From Mewing Bungles to Roaring Bengals: 1992 On (FOF Historical)

[Izulde]

Week 4 Pre-Game Notes
-I'm going to sit MLB Randy Kirk another week. Alex Gordon has been playing well and there's no sense risking a worse injury to Kirk if we can help it.

-QB Wade Wilson is Disgruntled, but he's going to the Inactive list anyway. David Klingler steps in as the #2 guy, while Erik Wilhelm slots in at #3.

-This is QB Elvis Grbac's last chance. We've got a very winnable game in Jacksonville up next. Yeah they've got a scary rookie in CB Ray Buchanan and 2nd round pick S Blaine Bishop is also good, but the Jaguars look quite weak overall. Vegas agrees, favoring us by 2.

Bengals Offense Sputters Again In 14-7 Loss

Jaguars QB Cody Carlson was the differencemaker in a defense-dominated game

In what has become an all too-common theme for the Bengals this season, their defense once again played extremely well, while the offense failed on chance after chance to win the game, particularly miscuing on third down. Cincinnati did have its best outing on the year in that category, going 6/17 on third down (35.3%), but it was nowhere near enough.

QB Elvis Grbac continued his frustrating rookie campaign by throwing an untimely interception with 1:23 left in the first half deep in Jaguars territory to kill a drive that would've dented a 14-0 lead and given Cincinnati halftime momentum.

Amazingly, that 14-0 Jacksonville halftime lead came despite an interception and a fumble recovery by the Bengals defense. Both turnovers were generated by S David Fulcher and both put Cincinnati in prime field position on or near their own 45 yard line. But, as has happened so often, the offense couldn't capitalize.

The Bengals finally scored 5 minutes into the second half when Fulcher got in on a third turnover by way of recovering a fumble on the Jacksonville 12 and not even Cincinnati's league-worst offense could botch that short a field position.

The rest of the game was simply ugly, grinding football, including an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty on the Bengals in the fourth quarter.

QB Elvis Grbac showed increasing signs of worsening, going 15/32 for 95 yards, a TD and an INT and RB Ostell Miles rushed 14 times for a paltry 44 yards. Those two uninspired performances negated S David Fulcher's great game of 5 tackles, 6 assists, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. DE Pierce Holt's bit of pass rush flair in racking up 1.5 sacks and a knockdown was also wasted.

Other AFC North Scores
Baltimore 10 Indianapolis 29
Houston 14 Pittsburgh 16
Tennessee 20 Cleveland 29

4-0 Cleveland and 3-0 Denver are the only two undefeated teams left in the league.

Injury Update
MLB Randy Kirk - 100%

[Autumn]

When Commander Cody Carlson shows you up, you're headed for the bench, I think.

[Izulde]

Week 5 Pre-Game Notes
-Say goodbye to QB Elvis Grbac and say hello to... QB Erik Wilhelm. Yeah, that guy. He's the least rusty of our QBs, save for Wade Wilson, who was so awful, I don't trust him.

-MLB Randy Kirk takes his starting spot back in a hurry.

-We're headed to Baltimore to play QB Drew Bledsoe and the Ravens. They're favored by 6, thanks to Mr. #1 Overall Pick. Hard to fault the logic, especially with how awful our offense has been.

Wilhelm Wakes Offense; Bengals Roll 30-6

QB Erik Wilhelm threw for over 300 yard in his first start, leading Cincinnati to its first win of the season

The memory of four weeks of futility isn't completely erased, but thanks to QB Erik Wilhelm, making his first start of the season, the Cincinnati Bengals scored more than 14 points for the first time this year and finally won a game.

Wilhelm went 6/8 for 70 yards on the game's opening drive, finishing it off with a 4 yard TD pass to RB Ostell Miles and also directed two more first half drives that resulted in K Doug Pelfrey field goals and a 13-3 halftime lead. Those 13 first half points equaled the Bengals' season high for a full game.

Cincinnati stayed on cruise control in the second half, the Bengals' first drive of the second half mirroring the first as Wilhelm found Miles from 8 yards out to make it 20-3 midway through the third quarter.

The Bengals tacked on a field goal midway through the fourth before CB Marquez Pope intercepted Ravens QB Drew Bledsoe on the first play after the kickoff and returned it 37 yards for a TD and a game-securing 30-3 margin.

It's little surprise that QB Erik Wilhelm was named Player of the Game, as he was 24/34 for 330 yards, 2 TD and an INT. WR Carl Pickens had the best game of his career, catching 7 passes for 126 yards, while RB Ostell Miles was a two-way threat, gaining 74 rushing yards on 23 carries and catching 3 passes for 18 yards and 2 TDs. More importantly, the Cincinnati offense was 6/12 on third down conversions, the first time this year the Bengals have done even so well as 40%, to say nothing of 50.

Cincinnati's defense held the Ravens to just 134 net yards and was led by SLB Kevin Greene's 2 tackles, 2 sacks, knockdown, forced fumble, and fumble recovery. MLB Randy Kirk had a quietly successful season debut with 2 tackles, 2 assists, and 2 pass defenses.

