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The Bengals defense was much improved in 2008, but some of the numbers were misleading. Opposing teams spent most of the game running out the clock knowing that the Bengals offense was not a threat to score. Still the unit made a huge jump in the rankings and should continue to improve with new players and Mike Zimmer's warm and fuzzy coaching style.

Defensive Comparisons:

Position – 2008 Starter – 2009 Starter

DT--Peko--Peko--No Change
Peko may actually be an upgrade as he continues to improve each season. For a rare occurrence, we are going to give the Bengals front office a large amount of credit for getting Peko in the 4th round. Some Bengals picks actually turn out to be successful.

DT--Thornton--Tank--Upgrade
Thornton was a true professional and solid NFL player. However, he was in the last year of his career in 2008. Johnson will be an upgrade athletically, but he is on his 3rd team in 4 seasons for a reason. Behind Tank, Pat Sims appears to be making huge strides in his attempt to gain playing time. Do not be surprised if Sims is starting before the end of the season.

DE--Geathers--Geathers--No Change
The LB corps for the Bengals is finally rebuilt after the joke of 2007. This will allow Mike Zimmer to focus on using Geathers as a weapon instead of plugging holes. Hopefully, Geathers can return to dangerous form and create problems for the opposing QB.

DE--Rucker--Odom--Upgrade
Odom began last season on the shelf and took a while to get into rhythm with the defense. He is healthy and ready this year and should bring more energy to the D-line. Helping him will be rookie Michael Johnson who is a freak of an athlete. Combined they should bring speed of the edge and stay fresh with a rotation.

WLB--Rivers--Rivers--Upgrade
Rivers jumped out of the gates in his rookie campaign but ended up missing most of the season due to a broken jaw. Luckily, his injury did not require rehab or interfere with him working out. So he enters this season ready to play with added seasoning from 2008. Can you win Comeback Player of the Year in your second season?

MLB--Dhani--Dhani--No Change
Dhani’s career has new legs with his move to MLB. Dhani is the all around LB in the middle with the maniac Maualuga on the strong side and the speedster Rivers on the weak side. The LBs may finally be able to make AFC North teams throw the football.

SLB--Jeanty--Maualuga--Upgrade
Jeanty is a solid plugger in the running game, but he is not as explosive as Maualuga. The knock on Maualuga is that he can be wild and out of control. If so, the Bengals can always turn back to the reliable Jeanty. Maualuga’s playmaking ability is well worth the risk and the Bengals will try to keep him on the field as much as possible.

CB--Hall--Hall--Upgrade
Hall had some trouble in his early starts, but he is now rounding out into a top level corner in his third year.

CB--Joseph--Joseph--No Change
The Bengals have a solid CB tandem. If the defense could get a pass rush one of these guys could make the Pro Bowl.

S--Jackson/White--Crocker/Williams--Upgrade
Neither of the starting safeties are good in pass coverage, but both bring a presence close to the line. In the AFC North, everything is stop-the-run first so they fit with the program. The day 1 2008 safeties did not bring much to the table as Dexter Jackson was not invited to an NFL camp this season and Marvin White did not make the team.

KICKING

K Shayne Graham -- Downgrade
Gingerballs gets a downgrade because the Bengals front office designated Graham as the Franchise Player. Let’s repeat, Shayne Graham is the Bengals Franchise Player. He will be the same kicker as always, very reliable up to 40 yards, very few attempts beyond 40 yards, and kickoffs to the 10 yard line. Many kickers match this description, that is why use of the franchise tag is ridiculous. Sam Swank, who probably made $3,500 to kick for the Bengals, averaged 66.3 yards per kickoff and made his only field goal attempt -- a 49 yarder. Gingerballs will rake in $2.5million this season to perform just like any kicker off the street. In the end, it is not Shayne Graham’s fault that the Bengals front office is full of humungaloid doucheplexes, but decisions like this are why the Bengals have trouble winning.

P Kevin Huber
Kyle Larsen = Not good, he was not invited to an NFL camp this season. The Bengals improved defense could turn games into field position battles. If so, a few yards difference on punts and hang times could change the outlook and mean 3 points in a close game. Or it could just mean padded stats for opposing offenses.


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We do not know whether to chalk this one up to the little brother syndrome or the irrelevance syndrome, but Jordan Palmer is trying to make news for himself. Leading into the Ohio State v. USC rematch, Jordan had this to say on the radio (Not asked the question, he just offered it up voluntarily):

“Our Trojans are going to wreak some havoc this week. Ohio State fans are the most annoying people on the planet. It’s unbelievable. … They wear their stuff year-end, because there’s nothing else going on here”

When Carson bashed Ohio State last year it was good for a laugh. Carson, of course, was a Heisman Trophy winning USC quarterback living in enemy territory. Some of the OSU hillbillies got a little ruffled by Carson (Probably Browns fans), but overall the talk was fun and amusing. Jordan, on the other hand, has less in common with his brother and more in common with the Ohio State fan. Isn’t it annoying when people carry the torch for a random school like Ohio State year round? Yes, and that also goes for people from southern California, who attended UTEP, pining for USC. I cannot stand bandwagon fans, whether for Ohio State or USC.

