SB Nation - Dhani Jones

Primer: Cleveland Browns (1-9) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-3). Part II

Kirkendall — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:36:34 -0000

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, left, catches a five-yard touchdown pass in front of Cleveland Browns cornerback Eric Wright (24) in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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Game: Cleveland Browns (1-9) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-3)
Series Leader: Bengals 37-35
Streak: Bengals have won eight of the past 10 meetings
Coaches vs. Opponent: Lewis: 9-4. Mangini: 1-2
Broadcast: CBS (1:00 PM ET): Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon. SIRIUS: 129 (Cle.), 122 (Cin.). XM: 106 (Cin.).
SB Nation: Dawgs by Nature
NFL.com: Game Center
Weather: Mostly cloudy with a high of 54. [Weather.com]
Uniform: Orange
Television Coverage: State of Ohio, eastern Kentucky, Western West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. [506]

Cincinnati Bengals

With a win the Bengals will go undefeated against the division for the first time in franchise history.
Bengals have won four of the past five games against Cleveland
Quarterback Carson Palmer is 7-2 against the Cleveland Browns, completing 197 of 313 passes for 2,145 yards passing, 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions for an 87.9 passer rating.
Palmer has a touchdown in all nine career games against Cleveland.
With four touchdowns, Palmer will become the third quarterback in franchise history to record 125 passing touchdowns (any wild guesses on the other two?)
Cedric Benson is averaging 122.5 yards rushing in previous two games against Cleveland.
Benson averages 106.2 yards rushing in games where he records 20 rushes or more -- his teams are 11-1-1.
Rookie running back Bernard Scott recorded his first career 100-yard game with 119 yards rushing against the Oakland Raiders.
Chad Ochocinco has three touchdowns in his previous two games against the Browns and looks to record a touchdown in his third straight game against the Browns.
Bengals defense has 10 interceptions in their past six games.
Johnathan Joseph looks to record an interception in three straight against the Browns.
Joseph has an interception in four of five divisional games this year.
Dhani Jones leads the Bengals with 68 tackles.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns look to record back-to-back wins in Cincinnati for the first time since the 2002-2003 seasons.
Brady Quinn, who recorded career highs in passing (304), touchdowns (4) and passer rating (133.1) last week, will make his first career start against the Bengals.
In 15 career games against the Bengals, Jamal Lewis is averaging 113.7 yards per game, which includes nine 100-yard rushing games.
In his only career game against the Bengals, rookie receiver Mohamed Massaquoi recorded a career high in receptions (8) and yards receiving (148).
Massaquoi recorded his second career 100-yard receiving game last week.
Receiver Chansi Stuckey posted his first touchdown reception with the Browns last week against the Lions.
Linebacker David Bowens looks to record a sack in three straight games.
Safety Brodney Pool has two interceptions in his past three games and looks to record a pick in two straight against the Bengals.

TEAM RANKINGS

Offense	Bengals	Browns
Total	335.6 (17th)	236.8 (31st)
Scoring	21.5 (16th)	11.5 (30th)
Third Downs	41% (14th)	29% (29th)
Rushing	127.8 (9th)	101.4 (22nd)
Rushing TDs	9 (t-12th)	2 (t-30th)
Passing	207.8 (20th)	135.4 (31st)
Passing TDs	14 (t-15th)	7 (31st)
Sacks Allowed	17 (t-7th)	24 (t-21st)
20-yard Passes	28 (t-16th)	18 (29th)

Defense	Bengals	Browns
Total	310.5 (10th)	402.0 (32nd)
Scoring	16.7 (3rd)	26.3 (28th)
3rd Downs Allowed	35% (8th)	39% (20th)
Rushing	84.3 (2nd)	154.9 (29th)
Rushing TDs	4 (t-5th)	13 (t-27th)
Passing	226.2 (19th)	247.1 (26th)
Passing TDs	12 (t-12th)	15 (t-19th)
Sacks	24 (t-8th)	19 (t-21st)
QB Rating	77.5 (t-7th)	93.7 (26th)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	30 (t-19th)	37 (30th)
Interceptions	12 (t-6th)	6 (t-30th)

Special Teams	Bengals	Browns
Kickoff Return	22.1 (23rd)	22.8 (18th)
Punt Return	11.4 (4th)	13.2 (2nd)
Punting (Net)	37.5 (19th)	38.8 (12th)
Punts Inside the 20	14 (t-22nd)	32 (1st)

2009 STATISTICAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

Carson Palmer	Stat	Ranking
Quarterback Rating	87.2	15th
Yards Passing	2,217	16th
Touchdowns	14	t-14th
First Downs	112	t-15th
Average Yards/Att	7.1	16th
Completions	192	t-16th
Interceptions	8	t-17th
Times Sacked	17	t-15th

Cedric Benson	Stat	Ranking
Yards Rushing	859	7th
Attempts / Game	22.8	1st
Touchdowns	6	t-10th
First Downs	36	t-9th

Chad Ochocinco	Stat	Ranking
Receptions	50	t-21st
Yards Receiving	735	12th
Touchdowns	5	t-14th
20-yard receptions	11	t-9th
First Downs	39	t-7th

CAREER AGAINST THE BROWNS

Carson Palmer

Date	Result	Comp.	Att.	Yards	TDs	Int
10.4.09	W, 23-20	23	44	230	2	1
12.23.07	W, 19-14	11	21	115	1	2
9.16.07	L, 45-51	33	50	401	6	2
11.26.06	W, 30-0	25	32	275	3	1
9.17.06	W, 34-17	24	40	352	2	2
12.11.05	W, 23-20	13	27	93	1	1
9.11.05	W, 27-13	26	34	280	2	1
11.28.04	W, 58-48	22	29	251	4	3
10.17.04	L, 17-34	20	36	148	1	1

Chad Johnson

Date	Result	Rec	Yards	TDs
10.4.09	W, 23-20	3	24	2
9.28.08	L, 12-20	3	28	1
12.23.07	W, 19-14	4	44	0
9.16.07	L, 45-51	11	209	2
11.26.06	W, 30-0	7	123	0
9.17.06	W, 34-17	6	78	1
12.11.05	W, 23-20	2	22	0
9.11.05	W, 27-13	9	91	0
11.28.04	W, 58-48	10	117	1
10.17.04	L, 17-34	3	37	0
12.28.03	L, 14-22	4	29	0
9.28.03	L, 16-22	3	67	2
11.17.02	L, 20-27	4	103	1
9.15.02	L, 7-20	4	58	1
11.25.01	L, 0-18	1	7	0
10.14.01	W, 24-14	5	68	0

Cedric Benson

Date	Rushes	Yards	TDs
10.4.09	18	74
12.21.08	38	171	0
10.9.05	5	6	0

Laveranues Coles

Date	Rec	Yards	TDs
10.4.09	2	24	0
12.9.07	7	48	0
10.29.06	4	40	0
10.3.04	7	122	0
10.27.02	5	61	1

Bengals struggle in California; Benson "doubtful" to play against Oakland

Kirkendall — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:24:10 -0000

Californeya has the internet gold rush. So the Bengals have broken several trends this year. They've swept the Steelers for the first time since 1998. Dating back to last year, they've won five straight road games for the first time in franchise history. With a win over the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals will go undefeated in the division for the first time in franchise history -- they've won five divisional games in only six seasons (2009, 2005, 1996, 1990, 1989, 1984).

Another trend remains. Games on the West Coast. Specifically, in California. The Bengals have lost 26 of 35 regular season games in California. Dating back to 1992, they've won only one of ten games. The Bengals history in California is terrible enough that if you take the Bengals all-time record and remove regular season games played in California, the Bengals all-time winning percentage jumps ten points. (Note: I'm a South Park junkie).

Larry Johnson could play Sunday. C Trent Rosecrans writes that Larry Johnson "said his first practice as a Bengal on Wednesday went smoothly, and he's just happy to be practicing." This is important because it's believed that Cedric Benson will miss Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders. Joe Reedy writes that "Benson did not practice for a second straight day, meaning that it is unlikely he will play on Sunday at Oakland." To be honest, I'm interested to see what Johnson can do behind this offensive line.

Moving on...

Great piece by Hobson, detailing the defense on third down.

Charles Robinson writes that Larry Johnson created enough of a disruption with the Chiefs, that he forced his way off the team and joined the 7-2 Bengals.

Don Banks lists Mike Zimmer as a potential head coaching candidate.

The job Zimmer has done with the Bengals defense this season speaks for itself, and if Cincy rides its magic carpet all the way to Miami, who knows how far it might advance a Zimmer candidacy? Strange as it sounds, Zimmer's time in front of the HBO cameras on "Hard Knocks'' probably raised his visibility level significantly within league circles, even though he was known as a quality teacher of the game long before last summer.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bernard Scott rushed the football 13 times. Geoff Hobson writes that the Bengals don't want to give Scott "that many touches any time soon."

Sad news: Chris Spielman's wife Stephanie passed away Thursday night.

How great has Kyle Cook been this year?

CNati's Scott Priestle takes a look at Dhani Jones.

Notes regarding the Bengals games in California.

All-Time Record	279	356	2	.440
Games in California	9	26	0	.257
All-Time Record w/o California	270	330	2	.450

Games played in California since 1968.

Season	Location	Result
2007	San Francisco	L, 13-20
2003	Oakland	L, 20-23
2003	San Diego	W, 34-27
2001	San Diego	L, 14-28
1998	Oakland	L, 10-27
1996	San Francisco	L, 21-28
1996	San Diego	L, 14-27
1994	San Diego	L, 10-27
1993	San Francisco	L, 8-21
1992	San Diego	L, 10-27
1990*	Los Angeles	L, 10-20
1990	San Diego	W, 21-16
1990	Los Angeles (Rams)	W, 34-31
1990	Los Angeles	L, 7-24
1989	Los Angeles	L, 7-28
1988	Los Angeles	W, 45-21
1985	Los Angeles	L, 6-13
1984	San Francisco	L, 17-23
1982	San Diego	L, 34-50
1981	San Diego	W, 40-17
1980	Oakland	L, 17-28
1978	Los Angeles (Rams)	W, 20-19
1978	San Francisco	L, 12-28
1978	San Diego	L, 13-22
1977	San Diego	L, 3-24
1976	Oakland	L, 20-35
1975*	Oakland	L, 28-31
1974	San Francisco	W, 21-3
1974	Oakland	L, 27-30
1973	San Diego	W, 20-13
1972	Los Angeles (Rams)	L, 12-15
1971	Oakland	L, 27-31
1970	San Diego	W, 17-14
1969	San Diego	L, 14-21
1969	Oakland	L, 17-37
1968	Oakland	L, 10-31
1968	San Diego	L, 13-29
* Playoff game.

Six-Pack of Hu-Dey: Sign Mike Zimmer to a long-term contract as soon as possible

Kirkendall — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:59:31 -0000

Introducing to the inaugural edition to the "Six-Pack of Hu-Dey ", a selection of topics that we weigh in on. We hope to have this going weekly, but we'll need your help. If you have topics that you want examined or weighed in on, email them to me. Also, some veterans may recognize the spelling is actually correct. Hu-Dey beer once existed by Hudepohl Brewing Co.

Bengals need to sign Mike Zimmer to an extension as soon as possible. This is one of those topics that we tend not to examine simply because of the obviousness of the issue. You know, like John Madden saying football is played by football players or that Cincinnatians are from Cincinnati. But here's the truth. Mike Zimmer is coaching under the final year of his two-year contract. The Bengals need to sign Zimmer to a long-term extension as the team's defensive coordinator as soon as possible.

In 2007, the final year with Chuck Bresnahan as the team's defensive coordinator, the Bengals defense ranked 27th overall and 24th scoring. The Bengals signed Mike Zimmer in the offseason and the Bengals defense has steadily improved. In his first season, the Bengals total defense improved to 12th overall and 19th scoring. And through nine games in 2009, the Bengals have the 10th best overall defense, the second-best scoring defense and the league's second-best rushing defense.