Although the Bengals finally won a game and looked sharp, they started the season 0-4, and no 0-4 team in the history of the NFL has made the playoffs.

Other AFC North Scores
Pittsburgh 24 Indianapolis 27
Cleveland 26 Jacksonville 21

The Browns are the league's last unbeaten team, as Denver fell 31-27 to the defending Super Bowl champion Bills.

Injury Report
WR Curtis Conway - Sprained Knee - Questionable - 4 weeks

OLB Terry Crews is cut and WR Aubrey Matthews signed. Our WRs are so bad, Matthews is the #3 man.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Autumn

When Commander Cody Carlson shows you up, you're headed for the bench, I think.

As you can see, yep.

[Autumn]

A nice spark for you. I guess you just needed to light a fire under him.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Autumn

A nice spark for you. I guess you just needed to light a fire under him.

Yeah, now the only question is, can we make history like the IRL 1992 Chargers did?

[RendeR]

THe main things I see is the sheer number of changes made in one off season. Your offensive cohesion must be awful right now. Bringing Wilhelm back is really upped those numbers which is probably a big reason for the offensive showing in week 5.


Really Enjoying this, keep it up. And yes, Bengals fans understand entirely just how hard it was to replace the talent on this team. God I miss Munoz and Montoya.

[RendeR]

Also just a note: Trent Green was originally drafted by the Chargers in '93 though Football reference.com doesn't have any stats on him until '98??

Trent Green NFL & AFL Football Statistics | Pro-Football-Reference.com

methinks there is a problem in the data there somehow.

[NiteMaestro]

With Bettis, I think it's a cohesion issue.
Spell him in every so often (particularly 3rd down), along side ur ROTY.
I think you're set as far as the run game is concerned, and u will soon have a 'problem' between Wilhelm and Grbac.
I think you're on the way towards establishing a 'power-run' style team. Make sure ur WRs are possession/YAC heavy. But that's just MHO.

[Izulde]

RendeR: Good point on cohesion and glad you're enjoying it. I'd forgotten that about Green. Funny thing is, this team is still good defensively IMO.

NiteMaestro: I think Bettis is just fumble-prone, period. He's also not a power back in this universe if his bars are any indication. He's an average all-around RB who's a better receiver than runner even. In fact... ...hmm. Yes, I may have to try that. In any case, Miles is an elusive speed back and McCallum's an elusive power back.

[Izulde]

Week 6 Pre-Game Notes
-We've got a must-win game this week, and it's in Pittsburgh. The Steelers must be smoking something, because they franchised QB Bubby Brister. Yeah. I don't get it either. Anyhow, they're favored by 4, but we really need to win this one to save our season. Can we ride the momentum of last week's breakthrough?

Hot Defense Melts Steelers 23-6

DE Danny Stubbs recorded 3 sacks on the day

It's amazing what a team can do when it has enough offense to go along with a superlative defense. For the second game in a row, the Cincinnati Bengals scored a touchdown on their opening drive, on a 2 yard run by RB Napoleon McCallum, and those 7 points were all the Bengals needed on the back of another sterling outing by the defense.

Great field position led to Cincinnati's ftwo touchdowns, both in the first half, as WR Eric Guilford returned the game's opening kickoff 32 yards to the Bengals 44. Then, after a brilliant mid-2nd quarter 3 and out forced by Cincinnati's defense with the Steelers on their own 6 yard line, RB David Meggett returned a punt 14 yards to set the offense up on the Steelers 44 in a mirror of Guilford's opening play.

The Bengals needed just 3 plays after that Meggett return to stretch their lead to 14-3, as QB Erik Wilhelm found WR Carl Pickens for the 28 yard TD pass.

Pittsburgh, last year's AFC North champions, failed to respond and struggled all game long. The Steelers' only two scores were on their opening drives of each half, and field goals at that, allowing Cincinnati to cruise through the second half. The traditional Steelers run game was particularly atrocious, gaining just 36 yards on 20 carries, an abysmal 1.8 yards per rush as a team.

DE Danny Stubbs was the leader of the overpowering performance by the Bengals defense and won Player of the Game for his 6 tackles, 1 assist, 3 sacks, 2 hurries, 2 knockdowns and a forced fumble.

But it was the offense that some of the glitziest stats on the day. WR Carl Pickens had his second straight game of 100+ receiving yard with 8 catches for 122 yards and a TD, while QB Erik Wilhelm went 23/33 for 267 yards and a TD. RB Ostell Miles rushed 23 times for a season high 84 yards and had 2 receptions for 14 yards.

Other AFC North Scores
Cleveland 23 Houston 6
Baltimore 7 Tennessee 33

Injury Update
DE Roosevelt Nix - Deep Thigh Bruise - Probable - 1 week

[Izulde]

Bettis To Move To Tight End?

