll parenthetically repair that. With Mo's permission I lovingly repost this piece that gave me more than one belly laugh yesterday when I read it. Hit the jump to read one of the best things I've read in a while.

-This week, and for a while until the team falters, the number of Bengals bandwagon fans you'll see will increase. I like bandwagon fans. The more people that want to talk about my favorite team, watch games, tailgate, the better. To an extent, we're all bandwagon fans. Your interest in a team or sport ebbs and flows depending on the success of whom your rooting for.

So if you're a bandwagon fan, new to the 2009 Bengals, welcome. We're glad to have you and we hope you're here for a while, though we know we're just a loss or two away from seeing you leave our lives for a while. Let's enjoy the time we do have. Let's go through a couple of things....

First, let's get rid of that "2005 AFC North Champions" shirt. You need some new gear. That shirt isn't gonna help you blend in. It's been four years, and besides, a team from the Bengals' division won the title that year. Keep it as a keepsake if you must, but don't wear it.

Same for the lame "Two Johnsons and one big Willie" shirt you bought about four years ago. There's a Johnson still on the team, his name is Brandon. Rudi's gone, his effectiveness slipping probably around the time you checked out, sometime late in 2006, injured in '07, cut before last year. He's looking for a job. Chad is still here, but he doesn't go by "Johnson" anymore. He's "OchoCinco" now. And Willie's gone too, blown out before last season. Bobbie Williams, who was actually here when you last wore the orange and black, is the wise-old one on the offensive line.

Actually a lot of players you loved when you were last a fan are gone. Justin Smith has moved on. So has Landon Johnson, Levi Jones, Chris Perry, Madieu Williams, and Eric Steinbach, just to name a few.

Carson is still the quarterback, though he's just now rounding back into form after missing most of last year, when you were wondering why people still went to games and figuring out ways to scalp some Colts tickets.

Remember how much fun you had saying "Houshmandzadeh?" Yeah well, he's not here either. The fun name to say is "Maualuga." (MAH-WUH-LOO-GA)

The crazy hair guy is Domata Peko. Defensive line. Where John Thornton used to play. Shayne Graham is still on the team. He hangs out at 2009's place for the pretentious, Bootsy's. Speaking of Bootsy's, he's so 2005. Crack Sauce is the new Bootsy.

Oh yeah, and speaking of pretentious, Paul Brown Stadium still has luxury suites, football domain of the pretentious and bandwagon jumpers alike. I'm sure if you find your way to PBS, you'll be bee-lining the suites. Give the other a-holes my best. Ask how many people had to be laid off the retain it and how many of their company's lower-salaried workers get to enjoy it.

Also, when you last left us, our men were running up quite the arrest tally. Most of those fellows involved aren't here anymore. Odell Thurman has moved on the something called the UFL (I'd explain that concept, but your head would explode). What may surprise you is that Chris Henry is still here, and believe it or not, acting every bit the model citizen.

Marvin Lewis is still the coach. Mike Brown is still the owner. You won't understand why most of us still can't stand him despite the team's record. Perhaps you do your shopping in Butler County.

Let's see, who else might you be looking for? David Pollack? Neck injury forced him to retire. Sam Adams? Biggest free agent bust in team history, though he was possibly a worse owner than nose tackle. Owned a team called the Jungle Kats that played Arena Football. Actually, he might've been a worse owner than Mike Brown. Torry James is gone too. Replaced by Leon Hall. He and Jonathan Joseph are forming quite the duo in the defensive backfield. Cedric Benson is the new Rudi, wearing number 32. He's doing quite well. However, screams of "Ceeeed" are not repalcing "Ruuuuudi." Just yell "go!" when he carries it. There's also this newcomer named Andre Caldwell...he's been money late in games, caught the game-winning TD passes against both Baltimore and Pittsburgh, which since you might have been rooting for the Steelers at the time, is probably something you remember.

Brad St. Louis is now the object of our frustration. He's the long snapper. (Note from Craig, here's the reference to St. Louis I wrote about earlier. When this was posted two whole days ago he was still a Bengal.) Actually he was the long snapper when you were last with us, but you didn't know who he was because no one knows who the long snapper is if he's good, which he is not. You'll hear some grumbling about a guy named Andre Smith too. He was the Bengals' first round pick this year. He weighs as much as your Prius.

Anyway, welcome back to the bandwagon. It's great to have you. Throw on your new Bengals t-shirt (iron out the folds) or your Maualuga jersey and settle in for the season. At least until they lose two in a row.

Keys to beating Pittsburgh: Defense has to take over this game; offense has to ditch finesse generalizations

Kirkendall — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:06:28 -0000

There are too many things that could come out of Sunday's game with a win to just ignore. If the Bengals win:

...there's a chance they could be tied for first place in the AFC North standings; provided that the Cleveland Browns beat the Ravens in Baltimore (what are the chances of that?). Even then, the Bengals would be the de facto leaders in the division with a better division record.
...Bengals fans will start buying up tickets -- I made the prediction earlier in the week that if the Bengals beat the Steelers this Sunday and then the Browns on the road, that Paul Brown Stadium will be sold out the rest of the season.
...it will end a seven-game losing streak when playing Pittsburgh at Paul Brown Stadium.
If the Bengals beat the Steelers this Sunday, and do it with a nastiness that the Bengals need to compete in this division, a whole new era of Bengals football could emerge.
...the Bengals will start the season 2-1 (or better) for only the sixth time since 1990 -- the other seasons being 2006 (3-0), 2005 (3-0), 2001 (2-1), 1995 (2-1), 1992 (2-1).