Perhaps Jordan uses “Our Trojans” assuming he has an association with Carson’s success. Very similar to Mike Brown saying “Our Ohio State championships” referring to his father’s success….Or Frank Stallone saying “Our Rocky and Rambo movies”…..Or Willy Hitler saying “Our Third Reich” while trying to capitalize on his uncle’s power before fleeing to the US. Not only were Jordan’s comments delusional and confusing, they weren’t even original. Carson made almost exactly the same comments last year.

Willy and Frank, "Our Pride"

Why is a 3rd string Bengals quarterback, who attended UTEP, commenting on his hatred of Ohio? Maybe Jordan hates Ohio because in his one college bowl game appearance, the Miners of UTEP lost to Toledo 45-13 in the GMAC Bowl. The Toledo Rockets that day being led by Bruce Gradkowski. Maybe we should get Gradkowski’s opinion of the OSU-USC game. Jordan should actually be very grateful for Ohio because that is the home of the Brown family, the only people that think a rational decision is to keep a 3rd string QB because he is the brother of the starter. The Brown family members also happen to be huge Ohio State fans.

Either way, I can’t wait until Sunday so the regular season can begin and I can start thinking about real games instead of roster battles and wondering why Jordan Palmer is being interviewed.


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Now that final cuts have been made and the Bengals are preparing for week 1 against the Broncos, let’s compare the Bengals starters against week 1 of last season. Are the Bengals a better team or not? We will see.

Offensive Comparisons:


Position – 2008 Starter – 2009 Starter

QB – Palmer – Palmer -- No Change
Hopefully, Palmer will be back to full strength this year and ready for another 4,000 yard season. However, Carson has had trouble with injuries and taken many hits over his time as a Bengal. The offensive line this season has everyone nervous, but Carson needs to avoid hits and stay healthy for the Bengals to have any chance of success.

RB – Chris Perry – Cedric Benson – Improvement
The Bengals seriously entered last season with Perry and Watson as the 1-2 punch? Neither of them is currently in the NFL, were the people behind last season’s decision fired? Nope, they are on a 20 year run of ridiculous decisions, why change now? Benson, Dede, Scott and Leonard provide much better depth at RB, but Benson is not near the savior the Bengals promote him to be. Benson averaged 3.5 yards per carry last season, and his 2 monster games were in week 16 and 17 against the Chiefs and Browns. They are 2 of only 5 teams that were worse than the Bengals last season.

WR -- Ochocinco – Ochocinco – Improvement
Chad this season appears to be much different than Chad from 2008. In 2008, Chad came in out of shape and angry about his contract. He also separated his shoulder in the preseason. With a renewed focus and a healthy Palmer, Chad should return to the top of the AFC WR list.

WR – Houshmandzadeh – Coles – Downgrade
While Coles is a steady and experienced pro, TJ has been with the Bengals since Palmer’s first day in the building. Replacing that time together cannot happen in one offseason. However, the improvement in Chris Henry will be a huge boost to the WR corps as a whole. We will have to see if someone can step up and become Palmer’s 3rd down go to.

LT -- Levi Jones – Whitworth – Improvement
Whitworth is the best Lineman on the Bengals, so he is charged with the task of protecting Palmer’s blindside. Levi’s strength during his career was his athleticism, but knee injuries over the years took his athleticism away. That is why Levi is currently out of the NFL. Whitworth is a solid and dependable left tackle.

LG – Whitworth – Livings – Downgrade
Livings spent 2006 and 2007 on the Bengals practice squad before being made active for the last 6 games of 2009. In those games he played well, however, those were late season blowouts and meaningless games against the Chiefs and Browns. This season will be Living’s first season of true action.

C – Ghiaciuc – Cook – Does it matter?
Kyle Cook was on the Bengals practice squad in 2007 and injured reserve in 2008. He has yet to take his first NFL snap at center. Replacing Ghiaciuc should not be too difficult, but Cook was on the roster the last 2 years behind Ghiaciuc. That has to make the Bengals backfield uneasy.

RG – Bobbie – Bobbie – No Change
Bobbie Williams has been solid since his first day as a Bengal. The Bengals know the RG spot is still on lockdown.

