Well what a regular season guys. Who would have thought that when it was all said and done this team would beat so much adversity and make it to the post-season? WHO-DEY!

Now on to the topic at hand. I'm just wondering if you guys had a vote who would you give your vote to for the regular season MVP in the NFL?

I was sure for weeks now that it would be Aaron Rodgers, but now I'm not so sure. I'm beginning to think that it has to be Drew Brees.

I'm not really a fan of Brees and I think the system he plays in drastically inflates his yardage numbers, but to break Marino's record, no, SMASH Marino's record and come within a sniff of Brady's TD record is amazing.

I think Matt Flynn showed us that while Rodgers is amazing, the Packers skill players are just matchup nightmares. I don't the Saints would have anywhere near that kind of success without Brees behind center.

Thoughts?

Hey guys I'm a regular reader of SBNations Cincy Jungle blog and just wanted to hop over here and wish you guys the best of luck with Carson Palmer.

I'm one of his few outspoken fans left and he will always be my favorite Bengal.  Just wanted to share a post with you I made right after Palmer asked to be traded that chronicled his rise and fall with the bengals.  It's a pretty good read and has some nice videos and insight as to how things went down in Cincinnati.

Enjoy!

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2011/3/29/2078919/the-rise-and-fall-of-carson-palmer

I came up with the idea to start tracking Andy Dalton's rookie season vs. Sam Bradford and Peyton Manning's rookie seasons while replying to one of the post game posts.  I picked Manning and Bradford as those are 2 of the last quarterbacks I remember that got drafted to bad teams and were expected to start and succeed (to a point) from day 1.

I feel like Andy Dalton is doing an amazing job and I wanted to see if the numbers back me up.  I will continue to update this throughout the season.

Continue reading this post »

Everybody knows how the story went now.  Palmer had a decent first year as a starter and exploded into an all-pro his second year starting.

As I've said several times now I'm a believer in Dalton, but I'm not sure we'll ever see that kind of production from him.  I'm just trying to gauge how confident this fan base is of Andy Dalton becoming a prolific passer.

So my question is, do you expect a Palmer-like second season from Dalton, and if he doesn't deliver, will it change how you view our new QB?

I was very vocal about NOT wanting to draft Andy Dalton.  I thought his arm was far too weak to make all the throws, he took too many chances, and he had a bloated record as a starter.

Besides Cam Newton, no player in the NFL has impressed me as much as Dalton has.  Maybe it's being used to Carson Palmer for the last few years but I just LOVE the passion he has.  You can see it on the sidelines.  The guys really do seem him as a leader on this team.

It's only been 4 games but I can already tell Dalton is going to be legit.  What I mistook for him taking risky shots was really his confidence in himself.  That weak arm is on pace for ~3500 yards as a rookie.  He already has great rapport with the other future of this offense, A.J. Green.

While I still doubt we make the playoffs this season, it's amazing that for the first time since opening day in 2005 I really feel that something special is on the horizon.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

THE HOLY TRIPOD HAS APPEARED!!!  Nice and stable videos here for you guys. I rendered these at a higher bitrate so hopefully they look better as well.

Video #1 is mostly 11 on 11 drills with some QB stuff at the end.

Video#2 is half warmup stuff and the second half are the scrimmage drives from each individual QB. (Video 2 Now Ready)

Impressions after the jump!

Continue reading this post »

Editor's Note: This post is from one of our readers, Throw the ball, who went to Georgetown to watch the Bengals practice on August 2. He was nice enough to make two videos for us to watch, put them in a fan post and tell us who was impressive and who wasn't. Enjoy.

Hey guys,

As promised I took some video from last night's training camp session.  I got around 35 minutes of footage but cut it down to ~ 20 minutes.  I forgot my tripod so you'll have to deal with some blair witch type shakiness which I apologize for.

I concentrated almost exclusively on the offense for this video.  There is almost always multiple drills going on when at camp and it's the easiest one to follow.

I recommend watching in HD 

Video #1

Video #2

I came to camp with some general expectations for certain players. 

Personal Impressions after the jump

Continue reading this post »

Like most people here I was pretty upset when we couldn't keep JJo, but I sat  down and thought about it for a little while.

When healthy Joseph is one of the better CB's in the game, but I'm not quite sure I'd consider him elite nor irreplaceable.

  In the last 3 seasons Joseph has played in 36/48 games meaning he's almost missed a full season's worth of football (12 games) in just the past 3 years.  That kind of inconsistency is not going to cut it when we have a defense that relies on sending massive blitz's to get any pressure on the QB.

I'd actually argue that a good corner 16 games a year that we know will be out there every sunday is better than a great corner who may be out there for 10.

Just some food for thought.  Though not having him sucks, I don't think it's nearly as drastic as losing our starting QB and having to trust either a second round QB (who was graded as later than that by a few teams) or a career backup who QB'd Toledo.

Anyone who has been around this blog for the last year or so knows that I'm a HUGE Carson Palmer fan.  This is going to be the last time I bring up Palmer as I feel like its just beating a dead horse, and I'd like to lay my Palmer fandom to rest like most of the fanbase already has.  So if you want lets go down memory lane and see if we can make sense of what happened.

Continue reading this post »

OK so lets go ahead and peer into the future and say that one way or the other Palmer isn't back.

This team will be going into the 2011 season with Lil Palmer (probably not), and Dan LeFevour.

I'm not high on this draft and I think it would be a huge reach to pick a QB at #4 overall.  We know that Mikey isn't going to trade back so let's assume we go D-Line/CB(Saftey) as the first round pick.

Continue reading this post »

I've been all for drafting a DT/DE in the first for a few months, but now I'm not so sure we should.  I'm beginning to think Peterson needs to be our pick.

This "could" be a pick that helps in 2 different scenarios.  If We lose JJo or Hall then we should still be set  with 3 good corners. 

If we keep both then we could have that difference maker at FS that this team desperately needs.

Continue reading this post »

I'm just trying to gauge fan opinion of Carson Palmer.  Please lets not turn this into a Carson Palmer Love/Hate fest.

Just simply vote in the poll.

The question is.... Do you think a Carson Palmer lead offense could take the Bengals to the Super Bowl with a different offensive coordinator?

Again lets keep this civil.

Thanks

So I need a few more words to create a fan post..... so.... Bob Bratkowski realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy sucks.  I realy want to see him fired, and replaced with an xbox 360 picking ask madden.

These are some of my observations after watching the game last night.

#1 Andre Smith will be a good player in this league, and is a giant improvement over Dennis Roland.

#2 Carson Palmer randomly discovered his arm again.  Palmer had that "zip" on his throws that we haven't seen in a couple of years, and he was much more accurate down the field.  Now if we can just get his intermediate throws to not be 8' high....

#3 Chad Ochocinco is a quitter and it's time to move on. I'll leave it at that.

#4 This is a completely different defense with J.Jo on the field

#5 Peko's hit on Troy almost ...almost made stomaching that loss easier

#6 When the line gives Palmer some time he looks good again (surprise surprise)

#7 It only took seeing Roland in for 1 play to see he is god awful

#8 Carson Palmer locks on to receivers (especially those named T.O)

#9 Though I don't think he has any heart.... T.O. is a beast

#10 This upcoming draft is going to make or break this team for years to come. With Chad and T.O most likely leaving our receiving core is going to be decimated and we STILL need to draft D/O linemen early.  2011 looks dicey

Everyone probably knows by now that I'm a fan of Palmer.  He is one of the few "good guys" in this league and I admire him for taking all the blame and none of the praise when it comes his way.

That being said I'm noticing a very disturbing trend that is only getting worse.  Carson is almost NEVER going to his check down back/receiver.

I've seen multiple situations where Carson either completely ignored or didn't see a wide open Bernard Scott/Shipley/Gresham about 5 yards in front of him.  Most of the time (especially scott) they are open enough for another 5-10 YAC.  Instead he is constantly forcing the ball into almost impossible situations.  T.O has becomes Carson's new guy to lock on to and it's worse than Chad because T.O. has NO heart and will not fight for a contested ball.

I really thought Gresham was going to be Palmer's safety valve but the only time the ball gets into his hands seems to be on designed plays.  

I don't know if it's the design of the plays and the reads are taking him away from the check downs or what but this HAS to change.  It was very obvious this Sunday when he kept trying to force the ball into spots like he could pre 2008.  There is something wrong with his arm... I'm completely certain of this.  He can only get the ball down the field when there is a ton of air under it.  This usually causes the ball to end up shorter than it should.

I still think he is smart enough and the arm has enough in it to make most of the throws, but someone needs to show him some tape of 2005 and 2010 and prove to him the arm can't do what the brain thinks it can anymore.

I'll start off this post by saying I'm one of Carson's biggest fans.  I've been defending him for the last 2 years like nobody's business.  I was out today listening to 1530 Homer and all the callers into the station were ripping on Palmer.  The host of the show was defending Palmer as well.  I heard lots of the same complaints as I see on a regular basis here.  He doesn't have it anymore..... his arm is weak..... he makes bad decisions etc. etc.

So here is my question.  Is Carson Palmer really not that good? Palmer hasn't been "Carson Palmer" since 2007 and even then he was beginning to show signs of a decline.  Sure the yardage was there, but the accuracy seemed off and lots of balls sailed high.

In 2008 my excuse was that the O-line couldn't get keep him upright.  I think the injury just a few games in to the season proves this was correct.

In 2009 my excuse was that the O-line couldn't create a good pocket and that we had no weapons. Oh and the ever popular Bratkowski sucks.

In the off-season I took a step back and evaluated his play over the last few years.  Looked at game film available on the internet and compared what I saw with other "elite" QB's.

What has struck me more than anything is that Carson does not get the same zip on the ball that he used to.  I'm beginning to think letting the elbow heal naturally was a big mistake.  He doesn't seem to be able to get much velocity on the ball to get it in the tight spaces like we have seen before.

This could be why his accuracy isn't what it once was.  I know that when I throw a ball as hard as I can I have no-where near the accuracy I would if I threw it at even 90% of my max.  Is Carson having to throw the ball as hard as he can now to make routine plays?

Is it the fact that we played 2 good defenses back to back?  Maybe I'm being too harsh on him.

The O-line definitely sucks.  I feel like Carson could put up Brady type numbers if he had the kind of do your taxes time Brady gets.

Maybe it's all timing?  One thing that Carson was so well known for was his timing with his receivers.  I remember lots of plays in 05/06 where the ball would be in the air a good 10-15 yards before the targeted receiver even turned to look at Carson.  Was this a product of a good O-line?

Part of me also thinks it's all in his head.  Somewhere between 2007 and 2008 we lost our 4,000 yard ability.

The only time I really see Carson excel is in the no-huddle.  When he runs it he literally appears to be like a different player.  He's more accurate, less gun-shy, we don't telegraph a run with "NUMBER 74 IS ELIGIBLE". So this tends to throw wrench in my whole argument.

It would lead me to believe that Carson's inability is a by-product of the system.

Is anyone constantly going over this stuff in their heads as well... or am I just crazy?

http://espn.go.com/nfl/preview10/team/_/name/cin  (scroll down to "Expert" picks)

Last in the division.

Now how the heck does he even begin to pick the Bengals falling below Cleveland in the AFC north???  I mean I can see rating the Bengals 2nd or 1st and MAYBE third if you really just don't like Cincy but saying the BROWNS are going to finish better than the Bengals.

I mean I just don't get it.  All homerisim aside..... you have to be a complete moron to write that.  He has single handedly convinced me to never subscribe to ESPN the magazine.

That the Ravens are getting so much respect, while the Bengals are getting next to none.  I know I'm beating a dead horse but come on.

Their first round pick likely won't play much this season since he will miss camp, and foxworth is out.  Still I don't hear anything about the Bengals being the favs to win.

Also everyone keeps making Flacco out to be the next big thing.  WTH?  Nobody in the media has faith in CP9 but a guy like Flacco who has yet to put together a season with a rating above 90 is now the 2nd best qb in the league?  Give me a break.

First off, I'll start by congratulating our Bengals.  I doubt many people expected a Divisional title and it was one hell of a season.

Lets start off with the good-

-We finally have a solid base to build around on defense. This is the primary reason that we shouldn't slump back down into 8-8 for the next few years. As long as we can keep Zimmer around (whether it be head coach or DC) we should have a defense that is consistently good enough to keep us in most games. With a good addition at safety in the off season  we will go from a good defense to a great defense.

-Cedric Benson is the real deal. I had wondered for a while just how much of his success came from the push at the line, but after last night it's obvious.... the man can run.

-We finally have explosive special teams returners.  Thank you Bernard Scott and Quan Cosby.

-Chad can still play.  I was worried after last season but he looks committed again.  We should have a dominant Chad for another 3-4 seasons before he is really done.

-Brian Leonard is a beast.  Need I say more?

-Carson Palmer became mobile.  He looked like his former USC self rolling out of the pocket and making plays with his legs.  I don't know what happened in the off season, but it's nice to see Carson actually avoiding a sack every now and then.

-JJ & Leon Hall.... what can I say?  Amazing work. The first year I haven't completely seen JJ beat on the deep balls. He has really worked hard.

The Bad-

-Above anything else this year I'd have to rate our play calling on offense as my biggest disappointment.  How many run-run-pass 3 and outs do you have to see before you realize it's just not working? As mediocre as Carson looked all season it's amazing how many 3rd & 10+ 15+ situations he was able to convert.  That being said, you can't live on third and long and we did for far too long.

-Carson Palmer.  Let me start by saying CP9 is my favorite player not just on the Bengals but period.  Ever.  I just like the guy.  He is humble, dedicated, and has (had?) amazing talent, but I can't excuse his play. At times he looked amazing (Chicago game, 4 quarter 2 min drill) sometimes good (Chargers & Baltimore) and sometimes just terrible (last 2 Jets games.... who was he even throwing it to?)  Overall this season he looked... mediocre.  He looked average.  How much of it was on the lack of a competent receiving core? How much of it was on our terrible pass blocking? How much of it was CP9 himself? I just don't know and of all the things with the bengals this year it's the hardest for me to figure out.

The guy was just plain inconsistent.  His accuracy was questionable most of the season, especially on the deep throw (his calling card), and he zeroed in on Chad far too much. He got back in the habit of throwing high (something he did a lot in 06' after the injury) and it's incredible that our guys made it through the season without being totally trashed up.

I think we need to get another QB coach in here. Carson needs to get back to working on the fundamentals. The guy is just too good to play like this, and I wish I knew the cause.

-We need a big play tight end. I was pretty happy to see Chase drafted and I couldn't wait to see him on the field. Obviously the kid isn't ready and I hope that next season we can see him on the field, but in the mean time why in God's name was Leonard not moved to tight end? We used him as a receiving back. The man can bock, the man can catch, he's deceptively quick for his size, and is a genuine play maker. Carson has never enjoyed the big tight end threat that other Qb's have and when you look at the elites (Manning, Brady, Rivers--I despise the man but the stats don't lie) they all have a big time tight end who has gaudy numbers.  When he got in trouble they had several check down options, be it a back or a slot receiver or a tight end. Carson needed a mid range threat badly this year.

-We need a deeper receiving core. I was really psyched about Andre Caldwell half way through this season, but after the last 6 games or so I'm ready to be done with him.  You HAVE to hold on the to ball son!  How many drops did he have against the Jets alone in the last 2 games?  Coles looked bad all season (then looked decent last night) and was not a replacement for TJH (oh, how we miss you TJ).  Just how bad is Jerome Simpson? Coles has a bum thumb, and Caldwell is being helped off the field after every play last night and Simpson STILL doesn't get a shot to play.  BUST...........! We HAVE to get another deep threat.. we miss you 15.

-Coaching was pretty bad all season long.  Marvin, I like you, but just bad coaching on the O side of the ball. Botched time-outs, weird calls (I'm praying that the kickoff to start the 2nd half was a flubbed kick and not some.... well... I don't even know.   I knew the game was over after that).

-Seeyah Shank!

Well that was longer than I anticipated it being.

So what do I hope to see next year?

I want us to have another good draft.  I feel like we drafted pretty well this year and I want to see more of the same.  I want players drafted that can make immediate impacts... enough with drafting prospects who may or may not have it all.

If Coffman can play, and we add another deep threat receiver next year, I think you will see the old CP9 return under center (at least I hope so.... still have faith in you Carson).

Surround Carson with some more pass blocking.  If he has time for more 5 step drops, our passing game will take off again.

If nothing else though... please keep Zimmer.  Don't be cheap Mike... pay the man and keep him around otherwise it may be another 4 years until we have a winning team again.