However, there's the other side. If the Bengals allow Pittsburgh to run them over, like they did twice last year (38-10 and 27-10), then Bengals fans will implode. Many will shy away from the explosive win that brought waves of optimism to this team after beating the heavily favored Green Bay Packers. If the Browns beat the Ravens (and who actually expects that to happen?), the Bengals could be all alone in last place, by way of division record. The Steelers will win their eighth straight game in Cincinnati, questioning the Bengals motivation (again) when defending their home turf.

Speaking in more detail, the Bengals have lost seven consecutive games when playing at home against Pittsburgh Steelers. It's been bad. The Bengals have been outscored 182-84 during that span and the margin of defeat is 14 points per game.

Date	Record *	Score
October 13, 2002	0-5	7-34
September 21, 2003	0-2	10-17
November 21, 2004	4-5	14-19
October 23, 2005	5-1	13-27
December 31, 2006	8-7	17-23
October 28, 2007	2-4	13-24
October 19, 2008	0-6	10-38

* Record before the game.

The last time the Bengals beat the Steelers in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh came into the 2001 game, 12-1. Jon Kitna threw for 411 yards passing on 68 attempts (completed 35), recording two touchdowns. Peter Warrick caught 10 passes for 109 yards. Darnay Scott caught seven passes for 113 yards. Corey Dillon rushed 21 times for 91 yards. Former Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart threw four interceptions (two picks by Kevin Kaesviharn). Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward combined for 11 receptions for 152 yards receiving and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala rushed 25 times for 55 yards.

In other words, it's been a long time.

So what has to has to happen for the Bengals to win; some of them you can call The Obvious.

It's not enough to rush Big Ben. We've seen how Big Ben can evade a pass rush, keeping a play alive, even turning it into a big gain. He's big and strong. How many times have we seen him break a sure-sack only to find Santonio Holmes streaking (with clothes) down the the middle of the field? Bengals pass rushers Antwan Odom, Robert Geathers, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Fanene and maybe a defensive tackle (for a change), have make a difference. But it's not enough to just pressure Ben Roethlisberger. The pass rush has to knock him down, a lot. When they make a move for a sack, they have to drill him. The Bengals haven't recorded a sack in the past three meetings against the Steelers, and haven't had multiple sacks in a single game since September 4, 2006.

Date	Result	Sacks
October 3, 2004	L, 17-28	1
November 21, 2004	L, 14-19	7
October 23, 2005	L, 13-27	1
December 4, 2005	W, 38-31	2
September 24, 2006	W, 28-20	3
December 31, 2006	L, 17-23 (OT)	1
October 28, 2007	L, 13-24	1
December 2, 2007	L, 10-24	0
October 19, 2008	L, 10-38	0
November 20, 2008	L, 10-27	0
		16

Players that recorded sack in series since 2004: Duane Clemons (4.5), Justin Smith (4.0), Robert Geathers (2), Kevin Hardy, Landon Johnson, Madieu Williams, David Pollack, Domata Peko, Kevin Kaesviharn (0.5).

Stuff the Steelers rushing offense. Michael (Blitzburgh) at Behind the Steel Curtain was right about one thing. The Steelers do establish the rushing offense against the Bengals. And it seems like it's far too easy. Cincinnati's defense hasn't prevented the Steelers from recording over 100-yards rushing, as a team, since the Bengals 38-31 win on December 4, 2005. In the last 12 meetings, the Bengals defense prevented a rushing touchdown only once (November 21, 2004).

However, it's not just that. In the past 12 meetings, the Bengals have allowed 1,739 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns on the ground. Pittsburgh has rushed the football 40 times or more four times.

There are, however, encouraging signs to hang onto. The Bengals rush defense hasn't allowed 100-yards rushing by any team in their past three games -- 89 (Packers), 75 (Broncos), 31 (Chiefs). The Steelers rushing offense rushed for 36 yards against the Titans and 105 against the Bears to start the season. The Bengals have to keep pace by not allowing the Steelers to rush for over 100 yards (they are 2-0 in such scenarios since 2003). But, as we pointed out already, the Steelers tend to establish their rushing offense against the Bengals... a little to easily.

Date	Result	Steelers rushing	Leading rusher
9.21.03	L, 10-17	38-138-1	Amo Zereoue: 16-69
11.30.03	W, 24-20	25-85-1	Jerome Bettis: 20-62-1
10.3.04	L, 17-28	40-165-2	Duce Staley: 25-123
11.21.04	L, 14-19	40-151-0	Jerome Bettis: 29-129
10.23.05	L, 13-27	47-221-1	Willie Parker: 18-131-1
12.4.05	W, 38-31	28-95-1	Willie Parker: 15-71
9.24.06	W, 28-20	38-170-2	Willie Parker: 31-133-2
12.31.06	L, 17-23 (OT)	45-207-2	Willie Parker: 34-134-2
10.28.07	L, 13-24	33-160-1	Willie Parker: 22-126-1
12.2.07	L, 10-24	35-101-1	Willie Parker: 28-87
10.19.08	L, 10-38	27-125-2	Mewelde Moore: 20-120-2
11.20.08	L, 10-27	37-121-2	Mewelde Moore: 15-56

But what of the offense? I believe that the Bengals offense is getting closer to the potency they enjoyed during the 2005 season. Palmer recorded three touchdowns against the Packers and Benson rushed for over 100 yards. However, if you go back to the game before the win over Green Bay, the offense was far too similar to the team's worst ranked offense in 2008.