With those accolades, Zimmer will be a hot head coaching candidate in 2010. Even if no head coaching opportunities are granted Zimmer, he could find himself a rich contract as a defensive coordinator with a powerfully rich team -- say the Washington Redskins. Give him a share of ownership with the team. Whatever. Zimmer will be the biggest free agent the Bengals have to sign back this offseason.

Brandon Johnson is the best backup player on defense. After Keith Rivers suffered a broken jaw during the seventh week of the 2008 NFL season, backup Bengals linebacker Brandon Johnson became the starting weak-side outside linebacker. He finished the season with 112 tackles, second on the team. Johnson's two picks also ranked second on the team and he was one of three defensive players in 2008 to record a sack and interception in the same season.

During the offseason, the Bengals offered Johnson a $1.545 million restricted free agent tender, which he signed on August 16. He waited a long time looking for another team willing to offer the Bengals second-round compensation if they signed Johnson. No takers.

Even though his overall numbers are down this year, considering he plays in mostly pass-obvious situations, Johnson's contributions for an injured Keith Rivers the past two weeks show that Johnson's play is no let-down by any means. He replaced Rivers in the third quarter against the Ravens and recorded a team leading nine tackles and sacked Joe Flacco 1.5 times. He leads the team with eight special teams tackles.

Anytime that Johnson is forced to replace Rivers, he not only matches Rivers' production, but he plays well enough to that Rivers' absence isn't as noticeable. Which brings us to...

If no collective bargaining agreement is created, then signing Brandon Johnson long-term isn't urgent. With all of that said, Cincinnati should still work on signing Johnson to a long-term contract after this year. Most likely, he'll look for an opportunity to start. And unless something happens from now until the start of free agency, more than likely, he'll find a place. In a perfect scenario, Johnson signs, plays the backup role one more season until Dhani Jones' contract expires. Then the Bengals could place Rey Maualuga at middle linebacker and place Johnson either on the weak-side or strong-side, based on the strengths of both he and Rivers.

That is, if the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is worked out and the same free agency rules apply.

There is a certain dynamic here. If the league doesn't replace the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement before free agency in 2010, then Brandon Johnson could be forced to stay in Cincinnati. Currently, the CBA says that players only need four accrued seasons to be an unrestricted free agent. In 2010, the CBA changes, based on the final year of the deal, in which players need six years to become unrestricted free agents. Therefore, Johnson would remain a restricted free agent and could be here for at least two more years.

The Bengals shouldn't start Andre Smith this year. What I think is astronomical is that the Bengals still haven't played their first round pick, Andre Smith. The current Bengals offensive line has played so well, that Smith has become a luxury rather than a necessity. Only time I can remember this applying is when the Bengals decided to bench Carson Palmer his rookie season in favor of developing him behind Jon Kitna.

The dynamic that Paul Alexander has created with this offensive line shouldn't be shuffled anymore than it already has been. As a unit, they've only allowed 14 quarterback sacks and have been a large part of Cincinnati's rushing success, which is ranked 11th in the NFL with 1,101 yards rushing.

Cincinnati's weakest part of the schedule is coming up at Oakland, Detroit and at home against Cleveland. Conventional wisdom may suggest that the team could take the opportunity to give Smith a start, at least, to see what we have. But the best solution might be to use Smith in a Dennis Roland/Anthony Collins role, which would essentially make Smith the third offensive tackle on rushing plays. This would allow Smith to ease himself into the speed and strength of the NFL, while not disrupting the cohesiveness that the Bengals offensive line already have.

Then again, there's working him in as an eventual replacement for Bobbie Williams at right guard...

Bengals now have to beat teams that they should beat. So, I'm a little melodramatic. But I strongly believe after sweeping the Steelers and Ravens (I'll never get tired of that term), with wins against the Bears, Packers and Browns, Cincinnati losing any of the next three games could run the risk of losing everything they've earned.

The next three games on the schedule are against teams with a combined 4-22 record (Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit). Losing any of those games not only hurts the team's legitimacy, as well as their confidence, but it would bring Pittsburgh right back into the mix. It's one thing to lose against a very good football team with a winning record. But they must beat teams that they should beat. That's what winning teams do.

Successes of others helps ease the fall of Antwan Odom's injury. Since Antwan Odom was injured against the Houston Texans, the Bengals defense has recorded 11 quarterback sacks (which includes the loss to the Texans). A large part of that success has come from the combination of Jonathan Fanene and Robert Geathers, recording a combined four sacks against the two divisional powerhouses Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Geathers has recorded sacks in back-to-back games.

More surprisingly is Frostee Rucker's successes dating back to Chicago where he his playing time increased because of Odom's injury. In that three game stretch, Rucker has a quarterback sack, an interception, a deflection and three quarterback hits.

Odom clearly set the season with seven quarterback sacks in the first two games of the season. The rest of the defense continues to follow suit.

Cincinnati Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers with unsung heroes and a beautiful red zone defense

Kirkendall — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:51 -0000

by Gene J. Puskar - AP

29 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Bobbie Williams (63) leaves Heinz Field after a 18-12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

View full size photo »

It was a bar in Dayton that an odd fellow, let's call him William, struck up a conversation with me that began with typical fantasy football musings. He drafted Adrian Peterson. His reaction was like anyone else's when drafting a great fantasy football player -- telling EVERYONE. Confident of his chances, not requiring the debate of the rest of his fantasy football draft, the conversation took an expected turn. Everyone that knows me personally, knows that I could chit-chat Bengals all day long. But it's not just about Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco. Those are the superstars that everyone else knows. What's more to say about them? Carson just wins. Chad just finds dollar bills laying around, hoping that the ref can find the owner who lost the money. We'll talk how hard Abdul Hodge will smack you in the face on kickoffs. We'll reminisce how the monstrous Ahmad Brooks had every tool to become a super-stud linebacker. We'll agree that Rashad Jeanty is perhaps the most unknown contributor on this defense, since 2006.

It was never about who was right. That's never the way conversations go. It's just about talking about the thing that we both love. William was old enough to remember both Super Bowls as if watching it live. I was too young for Super Bowl XVI. Not Super Bowl XXIII. I've told the story of breaking my mother's lamp when John Taylor scored the winning touchdown more times than I can remember.

But William's mind was sore. Last season left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. That angry feeling we had before Marvin Lewis' era had resurfaced. Our last conversations didn't detail the exponential growth we saw from the defense last year. It wasn't about Carson Palmer returning. It wasn't about Cedric Benson, who had the best three-game stretch of any running back in the final three games. It wasn't about the veteran free agents, nor the NFL draft in which many observers praised the Bengals selections.

He was mad. And he should be mad. This team was terrible in 2008. Few things could be said about them that actually made us feel good. And that anger carried over to 2009.

William suggested firing Marvin Lewis. I gave the people's eyebrow for good measure, showing my uncertainty while questioning the validity of the source. How could you? Why would you? Who would you replace him with? It really took me aback. His argument is that great coaches could deal with the amount of injuries this team suffered, and still go undefeated... if they were great. Alright. Who would you replace him with? Bill Cowher, he instantly says. Yep. Bill Cowher. He's proven to put great teams together with a core philosophy that lasted most of his tenure, he argues. Yea, but. Well, he's a former Steelers coach. He lowers his head. He knows the point I just made. He knows that level of crazy-talk, while fun at times, has no place here. Are you drinking again, William, I asked. No, he laughed. It wasn't Bill Cowher he was suggesting; but Cowher being a model of stability that this team needed. Understandable.

At this point, I've recovered enough to make sure my adult beverage had a one-way ticket in, assuring that the mist that exhaled from my nose during that conversation had no escape. My composure, solid. I told him, have patience. They did a lot during the offseason, and excuse or not, Palmer's injury last year was a big contributor for their struggles. Even so, they were a solid football team in the second half of the season. They sported a winning recorded in the final eight games in 2008, I argued. That momentum would continue. How can you be so sure, he asked. Well, I can't be. But there are positive things. There is momentum. We won't repeat 2008. I promise.

William thoroughly enjoyed Cincy Jungle. We talked about the Bengals a lot. But we also talked just about football. The Buckeyes. The Bearcats. High School. We even shared our own football war stories.

About two months ago, William died of cancer. I'm going to miss talking to him about football. About the Bengals. But what really makes me sad, is that we won't be able to tell him that the Cincinnati Bengals swept the Steelers and Ravens, have a two-game lead in the AFC North with a 7-2 record. It would have been sweet to watch the pessimistic Bengals fan morph back into an bouncing anxious Bengals fan honestly optimistic that they could win any game on the schedule.

Hey William. We just swept the Steelers. You'd be proud.

The award for Offensive and Special Teams player of the game specifically designed to award Bernard Scott. We wrote briefly about Bernard Scott's ventures yesterday. He not only returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, but several runs late in the game moved the ball forward and helped Cincinnati kill 4:20 off the clock, setting up Shayne Graham's third field goal of the game. Scott also recorded a 21-yard reception.

Think that's it? Scott recorded 206 yards on kickoff returns, giving him 260 yards total on offense and special teams. Bernard Scott isn't the powerful between the tackles runner that Benson is right now, but Scott's speed and acceleration is impressive. With 3:05 left in the game at the Pittsburgh 35-yard line, Cincinnati lined up on second-and-five, Scott accelerated around the right edge, picked up five yards and the first down. This forced the Steelers to use two timeouts, and took another minute off the clock.

Carson Palmer didn't struggle. He did what the Steelers allowed. It was true. Most of Palmer's passes were off target, mostly high. There were some plays that Palmer felt rushed and threw the football early. In the second quarter alone, Palmer completed only two of seven passes for 30 yards. But Palmer's struggles didn't last. In the second half, Palmer's efficiency returned. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 98 yards passing. In the fourth quarter alone, Palmer completed six of seven passes for 54 yards -- including a big third-down 17-yard pass to Brian Leonard. This guy puts it together when it matters the most.

More importantly, Palmer didn't take more than what the Steelers gave him. He didn't commit a turnover. He threw passes that weren't risky. If he was getting sacked, he allowed it, not trying to do the impossible and threw the football up. No, he didn't win this football game. That's not how we beat the Steelers and I doubt that will be true next year, or the year after that. Nor did he lose the game. To me, Palmer didn't struggle. He did only what he could.

Including the big 17-yard pass to Brian Leonard that converted a third-and-five, Palmer completed a deep 16-yard pass to Laveranues Coles down the left sidelines that pushed the Bengals to Pittsburgh's 24-yard line. Palmer completed back-to-back passes for eight yards after a Brian Leonard one-yard run, setting up an easy 32-yard field goal for Shayne Graham to give Cincinnati a 15-12 lead with 7:29 left in the game. Cincinnati largely went into kill-the-clock mode with six minutes left in the game. Scott shined here. Palmer attempted only one pass -- an eight-yard pass to Laveranues Coles with 3:53 left in the game that gave the Bengals their third first down. Thanks to Bernard Scott and a scramble by Palmer where he totally forgot how to slide gracefully, Shayne Graham converted a 43-yard field goal to give the Bengals an 18-12 lead.

No. This wasn't the Palmer we saw against the Bears. Or early against the Ravens. But this isn't the same Bengals either. If Palmer only throws for 178 yards passing, doesn't record a touchdown and the Bengals win, you'll take that.

The Bengals won because they have a defense that wins games. With all of the talk about an inconsistent offense with star-power players, the truth of the matter is the Bengals defense is the biggest reason the Bengals have swept the Steelers and Ravens, own the tie-breaker against both teams and sit in first place at 7-2. It's the defense. Sure the offense has helped. But nothing with the consistency and confidence this defense has right now.

