BENGALS ACQUIRE K AARON ELLING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; WED., AUG. 29, 2007
FROM CINCINNATI BENGALS PUBLIC RELATIONS

The Bengals have acquired K Aaron Elling on waivers from Jacksonville. Elling (6-2, 201; Wyoming) is a fourth-year NFL player. He has kicked for Minnesota, Tennessee and Baltimore, with 19 field goals in 28 attempts over 33 games. He also has 144 career kickoffs.
Elling first entered the NFL in 2002 as a college free agent with Seattle. He was released before the regular season, but for 2003 he signed with Minnesota and kicked in 16 games, scoring 102 points on 18-of-25 FGs and 48-of-48 PATs.
He saw action primarily on kickoffs in ’04 and ’05, logging eight games with Tennessee/Minnesota in ’04 and nine games with Baltimore in ’05.
He was waived by Baltimore in ’06 final cuts, and was signed earlier this year by Atlanta and later Jacksonville. He was active in preseason with the Jaguars (1-1 on a PAT) and was waived by Jacksonville on Monday.


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Preseason Week 4 – Colts

Keys to the Game.
Finally, we have arrived at the last preseason game, too bad this one is the most worthless of them all.

1. Fixing the Preseason: Not to pile on the poor guy, but Peter King makes some very bad points. In an article this week, he discusses the issues with the preseason – Charging full price to fans, starters not playing, risk of injuries, etc, and he offers solutions. His solution is to first make the season 17 games and the preseason 3 games, then expand to an 18 game season and a 2 game preseason schedule. In a dreamworld this is a great idea. In the real world, this will happen about when Mike Vick gets hired by Greenpeace. The MAJOR problem with this idea is the existence of the Player’s Union that is supposed to act in the best interest of the players. How do you think the United Auto Workers would react if Ford decided to change the work week from 40 hours to 45 hours but keep everyone at the same annual salary? They would ask for more pay and benefits to offset the extra work or strike. The revenue stream for the owners is set because they already charge regular season price for the preseason. Essentially, Peter King is saying that either the players will play an extra week for free, or the owners will pay the players for the extra week out of their own pockets. Neither of these scenarios will happen with the greed involved in NFL decision making. Peter King’s solutions are random thoughts of a fan and do not take into account that the NFL is a business. In professional sports, most debates between players and ownership results in the fans losing. The only possible change to the preseason structure will have to come out of the fan’s pockets. Perhaps the preseason could be shortened from 4 games to 2, but the regular season will remain at 16 games. In this case, expect the possible revenue loss by the owners to be incorporated into the season ticket prices. So maybe us lucky fans will not have to pay full price for a preseason game, but we will still pay the same price for 9 home contests that we paid for 10. HOORAY US!!

2. Injuries: The ongoing saga of Willie and Levi appears to be over. Both will practice this week and play a few minutes in the game. You never know what to believe when it comes to Bengals injury information. On the other injury front, kicker Ginger Graham and safety Dexter Jackson were hurt making tackles Monday night. The Dexter Jackson injury is very big if he cannot play in the opener against Baltimore. Rookies Ndukwe and White do not look ready to start an NFL game against a pro QB like Steve McNair. This development may save Ratliff a roster spot as he has some experience at safety. In the end, Marvin and Chuck will have to decide how to solidify their defensive backfield for week 1. The Jackson injury could affect the outlook of the roster and of the game in week 1. As for the injury to Ginger Graham, does it matter? Not really. There are only a few kickers in the league that can make a difference in a game, and Ginger Graham is not one of them. He is a solid kicker that has a dependable leg, but he is weak on kickoffs, does not have a long field goal range, and recently has not been very clutch. Once you get away from the few kickers that can change field position or make clutch kicks, there is just a bunch of interchangeable dorky white guys. If Graham can’t play, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the sidelines in a Stormtrooper costume.

What you do want to see: Dexter Jackson practice this week.
What you don’t want to see: Ifeanyi Ohalete. Perhaps the worst Bengal ever, Ohalete was signed off the waiver wire in 2005 to offer special teams help. When safeties Kim Herring and Madieu Williams went down with season ending injuries, Ohalete was forced into starting duty. What followed was some of the worst safety play in the history of football. It was so bad that Ohalete went from starting for the Bengals in 2005, to never being invited to another NFL camp again.

Battle of St. Xavier Grads: Lemar Marshall vs. Rocky Boiman

Let’s see, both played DB in high school and now play LB in the NFL. Both of their high school teams lost in the regional finals in their senior years. Both were free agents recently and Boiman resigned with the Colts while Marshall signed with the Bengals. Not sure if either signing was by choice, but it does not matter. MARSHALL WINS

Matchup of mullets: Alan Reuber vs Kenton Keith



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First let me say I am not concerned the Bengals don't have a win in the pre-season. This is after all glorified practice and what you really want to see is players doing their job and not making mistakes. That being said, lets get on to what I didn't like.

Didn't like:

- Apparently Mike Vick is in some kind of trouble. I think they only briefly mentioned it but I think it is serious.
- Deltha O'Neil, c'mon man, you look like you are in quicksand. And what was with the blown coverage on the first TD? That guy was wide open, 20 yds open.
- Michael Vick was in court or something.
- The db schema, why are we giving an 8-10yd cover on every pass play?
- Michael Vick was once a number 1 draft pick and I think he did something illegal.
- Rudy, while you did break a couple nice runs, whats with all the dancing? You are a bruiser, if they are in your way blast through them.
- Did you guys hear about Michael Vick?
- Rub some dirt on is Shayne, we need you.
- Kickoff returns. Can we get past the 20?

Liked

- Carson Palmer, 2 scores, 120 + passer rating and Jaws thinks you are the man.
- Jonathan Joseph, you made some great coverage stops, we saw you.
- Chad Johnson made Deangelo Hall look like he was standing still in the end zone.
- Mike Myers, nice run stuffing.
- Justin Smith, way to get in on the pressure.

All in all, I am a little nervous, but as the Bengals Number 1 fan I am still optimistic.

Who Dey


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This is exciting news! Lemar Marshall, former St. X Bomber, is coming home after signing a contract with the Bengals.

I was going to post about him when he was cut by the Redskins, encouraging the Bengals to sign him. But they went ahead and did it without my suggestion.

Now, even though I'm excited for this, I think that we should keep in mind that he was cut for a reason. I doubt he has a Pro Bowl year in him.

But he has a reputation as a great locker room guy, and a good leader. The year he established himself was when Marvin Lewis was the defensive coordinator. And as an experienced middle linebacker, I'm sure he'll help Ahmad Brooks learn how to lead the defense. And face it, as a St. X guy, you know he's smart.

I think this signing will have a big impact, but we won't see it in Marshall's numbers, but in the performance of the defense as a whole. How big of an impact do you think this signing will have?


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Today the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Ratliff appears to have fallen out of favor with some members of the coaching staff and could be released when the team has to cut down first to 75 players (Tuesday) and then 53 (Sept. 1).

What is strange is that just weeks ago in a previous post WhoDeyFans.com made mention of the way Keiwan was turning heads in camp. It looked like he was pushing for a job. If not here, at least somewhere.

What could it be? Discouragement? Attitude?

I’m discouraged. It would be nice to have a second rounder in the secondary. We’d benefit from a guy with aplenty of experience to help out the young corners, should Delta lose interest again. Instead it looks like we’ll be relying on the younger crop and placing coverage duties on Madeiu.

What happened? Coming out of Florida, he had just set a school record for punt return yards (860). Who would believe that? I have witnessed people cringing in the stadium when as Keiwan waits for the punt.

He has the tools. Before he was drafted he set a school record for interceptions in a season (9), and interceptions in a single game (3). He’d also been made the College Football All-America Team and won SEC defensive player of the year honors.

But here he is, in what looks like his last season in Cincinnati, having done little to warrant a #2 selection. While those around him of the 03 class have been busy making his high draft status look foolish. Julius Jones, Bob Sanders and Tank Johnson were drafted just a few spots ahead of him. And there is no doubt to the impact they’ve had on their respective teams.

Even on his own team, he has been overshadowed by Madeiu Williams, who was drafted seven spots later. And come to think of it, he’s been overshadowed by Landon Johnson, the last pick in the third round, Robert Geathers, drafted 117th overall and Stacy Andrews, drafted 123rd.

In the NFL everyone has talent, speed and skill. It’s the intangibles that move you up in the depth chart and into the starting lineup. By his draft position, college resume and the fact that he seems to occasionally turn heads, you know he has skill. Which makes you wonder, “what’s lacking?”

Could it be basic smarts? Is that too harsh? Try this one on for size. While he is fighting for a job in the preseason he had is four wisdom teeth removed. I am not a dentist. But I know that Wisdom teeth can pretty much come out, when you decide to take them out. I am not a football player. But I know I would not have surgery on my mouth, which would prevent me from eating solid food during the harshest training of the year while I am trying to earn a job.

Did I mention Keiwan has lost 11 pounds and is down to 178? That places him in second place for lightest Bengal. Judging by what we have seen of Keiwan in the past second place suits him.

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Preseason Week 3 – Falcons

Keys to the Game.
I wish the preseason games were over. The first preseason game is nice just to see some football. At this point, it’s not even really worth talking about, especially with the dude at work that won’t shut up about how the Bengals are terrible. People who freak out over preseason game performances probably also think that “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat actually fought each other for Miss Elizabeth. Remember when the Bengals worked the Patriots and the Colts in the preseason and all of the talk was how good the Bengals would be, only to have the Bengals blown out in the regular season? I’ll start making judgments when games count. Until then, the only issues are rookies getting experience and veterans staying healthy.

1) Willie and Levi: It’s hard to tell what is going on with these two with all of the mixed messages from the team. Literally in consecutive days this week, a story said Willie could possibly miss the entire season only to be followed by a story saying he could play Monday. What is going on with the Bengals’ medical staff? Whenever a Bengal is injured, it always seems like an estimate on their return is given. Then around the time the player should be returning, a second opinion reveals a different injury and a new timetable. Levi has subtly let it be known that he does not want to rehab his injury in Cincinnati because he does not trust the results. The NFL does not regulate medical staffs; it is up to each team to hire whomever they see fit to handle the job. Players do have protections and rights to second opinions through the Player’s Union, but in house staff is hired and works for the Bengals. Let’s just hope the medical staff isn’t an arm of Mike Brown’s past where he is known for penny pinching to enhance the bottom line. If so, maybe I could be hired as the Bengals’ team doctor, I would come very cheap. “Did I say you had a fracture? I meant to say it is broken. You may be able to play this week, but chances are you will never walk again.” Or the mixed messages could just be Marvin trying to keep the injuries under wraps and out of the media.

2) Lemar Marshall: This is a great signing for the Bengals, and not just because they get some hometown flavor. The Bengals have a solid core of linebackers they can start and rotate. Not a great group, but solid. Jeremiah Trotter was the big name on the cutting block that most Bengals fans noticed, but he was still cut. Trotter had a lower salary and cap value than Brian Simmons who the Bengals deemed not worth the salary. If the Eagles, who were on the hook for less viewed Trotter as not worth the salary, what does that say about him? Also add to that the fact the Andy Reid tried to talk Trotter into retiring. Trotter does bring a lot of attitude to middle linebacker, but he is also slowing down and offers no help at outside linebacker or special teams. Marshall, on the other hand, was one of Marvin’s guys while in Washington. He came into the league as a safety, so he can run, and he has played all linebacker positions. He now becomes the Bengals best linebacker in pass coverage. The signing gives the Bengals 5 legitimate starting linebackers – Brooks, Hartwell, Jeanty, Landon, and Marshall – who can rotate in any number of combinations. Combine that with Frazier, Landon, Marshall, and Miller on special teams and the Bengals linebackers control the game. Any player that is cut by another team is not going to be a front line player. Trotter is no longer a front line player, and neither is Marshall. But Marshall adds much more to the Bengals through his speed, smarts, and versatility than Trotter would bring.

What you do want to see: Willie or Levi at least make an appearance.
What you don’t want to see: Hours of Michael Vick coverage.

Match up of mullets: Alan Reuber vs Doug Datish

It’s hard to tell by the picture if Datish actually has a mullett. But if he does, this is an unbelievable piece of work that only someone from northern Ohio could sport. FALCONS WIN

Match up of Moustaches: DB coach Kevin Coyle vs RB coach Ollie Wilson

Again, only coaches have moustaches anymore. Are we ever going to see a moustache on a player? Until a player has a moustache, NOBODY WINS
Duel of the uglies: Jeff Rowe vs. Rod Coleman

Rod Coleman looks like he could scare a buffalo into committing suicide. FALCONS WIN

Battle of old men: Bryan Robinson(33) vs Wayne Gandy (36)

Wayne Gandy seems like he has been around forever and played for every team in the league. Plus he wears the Willie Anderson style plastic facemask that went out of production in the early 90s. FALCONS WIN

Biggest loser fan: Stormtrooper vs All of these dudes

Anytime you are cheering your hometown QB as he runs off the field and he shoots the dirty bird your way, you are a loser…..especially the moustached man whose kids are wearing Vick jerseys and waving. “CHECK THIS OUT A--HOLE DAD WITH YOUR A--HOLE KIDS!!!” FALCONS WIN

Trashiest looking cheerbabe: Lexi vs Shamea

The Falcon marks the spot when it comes to Shamea showing her team spirit. Further lines of seduction from her team bio:
Career Accomplishments or Experiences: Feature Dancer in the movie "Drumline"
Something My Squad Mates Don't Know About Me: Every bone in my body is extremely flexible!
HELLO!! Too bad the cheerleader bios don’t give out phone numbers.
This is quite a battle, but FALCONS WIN

Little known Falcons fact: In order to acquire the rights to Michael Vick, the Falcons traded their 1st and 3rd round draft picks in 2001, their 2nd round draft pick in 2002, and WR Tim Dwight. Those draft picks were used to select RB LaDainian Tomlinson, WR Reche Caldwell and CB Tay Cody. WHOOPS!
Around that time, Vick was using the alias Ron Mexico in order to visit clinics and receive treatment for herpes without people knowing. Later, a woman filed a lawsuit against him for knowingly giving her herpes. In the suit, which was settled out of court, the defendant was listed as Michael Vick AKA Ron Mexico.


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Things are looking good on the injury front for the Benglas according to Bengals.com. While Marvin is facing the knife on some torn ligaments in his own ankle, Levi and Big Willie look more and more healthy everyday. Willie has even said he will be ready for the showdown with the Ravens.

So all of you in Bengal land, sit back relax and hold on. With these guys in the lineup I am predicting an 11-5 season.


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For the second preseason game in a row the Bengals lost. Now we have to listen to all our friends and family say "Whats wrong with the Bengals". Let me start this post off by saying it is only pre-season folks.

Now on to what I liked:

- 3rd receiver: we all know Chris Henry is a stud and we will be without his services for the first 8 weeks of he season. However, from what I see Tab Perry is filling in just fine. If you look at the stat sheet he didn't do much. But Carson Palmer was at fault on two great plays where he under and over threw Tab as Tab beat a really good db in Mike McKenzie.

- Leon Hall, for the most part he kept his side of the field quiet and looked good in Run Support.

- Shayne G. Keep makin kicks man.

This is what I didn't like

- STUPID FANS WHO CRY TO MUCH AT PRESEASON

- Full price for a preseason game ticket

- The patchwork O-Line and no running game.

- Bennie Brazell might be the fastest guy on the field but he needs to catch the easy ones.

- Deltha O'Neil you need to channel the 05 guy and play some D

- Peter King (thought I would throw a jab).


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Now Big Willie is going around the Bengal's official word and telling reporters what actually is going on with his heel. And I think it may be time to start worrying about how available and effective he'll be this year. I'm not saying he won't be ready. I'm just saying that his injury is more serious than the team let on.

I asked if anyone else was worried about this two weeks ago. Well, how about now?

And I'm annoyed that Willie had to tell us because the team refuses to be forthright with their fans. There's no player that tells the truth, good or bad, more than Willie. I have so much respect for him because of that. I am not glad that the team I love isn't going to tell me when something major is going on with one of my favorite players.

There's hope that Willie will be available when the games start counting, but I think we need to be realistic. He's played at the top of his sport for a long time now, and has taken some serious punishment. Maybe we should appreciate it when he can play now, because it may not be that much longer.


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Really, what else could explain why he always, consistently, ignores or runs down the Bengals? For those who are unaware, one of King's first jobs after he graduated from Ohio University (Go Bobcats) was to cover the Bengals for the Cincinnati Post. And based on his career at Sports Illustrated, he must have had a horrible time when he was here. How else do you explain how he "covers" the Bengals?

As some of you may know, we here at WhoDeyFans have a certain opinion of King. But when we disagree with him, we try to do so with, you know, facts.

If somebody did call him a fat idiot back when he was here, congratulations. You were the first of what I'm sure is many. And you were right.

What has gotten my wrath from King today is his list of the current Dream Team. Granted, these lists aren't really about anything other than trying to drum up some site traffic. Which is why I'm not going to link to it. If you want to publish crap to try and get people to visit your site, Sports Illustrated, I don't want to make it easy for people to come to your site. Let me know when you decide to start actually covering the game.

Anyway, what's got me worked up is that he went out of his way to not choose a single Bengal for his Dream Team for this year. The big omissions, in my mind, were no Carson Palmer (his final choice for QB was Vince Young) and no Chad Johnson (Mike Furrey? Mike Furrey!!??)

I don't know what to say, so I'll let the numbers talk for me.

2006 Season------TD------INT-----CMP%-----Rating
Carson Palmer------28-------13-----62.3%------93.9
Vince Young---------12-------13-----51.5%------66.7

The story on Young is that when he was made the starter he "elevated the team." But that's just it, a story, and as a writer, King loves stories more than he loves the truth. The other thing about Young is that he can make things happen with his legs. I'll admit, he does have that over Carson, but show me the last running quarterback who won a Super Bowl, and I'll give you one of Michael Vick's prized puppies.

I'd take three seasons worth of impressive-to-awesome football over 15 games of mediocre football with legs and a story.

But, hey that's me.

Oh, and the other thing:

2006-------------REC-----YDS------TDS-------Google searches it took
--------------------------------------------------until I figured out who he was
Chad Johnson-----87------1369-----7------------0
Mike Furrey------98------1086-----6------------1

More catches for less yards and one fewer touchdown. Sounds to me like defense don't key in on one guy because he does less with the ball when he has it.

Plus Mike Furrey's a year older than Chad, but has been in the league two years fewer. And outside of last season, in his other four seasons, he has a grand total of 21 catches.

One more thing: Mark Furrey plays for Detroit. Yeah, I didn't know that either. And based on his picks for his "Dream Team," I wonder if Peter King knows that.


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Safety Madieu Williams and wide receiver Chad Johnson exchanged punches in two different incidents during the afternoon practice.

How it began:
The first came after Johnson caught a pass in front of cornerback Brandon Williams. He wheeled and whipped the ball at Madieu Williams and after it whizzed by, Madieu went after him and they tangled. After a pause, Johnson charged him and had to be restrained by head coach Marvin Lewis and defensive line coach Jay Hayes with Lewis getting his hat knocked off in the melee.

Tale of the tape:


Chad Johnson
29
6-1
192
32¼-inch arm length


Madieu Mohammed Williams
27
6-1
203
31 3/4-inch arm length

Talk about an even match up. Chad has the slightest of advantages in reach and another one in speed, but Maideu has him by 11 pounds. You also have to take into account that Madieu is used to hitting. Chad is used to being hit. How do you call this one? I’m guessing that if the helmets came off, and they go at it one-on-one, Madieu busts some of that gold out of CJ85’s mouth.

Labels: Chad, Fight, Madieu

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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.


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Since this is a site talking about the NFL, and the Bengals play the Falcons next week, we need to make our obligatory Michael Vick dogfighting comment. I think the NFL is thankful that PETA is a very vocal political group and that today’s media has very little to do with journalism, and very much to do with violence, shock value and ratings. The media focus so far has been on PETA protests, showing video of random dogfights, and commenting on how divisive the case is racially. The story has the media’s two favorite ratings boosters, racial tension and violence. They real story is being missed here, and it has nothing to do with race, and very little with dogfighting. If anyone reporting the story actually read the indictment, they would see that the minor charge is dogfighting. The feds do not care or get involved in animal cruelty cases usually. The major charge is “conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities (“Travel Act”) to promote, manage, etc. a business enterprise involving gambling;”, legal jargon for running an interstate underground gambling ring. That charge is the feds bread and butter because of the ties to organized crime. In a sport whose popularity is driven by gambling, is it a good thing to have your marquee player involved in an underground gambling ring, be it dogfighting or anything else? And when I say the NFL is driven by gambling, how many people reading this blog pore over the injury reports weekly in order to set up your fantasy team? And all that effort is to win a league with a $50 buy in. Imagine the lengths high stakes gamblers in organized crime will go to in order to win NFL bets. Could these gamblers have been shoulder to shoulder with Vick at one of these dogfights? In light of the NBA referee scandal, how nervous do you think those in the NFL corporate offices are right now that some nosy reporter will start asking how involved Vick is in gambling and dogfighting’s ties to organized crime? I’m sure the NFL would much rather look out their office windows and see middle aged PETA housewives jumping up and down holding pictures of their labrador retrievers.


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A recent letter to the editor in the Enquirer raised the question of which games to take children to. I think that this is a really good way to look at it, that some games are rated PG and some are rated R.

It reminded me of a conversation I had with one of the partners at my company last year. He had told me that he had been a season ticket holder for years, and got the tickets to take his sons to the games. But he finally got rid of the tickets after the 2005 season because he felt that Bengals games weren't the right places for his sons to hang out.

I immediately wondered if perhaps he'd been sitting near me for the playoff game against Pittsburgh. I uttered a few choice words for most of the game.

What I like about this letter to the editor, though, is that it's not calling on Bengals fans to shape up. It's telling parents that some games get the crowd riled up so much that you might not want your children to be there. This is probably more of a common sense solution than the jerk hotline.

Money quote:

I'm not condoning the drunk taking his shirt off screaming about what he's going to do to other people's sorry butts. I'm just saying it happens.

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Tests have confirmed that Bengals’ rookie RB Kenny Irons suffered a season-ending left knee injury during Thursday night’s preseason game at Detroit, head coach Marvin Lewis said today.

Lewis said the diagnosis was a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Lewis said the Bengals’ medical staff anticipates a full recovery for Irons, and that Irons will be ready to participate in next spring’s mini camps and OTA practices.

Irons, from Auburn, was Cincinnati’s second-round selection in the 2007 NFL draft.
Well that sucks. Maybe we should not play pre-season in Detroit. (Right Kijana Carter?)


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First off Who Dey, as a whole, our #1's, crushed, their #1's. Lets start with what I liked about last night:

Run D. We looked solid against two good running backs, we held the line well and had a couple stops for loss against Tatum Bell and TJ Duckett.

QB Pressure. I don't know if this was us or Kitnas lack of ability but I liked it.

Offense. Whats not to love, we are stacked.

Dis-Likes.

DB's It looks like teams are going to be able to pass on us this year.

Special Teams, Wow, bad onside recovery, blocked punt, missed game winner. This was always a Bengal strength.

Backup QB, if Carson needs to miss any time, we are in big trouble.


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"Brady Quinn is NFL ready," has been the most repeated quote since the beginning of the 2006 college football season. Who started saying this quote and why is it constantly repeated? Did NFL scouts and personnel begin saying this quote? Let's see, NFL ready QB, prototype QB build, Heisman Trophy finalist, 2 BCS Bowl games, drafted 22nd? An NFL ready QB with these credentials does not get passed by 21 times. Recent NFL ready QBs without Quinn's record and attributes, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, JP Losman, Alex Smith, and Jay Cutler were all drafted higher because NFL personnel actually believed they were NFL ready. So who really began repeating this mantra? One man has everything to gain by starting this slogan....Charlie Weis. Charlie Weis has been saying Brady Quinn is NFL polished since he started coaching at Notre Dame. Charlie Weis' career at Notre Dame is rooted in his ability to develop QBs. It is supposedly his specialty, will help him recruit major QB prospects, and will raise the profile of himself and the program. Remember, prior to the draft, Charlie Weis was personally calling NFL franchises trying to sell Brady Quinn to anyone who had a high pick. Getting Quinn drafted high would equal star recruits and validating Weis as a coach. But why is Weis considered such a great coach? Well, he was the offensive coordinator for Tom Brady and the New England Patriot's efficient offense from 2000 to 2004. Here are Tom Brady's numbers under Weis:

Year---Comp %-Yards--TD---INT
2001---63%-----2,843--18----12
2002---62%-----3,764--28----14
2003---60%-----3,620--23----12
2004---60%-----3,692--28----14

Here are Tom Brady's numbers after Weis left and the Patriots top 3 receivers left and were replaced by NFL journeymen:

Year---Comp%-Yards--TD---INT
2005---63%-----4,110--26----14
2006---61%-----3,529--24----12

No real difference there. Perhaps the Patriots aren't missing anything without Weis.

In Weis' 2 seasons at Notre Dame, the Irish have played 5 ranked opponents. Their record is 0 and 5 with only one of the games not being a blowout. Brady Quinn's completion percentage in those 5 games, 54%, 64%, 50%, 48% and 42%. But it takes more than a coach and QB to win games, right? Well in the last 2 NFL drafts, the following players have been drafted:
Year----Name----------Position--Round
2006--Anthony Fasano---TE--------2
2006--Maurice Stovall----WR-------3
2006--Dan Stevenson-----OG-------6
2007--Quinn, Brady-------QB-------1
2007--Abiamiri, Victor----DE--------2
2007--Harris, Ryan-------OT--------3
2007--Landri, Derek------DT--------5
2007--Richardson, Mike---CB--------6
2007--Ndukwe, Nedu------S---------7
2007--Dan Santucci--------OG-------7
*2007 --Samardzija, Jeff--WR--Projected 1st or 2nd round pick. Chose to play Baseball.

So the top coach in the NCAA and an offensive genius has a QB who can step in and start in the NFL, has 11 NFL level players, 7 of which are on offense, and they can't beat a ranked opponent. On top of that, their offense cannot even put together a decent completion percentage. Something does not add up here.

This isn't to say that Brady Quinn is not going to be a good QB. But now that he has signed his contract, TV ramrods are saying Quinn will step right in and start because he is "NFL ready." Next time you hear someone refer to Brady Quinn as "NFL ready," please take a second to remember who started feverishly pushing that propaganda and why. Charlis Weis is the most gastric bypass ready NCAA coach....oh wait, he has already had gastric bypass surgery, yet he is still fat, and he is in the middle of a lawsuit accusing his doctor of malpractice. Weis does know how to play the recruiting game though, and it is all about HYPE!! GO IRISH!!!

Labels: Charlie Weis, Gastric Bypass, Lard Sandwich

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; MON., AUG. 6, 2007
FROM CINCINNATI BENGALS PUBLIC RELATIONS

The Bengals will hold two joint practices with the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, Aug. 16 at the Paul Brown Stadium practice fields.

As is the case with all practices following the close of training camp, the practices will not be open to the public. The practices will be open to media, with start times of 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

“We’re happy for the chance to add these practices,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “This is not a contact scrimmage, since we play the Saints two days later, but we’re looking forward to some good, full-speed competitive work against a fine football team.”

To accommodate the joint practices, the Bengals will break training camp at Georgetown (Ky.) College after morning practice on Aug. 15, rather than on the morning of Aug. 16 as originally scheduled. The Aug. 15 practice at training camp will be open to the public and media, but the practice time on that day has been changed to 9-11 a.m. from the originally announced afternoon time.

On Fri., Aug. 17, the Bengals and Saints will hold separate practices on the game turf inside Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals’ Aug. 17 practice will be closed to the public and media.

The Bengals and Saints will play the second 2007 preseason game for both teams on Sat., Aug. 18 at PBS.


BENGALS ROSTER MOVES

The Bengals today made the following roster moves:

● Signed rookie HB Curtis Brown of Brigham Young. Brown (6-0, 205) entered the NFL in May as a college free agent signee by Oakland. He was released by the Raiders on July 13.

● Waived (injured) rookie HB Dan Burks of Alabama-Birmingham. Burks suffered an elbow injury last Friday during the team’s Intrasquad Scrimmage. He will revert to the Bengals’ Reserve/Injured list if he clears waivers tomorrow.

Labels: press release

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It strikes me as strange that two of the most important players on offense haven't worked out with the team at all during the preseason, but no one's talking about it. Where are we going to be if Big Willie and Levi (Joey Porter's NFL brother) can't play this season? And why is no one showing more concern?

This reminds me an awful lot of Rich Braham's situation last year, when Marvin kept saying "Oh, he just has a deep bone bruise." Everyone kept thinking, "That's it? Then he should be back soon." Turns out, the bruise was caused by his leg snapping and scraping down his femur (or something like that, I'm no doctor). We didn't get the straight story from the team all year, and I'm worried that that's what's going on with Willie and Levi. That's the bad part about Marvin as our coach, he doesn't care to keep the fans informed with what's going on with the team.

From Sunday's article on the Bengals in the Enquirer:

• A couple of big questions, about 650 pounds worth, hang over the offense - the health of starting right tackle Willie Anderson (foot) and left tackle Levi Jones (knee). Neither player has practiced, though both are working out every day. How would any prolonged absence affect the offense, especially its renewed emphasis to run the ball effectively?

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Preseason Week 1 – Lions

Keys to the Game.
Watching preseason football is much like watching two girls play Tecmo Super Bowl. A lot of random plays will be called which make no sense, and you are not sure if anyone really cares if they win. So with that in mind, the Keys to the Game will be much different in the preseason. We are not looking for keys to a Bengal’s victory, but signs that the Bengals will be ready come regular season. Coaches do not really game plan for the preseason. Instead, they have lists of plays and players they want to see in specific situations to see how they work and look on film. Some things to look for that will have an effect on the regular season.

1) The third receiver. One thing to notice against the Lions is the action of receivers not named Chad or TJ. On the first 3rd and 7, who goes in and what type of route does he run? If Bennie Brazell, Antonio Chatman, Tab Perry or anyone else comes in, lines up as the outside receiver and goes deep, the coaches are trying to see if they have a legitimate replacement for Chris Henry. Or you may see them try other solutions on 3rd down, such as, lining up Tab Perry and the inside receiver and testing him over the middle. You may also see an unusual amount of passes to Kenny Irons to test his hands as a 3rd down back out of the backfield.
In the end, what you see Thursday night will be some test runs for what the Bengals will desperately need to beat Baltimore in week 1, multiple options on 3rd down. Ultimately, it may not matter because we all know on 3rd and long that a Shovel Pass to Kenny Watson will be Bratkowski’s call 9 out of 10 times.

2) The new offensive line. The offensive line really isn’t that new, but there will be two new starters from opening day last year bringing a new dynamic to the line play. Rich Braham (Pour one out for your homie) will be replaced by the more athletic, but less experienced Eric Ghiacuic. Stacey Andrews- The largest human on Earth- or Andrew Whitworth-The second largest human on Earth- will replace Eric Steinbach(Lots of BUI space on Lake Erie). Steinbach’s best attributes are his athleticism and technique while Braham was the ideal NFL center with game IQ and a West Virginia Appalachian Deliverance style mean streak. While the new starters may not be as good as Steinbach and Braham, line play may improve due to the new starters fitting into the Bengal’s system. With Rudi being a grinding running back and Carson being a straight dropback passer, the Bengals line does not need much athleticism. Nobody is getting around Whitworth or Andrews without a map, and Ghiacuic will have a 350 pound Guard on either side of him. While the loss of Braham will be felt, the bengals dealt with that last season. The offensive line, Reggie Kelly, Jeremi and Rudi Johnson, I don’t think they could spell the word ‘finesse’ between the eight of them.
What to notice Thursday night will be the difference in the running game. There will be more straight ahead running without Steinbach as a pulling guard, similar to the Ravens a few years ago. If the Bengals can run straight ahead at teams with success, that will open up the play action pass and allow more room for the passing game to operate.

3) Ahmad Brooks. Even morons that live in Bevis know the key to the Bengals defense this year is the play of Ahmad Brooks. But it is harder to analyze defense in the preseason because, again, coaches do not gameplan for preseason games. The defense will have very little idea what plays will be coming, and mainly will be working on alignment and responibilities for different defensive calls. Beyond that, the defense will not be trying to attack the offense or take away the strengths of the offense. We will, however, be able to judge the basic skills of the defense; speed, pursuit, tackling, etc. So from that standpoint, Ahmad Brooks should look very good on Thursday night based on all of the hype about his potential. We can see how comfortable he operates now that he is the leader of the defense.

What you do want to see: Ahmad Brooks running through Tatum Bell in the backfield.
What you don’t want to see: Stacey Andrews being flatbacked by highest paid NFL tackle Cory Redding on the Bengals first pass attempt.

Matchup of mullets: Alan Reuber vs Langston Moore –

The Bengals lost most of their good mullets during the offseason when Keiwan Ratliff got a haircut and Jonathan Fanene decided to un-cornrow his hair. This could be a bad sign that Reuber is the closest thing the Bengals have. Former Bengal Moore brings it home. Lions Win

Matchup of moustaches: DB coach Kevin Coyle vs Matt Millen –

Everyone Wins.

Little known Lions fact: Jon Kitna, who will throw for 50 TDs this season, was arrested for shoplifting, was a drunk and a womanizer while in college. After being caught cheating on his girlfriend, he became the cross hat wearing, Jesus loving QB we all know and love.

Labels: Awesome, Matt Millen, Totally Kick Ass

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The 4 defensive starters in their contract years are free safety Madieu Williams, weak-side linebacker Landon Johnson and defensive ends Justin Smith and Bryan Robinson.
Some key backups headed into their final contract years, are middle linebacker Caleb Miller, cornerback Keiwan Ratliff, linebacker Ed Hartwell and defensive tackle Kenderick Allen.

If Madieu can return to form I say sign him for the future. This defense needs an identity, and Madieu, with our twin first round corners; Ahmad Brooks and Peko are the foundation to build on.

We need guys with a swagger. And I’m sorry but that is not Landon Johnson. He is a serviceable guy, but I would not give him a big payday. I’d say goodbye to Smith and Robinson as well, unless either would sign for less.

I’m okay with Keiwan. He is having a good camp. And you might remember TJ calling him out as a person who deserves to be a starter during the off-season. But I sign him, provided he doesn’t want starter money (which he probably does). As to the rest, I would wait and see how Hartwell and Allen play before I make an offer. Goodbye Caleb Miller.


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Well, I think any chance that Odell's going to be part of the Bengals plans ever again went out the window with the news that he missed a meeting with his probation officer.

This happened on Monday the 24th of July, and on Thursday of that week it was announced that he wouldn't be back. Could it possibly be the case that one led to the other? Did the league know he missed this meeting, and went ahead and suspend him? Seems like a quick turnaround, but I've still yet to hear an official reasons for tagging another year on his suspension.

I'm giving up on Odell. But many of his teammates aren't, as this report from Bengals.com tells us. Money quote:

When (Bryan) Robinson and (Justin) Smith heard the news, they looked at each other and Smith said, "You've got to be kidding me."

The team wasn't counting on him this season, so maybe it's not a big loss. I think now, they'll either release him or let him play in Canada. But I don't think he'll figure in their plans for next season either.


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I just read an interesting article over on MSNBC that starts off as an article about Marvin Lewis potentially being in the hot seat if the Bengals don't perform this year and then trails into how the Bengals have trouble finishing a season.

While I disagree Marvin's job is in jeopardy, I do think in order for the Bengals to have success this year they need to play as strong in the last three games as they play in the first three. Remember, one year ago, one win in the last three games would have changed an average season into a winning / playoff season.

Lastly, it has not been said on the blog and I feel it is long overdue, I do not like the Steelers, and more importantly, do not like Steeler fans.


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