SB Nation User Blog: Carsonorbust

The Plusses and the Minuses

Carsonorbust — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:17:18 -0000

In an effort to be objective here, I thought that we could break down the game this last week by going through the positive and the negative points about the Bengals game against the Lions.

Here we go...

On the Minus Side

The offense continues to struggle:

We recorded only one offensive touchdown against the league's worst defense. To be fair if it weren't for Drops McGee, aka Coats, it would have been two...

Carson Palmer threw two interceptions and lost one fumble (off an unblocked corner blitz from his blindside) - Carson appeared to be a human being this game.

Cedric Benson rushed for only 3.1 yards per carry. It's almost like the Lions expected us to run the ball a lot....

Daniel Coats drops another TD pass. If we are going to insist on putting this guy in there, we could at least get him some fly tape to put on his hands. Are butterfly nets legal in the NFL...?

Where in the world is Andre Caldwell? 1 target - 0 yards.

The Defense gives up big plays:

Calvin Johnson torches us this game off of two plays. One from Stafford where he outruns a double team, and one from Culpepper where he outjumps a double team. This guy is a freak among freaks. You could have put Patrick Ewing back there and CJ still would gone up and grabbed that football...

Kevin Smith averages 4.7 yards per carry. Does anybody think we missed Peko? I miss Peko.

On the Plus Side

The Offense showed glimpses...

Carson Palmer to Ochocinco was a thing of beauty, and that 36 yard bomb was Cambell's Chunky noodle - mmmm....mmmm good.

Benson runs for 100 yards despite the fact that every time he was in, everybody including the pigeons in the rafters knew where the ball was going.

Ocho gets 137 yards and a touchdown, then goes all Esteban on us. I liked the sombrero.

Shane Graham - We should put his face on the dollar bill because he has been money.

The Defense Dominated...except for two plays

8 QB hits, 7 passes defensed, 3 Sacks, and 1 touchdown. Not a bad day by any standards. Defense gets the game ball...again.

How about that Tom Nelson? Another gem apparently on the defensive squad. He finishes the game with two tackles, two passes defensed and one interception.

And Michael Johnson? I give credit to Matthew Stafford for not pooping his pants every time this 6'7" monster running at him. At least I assume he stayed clean.

And who could Forget? Jonathon Fanene, with the poise of Jerry Rice and the concentration of Bobby Fischer catches and returns a tipped ball for a TD.

And One More thing for the plus column

We won.

Who Dey Bengal Nation

Sign LJ? - Poll

Carsonorbust — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:08:36 -0000

I just wanted to put up a poll to see who favors this move. I don't personally think that it's a good idea, but then again I didn't think the Benson signing was a good move either and I turned out to be wrong on that one.

Pro's - Former pro-bowl running back. Discounted contract. Possibly a capable backup. He has to be on good behavior to stay in the NFL. Marvin Lewis suggested that at this point he will be a 4th string back. Bengals have a good track record of turning scrapped players into productive parts of the team.

Con's - Unproductive the last two years. He has a reputation for being a bad character guy. Might disrupt team chemistry. Have to cut somebody else (possibly Fui Vakapuna). Bernard Scott does not get a chance to prove himself as a backup RB. John Thorton suggested that Cincy would want to use him to spell Ced Benson as a #2 back, pushing Scott to a 3rd down role and leaving Leonard the odd man out.

I'll continue to add to the pros and cons list as you write out your opinions. Mostly I'm just interested in seeing how many people favor this signing versus how many don't.

Poll

Do you think the Bengals should sign LJ?

Yes. What do we have to lose?

65 votes

No. We don't need this guy.

43 votes

108 votes | Poll has closed

Matchups to Watch This Week

Carsonorbust — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:47:56 -0000

The great thing about the bye week is that it gives us bloggers seemingly unlimited time to speculate about the future prospects of our club. I've heard the world "Super-Bowl" thrown around a few times, and though the mere sound of it is more seductive than the Ben-Gals 2009 calendar, I feel a strong pull to come back down to earth and join the rest of the world. So, after doing some fact checking and cross referencing my sources, not to mention a little bit of computer hacking and light treason, I was able to discover that there is football going on this week, without the Bengals! So keeping this in mind I turned my attention the rest of the NFL.