The Bengals coaching staff has been kicking around the idea of moving Jerome Bettis to TE

The Jerome Bettis saga just keeps getting more and more surreal. First, he was drafted by the Bengals, who traded up to get him. Then he lost his starting job to Ostell Miles and became a third down back. Then it was rumored he was being shopped around the league. Now the Cincinnati coaches are exploring the idea of moving the rookie to tight end.

"Just based on some of the things we've seen from him in practice, we feel like that might be the way to go", head coach Brad Hinchcliffe said. "We've got a good situation with our tight ends right in Wesley Walls and Jeff Thomasen, but we're thin at the position and we feel like Jerome could be a valuable asset there as he learns how to play."

Bettis declined to comment for this story, but it may be a way for the 17th overall pick to see the field more than he does now. Although he's quite short for the position at just 5'11, a converted RB could add another dose of speed to the Bengals passing attack and give QB Erik Wilhelm a safety target.

***End Article***

Week 7 Pre-Game Notes
-There's no TE mentors on the market and we're past the trade deadline. So it'd seem stupid, right? Especially since this is The Bus we're talking about and I have a feeling any Rams and Steelers fans reading this dynasty would instantly stop reading if I moved him to TE.

-We also just traded for a great TE in Walls and Thomason's been doing pretty well as the #2 man. Eh, what the hell? Why not? As it is right now, I'm not planning on making him a starting RB, like ever. And it'd be a huge cap hit to trade him in any case.

RB Jerome Bettis - 45/51
TE Jerome Bettis - 13/40 -32/-11

...Oops. I'll make him the #2 TE anyway.

-Indianapolis, another 2-4 AFC team, is coming to Cincy this week. Not much to be afraid, but it's a classic trap game after our huge win over the Steelers. This game's just as important to our season and faint playoff hopes as last week's. Vegas has us by 3.

Pickens Near-Perfect In Thrilling 31-24 Triumph

WR Carl Pickens celebrates his momentum-changing second TD reception of the day

It was a game as sloppy as it was exciting and historic. The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals combined for 9 fumbles in a game of critical importance for both teams' hopes of getting back into the playoff conversation as we approach the mid-point of the season.

One of those fumbles came on the game's first drive, as RB Ostell Miles turned it over on the 50 yard line. Fortunately, the Cincinnati defense held. It was the first of two turnovers for the Bengals in the first period, as QB Erik Wilhelm was intercepted by Colts S Michael Ball at the Indianapolis 1 yard line, ruining a chance at equalizing the game at 7-7. This turnover also failed to give the Colts points after K Dean Biasucci missed a 48 yard FG try.

The 7-0 lead and defenses held firm until midway through the 2nd quarter when Bengals DT Mike Golic sacked QB Mark Hermann, stripped the ball away, and returned it 17 yards to the Colts 6 yard line. Wilhelm tied the game three plays later, finding RB Napoleon McCallum in the endzone.

McCallum played a key role on the ensuing kickoff, picking up Gabe Rayond's fumble on the Indianapolis 36. That kicked off another quick drive that resulted in a 12 yard throw from Wilhelm to WR Carl Pickens for a game-changing 14-7 Bengals lead.

Indianapolis responded as QB Mark Herrmann completed 7 straight passes and RB Ed Toner ran it from 5 yards out at the two minute warning to tie it up at 14-14, the score that held going into the locker room.

Cincinnati's defense came out fired up and held the Colts to a 3 and out, but RB David Meggett fumbled the punt return and Gino Backes recovered it for a 19 yard return and new life for Indianapolis on the Cincinnati 14. A 3 yard loss on a run by Toner was negated by two straight passes to TE Charles Arbuckle, the latter good for a 9 yard TD and 21-14 Indy lead. That lead extended to 24-14 after a 53 yard Biasucci field goal with just over 4 minutes left in the third and suddenly things looked grim for the Bengals.

But then QB Erik Wilhelm found WR Carl Pickens on two long passes of 36 and 20 yards, bracketed by a 17 yard run by [b re]RB Napoleon McCallum[/b] to hurry the Bengals to the Colts 5 and it was Wilhelm to Pickens again for the score and 24-21 margin with just under a minute left in the third.

The defense held the Colts to a 3 and out to end the fourth quarter and the offense went back to work with an energetic drive, whose highlight play was a 30 yard run by McCallum. Wilhelm connected with WR Don Beebe on a 2 yard pass and just like that, Cincinnati had the lead back at 28-24 with 11:04 left on the clock.

K Doug Pelfrey added an insurance field goal with just over 5 minutes left and the defense stayed the course the rest of the way, denying the Colts any further scoring opportunities.

It was a frustrating loss for Colts QB Mark Hermann, who was the rightful Player of the Game at 32/50 for 348 yards and 2 TDs, but Bengals QB Erik Wilhelm did well enough to match him at 23/34 for 234 yards and 4 TDs, despite an interception and 2 fumbles. Backup RB Napoleon McCallum's two long runs netted him 74 yards and 12 carries as the game's leading rusher.