With 1:49 left in the game, the Bengals have an 18-12 lead. Pittsburgh has one timeout left and plenty of time to pick up 67 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Ever since we lost to the Denver Broncos, that little place in the back of my mind that anything could happen, gets really big. Most defenses in this situation tend to go into prevent, with one goal in mind of not allowing the game-winning touchdown. Not Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. He blitzed. He had his guys in coverage smothering route runners. Roethlisberger didn't have time for deep routes to develop, though he tried to wait. Brandon Johnson pressured Roethlisberger on first down, forcing the incomplete. Chris Crocker and Johnathan Joseph shutdown their guys on respective plays. On fourth down, Roethlisberger was assaulted by Frostee Rucker and Michael Johnson, who forced the quarterback to make a desperate throw that landed several yards away in the middle of nowhere.

Bengals football. Three knees. Bengals win!

Even though this sealed the win, I don't believe this is where the Bengals won the football game. Aside from the final score, here's the most important stat of the game. Four times the Steelers entered the red zone. Four times, the Steelers settled for field goals.

Pittsburgh looked to score a touchdown on their opening possession. They recorded three first downs, including a third-and-13 conversion on a 15-yard scramble by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Bengals this year have struggled defensively when the game starts. And trust me, struggle is a relative term. They're simply not forcing three-and-outs on the opening possession of the game. A little greedy? So. On the first drive, the Steelers recorded three plays of 11 yards or more, reaching Cincinnati's 15-yard line. After that, the bend-but-dont-break defense, stood their ground.

On first down, Johnathan Joseph broke from his cornerback spot to close a rushing lane on the right edge, preventing what could have been a touchdown run for Mendenhall. Instead, two-yard gain. On second-and-eight at the Bengals 13-yard line, Roethlisberger spread out the offense in shotgun, he rolled out left and threw a shovel passed to Heath Miller for another three-yard gain. Third-and-five with 4:50 left in the first quarter, Chinedum Ndukwe sprinted to the line of scrimmage as Roethlisberger received the snap. Ndukwe found a wide open lane on the right, threw his arms up and knocked down the pass. Steelers drive stalls and Pittsburgh takes a 3-0 lead on a Jeff Reed 28-yard field goal.

Pittsburgh would go on to punt on the following two possessions -- including a three-and-out. With eight minutes left in the first half, the Steelers began their second red zone assault. After a 10-yard run by Mendenhall, Roethlisberger throws two incomplete passes. On third-and-10 at the Bengals 36-yard line, Roethlisberger, under pressure rolls left and finds a crossing Santonio Holmes for a 21-yard gain. He follows that up with another 10-yard gain. Three of the Steelers first five plays on this drive picked up 10 yards or more. They were picking up chunks again.

But not for long. With their backs to the endzone, the defense foams at the mouth. First-and-ten at the Bengals five-yard line. Mendenhall gets the carry, shifts to the right, where Chris Crocker shot through the line of scrimmage, taking out Mendenhall for a three-yard loss. On second-and-eight, Morgan Trent ran step-for-step with Santonio Holmes on an out-route towards the back left pylon, easily knocking the pass down. After a timeout that must have conjured up some crazy magical touchdown play, Jonathan Fanene sacks Roethlisberger, forcing Jeff Reed to convert a 33-yard field goal. That's two red zones appearances by Pittsburgh. That's two forced field goals.

Cincinnati's offense went three-and-out.

Pittsburgh gets the ball back with 2:52 left in the first half. The Steelers move until Heath Miller was called for offensive holding. After an incomplete pass to Mike Wallace, the Steelers line up second-and-twenty at the Steelers 24-yard line. Roethlisberger watches Wallace run a deep seam route and lightly presses the "B" button, floating a rainbow pass. A millisecond before the pass arrives, Ndukwe hooked Wallace's left arm, forcing another incomplete. Flag. Defensive pass interference and a 46-yard penalty. Ndukwe knew it. He didn't bother complaining.

After an 11-yard pass to Moore, the Steelers enter the red zone. The Bengals defense foams at the mouth. With :59 seconds remaining, the Steelers line up first-and-goal at the Bengals eight-yard line. After Geathers recorded the team's fourth sack in the half, Roethlisberger was forced to pick up 17 yards for the touchdown. On the first pass, Roethlisberger overthrew everyone in the end zone. On the second pass to Santonio Holmes at the back right pylon, Johnathan Joseph grazed the floating football with a fingernail, causing football enough redirection that Holmes couldn't adjust. Jeff Reed converts the 35-yard field goal.

Bengals force a third field goal on Pittsburgh's third red zone appearance.

Pittsburgh would be shutout of the red zone until there was 2:51 left in the third quarter. After five plays in which the Steelers started at midfield, Pittsburgh lines up at the Bengals 13-yard line. The score is tied at 12. This is big. After Hines Ward's eight-yard reception, the Steelers run three times, including a quarterback sneak, to pick up the first down at the Bengals 11-yard line.

On the ensuing play, the Steelers are flagged for offensive holding. After that, it was the same script that had been played all day. Five-yard dump pass to Mendenhall. Incomplete pass batted down by Jonathan Fanene, who came unblocked and would have sacked the quarterback, at the line of scrimmage. On third-and-15 at the Bengals 16-yard line, Roethlisberger, overthrows the football to Mike Wallace, running towards the left sidelines in the endzone.

Bengals force a fourth field goal on Pittsburgh's fourth, and final, red zone appearance.

Say hello to Morgan Trent. The story of a great day for the team's third best cornerback. When we talked about Morgan Trent after the NFL draft, I wasn't encouraged. It wasn't so much what I've seen -- I really don't remember him playing at Michigan much. It was Wolverine fans who weren't giving us glowing reviews. Then again, what did you expect from a guy who was drafted in the sixth round, for a position that we believed was set, save for building solid depth.

To describe Trent this year would be to say that he's as solid as they come. And against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he made plays. While the Steelers were driving on their first possession of the game, Pittsburgh lined up second-and-eight at the Bengals eight-yard line, threatening to score. Morgan Trent, lined up over Santonio Holmes, sat in the wide receivers hip, following his break towards the back left pylon. Just as it seemed that Holmes created enough space for the touchdown reception, Trent accelerated just in time to knock down the its-not-a-touchdown pass. Jonathan Fanene ended Pittsburgh's threat a play later with a quarterback sack.

On the Steelers opening drive in the second half, Ben Roethlisberger targets Hines Ward on third-and-two at their own 40-yard line. Roethlisberger, in shotgun, throws over the middle. Morgan Trent, trailing Ward on a crossing pattern, flipped his hand up at the inaccurate pass and knocked the football back towards the line of scrimmage where Frostee Rucker intercepted the pass and returned it to the 14-yard line. The Bengals would tie the game soon after.

With 7:15 left in the game, Bengals leading 15-12, Pittsburgh lines up first-and-10 at their own 27-yard line. Roethlisberger throws a deep pass over the middle. Morgan Trent outran Holmes on the deep pass and "got in the way", slowing Holmes progress. On the following play, Roethlisberger throws a quick pass to Holmes on the right. After the reception, he only picks up seven yards, thanks to Trent's great open field tackle. The significance is that the Steelers had three yards to go for the first down and Roethlisberger threw an incomplete pass on third down, forcing the Steelers to punt.

If you weren't encouraged by Morgan Trent's play before Sunday's win, you should be now.

They always say it's difficult to sack Ben Roethlisberger. The situation is second-and-eight at the Cincinnati 25-yard line with 7:42 left in the first quarter. Ben Roethlisberger lines up in double-tight end formation with a single-back. He fakes the handoff to Rashard Mendenhall, who targets the gap between center and left guard. Bengals defensive end Jonathan Fanene, lining up at right defensive end, remains at the line of scrimmage playing the run. Once he figures it's a pass, he breaks outside, actually losing his balance. Tight end Matt Spaeth uses Fanene's momentum and pushes him into the ground. Fanene, roughly a yard from Roethlisberger, lunged and twisted the quarterback's left leg to record the game's first sack.

Bernard Scott had just given the Bengals a 6-3 lead on a 96-yard touchdown return on kickoff. On the ensuing drive, with 3:36 left in the first quarter, the Pittsburgh Steelers lined up second-and-seven at their own 35 yard-line. Roethlisberger motioned Mendenhall out, leaving an empty backfield. After a three-step drop, Roethlisberger pump faked right, looked left, when Dhani Jones delayed a blitz. The Bengals had covered all of the Steelers offensive linemen, allowing Jones to come unblocked, sacking Roethlisberger for a seven-yard loss. On the following play, Santonio Holmes caught a 14-yard pass for the first down. Marvin Lewis said, "bull crap." He threw the challenge. The officials determined the spot was two yards too generous, forcing the Steelers into fourth-and-two. Pittsburgh punts.

Pittsburgh lines up third-and-goal at the Cincinnati eight-yard line with 4:54 left in the first half, threatening again. The Steelers had just called a timeout and were working up some crazy play that guaranteed a touchdown -- that's what teams do during offensive timeouts I think. Roethlisberger sets up in shotgun. Fanene lined up at the right defensive tackle spot. At first, Fanene was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. The Bengals secondary forced Roethlisberger to hold onto the football. After a few seconds, Fanene found a way around the guard, sacking Roethlisberger for a seven-yard loss.

Under a minute left in the first half, the Steelers were driving to the Bengals eight-yard line. Roethlisberger lines up in shotgun and empty backfield. He looks left, pump fakes, braces for Robert Geathers, who nailed the quarterback without even being touched by any blockers. Roethlisberger threw two incomplete passes after that and the Steelers are forced to kick a field goal.

Rushing defense comes up big again. Cincinnati came into Sunday's game with the league's second ranked defense, allowing an average of 83.9 yards per game. Cincinnati limited Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker to 80 yards rushing on 18 attempts.

Rushing offense was effective in spots, but they were always persistent. Not a bad annoying either. The Bengals rushing offense was stuffed and stifled throughout much of the game. They made some plays, but as a unit, they only recorded 61 yards rushing. The thing is, they didn't stop running the football, rushing 29 times. That's commitment to the run.

Driving nowhere. The Bengals defense forced the Steelers offense into four three-and-outs. More importantly, the Bengals defense in the second half forced an interception, three punts, a turnover on downs and a field goal.

Third down domination. The Bengals defense has only allowed four conversions in the past 25 third down situations (16%).

Points allowed domination . The Bengals came into Sunday only allowed 16.9 points per game, ranked fifth in the NFL. They've not allowed a point in the third quarter for three straight games. During that same three-game stretch, Cincinnati has only allowed 12 points in the first half and 17 points in the second half.

What we know. The Bengals win over the Steelers is huge. You know that. Everyone knows that. It's a mark in the division and an introduction to the league that this team is legit. Now, the Bengals enter a stretch of potential trap games. Knowing the maturity of this team, I like our chances. Still, as William would quickly remind all of us, we've seen them fall in games they should have won too many times before. Aye.

Here's a Rumor I Do NOT Support

IFChris — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:54:57 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

about 1 month ago: FILE -- This is a Sept. 20, 2009, file photo showing Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders, in Kansas City, Mo. The Kansas City Chiefs have released troubled running back Larry Johnson. A two-paragraph statement from the team Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, simply listed Johnson's statistics and announced his release. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

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OK, Cedric Benson, I understand, but if this particular rumor comes to fruition, you'll never hear the end of it from me. Apparently, Mike Brown is interested in disgraced Kansas City Chief running back, Larry Johnson. Let me be clear here, in no way is this a good idea. Absolutely zero. If you want to give Cedric Benson a breather -- and folks, the team has been riding him a great deal -- Brian Leonard or Bernard Scott are quite capable, and aren't nearly the headache Johnson has shown to be.

