Disappointing End to a Great Season

On Saturday, in front of a sellout home crowd watching only the second playoff game in Cincinnati since 1990, saw the Cincinnati Bengals fall to the New York Jets by a score of 24-14. A game in which the Bengals were able to run the ball very effectively against the NFL’s number one rushing defense, the passing game was not able to take off as Carson Palmer, for the eighth time this season, failed to throw for 200 yards in a game. Cedric Benson was able to give the home crowd something to cheer about as he rushed for 169 yards on 21 carries including a 47 yard touchdown run.

After a fluke loss, the Bengals were able to get their heads on straight and have a dominant beginning and middle part of the season. But when the Bengals visited Oakland at 7-2, the Bengals started a 3-3 stretch that saw them go from a potential home field advantage winner to a fourth seed who was blown out in their final regular season game.

If you’re like me, and all you wanted for Christmas was the playoffs in Cincinnati, then you got your wish. But obviously our secondary wishes of making sure the Bengals went deep into the playoffs weren’t heard as the Jets once again, for the second week in a row, trounced the Bengals. Now that the season is over, it is time to look forward to the NFL Draft, training camp and the pre-season.

It’s no secret that the Bengals need to address some key issues and positions come the off season. The biggest need is for help on offense at the receiver position. Jerome Simpson will most likely be gone this off season due to his inability to get on the field in his second season as a second round draft pick. Next year, the position looks to hold Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles, Andre Caldwell, and Quan Cosby. Look for 2009 draftee Freddie Brown and Carson Palmer approved Maurice Purify to also vie for a roster spot. Again, this is assuming Jerome Simpson is gone, or can’t get on the field again. Most likely, the Bengals will draft one or maybe even two wide receivers in April’s draft. Early indications show the Bengals wanting a burner with height, which is what they had in Chris Henry.

As I’ve been saying for a while, and the way it looks on some of the mock drafts I’ve seen, Mardy Gilyard from the University of Cincinnati will definitely be there for the Bengals taking in the second round. This fills the void for speed at the position, but the need for height could be addressed in the later rounds of the draft. According to Walterfootball.com, the Bengals are projected to take a 6’3” wide receiver from LSU in Brandon LaFell. Looking at what he’s done overall, over 900 yards receiving last year and over 700 receiving yards this year and running a 4.54 40, he could be a great replacement for Chris Henry.

Also, there are questions at tight end and have been for the past few years. Last year the Bengals spent a third round pick on Chase Coffman from Missouri and he couldn’t get on the field this year. Why? Main reason being because he can’t block and the Bengals want a tight end that can block more than a receiving tight end like Brent Celek from Philadelphia or Jason Witten from Dallas. Why do you think the team has stayed with Reggie Kelly and allowed him to start at least 11 games from 2003 to 2008? Simply put, Reggie Kelly can block. The Bengals use the tight end at times, but have always utilized their third or fourth option receivers and backs more. To put it in perspective, in 2006, when Kelly started all 16 games, he caught 21 passes for 254 yards and one touchdown.

Back ups J.P. Foschi and Daniel Coats are good options that play hard and never give up. But they’re inability to catch the ball and make plays when their numbers are called needs to be addressed. I would look for the Bengals to try and draft a tight end maybe in the early to middle rounds of the draft like last year. According to CBSSports.com, the Bengals in the first round will take Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma. I don’t mind the pick, as this would give the Bengals a marquee name at tight end that is big enough to block ends at 261 lbs. and tall enough (6’6”) to run down the field and catch a ball in the back of the end zone.

On the offensive line front, I don’t believe many changes are needed, as the line is young (besides right guard Bobbie Williams) and showed promise during the year. I would look for Andrew Whitworth to continue to anchor the line along with Andre Smith at tackle. Evan Mathis and Nate Livings also made good contributions at guard. I believe it is crucial to get Anthony Collins in somewhere after he showed lots of promise and poise standing in there as a rookie last year.

Defensively, the Bengals will need to add a cornerback as a better option to nickel back over Morgan Trent. Most games throughout the year, the tandem of Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall shut down the number one and two receivers while Morgan Trent and a consortium of linebackers and defensive backs struggled with tight ends and third and fourth receivers.