RT – Stacy Andrews -- Anthony Collins – Downgrade
Stacy Andrews was playing under the franchise tag last year and did everything he could to leave the Bengals. Due to Andre Smith’s holdout, Anthony Collins is starting in his second season. Collins should improve as the season progresses due to his NFL career being so young.

TE – Reggie Kelly – Daniel Coats -- Downgrade
The Bengals lost their top 2 TEs in training camp. Reggie Kelly played a large role in the running game and helping in pass protection. Daniel Coats played his way onto the Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Coats is a decent all around TE, but he does not have the blocking skills of Kelly, nor the receiving skills of Utecht.

FB -- Coats/Utecht / Jeremi Johnson – Upgrade?
Not only did the Bengals enter last season with Perry and Watson, they also did not carry a fullback in week one 2008. Instead, Daniel Coats played some fullback while Ben Utecht sometimes entered as a 2nd TE. While Jeremi Johnson has had his issues over the years, at least he is a fullback. That should help the Bengals running attack and pass protection.

The Bengals are much improved in the backfield going into this season, but they are facing trouble with the O-line. Three of the five starting linemen and the TE are facing their first significant starting duties of their careers. If they can step up and come together as a unit, the Bengals offense will be extremely dangerous. However, if a few members falter, opposing teams will find and expose the Bengals weaknesses. Depth is also an issue as the four 1st time starters are backed by players with even less experience. Injuries are a fact of NFL life and injuries at the wrong position could quickly turn the Bengals into a 4 win team again.

Check back for a defensive comparison later in the week.


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The Bengals placed 17 players on waivers today to get down to the 53 man roster. However, because of the roster exemption for first round pick Andre Smith the Bengals will have to make one more cut in the next two weeks to get to 53.

There are some surprises here. I thought FB Chris Pressley was going to make this team. The guy looked for the hit and kind of reminded me of a young Lorenzo Neal. I know that Jeremi Johnson can be a good full back and has been successful with Cincinnati, but I am tired of him coming into camp every year out of shape. I think it sets him and the team back.

I was pulling for Corey Lynch also. From the clips we get to see from Hard Knocks though, it looked like Tom Nelson was just out playing him.

I thought about posting a current depth chart, but I have a feeling the Bengals may be active on the waiver wire. An offensive lineman or tight end would not surprise me.

Below are the cuts.

DEFNSE:
S Marvin White
S Corey Lynch
CB Rico Murray
DE Chris Harrington
DT Ventrell Jenkins
LB Dan Skuta

OFFENSE:
FB Fui Vakapuna
FB Chris Pressley
HB James Johnson
TE Kolomona Kapanui
TE Darius Hill
WR Maurice Purify
WR Freddie Brown
G Andrew Crummey
G Jason Shirley
OT Augustus Parrish

KICKER:
K Sam Swank


These last 3 were not subject to waivers and have been released to free agency:
LB Darryl Blackstock
LB Jim Maxwell
DT Langston Moore


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Everyone knows the Andre Smith situation is a mess, but let’s take a look at all of the angles of how the Brown family screwed this one up. From beginning to end, the Andre Smith story shows just how inept Bengals management can be. Step by step, here are some issues to ponder:

- The NFL draft slotting system, as unfair or ridiculous as it may seem, has 3 easy rules: 1) the newly drafted player will get paid more than the player drafted in the same position in the previous draft. 2) the player will also be paid more than the player drafted in the position directly after him. And 3) the player will not be paid more than the person drafted directly before him.
Pretty easy to understand.

- The Bengals, due to another losing season, received the 6th spot in this past draft. In the 2008 draft, the #6 pick, Vernon Gholston, received a five-year $50 million contract that included $21 million in guaranteed money. The Brown family had no intention of spending that type of money this year -- the first red flag. Why keep the pick when the very-easy-to-follow-slotting-rules let the Bengals know in advance how much they would have to pay? It’s simple, if you do not want to pay the money, move out of the draft slot.
The response of the Brown family to this question would clearly be, “We did not receive an offer of adequate value for the pick.” To which I say, “My nose is bleeding. You talking has actually made my nose bleed. Please excuse me while I go barf blood.” This proves the number one point to the last 20 years of the Bengals: Mike Brown only wants to bend the rules when it comes to money, not helping the team!!
Consider this proposition, if the Bengals have absolutely no offers of value on the table (Which I highly doubt), they trade the 6th pick straight up for the 23rd pick. Ridiculous! We didn’t get proper value!!! But think about it from a team standpoint, the 23rd pick happens to be the next OT taken in the draft Michael Oher. Michael Oher signed for the very Bengal friendly amount of 5 years, $13 million ($7.82M guaranteed), made it into camp on time, and is currently set to start at Right Tackle for the Ravens. Do you think Carson Palmer would rather have a ready-to-start Oher, or a 40 pounds overweight Andre Smith that has been to two practices? But no, Mikey had to have his 6th pick and pay him less than was to be expected. In the end, Mike Brown got his way and Andre Smith caved into signing a lower value contract, and the players rejoiced. The players really do not want their teammates practicing with them, they want the Brown family to break the draft slotting system. Heck of a job brownie!!