I feel that if the Bengals play mistake-free offense and convert drive-sustaining first downs, that they'll be alright. I don't expect Palmer to put up 300 yards. I don't even expect him to record three touchdowns. I don't expect Cedric Benson to record more than 100 yards rushing nor do I think any of our receivers will pick up 100 yards or more receiving. But if they sustain drives, win the time of possession and finish drives with points, the offense will do their part.

Prove we're no longer a finesse team. But I think this game will rest with the Bengals defense. If they knock Roethlisberger around and limit the Steelers rushing offense -- let's call it containing rather than eliminating -- then I think the Bengals will have their best chance at winning the football game. I know. Mistake free offense. Sacking the quarterback. Limiting the opposing rushing offense. Those are typically keys for every NFL team to win football games. But historically, when the Bengals have won, it hasn't always been that way. In previous years -- not including 2008, of course -- people have been right to generalize the Bengals as a finesse team, by simply outscoring the other offense. Defense was tasked to force a few punts; other than that, they just had to make sure the opposing offense didn't score more than the Bengals offense. Again. I know the Maddenism that exists here. But for the Bengals to win, Cincinnati's defense has to do more than that. They have to beat up the Steelers and not rely on the offense to win a shootout; because I don't think we can trust the Bengals to win that way against the Steelers.

The Bengals beat the Steelers if... I think the Bengals have as good a shot beating the defending Super Bowl champions than they've had since 2006. We're stronger on defense and the offense is coming around. Furthermore, if the Bengals offense can finally ditch the finesse term, along with the new Bengals defense passing the biggest test that they've face yet by taking over the football game, then I believe the Bengals win this football game.

Kevin Butler's 60-Yard Field Goal to Beat the Clemson Tigers: An Open Letter to My Son on the 25th Anniversary of a Great Georgia Bulldogs Victory

T Kyle King — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:15:09 -0000

Dear Thomas,

As I write this, you are in first grade. You are a good student, a creative young man, and a more athletic fellow than I was at your age. We like watching sports together, just like your grandfather and I did when I was a boy (and we still do today), and I have thoroughly enjoyed taking you to major league baseball games and, of course, Georgia football games. I appreciated the way you stayed awake as long as you could sitting on the couch and watching last Saturday night’s game with me.

You have inherited all of my good traits, and, although you also have picked up a few of my bad ones, you have a number of talents I didn’t and still don’t. While your rambunctious nature sometimes gets the better of you, I agree with Thomas Jefferson (one of the guys I had in mind when your mother and I named you as we did, by the way) that a little rebellion every now and again is a good and necessary thing.

In short, I could not be more proud of you or more pleased with you than I am, son . . . but, even though you are well on your way to leading a happy and successful life, there still are a few things I have yet to teach you, and today---for reasons I will get to ~~soon~~ ~~shortly~~ after a while (patience is a virtue, so listening to your dad will make you more virtuous)---I have something important to tell you.

Today, I want to tell you about a man named Kevin Butler.

Kevin Butler was from Stone Mountain, not far from where your mother went to school before she went off to the University of Georgia, where she met and married me. Kevin was a defensive back at Redan High School, but he considered giving up the game of football when he did not earn a starting spot in the lineup.

Rather than quit, though, Kevin listened to his father’s suggestion that he switch to another position. Kevin had been a soccer player, so he took up placekicking and found out that he was good at it. As a junior, he led his high school team to the state championship, kicking six field goals from 50 or more yards away in the course of the season.

Kevin was heavily recruited, but, in 1980, Kevin was injured in the first game of his senior year. Torn knee ligaments ended his season and the scholarship offers he had received from college programs all over the country suddenly disappeared. Only one of the coaches who had been so interested in him the year before stood by Kevin as he went through surgery to repair the damage to his leg.

That coach was Vince Dooley. Kevin Butler came to Athens and played for the Georgia Bulldogs.

In 1981, Kevin kicked 19 field goals to tie an NCAA freshman record. The 94 points he accounted for that year were the most ever by an SEC kicker. Kevin’s 59-yard field goal against Ole Miss in 1982 set a school record and he made a number of critical kicks as a junior in 1983, including crucial extra points in 10-9 wins over the Florida Gators in Jacksonville and over the Texas Longhorns in Dallas. (By the way, son, if you’re ever in Dallas, you don’t need to wear a wristwatch. Remind me later and I’ll explain why.)

At the end of his college career, Kevin Butler held SEC records for career field goals (77), career field goals over 50 yards (11), and most points scored placekicking (353). It was no wonder that he became the first---and, if memory serves, still the only---placekicker ever inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Kevin went on to become the all-time leading scorer among kickers for the Chicago Bears as an NFL player, too.

As you know, though, son, many players were at their best against particular rivals. We in Bulldog Nation will always associate Buck Belue and Lindsay Scott with the Florida Gators, Theron Sapp with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Kevin Butler with the Clemson Tigers.

You know, better than most Georgia fans your age, that Georgia and Clemson were longstanding rivals . . . and we still are. You know that, after you’ve turned ten, I plan to take you to see the Bulldogs play the Tigers in Memorial Stadium in 2013. As a Georgia fan who knows his team’s history, you’ve come a long way from the day when, as a youngster with a fondness for "Blue’s Clues," you saw a Clemson player on TV, took one look at the paw on the side of his helmet, and exclaimed, "A clue! A clue!"