Sure, folks are allowed second chances in life, but as a resident of Kansas City, and therefore front and center for much of Johnson's shenanigans, he's already had them. Trust me. There's nothing else he brings to the table that justifies signing he and his 2.7 yards per carry to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Johnson is not a positive influence on the locker room.

Johnson is not a positive role model for the community.

Johnson's paltry performance does not merit signing him. In no way.

Josh and I have already written about Johnson for another publication, and he's a little more forgiving than I am. Don't get me wrong, as a single NFL running back who's supposed to be King Ding-a-Ling in KC, I'd probably get pissed if this lady turned me down -- but I don't think I'd spit a drink in her face as a response. Oh, and for those of you wondering, I'd feel the same if this was the 1700-yards/double-digit-touchdowns Larry Johnson we were talking about.

Cincinnati has a wonderful thing going. Furthermore, they struck gold with Cedric Benson (and Dhani Jones, Roy Williams, Chris Crocker, etc) but at some point, that well -- or mine, if you will -- is going to dry up and the returns could be less than desired. Judging by experience, Johnson represents one too many chances of trying to spin straw into gold.

The Bengals have plenty of depth at running back. Adding Johnson to the mix is not worth jeopardizing the precious chemistry the team has established this far.

Bengals beat the Bears 45-10: Finding the perfect angle; why a changed Sunday Morning isn't a cause for superstition

Kirkendall — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:11:56 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson (32) flexes his muscles after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, in Cincinnati. Kyle Cook, left, and Anthony Collins, top, join in. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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When I woke up Sunday morning, I had an unexplained urge to change my Sunday morning routine. Instead of making coffee, taking a shower and cracking my knuckles anticipating the day's challenges, I left the house as soon as I hooked the sleepy crud out of my radish-shaded eyes. I stopped at a gas station and picked up a cappuccino. I love French Vanilla. It was fat free, meeting the requirement for my new healthy regiment that was burdened on me by something other than self preservation. But I decided to gamble. I was ready to take the bumps. My bruises always heal quickly. I picked up some Krispy Kreme donuts and it made -- almost -- everyone happy. I don't care for Krispy Kreme, but I did throw a chocolate glaze into the microwave for 15 seconds. I'm still rubbing my arm.

It was all in part to change my Sunday morning routine. I didn't think that way at the time, of course. It's occurring to me now, while the October cold forced a violent closure of our over-sized sliding glass window. Come to think of it, I've been involved in football for a long time. As coaches say, if you're going to foul someone, foul 'em big. I should have went all-out and bought a buffet-style order at McDonalds. But hindsight is a meaningless human act, and thus I moved on.

However, in my world, this doesn't equate to some acquisition of superstitious behavior, like Wade Boggs and his fried chicken, just because one action led to another. Admittedly, the day turned out completely different. I was allowed to watch several early football games. My ass imprint on the couch went un-fluffed for nearly seven hours. I ate a salad with French and bacon dressing. I had Sloppy Joe's in a bowl, with sour cream and shredded cheese. Crazy. Right? That's a damn fine meal. If I were any crazier, I would have went out and bought my Merit Fitness 725T Treadmill. Then there's the Bengals, who were obviously affected by my changed Sunday morning routine. I'm not superstitious; nor narcissistic for that matter.

Some called it a must-win. Others weren't so urgent. Here's the thinking. If the Bengals lose, they'll go into the bye week with a two-game losing streak, no momentum (at least positive momentum) and two tough division games against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers afterward. If the Bengals win, they'll go 5-2 heading into back-to-back series finales against the two powerhouses of the division after the bye week. Even if they lose both games, they'll still have a winning record and the Bengals hit the easiest stretch on their 2009 schedule to rebound. After losing to the Houston Texans last week, the question this week was: can the Bengals find their focus? We've been saying for weeks that we're still waiting for the perfect game. Perhaps saying the game least flawed would be more realistic. So, why not lower the expectation and just hope that the Bengals get their kind of unimpressive through three quarters to pull out the win in the fourth quarter mojo back?

And the irony of many complex questions in life, it takes time for a complete answer to materialize. The Bengals have always played that way. The original question: who are these guys? The follow-up question: can they sustain this? The current question: will they put together the complete game? They wait, wait, and wait until it's time for them to strike. They have yet to take a game into their own hands, not playing down, or up, to their competition. They have yet to play to their capabilities. We've felt that way all season. We know this offense can, and will, explode. But when? In classic Jack Bauer, "we're running out of time."

So how do you angle a story that accurately describes how the Bengals played against the Bears on Sunday?

Maybe the word is owning, or pwning. An example of that would be the Bengals 45-10 win over the Chicago Bears Sunday. In the first half, the Bengals offense accumulated 292 yards of total offense. Cedric Benson hit the 100-yard rushing marker before half time -- then he lost three yards bringing his total down to 98 yards. Chad Ochocinco, with five minutes left in the first half, caught eight passes for 103 yards receiving. Carson Palmer completed 15 of 17 passes for 183 yards passing and four touchdowns -- all to different receivers. Psst. You and I know the truth. Everything today changed after I bought a cappuccino as soon as I woke up this morning. I still don't believe in superstitions though.

Yet, it wasn't just the offense. The defense held the Bears to 71 yards of total offense before Chicago recorded a field goal on a nine-play, 70-yard drive to close the first half. Leon Hall picked off two passes. Chris Crocker tipped a few passes and intercepted the team's third interception. Morgan Trent is a hitter. Michael Johnson is everywhere, from defensive line to outside linebacker in coverage. Dhani Jones and Rey Maualuga were as amped as I've seen them all season. Tank Johnson was noticeable inside. Then there was Frostee Rucker, who sacked Jay Cutler and recorded another stuff on the quarterback that wasn't officially a sack.

No, I have a better way of describing Sunday's win.

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the holy shit out of the Chicago Bears. There. Simple. Descriptive. Easy to remember.

Remember this date? September 16, 2007.

On Sunday, Carson Palmer recorded touchdown passes. The last time he recorded that many touchdowns as a six-touchdown performance against the Cleveland Browns on September 16, 2007. That was also the last time the Bengals scored 40 points or more.

Stat of the Game: Bengals only committed three penalties for 20 yards lost. Both are season lows.

They called it Benson Bowl 2009. They should have called it "Benson will run through you because he's a pissed off maniac bowl". Cedric Benson played against his old team, the Chicago Bears. Did you know that? There's some animosity there; mostly, it seemed, from Benson. There's definitely motivation. How does Benson say hello to his old mates, who he claimed wasn't a revenge game? Does he take Lovie Smith out to dinner, or have orange juice during bible studies with Lance Briggs? No. Benson, not thinking revenge, followed his lanes, rolled over people, side-stepped potential tacklers like Lance Briggs who tried a kung-fu leg sweep while he was laying on the ground. In all, Benson records a career-high 189 yards rushing (5.1 yards-per-rush) and a touchdown -- the third straight game with a rushing touchdown. Benson's 37 rush attempts fell one short of a career high 38 against the Cleveland Browns on December 21, 2008.

Breakdown of Benson's rushing per quarter
	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	4th Quarter
Yards Rushing	70	28	54	37
Rushing Attempts	8	12	8	9
Yards/Rush	8.8	2.3	6.8	4.1
Long	23	14	26	14
Touchdowns	0	0	0	1

Benson was nasty good during the team's first two possessions, which set the tempo for the Bengals offense. On the team's first possession, Benson picked up 32 yards on four carries. Bengals scored a touchdown. On the team's second possession, Benson picked up 38 yards on four carries. Bengals scored a touchdown. If such a thing existed, you could seriously consider giving Benson the first quarter game ball.

And thus, a controversial, yet meaningless award. I believe that giving the game ball to Cedric Benson is a good choice. Not only for the emotional factor of playing against his old team, Benson had a career game. He's just not my choice for player of the game.

I'm giving my player of the game award to the guy that's responsible for five touchdowns. Five. Touchdowns. In the first half, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer completed 15 of 17 passes for 183 yards passing. For the first time in the historic Chicago Bears franchise, someone threw four touchdowns in the first half. Palmer actually only made throws in the first three quarters, taking a break in the closing minutes of the game. In each of the quarters he played in, Palmer recorded a passer rating of 130 or better -- and it was 150 or better through the first two quarters.

Furthermore, Carson Palmer's passing on third downs was flawless. He completed all seven passes (which went for first downs), threw for 81 yards passing and recorded three touchdowns. Making it happen on third down is critical. And Palmer was perfect. Well, next to it. His quarterback rating on third down was 154.5. And of those third downs, only one was shorter than five yards to go. So the Bears defense knew that the Bengals were passing. And yet, Palmer and the passing offense came through.

	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	4th Quarter
Yards Passing	76	107	50	--
Touchdowns	2	2	1	--
Completions	6	9	5	--
Attempts	7	10	7	--
Passer Rating	151.5	150.8	131.0	--

Like I said, Benson is a worthy choice. But my choice for Player of the Game goes to Carson Palmer.

Marvin Lewis versus the NFC North: 6-0

Bengals Drives				Bears Drives
Drive	Plays	Yards	Result	Plays	Yards	Result
1	8	77	Touchdown	8	26	Punt
2	8	80	Touchdown	3	-2	Punt
3	7	63	Touchdown	5	35	Fumble
4	12	66	Touchdown	2	12	Interception
5	4	6	Field Goal	9	70	Field Goal
6	9	61	Touchdown	10	33	Interception
7	7	53	Touchdown	4	21	Interception
8	12	49	Downs	8	60	Touchdown
9	3	7	Punt	3	7	Punt
Bears had two drives that went one-play while the first half and the game concluded.

Stat of the Game II : Bengals converted 67% (8/12) of their third downs.

If you say trends are meaningless, the Bengals offense says you're meaningless. On the first play of the game, Carson Palmer fakes the handoff to Benson, with Dennis Roland lined up at tight end, and hits Chad Ochocinco for a 19-yard gain. On the following play, the Bengals lined up with two fullbacks in the backfield, Jeremi Johnson and Daniel Coats, and handed off to Benson for a seven-yard gain. After an incomplete pass, Carson Palmer threw over the middle to Chris Henry for another 17 yards. Palmer hands off to Benson, who turns the right edge, runs down the right sidelines for a big 23-yard gain. The Bengals tried Wild Cat with Carson Palmer lined up wide left, and Cedric Benson taking the snap and gaining only three yards over the middle. Note: They never run the Wild Cat again. On third-and-eight at the Chicago Bears nine-yard line, Carson Palmer looks left, rolls out right and throws a floater to Chris Henry at the back of the endzone. Touchdown. And thus the slaughtering begins.

Stat of the Game III: Bengals had seven Red Zone trips. They scored six touchdowns.

Even special teams was special. A sad look at corny headlines: Johnny Knox came into Sunday's game averaging 33.7 yards per kickoff return. Against the Bengals, Knox averaged 21 yards per return with a long of 28 yards, which was five yards below his average. In fact, Knox didn't equal his kick return average once, returning kickoffs for 25, 23, 20, 12, 25, 18 and 28 yards. Also of note, Clark Harris didn't fumble a long-snap and Shayne Graham didn't miss a kick. How special is that?

Stat of the Game IV: The Bengals came into Sunday's game having given up a league-worst 25 passing plays of 20-yards or more. Against the Bears, the Bengals gave up one -- a 26-yard pass to Earl Bennett.

When Frostee Rucker warms up, he just chills your ass. With 1:02 left in the first quarter, the Bears lined up first-and-ten at their own 29-yard line. Jay Cutler dropped back, looked over the middle, rolled out right when Frostee Rucker sacked the quarterback for a ten-yard loss. After a quick six-yard pass to Matt Forte, Cutler fumbled the snap and Rucker tackled the quarterback soon after recovery for a limited gain. Technically, it's not a sack. Technically, Frostee Rucker will find you and technically he will tackle you.