Adding a safety may also help, as Roy Williams is not only getting older, but he got hurt, again. When he’s healthy, he’s a force. But when he’s hurt, he doesn’t offer this club much. When it comes to linebackers, I’d like to see the Bengals draft a middle linebacker. I like Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga on the outside, as Rivers gives the team a coverage linebacker and Maualuga is your run-stopping backer. I like Dhani Jones and his leadership and experience to the team, but he’s getting old and I think he’ll need to be replaced soon. The Bengals wouldn’t need to draft a linebacker if Rashad Jeanty or Brandon Johnson moved to the middle, but I’m not sure if that would happen. I like Abdul Hodge, but just like Ahmad Brooks and Landon Johnson, back up linebackers are a dime a dozen now a days.

The defensive line is a little more complicated. You’re obviously set with Domata Peko in the middle, but the Bengals can either line up Tank Johnson or Pat Sims there. I like both of them, and I’d go with Sims over Johnson because at a young age, he’ll be able to get better quicker if he’s starting. The ends, Robert Geathers and Antwan Odom were set at the beginning of the season and you’d expect them to be the starters come September. Only problem is Johnathan Fanene and Michael Johnson did very well in Odom’s place and could compete for that starting spot.

This is the spot the Bengals want to be in. The Bengals want to have lots of young talent to compete against each other for the starting positions. Not only does it give Head Coach Marvin Lewis some peace knowing that if one guy goes down, another can step up and play just as good.

Injuries to watch for when workouts arrive and training camp starts will be Odom’s Achilles, Maualuga’s ankle, Jeanty’s leg and Sims’ forearm/wrist. The Bengals will need both Maualuga and Jeanty to heal up quick, as the defense is definitely different without them. Odom has been oft-injured in his career and I believe he needs a full season with the Bengals without serious injury to prove that the eight sacks he recorded before the injury wasn't a fluke. Sims is young and will need to bounce back quickly, as he'll be pushing the older Tank Johnson while competing for that starting tackle position next to Peko.

The Bengals have only made the playoffs in back to back seasons once in their franchise history. That was in 1981 and 1982. I’d look for the Bengals to come back next year not only focused on running the ball, but putting the ball in the air and having a balanced attack reminiscent of the 2005 AFC North Champion Bengals. The defense will be a year older with a lot more experience under their belt and that can only help at this point, as there is talent all over the defensive side of the ball.

Bengals and Jets to Face Off in Jungle for a Rematch in Playoffs

Following Sunday’s 37-0 loss to the New York Jets, the Cincinnati Bengals will be opposing the Jets for a second weekend in a row in the heart of the Jungle down at Paul Brown Stadium. Kickoff for the game will be around 4:30 PM as the home team Bengals are the quick 4 1/2 point favorites following their blowout loss.

Last night’s game didn’t provide a lot of game film for the Jets to look at, but basically rolling over for the team when the third seed was in grasp is not something I would encourage. Carson Palmer was completed one pass in 11 attempts for zero yards while throwing an interception in a little over two quarters. While defensive end Robert Geathers, defensive tackle Domata Peko and linebacker Rey Maualuga did not play due to injury, running back Cedric Benson sat to rest up for the playoffs to allow back ups Bernard Scott and Larry Johnson to rack up 58 yards combined. Head Coach Marvin Lewis is doing and going to do what is best for this team. Whether we like it or not, he is the coach, not the fans, and he has put the time in to earn his title, fans have not.

Although Lewis has not had to sit through and watch what the fans have over the last two decades, he is currently in his 7th season as Head Coach of our Cincinnati Bengals and trying to save the ship. In his tenure, Lewis has had to deal with criminals, deaths, a gut-wrenching and flag deserving hit on Carson Palmer, heart-breaking, nail biting wins and losses to go along with three .500 seasons, two sub-.500 seasons, and two playoff seasons as our Head Coach. But at some point, rolling over on purpose when our NFL laughing stock Bengals are playoff bound is unfathomable and unacceptable.

We as Bengals fans believe no game, no matter the record, is worth laying down for the sanctity of playing the same team the following week. But let me tell you what Marvin Lewis is thinking. Given the chance to take the same game back home, where a packed home crowd will rock the Jungle against a team with a rookie quarterback sounds pretty good. Extra motivation and momentum aside, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has thrown 20 interceptions this year. Fourteen of those interceptions have come in the fourth quarter and six of his interceptions this year have been on third down. With the additions of Geathers and Peko back into the defensive line mix, the Jets won’t be able to run as well as they did Sunday.

Sanchez wasn’t that great last night, completing just 50% of his passes (8 of 16) for only 63 yards. But then again, he did not have to be exceptional with the way Brad Smith, the wide receiver that runs the wildcats, Thomas Jones, the NFL’s third rushing leader and Shonn Greene ran the ball last night. The Bengals were reeling last night, missing Rey Maualuga’s presence and ability to stop the run while the Jets as a team racked up a total of 257 yards on the ground.

Come Sunday, the Bengals will need a lot of help when it comes to stopping the run as well as the pass, because Mark Sanchez has the ability to make plays with his arm and shouldn’t be taken lightly just because of the amount of interceptions he throws. The talent that New York possesses on the receiving end with wide receivers Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, Brad Smith and David Clowney along with tight end Dustin Keller is second to none.

At the same time, even though the Jets have the eighth best rush defense in the league, they will have to face off against Cedric Benson. This season, the Jets have faced Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Johnson, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Of those, Jones-Drew ran for over 100 yards, Johnson for 97 yards, Williams with 40 and Stewart with 35. Williams and Stewart occurred in the Jets’ 17-6 win against the Carolina Panthers. Benson, who has rushed for 1,251 yards on 301 carries this season, has six rushing touchdowns and is looking to help keep the ball rolling on offense against the stingy Jets’ defense.

For the Bengals to win this game, offensively, quarterback Carson Palmer will need to be more accurate, the offensive line will need to win the battle up front and protect Palmer, the tandem of running backs will need to find the holes and take them when the offensive line gives them, and the receivers need to do a better job of catching the ball and running their routes and for both Palmer and the receivers, they need to be on the same page. Defensively, the Bengals need to make tackles, disallow big plays, win the battle for the line of scrimmage, and act like the team that has one of the best defenses in the league. Due to injuries, safety Tom Nelson has been thrust into the starting role, and although he’s looked overmatched, especially last night, I trust that defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will help Nelson fix his problems.

However this week plays out, a one-and-done playoff team is not going to help Mike Brown win back fans. A deep playoff run is needed to help bolster not only this club, but help fans regain their trust in Marvin and the players.

Elusive Tenth Win Leads to Division Title

This past Sunday, against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals clinched the AFC North Division with a 17-10 win over the now 3-12 Chiefs. The clinching win, which has given the Bengals their second 10 win season since the Bengals went to the Super Bowl in 1988 with a 12 win season, stops the Bengals recent skid. Starting in Oakland, the Bengals lost three of the five games they played prior to Sundays, giving ESPN even more reason to keep calling this team the Cardiac Cats.

In a game that most thought would end in a blowout, the Chiefs stayed with the Bengals the entire game until Leon Hall’s interception within the two minute warning to end the game. The biggest problem in the game was not that Carson Palmer was held under 150 yards passing, but that former USC and current Bengals rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga went down with a season-ending broken ankle, giving Rashad Jeanty and Brandon Johnson their chances to shine. Jeanty, who lost the starting position to Maualuga in the pre-season, is in his fourth year with the Bengals out of the University of Central Florida. Both Maualuga and Jeanty were pushing each other in the pre-season to perform and execute better. Maualuga eventually won out. Johnson has been a force on special teams and as a replacement for Keith Rivers when Rivers was injured earlier in the year.

Losing Maualuga for the final game of the year and the playoffs definitely hurts the Bengals as he had been a force with his 63 tackles and 3 forced fumbles. But if there is one man I want replacing Rey, its Jeanty. Maualuga won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player of the year in 2008 along with the CBS Sportsline.com Defensive Player of the Year Award. Off the field issues don’t win you that award, on the field play does. Just because Maualuga had a history doesn’t write him off as being one of the biggest steals in this past year’s draft. To be able to push that type of player to be better, and lose the starting job by so little says a lot about the type of player you are.

The returns of Domata Peko and Chris Crocker on Wednesday will definitely help the defense, as Peko is one of the best tackles in the game when it comes to disrupting plays in the backfield and getting to the quarterback. Crocker is vital in the passing defense, which has lapsed since his injury. The defense this Sunday will have their hands full with the League’s third leading rusher in Thomas Jones and a collection of talent on the receiving end in Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, David Clowney and Dustin Keller. Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall will have their hands full, but as they have been all season, they will show up to shut down.

Following Sunday Night’s Prime Time game on NBC, the Bengals will most likely know who they will be facing in the first round. The San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts have first round byes and won’t be seeing anyone until that third weekend in January. More than likely, the first game will be at Paul Brown Stadium since the Bengals have a better record than every team vying for a wild card berth. Of the teams still alive, there are seven, I like the Bengals chances against them all at home. The only match up that I believe would pose as a challenge or threat would be a third rematch against the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers coming to Cincinnati for a playoff game brings back memories of the 2005 game in which Palmer went down with a destroyed knee courtesy Kimo Von Dream Killer. I would like to think that this game would be very different.

A rematch with the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans is possible if the cards all fall in the right place. If the Bengals lose to the Jets, there could also be a possibility of the Bengals and Jets playing two weekends in a row. Still in the hunt, but with a lot of help needed are the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets and Baltimore Ravens control their own destiny as if they win they’re in. There are ten different ways the Broncos can get in, three different ways for the Steelers and Texans to get in, five different ways the Jaguars can get in and only one way the Dolphins can get in. For the now 10-5 Bengals to clinch the AFC #3 seed, they need a win and a New England Patriots loss.

Back to Sunday’s game, the Jet’s have a blitz happy defense and the offensive line will need to protect Carson Palmer better than they have been, because this team can’t afford to lose their franchise quarterback the week before the playoffs. At the same time, Carson will need to be more efficient as throwing for 139 yards may not cut it against the Jets. He completed a high percentage of his throws, 17 of 25 which is a 68% completion percentage, but 139 yards passing as a former Heisman-winning franchise quarterback is unacceptable. Whether it is the inability to stretch the field or the lack of depth and skill at the wide receiver position besides Chad OchoCinco, the passing game needs to be on the same page as the running game.

A running game isn’t anything if the passing game isn’t in sync and the ability for play action isn’t there. Same goes for the passing game if Cedric Benson and Larry Johnson aren’t able to push through the Jets defense and scrounge up yards to keep the Bengal defense off the field. However way you spin it, this Sunday night, the Jets and Bengals will be fighting for every yard, pushing for that Wild Card Spot or that #3 seed.

With Loss of Henry, Bengals Could Go Two Different Ways

For the third time this season, the Cincinnati Bengals have been devastated and rocked to the core. The first tragedy came in the form of an earthquake in the nation of Samoa which triggered a tsunami. The Bengals have four players on their roster that are from Samoa or have family ties to Samoa. They are Domata Peko, Jonathan Fanene, Fui Vakapuna and Rey Maualuga. The second tragedy occurred early in the season, when Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife Vicki passed away. The third tragedy, the one that will and has hit the hardest, is the sudden loss of wide receiver Chris “Slim” Henry.

With the ups and downs of an NFL season, players sometimes become on edge and fatigued. Towards the end of a season, when tragedy strikes, sometimes players become overcome with everything that has happened, and are unable to stand firm under the pressure. They become physically and mentally exhausted and struggle to complete what is left of the season. That is the one thing that I’m worried about with the three remaining games, especially Sunday’s. One of two teams will show up in orange and black on Sunday, and it’ll either be the “burnt out, emotionally and physically unable” Bengals, or the “filled-up with emotion, jacked up to beat the San Diego Chargers for Slim and Vicki” Bengals.

After the loss to the Brett Favre-led Minnesota Vikings, the Bengals have been up and down answering questions about what the problem on offense was and if Carson Palmer’s elbow was healthy. Now they have to answer questions about what type of person Chris Henry was and how much he had changed. I’m positive they’d rather be answering questions about they’re performance than who Slim was.

Hopefully the Bengals will ride the emotional high this season has been to the end. A win against the Chargers would greatly increase their chances of winning the second seed in the AFC and receiving a first round bye. The win could utterly continue to Paul Brown Stadium next week when the Bengals face off against the Kansas City Chiefs. The last game on the schedule is against the New York Jets, and two straight wins heading into that game against a game desperately trying to make the playoffs would definitely help with momentum. What the Bengals will do, or who they’ll sign/draft/trade for, to replace Henry remains to be seen. That is something that needs to, and will be addressed in the off season by Head Coach Marvin Lewis and Owner Mike Brown & Co.

The task at hand is more important than finding his replacement. It’s finishing what he helped start. After a 7-2 start, the Bengals have lost two of their last four games and are now struggling to win that first round bye. Bengals wide receiver Chad OchoCinco has asked for permission for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to wear Henry’s jersey Sunday. This has since been rejected, but “Jungle” fans know Chad, and it sounds as if Chad may break the rules, AGAIN! What should happen is that Goodell should allow it to happen, auction off the jersey, and then take the proceeds and put it towards Slim’s kid’s college funds.

With the loss of Henry, the rest of the Bengals season could go in two different directions. This season will either up in flames, or straight to the bye week. We will see where they go starting Sunday, but a bye week in the first round of the playoffs would definitely help this team heal up and ready themselves for the biggest fight since Marvin Lewis’ tenure began.

Crazy Larry a Bengal, Crazy Larry Could Play

Earlier this week, the Cincinnati Bengals announced the signing of former Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson.  With the injury and the signing, Cedric Benson fans should not be worried that Ced may become the team's number two back.  Yes, Larry Johnson did have a history of problems in KC and at times has showed signs of having a mind full of "It's about Larry world" ideas, but that doesn't mean he's not an effective and useful back to have on the roster, even at the "old" age 30. 

Veteran Leadership:

Larry Johnson can help this team more than you think, whether or not he's taking five to ten carries a game.  Larry Johsnon did go to the playoffs with the Chiefs, and can provide some additional veteran leadership to a young team.  The Bengals are in a winning situation, and the young team is hungry and seeking a playoff run.  Given the environment, Larry Johnson can thrive and help save Ced for that late January run.   The Bengals have an exceptional and young offensive line that week in and week out exceeds expectations.  Larry Johnson did not experience that in Kansas City this year, and everyone knows that a good running back starts with a good offensive line. 

Making Room in the Backfield:

Giving Johnson the ball five to ten times a game makes perfectly good sense.  He can help take the load off of Cedric Benson, which will save him for December and the playoffs.  The Bengals plan on using Larry as an insurance policy, but trust me, a horse like Larry Johnson won't be an insurance policy for long, as he'll be seeing game time soon.  Rookie Bernard Scott has the chance to be a replica of LaDainian Tomlinson but this is his first year, give him some time.  Former St. Louis Rams running back Brian Leonard is a receiving threat coming out of the backfield and can be used deadly when in the right formation.  Give Johnson five or ten carries a game, let Leonard and Scott see about five or so snaps a game and give Benson 15 carries, and the backfield is set, with nobody wearing down. 

Strong Locker Room Leadership:

Until the last year or two, the Cincinnati Bengals have constantly been looking for that locker room leadership that you only get with the likes of the Indianapolis Colts or New England Patriots.  That's changed, as the Bengals locker room is loaded with veterans that carry themselves well off the football field.  The most obvious example, Carson Palmer.  Along with Palmer, there are at least four more leaders on the offensive side of the ball.  Included are Bobbie Williams, the 32 year old right guard, Tackle Andrew Whitworth, the anchor of the offensive line, Tackle Scott Kooistra, who can play anywhere on the line, and Tight End Reggie Kelly.  Although Kelly is out for the year, he provides lots of leadership in the locker room to rookie Chase Coffman. 

On defense, you have cast-offs from around the league that found a home and locker room to lead here in Cincinnati.  Of these players, Dhani Jones, Roy Williams and Chris Crocker are providing a lot of the leadership, as all three have been to the playoffs, and have tasted glory.  Throw in Robert Geathers, the  longest tenured defensive player at the age of 26 and Domata Peko, and you have yourself a mix of young and veteran players that are working to bring a Super Bowl to the Jungle. 

The overall point?  Larry Johnson doesn't have a chance to come into the locker room and live up to his "bad boy" act from Kansas City.  He won't even get a word out before someone, probably Carson Palmer, comes to him and tells him how it is here, and how we act here.  If Johsnon can't deal, he can leave.  He won't, he's got nowhere else to go.

The Easy