SB Nation - Andre Caldwell

Bengals Banter II: Can you sing the Who-Dey Rap?

Kirkendall — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:51:17 -0000

First off, a classic.

Benson has 36 carries? He doesn't care. He'll just run it down your throat... again... and again... and again. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis followed the script as it was written in regards to the team's running backs. If Benson is healthy, Benson plays. And boy did he. If you exclude November 15, when he left early because of an injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the last three games that Cedric Benson has started, he's averaged 35.7 rush attempts for 138.7 yards rushing per game.

Benson broken down by quarter against Detroit
	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Yards	13	29	35	33
Carries	7	7	10	12
Avg.	1.9	4.1	3.5	2.8
Long	4	11	9	7

But if one thought crossed your mind, I'll bet it was the same as mine. With 8:15 left in the game, Shayne Graham converted a 23-yard field goal to take a 23-7 lead. Benson had 31 carries at this point. After Tom Nelson recorded his first career interception, it seemed to make more sense putting Larry Johnson in to finish the game, especially since this being the first game Benson returns from injury. In the five rush attempts that followed, Benson picked up a combined four yards rushing.

Bengals defense just keeps getting better. With a Monday Night game to play between the Packers and Ravens, check out where the Bengals defense ranks.

	Stat	Rank
Yards Allowed	293.2	4th
Points Allowed	15.6	1st
Rushing Yards	81.8	2nd
Passing Yards	211.5	13th
3rd Downs	32.9%	1st

I'll accept that the Bengals haven't necessarily played the greatest offenses in the past three weeks, which has helped their defensive numbers. However, they've kept opposing offenses to under 100 yards rushing in eight straight games, and ten of the season's 12 games. No offense has scored more than 30 and the only team to score more than Green Bay's 24 points in week two are the Houston Texans, who scored 28 on October 18.

Furthermore, the team's pass defense keeps improving. Through the first seven games, the Bengals pass defense allowed 253.3 yards passing per game. In the five games since, they've improved that average by 100 yards. Since the team's week eight bye week, the Bengals defense has allowed 153.0 yards passing per game.

Paging Andre Caldwell, paging Andre Caldwell. You home? Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer threw a first down pass to Andre Caldwell with 6:11 left in the third quarter. This was the first, and what would be the last, time that Caldwell had a pass thrown his way on offense. This isn't really the first time he's disappeared.

Since recording six receptions for 57 yards in a 28-17 loss to the Houston Texans, Caldwell has caught 15 passes in the past six games for 125 yards receiving.

Not to kick a dead horse because kicking a dead horse actually hurts your shins. I've praised the Bengals for their newly discovered winning formula of running the football and playing great defense. But I'm also not immune or ignorant of Carson Palmer's struggles this year. Instead on harping on a quarterback that just wins football games, there's a few notable struggles that Palmer has been dealing with this year.

Palmer...

...has thrown three touchdowns and three interceptions in the past five games.
...only threw for two touchdowns in the month of November.
...has only thrown one touchdown in the second-half in the past seven games.
...hasn't thrown for 300 yards since December 30, 2007 -- a streak of 16 games.

Then again, Palmer just wins football games. I guess that's important.

In 2005, the Bengals started the season 11-3 before losing three straight against the Bills, Chiefs and Steelers in the Wild Card round of the 2005 playoffs.

All of my life, the part I've loved most about football is the trenches. For the longest time, my favorite Bengals player was Willie Anderson. So when Dennis Roland goes into motion, I have this half-baked grin on my face. What a beautiful sight.

Six-Pack of Hu-Dey: Bengals passing game, Cedric Benson's expected return

Kirkendall — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:10:43 -0000

Perhaps expectations for Laveranues Coles were misplaced. When the Bengals signed wide receiver Laveranues Coles to a $28 million contract soon after losing out on the T.J. "ain't no way I'm staying in poor ass Cincinnati" Houshmandzadeh puppet show, we tried to justify that signing Coles was sensible because, while he brought different attributes to the table, the Bengals offense wouldn't miss that much. Boy, we nailed that one like Homer Simpson reroofing his house.

Through 11 games this season, Coles has recorded only 31 receptions for 379 yards receiving and three receiving touchdowns. At this pace, he'll finish the season with 45 receptions for 551 yards receiving. This would be, by far, his worst 16-game season in his career (he missed four games in 2007 and three games in 2000). Of the 61 times Carson Palmer has thrown to Coles, the 31-year old wide receiver has caught only 51% of his passes, of at least six being drops. And during the team's 16-7 ~~loss~~ win over Cleveland, Coles caught two of nine passes thrown his way.

Now, let's also be fair. Palmer hasn't been the most accurate passer -- especially under pressure where his completion rates dip considerably to under 54%. Cincinnati has changed philosophy to a much more aggressive rushing offense, reflective of Palmer's and Chad Ochocinco's season statistics compared to their 16-game averages.

However, the notable issue is cost over production. When Coles signed his $28 million deal earlier this year, we broke it down. His base salary this year is a lowly $1.9 million. That number significantly jumps in 2010 ($4.65 million), 2011 and 2012 ($6.4 million respectively). Furthermore, a majority of Coles' guaranteed money was reportedly earned already in 2009, making us conclude at the time that his four-year deal could be viewed as a one-year deal with three option seasons.