I've heard some bloggers mentioning that they might elect to go into a vegetable state of hibernation this upcoming bye week, but my contention is that the bye-week will have as much implications for the Bengals as a game-week would. With that in mind, I turn our attention to the matchups that might be of consequence to the Bengals sometime down the road. If you have any colors that vaguely represent the Raiders, the Dolphins, the Bills or the Broncos in your closet then you might want to wear them, or if you have some friends who inexplicably are fans of those teams, then you might want to go support them. Let me explain why.

Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills - If you've been listening to the Bengals buzz around the blogosphere, you've probably heard that the Texans are among the teams that could compete for a Wild Card ticket into the playoffs. Judging by the state of the Bills, I'm thinking that the odds of a wild card spot should increase after this week for the Texans. It looks like our very own Ryan Fitz-"5 yard passes scare me" Patrick is going to start at QB for the Bills, so I wouldn't hold your breath for an upset, but you might as well cheer for the former Bengal (Something we could barely muster when he was here).

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets - Though the Dolphins haven't looked great this year, they did almost beat the Saints last week (and I emphasize the almost). The Jets are another team that could compete for a wild card spot, so the more games they lose the better. Can the Dolphins pull out a minor upset here? I think they've got a shot at it, so don't be afraid to support our reefered-out friend Ricky Williams against Rex Ryan's new club.

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens - I still don't think that anybody is taking the Broncos that seriously despite the fact that they've beaten New England, San Diego, Dallas and us. These guys are good, but they are still the trendy pick to be upset this week by Baltimore (SB nation at least is predicting a Baltimore Win here). The last thing we want is for Baltimore to start catching up to us in the division (or compete for a wild card spot), so cheer loudly for those Broncos! Being the underdog has worked for Denver to this point, so here's to hoping it lasts! I never thought I'd say this, but "Go Orton!"

St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions - I'm just kidding. Nobody cares about these teams.

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers - Don't get confused, if you see a lot of black and silver zombies in the stands, it could just be people recovering from their Halloween hangovers - not Raiders fans. Somehow Oakland upset a good Eagles club a few weeks ago, but unless Jamarcus Russel decides to dress up as Joe Montana (or at least Rich Gannon) for Halloween, then I don't see a lot of hope for the Raiders. However, if anybody knows about resurrected careers, it's the Bengals very own Cedric Benson, so let's hope those Raiders take down a 3-3 Chargers team that will likely have to hope for a wild card spot in the playoffs.

So I beg all of you, don't give up on football just because it's the Bengals bye week! Find that team to cheer for 'cause it might end up winning us a trip to the playoffs.

Poll

Which game will you be cheering the most for this weekend?

Broncos vs. Ravens - Whenever the Ravens lose, a little piece of my heart grows bigger.

42 votes

Houston vs. Buffalo - I have sentimental feelings for all former Bengals. Go Fitz!

5 votes

Oakland vs. San Diego - Maybe this week Oakland will spell dysfunction with a "W"

0 votes

Dolphins vs. Jets - Who can blame Ricky Williams anyways?

1 votes

None - I'm moping around my parents basement until the bye week is over.

2 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed

Deja Vu All over again

Carsonorbust — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:18:31 -0000

Sometimes, we all have to have a little slice of humble pie and in my own personal effort to do this, I am going to revisit some predictions that I made in June for the first four weeks of the year. Let's just say that things never happen the way that you expect them to.

Way back in June I asked

Are we going to turn some heads this year?

To that I have to yes. If nothing else, the Bengals are definitely turning some heads.

Games 1-4

vs. Denver - Kyle Orton is overrated if you call him mediocre, the Broncos defense was more pourous than Niagra Falls last year and they have a completely new offensive system. I give the Bengals a 60% chance of winning here.