Because the snap was fumbled and because Cutler never made an attempt to appear like anything more than a quarterback freaking out, finding yardage with his legs, Rucker was credited with a stuff rather than a quarterback sack. For the entire game, Rucker nailed Cutler at least three times, which doesn't include the quarterback sack.

Models and cheerleaders should go after offensive linemen. Because they're awesome. I've never hidden that watching the trenches is my favorite part of any NFL game. That's where football is, and forever will be, at its purest form. And if you don't think that the Bengals offensive line didn't play their best game of the season, you're nuts. That's right. You're nuts.

The Bears defense came into Sunday's game sporting the league's sixth best rush defense, allowing only 88.4 yards rushing per game. After rushing for only 46 yards against the Houston Texans, the Bengals offense recorded 215 yards rushing and a 4.8 yard-per-rush average. When you have deeper routes developing that the Bengals called on Sunday, you need quality, and sometimes extended, pass protection for those routes to develop. Not only did Palmer have all day to throw the football, he was only knocked down twice.

The Bengals offensive line should get as much, if not a majority, of the credit for the Bengals 448 yards of total offense.

Stat of the Game V: Bengals recorded 30 first downs (11 rushing, 16 passing and three via penalty).

Who do they think they are? When the Bengals win a big game, I get irritated at the ballsy nerve ESPN and NBC have by talking about other teams. When the Bengals lose a game, any game, I take a nap.

Remember when Chad Ochocinco used to be called Chad Johnson? It was reported heading into last year's regular season that Chad Johnson legally changed his last name to Ochocinco. All he got was a career low, both on the field and all of the bravado off the field. In 2008, Chad never recorded a 100-yard game and only four touchdowns. In fact, he went 18 straight games without a 100-yard game before recording 103 yards receiving against the Houston Texans last week.

Chad Ochocinco caught ten passes for 118 yards receiving and two touchdowns the following week against the Chicago Bears. In fact, he caught ten of the 11 passes thrown his way. The last time he caught ten passes or more was November 25, 2007 during a 35-6 win over the Tennessee Titans. Even more significant, Chad recorded his first back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since early 2007 when he recorded 209 yards against the Browns and 138 against the Seahawks.

So maybe the curse of changing last name to wacky catch-phrase of Spanish numerical system is finally dissolving.

And thus, Chad Ochocinco gets an award for himself. Outside the high school and college sob stories about making it into the NFL, rarely do sports figures prove everyone wrong. I'm talking about having already made it, doing things to make us conclude that he's worth too much trouble, only to have our minds changed about them later. Chris Henry would apply. Of all the things that we said in the offseason and last year about Chad Ochocinco, there's no one more deserving of a fanbase-wide apology than Chad. Maybe not an apology. After all, he forced us to conclude those things. Maybe forgiveness. In five of the seven games this season, Chad has recorded 89 yards receiving or more. His five touchdowns receiving leads the teams, as does his receptions (39) and yards receiving (573). In fact, Chad leads nearly every statistical receiving category. Except for drops. We know who that is.

So maybe in two weeks, when the Bengals host the Baltimore Ravens, I'll go out for another cappuccino in the morning. French Vanilla. Fat Free. I like it. It's not like I'm getting all superstitious or something. Maybe I should get the donuts too.

Bengals will hold a conference call Wednesday night for Bengals fans

Kirkendall — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:12:20 -0000

Between 6:30 and 7:30 PM (Eastern) on Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals will be hosting a Fan Forum, where "you'll even have an opportunity to ask questions and voice comments to your team!" Former Bengals kicker Jim Breech will host the conference call which, we gather, is an attempt to get Bengals fans to purchase tickets for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans which, at last report, is looking very likely to not sellout.

Along with Breech, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis will join Chad Ochocinco, Rey Maualuga, Dhani Jones and Andrew Whitworth as part of a table of guests that will answer questions from fans. Reportedly several season ticket holders and non-season ticket holders received a recorded message from Breech Tuesday night about tonight's conference call.

While it appears like a great idea on its own, allowing fans the chance to connect with the players they cheer for, we've believed for a long time that the Bengals should become more proactive with the fan community. Not when they become nervous about the rate of tickets being sold. One of my favorite ideas, which seems so simple, comes from Lance McAlister, who thinks that the Bengals should do something similar that the Reds do with the Reds Winter Caravan. Think about it. Do things for the kids, parents, or even adults, that would otherwise have nothing to do with the team. It's all about perception.

All you need to do to participate is simply dial 1-877-269-7289, enter PIN 13673 and we will connect you.

Note: If anyone decides to join, make sure you come back here and give us a full report.

Carson Palmer says we're scoring. Andre Caldwell says I'll catch it. Everyone says win it for Zimmer. Bengals beat Ravens 17-14 and own AFC North

Kirkendall — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:34:09 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andre Caldwell crosses the goal line for the game-winning touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Baltimore. The Bengals won 17-14. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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The Ravens and the Steelers. Two teams that played in last year's AFC Championship game. Two teams that we knew we had to beat this year if we were going to make things happen. If the Bengals were to make a playoff run, a scenario in which many Bengals fans didn't feel confident heading into the season, they'd have to go through Pittsburgh and Baltimore. And through the first five games this year, the Bengals beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore. And if you really wanted to cake on that grand feeling of supporting a team that starts the season 4-1, as opposed to 0-5 last year, then know this. It took a fluke play to put a blemish on our record. How does that feel?

A couple of big-picture notes after the Bengals win over the Ravens Sunday.

Even though the Bengals only have a one game lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, until both teams face and beat the Bengals again, Cincinnati will hold the head-to-head tie-breaker, essentially giving them a two game division lead.
The Bengals have won seven of their past eight games.
The Bengals have won four of their past six games at Baltimore.
The Bengals have won four straight division games dating back to last year.
Johnathan Joseph has three interceptions in three straight games.
Marvin Lewis is 8-5 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Carson Palmer is 7-3 when starting against the Baltimore Ravens.

GAME BALL: First things first. Our game ball. We haven't instituted our player of the game awards this year because we got tired of doing it for a team that started last season with an eight-game losing streak. After that, it was forgotten. And I can't promise we won't forget it about again this year. S thus our first game ball award will be given. Marvin Lewis gave Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer the game ball after Sunday's win. I thought it was appropriate that we do the same. While going through a loss that most of us would have no idea how to deal with, Zimmer and his defense took it to a top-five ranked offense. We compare the Ravens averages coming into Sunday's game and the Ravens numbers on Sunday.

	AVG.	Sunday
Points Scored	31.0 (3rd)	14*
Yards Total	413.5 (3rd)	257
Passing	267.0 (6th)	175
Rushing	146.5 (5th)	82
* Only scored seven points on offense

A story about how a defense doesn't have to be flashy. Just reliable. The Ravens were driving the football during their first drive of the game. The ease in which the Ravens moved the ball was troubling. Eight-yard pass to Heap. Four-yard run by Rice. Nine-yard scramble by Flacco. Six-yard pass to Rice. Five-yard pass to Heap. Nine-yard pass to McClain. Twenty-one yard pass to Rice. These were chunk-yardage plays that quickly tires a defense. After Rey Maualuga tackled Rice for a one-yard loss at the Bengals 14-yard line, and after Flacco threw an incomplete pass, Johnathan Joseph jumped Flacco's third-down pass for a huge interception at the one-yard line (we talk about this later).

The defense bent. They bent hard. Break? Who the hell do you think you are? Haven't you seen this defense? Iron eventually breaks. The Bengals defense? We'll see.

Baltimore's offense elected to go with three straight running plays to Ray Rice on the following drive. Sorry. Bad trick in an attempt to out-think us. Ravens go three-and-out. Ravens punt. Even though the Ravens didn't go three-and-out on the following drive, the did punt. After Todd Heap caught an 11-yard pass that converted a third-and-eight, Robert Geathers was credited with a quarterback sack (though we know the truth Fanene, you should at least get half). Chinedum Ndukwe nearly forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. However, the officials called it down, Ravens ball. Personally, I feel if the Ravens felt screwed because of bad officiating, then we could always say that the Bengals were screwed out of a defensive touchdown. Review or not. I still thought his knee was going down when the football started coming out. But I won't complain. Because we won. Flacco threw an incomplete pass after Antwan Odom jumped offsides and the Ravens punt.

This was the theme all day. The Ravens offense was nearly shutdown all game by the Bengals defense. Of the Ravens ten offensive possession, they picked up more than one first down on only three drives. Comparatively speaking, the Bengals had 11 possessions and five drives with two first downs or more.

After consecutive plays that picked up 27 yards on the Ravens third possession, Flacco was sacked on second down, then threw a six-yard pass to Rice that came up two yards short. Ravens punt. Starting the second half, After completing a five-yard pass to convert a third down, the Ravens offense stalled with a two-yard pass to Heap, three-yard run by Rice and a third-down incomplete pass. Ravens punt. Then they went three and out.

Bengals rolling. Ravens stalling.

With 13:49 left in the game, the Ravens finally put together a drive that ended with a touchdown. Ray Rice caught a short pass, forced a few missed tackles and ran down the sidelines to score on a 48-yard touchdown pass. After that... punt. After that... watch Bengals take the lead with :27 left in the game and throw an interception on desperation pass to end the game.

It was the Bengals defense that had to win this game. Mike Zimmer and the Bengals defense came to shutdown the Ravens offense. Even though they allowed seven points on defense, they did exactly what they needed to do for the Bengals to win Sunday.

It doesn't always start as scripted. It's not that the Bengals are forced to come from behind every week because the opposition puts them in that position. Most of the time, it's because the Bengals simply screw up. I know it's simplistic view of things. Other than the Steelers exploding for 13 points a few weeks ago, when has the Bengals offense not shot themselves in the foot, eventually taking on a deficit to overcome? For example, when the Bengals drove 12 plays for 60 yards to start the game, Brad St. Louis had a bad snap which disrupted Shayne Graham's timing on a 31-yard field goal attempt. Granted, it's special teams and not offense. Still, the point remains. On the ensuing possession, Carson Palmer threw to Ed Reed, who returned it for a touchdown. They converted a field goal on the next possession, when they had a first down at the Ravens four-yard line. After that, the Bengals punt, but only because Daniel Coats let a pass go through his hands that would have brought the Bengals well within field goal range. Speaking of which, if Chase Coffman is reading this, please become really good... and soon. Chad Ochocinco fumbles on the next possession to end the first half.

Plays	Yards	Result
12	60	Missed Field Goal
7	31	Interception (Pick-Six)
7	70	Field Goal
5	22	Punt
4	47	Fumble

The Ravens are a very good football team and I don't want to take anything away from them. But if the Bengals offense played mistake free football, there's a good chance that this game isn't nearly as close as the score would indicate. Over confidence? Homerism? Can it be disputed?

He might not get a lot of playing time, but Chris Henry makes the most of it. It wasn't the fact that Chris Henry only had three receptions on Sunday. No, of course not. With 11:30 left in the second quarter, Carson Palmer takes the shotgun snap on third-and-three at their own 23-yard line. Palmer unleashes the pass to the left, slightly underthrown. Chris Henry fights for the football, spins around and takes off. Henry was eventually caught from behind, tackled at the four-yard line. The Bengals wouldn't move the ball any further, after two incomplete passes and a quarterback sack. Shayne Graham converts the 32-yard field goal to put their first points on the board.

Let me return you to the original point. Carson Palmer just threw a 73-yard completion. This is Palmer's longest completion since a 74-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson on November 12, 2006 against the San Diego Chargers. Note: He was Johnson in 2006.

You don't have to catch the football to be effective (not a Laveranues Coles dedication).We could say that Cedric Benson ultimately had the best performance of the day. We could say that Carson Palmer had the best play of the day. But what about Chad Ochocinco? In the first series, Chad caught three passes for 46 yards receiving. All three receptions converted first downs; including two on third down; including one on third-and-15. Ochocinco caught a 10-yard pass setting up Benson's 28-yard touchdown run. What about what would become the game winning touchdown drive? Oddly enough, he didn't caught a pass. However, three passes went his way and two of them ended up being penalties that sustained the drive. Think Ray Lewis and Ochocinco are such pals now?