Kevin Butler was at his best against Clemson, in an era in which the games between the Bulldogs and the Tigers were as big as any in all of college football. In his four-year career with the Red and Black, Kevin was responsible for 34 points against Clemson, which was almost 59 per cent of all the points Georgia scored against the Tigers in those years. Against the Country Gentlemen, Kevin kicked one field goal as a freshman, two field goals as a sophomore, three field goals as a junior, and four field goals as a senior.

He was not perfect against Clemson, though. In fact, Kevin missed a combined four long field goals against the Tigers in his sophomore and junior seasons. In 1982, when Georgia played the first night game in Sanford Stadium in more than 30 years in a nationally-televised Labor Day showdown with defending national champion Clemson, Coach Dooley asked Kevin before the game how long he could kick one. Kevin said he could make a field goal from 57 yards.

In the second quarter, the Bulldogs made it to the visitors’ 42 yard line. Coach Dooley sent Kevin in to try a 59-yarder. Kevin’s kick fell two yards short of the crossbar. (He wound up kicking the game-winner, anyway.) The following year, at Fort Hill, Kevin kicked the game-tying field goal after the Red and Black came from behind, but the Tigers tried a long kick after reaching their own 49 yard line.

Clemson’s kicker, Donald Igwebuike, tried a 68-yard field goal and came up well short. Georgia took over with time to run one more play in an effort to break the deadlock and get the win. Kevin came on to attempt a 66-yard field goal into the wind. He didn’t make it, but he would have his chance to boot a game-winner one year later in Athens.

Clemson was the No. 2 team in the country when the Country Gentlemen arrived in Sanford Stadium in 1984. The Tigers built up a 20-6 halftime lead and it looked like the Bulldogs were going to be embarrassed on their own home field. The Red and Black clawed their way back, though. Just like they did against Arkansas last Saturday night, the ‘Dawgs hung tough in the face of adversity and fought back. They knew they weren’t losing; they were just behind.

Georgia tied the game at 20 points per side and took the home team’s first lead of the day when Kevin kicked a 43-yard field goal. It was an important accomplishment for him, because Kevin had missed a 26-yard chip shot in the second quarter. He said later that he felt at the time that he had cost his team the game.

He hadn’t. Kevin kept trying, and gave Georgia a 23-20 lead. Clemson wouldn’t go away, though. The Tigers drove 48 yards in twelve plays and kicked a 48-yard field goal to tie the game once more. It looked like the two teams were playing for their second straight series draw.

A little over two minutes were left in the game when the Bulldogs took possession at their own 20 yard line. Thanks to a draw play on which Tron Jackson picked up 24 yards, Georgia managed to make it into Clemson territory . . . then Kevin Butler ran onto the field to try to kick a 60-yard field goal. No Red and Black kicker had ever kicked a field goal that far.

Up in the booth, Larry Munson was already grumbling. "So we’ll try to kick one 100,000 miles," he said. "We’re holding it on our own 49 and a half, gonna try to kick it 60 yards plus a foot and a half." Kevin put his foot into it, and Larry’s voice rose as the ball did. "Butler kicked a long one," he began to yell, "a long one. Oh, my God! Oh, my God! The stadium is worse than bonkers. . . . I can’t believe what he did!"

A great baseball player named Joe DiMaggio inspired Ernest Hemingway when he wrote The Old Man and the Sea and he inspired Simon & Garfunkel when they wrote "Mrs. Robinson." Kevin Butler’s 60-yard field goal to beat Clemson not only inspired what was arguably Larry Munson’s most memorable call in a Bulldog home game, it inspired what was almost certainly the most memorable column ever written by Lewis Grizzard, a great sportswriter and a huge Georgia fan.

In an open letter addressed to the son he hoped one day to have, Lewis wrote:

I hugged perfect strangers and kissed a fat lady on the mouth. Grown men wept. Lightning flashed. Thunder rolled. Stars fell, and joy swept through, fetched by a hurricane of unleashed emotions. When Georgia beat Alabama 18-17 in 1965, it was a staggering victory. When we came back against Georgia Tech and won 29-28 in 1978, the Chapel bell rang all night. When we beat Florida 26-21 in the last seconds in 1980, we called it a miracle. And when we beat Notre Dame 17-10 in the Sugar Bowl that same year for the national championship, a woman pulled up her skirt and showed the world the Bulldog she had sewn on her underbritches. But Saturday may have been even better than any of those.

Saturday in Athens was a religious experience. I give this to you, son. Read it and re-read it, and keep it next to your heart.

And when people want to know how you wound up with the name "Kevin" let them read it, and then they will know.

Son, that football hung in the air for six seconds, which is an eternity when you’re waiting to find out whether you’ve won. Kevin Butler knew immediately; as the pigskin flew westward, the placekicker ran eastward and sank to his knees, where he was mobbed by his teammates after the official signaled that the kick was good.

The official need not have bothered. It tied the longest field goal in the history of the Southeastern Conference, but it cleared the crossbar by at least five yards. Kevin might have split the uprights from 70 yards. Kevin was still trembling in the locker room afterwards, when he said: "It was the best feeling I’ve ever had."

