Archive for October, 2010

One of the more alarming trends in this Bengals season is the absence of a pass rush. According to a stat passed along by Joe Reedy, the Bengals are buck-naked last in sacks with three and have one sack for every 46.67 opponent pass attempts. Quite frankly, that’s staggering. And embarrassing. Most teams don’t throw 47 times in a game, some might not do it in two. So Cincinnati is essentially averaging less than one sack per game. And that’s not going to cut it. If Cincinnati expects to improve, the pass rush needs to get better. With one of [...]

Here’s something that might ruin your day: Andre Smith might be the Bengals best hope for some offensive improvement this season. Seriously. I’ll explore that idea in a little more depth for NFL.com’s Blog Blitz this week. And I still think Larry Johnson is worth another look by the Bengals. Provided Johnson is still in shape after getting cut by the Redskins, he possesses the perfect size and skills to be a bell cow running back if Cedric Benson breaks down. (And with this offensive line, he might). Plus, Johnson averaged 4.4 yards per carry playing behind the same line [...]

Bengaldom remains in an uproar that this year’s team has yet to locate an identity. Is it a running team led by Ced Benson? A passing team fueled by Carson and wideouts T. Ochocinco? No one seems to know, but 2-2 doesn’t seem good enough. I say that all the identity crisis stuff is overblown. Good teams can win many ways. The Patriots have done it for years. In my mind, Cincinnati’s biggest problem is a general lack of discipline. It starts with Ochocinco, a 10-year veteran who is averaging roughly a penalty per game, including a costly one that [...]

I could trot out my usual Postgame Pros and Cons, but I doubt I’d do much better than the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Paul Daugherty. Daugherty was spot on in his assessment of the Bengals Sunday. The team had a major edge in talent but lost on the scoreboard. Penalties and execution were to blame once again (aren’t they always?). Personally, I think Cincinnati needs to utilize more no-huddle in the early stages to get the offense going then lean on the running style it clearly prefers late in games. And I’m still maddened that Bernard Scott got just two offensive touches [...]

I was talking to the biggest Bengals fan in Texas the other day and we eventually settled on the Bernard Scott question. More specifically, why isn’t Scott getting more touches? (Perhaps Cedric Benson’s media tour has something to do with it). It was obvious last year that Scott was a special player, one of those dangerous athletes who is capable of turning almost every play into a touchdown. The Bengals have responded by letting him return kicks and giving him just enough carries to drive me nuts. My Texas Bengal, Big Dog, believes Scott and Benson should split carries early [...]

In a move that was long overdue, Willie Anderson showed up at a Cincinnati practice Wednesday and Thursday to help out his old mates. Anderson spent some time with Dennis Roland, Andre Smith and Anthony Collins, who could all benefit from his wisdom and experience. Big Willie passed along some encouraging news from Smith, who at least seemed somewhat interested in Anderson’s knowledge. The only sad part about the whole visit is that Anderson had to contact the Bengals to make it happen. Considering that Smith is a fellow Alabama boy, it would have been nice if Anderson were around [...]