SB Nation User Blog: A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

Bengals lose to Vikings 30-10, but do a great impression of a UFL team in the process.

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:58:09 -0000

Yep, that's about the expression I had on my face most of the afternoon too, Carson. (AP Photo/Andy King)

I said it weeks ago. Many of us said it. The words were received in some circles and less so in others, arguments were made. There were folk who said that ugly games are the team's bread and butter in 2009, that our defense was good enough to stop any offense in the league. The Kool-Aid was flowing freely in Bengal Nation.

I even took a sip here and there; I even took a healthy swig on a few occasions.

I tried to emphasize three or four weeks ago however that unless the passing game got on track, the Bengals were going to find themselves on the short end of the stick. I was concerned.

I am now alarmingly concerned. Is there any among us who thought today at four o'clock that this team was still going to make a Super Bowl run? I mean is there anyone out there who really seriously thinks that?

DISCLAIMER: I won't be talking much if at all about the defense, because as usual I find myself very satisfied with the way they performed today. Some missed tackles hurt them and they gave up a lot of points at the end of the game when they were physically exhausted. Being on the field for nearly the entire second half will do that to a defense. Jonathan Joseph and Hall played lights out yet again and for the majority of the game the Favres were held largely in check. Consider that my pat on the back for the Bengals today.

The game started pretty well, if by started you mean "Quan Cosby did a good job catching the kickoff." There was a penalty on the kickoff return. Then Dennis Roland promptly false started, sending the team back another five yards.

Before Carson Palmer even had a chance to hand the ball off or pick a receiver to whom to throw, he had walked fifteen yards backward. The team (primarily the offense) gave up yet another near football field's worth of penalty yards. At the conclusion of the first quarter they had more yards in penalties (25) than they had yards on offense (15).

The defense was able to keep up with a Percy Harvin-less Vikings Offense for two quarters. Going into halftime the score was 16-7 after one masterful drive by the Bengals offense drew within three of the Vikings only to give up successive field goals to end the half. The score should have been even closer than that, which typically falls right into the wheelhouse of the 2009 Bengals. Well, it fell into the wheelhouse of the early 2009 Bengals who scored all of their points in the second half. It doesn't suit the latter 2009 Bengals who have gone six straight second halves of games without an offensive touchdown.

I said it weeks ago and I'll say it once more. Something drastic needs to change, or these Bengals will be a one-and-done story in the 2009 NFL Playoffs. Once again, if you watched today's game it's going to be awfully hard for you to argue with that. As a matter of fact, unless the Chicago Bears beat the Baltimore Ravens next week it'll take until week sixteen for our guys to clinch the AFC North. If the team that played today comes out in a similar manner (and how could you expect any different at this point), there's absolutely no way they travel to San Diego next week and return to Cincinnati with a win.

They absolutely need to find a way to put points on the board. It's fantastic that they can run Cedric Benson all over any team. Really, they can. Had they not gotten themselves down by three scores late I'm certain that Benson would have carried once or twice more and gotten his 100 on the Vikings' defense today. As opposed to the 36 carries he took to get to 110 yards last week, he had 96 on 16 carries today for a nice little YPC average of 6. Yes, that 42-yarder helped.

All of that is completely irrelevant however if they can't put the ball into the painted area known as the "end zone." Whereas the Bengals held the ball for sig-ni-fic-ant-ly longer than their opponents the past three weeks, today the Bengals' defense was on the field for five minutes longer than their offense. Boy, did it show. By the end of the game our boys were completely gassed. Do you know what would help that?

More drives like that thing of beauty that happened in the second quarter.

Thing is, I no longer have any modicum of confidence that those drives are likely to happen more than once every game or two. Unless the Bengals can show me something next weekend (which I am loath to anticipate), I don't expect to see any of those Cardiac Cats-type drives in the fourth quarter to win a game for us, folks.

The procedural penalties keep piling up. Seriously, are they getting close to record territory yet? It seems like it's every bit as bad each week as it was the week previous.