Danny Ford, the Clemson coach whose team lost its shot at the national championship because of what Kevin Butler did, told the press, "That ball must be flat now. He kicked the fool out of it." Vince Dooley realized immediately how important that field goal would prove to be in the course of Georgia football history. He said:

I think that it will be in the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall, where people can walk in, and pick up that phone and push the button and see Kevin Butler kick that record-breaking field goal to win the ballgame. That’s going to be a very exciting play, just as Buck’s pass to Lindsay, and . . . this has got to be one of the greatest in Georgia history.

It was. The day that you and I went to interview Chappy Hynes, the Georgia team chaplain took us on a tour of Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall, where that Kevin Butler kick is immortalized. I’m sure you remember it, because that’s the day I made this picture of you:

In a way, I wish this letter was being written by someone else to someone else. I wish it was being written by Lewis Grizzard to his son, Kevin Grizzard. Unfortunately, Lewis was already in the last decade of his life when that column was written, and Kevin Grizzard was never born . . . but, by the grace of God, you were born, so it falls to me to mark this occasion.

Kevin Butler kicked that famous field goal on September 22, 1984. Today is the 25th anniversary of that magnificent moment, yet it remains as clear and perfect a quarter of a century later as it seemed at the time.

I know I spend too much time on too many Saturday afternoons worrying about who is going to win a football game, although I really enjoy getting to spend those Saturday afternoons with you, son. I know, and I know that you know, that, at the end of the day, they are just games.

Still, there is a reason why I feel such pride when I take you with me to the campus where your mother and I met. There is a reason why I feel like I am doing well at my job as a father when I point to men like Mark Richt and David Greene and David Pollack as fit role models for you to emulate as you grow from boyhood to manhood.

There’s a reason why Kevin Butler’s 60-yard field goal meant so much to us then and still means so much to us now. Kevin Butler didn’t start as a defensive back in high school, and he thought about quitting, but he didn’t quit. He stuck it out, adapted, worked hard, and excelled.

Kevin Butler suffered a setback, but some of the people who had given him their word stood by him, and he came back from his injury. Vince Dooley made good on the promise he made to Kevin, and Kevin made the most of his opportunity. Kevin missed what ought to have been an easy field goal against Clemson in 1984, but he didn’t let it get him down. He kept after it, and, when he got his chance to atone for his earlier mistake, he did something extraordinary that inspires us even today.

The story of Kevin Butler is a story of perseverance and commitment and character. It is a story of teamwork and integrity and triumph over adversity. Yes, it was just a football game, but, no, it wasn’t just a football game.

It has been 25 years since Kevin Butler kicked that field goal, but there are lessons to be learned from the arc of that ball as it hurtled through space for what seemed like forever. Life is a lot like that football, son; it can fly as high and as majestically as you make it go through your talent, your hard work, and your willingness to take advantage of your golden opportunities and second chances . . . and, like that one field goal, one life can make all the difference in the world, produce joy in those who were there to witness it, and inspire those who heard of it.

Do with your life what Kevin Butler did with that football. Kick the fool out of it, son, and clear the bar with room to spare. If you do that---and I know you can---then 25 years later, folks still will be looking at you and your achievements, and they still will be saying, "I can’t believe what he did!" They will be telling their sons, "When people want to know how you wound up with the name ‘Thomas’ let them read it, and then they will know."

Love,

Dad

Too Much Information: Georgia Bulldogs v. Oklahoma State Cowboys

T Kyle King — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:00:37 -0000

The people have spoken, and resoundingly so: "Manic Kyle" received 77.8 per cent of the 216 votes cast in yesterday’s poll to determine whether I should be upbeat or dour heading into tomorrow’s game against the Oklahoma St. Cowboys. Peppy and happy it is, then! (However . . . no streaking.)

Still, I have done what I could to get myself psyched up into the mode of Beavis with his T-shirt pulled up over the back of his head, spiking my coffee with a little tequila. (That’s a joke. I couldn’t sleep Wednesday night, so I stayed up and watched part of what may be Jack Nicholson’s worst movie, "Wolf," which was on AMC and contains a reference to pouring tequila into coffee. Trust me, I’m kidding; I would never do that, and, if you ever see me drinking tequila, go ahead and bring the car around, because it’s just about time to drive me home. The only time I have ever had another type of alcohol pass through my gullet after tequila is if it was moving in the other direction. But I digress. . . .)

Since this will be the fall’s first game for both teams, there are no reliable statistical data for either squad, so we are left to sort through the minutiae of history in search of favorable morsels, with respect to which I will endeavor, as always, to bring you not a smattering of knowledge, nor a dollop of insight, but, rather, Too Much Information:

Odds & Ends:

Saturday’s showdown marks the fourth series meeting between Oklahoma State and the Georgia Bulldogs. The Red and Black won all three previous games, including the 1947 game in Stillwater against what was then Oklahoma A&M. The Classic City Canines’ average margin of victory over the Cowboys in the prior clashes between the two is 29-11.

Oklahoma State’s football teams have answered to numerous nicknames over the years, including Cowboys, Agriculturalists, Aggies, Farmers, Tigers, Waddies, Cowpunchers, Cowpokes, and Pokes. Since they’ve been known, by turns, as both the Farmers and the Cowboys, I’m pretty sure there should be a Broadway musical about how the OSU players should be friends with themselves. As for calling themselves the "Pokes," well, I know what Augustus McCrae meant by that term.

The Bulldogs have never lost the season’s first road game under Mark Richt.

