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.

Chris Henry: Too Young with Lots of Promise

Reports all morning are that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry has passed away this morning at 6:36. The news comes one day after he and his fiancé were involved in a domestic dispute. Visiting the Charlotte area where his fiancés parents live, Henry’s fiancé started to drive in a pick-up truck when Henry jumped into the bed of the truck. About a half mile from the home, Henry was found in the road and rushed to the hospital. It is not known exactly what injuries Chris was suffering from, but reports are that it was a “very serious head injury.” At this point, all that’s known is that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are reporting that Henry “came out of the back of the vehicle” at some point during the dispute. Henry, who was 26, was in the final year of a two-year contract with the Bengals. He has been on the Injured Reserve List since November 8th when he broke his forearm, requiring season-ending surgery.

Henry, who was drafted in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft has dealt with on and off the field issues, as he has been arrested a total of five times since December of ’05. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended Henry on two different occasions, and his fifth arrest led to his departure from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2007. Owner Mike Brown did give him a second chance, as since his return, Henry has done nothing but work his butt off and prove that he can be a deep threat for Carson Palmer. Since his fifth arrest, Henry has stayed out of trouble and straightened his life out. In an on-air interview/segment with Cincinnati Radio Personality Lance McAlister, Henry stated that without his fiancés help he would not be where he is. McCalister stated that after the interview, when Henry walked out, he was “surprised at the improvements and strides he has made to be a better person and right the ship.”

Henry, although his season was cut short, had 12 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns. During the season, Henry was the Bengals main deep threat, as his longest catch of the year was 73 yards. He also recorded 11 first downs. It remains to be seen how the Bengals will improve the passing game without Henry, as since his departure it has been very dismal. It is worth noting that since he changed his life around, he had garnered a lot of popularity with the fans in Cincinnati.

Air Collapse

Whether it has to do with the loss of Chris Henry, or the elbow of Carson Palmer, or the departure of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Cincinnati Bengals’ passing offense is lacking. It doesn’t matter if the opponent is the Detroit Lions or the Minnesota Vikings; the offense can not get a pass more than 20-25 yards past the line of scrimmage. At 9-4, the Bengals are still leading their division but still need a win to clinch their division. As long as we can win one more game, even if the Baltimore Ravens tie us with an overall record, we will still win the AFC North Division while owning the tiebreaker. But ending with six losses on the year does not do anything good for this team. When the Bengals lost to the Oakland Raiders 20-17, the team started a downhill, back to earth descent in which they have lost two of the last four games they have played.

After losing to the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday, the San Diego Chargers beat the Dallas Cowboys to take over the number two seed in the AFC Playoff picture. If this team plans on receiving a first round bye, we must beat San Diego next week and win the last two games of the year against the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets. If we lose one of the two games, the chances of the Bengals winning the number two seed is unlikely due to the Chargers having to play the Tennessee Titans, in Tennessee and the Washington Redskins in San Diego. If Vince Young is the quarterback for the Titans, then there’s a chance the Titans could pull an upset, but don’t hold your breath.

This past Sunday, we saw what happens when the passing game is non existent. Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis has said multiple times this season that this team is going to have a more balanced attack while trying to stuff the run down the opponent’s throat. This style of play has worked for the Bengals before, but in this game, Carson Palmer did not help the cause as he could not have been any less accurate. If there is no passing game to compliment the running game, then opposing teams will dare Palmer to throw the ball, knowing full well he won’t hit any of his targets, wide open or not. Defenders can then stay in the box and stop the Bengals one-dimensional running game. Cedric Benson had a decent day running the ball, piling up 96 yards on 16 carries but without a passing game that can produce more than six yards a pass, the offense is doomed from the start.

There are four obvious possibilities that the Bengals passing game is lacking in yards and efficiency. The first, and most fearful, is the fact that Carson Palmer’s elbow is not entirely healed. We know what happened in New York last year with Brett Favre, and I guarantee that Brett Favre made the decision of not being placed on the weekly injury list. Yes, Eric Mangini and the Jets should be held responsible in some way for not displaying the problem to the rest of the NFL, but it was Favre’s ultimate decision. The same situation could be happening in Cincinnati. Palmer elected against surgery and decided to rehab over the spring and summer. Whether or not it was a smart move, Carson hasn’t been the same since he got injured.

The next obvious problem is the loss of T.J. “Who’s Yo’ Momma” Houshmandzadeh. T.J. was Number 9’s third down target over the last few years because of his great hands and ability to gain yards after the catch. During the off-season, the Bengals signed former New York Jet wide receiver Laveranues Coles to a four year, $27 million dollar deal. Thus far, his signing has been a very big disappointment as he has dropped an allotment of passes that exceed the amount of fingers on both hands.

The third possibility that the passing game is faulting could be due to the loss of Chris Henry for the season. With his size, 6’4”, Henry is able to jump over almost all defensive backs when Palmer throws the ball in the air deep downfield. Before his injury, Carson Palmer was averaging 229.7 yards a game with 14 total touchdowns through the first eight games. Since his injury and placement on the Injured Reserve list, Palmer is now averaging 161.8 yards per game with three touchdowns. The last set of statistics is for the last five games. Henry only had 12 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns through eight games, but you can see the influence he had on the field, as Carson average 67.9 yards more per game with him lining up in the slot.

The final reason that the Bengals are lacking through the air could be due to the fact that second round pick Jerome Simpson is yet to dress for a game this year. In his career, he has so far dressed for only six games, with all of those coming from last year. The following are Simpson’s career stats: one catch for two yards and one kickoff return for eight yards. By the way, all of these occurred in week seven last year against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The fans know it, the NFL knows it, and believe me, Marvin Lewis and Owner Mike Brown knows it, the Bengals made a boo-boo. DeSean Jackson was selected three picks after Simpson and look how well he’s flourishing with the Philadelphia Eagles. It might help that he has Donovan McNabb throwing him the ball. Bengals Vice President Troy Blackburn has stated that when the Bengals passed on Jackson, it was because they believed he had “character issues.” Obviously this is hilarious to Bengals fans because draft history shows, the Bengals LOVE to draft players with character issues (see Henry, Chris or Thurman, Odell for examples). In the end, you have to give the Bengals credit. When they drafted guys with character issues in the past, it seemed as if the staff hit the jackpot. That is, until they were arrested. When the Bengals finally tried to do the right thing, and go with the receiver not known for having character problems, they ended up with Jerome Simpson.

The scouting staff has a lot of work to do, as the depth at wide receiver is quickly diminishing. Laveranues Coles is over the hill and will never be worth the money they’re paying him. Chad OchoCinco is the only receiver putting up numbers worth noticing as he needs just 63 more yards to reach his seventh season of 1,000 yards receiving. But age is catching up with him, as he is now 31 years old and his longest catch this year is 50 yards, which is his worst since his rookie campaign and last year’s debacle. Andre Caldwell has shown lots of promise, but will need another year or two before he has his breakout season. Maurice Purify and Quan Cosby just started to appear on the roster and are untested along with unknown. Mardy Gilyard, the wide receiver from the University of Cincinnati, has the chance to be available in the second round, and he would add depth, quickness, and a jolt of youth into this receiving corps.

For this team compete in the playoffs, the passing game must be addressed. The Bengals can no longer ride the coat tails of Cedric Benson on the way to a win. We saw this Sunday as the Vikings bullied the Bengals to a dominating and playoff clinching win. To beat the Indianapolis Colts, the Bengals will need to play shootout. The New Orleans Saints may have more weapons, but their main weapons, Drew Brees and Marques Colston, do not come close to touching Peyton Manning or Reggie Wayne.

All I Want for Christmas is the Playoffs in Cincinnati

Do you remember the first time your parents told you about Santa Claus?  No?  Ok, how about the first time you sat on his lap and he asked you, "What do you want for Christmas?"  You do?  Good, now keep that memory in your head.  No, don't place it on the back burner, put it on the small front burner and continue with me.  Do you remember how you felt on Christmas morning, and you saw a present from Santa, and it was exactly what you wanted?  Of course you remember, what child doesn't.  The child that was on Santa's naughty list doesn't remember, but he doesn't count.

Let's fast forward to the mid to late 1990's and early 2000's.  Let's try 1991 to 2004 to be exact.  We'll even add in 2006 to 2008 for those of you who just started to become fans.  You're a Cincinnati Bengals fan, and you just want a winning team.  For some reason, you can't ever get one.  Year in, and year out, the "Bungals" continue to disappoint you.    From David Klingler to Jeff Blake.  From Jeff Blake to Neil O'Donnell and then back to Jeff Blake.  Then Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown said, "Hey, let's follow that trio with Akili Smith that lineup."  No Mike, how about we don't do that.  Well, Mike listened, and after a year, he Bengals fans Jon Kitna.  Now, I have no personal vendetta against Kitna, but no offense Jon, you're not cut out to be a Quarterback in Cincinnati.  It's those small hands of yours that bothers me. 

Don't worry though Bengals fans, because the Messiah, Carson Palmer, was on his way.  After being drafted by the Bengals in 2003, Palmer sat out the entire year as the Bengals followed a 2-14 2002 with an 8-8 record under first year Head Coach Marvin Lewis.  Everything changed in 2005 when the Bengals went to the playoffs for the first time since winning their division in 1990.  That is, until Kimo Von Dream Killer crushed any hopes of the Bengals winning the Super Bowl that year. 

Stay with me young grasshoppers, I know it's been a long flight, but I promise, we're getting close to the climax.  In '06, Palmer came back, and the Bengals finished with an 8-8 record for the 3rd time in four years.  But that was ok, because Palmer was getting his feet wet again, and in '07, the Bengals would surely be in cruise control all year into the Playoffs.  Nope, you're wrong.  A 7-9 record in '07, and a dismal 4-11-1 record in 2008, and voila, you have the Cincinnati Bengals at their finest.  Breaking hearts, and losing games. 

Like I said grasshopper, we're close to the end, as now, we're to the present in 2009, and the 8-3 Bengals are leading the AFC North Division by two games over both the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Oh, and on a side note, we beat both of them, TWICE!  By the looks of their remaining schedule, if the Bengals were to lose any more games, it would probably happen in Minnesota against the Minnesota Vikings, possibly San Diego against the San Diego Chargers, and you can never count out those "J-E-T-S, NEW YORK JETS!"

Let's tie this all together now young grasshopper.  The Bengals sucked, for a lack of a better term, from 1991 to 2004.  In 2005, we were treated to Air Palmer, the Chad Johnson Show, and criminal activity.  From 2006 to 2008, the Bengals, again, sucked.  Now, in 2009, the Jungle's rockin', seats are selling out (barely), and the Bengals are winning again. 

So, what do I want for Christmas?  Well Santa, I'd sure love a Bengals team that doesn't blow it down the stretch, Lord knows the Cincinnati Reds are great at that.  I'm tired of hearing about the Shittsburgh Squeelers, I mean Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.  I want a Bengals team to beat the teams they're supposed to beat (Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, and maybe the Jets).  The Bengals need to compete with the Vikings and the Chargers.  Definetely Sand Diego because if the Bengals win that game, count them in for a first round bye. 

If you're listening Santa, and I know you are, I want the playoffs in Cincinnati, and this time, leave out the image of Number 9 sprawled out on the ground grabbing his knee.  And while you're at it, sell out the Chiefs game, because I'm sick of hearing about the possibility of a blackout.  If you want to make this Christmas better for all those that lost their jobs, then you'll give the Bengals a playoff spot, more wins, and a spot in the AFC Championship Game.  I don't mind watching the Bengals against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, whether or not they win, at least they made it there.  Don't worry, I'll be calling for help next year.  It might be for the Reds though, because I'm not sure where the light at the end of the tunnel is. 

The Easy

P.S. Don't worry Santa, I'll leave milk and cookies.

Bengals Receive Extension; More AFC North News

Cincinnati Bengals:
The Cincinnati Bengals announced today that they have received a 24 hour extension to sell out the remaining tickets for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions.  The extension will end tomorrow at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.  If the Bengals fail to sell the 3,500 tickets left, their 50-game regular-season and post season sellout streak will come to an end.  Taking a look at the big picture, the game probably won't sellout.  Why?  The Local Fox affiliate in Cincinnati, Fox 19, only receives two chances a year to broadcast Bengals games.  This year, the Chicago Bears were the first, and now, the Detroit Lions.  Both of them are at home, and I don't see any T.V. show producing more fan fare and couch potatoes in Cincinnati than the Bengals.  Either Fox 19 will step up and buy the tickets, or Chad Ocho Cinco will buy them and give them away.  Wait, isn't he broke?  Oh well, if you can't be at Paul Brown Stadium for the action, there's no better place than from the confines of your own home, settled in the middle of the dent in the couch. 

Just remember though, the Bengals must sell out.  Failure to do so will show ESPN that even in the thick of a playoff hunt, fans don't want to pay outrageous prices for seats, food, and drinks.  Bengals Owner Mike Brown should be used to hearing this, as Cincinati sports talk show host Lance McAlister preaches this week in and week out.  In addition, it'll show Mike Brown that not everyone has money like he does, and the economy is actually very rough on most people, and at times, unless they're free, Bengals tickets will be passed over by your blue collar fans.

Cleveland Browns:
The Cleveland Browns face off against the San Diego Chargers this week, and I'm not seeing an upset in the horizon, but a blow out.  The Browns are a team that will break your heart play after play, game after game, year after year.  Trust me, I know one when I see one, I've been a fan of one since I was a kid.  This is not the team to upset an 8-3 Chargers team, but rather a team that will lose in dramatic fashion to the Bolts.  When I say dramatic fashion I mean Brady Quinn going 8 of 39 for 65 yards and 3 Interceptions dramatic fashion.  I think this team might be worse than last years Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams.  There's that possibility that they're the worst team in football, and I wouldn't doubt it.  If there's one thing I've learned while growing up in Cincinnati, it would be this: If it's Brown, flush it down!

Baltimore Ravens:
 This week's matchup of the Baltimore Ravens and the Green Bay Packers recieves my AFC North Game of the Week Award.  The Ravens have more at stake than the Packers do, considering their 6-5 record ties them for 2nd place in the AFC North Division with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Ravens do own the tie breaker at the moment, but their week 16 matchup could decide who wins the Wild Card.  If Baltimore loses, their 6-6 and no shot of the playoffs.  One more loss for the Steelers and they're out.  Expect the Ravens to try and get up early, if that doesn't work, you'll see Joe Flacco taking the ball away from Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain and putting it in the air, which isn't always a good thing.

Pittsburgh Steelers:
The Pittsburgh Steelers matchup with the Oakland Raiders this week is my AFC North Trap Game of the Week.  You saw what happened to the Bengals in Oakland, now watch out, because they could do it to the Steelers, and in a more humiliating way.  The Raiders will definetely be coming into this game with a chip on their shoulder, knowing they can beat the Black and Gold, and beating the reigning Super Bowl Champion Steelers sounds better than beating the 7-2 Cincinnati Bengals.  I expect the Steelers to win, but not until late in the fourth quarter.  Both teams execute a rough and hard hitting style of play, and it'll take more than a miracle for the Raiders to beat the Steelers, but Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski may be the miracle Oakland's been looking for.

The Easy

Bengals keep winning; Owner keeps rolling

Very interesting is the fact that the first place AFC North Cincinnati Bengals are 6-2, and so far 4-0 in the division.  Next Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is the most important game of the year.  If the Bengals win in the Steel City, we're 5-0 in the division, and will have swept the season series with not only the Steelers, but the Baltimore Ravens also.  It's worth noting that last year, the Bengals went 4-11-1, and the Ravens and Steelers faced off  in the AFC Championship game.  The Bengals are winning, and are two games away from sweeping their division. The last time the Bengals were 6-2? Try 1988, when they went to the Super Bowl.  The last time the Bengals swept their division?  Never.  Since their inception into the NFL in 1968, the Cincinnati Bengals have never swept their division.  This year sounds like and looks like a good year to change that. 

The sad part?  The economy combined with the outrages prices at Paul Brown Stadium, fans either can't afford to go to the games, or don't want to spend that much money.  All the while Cincinnati Bengals Owner Mike Brown is rolling in his money while others struggle.  The way it seems, Brown doesn't care about the fans and never has.  That's gotta change.  Correct that, that's GOING to change.  If he wants to look better to the Bengals Faithful, Brown has to change the way he's running not only the football team, but the ticket office also.  Before the season started, a large number of season ticket holders had to sell their tickets or not purchase them, because along with the economy, it wasn't affordable.  With the Bengals pushing for a playoff run reminiscent of the 2005 season, most fans should be buying tickets like crazy.  But they aren't.  Thus, we've had to settle for a few close blackouts, only to be saved by the likes of Kroger, Chad OchoCinco and Motorolla.  Don't expect to see either of the last three games on tv, as frugal fans don't want to see the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns or the Kansas City Chiefs. 

What should be done?  Owner Mike Brown should get the fans back.  Fans in Cincinnati loath the owner, and what better way to get the fans storming into PBS with second thoughts about Mike Brown than by giving the season tickets back to the former season ticket holders.  Whether they left because of last year's debacle, or because of the recession, the fans still watch their Bengals, and should be compensated.  I'm not saying let the fans buy the tickets back at half price, I'm saying that for Mike Brown to gain a little bit of trust back from the fans, he needs to give back the season tickets to the former season ticket holders.  This will save us from not only blackouts, but also save our Cincinnati Bengals from playing in front of a weak crowd when they are winning. 

It is our job as fans to fill the seats, winning or losing, but it's Mike Brown's job to make sure we never leave.  Well Mikey, we left, and if you want us back, YOU have to come crawling back.  You have to show us support and dedication like we showed you.  It's a two way street.  We met in the middle for years, but you were no where to be found.  Now it's time for us as fans, and you as the Owner of the Cincinnati Bengals to meet in the middle, and root, cheer, and watch our Bengals to a Super Bowl. 

The Easy