I got one thing right, Kyle Orton is mediocre and might be overrated. That said, who expected the Broncos to have the #1 defense in the league through four games and to be undefeated? It turned out that there was about a 40% chance of a tipped pass going all the way for a game winning last second score. Who knew?

@ Green Bay - Has anybody else noticed how huge Aaron Rodgers eyes are? Will you join me in calling him "Ole Bug-Eyed Rodgers?" GB is definitely underrated, but so are the Bengals. I'd give the Bengals a 40% chance of winning this game.

Ok, Rogers still has big eyes (I think he's looking at me right now), and I still think the Packers are a legit team. What I didn't count on is a big fella named Antwan Odom who apparently was eating his Wheaties that morning. In my opinion, this was probably the best all around game that the Bengals have played this year.

vs. Pittsburg - Super Bowl Champs, scary a@# defense and Troy Bighair don't spell good things. I'll give the Bengals 20% because they'll be at home.

Did anybody watch the Steelers Chargers game? The Steelers looked like Champs, (like how they looked through 3 quarters against us). I think that all this proves is that we're still pretty damn good for beating a team like that. I don't care how it happened and humble pie never tasted so good.

@ Cleveland - Hmmm. QB controversy + awful defense + butterfinger receivers = Bengals win. I'll go 75% for Cincy.

I might take some flak for saying this, but Cleveland has a decent offense with Derek Anderson at the helm. He consistently made plays to his receivers named Mohamed Massaquoi (I'll leave the 'blame game' up to you guys). Also, I don't know if I would have predicted two botched long snaps. I don't think we were ready and it wasn't pretty, but we won.

I could realisticly see the Bengals winning two of these games. Four games through the season, we are (2-2).

Yeah, it's ugly and I agree with a lot of you, but damn it feels good to be on top doesn't it? These are the kind of Bengals that I think we've all been waiting for. We've got fight, we've got heart, we've got some pride back in Cincy. I don't know if anybody could have predicted that.

Take the Metaphorical Lambeau Leap?

Carsonorbust — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:49:04 -0000

Hey there Who Dey Nation,

I'm a midwestern out of towner Bengals fan, which means that this year is going to be a big year for me, since we're playing against the NFC North.

This week, we have the mighty CheeseHeads from the North and I'll be close enough to watch the game in enemy territory, at a Packers Bar. So I'll be joining Chad OchoCinco this week in the Lambeau Leap, except my leap is going to be more of a metaphorical one. I've considered going all out, complete with orange and black face paint, but I'm wondering if I'm just asking to get beer dumped on me (ala Chad Johnson circa 2007).

So my question to you is, is the Lambeau leap worth it? or I am walking into the lions den? Do I go all out for the game and dawn the stripes? or should I go to the bar as a quiet observer? I'm leaning towards the former, but just curious about what you would do.

Who Dey for Life!

Poll

What would you do at a Packers Bar on game day?

Take the Lambeau Leap, wear the stipes and fill in the silence after a Bengals TD with cheers of Who Dey!

15 votes

Drink your beer and chat pleasantly with the only person not wearing any green

3 votes

Mock Aaron Rogers for his huge bug eyes

3 votes

Watch the gamecast version at home with a cup of tea and the lowfat yogurt that your wife makes you eat

1 votes

22 votes | Poll has closed

5 reasons to be a Bengals fan

Carsonorbust — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:27:48 -0000

Let me tell you why I love being a Bengals fan despite all the crap and bad luck that seems to happen to us every year.

1. Every little victory feels like a huge accomplishment. For instance, if Ced Benson runs for 5 yards instead of 3 it's like we just won the lottery. I would compare being a Bengals fan to a little kid who has never had more than $5 in his pocket at the same time. If somebody gives that kid a dollar then, the whole world turns upside down. Of course that kid might immediately go and squander that dollar on some appealing candy, but it was sure exciting while it lasted. True, he wasn't the rich steelers kid down the street, but I bet he appreciated that dollar a lot more than him.

