Preseason Week 2 – Saints

Keys to the Game.
This is the first preseason game in Paul Brown Stadium which is good for 2 things, 1) Catching up with the tailgaters and fans in your section who you haven’t seen since January, and 2) Drunk hillbillies. Last year, the first preseason game was an 8:00PM start on a Monday night. At 6:00PM, I saw a total grit, shirtless, about 40 years old, in cut off jean shorts, and on all fours throwing up face down in the parking lot. I thought to myself, “Wow, puking uncontrollably at 6 o’clock on a Monday, I really hope Dale and his whole family are sitting right next to me all season.” Actually, I was a little jealous that I wasn’t that fired up for the season. Lets get to the keys.

1) Injuries: As we all witnessed first hand last week with Kenny Irons, injuries in the preseason can change the entire outlook of the season. Last year during the Bengals first home preseason game, Clinton Portis of the Redskins dislocated his shoulder making a meaningless tackle on a meaningless interception. He wasn’t himself for much of the season. This year Drew Brees comes to town, and he knows all too well about meaningless injuries. Two seasons ago he blew out his throwing shoulder in the last game of the year, and this past pro bowl he dislocated his elbow in what is supposed to be a light contact exhibition. It’s a sad fact of the NFL that when 300+ pound people are running around, major injuries can happen at any moment, even in the preseason. With the Bengals having more established starters and less position battles, the starters should be out of the game early so we can see what the Bengals have with their backups and rookies.

2) The return of Simmons and Kaesviharn: Simmons and Kaesviharn make their first trip to the jungle since being signed as free agents by New Orleans in the offseason. Simmons was a first round draft pick (17th Overall) of the Bengals in 1998 after being a 2 time All American at North Carolina. In his 9 seasons as a Bengal, he finished in the top 2 in team tackles every year except 2 seasons which were shortened by injury. Add to that 23 sacks, 11 interceptions and 2 TDs; the most memorable being the home opener Sunday night game in 2004 where Simmons’ INT return for a TD allowed the Bengals to beat the Dolphins 16-13 in Carson Palmer’s first victory. Simmons also was the silent leader of the defense on bad teams that had vocal malcontents Corey Dillon and Carl Pickens. While Takeo Spikes was widely popular due to his Kung Fu dance after big plays, Simmons quiet playmaking and leadership helped set the tone for the Marvin Lewis Bengal turnaround. If only the Bengals could get that production out of all of their first round draft picks. Simmons was cut early in the offseason in a surprise move by the Bengals. However, Simmons has slowed with age and the Bengals could no longer afford to pay him a defensive leader’s salary.
Kaesviharn will probably get a bigger ovation in his return due mostly to his status as the undrafted white guy underdog story. Kaesviharn was a great signing as a utility DB and special teams player after toiling around in the XFL and arena leagues. However, injuries in the defensive backfield the past few years forced Kaesviharn onto the field more than the Bengals could afford. His liabilities were exposed and the Bengals were forced to draft 3 DBs this year to help bolster their DB depth.
Its too bad that guys that played so hard for the Bengals in bad times will not be with the team to realize the success. But that is the way it goes in the NFL, and once players go north of 30 years old, its tough to keep any job.

3) Tailgating vehicles: First game means a first look at all of the new tailgating accessories. Every year many Bengals fans are proud to debut anything they could put together in the offseason. This does not exclude us here at Whodeyfans where a minibus was purchased specifically for the Bengals. The first preseason game tailgate will have an air of one-up-manship as people care less about the game and more about the tailgate. Once everyone gets over the first look shock of the new sites, it will be time to come together and be ready for the real games.

What you do want to see: Bengals football in the jungle for the first time since January.
What you don’t want to see: Dale and his family in your section.