- Next, let’s move on to examining the details of Andre Smith. First, he was thrown off the team before his final college game. Name another solid NFL player to which this has happened. I can only think of one, fellow Bengal Laverneous Coles. NCAA rules are constantly broken without people being caught, perhaps because common sense steers people away from clear trouble. Could Andre Smith have poor judgment? Maybe.

- There are individual workouts and pro days, but NFL players have one true job interview, and that is the NFL combine. After missing his final college game, the NFL combine was a chance for Andre to get himself back on track. Of course, he decided to show up out of shape, disappear from the combine unannounced and drop a major incomplete in his evaluation. Imagine having a job interview for the Beach Waterpark, getting up in the middle of it and saying, “I don’t like how this is going,” and walking out. Do you think they would call you back? I doubt it. However, the Bengals were undeterred.

- And then everyone knows about this:


- Then there is the Alvin Keels as agent saga. Andre Smith signed with the relatively inexperienced Alvin Keels to be his agent. In the predraft build up, the Bengals made an issue of dealing with Keels were they to draft Andre. Shortly before the draft, Andre fired Keels and hired Rick Smith, an agent with which the Bengals have a familiarity. “Coincidentally” following the draft, Andre fired Rick Smith and went back to Alvin Keels. There is much speculation that Keels orchestrated the moves in order to make the Bengals feel more comfortable with Andre as the 6th pick. I doubt that as the Brown family is very tough to fool.

- After being drafted in April and attending summer minicamps, Andre Smith was left alone while Keels and the Browns worked out a contract. Somehow in this time period, Andre Smith, a professional athlete, found a way to become 40 pounds overweight. I often hear stories about Kobe Bryant and Lance Armstrong gaining 40 pounds in 2 months. This happens regularly to the highly motivated athletes.

- At least 70 missed practices, meetings, preseason games and workouts later, Andre Smith signed for 4 years, $26 million ($21M guaranteed). At the last second, the Brown family added a weight clause due to Smith showing up 40 pounds overweight. Any well run organization has to mandate contractually that their workers not be lazy and obese. Too bad Wal Mart cannot mandate this clause to customers.

- Many times, rookies that have held out of camp show up to camp and hurt themselves. This should not surprise people. In Andre’s case, he has not played football for 9 months, joined a team that is one month into training and preparing, and he is playing at a higher level than he ever has before. So he is 9 months out of shape stepping in against the best competition he has faced in his life. Rookie injuries could just be freak accidents, but many times it could be out of shape players forced into difficult situations. The Bengals minimize this risk by making sure rookies hold out ever single year.

Now the Bengals are 9 days away from their home opener and their offensive line depth is purely offensive. If they suffer any O-line injuries they will be in a world of hurt. Meanwhile, Andre Smith is focused on other issues. Somehow, without being able to walk on his broken foot, he has to lose 18 pounds by next Sunday or lose half of his salary.
Once again, HECK OF A JOB BROWNIE!!


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Great episode again. I love the fire from the coaches. Marvin's ripping of the team was awesome. I don't know that Mike Brown has emotion but, I loved when he told Andre that he was out of shape. Why mix words? Andre seemed to walk in the room like he was top dog and Mike let him know with few words that he was a scrub like everyone else and needed to get into shape.

From the footage shown the Andre Smith signing was pretty uneventful. As was all of the play footage they showed of him. I still think this guy is going to be good. He was the premiere offensive lineman in the past couple of years.

The two biggest roster battles are at running back and safety. I find myself rooting for Dorsey. He has great skill but is constantly injured. However, he seems like a really good guy and I think if healthy he could really contribute.

The safeties are a little rougher. I don't know what to expect from Roy Williams. He is a former probowler but does he have anything left? It looks like from the footage the battle is between Corey Lynch and Tom Nelson. Nelson looks like he is doing everything right to make the team. He has made some mistakes but his ability seems like he is winning the battle with Lynch. I wish somehow both guys could make the team because I think both will be on an NFL roster this year.

Last, it is painful to watch Lippincott on the show. I myself could stand to lose a few pounds but I would never wear an outfit that would cut me in half like Lippincott does. Seriously, he looks like some one put a rubber band around a water balloon. Apart from the wardrobe, was it me or did he seem to enjoy making the roster cuts this episode. He actually smiled when he told one player he was on waivers.

"Guess what friend? You don't have a job anymore... You don't have any candy do you?"