But it was Bengals WR Carl Pickens who had the greatest day, setting multiple team records with his third straight 100+ yards receiving game, thanks to his 11 catches for 161 yards and 2 TDs.

S Barney Bussey led the defense with 2 key fourth quarter pass deflections. TE Jerome Bettis had one ball sent his way, but the recently converted rookie RB did not catch it or have any other stats of note.

Other AFC North Scores
Cleveland 41 Baltimore 14
Jacksonville 10 Pittsburgh 34

Injury Update
DE Roosevelt Nix - 100%
RT Kirk Scrafford - Broken Finger - Probable - 1 Week
WR Curtis Conway - Upgraded to Probable

[Izulde]

Week 8 Pre-Game Notes
-I'll keep WR Curtis Conway inactive. Aubrey Matthews has become a pretty solid pick-up for us, it seems.

-The 0-6 Texans up next, in Houston. We were embarrassed by them last year, remember, in handing them their first win of the year. They've got QB Mark Rypien, who looks as mediocre as he did last year, a terribly ancient RB in Albert Bentley and studly rookie S John Lynch. We're favored by 4, but this game frankly frightens me.

Fumbling Towards A 44-17 Ecstacy

Despite a fumble, WR Carl Pickens had his fourth straight 100+ yard receiving game

Backed to their 10 yard line after the opening kickoff because of a holding penalty, the Houston Texans were making a slow, methodical march down the field. And then it changed in a single instant.

RB Herb Shepps fumbled the ball and Bengals S David Fulcher snatched it up, racing 43 yards downfield for a TD.

The teams exchanged a series of failed drives when the Fumble Gods struck again. Only this time, it was Cincinnati's star WR Carl Pickens who lost the ball. But sadly for the home crowd of Texans fans, the result was the same. FB Derrick Fenner picked up the lively bouncer and followed a host of blockers to rumble 77 yards for the 14-0 lead with just over 4 minutes left in the first quarter.

Houston QB Mark Rypien finally answered, completing 5 straight passes, including the capstone 5 yard throw to RB Albert Bentley for a 14-7 halving at the start of the second quarter.

But three players later, Bengals RB Ostell Miles sprinted around the right side, speeding in the wake of RT Kirk Scrafford's sensational block for a highlight reel 55 yard touchdown run.

S Barney Bussey killed the Texans' next drive, intercepting Rypien in Cincinnati territory and Wilhelm took advantage, finishing it off with a 17 yard TD pass to TE Wesley Walls.

Rypien again had a great drive with 4 straight completions on an answering touchdown drive to make it 28-14 on a 1 yard Shepps run, but the Bengals tacked on a last-second field goal to make it 31-14 at the half.

Then Bengals KR David Meggett ran the second half kickoff back 37 yards to the Cincinnati 48 and two long passes from QB Erik Wilhelm, a 25 yarder to WR Don Beebe and a 27 yarder to WR Carl Pickens, netted a 38-14 Bengals lead. Thus, the game was essentially over just over a minute into the second half.

RB Ostell Miles had his first 100+ yard rushing game of the season, carrying the ball 23 times for 116 yards and a TD, the bulk of it on the 55 yard scoring run. WR Carl Pickens extended his team record with his fourth straight 100+ yard receiving game, catching all 6 passes thrown his way for 105 yards and a TD. Making that feat even more impressive is the fact that QB Erik Wilhelm threw for just 180 yards.

Should Pickens have another 100+ receiving yards in the Bengals' next game, his five 100+ yard receiving games in a row will match the Detroit Lions' WR Herman Moore, who accomplished that feat with 8 catches for 102 yards in a 17-12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons this week, and the duo would give the NFL its first pair of 5 consecutive 100 yard receiving games in the same season since 1966, when another Detroit Lion, Paul Studstill had 6 games in a row eclipsing the century mark and the San Diego Chargers' Lance Altworth had 5. The last individual player to have 5 or more games of 100+ yards receiving is Philadelphia's Harold Jackson, who completed the feat over the 1971 and 1972 seasons.

Interestingly enough, it's arguable that neither Moore, nor Pickens has the most impressive receiving streak. That distinction goes to the Buffalo Bills' WR Andre Reed, who posted these eye-popping numbers over a three game streak in last year's Super Bowl-winning season:

13 catches - 240 yards - 2 TDs (40-23 W @ NE)
8 catches - 199 yards - 3 TDs (31-28 L vs CLE)
10 catches - 190 yards - 0 TDs (23-0 W @ KC)

Just a few yards here and there and Reed could've had 3 straight games of 200+ yards receiving, a feat never before achieved in the history of the NFL. In fact, the only player to even have 3 200+ yard receiving games in a single season is Houston's Charley Hennigan, who did it way back in 1961.

