Archive for August, 2009

The Cincinnati Bengals fell to the New Orleans Saints in their preseason opener, but all the scoring action took place with the second and third squads on the field. The Bengals first-string offense moved the ball largely at will, with Carson Palmer and Cedric Benson combining for 161 yards in less than a quarter’s worth of action. Unfortunately, they also combined for two turnovers and no points. The first, a fumble by Benson, gave the Saints the ball at the Cincinnati 6, but the first-team defense held firm and Saints K Garrett Hartley shanked the chip-shot FG. The second, an [...]

The injury bug bites the Bengals again as QB Carson Palmer suffered a mild ankle sprain in the game against the Saints tonight. FB Fui Vakapuna also went down with a leg injury. The injury to Palmer isn’t thought to be serious, but he clearly needs all the time he can get after missing most of last season. Palmer was sloppy (as were both teams) in the first quarter tonight, going 11 for 133, no TDs and one pick. As an aside, P Kevin Huber is the man.

Barf. Despite a previous quote from Mike Brown saying that the Bengals would not pursue Mike Vick, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports that the team did precisely that. Glazer tweeted that Cincinnati offered Vick a two-year contract worth $2.3 million.  So let me get this straight. The team is unwilling to give Andre Smith a few more million because he’s an unproven player who seems prone to bad decisions and perhaps Burger King Whoppers. But they are willing to give a convicted dog fighter, a quarterback with a career completion percentage below 55-percent, someone who hasn’t played in two years [...]

Well, I almost made it. I made it through about 40 minutes of Hard Knocks before getting annoyed with the way the Bengals do things. This Hard Knocks series is going to be something like the Wizard of Oz. We’re all getting a peek behind the curtain and at times we will see past the scary face and the booming voice and realize it’s just Mike Brown pulling a lever. For me, the lever I didn’t like came when Mike Brown was talking – it actually seemed like instructing – the other coaches on issues regarding the roster. He suggested that Chris [...]

Buried in the bottom of an article by Thomas George (no relation to Boy), is the news that the Bengals brought in Florida coach Urban Meyer to teach them principles of the spread offense (I wonder if he had to pay for his own plane ticket…). Anyway, I like the idea of the Bengals using a little spread offense this season. With The Ocho, Laveranues, Chris Henry and Andre Caldwell or Chase Coffman on the field at the same time, someone is going to be open. Perhaps wide open. If Palmer has enough time to throw, the Bengals third and [...]

Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network and the National Football Post lists Marvin Lewis as the worst game manager in the NFL. That might be a bit extreme, but I think Marvin – as much as I love him – should probably be in the discussion. He seems to make a decision every game or two that drives me nuts. And to make matters worse, Lombardi makes his case for Marvin’s ineptitude by resurrecting the Steelers debacle that kept the Bengals from the playoffs in 2006. In Marvin’s defense, some teams employ people who specialize in game/clock management, but I [...]

For once, someone in the national media is giving Cincinnati some love instead of piling on the scrawny, freckle-faced kid that is our beloved Bengals. The writer is CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco and he apparently was getting free Kool-Aid refills in Georgetown. But I agree with him. If Carson Palmer is healthy, the Bengals can compete with anyone. Even with a rather pathettic offensive line and an improving defense, Palmer gave the Bengals a chance to win at New York last season and at Dallas (where the Bengals could have won if Chris Perry hadn’t held the football like  a greased [...]

Memo from the Much Ado About Nothing Dep’t: The Cincinnati Bengals have shuffled the preseason depth chart, an event that carries with it all the notability of a hooker sighting in Las Vegas. For the record, injured TE Daniel Coats has leaped ahead of injured TE Ben Utecht, veteran-and-doghouse-resident FB Jeremi Johnson has passed up rookie FB Fui Vakapuna, third-round pick Michael Johnson has overtaken Non-Dairy Dessert Rucker at DE, and last year’s fifth-round pick, DT Jason Shirley, is making a stop on the offensive line as a guard on his way out the door. OK, in all fairness to [...]

The Bengals seem deeper and more talented at linebacker than they have been in a long time. Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers could be cornerstones for years to come and Michael Johnson seems to be destined for some sort of hybrid linebacker/end role. I like having Dhani Jones in the middle just to get the team lined up right and in proper position. That’s been a weakness in past years. Brandon Johnson and Rashad Jeanty provide good depth and also some versatility. Johnson is supposed to be solid in pass coverage, while Jeanty is a little more physical and better [...]

The Seattle Seahawks have inked LB Aaron Curry, closing out the top five from the 2009 NFL draft and leaving Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andre Smith as the highest unsigned pick. Five other first-round picks from last April are also not yet under contract. The updated list of signings, including the Curry deal, can be found here. Per the rumor mill, the Bengals opened with a $33 million offer to Smith’s camp. They in turn are seeking something in the $40 million neighborhood. The Curry signing, at $10 million per year, will be no help to the Bengals front office. My [...]