Some workplace sensitivity would do wonders for this "people person"


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Two days after signing and ending a lengthy holdout Cincinnati Bengals first round pick Andre Smith breaks his foot in a non contact drill. Why does it seem that this team can not catch a break? Josh over at CincyJungle wonders if Smith might be a bust? He even dares to mention the name Ki-jana Carter. (How dare you!)

There are reports that the injury keeps Smith out 7 to 10 days only. While this may seem like good news it just piles on the time before this kid can crack the starting lineup. I know there are factions that think this will affect the line negatively but this guy is a great lineman. He was the premiere Offensive Lineman in the NCAA the past two years and you don't get that kind of recognition for being a chump.

I never voiced my opinion on the contract or the holdout. Many people blame the Brown family for the holdout this year. While I can agree that the Bengals notoriously are one of the last teams to sign their picks so that they can use the slotting system to base their offers on, this year I think the Bengals did a good thing. Paying a guy 20% + more than the same pick the year before (reports show this is what Keels was asking for) is insane. The Bengals did not toss out the slotting system, the DHB deal did. The Bengals probably low balled at the beginning but that is what any negotiation consists of, trying to get the most for the least.

I understand Bengal's fans are fed up and want change, 1 winning season in 18 years is unacceptable. However, I am not some bitter fan that thinks every decision the organization makes is terrible. I am happy with Marvin Lewis as the head coach, I am ecstatic that Zimmer is the D coordinator. I loved this years draft (Andre Smith included). I think the Bengals field a much better team this season compared to last. These same fans that complain constantly and berate anything the Bengal's do would complain whether or not Smith signed on day 1 or day 101. (I now step off my soapbox).

Let's get Carson and Andre healthy and play some football.

WhoDey


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It appears while I was away riding many many miles to help end Multiple Sclerosis, The Bengals and Andre Smith have reached a deal.

I am glad that is out of the way and he can start to get reps. I can't wait for Hard Knocks to see how this went down.

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This game gave me a pit in my stomach. All of the good feelings I had about this team up until now were rushed back watching this football game. I saw the offense of 2008 and I don't like the thought that we could see a repeat of last seasons performance.

What I Liked -
Being at the stadium was awesome. It is just a great site to see all the orange and black filling the stands. Not a bad turnout for a preseason game. JT O'sullivan continues to impress me. I know he is not going to step up and replace Carson Palmer, but the kid made some great throws. The one I remember most was the threading the needle between defenders to allow Andre Caldwell to make a nice catch. The throw was exactly where it needed to be. Andre Caldwell also made a great catch on that ball while being covered.
I think this running game is going to be fine. There was at least one nice run that was called back on penalty and even though the running game struggled a little early I think during the season it will be a decent part of the offense.

Chris Henry continues to come up big. I am not sure why he does not run with the first stringers. My thought is he is getting playing time at the number 1 spot and Marvin wants to give the younger guys first team reps. Henry, Ochocinco and Coles are going to be near impossible to cover.

Tom Nelson sure does look like he is beating Corey Lynch for his job.

What I didn't like -
So much for a clean quarterback. The offensive line didn't do much protecting last night. JT was pressured on almost every play. The Rams defense caused 4 turnovers and 6 sacks. If this is how this unit is going to play this season then it doesn't matter who is back behind center, this team is not going to be very good. I am not sure if the Rams were just bringing heat every play not respecting O'sullivan or if the line just couldn't stop anybody. I am hoping it was the first. This kind of pressure can be controlled with different play calls bot I also don't have the confidence in soul patch that he knows that.

The turnovers need to be controlled. Are the younger guys trying to hard to gain that extra yard and allowing the defense the opportunity to knock the ball loose? Hold onto the ball. This was taught at the earliest level of football and needs to be in the mind of every one who touches the ball. For everything good you did Bernard, you crush it by giving the ball away.


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Great episode tonight. I think I was most excited to see behind the scenes of the defense in the game against the Patriots. They looked just as impressive in the HBO films version as the live version I saw during the game. I am pumped for the potential season Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson could have.

There was one cut shown this week. Marlon Lucky was competing for a spot on the team at the running back position. I wish I had more to share about this guy but the truth is we didn't see him much. Jim Lippincott again delivered the blow in a fairly insensitive way. I know no matter how you tell some kid his career may be over it is going to be hard, but show some compassion. You are not firing a guy who you found out was stealing money from the company. This is a kid who has busted his ass for the last few weeks to make a good impression. Pull him into a private room, don't cut him in front of the guys he walks in with (probably friends). You also don't have to look so awkward in delivering the news. Again, show some compassion.

There are going to be more tough cuts at the running back position so this is something I am going to watch closely in tomorrow nights game.