There is nobody on the field that Carson Palmer trusts at this point to catch the football or run the correct route but Chad Ochocinco. Therefore he is seeing near-constant double and triple coverage. How bad are the other receivers on the field that they can't get open enough that we're still throwing the ball to Dan Coats? Oh, hey Dan. Good job making a couple of catches today. You made me smile. For a second.

Okay, I think I'm done ranting for now. Maybe I'll finish up later.

The good news? Our favorite football team is 9-4. I fully expect an 11-5 record at the conclusion of week 17, I really do. I'm not so concerned about getting to the playoffs at this point.

This team will make the playoffs for the second time since 1990. You can pretty much take that to the bank. You know what? I'm damn proud of them for that. I really am. For a team to go from 4-11-1 to 9-4 in a year (I can't remember the specifics, but our Bengals matched the greatest turnaround in the history of the NFL this year in regards to record through the first ten or twelve games).

I am very proud to call myself a Bengals fan, for the second time since I was nine years old.

The only problem? It's not enough anymore. I'm not a Bengals homer that is happy with the fact that we'll make an appearance on a football field the second Sunday in January.

I'm concerned because I'm pretty sure at this point that our boys will be able to make their vacation plans after that.

Listen, I could be wrong and I really, really hope that I am. I really do. All I'm saying is that unless some very serious issues (no deep threat other than Ocho who can't stretch the field like he did four years ago, Carson's accuracy and happy feet, pass protection issues, ALL THE FREAKING PENALTIES, etc, etc etc.) are resolved and soon, this is a one-and-done playoff team again.

I should be happy with that, I know. But I'm not.

Be a better team against elite competition next week and prove me wrong, boys. I'm proud of you, but you've got me wanting more. Really it's your fault for looking so good most of the year.

In the words of someone who knows an awful lot more about football than I would ever pretend to know, fix it. Reach down inside and be a ***ing pro.

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

BREAKING: Shaun Smith cut already, three days later.

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:30:15 -0000

Well, that didn't take long. Here's the story from PFT.

This makes me feel good. This makes me feel very, very good. This tells me that out of all the other "dubious" signings we've had on tap this year, that had Larry Johnson or anyone else not brought what the Bengals were looking for to the table that the result would have been just this.

A player who was brought in for a legitimate need, who seemed to be the best fit physically for the need for which he was brought in, was cut a mere three days after his arrival. That apology that he reportedly called Marvin Lewis to offer got him in the door, but he didn't have any staying power (I mean really, three days?) because the team did not feel he was the asset they had hoped.

I don't know if it was a locker room issue or an on-the-field issue, but the Bengals clearly weren't impressed. So they cut him loose. Again, after THREE DAYS. Anyone think that everyone else in the locker room isn't taking notice of that?

Good job, Bengals. This is what we like to see.

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

Bengals Banter: will carnivorous Bengals feast on Norsemen who have a stunning lack of fangs and claws?

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:41:38 -0000

More photos » by Tony Tribble - AP

17 days ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, left, looks at Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones after Jones tackled him during the first half of their NFL football game in Cincinnati, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Tony Tribble)

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On the morn after the Browns' defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers (essentially knocking them out of the playoff picture), things are pretty quiet around the interwebs in regards to our 9-3 Bengals.

I hope you all enjoyed that game as much as I did last night. Living in Northeast Ohio, you should have seen my facebook homepage during and especially after the game. It was quite entertaing, to say the least. Of course, I didn't participate in the ribbing or the smack talk. I would never do such a thing. Now, links ensue!

Florio notes in his Friday One-Liners that Chris Crocker has returned to practice and he says he plans to play Sunday at Minnesota.

Mr. Florio also questions the validity of the Bengals however in his weekly 10-Pack for SportingNews, wondering if the Steelers' and Ravens' recent struggles undermine the Bengals' achievements so far this season.