Cincinnati will have to answer the question if Coles is worth having on the roster next year, after a projected 45-reception season, with an increasing base pay, or if the Bengals will finally start showcasing some of their younger talent in Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson and Maurice Purify.

Can the Bengals finish the Trilogy of Terrible Teams with a winning record? The loss to the Oakland Raiders, while heartbreaking, wasn't totally unexpected. Having watched these Bengals for so long, and the NFL for that matter, games in which an underdog beats a heavy favorite is completely within the realm of possibility. Oh, and the Bengals have never won in Oakland and sport a .257 winning percentage when playing games in California. Hey, it happens. Even Ohio State University lost to Purdue. In 2005, the Cincinnati Bengals were 11-3 heading to Buffalo, only to lose by ten points to the 5-11 Bills. Hey, it happens.

Even though some called it the biggest loss of the season, I maintained that losing to Oakland was a mulligan. I believe it still. The entire division lost that weekend, including Pittsburgh to their own 2-7 opponent. However, the thing about mulligans in the NFL is that you only get one. While the score never reflected it, the Bengals dominated the Cleveland Browns the following week.

This week, the Bengals play host to the 2-9 Detroit Lions. If the Bengals lose Sunday, in one of the few potential trap games left this season, they'll lose all momentum at a very inopportune time with the Vikings and Chargers on deck. Now, this is the pessimistic old Bengals fan point of view where anyone associated with the Cincinnati Bengals would do something disastrous; like how a sneeze can set up a series of events that entire nations declare war on each other. With a win over Detroit and then two losses against the Chargers and Vikings, the Bengals will at least hold the division lead by way of tie-breakers if the sinking Steelers and Ravens win their next two. Win the games you're suppose to win.

Starting Cedric Benson against Detroit is the right choice. With the Lions coming into town this weekend, it's a sound decision to bring Cedric Benson back into the fold. But slowly. Detroit ranks 19th against the rush allowing 112.9 yards per game, a 4.3 yards-per-rush average and 13 20-yard rushing plays allowed, which is only two away from Oakland's league leading 15. Detroit will help Benson get his legs under him again, but more importantly, the team could rotate backs this weekend to ease Benson back.

After Detroit, the Bengals will play another critical stretch of games in Minnesota and in San Diego. Minnesota sports the league's second best rush defense and the Bengals are currently battling the Chargers for the second seed in the AFC. If Benson gets sporadic work against the Lions, he'll start getting into the offense's rhythm, to prepare for the Vikings, as well as be nasty once again against the Chargers.

Speaking of which. Is it time to air out the football against the Lions? Cincinnati has rushed the football 40 times or more in three games this year (Chicago, Oakland, Cleveland II). In two of those games, the Bengals averaged 4.7 yards rushing or more and won by at least two possessions, dominating the time of possession. Four times this year the Bengals rushed the football less than 30 times; they lost to Denver and Houston, beat the Steelers twice by less than a touchdown. As written above, the Detroit Lions sport a middle-of-the-road rushing defense.

On the other hand, Detroit has the league's worst passing defense, allowing 281.4 yards passing a game, an opposing quarterback rating of 111.8, a 70.5 completion percentage allowed, 13 passes of 40 yards or more and an average of 8.2 yards allowed per pass.

Chad Ochocinco jokingly said, "We would like to throw the ball 50 times." It's not egotism playing a factor. I think he knows what we know. The Detroit Lions can't stop the pass.

Where is Palmer's deep pass accuracy? Even though we think that the Bengals should air it out against the Lions, there is some general concern that Palmer's accuracy on the deep pass isn't what it used to be. For example, when passing beyond 20 yards, Palmer has completed six of 23 passes for 266 yards. More importantly, that's where three of his eight interceptions have come from.

An argument could be made that Palmer just doesn't have time to throw it deep. That's certainly been true the past two weeks. Another argument could be made that the Bengals simply don't have that deep threat outside of Chad Ochocinco, who is double covered and smothered on nearly every play.

Still, if the Bengals are going to go back to their old school explosive offense, they'll need Palmer to make better throws down field. Actually, the Bengals will just need to make more throws down field. Only 23 passes beyond 20 yards? That's surprising.

Note: five of Palmer's eight picks have come when he throws to his right.

How could Tennessee factor into the Bengals playoff race? The Bengals still hold the second seed for the playoffs with five games to go. The San Diego Chargers have the same record as Cincinnati, but are on the losing end of a tie-breaker that gives Cincinnati the edge. If we look at both team's remaining schedule, you'll see several similarities. Each team faces three teams with a losing record, one team with a winning record and each other. The Titans play a Wild Card in this because while they're 5-6, they're also on a five-game winning streak and could present the biggest problem for San Diego -- other than Cincinnati of course.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the remaining games with the Bengals and Chargers.

Week	Bengals	Record	Chargers	Record
13	Detroit	2-9	@ Cleveland	1-10
14	@ Minnesota	10-1	@ Dallas	8-3
15	@ San Diego	8-3	Cincinnati	8-3
16	Kansas City	3-8	@ Tennessee	5-6
17	@ NY Jets	5-6	Washington	3-8

All stats provided by ProFootballFocus.com, Stats, Inc. and NFL.com. If you have a topic you'd like explored, email me.

