Archive for November, 2010

I want to thank everyone who indulged my sullen mood yesterday. Getting it out was therapeutic. I am finally moving from depression into acceptance. (Note, that’s acknowledging reality, not embracing mediocrity.) It also helped that the Cardinals showed yesterday that things could still be worse than they are. So here we are, starting over in the rebuilding stage again. We know that the needs on the Bengals are legion. Listing the players worth keeping might be simpler than naming the ones who should go. Of the many needs, which do the Bengals prioritize highest? Here is how I see it.

ESPN.com’s James Walker looks at the future of Carson Palmer in Cincinnati. Walker thinks there will be some serious discussions about Palmer this offseason, especially considering Palmer is due $11.5 million in 2011. The team’s options include keeping him, cutting him, or asking him to take a pay cut. I’d like to see Palmer kept around for another year. I think it’s hard to evaluate any quarterback who is playing under Bob Bratkowski and with some inconsistent receivers and protection. While I do not believe Palmer is having a good year, I still believe he is far better than any [...]

Time to get back at it after a great holiday weekend. I trust that, like me, you didn’t let the Bengals last bungle ruin your Thanksgiving. We have accepted that 2-14 or an accidental 3-13 is coming this year. I’m normally not a pessimist, but I am really having trouble seeing much hope for the Bengals’ future. Their troubles are deep, but they are fixable. However, their current structure won’t allow them to be fixed. Let me juxtapose a couple of comments by former NFL players to explain why.

Joe Reedy takes a nice look at some of the house cleaning Cincinnati has to do in the offseason. As many expect – and most are probably hoping for – this could be a drastically different Bengals squad in 2011. If I were running the show (and maybe I should be), here’s what I’d do with the usual suspects. Marvin Lewis – I think it’s time for Lewis and the Bengals to move on. Lewis has been a good soldier and has had some success in the Queen City, but I think both would be better served if they divorced. [...]

Since the Bengals are essentially out of relevance this season, it makes sense to look at what might be the big ticket items come April in the NFL Draft. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck tops Mel Kiper’s Big Board. Following him are Da’Quan Bowers, a defensive end from Clemson, Georgia receiver A.J. Green and a pair of cornerbacks. Personally, I’d like to see the Bengals eschew the quarterback and target a right tackle that could solidify the edge and perhaps push Andre Smith inside to guard. The only trouble is, Kiper’s highest-rated lineman comes at No. 19, Colorado’s Nate Solder. So [...]

Cincinnati once again had the ball teed up and in position only to have it yanked away by Lucy in a 26-10 Thanksgiving loss to the New York Jets. And in case you’re wondering, Lucy plays for the Cincinnati Bengals on offense, defense, and special teams. She coaches as well. Let’s take a closer look at the team’s failures in all facets of the game. Offense: -If I heard correctly (and that can be a crapshoot), Cincinnati was held below 40 yards of offense in the second half. Good teams make adjustments at halftime and find things that work in [...]

Bengals lightning rod Terrell Owens has added some spice to the Bengals/Jets Thanksgiving matchup by calling corner Darrelle Revis “average.” Here’s a clip from this week’s T.Ocho Show.

Since Beeker gave us a laundry list of things not to be thankful for – and with this team, there are plenty of them – I thought I would try to find a few bright spots. (Please allow me to put on some binoculars…). I’ll explore these ideas in greater detail in this week’s post for NFL.com’s Blog Blitz. 1. A softer schedule next year 2. A high draft pick (for better or for worse) 3. The impending changes (surely there have to be some) 4. The rookie class

In honor of Thanksgiving, a few words of thanks to the Grinch of the NFL: Thanks for another year of national embarrassment for Bengals fans everywhere. (We thrive on the “Bungles” jokes from our friends and family that root for teams that need multiple hands to count their win totals.) Thanks for saying nothing publicly to give us the slightest hint that you even care that your team is a mess… again. Thanks for sticking to your outdated model for running an NFL team. Thanks for the extra taxes we get to pay for that stadium you can’t win in, [...]

Saying that Mike Brown is a doofus is about as shocking as saying that footballs are brown. We can all see it readily. Here’s why I state the obvious today. Last night I caught a quick listen to Lance McAlister and Dave Lapham talking to the great Anthony Munoz. I tuned in to hear Lance say to Anthony, “You really light up talking about working with Andre Smith.” Anthony said absolutely yes, he would love that opportunity. What a waste to have a resource like Munoz right hear under the Bengals’ nose, unused and disregarded! Arguably the greatest tackle in [...]