I loved the rookie talent show. I laughed the hardest at the impressions of Andre Smith. Hilarious and I am sure a punch in the gut to a kid who is sitting at home watching his future teammates work hard. Get the deal done.

Lastly and most frightening. Carson Palmer, I know it is supposedly an ankle sprain, but this week to week is bringing flashbacks of last season. Keep him out of the preseason, but he needs to play when the wins and losses really count.


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Something special must be going on for the Cincinnati Bengals. All of the sudden the Bengals are becoming media darlings once again. Sure, every season some sports writer (Pete Prisco) sings the praises of the Bengals. How intense they are in the preseason, how one acquisition is going to make the difference this season, how the Bengals are prime for a playoff run, etc...

However, there has always been one constant. Peter King a former beat writer in Cincinnati and Ohio University Alumni, a guy who loves his coffee almost as much as he loves Brett Favre, loves to kick the Bengals every opportunity he gets. Please don't get me wrong, much of the wrath is deserved obviously, but King rarely shows the Bengals praise.

Today, to my surprise the Bengals received 4 mentions in Kings "Monday Morning Quarterback" article. Of the four, zero were negative. King praised the Bengals for the pressure the defense got on Brady, he praises Chad for his strong kicking game and he praises the corners for their physical play. His 4th comment was on the non capped year and how not even Mike Brown would take this opportunity to lower the pay scale under the league salary floor that is currently in place. To this last one I would not be too sure about that. I would not put it past the Bengals organization to celebrate the opportunity to save money.

"Tom Brady got hit too much, and he got hit too much by the Bengals."

"I am still shaking my head at the Chad Ochocinco display Thursday night. OK, lots of NFL players can walk off the street and kick an extra point. Big deal. But Ocho's kickoff to start the second half? Pretty impressive."

"I like those Bengal corners too. Physical guys, especially Johnathan Joseph."

"it'd surprise me if even the hard-bitten owners like Mike Brown would slash payroll by 35 or 40 percent."

In other news it looks like Palmer's ankle is not healing. Knowing the Bengals crack training staff this injury could either be a high ankle sprain like their guess or it could be a tear to the right biceps. It shows again how little confidence I have in the Bengals training staff. These are the kind of injuries that go day to day and turn into 4 games missed for a broken leg. We have seen it happen too many times.


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The New England Patriots never scored a touchdown Thusday night in Foxborough. The Pats even had their savior back behind center who, for the first time in almost a year, was playing in front of his home crowd and still not Randy Moss, Joey Galloway, or a member of the Patriots backfield stepped foot in the enzone at Gillette Stadium.

It is only pre-season but the Bengals defense looks even better than the 12th best defense in the NFL that they were last year. This could be because of key acquisitions in free agency (Roy Williams and Tank Johnson, who both started Thursday night) and in the draft (Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson). It could also be that defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer wanted to put more emphasis on the pass rush than he did last year. Tom Brady knows about Mike Zimmer's plan for the pass rush, Robert Geathers had a chance to tell Brady all about it when he sacked him in the 1st quarter. (The video is here, the sack is about 1:40 in)

Rookies Rey Maualuga (now dubbed Hawaiian Punch) and Michael Johnson looked good and there is no doubt in my mind that they will be starting or at least rotating in on a regular basis by the time the Broncos come to town on September 13th.

And how could I write an entire article without mentioning Chad Ochocinco's extra point kick. He now wants to change his first name to Esteban to show his soccer roots. I think Esteban Ochocinco has a nice ring to it.


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Bengals fans are talking and laughing about Chad’s kicking ability after the Bengals preseason game last night. His kicks were very strong and provided a fun turn to a usually boring game. However, most of the talk is missing the point about what the situation says about the Bengals- THEY WENT INTO A GAME WITHOUT A KICKER! I know that preseason games do not count, but is it too much to ask to have a kicker on the roster? Gingerballs was declared out before the beginning of the game, so this was not a freak occurrence. And while it was fun, was having a key piece of your offense kicking really a good idea? Messing around at practice is one thing, but Chad does not practice kicking regularly and his kickoff went 80 yards. Gingerballs prepares his legs for kicking and he has a pulled muscle, should Chad be walking out unprepared, in a game situation, and kicking balls 80 yards? The Bengals front office should be embarrassed by this, not promoting it as a great news story for the team.

Remember the name Aaron Elling? He was the backup kicker brought in the last time Graham could not go in the preseason in 2007. Elling injured his knee in the final preseason game while making a tackle on a kickoff. Elling’s injury forced him onto the Injured Reserve and put the Bengals on the hook for paying him a full year’s salary. I am sure Mike Brown has not forgotten Elling. So instead of signing a replacement kicker to take the preseason reps for Graham, GM Michael Brown thought it best to play the game sans kicker and see what happens. Lucky for him Chad created a fun news story instead of the WTF story that should have been created for the Bengals front office.
Heck of a job, Brownie!!