Getting back to the game, Bengals K Doug Pelfrey was a flawless 3/3 on field goal attempts and S David Fulcher (9 tackles, a pass defense, a fumble recovery, a TD) led the defense. Fulcher also got support from CB Marquez Pope (6 tackles, 2 pass defenses, a forced fumble) and CB Don Griffin (2 tackles, 2 pass defenses).

Other AFC North Scores
Indianapolis 6 Cleveland 31
Jacksonville 7 Baltimore 25
Pittsburgh 0 Tennessee 27

Injury Update
Everyone will be 100% after the bye week

Bye Week

AFC North Scores
Houston 19 Baltimore 31
Pittsburgh 6 Cleveland 27

That's the first consecutive win streak in Ravens' history.

Mid-season review up next.

[Izulde]

Year                1993                                      
Record              4-4                                       
Winning Pct.        .500                                      
All-Time            14-10                                     
Winning Pct.        .583                                      
Playoffs            0-0                                       
Playoff Visits      0                                         
Bowl Wins           0                                         
Head Coach          Brad Hinchliffe                           
Record              14-10                                     
Winning Pct.        .583                                      
Off. Coord.         H. Lyle                                   
Def. Coord.         B. Liang                                  
   
Cincinnati Bengals      Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         28.6      12          
Rushing Yards           102.9     19          
Yards Per Carry         3.59      27          
Pass Attempts           31.5      25 (T)      
Completions             19.8      28          
Completion Pct.         62.7      17          
Passing Yards           205.3     25          
Yards Per Attempt       6.52      21 (T)      
Yards Per Catch         10.39     24          
Total Yardage Gained    297.1     24          
3rd Down Conversions    31.7      29          
Points Per Game         19.8      18 (T)      
Pass Rush Pct.          18.7      20          
Pass Defense Pct.       43.8      20          
Turnovers               17        23 (T)      
Turnover Margin         +4        8 (T)       
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         25.6      16          
Rushing Yards           83.3      6           
Yards Per Carry         3.25      1           
Pass Attempts           33.6      14          
Completions             21.8      19 (T)      
Completion Pct.         64.7      19          
Passing Yards           238.4     19          
Yards Per Attempt       7.09      21          
Yards Per Catch         10.96     18          
Total Yardage Gained    304.4     8           
3rd Down Conversions    38.9      13          
Points Per Game         18.5      8           
Pass Rush Pct.          16.5      4 (T)       
Pass Defense Pct.       55.1      20          
Turnovers               21        3           
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     7     at CLE        34      
2     13    GBY           20      
3     3     at SDO        27      
4     7     at JAX        14      
5     30    at BAL        6       
6     23    at PIT        6       
7     31    IND           24      
8     44    at HOU        17      
10          TEN                   
11          CLE                   
12          MIN                   
13          NJY                   
14          at CHI                
15          BAL                   
16          at DET                
17          PIT                   
   
Passing                 Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int   Rate  
3 E. Wilhelm            QB    117   84    1020  8.72  9     2     116.7   
8 E. Grbac              QB    107   63    553   5.17  3     5     62.5    
17 W. Wilson            QB    28    11    69    2.46  0     2     17.6    
**Team                  ---   252   158   1642  6.52  12    9     82.4    
$$Opp                   ---   269   174   1907  7.09  9     7     85.8    
   
Rushing                 Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Fum  
46 O. Miles             RB    107   385   3.60  1     1       
36 N. McCallum          RB    70    246   3.51  1     0       
37 J. Bettis            TE    40    154   3.85  0     3       
**Team                  ---   229   823   3.59  2     14      
$$Opp                   ---   205   666   3.25  6     20      
   
Receiving               Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop  TD  
87 C. Pickens           WR    73    47    687   14.62 9.41  4     6       
86 D. Beebe             WR    38    20    247   12.35 6.50  1     1       
46 O. Miles             RB    17    15    52    3.47  3.06  0     2       
37 J. Bettis            TE    20    15    64    4.27  3.20  1     1       
89 F. Banks             WR    22    13    167   12.85 7.59  2     0       
47 D. Fenner            FB    14    11    33    3.00  2.36  0     0       
82 W. Walls             TE    17    11    104   9.45  6.12  1     1       
81 C. Conway            WR    25    10    137   13.70 5.48  4     0       
   
Defense                 Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  PDPct  
33 D. Fulcher           S     45    20    0.0   0     2     4     76.3    
93 A. Gordon            ILB   41    11    1.0   1     0     0     62.2    
21 B. Bussey            S     38    15    0.0   1     1     6     83.8    
51 J. Francis           OLB   35    11    0.0   0     0     2     74.2    
77 D. Stubbs            DE    33    10    6.0   9     0     0     80.1    
29 J. Jackson           S     28    5     0.0   0     0     0     74.6    
95 K. Greene            OLB   23    2     2.0   1     0     2     78.0    
22 D. Griffin           CB    23    8     0.0   0     2     5     80.7    
32 M. Pope              CB    21    1     0.0   0     1     3     77.2    
98 M. Golic             DT    20    15    2.5   6     0     0     81.1    
58 R. Kirk              ILB   17    8     0.0   0     1     3     81.6    
70 T. Krumrie           DT    12    9     2.5   4     0     0     81.0    
20 D. Williams          S     10    3     0.0   0     0     1     71.8 

Quarterbacks
You can talk about how we might be 6-2 rather than 4-4 if we'd turned to Erik Wilhelm sooner, but I believed being benched those first four games fired his ass up. Elvis Grbac could still be the man some day, but right now, David Klingler is ahead of him in both current and potential, a worrying sign.