2. To quote Shrek, as Bengals fans, we are a lot like onions in that we have layers. On the one hand, being a Bengals fan makes your cry a lot (how can you not cry after losing on a tipped pass) and it causes your speech to reek of bitterness. But, on the other hand the heat of losing so often causes Bengals fans to turn into eternal optimists, (like how sauteing onions brings out the sweetness and flavor (sorry, that was a bit of a stretch) . Yes it's true, despite all of you who grumble saying "this is the year that I'm going to stop being a Bengals fan," we know the truth is that every time the Bengals get in the end zone it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

3. Great Conversation Starter if you live out of state like I do. Bengals Fan: "I'm a big fan of the Bengals. Did you hear about the game last night?*" Football Enthusiast "Isn't that the team that had Carson Palmer a few years ago?" BF "Yeah, he's still on the team...I thought you knew a lot about football" FE "yeah, I do, but I kinda forgot they were still a football team." BF "Well let me tell you why they are going to win the Super Bowl this year." FE (Kind laughter).

*Note, this is not a good technique for pick up lines. In fact, you might want to avoid the subject altogether or they might find you distasteful.

4. We suit up* - Unlike all the hordes of solid colors and unoriginal jerseys, the Bengals week in - week out dawn the stripes. As the true king of the jungle, we don't worry about blending into our surroundings - we don't do Camo. We don't give up, we don't listen to fashion zealots tell us that "black and orange stripes don't go well with brown pants." No my friends, we suit up.

*Special thanks to Barney

5. We rise above and grab hold of life. That doesn't really mean much, but it is provocative isn't it? Do we sit around and sulk after we lose a game? No. Do we put on a brave face when we see our relatives who live in Pitsburg? Yes. Do we pull awesome shinanigans like flyby banners protesting our team owner and sending pepto bismo to the Browns? Yes.

My friends, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Who Dey for Life!

Poll

When did you become a Bengals fan?

The dawn of creation.

47 votes

I started after a Pink Floyd Concert one year

3 votes

When I found out that Jesus is a Big fan of the Ickey Shuffle.

12 votes

Right after I decided that I hated the Steelers.

34 votes

96 votes | Poll has closed

Let's Revist Carson's Stats

Carsonorbust — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:06:02 -0000

Is Carson Palmer a better or a worse QB than he was in 2005? I keep hearing that Carson is "Frail," and that he's not the QB that he used to be. But I'm not drinking the this strange, bitter kool-aid that people keep pouring. Let's look at the facts.

First of all, I have to note that stats do lie. Despite what some people may have you think, statistics can be very misleading, even downright false. So in statistics, there is one rule that stands out above all the rest "Correlation does not Imply Causation." For instance, one could produce a statistic that shows a that the more a person eats Frosted Flakes for breakfast the smarter they become. One could come up with all sorts of reasons why this might be true. However, it doesn't mean that Frosted Flakes cause people to be smarter. That's just ridiculous.

Back to football now. In Palmer's case, I don't think that his supposed statistical decreases show that he is somehow a worse QB than he was three short years ago. There has been some misleading and ungrounded stats thrown around there about Carson Palmer. Most notably that his "Frail Body" has caused his production to drop in each of the last three seasons since 2005. Well, let's look at the raw data.

Season	Team			Passing										Rushing				Fumbles
Season	Team	G	GS	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Sck	SckY	Rate	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	FUM	Lost
2008	Cincinnati Bengals	4	4	75	129	58.1	731	5.7	3	4	11	67	69.0	6	38	6.3	0	2	0
2007	Cincinnati Bengals	16	16	373	575	64.9	4,131	7.2	26	20	17	119	86.7	24	10	0.4	0	5	1
2006	Cincinnati Bengals	16	16	324	520	62.3	4,035	7.8	28	13	36	233	93.9	26	37	1.4	0	15	7
2005	Cincinnati Bengals	16	16	345	509	67.8	3,836	7.5	32	12	19	105	101.1	34	41	1.2	1	5	2

Things to note

#1 Before last season he played in all 16 games for three straight years, which I think debunks the myth that Carson is "Frail." Freak accidents in the '05 playoffs and the '08 regular season does not make a player "Frail."

#2 His total yards actually increased for three straight seasons, which I think debunks the myth that Carson has gotten worse for three straight seasons. Also, his completion percentage has hovered around 65% for that entire time.

#3 His 2005 season was really only his "best" in terms of efficiency. That year he did more with fewer attempts, which I think points to a more balanced offensive attack and tells us that passing the ball too often makes our offense predictable.

# 4 As for the 2008 season, Carson played 4 horrible games, but those games came against the Ravens, the Giants, the Titans and the Cowboys, the 2nd, 5th, 7th and 8th ranked defenses (respectively). One would expect that Carson's #'s would have improved as he faced less stringent defenses.

All of this said, I think that we can pretty accurately debunk the myth that Carson is obviously a drastically worse QB than he was in 2005. The Bengals as a team have slid in terms of efficiency and wins, but Carson has remained relatively constant throughout it all.

So go ahead and throw your own statistics out there and I'll try to knock them down.

Carsonorbust

Who Dey Baby!

The Defense Still has Big Holes

Carsonorbust — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:46:44 -0000

We're all excited about our "D" and I get it, because last year was the first time since I can remember that we finished ranked in the top half of the league. We were twelfth in overall defense, which has to be taken as a positive, no matter how shriveled and pessimistic your soul has become after years of rooting for the Orange and Black. However, being a fantasy guy, I also know my stats, and I would be remiss to point out that Cincy's "D" still has some very noticeable holes on Defense that are concerning.

First, there's the fact that despite being twelfth in overall yards allowed per game, we only finished 15th is passing defense and 21st in rush defense. So we can't jump to the conclusion that just because of our overall finish that the Bengals were a top third defense in the league last year. We finished 19th in terms of overall points given up (ultimately the only stat that matters). By that measure, we didn't even crack the top half of the NFL.

Given that, here's a breakdown of Cincy's Defensive stats last year.

Defensive Productivity

Sacks: 17 - 30th in the league - tied with the Browns (that's humiliating)

Interceptions: 12 - 21st in the league - tied with multiple teams

Touchdowns allowed: 43 - 24th in the league

Pass Defense

Yards allowed per game: 205.4 - 15th in the league

20+ yard pass plays allowed: 33 - 2nd Best in the league

40+ yard pass plays allowed: 7 - 13th in the league

Yards per pass play: 6.7 - 10th in the league

Rush Defense

Yards allowed per game: 120.1 - 21st in the league

20+ yard rushes: 9 - Tied for 9th in the league with the Ravens

Yards per rush: 3.9 - 10th in the league

Rush TD's allowed: 15 - 20th in the league

Here's what I want to highlight out of all this stuff. First, our pass rush was almost non-existent last year. Second, our pass defense was better than advertised. Third, despite out poor total rush yards, teams we were still in the top third of the league in yards per rush.

In light of this, I'm curious what you think our biggest holes are on defense, and if you think we've addressed those problems effectively in the off-season.

*Stats Courtesy of nfl.com

Under the Fantasy Radar?

Carsonorbust — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:21:39 -0000

While we here in the Cincy Jungle and our players in the Orange and Black have overflowing amounts of confidence and pre-season swagger going into next season, it seems that most in the media world disregard us as Fantasy duds next year.

Take espn.com's fantasy previews.