Clark Judge over at cbssports.com calls Bengals at Vikings the game of the week in his Peek-at-the-Week.

cbssports.com also gives us a video preview of Sunday's game. I typically like Pat Kirwan, but he seems to be much higher on the Vikes than he is for the Bengals going into the weekend. Nothing like continuing to prove folk wrong, am I right?

Finally over at cbssports, here's the page containing their expert picks. Even split over the six writers as to whether the Bengals cover the 6.5 point spread this weekend.

Heading on over to ESPN, Adam Schefter is the only expert on the panel picking the good guys on Sunday. Bang it here.

More Schefter here, pondering Percy Harvin's chances of playing through a migraine this weekend. He also gives the Bengals' offensive line major props toward the end of the article.

James Walker has a very, very enjoyable edition of "Remember the Offseason?" in which he posts comments from Bengals fans and fans of the other teams in the division in regards to the Bengals' chances in 2009. It's a quality read.

The experts over at Fox Sports are in line with the others, all but Adam Schein pick the Vikes.

Here's Fox Sports' preview of the Bengals/Vikings game this weekend. They also ilst the game as the game of the week.

The folks over at WDR opine (sarcastically as per uzhe) about Sunday's game.

Have fun clicking, and we'll see you over the weekend for CLINCHFEST 2009!!!!1!!!1!!1

Sorry. Got a little excited.

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

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

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:55:19 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time of Possession

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

Bengals make franchise history, complete first-ever season sweep of AFC North

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:19:02 -0000

More photos » by Tony Tribble - AP

24 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals running back Bernard Scott (28) tries to fend off Cleveland Browns safety Mike Adams while running the ball during the first half of their NFL football game in Cincinnati, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Tony Tribble)

Browse more photos »

Well, what's the climate of Bengal Nation this evening? What are the fans of the Cincinnati Bengals franchise on the evening following their completion of a season sweep of their division? It seems to me that the climate in Bengaldom is pretty tame; it seems to me that many of us are overly disappointed after today's win in the Jungle. Perhaps I could be included in that number, perhaps not. By nature I tend to take the pragmatic view on things ranging from literary adaptions to film all the way to sports contests in which my favorite teams participate, hence my chosen moniker.

I also have the tendency to be overly verbose at times in my writing, but that's another matter entirely.

Additionally, Maple and Brown Sugar Cream of Wheat is awesome. I'm just saying.

For my weekly gut reaction to the game, hit the jump.

Let's discuss the good things we saw first, shall we? Namely the run game. Make no mistake about it, Bernard Scott and Larry Johnson are MEN. They are manly men who probably wear those new scents of Old Spice where the spokesman takes a bite out of his iron on the driving range. Bernard Scott rushed eighteen times for 87 yards, receiving limited work after suffering what is reported to be a mild case of turf toe. Larry Johnson, the recipient of most of Bengal Nation's water cooler talk over the past two weeks, took over after Scott's injury and more or less put on a clinic, rushing for 107 yards on 22 carries for a 4.86 YPC average. Both backs showed very good field vision and reacted well to cutback lanes formed by a mauling offensive line in run blocking.

The defense was once again a bright spot on this Sunday afternoon. Nearly all day the Bengals' D held the Browns' woeful offense in check, save for one drive in the third quarter which was highlighted by some sleight of hand with a Joshua Cribbs pass to Brady Quinn down the left hash. Quinn looked almost Tebow-like on a nine yard run for a score, but other than that the Browns never looked to be a serious threat.

So that was good. The run game and the defense won us this game. Again. Here's my thing, though, and this was being discussed ad nauseum on the radio's postgame shows. This team needs to be able to score more than 17 or 18 points sometime soon. The defense for the Cincinnati Bengals has been playing absolutely lights-out football for nearly the whole season.