Running Backs
If he'd started from the beginning, maybe Ostell Miles would be on track for another 1,000 yard season. In any case, I love his ball security. Napoleon McCallum is definitely showing his age, but he's still producing. Jury's out on if either one of these guys returns next year, as both are out of contract.

Receivers
It's a bit worrying that TE Wesley Walls is so little targeted, but then again he does have low Endurance (26). What about that WR Carl Pickens, eh? He's one of the top 5 WRs in the league, period, and I'm glad the old regime signed him to that long, now cheap looking contract. WR Don Beebe's a good return bet next season. Not the best starter in the world, but a safe receiver who'd be a top-notch #3. Rookie Curtis Conway's looking like a bust and Jerome Bettis hasn't caught a single pass since moving to TE.

Offensive Line
I'm really regretting not trading LG Jon Melander to the Bills for a 2nd round pick when they offered it to me. The whole offensive line has been mediocre or worse, save for LT Joe Walter, who made a surprisingly efficient adjustment to the left side and RG Thomas Rayam, who's significantly improved his all-around game.

Special Teams
P Lee Johnson has been his usual reliable self and K Doug Pelfrey is hitting 72.2% of his attempts, 42.9% from 40+, or about what we got from Jim Breech last year, who is having an annoyingly banner year for the Panthers. Oh well, Pelfrey's a rookie. He'll improve. RB David Meggett has been a great return man and 6th round draft pick WR Eric Guliford has been almost as good. In fact, I may let Meggett go next year. Guliford's been that close to him in terms of production -and- is a special teams demon outside of returns.

Defensive Line
What a difference a year makes. DE Danny Stubbs is on track for 10+ sacks and fellow DE Pierce Holt has 4 sacks himself. This should be DT Tim Krumrie's last season with us and while DT Mike Golic has been a good FA signing, I wonder how long the 9th year man will last.

Linebackers
It's hard to call the linebacking play anything but a disappointment thus far. SLB Kevin Greene hasn't been the pass rush threat we thought we were getting and WLB James Francis has virtually disappeared. MLB Randy Kirk gets a pass because of his injuries.

Secondary
CB Don Griffin continues to be one of the most underrated corners in the league. All the man does is produce. CB Marquez Pope is very quietly developing into a pretty good corner himself. How much longer can S Barney Bussey and S David Fulcher go? They're still the bulwark of this defense, although Fulcher's showing some alarming signs of decline.

Overall Thoughts
Golic and Kirk are two big reasons why we're #1 in fewest yards allowed per carry. We're still carried by our 8th ranked defense, one that's 3rd in the league in turnovers forced. It'll be interesting seeing what our offensive numbers look like at the end of the year, but right now, it's still subpar.

AFC Playoff Outlook
Cleveland: 9-0
Tenneesee: 7-1
Miami: 6-2
San Diego: 5-3
Buffalo: 5-3
New York Jets: 5-3
Cincinnati: 4-4
Kansas City: 4-4
Denver: 4-4

NFC Playoff Outlook
Green Bay: 7-1
San Francisco: 7-1
New Orleans: 6-3
Dallas: 5-3
Washington: 5-3
New York Giants: 4-4
Arizona: 4-4
Seattle: 4-4
Detroit: 4-4
Chicago: 4-4
Tampa Bay: 4-4

[Izulde]

Week 10 Pre-Game Notes
-I feel like 4-4 is actually a pretty accurate measure of our talent level right now. The four game win streak's been a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll make the playoffs. Our second half schedule is nasty.

-And that nastiness starts this week against the AFC South leading 7-1 Tennessee Titans, who will wrap up the division pretty early, seeing as how the next closest team is 3-6 Jacksonville. QB Vinny Testaverde is loving it in Nashville, having a pair of very good WRs in Haywood Jeffries and Ernest Givins to throw to and an excellent offensive line led by free agent steal LT Will Wolford from the Bills. In fact, the Titans' only real weakness is safety, where they lost starting S Bubba McDowell for the season in Week 8. Little wonder they're favored by 8 even on the road.

-Oh yes, that reminds me. There's only two winless teams in the league; 0-8 Houston Texans and 0-9 Carolina Panthers. Guess raiding our castoffs didn't help the Panthers get much better.

Defense Holds In Narrow 17-13 Upset Victory

SLB Kevin Greene came up with the game-saving interception late in the fourth quarter

Cincinnati Bengals RB David Meggett probably bought the whole defense a round after Sunday night's nationally televised game against the Tennessee Titans.