QB http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football/ffl/story?page=nfldk2k9qbpreview

1. Drew Brees, Saints
2. Tom Brady, Patriots
3. Peyton Manning, Colts

Tier 2
4. Kurt Warner, Cardinals
5. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
6. Philip Rivers, Chargers

Tier 3
7. Tony Romo, Cowboys
8. Matt Ryan, Falcons
9. Matt Schaub, Texans
10. Donovan McNabb, Eagles

Tier 4
11. Matt Cassel, Chiefs
12. Jay Cutler, Bears
13. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
14. Carson Palmer, Bengals
15. Eli Manning, Giants

My jaw dropped when I saw this. Carson Palmer is barely listed above Eli Manning. Ok, I know that the guy was injured last year, but he's not dead and anybody who has a pulse ought to beat out Eli in fantasy football. Putting Palmer there is both disrespectful and humiliating to us as fans, but as fantasy football players, it's 5 round draft gold.

or WR http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football/ffl/story?page=nfldk2k9wrpreview

Tier 1
1. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
2. Andre Johnson, Texans
3. Calvin Johnson, Lions
4. Randy Moss, Patriots
5. Steve Smith, Panthers
6. Greg Jennings, Packers
7. Reggie Wayne, Colts
8. Roddy White, Falcons
9. Anquan Boldin, Cardinals
10. Terrell Owens, Bills
11. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
12. Marques Colston, Saints

Tier 2
13. Brandon Marshall, Broncos
14. Wes Welker, Patriots
15. Roy Williams, Cowboys
16. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks
17. Braylon Edwards, Browns
18. Vincent Jackson, Chargers
19. Antonio Bryant, Buccaneers
20. Chad Ochocinco, Bengals

Tier 4
30. Jerricho Cotchery, Jets
31. Donald Driver, Packers
32. Torry Holt, Jaguars
33. Laveranues Coles, Bengals
34. Lance Moore, Saints

I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but Braylon Edwards beat out Ocho? Since 2005, the Bengals Offense hadn't finished lower that 10th and Ocho hadn't had less than 1300 yds and 7 tds. Plus, Coles has got to be better than Torry Holt with Chad drawing double teams and a healthy Carson Palmer.

or Team Defense http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football/ffl/story?page=nfldk2k9dstpreview

Tier 4
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Jacksonville Jaguars
26. Cleveland Browns
27. New Orleans Saints
28. St. Louis Rams
29. Denver Broncos
30. Cincinnati Bengals
31. Kansas City Chiefs
32. Detroit Lions

Ok, defense is pretty random in Fantasy football, but in overall yards last year, the Bengals had the 12th ranked defense, and by most accounts, they only got better in the offseason. Yet we are barely above the Lions. The Lions!

Given these poor fantasy projections, my question for all of you, is which Bengals are you going to draft in your Fantasy Football teams this year? Who's got the most value as a sleeper and who's the most likely to be in the top 10 in fantasy points? Who's the most likely Bengal that will make a fantasy splash that nobody has ever heard of?

Rey "the____________" Maualuga

Carsonorbust — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:20:37 -0000

I was inspired by Jay McDonald's blog on optimism to suggest that we optimistically pre-ordain Ray Maualuga with a nickname*. I know that there will be many objections to this, but let's not forget that Earvin Johnson was called "Magic" for the first time in high school by a sports writer/interviewer. So let's say, for the sake of argument, that everything pans out with our new Linebacker. He has a fantastic rookie season, maybe even being considered for a pro-bowl appearance. Considering that we're all still trying to figure out how to pronounce his name, the guy is going to need a nickname. I'll thow a few suggestions out there, but as always, I welcome your ideas.

*NO NICKNAMES ARE FINAL UNTIL REY EARNS ONE!

Poll

What should Ray Maualuga's nickname be?

Lugy - Because he haucks a lugy every time he tackles somebody

3 votes

Ray "Scissors" Maualuga - Because he needs a haircut

2 votes

Ray "the train" Maualuga - Because whenever he hits somebody we say "All-aboard the Ray Train"

26 votes

Rayn Cloud Maualuga - Because his hair always makes it look like it's really humid outside. (Also because he makes it rain pain)

6 votes

I'm afraid that if I vote for a nickname he will come to my house and piledrive me.

26 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed