The Official 2006 Bengals Thread

[Dward00]

Oh snap! Somebody did it. And it had to be me. I live in Cincy, and am extremely excited about the bengals this year. They are definitely the band-wagon team of 2006, and the season hasn't even started yet.

I'm excited about a lot of things but most importantly is the depth of the team. We got the best offense in the NFL...........who wouldn't agree with that? We got the best wide-recievers hands down. Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh lead our recieving corp, but Chris Henry is a 3rd option reciever with the gifts and skills of a Randy Moss. Our O-line allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL last year. We got the best, or 2nd best QB in the league(It's either Carson or Peyton). Rudy Johnson has broken the team rushing record each year the past 2 seasons coming close to 1500 each year, and averaging close to 400 carries.

The offense is something that I am not excited to hear about anymore since I already know what they're capable of. The most exciting news in Bengaldom is our emerging defense. The 2 new players that we are probably most excited to see is Sam Adams, and Ahmad Brooks. Sam Adams has been a part of 2 afc champion teams, and 1 super bowl winner between 2001-2004. His defensive teams have always ranked at least in the top 8 of run defense for every year that he has ever played in the NFL(the major weakness of our defense). He's a big fat guy that every defense needs to succeed. He's the missing link that our defense has been missing the last few years(so the media says). The 2nd guy, Ahmad Brooks, is a rookie this year. We attained him in the 3rd round of the supplemental draft. This has been considered a huge steal since if he would have been in the draft 1 or 2 years ago he would have been in the top 2 or 3 picks. His status dropped because of his off the field problems and that is why he ended up in the supplemental draft(he got booted off his college team). He has often-times been compared to both A.J. Hawk, and even the immortal Lawrence Taylor. He plays middle linebacker in case some of you didn't know. He won't be starting in week 1, but i expect him to have the job before the end of the season and I expect them to move Odell Thurman to outside linebacker when he returns since he is pretty much under-sized for middle anyways. If there's one weakness on the defense I would say that it's the secondary. We have 2 aging cornerbacks in Deltha O'neal, and Tory James. We did, however, pick up Darell Jackson from Tampa Bay who is an exception pro-bowl caliber strong safety. We have 2 young cornerbacks that in my oppinion need playing time so that they can develop, and they have freakish size and abilities. Our defensive line has been the strong point of an otherwise weak bengals defense the past 2 years, and I expect it to stay the same.

The issues facing the bengals before week 1? There's a few. The main one is will Palmer fully recover from his injury and improve on his pro-bowl form of last season. Everyone here seems to think so without a doubt. Will Sam Adams be in playing shape for week 1? The media are picking on his tubbiness(he weighs 360-380lbs.). Fortunately both players start their first preseason game tomorrow, august 28, on monday night football against the green bay packers. The other issue I can think of is Rudy Johnsons poor play in the first 2 preseason games. 6 carries for negative 5 yards.............LOL. Marvin Lewis and the rest of the coaching staff swear up and down that he's fine though.

I honestly think u have to instantly consider Cincinnati as one of the top 3 title contenders this year. I think this is the most promising upcoming year that I've seen since the days of Boomer.

[Dward00]

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis did OK Friday in his own news conference following Carson Palmer’s newsmaker on Thursday. Lewis revealed that Palmer will play in the Sept. 1 preseason finale against Indianapolis even though his 2006 debut against the Packers this Monday night is just four days prior.

Lewis also said Pro Bowl defensive tackle Sam Adams is going to make his Bengals debut against Green Bay Monday, and he practiced Friday for the first time after a preseason working with strength coaches Chip Morton and Ray Oliver.

Lewis said he would see how Palmer does during the game in deciding how long he’ll play, although it sounded like the coach would like his quarterback to come out of halftime and play into the third quarter.

“It’s his preference to play against Indy. He expressed that to me a couple of weeks ago,� Lewis said. “We’ll follow that plan. He would prefer not to have a bye week.�

Lewis said they’ll consider how the knee is affected by playing two games within five days, but said, “He’s bounced back every day. It’s not like his load has changed.�

Also what hasn’t changed is that the Bengals don’t want to get Palmer touched. They wanted that before the Steelers’ Kimo von Oelhoffen crawled into his knee and grabbed it in the Wild Card loss, which ironically capped a season in which the Bengals allowed their fewest sacks in history. Palmer got sacked 19 times and only one other full-time starter was sacked less, the Colts’ Peyton Manning with 17.




So it appears that Palmer will probably play 3 quarters this monday, and even play next sunday's last preseason game.

P.S. I like how this author says that Kimo crawled into Carson's knee and grabbed it.

[Durango53]

Great news on Carson. Look forward to reading your posts.

[Dward00]

I actually want carson to play the full game tonight. The poll in cincinnati is most of our fans predominitely want him to only play 1 quarter. It's begining to get rediculous. We all want to mint him up and sell him on ebay I think. I want him to kick ass!

[skineg]

Nope....not interested in an official Bengals thread. That would mean I'd have to maintain it. Screw that.

LIES!! ALL LIES!!

[Dward00]

I'm sure everyone here has been hering about carson's game against Green Bay last night. He was unbelievable. In staking the Bengals to a 34-7 halftime lead with a staggering passer rating of 136.9 by completing nine of 14 passes for three touchdowns, he may have shown who was the best QB in the league last night.

The bengals ended up winning 48-17.

I'm going to get more information on this game when I can.

[LesPaul]

I'm sure everyone here has been hering about carson's game against Green Bay last night. He was unbelievable. In staking the Bengals to a 34-7 halftime lead with a staggering passer rating of 136.9 by completing nine of 14 passes for three touchdowns, he may have shown who was the best QB in the league last night.

Great game for him...I think the most impressive part was the slow motion clip they showed when Palmer was being pulled down on his left leg while throwing down field. He never flinched and threw another strike. I think that shows he has the psychological aspect of returning from the injury down which I think says everything about him being ready to go.

[Dward00]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0608/palmer.road.revised.final/content.1.html

This is a good link. It's a photo-gallery of the injury and return.

[Dward00]

I feel like ranting u know. I just want to let ppl know I'm not like the usual Cincy fan who believes that Carson is Jesus. Ppl saying that this team was built around him has got to be kidding. In my oppinion if we play without Carson this year we're an 8-8 team. If he is our starter then I'll say that we'll win 10 games. That is really not much of a difference.

I'm a huge fan of Carson, but I'd like to get the facts straight. Now you guys think back to the debuts of young quarterbacks and tell me who had a better one. There are 2 qb's that come to mind for me. Dan Marino, and Peyton Manning. Both of them started out unbelievably good. However, I'm thinking that Carson Palmer may have had the greatest debut for a young quarterback in NFL history. Of course that's why Steelers fans hate us. They want to christen Roethlesburger with that title because he won 10 games in a row his rookie season or some shit.

Now...........the reason to be excited about Cincinnati this year is not Carson Palmer. That is my point. Marvin Lewis is finally starting to work his defense like he did in baltimore. We have a ton of young talent just waiting in the shadows. We picked up some awesome free-agents in Sam Adams, and former super bowl mvp Dexter Jackson. Injuries on defense are almost like something to look forward to now. It means we'll get to see more of young stars like Domata Peko, Ahmad Brookes, Frostee Rucker, and Johnathan Joseph. Those are all young projected starters in the years to come, and I believe possible future all-pro's. They're all rookies this year.

The truth is I believe we're a possible playoff team without Carson. I hate to jump on the super-bowl prediction because that would be stupid. We got the toughest schedule in the NFL. My prediction is 10-6, and that's only because I'm a bengals fan. :) I'm praying they do better then that of course.








good videos:

funny bengals ballad: http://lost-and-gone-forever.blogspot.com/2006/07/ballad-of-bengals.html

serious bengal pumped up vid: http://roachii.com/wrap.php?video.html

[Dward00]

Here's something that really pisses me off. look at each one of these links:

Pittsburgh team page: http://media3.steelers.com/

Cincinnati team page: http://www.bengals.com/

Look at the difference in advertising. The Cincy page puts Nascar to shame! Makes u kindof understand why we haven't had a contender team in 18 years. Damn money greedy bastards profitting off our finally good NFL team.:pain:

:Pissed:
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[Dward00]

http://femmefan.com/site/images/lookerspics/lookers4/Carson_Palmer1.jpg

[Dward00]

Here's a link to the Bengals best case scenario season:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/peter_king/2006/everybody.wins/bengals.html

[Durango53]

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh said he tried to go but couldn't. He said he expects to play Sunday at home against Cleveland. The Bengals played with just four wide receivers, and each caught at least one pass. Quarterback Carson Palmer completed passes to eight receivers.

[Durango53]

Palmer looked very good yesterday. Nice to see him come back and shows how great the doctors have got to rebuild knees...

[Dward00]

The defense played good. They kept the leagues best offense last year to under 300 yards. They kept Larry Johnson to under 70 yards rushing.

Who ever thought that we could win a game in Arrowhead with Palmer throwing for only 120 yards?

This was an ugly game, but I think it was kindof a Patriotsesque type win.

[Durango53]

Bengals receiver Chad Johnson held a book-signing yesterday and allowed one stunned fan to call his quaterback Carson Palmer, according to the DAYTON DAILY NEWS

Cincinnati fan Brian Fleming told Johnson to "tell Carson Palmer to throw you the ball more. I have both of you on my fantasy team." "Tell him yourself," Johnson said, dialing Palmer's number on his cell phone. Palmer didn't answer, so Fleming left a message, then went wandering through the rest of Books & Co. at The Greene.

That's when Johnson's phone rang and he asked for Fleming to return. Fleming did and repeated his message — to Palmer. "My heart is still pounding," Fleming said, tapping his chest.
That is great!! :clap:

Everything I have ever read about Johnson has been great. He sounds like a great guy.:thumbsup:

[Dward00]

Bengals are 2-0 now after defeating cleveland 34-17 at home. There next game is at Pittsburgh in Heinz field.

This is the game where they're going to give everything. All Bengals fans want to see the Squeelers get squashed. Not just beaten.

[Dward00]

The Bengal's are 3-0 now when they beat Pittsburgh 28-20. Before the game started there was a lot of jawing between Joey Porter, and Chad Johnson. A lot of the smacktalk that Porter was going on about centered around Houshmanzadeh who wiped off his cleats with a terrible towel last year after the bengals won in Heinz field. Houshmandzadeh seemed unfazed as he dominated this game as well. He finished with 94 yards and 2 touchdowns off of 9 receptions. However Chad Johnson only had 1 reception for 11 yards.

Chris Henry started the game and finished with 5 receptions, 69 yards, and 2 touchdowns. He was the other player who was injured in that now infamous play where Palmer also got injured last year in the playoff game. Palmer himself finished with 4 touchdowns, nearly 200 yards, and a 70% completion percentage. He also threw 2 interceptions, and fumbled 3 times(only lost 1 fumble).

Redemption for Houshmandzadeh, Henry, and Palmer is what the headlines should read. This was an important game for all 3.


There are other things to take under consideration also. The Bengals could not stop the run in this game. Pittsburgh totalled more then 150 yards rushing. And they also could not stop the big play. In fact their defense resembled last years squad almost perfectly. Which is something I'm sure that Marvin Lewis will be talking about all week.

[Dward00]

Another note, as I"m sure many Squeeler fans will point out, is the poor play of Ben Roethlisburger.

It's almost ironic that pittsburgh fans will probably say they only lost because their quarterback was still rehabbing. Last years playoff win against the bengals incited many cincy fans to say that they would not have lost if Palmer could have finished the game.

[Durango53]

Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was arrested at 3:05 a.m. today and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Thurman was arrested in the 3800 block of Kellogg Avenue in the East End. He was brought to a checkpoint operated by the Cincinnati Police and Ohio State Patrol and submitted to a breath test. Thurman registered a .17, which is considered a high-tier reading, said Officer Stephen Lawson of the Cincinnati Police Traffic Section. Under Ohio law, a person is presumed intoxicated at .08 percent blood alcohol content.
Man what is up with this team!?!?!?!?! That makes what 4 guys arrested this year? And one a few times?

[Durango53]

Just last week, new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell visited with the Bengals told them that they have a "responsibility as players that they continue to represent the league, the Bengals and their community in a positive fashion."

[Dward00]

Chris Henry, and Odell Thurman.

Those are the 2 culprits. The Steelers have had as many off-field problems as we have but you don't hear about that of course. :yadda:

I just saw the Odell DUI thing this morning and was like........gj moron.

But this time Palmer engineered the fifth fourth-quarter comeback of his career and while the Steelers were penalized for excessive celebrating after their go-ahead touchdown and taunting after safety Mike Logan leered over long snapper Brad St. Louis following the Bengals’ final punt, Cincinnati calmly overcame:



Serves them right

P.S. kinda funny. I go to cnnsi.com's bengals teampage from time to time and they have a picture wheel thingie that flashes pictures. Well I'll be damned if they haven't already put a picture of Houshmanzadeh's 4th quarter juggling TD catch in there.

[Dward00]

Lewis expects Thurman gone for year
By GEOFF HOBSON
September 25, 2006

Posted: 3:30 p.m.


Thurman
Expressing disappointment at the club's off-field issues, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said Monday he expects Odell Thurman to be suspended by the NFL for the rest of the season.

Thurman, already under a four-game suspension for drug problems, was arrested early Monday for driving while impaired.

Lewis wasted no time taking away Thurman's locker, and replacing him with guard Kyle Takavitz.

Lewis also said that center Rich Braham (knee) will be out some games beyond the Oct. 8 bye, and that safety Dexter Jackson (ankle) has a chance to return to play against his old mates in Tampa Bay Oct. 15. Also out for the Patriots game this Sunday is wide receiver Tab Perry (hip), but Lewis hopes to have a better handle on his situation after the bye.

Lewis also had encouraging news on running back Chris Perry (ankle), eligible to return to practice after the Tampa game. Lewis said it looks like Perry won't need to be shelved long before he gets into a game.

"It's disappointing for me, it's disappointing for our program, all of our fans," Lewis said of Thurman. "He just obviously doesn't understand the privilege and the right to play in the National Football League. He will be dealt with very severely."

According to Fox 19, Thurman, 23, failed a breathalyzer at a checkpoint on Kellogg Avenue in Cincinnati and had a "high-tier" reading that is described as at least .17, or twice the legal limit..

Since Thurman is currently under a four-game suspension, he is in stage two of the substance abuse program, according to the league's policy. It's not known what the requirements of his treatment program are but any violation moves him to stage three and eligible for a one-year suspension that Lewis referenced.

But since there has been only an arrest and not a decision by a court, any resolution may have to wait. But Lewis made it clear he's moving on beyond Thurman. At least for this season

"No," when asked if he had talked to Thurman or planned to talk to him.

[PissedPrincess]

I like Chad Johnson a lot. There was a story here in Boston recently about how he and Belichick are actually friends and hang out a lot. What an odd couple. :D

[redsfan]

Those are the 2 culprits. The Steelers have had as many off-field problems as we have but you don't hear about that of course.

I have seen you type this in several different posts now. I am not aware of any off-field problems for the Steelers. Especially on par with the Bengals. I know of the problems with Rosthlisberger and his bike. What am I missing? I usually don't pay attention to football during baseball season.

[Dward00]

I like Chad Johnson a lot. There was a story here in Boston recently about how he and Belichick are actually friends and hang out a lot. What an odd couple. :D

Belichik is an odd single too

[Dward00]

Run Defense sucks ass. :ugh:

[PissedPrincess]

The NFL suspended WR Chris Henry for 2 games today.

[Dward00]

Well I'm upset that Cincy lost their second game in a row. Especially against a team they should have beat.

I said at the beginning of the season that I expected them to finish 9-7 or 10-6 with the insane schedule they were given. Of course I got my hopes up after they went 3-0 and beat the Stillers.

I'm sad now because it seems that they lost their momentum going into a hell of a tough stretch. They don't got the mojo right now. That's what it's about with a team like Cincy. Marvin badmouthed Chris Henry for getting fired up and tearing his helmet off during games, but maybe he shouldn't have. Maybe he's just trying to neuter the beast. Maybe he should let his team play with attitude. It always seemed to work before.

Man I wish I could get my words across to Marvin, but i'm sure all super-fans wish that sort of thing.

[PissedPrincess]

Are you kids beating the Cats this week? Lemmee know by tomorrow so I can make my pics. :smokin:

[Dward00]

I'm not sure, but I would bet on the Panthers. That would be the safe pick. Cincy has just lost their mojo. ya they got a few injuries but iunno if that's the main problem.

[PissedPrincess]

Well, I took Cincy. They're not losing 3 straight, and not at home. Plus, I hate the Cats.

[Dward00]

i'm sure carolina is favored though.

[PissedPrincess]

[QUOTE=PissedPrincess;496039]Well, I took Cincy. They're not losing 3 straight, and not at home. [QUOTE]

Beautiful and Brilliant. :blondsmok

[Dward00]

i'm so happy you were right. :love2:

[Dward00]

For the benefit of the assembled media, Johnson took his team checklist, went to the one club marked in red (Atlanta) and wrote "DeAngelo Fall" next to it and already checked the "No" box, as if "No," Hall didn't cover him.

Even the most audacious Chad would wait until after the game to do that, but Wednesday was special.

"Marvin told me to tone it down. Told me to be quiet. I've been quiet all year. I haven't said much," Johnson said. "I'm back.

"I'm celebrating. I'm going to score. I'm going to score more than once," said Johnson, who has one touchdown this season. "I'm tired of being quiet. I've had no motivation, I've had no energy. I've had no drive. Nothing to look forward to on Sunday. I don't care if they put five people on me, I'm going to get it done this week."

Hey maybe ppl should put Chad Johnson on their fantasy football team this week.

[Dward00]

Antonio Chatman is apparently out for the rest of the year with a sports hernia it was reported on Friday. He was part of the bengals 'deep WR core' that everyone was talking about. Last season he was Brett Favre's number 2 reciever. We were looking forward to using Chatman as a competent punt returner because of his experience, speed, and immense quickness. Now it is believed that Peter Warrick is going to fill that role. We plan to sign him very soon, and bring him onto the team as a number 4 reciever, and punt returner. Some ppl may realize that the Bengals chose him number 3 over-all in the draft about 7-8 years ago, and that he was nothing but a dud his entire career. He was released this season by the Carolina Panthers.

[Dward00]

Atlanta is actually favored +3.5

[Dward00]

It's amazing to think about all the great defenses that Cincy is going to face the rest of the season. Here's all the teams they got left: Falcons, Ravens(twice), Chargers, Saints, Browns, raiders, colts, broncos, and steelers. I think all of those defenses are top 10 except for Browns, and Colts.

Talk about a tough schedule. I wish the NFL would try to be more balanced then this when making NFL schedules. The combined record of the 13 teams the bengals face this year is 46-33 so far. That's almost a .600 winning percentage. 1 things for sure: If Cincy comes out of this season with a great record they would have to be the favorite for teh sb.

Heck a good team would come away with an 8-8 record, and it's not like Cincy is far off from a .500 record.

[Durango53]

Make the playoffs and the Beagals will be used to playing tough teams to where they could give them a great push.

As for the schedule, people have a hard time figuring out how teams are going to do to where it is a crap shoot to how the schedule will work out...

[Dward00]

Well yea but like 10-11 teams on their schedule were all top 10 defenses last year too. The funny thing is everyone thinks Palmer is having an off-year even though he's still having a pro-bowl season against the best defenses in the NFL. :clap:

EDIT: Man it's tough to know who's the best WR on this team. Chad, T.J., or Chris Henry?

[redsfan]

I was thinking that while watching the game. If Johnson isn't careful, TJ will surpass him as the go to receiver.

Then again, how good would TJ be without Johnson to draw double coverage. This offense could be better than Indy by the time they are done.

[Dward00]

well teh bengals lost another game and went 4-3. Yes it has quite a bit to do with their tough schedule, but it still sucks. No 1 week bye for us. :(

[Dward00]

well this is saturday night, and i'm calling for the bengals to beat baltimore. Imo this is an easy pick. I'm a fan of baltimore without a doubt, but they matchup poorly with cincy.

[Durango53]

Bengals WR Chad Johnson complained about his lack of production after the game: "You have to be given opportunities to make plays. Four [catches] for 32 [yards] -- that's [expletive] ridiculous. You've got to be [expletive] kidding me. When Christmas comes around, I might as well be a hood ornament. Because all I've been so far is a decoration -- a decoration sitting out there all pretty, ready for people to jump on."

[Dward00]

Most announcers are actually agreeing with him.

[Dward00]

Well cincy drops to 4-5. I'm not upset if they don't make it to the playoffs. We got an awesome team. It's kindof like the Pittsburgh scenario. We're just beating ourselves. It doesn't help when your qb isn't at 100%, and your team has the 3rd hardest schedule in the NFL neither. I'm not going to cry about it. This is just a year to get experience, and come back better. I'm confident enough to know Cincy is going to have 1 of the best teams for the next 5 years(and possibly a sb championship).

[imgreat95]

Just a note onb the schedule thing... the NFL really doesnt schedule based on Strength of schedule.... I hate when people use that argument. Especially within the division. The NFL schedule states that you will play each team in your division twice.... thats 6 games... You will play one division from the other conference... Thats 4 more games... you then play one division from your OWN conference.. thats 4 more games... then you play the teams in the remaining divisions in your conference who finished in the same place in the standings as you did the season before.

In the end, what it means is that you play almost the exact same schedule as your division mates do with the exception of 2 games. Cant really get a whole lot more fair than that.

[rockin500]

shawn, the only quibble i have with that is the home and away of those opponents. other than that you are pretty much spot on.

[imgreat95]

the home and away does suck... Consider that the steelers had not played the chiefs in pittsburgh in almost 20 years until this season. I do believe that the league changed the way they do the matchups, and that should be changing now. I think that as of the last CBA, it is going to alternate now between home and away.

[Dward00]

Just a note onb the schedule thing... the NFL really doesnt schedule based on Strength of schedule.... I hate when people use that argument. Especially within the division. The NFL schedule states that you will play each team in your division twice.... thats 6 games... You will play one division from the other conference... Thats 4 more games... you then play one division from your OWN conference.. thats 4 more games... then you play the teams in the remaining divisions in your conference who finished in the same place in the standings as you did the season before.

In the end, what it means is that you play almost the exact same schedule as your division mates do with the exception of 2 games. Cant really get a whole lot more fair than that.

I didn't say it wasn't fair. It just sucks that it turns out that way. It's a FACT that the bengals had the 3rd toughest schedule going into the season. That's just the way it happened. It shouldn't be any argument. I said before the season started that I expected the bengals to finish 9-7, and 10-6 if they were lucky.

[imgreat95]

I never said that you did say it was unfair.. nowhere were you quoted... Just because it is in a thread that you started does not mean I was talking to you. it was just a thought of mine...

My point being that when people say that the "strength of schedule is the 3rd hardest...." that is really only being based on 2 games. The Bengals, the Steelers, the Browns, and the Ravens all play the same teams with the exception of 2 games.... It is the same way with every other division in football.

You did, however, say that you wished they would be more balanced. How can you get more balanced than every team in a division playing almost an identical schedule?

[Dward00]

no i was basing it on last seasons records. And so far the last 8 teams of the bengals season sport a 65% winning ratio thus far this season.

[Dward00]

There's just not many teams that can survive that. Maybe Indy, and New England(best teams of the decade so far)

[imgreat95]

I know you were basing it on last seasons records... .but what I am saying is that the Steelers and Bengals... and browns.. and ravens... all play the same teams. All of those teams had the same records last season. The o nly difference is the 2 teams which finished in first place... the Bengals case, that would be the Patriots and the Colts. That is what makes for the difference in the strength of schedule. That is why I feel that the SOS numbers have become meaningless really.

[Dward00]

Cincy has lost all 3 of the last 3 games against teams with a combined 19-8(70%)record. They've lost by an average of 5 points each game.

The AFC North is a tough division. All 4 teams are looking good(yes even cleveland).

[imgreat95]

what does that have to do with the seasons strength of schedule??

[Dward00]

what does that have to do with the seasons strength of schedule??

sorry are you still here? :evillol

haha you're right that had nothing to do with it. This is a thread about the Bengals 2006 season, and that was just an observation.

[imgreat95]

Just an illustration of my point on the strength of schedule which you said is unbalanced...

Only had the patience to do the Steelers and Bengals for right now. You said based on last season, so that was what I did.

The Bengals opponents so far this season wee a combined 82-62 last season. The Steelers opponents so far this season were a combined 79-65 last season. Thats 3 games... That is nothing. It means that both teams are playing nearly identical schedules... you would find the same with the ravens and Browns. It is as balanced as it could possibly get.

[Dward00]

Just an illustration of my point on the strength of schedule which you said is unbalanced...

Only had the patience to do the Steelers and Bengals for right now. You said based on last season, so that was what I did.

The Bengals opponents so far this season wee a combined 82-62 last season. The Steelers opponents so far this season were a combined 79-65 last season. Thats 3 games... That is nothing. It means that both teams are playing nearly identical schedules... you would find the same with the ravens and Browns. It is as balanced as it could possibly get.


well yea, except the AFC North divisional champion isn't the same thing as the Super Bowl Champion. Some divisions have much easier schedules then others, and that's balanced?

See your perspective is just divisional. Compare Cincinnati's schedule to San Diego's schedule.

[Dward00]

It's really just a shame they play so few games. They should probably knock games up to 24 per season and find some way to fit them into the same timeframe.

[imgreat95]

When you are competing against your division first and foremost, yeah... I think that is where you want the balance to be. No sport will ever be able to come up with a 100% all around balanced schedule. I like the fact that the NFL has gotten it right and at least gone for strength within the division since that is really where you want it at. If you looked at any division within the NFL, you would find all of the SOS numbers within the division to be very very close.

I didnt go quite as far with it, but the remaining games, the Bengals and Steelers opponents records from last year are both an identical 57-55. Like I said, I dont think you can really complain about that, can you?

[imgreat95]

It's really just a shame they play so few games. They should probably knock games up to 24 per season and find some way to fit them into the same timeframe.


haha. while more games would alays be more fun, I think that after that many games in a season, most teams would have trouble fielding a team due to injuries...

[Dward00]

I don't know. All they would have to do is schedule 3 games per 2 weeks. That's about 5 days in between games.

Maybe give them 2 bye weeks and it would only increase the season by another week.

[Dward00]

i'd wonder if the commisioner has never thought about this.

[imgreat95]

I wouldnt like that too much, though. I sort of like Sundays being for football. Not a big fan of these thursday night games. Football shouldnt be played Mid-week.

[Dward00]

Take a look at the poll on this link: http://www.nfl.com/index?1112_afcwildcard

The Bengals win the poll for 2nd wildcard.

Cincy 33%
Chiefs 29%
Jets 24%
Jags 14%


I voted for KC. However don't you see? KC will probably get the 2nd wildcard, and they are not better then Cincy(popular oppinion....not just mine).

[Dward00]

I mean I know it's difficult to be fair, but that alone should at least make ppl wonder.(I also said I wasn't going to qq about this....lol)

[PissedPrincess]

Well cincy drops to 4-5. I'm not upset if they don't make it to the playoffs. We got an awesome team. It's kindof like the Pittsburgh scenario. We're just beating ourselves. It doesn't help when your qb isn't at 100%, and your team has the 3rd hardest schedule in the NFL neither. I'm not going to cry about it. This is just a year to get experience, and come back better. I'm confident enough to know Cincy is going to have 1 of the best teams for the next 5 years(and possibly a sb championship).

Spoken like a guy who just is lucky in other parts of his life.:tongue: Because please, I don't know who you think you're fooling with this BS. :D

The NFL is an unforgiving league. Teams that are great one year, suck the next. To assume you will be better next year(mind you, I'm not just talking about the Bengals, but any team) is crazy. Injuries, salary cap, age, yada, freakin yada can change expectations in a second.

When you have a talented team you had better win today because tomorrow may never come.
I don't even know how much sense I'm making because I am so angry.:gripe:

I hate my parents for raising me to be a sports fan. I just wanna F*cking relax on Sundays, shop, go out whatever, not live in f*cking high stress every second till a goddamn game is over, then spend the next week in freaking agony.

I wanna be free.:gripe:

Goddamn motherf*cking Patriots you know goddamn well Brady has half a freakin shoulder how bad does he have to suck every week till you sit him and let him get his f*cking surgery and heal for next year. Jesus goddamn Christ.

[Dward00]

yea i guess you're right, but that's the attitude with cincy because we got so many talented 'young players'. I'm just trying hard not to be upset. I don't know why things haven't worked out better this season.

[Dward00]

Chad Johnson: 16 catches, 450 yards, 5 touchdowns in the last 2 games.

[Dward00]

Goddamn motherf*cking Patriots you know goddamn well Brady has half a freakin shoulder how bad does he have to suck every week till you sit him and let him get his f*cking surgery and heal for next year. Jesus goddamn Christ.

Patriots are probably best team this year. There are so many good teams in the AFC, but I bet you nothing that New England will run out of that pack with the prize.

[PissedPrincess]

Patriots are probably best team this year. There are so many good teams in the AFC, but I bet you nothing that New England will run out of that pack with the prize.

Get off the crack.:(

Or at least share. :smokin:

[Dward00]

Get off the crack.:(

Or at least share. :smokin:

Trust me I don't want to gush about the patriots. I just don't wanna be wrong when they freaking come out of no where and win the bowl game again. Actually it annoys me when they win. But they DO win.

[PissedPrincess]

Trust me I don't want to gush about the patriots. I just don't wanna be wrong when they freaking come out of no where and win the bowl game again. Actually it annoys me when they win. But they DO win.

JOOC, why does it annoy you?

[Dward00]

They're like an ugly girl with nice bewbs

[PissedPrincess]

They're like an ugly girl with nice bewbs

:laff: Being that I am a girl, I really don't understand that.

[Dward00]

The patriots are ugly.

They win superbowl rings.

I'm a fan of pretty dynasties.

[PissedPrincess]

I'm a fan of pretty dynasties.

I'm a fan of superbowl rings.:luvkiss:

[Dward00]

Yea but we had cool teams in the late '90s: 1.)Denver with Elway, and Terrell Davis 2.)Rams = best show on turf 3.) Green Bay with Favre, and White

So far in the 00's? Pats, Bucs, Ravens, and Steelers. :barf:

[PissedPrincess]

Yea but we had cool teams in the late '90s: 1.)Denver with Elway, and Terrell Davis 2.)Rams = best show on turf 3.) Green Bay with Favre, and White

So far in the 00's? Pats, Bucs, Ravens, and Steelers. :barf:

Yeah but that's your opinion. A white boy from Kentucky.:hmm:


:D


Cincy is practically Kentucky right? I know the Cincy airport is actually in Kentucky.

[Dward00]

We despise Kentuckians tyvm

Damn hillbillies

[Dward00]

Huge game this thursday: Baltimore @ Cincy

[PissedPrincess]

:wavey2: You out on parole? :D Carson is on fuego. :smokin:

[PissedPrincess]

Thanx for knocking off the Ratbirds Cats!!!!!!!!

:woohoo

[Dward00]

Don't worry about it. We thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been listening to the ratbirds on the espn forums for the past week talking crap.

They actually think they're going to go 14-2. er......13-3 now at best.

We still have a shot at winning the afc north.

[Dward00]

You know what? I don't know how many ppl were watching the game other then me, but Cris Colinsworth and Bryant Gumbel were the in game analysts.

Talk about a weird combination. So Bryant Gumbel was doing play-by-play, and Colinsworth was the lead analyst.

The thing I was thinking the whole game was............god Gumbel sucks. He couldn't even remember the score half of the game. He never had much to add.

Something else I wanted to touch on, since he's an ex-bengal who played in the superbowl, Cris Colinsworth is being widely considered to be the top NFL analyst in the game. I've seen this reference in quite a few different articles, and just the fact that the NFL network chose him is notice enough. I wonder how much he gets paid. lol..........by the way I know you hate him pp. :)

My favorite analyst is Dan Marino(or slim) though........he makes me laugh.

[Durango53]

Ya I dont like them also. Gumball is about as exciting as a slug.

[PissedPrincess]

Colinsworth just talks too much. I'm like would ya STFU so we can you know, watch the action?

[redsfan]

I can't stand Gumbel. I like hes show on HBO, Real Sports, but I see no purpose for him. He talks to the reporter after their segment. He asks them questions like they didn't do a good enough job in their story then tells them good job, and only he could spot it. Just my opinion.

I kind of like Collinsworth. He is sort of quirky, but doesn't come off like he is anything other than a sports analyst.

[Dward00]

Well is anyone honestly going to say there was ever an NFL analyst that they thought was good? Ppl even badmouth Madden.

I know what ppl are going to say right now. Howard Cozell. If you're going to say Cozell then state what age you were when you watched him or even if you were born.

[Durango53]

8 his last year on Monday night football.

Cosell was the play by play man not the analyst. But I dont know to many people that liked him.

There are plenty of good ones out there and I enjoy.

[Dward00]

Oh I always liked Pat Summerall. Madden and Pat Summerall were great. I'm not an Al Michaels fan, but I can't disagree that he wasn't a great analyst(I just didn't like the way that it always seemed he was condescending to Madden).

I just call them all analysts, and I believe the play by play man is considered an analyst. That's why they call the other guy the 'lead analyst'? What would he be the lead of if the play by play man wasn't called an analyst? I don't know, but that's what I assume.

Gumbel was the play by play announcer, and Collinsworth was the lead analyst.

It's really kindof difficult to talk about the bengals right now. They're on a 3 game win streak that should have been a 4 game win streak if they didn't hand over 41 points to the chargers in 1 half. Their defense hadn't allowed any points in 7 quarters until the 4th quarter last night.

I think the big story is the Bengals Defense. I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that defenses play much worst without their defensive leader on the field. The Ravens played terrible defense last year because both Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed were out for the season for example. Our defensive leader is Dexter Jackson. He was injured in week 2, and missed 6 games. He's been back for 4 games now. With him on the field we only allow 16.2 points per game. Without him we allowed 23.5 points per game. Notice the difference? So now, theoretically speaking, we got an offense that can average over 30 points per game, and a defense that will only allow 16 per game. That almost sounds Patriotsesque if I do say so myself.

So I believe that right now we're looking at a top 8 defense that the bengals are running. It's hard to believe since they are ranked 31st in the league.

[Dward00]

woohoo........kansas city lost. That should put Cincy in the number 6 wildcard spot.

[Dward00]

I honestly don't think the Bengals can afford to lose another game. If Cincy finishes 11-5, and so does Baltimore then Cincy gets the division title. I see K.C., and Pittsburgh giving the ratbirds 2 more losses. Do I see Cincy beating Indy at home? I'll bet against them, but I'll root for them.

[imgreat95]

I am just going off of memory here... but didnt Cincy and Baltimore split their 2 meetings this season?? I really cant remember. If that is the case, identical 11-5 records would not necessarily guarantee a Cincy win in the division, but it would sure help. Especially if one of Baltimore's losses did in fact come to the Steelers. Division record is the 2nd tiebreaker, and right now both teams have one division loss.

[Dward00]

I am just going off of memory here... but didnt Cincy and Baltimore split their 2 meetings this season?? I really cant remember. If that is the case, identical 11-5 records would not necessarily guarantee a Cincy win in the division, but it would sure help. Especially if one of Baltimore's losses did in fact come to the Steelers. Division record is the 2nd tiebreaker, and right now both teams have one division loss.
1st tie breaker is head to head. 2nd tie breaker is divisional record. 3rd tie breaker is conference record. 4th tie breaker is I have no clue.

Right now they split their games with total scoring being even: 33-33.
They both only have 1 divisional loss(being the losses to each other)
The ravens have the better conference record at the moment: 6-2 compared to 5-3
So the real tie breaker is the conference record.

If both teams finish 11-5, the bengals will win the division because of a better division record, and a better conference record(all 4 of baltimores last opponents are afc teams, and 2 of them are divisional teams)

Now it's entirely likely that baltimore will finish 11-5, but Cincy will need to win the rest of their games to go 11-5. It's an unlikely scenario, but these kinds of things happen every year in the NFL so there's no reason I shouldn't give it credit.

[Dward00]

That can be confusing but I'm pretty sure that I got it right. Double-check me and see if that isn't right.

Pitt won how many games to end the season last year? 10 games? That season showed me to never give up on a team.

[redsfan]

Well is anyone honestly going to say there was ever an NFL analyst that they thought was good? Ppl even badmouth Madden.

I know what ppl are going to say right now. Howard Cozell. If you're going to say Cozell then state what age you were when you watched him or even if you were born.
Cosell is by far the greatest announcer in the business.:hail: Monday night football and boxing have not been the same without him... although Lampley on HBO boxing is not bad. One of the things I learned about Cosell is that when he did the highlights at halftime, it was all unscripted. A lot of the times he was watching for the first time and called the replay like he would a game. There will never be another like him again.

[imgreat95]

Steelers finished at 11-5 last season. Had identical record as Cincy, but Cincy won the tiebreaker.

Having looked more in depth at it I believe you are correct. If Baltimore finishes 11-5, then there best record in conference they could have would be 8-4 and if Cincy finished 11-5, they would be 9-3. Divisional record COULD be the tiebreaker, but I doubt that it will come down to that.

Just for shits and giggles, here are the rest of the tiebreakers.

New System
1. Head to head
2. Best won-lost-tie percentage within division
3. Best won-lost-tie percentage within conference
4. Best won-lost-tie percentage of common games, minimum of four
5. Strength of Victory
6. Strength of Schedule
7. Best combined ranking among conference games in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed
9. Best net points in common games
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games
12. Coin toss


Anything after #4 is honestly a lot of BS....

[Dward00]

The upcoming schedule for cincy: Oakland, @ Denver, @ Indy, Pittsburgh

There's only 2 games in those 4 that will be tough. I expect Cincy to beat Oakland, and Denver. The game in Indy will be for all the marbles.

Then in the last week Pittsburgh has the opportunity to play spoiler for Cincy. They'll either spoil their division title chances, or their wildcard chances. Or at least they'll have the opportunity. After listening to Cowher's rant to his team, this game makes me kindof nervous even if Ward, and Polamalu are out. However it will be in Cincy against a beatup demoralized Pittsburgh team in week 17. Cincy should be favored unless they have some kindof horriffic injury to palmer.

Honestly I'm picking Cincy to go 3-1 the rest of the season, finish with a 10-6 record, and make it into the wildcard playoffs. I'm hoping they finish all games, and go 11-5 for the AFC North division lead so we can have a home playoff game.

Now......on to Baltimore's last 4 opponents: @ Chiefs, Browns, @ Steelers, Bills.

I expect them to drop 2 of those games and finish 11-5. Which 2? The chiefs game(K.C. is almost unbeatable at home in december), and 1 of the division games(Browns, or Steelers). Now if they beat K.C. this upcoming week I'll be a little bit upset.

EDIT: Here's a good article I found that seems to explain the situation very clearly:
Playoff prospects receive unexpected boost
Losses by Chiefs, Broncos aid cause

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



Marvin Lewis might have been tempted to send flowers to Romeo Crennel on Sunday.

Lewis, the Cincinnati Bengals coach, also might have wanted to send some to Mike Holmgren.

On a Sunday in which the Bengals were idle, they managed to have a very good day thanks to Crennel’s Cleveland Browns and Holmgren’s Seattle Seahawks.

Its playoff hopes on life support four weeks ago after losing five of six games, Cincinnati has gotten off the canvas with three straight victories. But a team that endures a slump such as the Bengals’ usually requires help to make the playoffs.

On Sunday, the Bengals got it.

Humiliated by their 30-0 loss to Cincinnati the previous week, the Browns stunned the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. Then, in the Sunday night game, Seattle beat the Denver Broncos, another team ahead of the Bengals in the wild-card chase.

Now, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Denver, Jacksonville and the New York Jets have 7-5 records. Barring a collapse by any of the four division leaders, those five teams will battle for the two wild-card spots.

If the season ended now, the Bengals would get one of the spots because of a superior conference record. Cincinnati has only three losses against AFC teams.

That could change quickly. After a home game Sunday against the abysmal Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati goes on the road against Indianapolis and Denver before finishing in Paul Brown Stadium against Pittsburgh.

If the Bengals can beat the Broncos, they’ll have the head-to-head advantage over Denver and the Chiefs, whom Cincinnati beat in the season opener.

Denver is tough to beat at home, but the Broncos are breaking in rookie quarterback Jay Cutler, who had a dismal debut against the Seahawks.

Based on remaining schedule, the surprising Jets could be the toughest team for the Bengals to outlast. New York finishes with four teams under .500 — Buffalo, Minnesota, Miami and Oakland.

The Broncos play at AFC West-leading San Diego next week. Their other games are against Arizona, Cincinnati and San Francisco.

Kansas City and Jacksonville face the toughest road. The Chiefs already have five conference losses and must play Baltimore, San Diego and Jacksonville along with Oakland. The Jaguars play Indianapolis, suddenly-formidable Tennessee, New England and Kansas City.

What does all this mean for the Bengals? Probably that they can survive one more loss and still make the playoffs. Considering that that they’ll be decided underdogs against the Colts and favored in their two home games, the Bengals’ playoff fate could depend on their game against the Broncos.

Even with Cutler at quarterback, that won’t necessarily be an easy game. But if the playoff road goes through Denver, it’s an easier path than the Bengals could have anticipated four weeks ago — or even three days ago.

[Dward00]

"Don't worry about any of that stuff, it will take care of itself," said quarterback Carson Palmer after practice Monday. "We're playing good but we still can play better and we can pick it up in certain areas. If our defense keeps playing like it is we're going to keep winning games. We are starting to hit our stride, I think."

You gotta love it when your quarterback says sh!t like that! :banana:

[Dward00]

Man our players love to talk don't they? Well here's some more:

The Bengals, New York Jets, Jacksonville, Kansas City and Denver are all 7-5 with four regular-season games remaining. Two wild-card playoff berths are at stake after four division winners get crowned. The AFC's entire postseason "Six Pack" is still up for grabs.

"It's that time of year," quarterback Carson Palmer said Monday as the Bengals assembled from their weekend off after Thursday's 13-7 victory over Baltimore. "It's crazy."

Palmer said he checked out highlights of the afternoon games and was "fired up" by Cleveland's upset of the Chiefs. "Then I watched the Denver game."

Glad to see Seattle win?

"Yup," he said. "But we can't worry about any of that. If we just win one game at a time, it'll all take care of itself."

The most popular cliche in Monday's locker room was how the Bengals "control our own destiny."

"We can't worry about anybody but us," wide receiver Chad Johnson said. "If we take care of business, we'll be all right."

Added defensive tackle Sam Adams: "We're in the driver's seat right now."

Free safety Madieu Williams' only focus is Sunday's game.

"You can't sit there and start scoreboard watching when you still have a lot more games to play," Williams said. "You've got to focus on the task in front of you. Right now, it's the Oakland Raiders."

[Dward00]

Benals beat Raiders 27-10 despite turning the ball over 4 times. The strong overall play was key however.

Notes: Bengals CB Deltha O'Neal was inactive, a day after his arrest for drunken driving. Coach Marvin Lewis declined to talk about the benching. O'Neal is the eighth Bengal player arrested this year. ...

Damn..........just when you think it's all over. Yea I don't want to talk about it. I assume this is just a 1-year fluke, and should be sorted away for next season.

[Dward00]

Upcoming: Cincy @ Indy

That's the most important game. I don't know what to expect. Either we rush all over them, or this turns into a statement game by Indy.

[redsfan]

I think this will be one of the best games of the year. I have been waiting to see it. It is going to have IMO the 1-2 QBs and the 2 of the top 3 WRs. It should be high scoring. If I were a bettor, I would definitely take the over on this one.

[Dward00]

If i'm looking at this from an un-biased perspective I guess I would have to take Cincy.

Ask yourself a few questions:

1.) Which team is the hottest atm? Cincy(indy is complete opposite)

2.) Which team has the best defense? Cincy(forget the whole season. average points against in the last 4 games is 5ppg. Cincy has held those last 4 ppl to an average of 50-60 yards on the ground also)

3.) Which team is most desperate? kindof a tossup, but probably Cincy

The only thing that makes me scratch my head is the fact that it's in Indianapolis.

[Dward00]

"Knowing that team, they'll be ready next week," Bengals Right Tackle Willie Anderson said. "It's going to be a Monday night game. They want to bounce back. You kind of hope they would have won. They'll be pissed off now and it will be a dogfight for us with that crowd noise."

Haha That's a good quote

[Dward00]

Lewis speaks out on arrests
BY MARK CURNUTTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
And after the eighth player arrest, Marvin Lewis spoke.

The Bengals coach this afternoon was asked about the arrest of cornerback Deltha O’Neal. O’Neal was stopped Saturday morning at a checkpoint in Clermont County and charged with DUI.

He is the eighth player on the roster at the time of the arrest to be arrested this calendar year.


Lewis is responsible for acquiring and drafting all eight players arrested and has been criticized in the national media in the wake of their transgressions.

“I don’t think you guys attack me because I think you know what I stand for,” Lewis said. “Unfortunately, I can’t hold their hands 24/7, but it is embarrassing. It’s an embarrassment to our organization, to our city, and to our fans. These things socially are not right.

“Hopefully this is a positive so our young people who are fans, understand there are certain things in our society that are unacceptable. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living or who you are, you’ve got to follow those rules and laws.”

On football matters, Lewis said Kelley Washington tweaked his hamstring and is out for the Colts game Monday night.

Lewis listed center Rich Braham and left tackle Levi Jones as doubtful.

Marvin will get this all straightened out before the beginning of next season.

[Dward00]

NEW YORK -- We hear it and read it every week. "If we can just get in the playoffs,'' Player X says, "we'll be hard to beat. Look at Pittsburgh last year. They barely got in, then they got hot.''

I heard it from Atlanta linebacker Keith Brooking on the phone late Sunday afternoon. The Falcons were 5-6 nine days ago, left on the side of the road by nearly all of us, and they've won two straight to get right back in it. "We've just got to get in the damned tournament,'' Brooking said. "You saw what happened with Pittsburgh last year. They were 7-5, got the last wild card, and steamrolled through the playoffs and won the Super Bowl. I know if we get in we can do that.''

The 2005 Steelers are the Holy Grail of hope for every coach and player of the middle-of-the-road NFL teams fighting for the two wild-card spots in each conference. After a three-game losing streak left them 7-5, the Steelers were faced with the tough task of playing an elimination game every week. One more loss would eliminate them from the race in the top-heavy AFC, and they faced a bumpy season-ending schedule: Chicago at home, at Minnesota and Cleveland, Detroit at home. And if they won out, they'd likely have to win three road playoff games (true, as it turned out -- at Cincinnati, at Indy, at Denver) and then win the Super Bowl in Detroit. Two games at Heinz Field, six games out of town. And they ran the table.

Since one of the best resources for understanding that Pittsburgh team was watching the games with me on a couch in a Rockefeller Center viewing room all afternoon Sunday, I figured Jerome Bettis would be just the guy to ask the question of the day to: "Are there any Pittsburghs out there this year? Of all the wild-card contenders -- Kansas City, Denver, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, the Jets, the Giants, Philly, Minnesota, Atlanta, Carolina and St. Louis -- do any of them have a chance to do what the Steelers did last year?''

Bettis didn't think long. "The Giants or Cincinnati,'' he said. "In order to do it, you've got to have a good defense playing well. The Giants are getting their guys back healthy, and if Michael Strahan gets back in the next week or so, they'll have a good enough defense. The Bengals have played great on defense in the last few weeks. Both of those teams can get hot on offense and score with anybody, but the important thing is you won't be able to outscore people every game. So you've got to be able to play defense.''

I can't believe we got blessings from the Bus. It makes me feel even better for my team now.

[Dward00]

I know everybody is going to be watching the Cincy-Indy game this week since it will probably be the game of the week, and it also airs on MNF. So I wanted to share this article so you would know what the keys of winning the game were for the Bengals. Enjoy! :thumbsup:

Five-key blueprint
By GEOFF HOBSON
December 13, 2006

Posted: 7 a.m.


Carson Palmer went toe-to-toe with Colts QB Peyton Manning in last season's 45-37 loss at PBS. (Bengals photo)
The blueprint for beating the Colts isn’t locked away in a dusty drawer waiting for use. The five keys to winning Monday night’s national showcase in Indianapolis has been on display the last month and are embedded in last season’s loss to Peyton Manning and Co.

1. QUICK STRIKE: The Colts haven’t lost at home all season. Not only that, they haven’t lost a game at home with playoff implications since October 2004. Not only that, they haven’t lost a game at home with playoff implications by more than a field goal since October 2002.

The Bengals have never trailed in their four-game winning streak and for just 7:48 of the last 20 quarters. The only stretch is since Carson Palmer fumbled the ball away on a sack with eight minutes left in the Nov. 12 game against the Chargers and running back LaDainian Tomlinson scored on the next snap on a nine-yard run.

With rookie left tackle Andrew Whitworth getting the call against Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney if Levi Jones can’t go in practice this week, it’s more important than ever to take the crowd out of the game as soon as possible.

Not only that, getting a lead on the Colts puts them in an awkward position in their bend-but-don’t-break Tampa Two defense.

The Bengals have won their last two indoor games with the aid of the quick strike. They deflated the Louisiana Superdome with Chad Johnson’s 41-yard touchdown in the game’s first two minutes last month. And a year to the day they’re scheduled to play the Colts, they clinched the AFC North last Dec. 18 in Detroit when they went up 3-0 in the first three minutes, 10-0 in the first seven and 17-0 in the first 12.

2: WIN THE CLOCK: It takes no genius here. The less time Manning has on the field, the less time he has to do damage. In last year’s loss to the Colts, Indy had the ball five more minutes and scored eight more points in its 45-37 victory at Paul Brown Stadium.

In two of their last three victories, the Bengals have had the ball more than 35 minutes in games they allowed just a combined 10 points. Twice in the four-game winning streak they’ve allowed the team more minutes and allowed a combined 23 points.

And it’s not what the foe’s offense does on third down, it’s what the Bengals offense does on third down. During the winning streak, foes have clicked on 41 percent of their third-down tries and this is why the defense keeps talking about cleaning up on third down. But the Cincinnati offense has converted 45 percent of the time to cushion the impact and as running back Rudi Johnson said after the Oakland victory, “The more third downs we get, the more chances everyone has to get their hands on the ball.”

Of course, the Bengals converted 46 percent of the time last season against the Colts and still lost. Which is what happens when the other team goes into the stratosphere and hits 64 percent of the time. No offense can keep up with that.

3. RUN THE BALL, PLEASE: Which leads to the next key. The Colts simply can’t stop the run and it’s been the one thing foes could really do with any consistency on them since they became fairly stout the last few years. And, let’s face it. People are taking the Jacksonville game in the veins. Yes, the Colts were horrific in giving up 375 yards on the ground last week, but before that they had allowed just 20 and 21 points in their two losses.

Still, a blueprint is a blueprint. When Rudi Johnson carries the ball 25 times, the Bengals are 17-0 and when he rushes for 100 yards they are 15-2. Since 2003, the Bengals are 11-6 when Chad Johnson catches 100 yards and 5-3 when they have a 300-yard passer. Good, but it’s not Rudi’s 88 percent.

The Bengals let themselves get lulled into last year’s shootout against Indy a little bit by, again, falling behind early. Rudi and Chris Perry combined to run it just 24 times on a night Palmer threw it 38 times as they got into an 18-point hole with 3:41 left in the first half.

More runs than throws are always a good sign. The Bengals are 4-0 when they do it this season and were 4-0 last year.

4. NO BIG PLAYS: This is a game of healthy safeties.

The Colts haven’t had a healthy Bob Sanders this year (and he’s questionable again this week), and their run defense has suffered by giving up long runs. With the return of a healthy Dexter Jackson teamed with Madieu Williams against Cleveland three games ago, the Bengals haven’t allowed a running back to take one longer than 15 yards and they have allowed just two passes of longer than 35 yards to a wide receiver. And only one to a tight end longer than 20 that included games against big-play threats Todd Heap and Kellen Winslow.

Last year the Colts killed Cincinnati on the big play against a secondary that didn’t have either of its starting safeties. The Bengals allowed a 66-yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Reggie Wayne and a 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Clark. Clark also caught a 56-yarder to go with his 125 yards, but word is he’s done for the regular season with a knee problem and that would take away one of Manning’s most effective weapons.

5. CARSON COMEBACK: Palmer went throw for throw last year with Manning in a glittering display of the NFL’s two best pure quarterbacks, firing up a 100.1 passer rating in completing 66 percent of his passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns while Manning sifted 365 yards and three touchdowns on 60 percent.

Palmer has to offer a similar outing to be the architect of a Monday night win. He’s coming off his first three-pick game in 32 starts and the Bengals would love a similar response to the last time he had a trhee-pick game. In his next two games after those three interceptions against Cleveland (also at home on Nov. 28, 2004) he went on the road against two top defenses and singed the Ravens and Patriots for five touchdowns and just two interceptions in triple-digit passing days.

And you can't just totally shelve the pass for the run. A big reason the Bengals are 4-1 in this Chad Run is that Johnson has caught seven balls of 40-plus yards.

[Dward00]

I wanted a chance to list the elite defensive players the Bengals have. A lot of ppl think we got a poor defense, but the truth is that we're a newly assembled defense that has had a poor start due to injuries.

Here's the key players on our defense, and these are some great players:

1.)Dexter Jackson SS (new this year)
2.)Sam Adams DT (new this year)
3.)Johnathan Joseph CB (great new rookie this year)
4.)Madieu Williams FS
5.)Justin Smith DE
6.)Robert Geathers DE (10.5 sacks so far as a backup)
7.)Domata Peko DT (Awesome new rookie who comes in on 3rd down plays)
8.)Ahmad Brookes SLB (Rookie who has been called the next L.T.)
9.)Odell Thurman MLB (hasn't played this year because of a suspension)
10.)Kevin Kaesviharn FS (awesome backup safety. he's clutch)

I didn't list our 2 starting cornerbacks because I think they're terrible, and way over the hill. Tory james is 34, and Deltha O'Neal is 30. They've gotten their share of picks the past 2 seasons but they are terrible coverage cornerbacks. Johnathan Joseph is an awesome young cornerback with the necessary speed to be a dominant cover corner.

I think next season the starters should look like this:

Robert Geathers LE
Domata Peko DT
Sam Adams DT
Justin Smith RE
Ahmad Brookes SLB
Odell Thurman MLB
David Pollack WLB
Dexter Jackson SS
Madieu Williams FS
Jonathan Joseph RCB
Deltha O'Neal LCB

That's a top 5 defense starting lineup. I know you guys don't believe me, but that lineup can keep ppl to 250 yards per game. It's a shame things didn't work out for our defense this year, but they got next year to look forward to, and at least now they're playing good towards the end of the year.

We got some great young defensive talent. I'm telling you this team is at the brink of developing one of the NFL's most dominant defenses.

[Dward00]

Oh.........another post. In just 3 weeks the cincinnati bengals moved from 32nd in total defense to 26th. Of course I expect that to go down a little bit after this week. :whistle

[Dward00]

Pollack's career likely over
Benglas LB needs surgery for cracked bone in neck
Posted: Thursday December 14, 2006 5:16PM; Updated: Thursday December 14, 2006 5:24PM



David Pollack cracked a neck bone while making a tackle against the Browns on Sept. 17.
AP



CINCINNATI (AP) -- Bengals linebacker David Pollack will need surgery for the cracked bone in his neck, likely ending his football career.

Pollack cracked the bone while making a tackle against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 17 and was placed in a halo brace that immobilized his neck. Doctors told him that if the fracture healed on its own, he could resume his career.

The 2005 first-round draft pick was examined Thursday by a specialist who recommended surgery on the fracture, which hasn't healed as hoped. Pollack is expected to have the operation in the next few weeks.

Neither the Bengals nor Pollack had any comment on the development.

Pollack has full range of motion in his arms and legs, but risks paralysis if he returns to playing football after surgery. Pollack said in October that doctors would have to fuse two vertebrae if the crack didn't heal on its own, a procedure that would likely end his career.

"One doctor said it: Not very many people walk away from a broken neck twice," Pollack said in October. "And that's something that kind of hits home, you know.

"When you fuse two vertebrae together, the likelihood for injury is greatly increased."

Pollack was a first-round pick out of Georgia and ranked second on the team with 41/2 sacks as a rookie. He hurt his neck in the second game this season.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Well I was hoping this wouldn't happen. That's why I put him in my roster for next year which even if he did return he probably wouldn't have returned that quick.

[Dward00]

An Internet site reported a rumor that Carson Palmer might have rotator cuff damage, which Palmer and the Bengals both refuted.
-- Cincinnati Enquirer

:confused:

[Dward00]

The thing that's made me the most angry about this team is 2 things:

1.) their streakiness

2.) their inconsistency

Anytime they've won they've won in bunches of 3 or 4. Anytime they've lost they've lost in bunches of 2 or 3. This is a great team, but god it makes you so mad. Why would a team be so streaky? Confidence I guess. They gain, and lose confidence on the turn of a dime. Well I think most of that can directly correlate to Carson Palmers performance. He hasn't been playing good this year even if he did make the pro-bowl. I hope this season was just the byproduct of his injury, and once next season starts he'll be ready to toss 40 touchdowns.(and maybe we'll ressurect our team next year in the same way San Diego did this year) :thumbsup:

[Dward00]

The thing that's made me the most angry about this team is 2 things:

1.) their streakiness

2.) their inconsistency

Anytime they've won they've won in bunches of 3 or 4. Anytime they've lost they've lost in bunches of 2 or 3. This is a great team, but god it makes you so mad. Why would a team be so streaky? Confidence I guess. They gain, and lose confidence on the turn of a dime. Well I think most of that can directly correlate to Carson Palmers performance. He hasn't been playing good this year even if he did make the pro-bowl. I hope this season was just the byproduct of his injury, and once next season starts he'll be ready to toss 40 touchdowns.(and maybe we'll ressurect our team next year in the same way San Diego did this year) :thumbsup:

Note that I made that post before week 17 because I didn't expect them to make the playoffs. So I'm really not let down at all.

I think the team has played poorly in all phases the whole year.

The offense didn't produce 1 single game that they were capable of. 24 points per game? That is poor for a team like this. They should be averageing 30 points per game at least. If they would have done that this year they would have met last seasons record, or done even better. Again, I contribute this to Palmers erratic play. He didn't have a Palmer-caliber year.

There is really no good place to start when we're talking about the defense. They've been poor all year long. Even worst then they were last year. If I'm going to be optimistic I'll contribute this to injuries, and the integration of young players. The good news is that we have plenty of up-side to look forward to. Next season I expect this team to have one of the 10 best run defenses at least. The big question mark is the pass defense.

The team as a whole? I don't like how this offense was beginning to count on the defense. Some people may have thought that was a good sign, but they'd be better off if they attacked every game as if they expected to put up 30 or more points regardless of what happened on the other side of the ball.

The biggest problem from week 1 in the pre-season is that this team created huge, and unrealistic goals. They were already talking about winning a championship this year. I don't care what team you are, in the NFL you cannot go week to week with that attitude. It's just simply never that easy. I really believe that there has been very rare cases in any nfl season where the 'best team' won the superbowl. Today, even more then in the past, the biggest part of winning a superbowl is luck. No team should take anything for granted. Period. I think the Steelers team, and fans learned that this year also.

[Dward00]

Holy mother of.....................

Johnathan Joseph just became the ninth Cincinnati player in nine monthes to get arrested. He was arrested for marijuana possession. :notme:

[HitAndRun]

The Bengals are gonna have a tough season. This year the afc north will probably be the most competitive division in the entire nfl.