Laveranues Coles.
Drops: 1
Receptions 0

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water. Actually, it's never safe to go back into the water. That's why you set the water on fire (a tribute to Nightmare on Elm Street). It was a great opening game drive, moving the ball well enough on the ground and completing passes on third and however long it takes. However, the drive did stall on Baltimore's 14-yard line when Benson was dropped for a five-yard loss. For some reason, the Bengals ran the ball again for two yards setting up a third-and-13. Palmer, in shotgun, scrambles up in the pocket and picks up another eight yards. You crazy legged mother... Shayne Graham sets up for an easy 32-yard field goal. So easy, one could announce, "My dear sweet love, I'm going to the refresher. Please pour me some earl gray tea." This is not a re-enactment. Rather it's to prove that life is good. We just scored on the opening drive to take a commanding 3-0 lead over our division co-leaders.

What's that, my dear sweet love?

Oh. The snap was high, but Kevin Huber got it down. Graham stutter-stepped because of the bad snap and when he tried to kick it, it was both a bad kick (too low) and tipped by a Ravens defender. The Bengals moved the ball, coming away with no points because of a bad snap that resulted in Shayne Graham's timing being disrupted just enough to falter on an easy kick. I agree. St. Louis long-snapping on place kicking attempts is an absolute nightmare. It's horrifying. Discussions were being made that perhaps we should go for two-point conversions and kiss field goal attempts good bye. As Brad St. Louis says, in homeage to Scream, "I'll be right back."

With 1:01 left in the third quarter, the Bengals drove 84 yards on nine plays, which ended on a Cedric Benson 28-yard touchdown run. The room went quiet. The air still. The tension so strong, that I lost three pounds. Brad St. Louis' snap was so high, the flight controller had to tap on his radar when an unidentified flying object appeared for a brief second. Luckily, Baltimore had a defensive player lined up over the center and the Bengals were allowed to retry the attempt. Perfect snap. Perfect hold. Perfect kick. See. Not so hard. The Bengals would score a game-winning touchdown later in the game. St. Louis' snap was perfect and the Bengals converted back-to-back kicks, which is a victory in its own right.

Unfortunately, St. Louis' string of perfect snaps could mean the Bengals will give him another shot. That's kind of the season this year isn't it? No matter who it is. When they go down, make a bad play, the team as a whole picks 'em up, recovers, and wins football games. This my friends, is your 2009 Cincinnati Bengals.

Offensive player -- not named Carson Palmer -- of the game: Typically I would say Carson Palmer for engineering a game-winning touchdown drive. I would also nominate Chad Ochocinco for several big non-touchdown plays. Or Andre Caldwell for the game-winning touchdown reception. I'm going with Cedric Benson. Even though Benson was the first running back that recorded the first 100-yard rushing performance in 40 games against the Ravens, but he also recorded six first downs and a 28-yard touchdown run to take the lead in the third quarter.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Rey Maualuga led the Bengals with eight tackles, two for loss. Dhani Jones and Robert Geathers (though Jonathan Fanene actually knocked Joe Flacco down) recorded sacks. Leon Hall had a game-sealing interception. So you pick. Johnathan Joseph needs a bit of recognition though. The Ravens take their opening drive from their own 23-yard line to the Cincinnati 15-yard line in 10 plays. After a Matt Birk false start, Joe Flacco looked for Todd Heap about a yard short of the endzone near the right pylon. Joseph noticed the route, let the wide receiver he was covering cross the field and trailed Heap. Flacco threw it up and Joseph cut off the route for the interception. Why is this important? If Heap catches the pass, he likely scores the touchdown and the Bengals allow a touchdown on the Ravens opening possession, which we've seen too often sets a tone. Instead, the Ravens don't score any points and, well, Palmer throws a pick-six to Ed Reed on the next possession. Balance is a bitch sometimes.

Quarter Breakdown

Bengals Offense
	YRDs	PLAYS	1STD	3RD
1st	73	14	4	2-3-67%
2nd	157	19	5	1-4-25%
3rd	101	12	5	1-2-50%
4th	72	21	8	1-4-25%

Ravens Offense
	YRDs	PLAYS	1STD	3RD
1st	62	11	4	0-1-0%
2nd	51	15	3	1-4-25%
3rd	27	10	1	0-1-0%
4th	117	15	4	1-3-33%

Carson Palmer
	ATT	COMP	YRDS	TDS	INTS	RATING
1st	6	4	51	0	0	93.1
2nd	10	5	123	0	1	55.4
3rd	5	5	48	0	0	106.7
4th	10	4	49	1	0	89.2

Cedric Benson
	ATT	YARDS	AVG	LG	TDS
1st	7	14	2.0	7	0
2nd	8	44	5.5	15	0
3rd	6	50	8.3	28	1
4th	6	12	2.0	6	0

Bengals First Quarter Review: Saying satisfied like only Billy Dee Williams can

Kirkendall — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:27:55 -0000

Ah, another week in which Bengals fans (us) are granted an extension of a beautiful luxury having a win under our belts. Not just win, mind you. A division win. Do you know the impact of that? The Bengals are the only team in the division with a 2-0 record against the division.

AFC North Standings Through Four Games in 2009
Teams	Record	PF	PA	Div.	Conf.
Baltimore Ravens	3-1	124	80	1-0	3-1
Cincinnati Bengals	3-1	84	76	2-0	2-1
Pittsburgh Steelers	2-2	85	78	0-1	2-1
Cleveland Browns	0-4	49	118	0-2	0-3

The Bengals have allowed the least amount of points than any team in the division; Cincinnati's 76 points allowed is better than 11 AFC teams. You have to admit, that's like Rice Krispie treat covered in chocolate and peanut butter, or jamming out to an old school Guns N' Roses song where you actually think that you're as smooth and cool as Slash. As we noted earlier, the Bengals have started 3-1 only four times dating back to 1990; three times during the Marvin Lewis era, which includes this year's heart-stopping indigestion-filled (and in some cases, chain-smoking) season. So far we're a quarter of the way through the season and it's appropriate that we dive into quarterly reviews.

I've never subscribed to the school that you can grade a team using a variety of letters when summarizing the first four games of a 16-game schedule. When you got graded in school, the letters had meaning behind them. They are letters that fall within a range of numbers that represents the percentage of properly answered questions. When we use letters grading football teams, it becomes a little too arbitrary; they don't have any substance behind them. I don't mind others that do it. I really don't. Live and let live, I always say. It's their thing and we're but a small gear in the blogging world. But I don't like using them. Instead, we're taking a new approach with a grading system that goes outstanding, satisfactory, nervous, and terrible. I'm sure our system goes without saying, which is the most innovative and detailed system to date.

CARSON PALMER. There's two arguments with Carson Palmer. There's the ineffective through most of the game, Carson Palmer. Then there's the Carson Palmer that routinely puts the Bengals into position to win the football game. His numbers have been very ordinary and he's yet to eclipse the 300-yard passing mark. However, after beating Cleveland, Palmer is on the good side of a touchdown-interception ratio again. I've never been a believer in grades but I do subscribe that Carson Palmer is the Harvey Dent of NFL quarterbacks. This is why I have to grade Palmer on two levels. He's made me nervous during the game, but outstanding when it comes to winning the game.

Most important note: 3-1 when starting as team quarterback.
Stat of concern: on pace for a career low 57.7% completion percentage.

RUNNING BACKS: Grade: Satisfied. It's hard to argue with results. Through four games this season, the Bengals have racked up an impressive 491 rushing yards -- averaging 122 yards-per-game. Averaging 4.4 yards per-carry on 84 attempts, Cedric Benson alone has rushed for 367 yards -- 91.8 yards a game (which may be a result of a lack of carries lately, his average since the Denver game is nearly 4.8 yards per carry). Benson has done a good job consistently gaining yards, but he hasn't quite been explosive. His longest rush this year is for 23 yards (the touchdown against Pittsburgh). Interestingly, Benson has had exponentially more success rushing to the left side, averaging over 6 yards per carry. Up the middle and to the right, Benson is averaging between 1 and 3.5 yards per carry - that's just not very good, but this is a criticism of the right side of the O-line, that could surely benefit from the return of an in-shape Andre Smith. The rest of the running backs have been pretty decent. Jeremi Johnson hasn't been glaringly bad in the run blocking game, and hybrid back Brian Leonard has epitomized clutch - mostly as a receiver out of the backfield. Rookie Bernard Scott has flashed his talent early this season, but his big runs are also going to the left side of the line. He's been good when he's been used, but that's been rare. Scott has also been promising in the return game. I give this group a passing grade of satisfactory bordering on "good", but not outstanding. They don't get an outstanding mark from me because they aren't producing enough. That may or may not be their fault, though.

Most important note: 122 rushing yards a game is good news. If we can get Andre Smith working into the rushing game on the right side of the line later this season, that number could improve. We might finally be a solid rushing offense.
Concern: The concern is really with offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski and the offensive line. Brat has been too reliant on the pass (especially in the Browns game), and the right side of the offensive line is not opening holes for running backs.
- Jake (jsl413)

WIDE RECEIVERS

Ochocinco through first four games
	Rec.	Yrd	TD
2009	17	258	3
2008	11	116	1
2007	28	495	3
2006	18	201	1
2005	26	374	3
2004	20	297	1
2003	21	370	3
2002	18	221	1

Chad Ochocinco
Ranking: Outstanding
Chad is officially back. After a horrific 2008, Ocho has returned to the form that makes him one of the better receivers in the NFL. Not only is he talking the talk, he's walking it as well, something his three touchdown catches indicate quite well. Whether Chad is Lambeau leaping or being held back from Cleveland's Dawg Pound, Ocho is once again a terror for opposing defenses and fans alike. Sure, he's had a drop or two so far, and the fact he and Carson haven't fully integrated the long ball is cause for concern, but the flea-flicker play against Green Bay proves it's still a viable option. Maybe now they can use it a little more. Currently, Chad is on pace for a 68-catch, 1000-yard, 12 touchdown season. While I would expect the touchdown numbers to perhaps shrink, the opposite is true for his catches and receiving yards. Welcome back Ocho. Now go tweet your day away.
- Chris (IFChris)

Andre Caldwell.
Ranking: Outstanding/Satisfactory
Introducing the Bengals second leading receiver, yard/receptions-wise. Granted, I think many of us expected to see Laveranues Coles or Chris Henry here, but obviously, Caldwell has something to say about that. Caldwell, even though he's more of a slot-receiver, is proving to be a reliable number two to Chad's one. Caldwell has six more catches than Coles and eleven more than Henry. He's on pace for a 64-catch season, which would be a personal record, and would eclipse his before-this-season-started career total by 37 catches. The only reason Caldwell doesn't get an "Outstanding" is for that ugly fumble he had against Cleveland on Sunday.
- Chris (IFChris)

Laveranues Coles.
Ranking: Nervous.
Currently, Coles ranks third in the NFL with three dropped passes, something that does not inspire a great deal of confidence. When he was signed by Cincinnati, he was expected to fill the shoes left behind by T.J. Houshmandzadeh, however, it seems that job as gone to Caldwell. Coles can still get open and judging by last season's stats, he's still a very capable receiver; which is why I haven't completely given up on him. As long as Coles can keep his hands on the ball when Palmer throws it his way, we'll all be fine. Last season, Coles collected almost 900 yards and seven touchdowns. If he gets near that kind of production for the Bengals, his ranking would quickly move to the "Outstanding" neighborhood. Until he stops dropping the ball, however, his signing is going to be a disappointment.
- Chris (IFChris)

Chris Henry.
Ranking: Nervous.
After a brilliant preseason, I think all of us expected Henry to show the league just how good he can be. Alas, that has not been the case. Currently, the following Bengals (besides the ones listed above) have more catches than the one they call "Slim" -- Daniel Coats (8), Brian Leonard (11, Leonard is actually the third-leading receiver, catch-wise, on the Bengals), and Cedric Benson (6). Further, Henry is tied with J.P. Foschi, who has five. So what does this say about Slim? Is he not working hard enough or is something just not clicking? Or is it that Caldwell is simply outplaying him? Before the season started, Henry was looked at as the best deep threat on the Bengals offense, so what gives? Should the Bengals be using 4-wide sets more than they use 3-wides? Or is Henry -- who has thankfully stayed out of trouble -- simply the odd man out in a Ocho/Coles/Caldwell trio? As you can see, there are a lot more questions than answers here, and until we have a larger portion of the season to work with, I'm tempted to change Slim's grade to an "Incomplete."
- Chris (IFChris)

OFFENSIVE LINE. Grade: Satisfied. We could recap all that's happened in the past calendar year. We could say that the Bengals offensive line in 2008, with Levi Jones, Eric Ghiaciuc and Stacy Andrews were the "weakest links". Football Outsiders ranked the Bengals offensive line as one of the worst offensive lines in football. But we won't. Why dig up history when there's a better future, just over there, behind the mole hill. No, that's not the mole hill. That's the Bengals 2009 offensive line (was that a bit corny)?

Andrew Whitworth slides to left tackle. Nate Livings and Evan Mathis work time at left guard. Kyle Cook wins the job at center, with rookie Jonathan Luigs always in the background looking for playing time. Bobbie Williams and Anthony Collins holding down the right side of the fort with a WWE entrance soon coming for first-round pick Andre Smith. I won't call the offensive line Outstanding. But I'm more than comfortable to say that they've clearly been satisfactory -- and improving each week.

	Sacks	Yrd/Rush Avg.	Adj. Line Yards *	Adj. Sack Rate *
2008	12	3.46	3.22 - 32nd	8.6% - 27th
2009	9	4.5	4.33 - 10th	6.5% - 23rd

* Stats by Football Outsiders

Quarterback Sacks from D-Line
Antwan Odom	8
Jonathan Fanene	1
Pat Sims	0.5
Robert Geathers	0.5

DEFENSIVE LINE. Grade: Satisfied. Through four games, the Cincinnati Bengals defensive line are leading a pack of wolves that's recorded 12 sacks as a unit this year. Ten of those sacks have come from the defensive front four. Antwan Odom, the guy that will sack you at Krogers for taking the last box of Wheat Thins, not only leads the team with an NFL-high eight sacks, he's also the leading tackler on the defensive front. Against the Browns, Robert Geathers returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown (boy, that kind of sounded like an after-thought, didn't it?).

However, all of that said, I'm hesitant calling this defensive front outstanding. Maybe it's because we set the benchmark so high with Carson Palmer's late game heroics. Still, the defensive front, while it's played well, still lacks a constant pass rush and there were noticeable rushing lanes against the Cleveland Browns, who came into the game with a 71.3 yard-per-game rushing average (29th in the NFL).

Linebackers	Tackles
Keith Rivers	29
Dhani Jones	25
Rey Maualuga	19
Brandon Johnson	16
Abdul Hodge	3
Rashad Jeanty	3

LINEBACKERS. Grade: Satisfied. Our linebackers in 2007 consisted of Lemar ~~Parrish~~ Marshall, Landon Johnson, Caleb Miller, Andre Frazier, Anthony Schlegel and Rashad Jeanty. If it wasn't for the Ravens linebackers, the Bengals linebacker unit would still be bad. Several were lost early in the season, which opened a spot for crazy journey man (quite literally) Dhani Jones. Two years later, Jones is one of the leaders on defense and the most consistent tackler. They put guys like Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga around him giving the team a promising trio of linebackers to start the season. Beyond that, the Bengals have two backup linebackers in Brandon Johnson, who plays in nickel packages and Jeanty who each recorded over 100 tackles last season. In terms of Maualuga, the rookie strong-side linebacker has forced two fumbles and a sack along with his 19 total tackles.

SECONDARY. Grade: Nervous. The Bengals secondary has been challenged much of the season, allowing 242.3 yards passing per game. They are 26th in the league. The secondary has had its issues preventing big plays, allowing 17 passing plays of 20 yards or more -- most in the NFL. Much of the blame could be brought on because of the team's safeties defense against slot receivers; hasn't been very good. It could also be softer coverage, worried about the 40-yard strikes instead of the 20-yard variety. Furthermore, Johnathan Joseph's two interceptions this season are the team's only interceptions through four games.

I think Leon Hall and Joseph have played well above satisfactory levels when defending the pass. And Joseph more so against the rush. However, I think outside those two cornerbacks, the secondary has work to do; especially against the pass.

Kevin Huber in 2009
Punts:	30
Long:	61 yards
Avg.	42.9
Net Avg.	35.8
Inside-20	10

SPECIAL TEAMS. Grade: Nervously terrible yet sometimes outstandingly satisfied. It took you a couple of times to re-read the grade, didn't it? It's complicated. Kevin Huber has been outstanding. Shayne Graham has been ordinary. The kickoff return teams is 25th in the league and the punt return team ranks in the top-five. Brad St. Louis is still on the team. It's almost like you have a good, a bad, a middle, a good and then another bad. Really. Is there a more roller coaster unit in the NFL than the Bengals special teams? So how do I grade the entire unit? Can one do such a thing? I'm nervous every time the Bengals attempt to kick. I yawn when the kickoff return team, you know, returns. Huber is the only punter in the known galaxy that actually makes me pump my fist and Quan Cosby is the first guy that returns punts on this team that makes it a realistic dream he could return it for touchdown.

What do you guys think? Where are we at the quarter point of the season?

Game Review: Your Cincinnati Bengals are 3-1. The rest is just background noise

Kirkendall — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:12:21 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer runs for a first down in overtime against the Cleveland Browns during an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Cleveland. The Bengals beat the Browns on a 33-yard field goal to win 23-20. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Browse more photos »

The Bengals are 3-1. I'll let that settle in your unsettled stomach for a second. It seems a bit, off, doesn't it? We haven't truly dominated football games like our wins in 2005. No. We're winning these games close, most of the time in the last overtime second. We're not used to this. But it's exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers did last year, who played half their games that was decided by a touchdown or less. Settle down. I wouldn't think of comparing the Bengals to the Steelers of 2008. Not right now. While it's not pretty, while it's not by overwhelming command, the Bengals are 3-1.

But they could be 0-4.

Blah, blah, blah. They're not. They're 3-1. And if this means anything to you, then read our note of the week this week.

Note of the week: It was four days before Christmas in 2008 when the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns for their third victory of that season.

Days from the start of the 2009 season until the Bengals won their third game: 22 days
Days from the start of the 2008 season until the Bengals won their third game: 106 days

And if that doesn't mean anything to you, then I can think of better ways of being proud of my 3-1 team than negotiating a method for you to be happy about this team as a whole. No buts. No howevers. Just a 3-1 football team that's off to Baltimore next week for Kings of the AFC North. Now, don't you feel better? Maybe not. After all, Sunday's win over the Browns wasn't without its migraine headaches, indigestion and lack of civil breakdown when it comes to the English language.

The 2009 Bengals are better than some of you are allowing: The last time the Bengals started the season 3-1: 2006.

They've only started 3-1 in the first four games of the season three times during the Marvin Lewis era (2005, 2006 and 2009) and four times since 1990.

It doesn't always go through Carson Palmer. It just ends there. Even though it doesn't always look great, it always ends with Carson Palmer. And though it might seem that the game isn't entirely decided by Palmer's play, the way he's coming through in the end is something that, at one point, was missing early in Palmer's career. He's not throwing for 300 yards just yet, but he is winning football games. That is, after all, the only way Paul Brown measured a quarterback. Wins and losses. Before the season, Palmer recorded a 32-33 starting record. In four games this year, he's 3-1, back over that career .500 hump. And two of those wins came when many Bengals fans had simply written the team off as suffering another aggravating loss. No. Not Palmer. Not the Bengals, who are far more mentally tough then their fans right now.

By my count, Carson Palmer has put the Cincinnati Bengals in a position to win every game this year. Against the Cleveland Browns, he didn't just pull through once. He did it twice. Palmer converted a third-and-14 with 5:40 left in regulation on a 16-yard pass to Chris Henry. After back-to-back rushes by Bernard Scott for 27 yards, Palmer completes a 27-yard pass over the middle to J.P. Foschi, who was completely forgotten about by the Browns defense. Palmer's two incomplete passes to Chad Ochocinco to Laveranues Coles puts the Bengals in a much comfortable position. Winning when the game is on the line. Palmer checks down to Brian Leonard on a two-yard pass on third-down and with 2:02 left in the game, the Browns (for some reason) call a timeout.

The situation is fourth-and-goal at the Browns two-yard line. Palmer looks left, pump fakes, rolls right, reverses to the left and then throws a dangerous pass, across his body, over the middle to Chad Ochocinco for the game-tying touchdown. The point after touchdown was blocked. Some blame Brad St. Louis for a poor snap -- it was to Kevin Huber's right -- but this is the second time it happened and in both instances, Graham still had a shot; he kicked the football low enough for the Browns to maul it without much of a vertical jump. I'm not blaming Graham. St. Louis has to make those snaps and it would seem to me that St. Louis' time in Cincinnati should end.

Regardless. Palmer engineered a 10-play drive for 70 yards to tie the game with under two minutes left in regulation, converting on third-and-14 and fourth-and-two. In overtime, the Bengals offense struggled. The defense didn't, forcing the Browns into three punts -- Derek Anderson had six incomplete passes in overtime. In fact, both teams punted three times before the Bengals fourth overtime possession began.

With 3:23 left in overtime, Carson Palmer completed a 20-yard pass to Chris Henry on third-and-ten. First down. Palmer completed a 20-yard pass to Laveranues Coles on third-and-ten. First down. The Bengals damn-near decided to punt the football with 1:04 left in overtime, playing for the tie. Palmer pleads to head coach Marvin Lewis to go for it on fourth down. Lewis relents. Palmer, in shotgun, briefly scans the field looking for an open receiver. He does what he always does; he rushes for 15 yards and picks up the first down. Palmer completed another pass to Leonard for nine yards and the running back rushed for another four yards. Brad St Louis finally made a good snap and Shayne Graham put some air under the field goal attempt to give the Bengals a 23-20 win in overtime with seconds remaining.

Palmer's performance broken down by quarters
	ATT	COMP	YARDS	TDS	INTS	RATING
1st	12	10	111	1	0	133.0
2nd	6	3	9	0	1	16.7
3rd	1	0	0	0	0	39.6
4th	10	4	47	1	0	88.3
OT	15	6	63	0	0	52.9

It's true. Palmer struggled, badly, after the first quarter. However, what difference does any of that matter? The Bengals are 3-1, in large part, because Palmer is stepping up when it matters the most. Last week, Palmer engineered a 16-play, 71-yard drive, completing a four-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell, beating heavily-favored Pittsburgh. Against the Packers, Palmer recorded three touchdown passes. Against the Broncos, Palmer led the offense on an 11-play drive for 91 yards which ended with a Cedric Benson touchdown with :38 seconds left in the game and a one-point lead. Whatever happened after that, I don't remember.

The Bengals didn't win pretty Sunday. But pretty is only good for things that are totally not manly. This isn't just Bengals football, this is gritty Ohio football where we do just enough to win football games. It might bite us in the end. But there's a lot of time until the end and this team can only grow with momentum, as well as confidence, with the more wins they put in their pocket.

Bengals Tight Ends are actually playing pretty well. When Training Camp started, we expected that the Bengals would start Reggie Kelly, Ben Utecht and Chase Coffman each week. Instead, after injury and disappointment, the Bengals activated Daniel Coats and J.P. Foschi. Through four games, they are on pace on combine for 52 receptions for 580 yards receiving. Against the Browns, Foschi and Coats combined for seven receptions for 80 yards receiving. Foschi caught a critical 27-yard pass from Palmer with 3:37 left in regulation, giving the Bengals a first-and-goal at Cleveland's four-yard line.

Think of it this way. Andre Caldwell and Chad Ochocinco are the only pass catchers to put up better numbers this year. That's not bad for a couple of tight ends we had written off before the season even started.

The rushing offense was good, again. But not dangerous. It might not seem like it, but the Bengals rushing offense was there. The only issue they dealt with was an offensive coordinator that, as per his reputation, went a bit pass happy. As a result, the rushing offense's lack of rhythm was a consequence of lacking consistency. In the second and third quarter, Benson rushed the ball four times for 14 yards rushing.

Here's something that might be of interest. The Bengals first two possessions went 11 plays. The first, 88 yards. The second, 68 yards. In the first drive, Benson rushed the football four times for 15 yards. It might not sound like much, but Benson saved Palmer, who penalized the team by watching the play-clock reach zero, by picking up nine yards (combined) on first-and-15 and second-and-ten. Palmer nailed Andre Caldwell to convert the first third-down of the game. The drive eventually stalled at the Browns five-yard line, forcing Shayne Graham to have his 23-yard field goal attempt blocked. The snap was high, but the ball was on the ground, properly held in place for at least a second while Graham made his approach. The high snap forced Graham to stutter-step on his approach, forcing the low kick.

On the second series of the game, the Bengals started going into happy-fun-passing mode, calling for passing plays on four of the next five plays -- the rushing down was an end around to Andre Caldwell for 11 yards. Bernard Scott got his first rush of the game when the Bengals lined up five wide receiver formation on fourth-and-three with 3:59 in the first quarter. Scott motioned behind Palmer and then took a pitch to the right, picking up ten yards and the first down. Scott picked up another two yards on the next play and Benson finished the team's rushing offense on a subsequent two-yard rush.

Jeremi Johnson and Bernard Scott picked up four yards on the next possession. Benson was called twice on the following series with five minutes left in the first half. Palmer threw an incomplete pass on third-and-two, which brings me to my final point. I never believed that the rushing offense under-performed. I think through the first four games this year, our rushing offense has been as strong since the peak of Rudi Johnson's career. Intermixing Bernard Scott into the gameplan was absolutely beautiful. However I never thought of the rushing offense as dangerous either.

Against Cleveland, the Bengals rushed for 154 yards on 30 plays for a 5.1 yard-per-rush average. They only lost yardage on one rush and picked up nine first downs; two less than passing first downs. This is the third straight game the Bengals offense rushed for over 100 yards as a team, averaging 4.4, 5.3 and 5.1 yards-per-rush respectively.

Sometimes the players have to play. The popular knock on Bob Bratkowski's play-calling is how he predictably calls run, run and pass. The Bengals went three-and-out in seven possessions. In four of those possessions, the Bengals went run, run, pass. I was about to laugh that off and move on to the next topic. Then I noticed something. When the Bengals did run, run, pass on three-and-out drives, it wasn't the two rushing plays that hurt the team. In fact, of those four possessions, the Bengals had an average of five yards to go on third down. On all four third downs (you know, the pass part?), Palmer threw an incomplete pass.

Furthermore, I only found five sequences in which the Bengals called rushing plays on first down and the subsequent second down. They picked up 31 yards in those instances, combined. That's 6.2 yards, per first-second down sequence when the offense rushes the football. When the Bengals are gaining that type of yardage on first and second down, the quarterback has to put an end to his struggles and complete the first down pass. In fact, when Palmer threw the football on third down, he only converted three into first downs.

Give Palmer credit. Taketh Palmer credit. I will give Palmer tons of credit for this team being 3-1. The defense probably deserves the bulk of the credit, keeping the Bengals in football games and playing tough as nails when they needed to so the offense can make their comeback. But Palmer has done his part, coming through when we've needed him to. As much as credit I'll give Palmer, I'll taketh away. The growing concern on Sunday was that this offense averaged 6.2 yards to-go on third down, which should be very manageable.

With 9:13 left in the second quarter, Palmer threw a third-and-six out to Chad Ochocinco. The throw was a bit early into Chad's route and the receiver couldn't catch up with the pass. Punt. With 3:39 left in the second, Palmer threw a pass a bit outside of Caldwell's range on third-and-two; though Caldwell did get his left hand on the football. Punt. On third-and-three with :36 left in the half, Palmer threw to Caldwell who ran a pattern a yard short of the first down; probably could give Caldwell some grief on the lack of depth on a third-down route. Punt. With 7:32 left in the third quarter, Palmer pump faked a pass, lost the grip, throwing it into the ground for an incomplete. Punt. With 14:12 left in the fourth quarter, Palmer floated a pass down the left sidelines to a wide open Chris Henry. Browns safety Pool slid over to nearly pick off the pass on third-and-seven. Punt. Palmer looked at Chad Ochocinco on third-and-eight but had his pass tipped by the defender following Brian Leonard on an underneath route. Punt. In most cases, Palmer wasn't pressured. Some were bad throws. Some were good defensive plays. Few were good plays.

However, Palmer did rebound. On third-and-14, Palmer completed a 16-yard pass to Henry and nailed Chad in the endzone for a game tying two-yard touchdown on fourth down. Thanks to a rushing offense in overtime that saw Cedric Benson rush for 36 yards on his first three carries did the Bengals get some semblance of momentum. That was, of course stopped when Carson Palmer threw two incomplete passes on third down and was sacked with 9:35 left in overtime. On the final drive, Palmer completed two 20-yard passes on third down and rushed for 15 yards on fourth-and-11 giving Shayne Graham an easy (nothing is easy on our kicking game) 31-yard field goal. Game over. Bengals win.

If it doesn't work on one side, go to the other side. I thought one of the more alarming trends on Sunday was the ability for the Browns rushing game to move effortlessly against the Bengals defense once the Browns discovered a weakness. For example, the Browns started hitting the left side of the line hard. In the first five rushing plays on Cleveland's left side, the Browns gained more than two yards rushing, once. Then Cleveland started attacking the right side. When the Browns ran outside the right tackle, they averaged 8.6 yards-per-rush, which included runs of 16 and 21 yards. Whey rushed inside the right tackle, they averaged 4.1 yards, including gains of six, eight, seven and 14. Their offense ran the football 12 times on the left side of the line and recorded 33 yards rushing -- a 2.75 yard-per-rush average. In other words, run to the right, big gains. Run to the left, not much there.

So what was going on? In a lot of cases, the Browns offensive line played very good. They also played smart, attacking both Domata Peko and Pat Sims with double teams. Our defensive ends struggled shedding off blocks against tight ends and fullbacks, while the double team on our tackles were often too much clutter for our linebackers to make unimpeded attacks towards the point of attack. Dhani Jones, who for some reason, was very slow in reaction. Rey Maualuga, while still aggressive as hell, guessed the wrong point of attack, leaving massive holes beside him. Keith Rivers was, well, he was somewhere I'm sure. When Chris Crocker came up to the line of scrimmage to give the Bengals defense eight-in-the-box, Crocker missed multiple tackles; some of which should have occurred in the backfield.

Massaquoi should be used in fantasy football league's when facing the Bengals. I thought that Browns rookie wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi's day wasn't entirely a result of terrible coverage by the Bengals secondary. Browns quarterback Derek Anderson made throws that only Massaquoi could make. For example, on third-and-two with 2:00 left in the half, Derek Anderson floated a pass after a three-step drop down the right sidelines. With Leon Hall in Massaquoi's left hip, the pass was just long enough for the receiver to stretch out his hands and catch the reception. Outside a pass interference, there was nothing Hall could have done to prevent the catch. Sometimes you have to give credit to the quarterback and receiver for a great play.

There was really only one truly broken play on a Massaquoi reception. With 13:22 left in the second quarter, Derek Anderson threw a second-and-eight pass down the right sidelines to Massaquoi. Johnathan Joseph trailed the receiver a good five yards while Chinedum Ndukwe was another five yards away. If the play is a zone, then you have to wonder why Ndukwe was so late giving safety help. If the play is man, then, yikes. Massaquoi finished the days with an 18.5 yard-per-reception average on eight receptions. No other Browns receiver, tight end or running back recorded more than 37 yards receiving.

There are simply days when you have to give the opposition more credit than blaming your own team.

Are there really trends? So let's play a little game. Your job. Tell me exactly what you think of Bob Bratkowski. It's not enough that you use one sentence. You have to give me trends, predictability factors and results based on those trends and predictions. Furthermore, you have to disassociate simply bad play, like missed blocks, dropped passes, overthrown passes, slipping on the turf and great defensive plays. After you put all of that together, I want a decent sample size. Say, four seasons should suffice. Do those things, then give me your final analysis.

In the meantime, I'll break something down for you to get you started. Here are the averages of Bratkowski's trends one first downs and the subsequent second downs. Plays in which the Bengals picked up a first down on first down aren't included.

There were 12 times that the Bengals called any combination of rush and pass on first and second down. They averaged 7.0 yards-per-play.
There were five times that the Bengals called a rush one first down and a rush on the subsequent second down. They averaged 6.2 yards-per-play.
There were six times that the Bengals called two passes on first down and the subsequent second down. They averaged 3.8 yards-per-play, which included two sequences where the offense picked up zero yards, and lost three yards because of a quarterback sack.

The following is a chart of the Bengals rushing offense's point of attack (we're missing four plays, but it's a good enough trend).

	Left End	LT	LG	Middle	RG	RT	Right End
Plays	12	18	13	8	17	15	23
Avg.	5.50	6.72	6.54	3.13	2.65	4.27	2.34
Rank	17	5	7	23	26	16	32

Notes:

Carson Palmer threw 44 passes during the Bengals 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns. The last time that Palmer threw 40 times or more during a Bengals win was during a 34-17 win over the Browns on September 17, 2006. That's a string of seven games straight losses when Palmer attempts 40 passes or more in a game. All-time, the Bengals are 3-8 when Palmer attempts forty passes.
Palmer through four games since 2004

TDs INTs

2009 6 5

2007 10 6

2006 6 4

2005 9 2

2004 3 7

Palmer has recorded six touchdowns through the first four games. That's the second-lowest total through the first four games, excluding the 2008 season in which, as far as we can tell, actually didn't happen. The Bengals took off that year.
This is this the third time during the Marvin Lewis era that the Bengals defense didn't allow 30 points in any of the first four games. The others are 2005 and 2008 (zing!).
In the past two weeks, the Bengals have only converted eight of 30 third-down chances for a 27% conversion. Both games the Bengals converted less than 30%. The last time that the Bengals converted less then 30% of their third downs in back-to-back games was last year against the Eagles (tie), Steelers (dominated) and Ravens (dominated). I looked back each season until 1990 and found no instances in which the Bengals offense converted less than 30% of their third downs in back-to-back games and won.
The Bengals committed three personal fouls. Andrew Whitworth was called for unnecessary roughness (as well as two false starts). Kyries Hebert and Pat Sims were also called for personal fouls.
The Bengals have scored defensive touchdowns in back-to-back games.
Johnathan Joseph has recorded interceptions in back-to-back games.

Tweet of the Day. Andre Caldwell: "3-1 today wasn't pretty but it's a win.. My shoulder is banged but I will be ok.. I know we have all bengals fans nervous lol"

Palmer through four games since 2004
	TDs	INTs
2009	6	5
2007	10	6
2006	6	4
2005	9	2
2004	3	7