GOT NUMBERS? Analyzing the Bengals vs. the Browns

Ryan Kelsey — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:44:50 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

We can only hope the Bengals keep feeding the ball to the overrated Cedric Benson. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke, File)

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Well, the Browns have shown a little competence throwing the football for the first time in about 20 games. Granted, it was against one of the worst defenses I can remember in the NFL, but at this point, we'll take it. Now the Browns take on a team fighting for a Division title and playoff positioning. I'm still waiting for the Bengals to self-destruct, and perhaps that started to happen last week, when the Raiders knocked them off in Oakland. Taking the season as a whole, however, the Bengals look like a pretty strong team.

This isn't your slightly-older-brother-in-law's Bengals. Cincinnati has scored 24 or more only twice in ten games. Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry still are capable of putting up points through the passing game, but the strengths of this year's Bengals is purportedly their defense and the running of Cedric Benson. Let's see if the numbers agree.

Once again, the stats I use are from Football Outsiders:

A quick note about the stats I'm going to use in this regular column. The full explanation can be found here. Basically, Football Outsiders uses the data from every play and finds the league average (adjusting for yards gained in the redzone, touchdowns scored, and the down and distance- so a 3 yard TD run on 3rd-and-1 from the 3 means a lot more than a 3 yard run on 3rd-and-15 from your own 20.) Then it rates players and teams based on their relation to this league average. The result is meaningful rate stats. They are akin to league adjusted stats in baseball, like OPS+ and ERA+. DVOA is the most common stat they use and 0.0 is exactly league average. A 10.0% DVOA for a QB means a QB that is 10.0% better than average. -15.0% DVOA means 15% below average for a QB. For defensive numbers they are reversed, so negative numbers are better.

Got all that? No? Well, then trust me when I say, higher positive numbers are good for offensive players and lower or negative numbers are good for defenses. 0.0% is always average.

And my personal caveat using these numbers in football: here.

Going into the Raiders game, the Bengals ranked 7th in offensive efficiency, but after struggling against a bad Oakland team, they fell all the way to 17th! That is a huge fall this late in the season. Their offensive DVOA is an average-y 12.0%. Despite what you may hear, they are still much more efficient passing than running. They rank 7th in the league in passing efficiency at 38.6%, but just 13th in running efficiency at 1.4%. The Browns defense seems to rotate games from actually good (Buffalo, Baltimore at home) to bad, but promising (Chicago, Pittsburgh on the road), to just bad (Detroit, Green Bay). It really is hard to say which Browns D will show up, but in total the numbers are ugly, now 30th in Defensive efficiency (down from 29th).

After a quick look at the stats, I'd argue the Bengals are running more than they should. Carson Palmer is a top 5 talent and should be in his prime. While his DVOA ranks 8th in the league (24.9%), he has only dropped back to pass 336 times. In fact, the Bengals are 23rd in pass attempts per game. It isn't because they have been up big in games or have struggled with time of possession. They are simply over committed to the run. More on that in a bit. When they do throw, WR Chad Ochocinco is their number 1 target with 85 passes thrown his way. He is back to Pro Bowl caliber: his DYAR (total value) is 185, good for 12th in the league among WRs and on a per play/efficiency basis he is 21st in the league with a DVOA of 13.8%. Laveranues Coles has been a bit of a disappointment (DVOA 3.1%) and Andre Caldwell is more of a threat in the return game than the passing game. The other big weapon in the passing game is Brian Leonard. The FB/RB has a DVOA of 28.4% (7th in the league among pass catching RBs). The Browns have been bad against the pass overall- 30th in the league with a 31.9% DVOA. Most of the damage has been done by #1 WRs (25.4% DVOA, 30th in the NFL), while holding #2 WRs in check (-12.5%, 13th). So, look for Ochocinco to have a good day and Coles to continue to struggle. However:

I've felt that over the last several seasons the biggest part of the Bengals offense is WR Chris Henry. When he plays and Palmer looks his way, the Bengals offense seems unstoppable. This year is no exception. While only getting 23 passes thrown his way, his DVOA on those plays is a good great 24.3%- which would be top 10 if he had enough passes thrown his way to qualify.

In protecting the QB, the Bengals had fared pretty well before the Raider game- 6th in the league in sack rate at 4.4% (Football Outsiders has yet to update their offensive line stats from last week and the Raiders were able to get to Palmer 3 times in just 25 drop backs). The Browns (not counting the Lions game) have got to the QB a league average 6.6% of the times their opponents have dropped back.

If you have followed the Bengals or the NFL at all through the main stream sources this year, you have heard about the great comeback season of RB Cedric Benson. He is having the type of season that is constantly overrated by these espn-types. He is a "feature back", an "every-down back", a "workhorse". Which sounds nice, but the reason most teams don't have one of these isn't because they are hard to find. It is because most teams realize the more effective way to score is through the passing game and mixing several fresh running backs, usually of different styles. (The exception is if you have a truly great back like Steven Jackson or Adrian Peterson.) So while Benson has racked up a lot of rushing yards (859 in 9 games- good for 6th in the league), he has only done so because he has received a ton of carries (205- 2nd most in the league). Given all those carries, the yards and his 6 TDs aren't too impressive. In fact, his DVOA is just 5.8%, good for just 18th among 37 qualified RBs. And his success rate is just 43%, just 25th among those 37 RBs. The Browns defense is 30th in the league against the run with a DVOA of 11.3%. So even if the Bengals remain stubborn with the run, it will be tough for the Browns to make them pay.