In 2008, Georgia lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Florida Gators, and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, marking the ninth time in school history that the Classic City Canines have gone 0-3 against that trio of opponents in a single autumn. (It happened before in 1928, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1977.) In the seasons that followed those eight campaigns, the Bulldogs went 6-1-1 in the fall’s first game against a team currently belonging to a BCS conference other than the SEC.

The Feel Good Stat of the Week:

Much has been made of the fact that the ‘Dawgs lost a pair of first-round draft picks in Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Rockwell Moreno. The departures of two players worthy of selection in the opening round of the NFL draft represent too great a sacrifice for the team to overcome, or so the thinking goes.

The reality, however, is just a bit different. Georgia has lost two first-round draft picks in a single year on five separate occasions, most recently bidding farewell to Champ Bailey and Matt Stinchcomb in 1999, to Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud in 2001, to George Foster and Johnathan Sullivan in 2003, and to Thomas Davis and David Pollack in 2005.

In the last four seasons immediately following the loss of two first-round NFL draft picks, the Bulldogs have gone 4-0 in openers, have gone 14-3 in non-conference games (including a 4-1 regular-season mark against teams from other BCS leagues), and have won their last two marquee games to start the campaign (at Clemson in 2003 and against the Boise St. Broncos in 2005) by a combined 78-13 margin in games that were expected to be competitive, but weren’t.

The Bottom Line:

Certainly, the Cowboys’ travails over the last few days have been far less than optimal, although Oklahoma State is a highly-ranked Division I-A football program in a major conference, so it would be a mistake to assume they lack the horses to replace the players who recently have been lost.

The question in this game is the same as the question in the 2005 Boise State game, the 2006 Sugar Bowl against the West Virginia Mountaineers, the 2007 Oklahoma State game, the 2008 Sugar Bowl against the Hawaii Warriors, and the 2008 Arizona State game. Is Georgia’s opponent the real deal or a mere chimera? In four of those five instances---at least on the night the game was played---the answer was resoundingly on the side of pretender rather than contender.

Mike Gundy’s struggles against ranked opposition suggest that the Cowboys, while a solid squad, are not quite ready to take that next step. Mark Richt’s strong road record, particularly against top 25 teams, and his club’s quality performances in legitimate opening games suggest that this is precisely the sort of situation in which the Bulldogs are at their best and the Pokes are not. Both programs’ historical trends will be borne out in Stillwater tomorrow.

My Prediction: Georgia 38, Oklahoma State 28.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Strength in numbers; an examination of who the Bengals started the regular season since 2006

Kirkendall — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:05:45 -0000

When the preseason marches towards a welcomed conclusion, discussion and debate takes place on who the team cuts and keeps. Sometimes the topic goes into salary cap causalities; veterans that are cut, like Willie Anderson and Rudi Johnson last year. Other times, the debate talks about players that surprisingly make the roster. As jsl413 broke down, the Bengals depth is strong in some areas, weak in others. Which means the Bengals could strengthen weaken positions by increasing the depth. It's a numbers game.

You see that notably with linebackers. In 2006, Brian Simmons was nearing retirement; his production was falling. David Pollack, while great with potential, was only then starting to adjust from being a defensive end in college to an outside linebacker in the NFL. Rashad Jeanty was a rookie. Landon Johnson was arguably our best linebacker. If you look back to that season, only one linebacker remains (Jeanty) with the Bengals and as far as I can tell, three are still in the NFL (Jeanty, Johnson and Ahmad Brooks). The position didn't improve in 2007 and grew worse when it was decimated by injury. Dhani Jones, an unlikely stability force who would join the team later in the year, became the most productive middle linebacker during Marvin Lewis' tenure. By 2008, the linebackers were on pace to be the most talented group assembled, taking less into the regular season while numerically increasing their numbers at other spots, like running back, defensive tackles -- two spots with limited production. You'll obviously see that again this year, with Jones, Jeanty, Rivers, Brandon Johnson and Rey Maualuga as the depth leaders.

Running backs is another example. In 2006, and even 2007, Rudi Johnson was considered the team's feature back. No competition. Hands down. After all, he set franchise rushing records in 2004 and 2005. However, along with the offensive line's degradation, he started degrading (some will note his inadvisable weight loss regiment, losing all of his strength in 2006) until he was finally cut in 2008. More importantly, the Bengals decided to take two fullbacks because Jeremi Johnson was simply not the force he used to be and the team liked Coats' enough to make room for him. While the talent level dipped, the team decided to strengthen the depth with numbers.

Take note of this. Am I saying that the depth and position is stronger because there's more players? Obviously not. You either have talent or you don't. A combination of average talent still makes that position average. But it is a luxury that most teams have, which largely depends on play-calling philosophy, as well as projecting your opponents philosophies. If you take on more defensive backs in any given year because your passing defense is poor, it allows you additional packages. But it's also dictated by strength. You will note how once the team had Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, they believed the position strong enough to only take four cornerbacks in 2008, as opposed to five in 2007 and 2006. Safeties increased because a long-standing issue of giving up big plays was still unanswered. You can bank on at least six safeties this year.

After the jump, you can see which players the Bengals took after cutdown day and how many players the team took at each position.

First thing we should note are the roster cut deadlines:

DATE	EVENT
September 1st	Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players
September 5th	Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players

Here's a breakdown on what positions the Bengals after final cutdown heading into the regular season.

