If your still around at this point, call yourself a fan. The air has been sucked out of Cincinnati, and the Bengals are only playing for next year. That’s tough to swallow, but it’s the nature of the game. Marvin Lewis kept the Bengals on the cusp (or better) of the playoffs for four straight years, so this year really feels like a letdown.
The NFL is a funny thing, and as long as your not the Colts or the Patriots, you’re not going to be a playoff team year after year. In the end, you’re looking for long term success. This is where the Bengals fans diverge.
Many expected the Bengals to be in the Super Bowl hunt during Marvin’s fifth year. And why not? Marvin turned the Bengals from a 2-14 team to an 8-8 team in his first year. By his third year, the Bengals looked like one of the best.
Now we’re here, and everyone’s searching for answers. Going into this, I thought I’d try to figure out some answers to those questions. Maybe it was Braham’s knowledge of defenses that made the Bengals so good in the past. Maybe the arrests made us so bad. Or maybe it was the injuries.
They’re all possibilities, but I’m done looking into the past. I’m done being mad for a low blow on Carson Palmer’s knee. I’m done being mad at Odell Thurman and Roger Goodell. I’m done being mad at Bresnahan. Its time to move on and think about the future, instead of thinking about what if.
What happened to, “In Marvin we trust”? I haven’t lost it. Believe it or not, we’re on the right track. Whether that means other coaching changes or not, I’m still on the bandwagon, and here’s why:
The defense will be good. The Bengals are on the verge of having two shut down corners, not to mention the talent at the safety position. The Bengals are going to need a Justin Smith and a John Thornton replacement, but beyond that, the only holes in the defense are at linebacker. That’s going to take some work, but I’m sure Marvin’s got the answers.
The offense will be great. The offensive line has played great this year, despite being very young. Carson has his weapons to throw to, and the only real question for the future is who lines up at running back? The great thing with that issue is that the Bengals have a lot of options there.
Mike Brown will stick with Marvin Lewis, and I’m glad because we’ve got a guy always thinking about the future. The Bengals will be fine, and though that doesn’t get the Bengals into the playoffs, it does make this year a little bit easier to deal with.
That’s all I’ve got for now. WHO DEY!
You guys will have to forgive me. This is the first home game of the season that I’m missing. Maybe if I tell you where I’m going, you won’t mind so much. The boys and I are headed to Key West for a long weekend to celebrate the last days of my bachelorhood. So I’m sure you won’t mind if I slack this week.
But I digress. I feel good about the Bengals chances today, but if I were Marvin Lewis here’s what I would do…
Start Kenny Watson. Clearly, Kenny is the better back. Rudi has done a lot for the Bengals, but history doesn’t play on the field. Kenny may not be the future back for the Bengals. That title may belong to another Kenny, or maybe (a big maybe indeed) Chris Perry. However, Kenny Watson gives the Bengals the best chance to win. What else matters?
Blitz like crazy. This takes away the long ball and creates some turnovers. The Baltimore game was ugly, but Bresnahan never let up. The defense feeds off of this, and no matter how bad the offense looks (not counting Shayne Graham), there’s nothing like seeing the defense step up.
Throw downfield. Chris Henry is a bad person, but a great football player. Throw, and throw often. There’s no excuse for not averaging 300 yards a game with this offense.
Draft a linebacker. No, make that three. Need I say more?
That’s all I’ve got for now. Who Dey!
In the spirit of holding the NFL’s third worst record, I decided I take us in a different direction today (something that Marvin Lewis may want to do in the near future). There’s not much to talk about at the halfway point in the season. Two losses means no playoffs unless divine intervention gives the Bengals the ability to run the table. We’re eight games away from hearing about the fates of Bresnahan and Bratkowski, though Bratkowski deserves the demotion more than his defensive counterpart in my opinion. With the linebacking hodgepodge, Bresnahan hasn’t done that bad, but Bratkowski has an arsenal of weapons that he’s failed to adequately utilize.
But I digress, on to the topic of the day. The Bengals are sitting pretty for run at a top draft pick, and here are my top five first round choices for the Bengals:
1) Darren McFadden (Arkansas): I don’t care about Rudi, Kenny (Watson or Irons), or Chris. If this guy is on the board, you’ve got to take him. Isn’t that right Houston? Darren’s the next Reggie Bush, Joseph Addai, Adrian Peterson, etc. He’s a can’t miss draft pick.
2) Glenn Dorsey (LSU): It brings a Christmas smile to my face to think about Peko and Dorsey playing together. The Bengals need a fresh face at DT, and boy, would Dorsey be a welcome sight in orange and black.
3) James Laurinaitis (Ohio State): Clearly, the Bengals need linebackers like Pittsburgh needs pretty women. James is a solid pick that could fall anywhere in the first half of the first round. Don’t give me that draft by skill and not by need garbage. Marvin, are you really trying to say that you’d take a Brian Brohm or an Andre Woodson before a linebacker? I hope not.
4) Keith Rivers (USC): Dan Connor of Penn State would be holding this spot if not for his character issues, and God knows we don’t need more of that in Cincinnati. Rivers is an outside backer, but the Bengals need players at every linebacker position where Landon Johnson decides not to line up. Another solid pick.
5) Chris Long (Virginia): Moving away from the linebacker theme, the Bengals need to start looking at a replacement for Justin Smith. I’d be surprised if he’s back next year, and I’m not sure if Frostee Rucker can fill the void. Either way, having a top notch D-end on your team can’t hurt.
I’m always trying to find the silver lining for you guys and gals. And though we’ve only won two games this year, in a couple of months we’ll be talking about a new season, so why not start now?
That’s all I’ve got for now. WHO DEY!
The season’s beginning to be a bit predictable. The defense plays decent except for about five plays. The kick return team gets the ball to the thirty. The punt return team fair catches. Shayne Graham doesn’t kick past the seven yard line, and so the opponent’s offense starts from the thirty-five. Lastly, and most importantly, the Bengals offense stalls on third down.
We’ve seen how this translates on the field. The Bengals can’t compete against the top teams, and they make a good game out of a mediocre opponent.
That means today’s game should be a good one. The Bills have been the Bills since Jim Kelly retired. They tried to make a run with Losman and a good defense, but that project failed. Now the Bills are about as good as an Akili Smith to Ki-jana Carter handoff. That may be like the pot calling the kettle black considering the Bengals’ play this year. But come on, it’s still the Bills…right?
We’ll see. Like I said, it should be a battle. The defense will likely give up twenty points, give or take. The offense will stall a few times, but this definitely isn’t the Pittsburgh Steelers. So hopefully the Bengals will pull out a win today.
Taking all of that into consideration, I see today as a transition game. It’s the last game we don’t see Chris Henry and maybe the last one we don’t see Chris Perry. I’m inches away from being convinced that this year is gone, and though that’s disappointing, it’s not a reason to turn off the TV. It’ll be interesting to see how the team is utilized after the suspension and injuries. My hope is that we see an aggressive offense, and why not gamble on defense why we’re at it? At least it’ll be fun to watch the game, even if we do miss out on the playoffs.
For now, let’s see what happens against the Bills. My prediction…Bengals 24 – Bills 20.
That’s all I’ve got for now. WHO DEY!