The Browns had an offensive explosion last week, scoring 37 points, thrashing the Lions through the air. But the Browns offense didn't move in the offensive efficiency standings: 31st in the league at -28.7%. DVOA just wasn't impressed with the success against a terrible defense (Detroit did fall from 30th to 32nd in defensive efficiency because of the Browns' efforts- now that's embarrassing!). Still, the Browns showed some flashes of brilliance, especially QB Brady Quinn. Hopefully, they can build on that against a league average defense.

And when I say league average, I mean it. The Bengals are as close to league average on D as you can get: 17th in the league overall with a DVOA of 1.6%, 16th in Pass defense at 6.6%, 16th in run defense at -5.2%. They do have some clear strengths and weaknesses though. CB Johnathan Joseph and Co. have shut down #1 WRs to the tune of -42% DVOA, good for 3rd in the league. So Massaquoi will likely have a tough time Sunday. But CB Leon Hall and Co. have contained #2 WRs too (-14.5% DVOA, 11th in the league). AND they are 7th against TEs. Where they struggle is "other" WRs and RBs. Brady will have to look for WR Mike Furrey, WR Josh Cribbs, RB Jamal Lewis, RB Chris Jennings if he is going to have success. This will likely lead to frustrating checkdowns and short routes, but if these players can break a couple tackles after the catch, it will go a long way to us scoring some points. Also, I'd love to see another play like the one Jennings dropped against Detroit. Or a slot receiver running a skinny post to challenge the deep middle of the Bengals defense, exploiting the young and undisciplined Cincinnati LBs in pass coverage.

In protecting the QBs, the Browns' line ranks 22nd giving up a sack on 7% of drop backs. The Bengals get to the QB 6.5% of the time, good for 19th in the league. (again, these numbers were before last week).

Like the Bengals, the Browns run way too much for my taste. But at least the Browns are more creative about it. Running out of the Wildcat (both Cribbs and handoffs to other RBs), mixing in end around plays, and other RBs with Lewis (be it Harrison or Jennings). Despite the "creativity" the running game finds itself in the bottom quarter of the league, at 25th in the league (-8.0% DVOA). That's close enough to league average to expect a little success Sunday against the Bengals league average run D.

The Browns remain 2nd in the league overall in special teams DVOA (8.8%). They are still lead by a Josh Cribbs' punt return unit (1st in the league at 11.9% DVOA) and a Cribbs' kick return unit that ranks 6th in the league (7.7%). The Browns coverage units are also very good. The kick blocking ability of Shaun Rogers is unfairly discounted by Football Outsiders (it is factored in, but they consider opposition FG and XPs out of a team's control and weight their numbers accordingly), and that is yet another strength of the team. The Bengals special teams are ranked 26th at -3%. They have a decent punt return team lead by Caldwell. But they really struggle in the FG and XP units. They are second-to- last in the league, mainly because of problems with their long snapper (they are on their 2nd of the season, and he hasn't been perfect either) and getting the ball down for Shane Graham.

Besides a couple very, very good young corners and a very good QB, I don't think the Bengals are very good. They have pulled out some close divisional games and destroyed the Bears. Other than that, they have lost to an average Denver team, an average Houston team, and a terrible Raiders team. They seem to play down to their competition (probably because they stubbornly run the ball, keeping their opponents in the game). I don't see this changing this week. The Browns are coming off their best game of the season offensively, the Bengals are coming off their worst. The Browns offense isn't good enough to score a lot of points like they did against the terrible Lions, but their are weaknesses to be exploited. Three big questions that will determine the winner:

1. Can Daboll, Mangini, and Carl Smith come up with two good offensive game plans in a row (i.e. forcing their LBs to cover our RBs in pass coverage and testing their safetys with deep down the middle passes to Furrey)?

2. Which version of the Browns defense will show up, the one that shut down the Ravens or the one that slept through the Lions game?

3. Will the Bengals continue to stubbornly give the ball to the average Cedric Benson more than the very good Carson Palmer?

Prediction: Browns 23 Bengals 24

If you're going to blame the coaches for loss to Oakland, then blame the players too.

Kirkendall — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:13:31 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

7 months ago: Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis looks on during football minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium, Friday, May 1, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

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This is how it works. When the Bengals win, everyone celebrates because everyone was a big part of that win. When the Bengals lose, giving up over 100 yards in the fourth quarter and 10 points in the final minute of the game, we blame Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski. That's just how it is. Morgan Trent was covering Louis Murphy, who scored the game-tying touchdown. We blame Bob. The Bengals defense put no pressure on the Raiders quarterback. Blame Bob. Carson Palmer fumbled twice. Andre Caldwell fumbled twice, Jeremi Johnson fumbled once, all combined for three lost fumbles. Blame Bob. The Bengals committed eight penalties -- including two false starts on Chad Ochocinco, a false start on Nate Livings, encroachment on Tank Johnson, neutral zone infraction on Jonathan Fanene. We blame Bob.

Sure. There are things you could scratch your head about with Bratkowski. You could point to a Brian Leonard sweep to the right with 43 seconds left in the first half which forced the Raiders to take their last timeout. They got the ball back with 26 seconds left, at their own 36-yard line. While blaming Bob, Gradkowski completes a 19-yard pass to Zach Miller, and a short six-yard pass to Darren McFadden. Luckily Sebastian Janikowski missed a 57-yard field goal attempt to close out the first half.

I'm not defending Bratkowski here. I've never done that. But I'm not excusing the fact that the Bengals players lacked execution. I'm not letting them off the hook. A botched center to quarterback exchange should be the most natural act in football. A wide receiver should never false start. And the Bengals should have protected the goalline with the entire secondary, not just Morgan Trent covering a taller receiver, that allowed the game-tying touchdown. Three sacks allowed on third down and three lost fumbles tend to help you lose games too!

Some will claim the imbalanced rushing to passing ratio. That might be a fair argument. But the Raiders came into Sunday's game sporting the league's 29th best rushing defense. The Raiders 14 allowed rushing touchdowns was tied for 31st. They were ranked 14th against the pass. It makes sense to attack the defense's weakness. Some also claim that the rushing offense wasn't working and that Bernard Scott's rushing numbers were no good because of a 61-yard rushing play inflated his numbers. Since we believe in fairness, let's should take away Laveranues Coles' 40-yard reception and Chad Ochocinco's 30-yard reception because they inflated Carson Palmer's numbers. Now, Palmer has 137 yards passing.

Last I checked, blaming Bratkowski for bad play from the offense, defense and special teams will only get you so far. At some point the players are the ones that execute. So instead of taking the easy way out, let's just acknowledge that players and coaches were to blame for Sunday's loss. This is a team. A collection of people with a bigger picture in mind. Or give the Raiders credit. They played their butts off and took it to us. Either way, a loss is a loss. The best part? Taking it out on Cleveland.

I know that my opinion will be in the minority on this one, so go to town.

Domata Peko suffered sprained MCL; Bengals bringing Benson along slowly

Kirkendall — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:34:35 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

4 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko adjusts his hair during practice at their NFL football training camp , Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, in Georgetown, Ky. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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The Bengals were fortunate enough to come away from Sunday's game without any major injuries. The most notable was Bernard Scott's leg cramps that set events into motion that eventually saw Andre Caldwell fumble the football late. Not, hating. Just saying. However, just as, if not more important, was Domata Peko being forced to leave in the third quarter after suffering "a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee", writes Geoff Hobson.

It's arguable how much of an impact Peko's absence, who is primarily known for stopping the run, affected the Bengals defense in the second half. In the fourth quarter, the Raiders only rushed the football seven times for 13 yards. Then again, Peko could have been a big contributor collapsing the pocket forcing Bruce Gradkowski to flow into Robert Geathers, Jonathan Fanene or Michael Johnson. Though, that's hardly assurance, considering most of Oakland's passing game was quick high percentage passes.

Peko is expected to return next Sunday. Other possible returns could include Evan Mathis and Keith Rivers. Geoff Hobson did write that the team plans to bring Cedric Benson back slowly. So it's debatable if they'll rush Cedric back, especially after Bernard Scott's 119-yard effort.

Bernard Scott suffered leg cramps Sunday, forcing Caldwell to return kicks again

Kirkendall — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:37:41 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

29 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals halfback Bernard Scott, left, is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Farrior in the second half of the NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. The Bengals won 18-12. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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There were questions. And then there were more questions. That's what losses like this do to us. We ask more and more questions. My question? Why did we replace Bernard Scott with Andre Caldwell on kickoff returns. Let me clarify something right immediately. I really like Caldwell. I think he has a bright future and he's a large part why the Bengals achieved 7-2, earning themselves the nickname, Cardiac Cats. Furthermore, of all of our receivers, I believe he has the most upside. However, as a kickoff returner, he leaves a lot to be desired.

Through 28 kickoff returns, Caldwell is averaging 18.7 yards-per-return with a long of 39 yards. He's fumbled twice and recorded ten 20-yard returns. Then there's Bernard Scott. The rookie running back has recorded eight kickoff returns, seven of which he's returned 20 yards or more, and a 34.5 yard-per-return average. Oh, and he's got a 96-yard touchdown return against the Steelers; a team that just set a new NFL record allowing a touchdown return in eight straight games.

Scott had just started becoming the primary return man against the Steelers last week and even returned a 15-yard kickoff early against Oakland. However, with 59 seconds left in the second quarter, Scott gave way back to Caldwell, who had a 22-yard return and a lost fumble with :33 seconds left in the game. When Scott finally reappeared on kickoff return with 15 seconds left in the game and the Bengals trailing 20-17, the Raiders squibbed it to Quan Cosby, who returned it to Cincinnati's 37-yard line.

Originally, it was expected that Scott had, at the very worst, an injury when Caldwell started returning kicks to close the first half. Or maybe the Bengals were wanting to give him a breather while becoming the workhorse for Sunday. The former, and perhaps some of the latter, became true. Scott had been suffering leg cramps, which put Caldwell back to return kicks.

This isn't a slam on either player. I think both are the future of this team and have proven to be great talents. It just is what it is. Next week, Scott should be back to returning kicks while being the guy that gives Cedric Benson a rest against the Cleveland Browns. And if the Bengals don't punish the Browns after that loss to Oakland...

It's alright to call the Bengals 20-17 loss to Oakland a Mulligan.

Kirkendall — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:40:57 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

22 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andre Caldwell fumbles a kickoff late in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. Caldwell's fumble was recovered by Oakland Raiders tight end Brandon Myers (83), at left, setting up the Raiders game-winning field goal. Oakland won 20-17. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Sometimes it just doesn't work out. That's a lesson we've learned countless times watching football, baseball, or going through the difficult trials of balancing social dominance with academics in high school. Here's what didn't work out for Cincinnati. The Bengals lost in a game that they should have won. That didn't work out. The Bengals' Andre Caldwell received the kickoff after Oakland's game-tying touchdown with :33 seconds left in the game. While trying to get as many yards as he could, Caldwell has the ball stripped by Oakland's Brandon Myers. Caldwell learned a lesson.

"I think I should have gone down. I’ll learn from it now," said the stand-up Caldwell. "Trying to get some extra when there was nothing there. That’s part of being a young guy like me. You live and you learn. I’m going to capitalize the next time I get in that situation. That was a tough feeling. That’s the worst thing in the NFL. You win some, you lose some. The next time I come out I’m going to capitalize on the next play."

What he learned is that sometimes it just doesn't work out. All game, the Bengals worked to give Oakland every chance to stay in the game. But the story just isn't about Caldwell's fumble that sealed Cincinnati's loss. It was the defense allowing 109 yards of total offense to the Raiders in the fourth quarter, when Cincinnati's defense had only allowed 166 yards through the first three quarters. It was the defense allowing 10 points in the final 40 seconds of the game. It was being outscored 20-3 after Carson Palmer's second rushing touchdown. It was reaching the red zone five times, and scoring two touchdowns. A missed Shayne Graham field goal where the Bengals offense had decided to pass on third and goal at the one-yard line. Palmer was sacked.

There were positives. Bernard Scott rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries (a 5.7-yards-per-rush average). The Bengals as a unit, while playing with the lead, remained obsessive about the rushing offense, running the football 43 times. There will be question about the unbalanced offensive attack, but the formula was working even though the Bengals brought their worst-case scenario to Oakland. Still, they converted 46% of their third downs on offense, limiting Oakland to a 36% conversion.

This is how I'm thinking about this weekend. We'll call it a Mulligan weekend. Why? Everyone in the division lost, so this game doesn't hurt the Bengals at all. Sure, they could have increased their lead. But they didn't. Realistically, after the loss, there was no change in the division. And since common-opponent and conference tie-breakers will have no bearing on the division, provided the Bengals at least tie the Steelers and Ravens, then Cincinnati is still in the drivers seat.

Mulligan weekend, I like that. It works.

What happened to Chad Ochocinco? At one point, Chad Ochocinco was on pace for 220 yards receiving on 12 receptions. In the first quarter, Chad caught three passes for 55 yards receiving. Then he disappeared for two quarters. In fact, you have to go all the way until there's seven minutes left in the game the next time Chad was targeted as a receiver in an attempted pass. Roughly 42 minutes and 27 seconds had passed between receptions for Chad.

Rec.	Quarter	Time	Result
# 3	1	:33	15-yard reception.
# 4	4	4:17	12-yard reception

Asked after the game about facing one of the top cornerbacks in the game, Nnamdi Asomugha, Chad said:

Nnamdi is the best in the game hands down, period. He will always be, he will always be until someone goes at him on a consistent basis and it seems like no one tries to, not even us.

Chad is fine though. He's not worried about the season.

Asked if his team could rebound from one of the most devastating losses in his career as the most senior Bengal, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco said, "We’ll be fine."

Asked why, The Ocho leaned forward to point to a few lockers down at Palmer and said, "He’s pretty damn good."

The Red Zone is all about missed opportunities. Often times, it's where games are won and lost. The Bengals made five trips to the red zone. If they scored all touchdowns, Cincinnati amasses 35 points on offense. After Palmer's two rushing touchdowns, the Bengals would only go on to score three points in the red zone on their next three trips.

Quarter	Time	Result
1	7:59	TOUCHDOWN. Offense had a first-and-goal from the one-yard line. Palmer snuck in for the touchdown.
2	8:58	TOUCHDOWN. Bengals ran four straight times starting at Oakland's 20-yard line. Bernard Scott picked up nine yards, Brian Leonard picked up 10 yards and Carson Palmer ran it into the endzone.
3	9:04	Missed FG. Bengals reached Oakland's 19-yard line. They ran seven plays on offense in the red zone, picked up 18 yards. On third-and-goal at the one-yard line, Palmer was sacked, forcing a 37-yard field goal attempt, in which Shayne Graham missed.
3	4:42	Field Goal. Robert Geathers returned a fumble 38 yards to Oakland's 13-yard line. The Bengals ran three plays, gained six yards and converted on a 25-yard field goal.
4	11:37	Lost Fumble. Bengals only ran one play in the red zone on their fifth trip. Jeremi Johnson fumbled rushing up the middle and Oakland recovers.

Jeremi Johnson number called. Bengals turn it over? The Bengals decided to get cute, or tried to give Scott and Leonard a spell, by calling Jeremi Johnson on a rushing attempt with 11:37 left in the game with Cincinnati hanging onto a seven-point lead. Johnson fumbled it -- or maybe he never had control of it. This was Johnson's first rushing attempt since the Bengals 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on October 4. Why him, and not Larry Johnson, who has more carries in his last three games with Kansas City than Jeremi does his entire career?

Now, to be fair, this is Jeremi's first fumble since the 2005 season -- and as far as I can tell, his first lost fumble since 2004. It was a first-down from Oakland's 14-yard line and Jeremi is typically good for a few yards carrying the football. And in further fairness, the Bengals defense forced a punt and then an interception after Cincinnati's three-and-out. The idea isn't that the fumble led to points for Oakland. It's that the Bengals went from having at least a field goal to hanging back onto their seven-point lead they would eventually lose.

Notes:

Cincinnati's 13 points allowed against the Raiders is the most points allowed in the second half since allowing 14 points to the Houston Texans and 13 points to the Cleveland Browns. Trends.
Oakland rushed for 92 yards as a team. This is the sixth straight game the Bengals defense hadn't allowed a 100 yards to a team since allowing 146 yards rushing to Cleveland on October 4.
The Bengals rushed the football 43 times against Oakland, the second highest of the year (Chicago, 45 attempts).
Cincinnati had six different players rush the football.

Goat of the Game. Hate to give this to Andre Caldwell, especially when so many other factors led to the Bengals losing a game they should have won -- and actually having control at one point. But if you fumble on kickoff return during a tie ballgame with half a minute left in the game, setting up a 33-yard game-winning Sebastian Janikowski field goal, what other choice do we have?

Breakout Performance. Last week, Bernard Scott won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. This week, Scott became the team's feature back, rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries, averaging 5.7 yards-per-rush.

What the hell is going on trend of the game. Coming into Sunday's game, Palmer had recorded six touchdowns and no interceptions in the previous three games. However, after Sunday's game, Palmer has recorded only one touchdown since his five-touchdown performance against the Chicago Bears, and has remained touchdown-less in 11 straight quarters.

On third down, Palmer completed five of seven passes for 109 yards. So why did the Bengals lose the game, you ask, if our quarterback completed five of seven passes for first downs? Palmer was also sacked three times on third down and fumbled a snap.

Joe Reedy writes that nine carries resulted in negative yards and that after going seven of eight for 121 yards in the first quarter, "Palmer was 7 of 14 for 86 yards the rest of the way."

Peter King writes, "Disgraceful loss, but Bengals shouldn't have left it so much to chance at the end in Oakland."

A Larry Johnson thing?

• It's probably just a coincidence, but the Chiefs are 2-0 since jettisoning the high-profile headache named Larry Johnson. Kansas City just won consecutive games for the first time since September 2007, and if the Scott Pioli-Todd Haley regime rebuilds the Chiefs into winners, the overtime upset of Pittsburgh might some day be looked at as the game that began the turnaround.

Bengals are 0-1 with Johnson.

Clark Judge writes, "Maybe the AFC North isn't the strongest division after all. For those keeping score at home, the division was 0-4, with the worst saved for last -- and, yes, I'm talking about the Bengals' loss to Oakland. Now you know why no one trusts Cincinnati."

Bernard Scott was suffering leg cramps, so the Bengals sent in Caldwell to return the kickoff he would eventually fumble.

Post-Game Thread: Cincinnati Bengals (7-3) 17 - Oakland Raiders 20 (3-7)

jsl413 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:23:45 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

Who do we blame for the loss? Larry Johnson? (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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So, I don't really have anything to say about this one. We dominated every phase of the game but turned the ball over at some very inopportune times, including Andre Caldwell's fumble kickoff, and Jeremi Johnson's fumble in the red zone. Shayne Graham also missed a field goal that was about 35 yards long. Feel free to continue discussing the loss here, I really don't have anything to say about it, I'm too disgusted. The Bengals did not play a complete game and made terrible mistakes down the stretch, including a dropped interception by Johnathan Joseph, and did not put the game away.

Unbelievable. Enjoy the gift Oakland, Pittsburgh, and the rest of the AFC. The Bengals really served this one up on a platter.

Bengals beat Steelers for season sweep, and something feels very different.

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:02:48 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

29 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Jonathan Joseph, left, and Rashad Jeanty celebrate after their defense stopped the Pittsburgh Steelers on fourth down with time running down in the fourth quarter of the NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. The Bengals won 18-12. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Browse more photos »

Rewind to December 4th, 2005. Your Cincinnati Bengals had just beat the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pittsburgh to take ownership of the division. I really don't recall what my specific reaction was, but I'm sure it was nothing short of epic. I was bouncing off of walls. I was talking smack to every Steeler fan within earshot. I was thrilled to death when Chad Johnson said that the Bengals were the new reality, that the Steelers were black and white television and the Bengals were color.

When the 2005 Bengals clinched the division two weeks later at Detroit's Ford Field, I was doubly ecstatic. I was absolutely convinced that our long run of pain and suffering in Bengal Nation had come to an end.

That is very different compared to the emotions I feel today as your Cincinnati Bengals have completed their first season sweep of the Pittsburgh Steelers in eleven years.

This was the scene today for me during the game. I had to leave my apartment roughly halfway through the second quarter to make a two o'clock call and a three o'clock curtain for the show in which my wife and I are currently cast. I promptly loaded NFL SuperCast up on my iPhone and took off to the theatre. On and off through the hour leading up to curtain and the first act while I was not on stage I was re-loading and trying to keep the picture going on my iPhone.

The game ended while I was on stage in the second scene. Our assistant director had been watching on my phone while I was on stage. I entered the dressing room and asked "Did they do it?" He said that yes, my Bengals had won. My reaction was this: "Awesome." I then grabbed my next costume and started to change clothes.

