A few thoughts heading into this weekend’s game:

• It’s fitting that Eric Steinbach is returning to Cincinnati this weekend, because after watching Carson’s performance last week by the bay, I wonder about his confidence in his O-line. What used to be such a strength over the last three years is not anymore, and I think you can see that in the way Palmer’s been playing.

His throws seem rushed and his footwork seems off. Now, he’s only been sacked 17 times, compared to 49 times for Jon Kitna. So I don’t think it’s just the pressure he’s facing. I also think that he knows the running game won’t help him much, so he’s putting more pressure on himself to make things happen. And Steinbach, as a guard, was a big part of creating holes for the running backs, and we’re missing that this year.

• I actually had a dream this week that the Bengals fired Chuck Bresnahan, a.k.a. Barney Rubble. I don’t usually dream about assistants on coaching staffs, but I woke up excited until I realized that it was all just a crazy, happy dream.

But wouldn’t it be great if we had two coordinators who we were afraid would get hired away by a team looking for a head coach at the end of the season? I don’t think any team would take our two coordinators to be clubhouse attendants right now.

• Seeing the season Jamal Lewis is having (1084 yds, 83.4 yds/gm, 4.3 yds/carry, 9 TDs) gives me hope that Rudi’s career isn’t over. Everyone thought Lewis was done a couple of seasons ago, but right now everyone is saying how great he is again.

After I wrote the above paragraph, though, I checked out the stats, and Lewis has never had a season as bad as Rudi’s is this year. Here are their yds/carry over the last five seasons, going back to Lewis’ amazing 2003, when he rushed for 2006 yards. That was also the year Rudi split time with Corey Dillon.


Year---------Jamal Lewis----------Rudi Johnson
2003------------5.3----------------------4.5
2004------------4.3----------------------4.0
2005------------3.4----------------------4.3
2006------------3.6----------------------3.8
2007------------4.3----------------------2.9


Lewis had 2 years under 4 yds/carry, and now is back above 4. But he never went under 3, and he spent an entire offseason with D’Angelo Barksdale in prison, which probably wasn't the best offseason training program.

They are similar style backs, and Lewis' stats tell me that Rudi isn't necessarily done. But Lewis is a better back than Rudi ever will be, so maybe it's not a good comparison.

• According to wikipedia, a backhanded compliment is an insult disguised as a compliment. It is generally used to belittle or condescend, or often one uses a backhanded compliment when one wants to insult someone in a subtle way.

Check out these quotes from the Bengals about how great Derek Anderson is this year (from the Enquirer):

Rookie cornerback Leon Hall: "He has pretty much (ridden) the wave. He has a lot of playmakers around him. He gets the ball to them and doesn't make a lot of mistakes."

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph: "He's a smart player. He's not going to try to do too much. He's going to try to make the right plays. He does what's called."

Defensive lineman Bryan Robinson: "I think a lot of (Anderson's success) has to do with the offensive line. He has only been sacked 12 times. If the quarterback can stand there and not worry, it makes his job easier."

Across the field, a fellow quarterback, Bengals starter Carson Palmer, appreciates what Anderson has done.

"I think he's played well all year," Palmer said. "He's gotten the ball to their playmakers in Kellen Winslow and Braylon (Edwards) and done a good job of getting them into the right running plays because (tailback) Jamal Lewis has obviously had a great year."

Actually those might not be backhanded compliments, because they’re not that subtle. That tells me the Bengals are a little pissed at the Browns, and Anderson, because that loss in Cleveland was really the beginning of this long, crappy season. I hope to see an angry Bengals team on Sunday, and to that I say: It’s about f—ing time.