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Like I have said before, a win always feels better than a loss, even in the preseason. There were some good things we saw from the Bengals this week that had me nervous last week.

First and most important, I think the backup quarterback situation in Cincinnati has greatly improved. I know that last year Ryan "Crazy Legs" Fitzpatrick looked pretty good in the preseason also. This was more from his ability to panic and have his flight reflex kick in rather than stick in the pocket and make the throws knowing he is going to get hit. I am by no means implying that if Palmer goes down to injury that the Bengals will be fine, I just think it won't be as miserable as last year.

I liked the way the second and third string defense brought pressure the whole game. Last week against the Saints the defense (2nd string) allowed the Saints offense (1st string) to march down the field and take control of the game. Tonight, the Bengals second stringers constantly were in the backfield and the Patriots quarterbacks had no time to pick the secondary apart. Pat Sims (player of the game from CBS) was in the backfield all night.

I liked the way the Bengals did not fold to the Patriots. I know it is preseason but I was waiting for the point in the game where the Pats would kick the field goal take a 2 point lead and the Bengals would lose. 1 more field goal from the Pats would have sealed the game for the kicker less Bengals.

I liked the starting offensive line's pass protection. The Patriots have a very good defense and Jordan and JT had decent time to make their throws. The starting running game was average, but after last year average is a big improvement.

I didn't like that Benson fumbled for his second time in two games. Cedric is not known as a fumbler but he seems to be carrying the ball low and this is usually where contact can knock the ball lose. This week he dropped it after running into his own lineman.

I didn't like the tackling on defense. Guys really are getting into good position to make plays and a missed tackle turns a stop into 4+ yds for the other team. These are the kinds of things that tire a defense and allow the other team to make long drives.

I didn't like the penalties for the Bengals. Mostly on offense. Several holding, several offensive pass interference and false starts. I hope this is tightened up before the regular season.

Lastly and the most depressing of my night was the offensive play calling. I know it is a vanilla offense the Bengals are running out there but man, I see a lot of the playbook that was supposedly "blown up" in these plays. 3 third downs in a row and we get 2 where multiple receivers and the tight end are running routes short of a first down. The other was the dreaded shovel pass on third and long. This is one play I hope I never see this season as it single handedly shows the incompetence of Side Show Bob Bratkowski.

Personally I thought Chad Ochocinco kicking the field goal was cool. What at the time seemed like a stunt that would be funny turned out to be something nice. Yeah, he kicked it well. I know we will hear about it on twitter, other blogs, news, but it really was a good kick. Let's all cross our fingers that our franchise kicker Ginger Balls Graham is OK. I would hate for him to not be able to roll out there and miss chip shot field goals.

WhoDey


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This was a pretty uneventful episode.

I learned that Carson Palmer likes to smell the under carriage of his center. I learned that Carson also is a Gatorade snob. I learned Chad Ochocinco does not understand how a bank works. I learned that even rich athletes struggle putting together their children's furniture.

I learned that I have very little confidence in the offensive coaching staff. Bob Bratkowski is visually reinforcing every thought I have had about him. I don't understand Mike Browns man crush on certain players. I also don't understand the negotiating skills of his daughter Katie. I have had similar phone calls to that when I was in 7th grade calling a girl for the first time. I am sure the HBO cameras clicked off right before we heard several rounds of:

"You hang up"
"no, You hang up.

I learned that the crack medical staff of the Cincinnati Bengals makes me very nervous. Was it me or were the doctors/trainers trying to convince Carson his injury was worse than it was?

I cringe every time the coaches and owner get together for meetings. I envision the laughter of NFL fans across the country seeing what Bengal fans have seen over the past 19 years. I hope the Bengals play a great game at New England tomorrow to get my mind off of the dismal episode I just watched.

WhoDey


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Tonight we are prepared to see episode 2 in this season of Hard Knocks, training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. Apparently many people are intrigued with the show. Are viewers tuning in to see an up and coming team face adversity while trying to rebuild an image and culture? Probably not. My guess is it is no different than when people drive by an ambulance on the side of the road. They can not look away.

In all seriousness the ratings were good (via profootballtalk.com)

"The 1.66 national rating represented a 28-percent increase over the first episode of last year's Hard Knocks, featuring the Dallas Cowboys."

What will Bengals fans and the rest of the nation see tonight?
- Mike Brown in response to being unable to sign Mike Vick deciding to waive his redeeming wand on younger brother Marcus Vick.
- Mike Brown instantly moving Marcus from QB/WR to Left Tackle (because he has great speed in lineman's terms)
- Marvin Lewis revealing a new slogan on T-Shirts for the team. The front stating "Brown Family" and the back stating "Child Please"
- Jim Lippincott cutting several more players in the following ways:
- On the toilet
- By tweeting it to the player
- By just kicking him in the nuts

All of the above are possibilities and as a lifelong Bengals fan would not surprise me in the least.


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Today the Bengals got a visit from a true champion at camp, Muhammad Ali. I guess this fits in with Marvin's theme in camp this year to fight back. Ali did it better than most. I am sure Chad OchoCinco was in awe as I can only assume Chad respects Ali's flare when he was in his prime. After hearing about the visit, of course the image of Ali standing over a downed Sonny Liston comes to mind. Then I immediately began to think of Kimo Von Oelhoffen standing over Carson Palmer in what was to be the end of the Bengals 2005 season. Lets hope at the end of this season the Bengals are a little more like the first picture and not the second.

WhoDey

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What I Liked

With the starters on the field on offense I was looking to see a couple of things from the offensive line. The first was pass protection for Carson Palmer. With all of the starters on the field Carson had all day to throw. The only time there was noticeable pressure was when the play was designed to allow the pressure for a screen.

Cedric Benson had an early fumble but I think this was a fluke from a guy who usually has no problems with fumbles. The defenders helmet hit the ball perfectly. The best part of this play was Laveranues Coles chasing down the play and making the huge hit to knock Vilma out of bounds. Saved a TD and with the missed field goal saved any points. Coles followed this up with an over the middle catch where he got blasted and held onto the ball. TJ is officially replaced in my book.

Kevin Huber had a couple of punts in the first half. Both high floaters inside the 20 that gave his defenders plenty of time to get up field and stop the return. Needless to say Kyle Larson is officially replaced.

The first string defense shut one of the most potent offenses in football to almost nothing. There was pressure on the QB (Dhani needs to make the tackle on that blitz).

I do want to see more from the first string running game. There seemed to be Saints defenders all over Benson every time he touched the ball.

JT Osullivan seems to be an upgrade over Crazy Legs Fitzpatrick. Although there was one play where he scrambled and went to the fetal position he redeemed himself thanks to the good timing and nice throws to Chris Henry (who looked great by the way).

I would like to end what I liked with how awesome Bernard Scott looks. He is quick, shifty and can take a hit. Granted, it is against the second string Saints, but he was by far the best player on the field when he was in. Could make an incredible change of pace back for Benson.


What I didn't like


My big what the F questions all came for Carson Palmer. Maybe rust is what had him channel his inner baby hands Kitna to fumble to himself (later ruled an incompletion) and then throw a pick so obvious I thought he would wear a hat with a cross after the game. However, if Carson's play is the biggest worry in the passing game that would be just fine.

Lastly, nothing like seeing your franchise player have a huge opportunity to show his consistency with blowing a chip shot field goal. Ginger, you need to tighten up. Hit some Pilate's or something.


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Real live football is here. It's the WhoDey against the WhoDat. Even though this is the first game of the preseason there are a few things I am really anxious to see tonight.

1. Punting - believe it or not I want the Bengals to punt the ball. I have harped over the last couple of seasons about how bad the punting game in Cincinnati has been. I think we have a great punter in local product Kevin Huber and I am excited to see his work.

2. Offensive Line - Lets not give up any sacks or broken noses tonight. You all should remember the image of Carson Palmer coming off the field last season with blood pouring from his nose after the Swiss cheese line gave him little protection. Tonight, I want Carson to come off the field as clean as he went on. Last year Josh at CincyJungle disected the offensive line play like only he can and was 50-50 on whether it was the line or scheme. Lets hope there is a much shorter review this year.

3. Quarterback - Who is going to be number two? JT or Jordan? I have a feeling that Jordan is going to own the backup spot this year. I only have this feeling from what I have seen from camp and I saw very little JT.

4. Running Backs - Cedric Benson should play very little tonight. However Brian Leonard and Bernard Scott should get plenty of touches. I want to see how both do and how the line (mentioned above) open up holes for them. There is also a battle at Fullback, will Fui Vakapuna fill in well and will Jeremi Johnson beat the Nathans Hot Dog eating contest record of 62 dogs in 10 minutes?

5. Safety - Is Roy Williams really better than Chinendum Ndukwe? I have a feeling not but I still hope for a solid rotation and production from both.

What to expect from the Saints? I think the Saints fans are mostly going to look at their secondary tonight. This is a unit that was rebuilt this offseason because it was horrible last season. Throw the ball on the Saints and you score. They want to see some shut down play from their DB's. This should be a tough task. They are going to need to cover some very talented receivers in Ochocinco, Coles and Henry. I think the Bengals should go to the air early to test the secondary. Chad Ochocinco is already calling out Malcom Jenkins through Twitter.


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