That's because Meggett fumbled the opening kickoff and the Titans recovered on the Bengals 27. Luckily, the defense held Tennessee to a 3 down field goal and 3-0 lead, led by SLB Kevin Green's 3 yard tackle for loss on first down and blocked pass on third down.

Tennessee expanded their lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter, the long, methodical drive of short passes finished by a 3 yard pass from QB Vinny Testaverde to WR Haywood Jeffries in the end zone.

Bengals QB Erik Wilhelm finally got Cincinnati's offense going on the next drive, completing 8 of 10 passes for an answering touchdown, including the 11 yard throw to WR Fred Banks for the score and 10-7 margin.

The Titans threatened to add ponts at the end of the second half, but S David Fulcher came up with a crucial interception at the Cincinnati 33 to snuff out the danger.

That didn't stop Tennessee from picking up 3 more points on the first drive of the second half on a 46 yard Al Del Greco field goal, thanks largely to a 27 yard pass from Testaverde to WR Ernest Givins.

Defense dominated the third quarter until, with 22 seconds left, Cincinnati's OLB Alfred Williams broke through the Titans line to block P Greg Montgomery's punt and rookie FB Roosevelt Potts recovered at the Titans 27. Just three plays later, Wilhelm threaded a ball through the double coverage to WR Carl Pickens for a 16 yard touchdown and a 14-13 lead, the Bengals' first of the game.

A 35 yard by RB Ostell Miles gave the Bengals hope to score again, but then Titans S Bob Orlando intercepted Wilhelm in the endzone with 5:41 left in the game, giving Tennessee a new breath of hope.

It looked bad for the Bengals, especially when DT Mike Golic hurt his shoulder on the ensuing drive's second play. But then, on a 3rd and 2 with the Titans approaching midfield, Golic fought through his injury to come up with a huge 6 yard sack to end the drive.

The Bengals offense was held to a 3 and out and the Titans got the ball back on their own 28. This time, Tennessee was shut down in a hurry, as SLB Kevin Greene came through with yet another huge play on first down, intercepting a pass and returning it 11 yards to the Titans 27. The Bengals then ate up the clock and added a much-needed 39 yard Doug Pelfrey field goal with 29 seconds left and the Titans were unable to score the touchdown required to win.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Erik Wilhelm's superlative accuracy won him Player of the Game, as he went 22 of 29 for 217 yards, 2 TDs and a pick. Sadly, WR Carl Pickens's streak of 100+ receiving games ended at four, as he tallied just 3 catches for 41 yards and a touchdown and was double-teamed all game long.

Although SLB Kevin Greene had the most clutch plays, it was MLB Randy Kirk with 9 tackles, 2 assists and a pass defense and CB Marquez Pope with 0 times caught and 2 pass defenses in 34 plays who really led the defense.

Converted 1st round pick TE Jerome Bettis had his first catches out of the new position, with 4 receptions for 20 yards.

Other AFC North Scores
Baltimore 17 Pittsburgh 27

Injury Report
DT Mike Golic - Bruised Shoulder - Probable - 1 week
RB Clarence Hellestrae - Bad Cold - Probable - 1 week

[Izulde]

Week 11 Pre-Game Notes
-I don't think you can understate the importance of just how huge that win against the Titans was. It put us over .500 and has has tied with the Jets for the AFC's #2 wildcard.

-We've got an even bigger game on tap this week. 9-0 Cleveland coming to Cincinnati in the most highly anticipated and important game of our archrivalry in this universe. Win and we keep ourselves in good playoff shape, not to mention preserving the sanctity of 1972. Lose and they go to 10-0 and we're slipping back in the mud in terms of playoff hopes. SLB Gerald Dixon is out with a broken fibula, which will help slightly, but overall, yeah, the Browns are a worthy undefeated team. The fact they're only favored by 5 is criminal.

Kosar'ed! Bernie's Browns Bash Bengals 34-6

A random Browns player celebrates in the snow after Cleveland's crushing of Cincinnati

It all started off with glimmers of hope. The Cincinnati Bengals netted two field goals in their first two possessions and had a 6-0 lead with 4:05 left in te first quarter.

And then the second quarter and Browns QB Bernie Kosar came. A methodical drive culminated in Kosar's 6 yard TD pass to WR Jeff Chadwick and just like that, all of Cincy's hard work evaporated into an early 7-6 2nd quarter deficit.

With 3:18 left in the half, Kosar completed a short TD pass to Chadwick again to make it 14-6, although it was two long passes of 27 and 13 yards to WR Keenan McCardell that were most responsible for the insurance points.

A slow, steady opening second half drive, finished off by a 24 yard pass from Kosar to RB Vaughn Hebron made it 21-6 midway through the third and the Browns defense kept harassing Bengals QB Erik Wilhelm the rest of the way, including a third quarter forced fumble recovered by Cleveland and turned into a field goal.

By the time the third quarter ended, it was 27-6 and the Bengals already looked beaten.

QB Bernie Kosar was the deserved Player of the Game at 26/32 for 290 yards and 3 TDs. The amazing thing is, he has 0 interceptions this season in 296 pass attempts. Although he didn't score, WR Keenan McCardell had a great game as well, with 9 catches for 143 yards.

It was a forgettable game for the Bengals. RB Ostell Miles did have 113 yards on 10 carries, but the bulk of that came on the game's last play, a meaningless 39 yard run. QB Erik Wilhelm was 22/39 for 171 yards, an interception and a horrific 4 fumbles.

On the bright side, the defense had 3 players with 10+ tackles:

S Barney Bussey - 11 tackles, 1 assist
S David Fulcher - 11 tackles, 1 assist
MLB Randy Kirk - 10 tackles, 4 assists, 1 pass defense

LT Joe Walter also played well, with 3 key run blocks and a pancake block.

Other AFC North Scores
None

Injury Report
DT Mike Golic - 100%
DE Roosevelt Nix - Doubtful - Severe Headaches - 1 week

[Izulde]

Week 12 Pre-Game Notes
-We have no other DEs, so I'm going to experiment with 300 lb Shawn Lee as the backup DE. It's only for one week.

-Thankfully the Jets lost, too, so we're in the middle of a host of 5-5 teams fighting for that last wildcard spot. Speaking of 5-5, the .500 Minnesota Vikings, the ones who made that improbable Super Bowl appearance last year, are coming to Cincinnati. They're also fighting to get back into the postseason and have now wholly committed to seond year QB Brad Johnson. We catch a -huge- break because WR Cris Carter went down in the preseason for the entire year, which is why the Vikes are struggling. They've still got an excellent defense, though and I think favoring us by 5 points is overrating us. Tough matchup in this key game.

Bengals Run Over Vikings 31-6

RB Napoleon McCallum put the game out of reach with his huge run

It's not often that you see a quarterback scramble for 36 yards, but that's exactly what QB Erik Wilhelm did on the Bengals' first offensive play against the Minnesota Vikings, as the Vikes went in pass defense mode. Then RB Ostell Miles ripped off a 29 yard gain. Although the Vikings would go on to sack Wilhelm twice to hold the Bengals to a field goal and 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter, the game's tone was set.

Vikings WR Travis Hannah answered the field goal with an electrifying 60 yard kickoff return, but S David Fulcher intercepted a pass intended for Hannah 3 plays later to stop the threat. Cincinnati took advantage, using two 10+ run plays by Miles and two 10+ pass plays to WR Carl Pickens en route to a 1 yard pass to Pickens for the TD and 10-0 lead.

Minnesota finally got going the next drive with 3 straight big plays: a 20 yard pass to RB Roger Craig, a 31 yard run by RB Terry Allen and another 12 yard pass to Craig, but then the Bengals' defense stiffened up, holding the Vikings to a field goal.

S Vencie Glenn picked off Wilhelm on the following drive's first play to give the Vikings excellent field position, but Minnesota failed to convert the turnover into points.

Minnesota QB Brad Johnson was intercepted in Vikings territory by S Barney Bussey at the two minute warning and the Bengals turned it into a touchdown drive capped by a 5 yard Wilhelm to WR Don Beebe throw to make it 17-3 Bengals at the half.

The Bengals went 3 and out to open the second half and the Vikings put together a long, sustained drive, but were again held to just 3 points. Cincinnati, in turn, engineered yet another touchdown drive with just over 3 minutes left in the third. It was Wilhelm to Pickens for 7 yards and 6 points, although the drive's key play was a 22 yard strike to Beebe.

Six plays later, after the Vikings went three and out, Bengals #2 back RB Napoleon McCallum hammered the final nail with an astounding 69 yard touchdown run, the game's longest play and one that produced the game's 31-6 final score.

All told, the Cincinnati Bengals ground game rang up 227 yards, with RB Ostell Miles gaining 97 yards on 19 carries and RB Napoleon McCallum getting 94 yards and a TD on 11 carries. WR Carl Pickens was Player of the Game, though, with 7 catches for 83 yards and 2 TDs.

S David Fulcher and S Barney Bussey led the defense with matching totals of 7 tackles, 3 assists, an interception, Fulcher adding in a pass defense besides. And although neither of the Vikings quarterbacks were sacked, DE Pierce Holt made his presence felt with 5 hurries and 2 knockdowns.

Other AFC North Scores
Chicago 10 Cleveland 37
Pittsburgh 25 Green Bay 37
Baltimore 10 Detroit 38

QB Bernie Kosar was picked off on the very first pass attempt of the game, ending his interception-free streak. In fact, he was intercepted twice by the Bears.

Injury Report
DE Roosevelt Nix - 100%
RDT Mike Golic - Strained Foot Ligament - Out - 5 Weeks

...Shit. The most critical stretch of the season and we lose the heart and soul of our defensive line. Not good. Not good at all.