Position	2006	2007	2008
Quarterbacks	3	3	3
Running backs (including FB)	4	4 (1)	5 (2)
Wide Receivers	6	6	6
Offensive Linemen	9	8	9
Tight Ends	2	3	2
Total on Offense	24	24	25

Defensive Ends	4	5	4
Defensive Tackles	4	3	5
Linebackers	8	7	6
Cornerbacks	5	5	4
Safeties	5	6	6
Total on Defense	26	26	25

Specialists	3	3	3

After the jump, we chart which players the Bengals kept since 2006.

2006

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson
RB / FB	4	Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Quincy Wilson, Jeremi Johnson (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry, Tab Perry, Antonio Chatman, Kelley Washington
O-Line	9	Levi Jones, Eric Steinbach, Rich Braham, Bobbie Williams, Willie Anderson, Andrew Whitworth, Eric Ghiaciuc, Stacy Andrews, Scott Kooistra
TE	2	Reggie Kelly, Tony Stewart

DE	4	Justin Smith, Bryan Robinson, Robert Geathers, Frostee Rucker
DT	4	Sam Adams, John Thornton, Domata Peko, Shaun Smith
Linebackers	8	Brian Simmons, Landon Johnson, David Pollack, Rashad Jeanty, Marcus Wilkins, Ahmad Brooks, A.J. Nicholson, Caleb Miller
Corners	5	Deltha O'Neal, Tory James, Johnathan Joseph, Keiwan Ratliff, Greg Brooks
Safeties	5	Dexter Jackson, Madieu Williams, Kevin Kaesviharn, Ethan Kilmer, Herana-Daze Jones

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

2007

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe
RB / FB	4	Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Clinton Dawson, Jeremi Johnson (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Tab Perry, Glenn Holt, Skyler Green, Antonio Chatman
O-Line	8	Levi Jones, Willie Anderson, Bobbie Williams, Andrew Whitworth, Stacy Andrews, Scott Kooistra, Eric Ghiaciuc, Alex Stepanovich
TE	3	Reggie Kelly, Daniel Coats, Nate Lawrie

DE	5	Justin Smith, Robert Geathers, Bryan Robinson, Frostee Rucker, Jonathan Fanene
DT	3	Domata Peko, John Thornton, Michael Myers
Linebackers	7	Ahmad Brooks, Rashad Jeanty, Landon Johnson, Caleb Miller, Lemar Marshall, Andre Frazier, Anthony Schlegel
Corners	5	Deltha O'Neal, Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, Keiwan Ratliff, David Jones
Safeties	6	Dexter Jackson, Chinedum Ndukwe, Madieu Williams, Marvin White, Herana-Daze Jones, Ethan Kilmer

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

2008

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jordan Palmer
RB / FB	5	Chris Perry, Kenny Watson, DeDe Dorsey, Jeremi Johnson (FB), Daniel Coats (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Glenn Holt, Antonio Chatman, Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson
O-Line	9	Stacy Andrews, Levi Jones, Eric Ghiaciuc, Bobbie Williams, Andrew Whitworth, Dan Santucci, Kyle Cook, Scott Kooistra, Anthony Collins
TE	2	Reggie Kelly, Ben Utecht

DE	4	Antwan Odom, Robert Geathers, Jonathan Fanene, Frostee Rucker
DT	5	Domata Peko, John Thornton, Jason Shirley, Pat Sims, Michael Myers
Linebackers	6	Keith Rivers, Rashad Jeanty, Dhani Jones, Darryl Blackstock, Brandon Johnson, Corey Mays
Corners	4	Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, Simeon Castille, David Jones
Safeties	6	Dexter Jackson, Kyries Hebert, Herana-Daze Jones, Corey Lynch, Chinedum Ndukwe, Marvin White

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

Buying a Bengals Jersey Sucks

IFChris — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:04:29 -0000

Click for larger image

This little discovery is... Well, it's disappointing is what it is. I was perusing around the NFL's online pro shop, seeing if -- God forbid -- the had any of these monstrosities for the Cincinnati Bengals. Fortunately, that answer is no, but that's about the only good news I saw while I was looking at the Bengals apparel inventory -- especially when I started looking at the jerseys.

For one, Odell Thurman jerseys are still available, albeit at discount. Mind you, Thurman hasn't played a down for the Bengals since 2005, but yet, you can still rock his jersey if his rookie season meant that much to you. The awesome jersey hits don't stop there either -- there are jerseys for Rudi Johnson, Housh, and Deltha O'Neal. In fact, there are as many jerseys for non-Bengals (three) as there are for current Bengals (Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco and Rey Maualuga).

Oh, and adding insult to the injury that is the Andre Smith debacle, there's also a jersey for him as well. Truth be told, I've almost bought it like five or six times already. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold out; and you are damn right that pun was intended. As for the Bengals.com pro shop, they have a larger selection with players like Leon Hall and Robert Geathers, but they too have jerseys for Thurman and Housh, not to mention David Pollack -- although, I'm a little more supportive of that last one.

I suppose some of this is common knowledge around here, but it would be nice to see NFL.com keep a current inventory of Bengals jerseys as well as the obvious back stock they are trying to get rid of.

Besides, I thought the NFL gave their back stock to third-world countries.

Odell Thurman with the UFL's Florida Tuskers

Kirkendall — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:31:55 -0000

There was a point in time when many of us believed the duo of Odell Thurman and David Pollack would be the start of a fantastic defensive foundation. Thurman finished the season ranked high among finalists for defensive player of the year that eventually went to Shawne Merriman. Thurman was that guy Marvin Lewis had sought all along to man the middle linebacker spot; a defensive leader for many seasons. Pollack's transition from defensive end to outside linebacker was slow, but he was coming along nicely towards the end of the season.