I then wrote on seven or eight friends' facebook walls during intermission, but still. I didn't flip out. I didn't scream and yell. I didn't streak around the outer perimeter of Trumbull New Theatre. Why is that?

Because I came into today, Sunday November 15th, fully expecting my Cincinnati Bengals to win today's football game. Do you know why that is? I felt that way because I knew my team fully expected it as well.

This is a different Bengals team than any Bengals team I remember in recent years. To not only out-Raven the Ravens, but to out-Steeler the Steelers in the same season? Who does that? Our Cincinnati Bengals, that's who. Everyone knows the "defense wins championships" mantra. It's repeated ad nauseum through every sports channel and publication. Perhaps it bore no greater weight than in 2001 when the Baltimore Ravens rode Ray Lewis and Marvin Lewis' scheme to Super Bowl XXXVI and brought home a Lombardi. The Cincinnati Bengals showed today that they have a defense that can trade punches with anyone else in the league. They have a defense that can stop a dynamic offense in critical situations. They have a defense that can command the outcome of a game by bending their will against anything that stands in their way. There's one major difference between the 2001 Ravens and the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals though, readers.

They had Trent Dilfer. We have Carson Palmer. We have Chad Ochocinco. We have Andre Caldwell and Laveranues Coles. We have Cedric Benson, and we have Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard to hold down the fort when Benson isn't able to be on the field. We also have a big, strong, mean offensive line that has yet to add the SEC offensive lineman of the year in 2008.

I said earlier in the week that I was already going to be upset if this incarnation of the Cincinnati Bengals failed to make the playoffs, but if they won today that I would be looking at bigger and better things.

That day is today.

The Bengals, though stifled on their first drive, continued their league-best streak to eighteen games without allowing an opening drive touchdown to their opponent. The Steelers settled for a red-zone field goal on that opening drive, about which Bernard Scott quickly made everyone forget with an electrifying 96-yard kickoff return touchdown. I think it's safe to say that Andre Caldwell won't have to worry about returning kicks anymore.

The extra point attempt failed however when Clark Harris snapped the ball perfectly to Kevin Huber, who let the ball slip from his hands as he went to set it up for Graham's extra point attempt.

Not many points were scored after that. Specifically, a missed 51-yarder by Graham which would have likely been good from 56 or better had he not high the right upright led to four more field goals from Cincinnati and three more from Pittsburgh throughout the course of the game. More or less, it was a backyard brawl or a streetfight or a Mixed Martial Arts smackdown. Apply whichever cliché you would like to the game we watched our team win today.

It was a classic AFC North football game, and the Cincinnati Bengals proved for the fourth time this season that they are the team to beat in that AFC North.

Cedric Benson is reported to have a hip flexor strain and thinks he'll be ready for next week at Oakland. For me it would be great if he is ready next week, but I personally would let Scott and Leonard (and maybe Fui Vakapuna) carry the load. Scott made the most of his opportunity this afternoon and ran like the player that we heard he would be from those scouts who saw him at Abilene Christian. He has a very, very high ceiling and if he continues to develop as he appears to be developing right now he will be the Bengals' running back of the future.

Cedric Benson is the Bengals' running back of the present, and by all reports he should be ready to go sometime within the next three weeks of games that the Bengals should absolutely, positively, definitely win.

Ladies and Gentlemen, if the Bengals do not let their foot off the gas pedal, if that defense continues to play at the level at which they played today, they will be 10-2 three weeks from now.

Read it again and say it with me. The Bengals will be ten and two three weeks from now.

Once more. The Bengals, your Cincinnati Bengals, will be ten and two three weeks from now.

Yes, my friends and colleagues. Things are very, very different. And you know what?

I could get used to this.

Sincerely,

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

Final Injury/Practice Report: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

Kirkendall — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:04:38 -0000

CINCINNATI BENGALS

DOUBTFUL	PROBABLE
G Evan Mathis (ankle)	WR Andre Caldwell (illness)
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	DE Robert Geathers (hip)
	DT Tank Johnson (illness)
QUESTIONABLE	C Jonathan Luigs (illness)
RB Jeremi Johnson (chest)
DE Frostee Rucker (neck)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

OUT
RB Carey Davis (hamstring)
DE Travis Kirschke (calf)

Practice

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI
RB Jeremi Johnson (chest)	DNP	LP	FP
G Evan Mathis (ankle)	DNP	DNP	DNP
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	DNP	DNP	DNP
RB Cedric Benson (not injury related)	LP	FP	FP
DE Robert Geathers (hip)	LP	LP	LP
DE Frostee Rucker (neck)	LP	LP	FP
S Roy Williams (forearm)	FP	DNP	IR
WR Andre Caldwell (illness)	--	--	DNP
DT Tank Johnson (illness)	--	--	DNP
C Jonathan Luigs (illness)	--	--	DNP

STEELERS	WED	THUR	FRI
RB Carey Davis (hamstring)	DNP	DNP	DNP
G Trai Essex (illness)	DNP	--	--
LB James Farrior (not injury related)	DNP	--	--
DE Travis Kirschke (calf)	DNP	DNP	DNP
CB Deshea Townsend (not injury related)	DNP	--	--
WR Hines Ward (not injury related)	DNP	--	--
S Tyrone Carter (illness)	--	DNP	--