We as fans and the Bengals' offense can't expect that to last forever. At some point the defense is going to run into another bad matchup like the Texans presented them, and the Bengals' offense is going to have to pick up the slack. They held the ball for thirty-eight minutes and only scored sixteen points. I love the time of possession, but more points absolutely have to come into the equation and soon. Teams like the Minnesota Vikings and the San Diego Chargers in the near future will score points even on a defense that's as good as the Bengals' D. In the more distant future, when a loss means an earlier-than-desired start to the team's winter vacation, the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts will do the same.

The Browns' defense (which again, isn't that good) was able to keep Carson Palmer out of rhythm nearly all day by turning up the heat. As well as the Bengals' O-line was run blocking (very well), they were just as bad in pass protection. I will leave any statistical or philosophical breakdowns to Josh for tomorrow's recap, but the combination of pressure packages being used were being used to great effect and Palmer couldn't settle in for most of the day.

The ball needs to be in the hands of Chad Ochocinco more often. Obviously the run game was working (again, 210 yards on the ground for the good guys today), but that should have in theory created more opportunity for a big play down field which isn't something we've seen for quite some time. By the time play-action passes were called the play caller had waited long enough to do so that the opposing defense wasn't fooled.

Please, don't get me wrong. I heartily and thoroughly enjoyed seeing my team go undefeated in their division across a season of football today.

It's just that watching some of the things that did and some of the things that did not happen today, I worry about football in January if we can't put more than 16 up on the board. Hopefully we'll see something next week that will ease my fears a bit.

Other than that, I'll go to work on Wednesday after my two vacation days enjoying being a Cincinnati Bengals fan in Northeast Ohio once more.

Sincerely and excitedly,

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

Greetings from CincyJungle!

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:14:59 -0000

Hello, Raider Nation!

I'm Craig (A Pragmatic Bengals Fan), Site Editor and one of the bloggers over at CincyJungle.com, the SB Nation Bengals community. We've been sharing FanPosts with our opponents' blogs this season and so far it's been a very enjoyable experience. If you have any questions or comments in anticipation of Sunday's game in your backyard, post them here in the comments section! Myself and our other members will try to come around and answer any questions you have and we may have some of our own. We'll do our best to keep it civil (and those of us on staff will ensure nobody gets out of line), but bear in mind we're pretty excited throughout Bengaldom this year. It's been a long time since it's felt this good to be a Bengals fan, you know? :)

Nice to meet you all, and I look forward to a healthy exchange as we discuss Sunday's upcoming battle and I hope our boys log their first ever win (0-9 lifetime) in Oakland!

Sincerely,

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

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

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:48:27 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

about 1 month 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

UPDATE: Purify joins 53-man roster, Roy Williams to IR

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:02:22 -0000

C. Trent Rosecrans, the Bengals' official Twitter account and Joe Reedy (in that order) confirm that Maurice Purify is indeed joining the 53-man roster today. To make room for Purify, safety Roy Williams was/will be placed on season-ending Injured Reserve.

And I was really looking forward to having Roy back to scramble some Steelers' eggs on Sunday, too.

Henry placed on IR after season-ending surgery; Kooistra to re-sign.

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:15:57 -0000

Chris Henry had season-ending surgery on his broken forearm today and was placed on Injured Reserve. Evan Mathis is considered week-to-week and Scott Kooistra is reportedly to be re-signed shortly.

Per the Bengals' official Twitter account, first reported by C. Trent Rosecrans of CNati.com. Rosecrans' Twitter account can be found here. @ctrent

Please continue to debate the merits of Chase Coffman vs. Jerome Simpson vs. Maurice Purify in the event that the discussion is once again relevant when Evan Mathis is fully healthy after getting shaken up yesterday, I don't expect Kooistra to be around for very long. This seems to be a stop-gap type of move to get the team through the next couple of weeks. I still hope to see either Purify, Simpson or Coffman soon.