Then, it all unraveled. Pollack suffered a neck injury against the Browns in the second week of the 2006 season. He never played again. Thurman's problems began when he violated the substance abuse policy during the 2006 offseason. Eventually he was suspended for an entire season, in an effort by Roger Goodell to set an example to the league that he meant business with the new Personal Conduct Policy. He wasn't reinstated in 2007. After that, he fell off the NFL radar.

However, he's appeared on the UFL radar, writes Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel.

The Florida Tuskers have signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Michael Pittman, for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Koren Robinson, and former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman, according to Tuskers' coach Jim Haslett.

Bengals Training Camp: The vastly improved Bengals linebackers will be fun to watch this year

Kirkendall — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:29:01 -0000

More photos » by Tom Uhlman - AP

5 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Keith Rivers runs plays during football practice in Cincinnati Friday June 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Browse more photos »

Let me take you back to September 4, 2007. The Bengals just won their first preseason game, beating the Indianapolis Colts 14-6 to end with a 1-3 preseason record. It was time to participate in National Layoff Day in which several professional football players lose their jobs so teams can get underneath the required 53-man roster limit. Running back Clinton Dawson made the roster -- as did Skyler Green.

What's really interesting from the team's 2007 kickoff weekend roster is the linebackers. Ahmad Brooks started the middle. Lemar Marshall and Landon Johnson played on the outside and backups included Caleb Miller, Rashad Jeanty, Andre Frazier and Anthony Schlegel. Brooks, Miller, and Marshall were lost early in the season and eventually Cincinnati signed Dhani Jones, Roy Manning and Jim Maxwell.

Fast forward two years. Of all the players on the 2007 kickoff weekend roster, Rashad Jeanty is the only linebacker that remains. Landon Johnson signed with the Carolina Panthers and Andre Frazier returned to Pittsburgh. Ahmad Brooks signed with the San Francisco 49ers, was waived in late November but re-signed in early December. Caleb Miller and Anthony Schlegel haven't signed on with another team and you have to assume Lemar Marshall is retired, after rupturing his Achilles tendon that year. Brooks, Frazier and Johnson, players that left Cincinnati and signed on with new teams, have combined to start zero games.

Dhani Jones signed on in 2007 and solidified the team's inside linebacker spot. Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga were draft picks in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The Bengals signed Brandon Johnson and Darryl Blackstock to one-year contracts in 2008 and 2009 and Rashad Jeanty went from Exclusive Rights free agent to Restricted Free Agent and signed one-year deals each season.

Compare linebackers from the 2007 kickoff weekend roster to the team's current roster of linebackers.

Ahmad Brooks	Dhani Jones
Rashad Jeanty	Rashad Jeanty
Landon Johnson	Keith Rivers
Caleb Miller	Rey Maualuga
Lemar Marshall	Brandon Johnson
Andre Frazier	Darryl Blackstock
Anthony Schlegel	Abdul Hodge
	Jim Maxwell

To say that Marvin Lewis and company revamped the team's linebackers from 2007, while suffering the unexpected loss of David Pollack and Odell Thurman -- considered in 2005 to be the foundation pieces at linebacker like Rivers and Maualuga are now -- would be an understatement. Each linebacker spot is vastly improved with enough youth to see long-term growth.

Two years after 2007, the Bengals are now focused on Dhani Jones in the middle. Keith Rivers returning after missing nine games to injury -- and he's looking to have a major impact this year. Rey Maualuga will compete with Rashad Jeanty all season long, claiming starting rights at strong-side linebacker. Here's where the Bengals really improve. After recording 112 tackles in 2008 with only nine starts, Brandon Johnson will be a backup weak-side linebacker. Whomever doesn't win the competition between Jeanty and Maualuga, will be a backup at strong-side linebacker.

Our linebackers will be fun to watch this year.

The 2005 NFL Draft is evidence in Cincinnati that what can go wrong, does go wrong

Kirkendall — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:36:37 -0000

Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole writes that "only three first-round picks from the 2005 NFL draft have signed contract extensions with their initial franchise so far." The 2005 NFL Draft, James Walker writes, that "the top of this draft class was probably the worst of this decade. The best players turned out to be linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman and neither went in the top 10." Some of the names in that first round include Alex Smith, Adam Jones, Troy Williamson, Mike Williams.

Of course we know the story about the 2005 NFL Draft from the Bengals perspective. Several players were a big part of the Bengals 2005 playoff run. Odell Thurman was one of the finalists for rookie of the year. David Pollack and Chris Henry figured to be a big part of the team's future. Tab Perry started out as a decent return man and that was the year Jonathan Fanene was drafted in the seventh round. Pollack's career ended in 2006 and Thurman hasn't played a snap since his rookie campaign. Henry's story is well known. Adam Kieft was injured all of the time and never played and Eric Ghiaciuc was, well, Eric Ghiaciuc. Tab Perry was hurt in the same game that Pollack was injured and never returned to form. Of all the players drafted in 2005, only Fanene received a contract extension (note: Henry was cut and then re-signed to a minimum two-year deal).

When 2005 was winding down, I thought to myself that this could be the defining draft in the Marvin Lewis era. Two great linebackers. A talented wide receiver that caused fits against third-string cornerbacks and safeties. Instead, as it seems to happen in Cincinnati, what can go wrong, does go wrong.