The one in which the Bengals' secondary is still awesome and the Bengals take a 4-0 division record...Bengals win 17-7

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:13:53 -0000

by Al Behrman - AP

about 1 month ago: Baltimore Ravens fullback Le'Ron McClain (33) is gang-tackled by, left to right, Cincinnati Bengals defenders Domata Peko, Keith Rivers, Frostee Rucker, Dhani Jones and Leon Hall after a short gain in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

View full size photo »

Today was the first time in recent memory that I sat down to watch a Bengals division game and did not get nervous from the first snap. Were there some things that happened today that give me pause? Were there some things that happened today that concern me going forward?

Of course there were. I don't like that Ed Reed made Chad Ochocinco cough the ball up again today. That bothers me. I credit Chad for continuing his theme of improving his yards after catch, but when it comes at the cost of possessing the ball it can be a detriment. Chad has been great at making things happen after catching the ball all year long, and it usually happens the same way. He will catch the ball on the left side of the field, turn to his left and spin off a defender and take off like a bat down the field. It is usually a thing of beauty. Got to keep better control of the ball while he's running, but I'm sure he doesn't need to hear that from me.

Let's do some breakdown after the jump, shall we?

The loss of Chris Henry (possibly for the year, unofficially) is unfortunate to be sure. The young man has done a terrific job getting his life back on track and now he likely has a clear schedule for the next eight or nine months. I do believe that he has turned the corner in his personal life, and now he has a great opportunity to prove that to the rest of the world. Now that I've completed my Dr. Phil impression, on the field the lack of Slim 15 will definitely make a difference.

I would fully expect to see the debut of Jerome Simpson dressed for action next week, and hopefully he will make a difference. The solid play of Laveranues Coles and the emergence of Andre Caldwell makes the loss of Henry much less imposing, but regardless a hole now exists where production is going to have to be generated.

On a side note, I apologize for my role in Henry's injury. I picked him up and started him this week on one of my fantasy teams. I now know better and will not do that again. Please don't hurt me.

Looking at different areas of today's game, how about that secondary, folks? Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph continue to play out of their minds on the field of fake grass. Each contributed one interception of Joe Flacco today along with particularly stellar play from one Jonathan Joseph. Joseph was Deion Sanders-esque out there today. Seeing him laying on the field and limping to the sideline absolutely terrified me, it was great to see him back out later on in the game.

Cedric Benson continues to be a man possessed when he has a football in his hand. Running for 117 yards against Baltimore today made him the first running back since Ricky Williams to gash Baltimore for greater than 100 yards in consecutive games (thanks, Joe Reedy!). Williams ran for over a buck in consecutive games over two seasons, 2002-2003 against the Ravens. To the best of my knowledge, Benson is now the only running back to do it twice in one season. Fantasy owners continue to laud him with praise and more than likely bouquets of flowers for the point totals he brings.

One of the most impressive plays I've seen this year was the exchange between Kyries Hebert and Rey Maualuga to down a Kevin Huber punt inside the one. In the event you missed that one, you may want to keep an eye on ESPN later on tonight. I'm sure that one will be seen again. Huber bounced the punt inside the five and Hebert was right there waiting for it. He jumped backward preventing the ball from going into the end zone and threw the ball into the waiting arms of one Rey Maualuga who caught the ball and stood on the half-yard line. It was a thing of beauty.

The team also continues to miss Antwan Odom much less than expected. Three consecutive sacks to end the Ravens' last prayer at trying to put points on the board was pretty impressive if you ask this blogger. Had my children not been napping upstairs I would have likely shook the windows all the way down my parents' street.

That's pretty much all I have to say about today's game at the moment. I'm going to go and eat now, my dad just finished a fish fry. Enjoy it this week, ladies and gentlemen. One more biggie on the horizon next week at Pittsburgh before things get any easier. I'm looking forward to reading what the national media says about our boys in Orange and Black this week, though. For the Bengals to dominate the first half like that after Baltimore laid the beatdown on Denver that they did last week is a huge statement.

Needless to say, I enjoyed today's game very very much. Thanks again, Bengals.

Ever-increasingly optmistically yours,

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan