2007-2008 Cincinnati Bengals Thread: WHO DEY!!!

[ZM Punk]

1-0 Baby!!!

[SlimKibbles]

Quote: Originally Posted by ESPNdeportes

Alrighty. It all begins tonight! I feel like I'm the only person who is optimistic about the Bengals year. Granted, I'm cautiously optimistic, but everyone seems to think the Bengals are gonna tank this year. I hope I'm right!

I honestly don't have any feel for this team. I could see them winning anywhere from 6-10 games. If everyone stays healthy and they get hot, maybe they can win more than 10. I have no idea. Last year I thought they'd finish 8-8 or 7-9 and they had the former. Lot of variables in play this season.

All I know is that they really could've used Chris Henry tonight. I don't know if Tab Perry was running poor routes or Carson was making bad passes but 3rd downs were almost a guaranteed failure. I wish they would have used TE's Reggie Kelly and Dan Coates more. Hopefully they'll only be at worst 5-3 or 4-4 by the time Henry is eligible. Anyway, the game was fun tonight. Crowd was really into it. Great to have Bengals football started up again!

[SlimKibbles]

What an embarrassing game. I don't know if the defense was worn out from Monday's game against the Ravens or what the deal was, that performance was pathetic. Do you change coordinators now after week 2 or wait until the end of the season? Special teams did a poor job on coverage as well with Josh Cribbs. Something has to give here.

[ESPNdeportes]

Didn't get a chance to watch all the game, but got some chunks.

Offense was great, can't ask them to do anything more.

Kickoff and punt coverage are atrocious this year. They've given up nearly 500 yards in returns this year, and that excludes the Cribbs run that was negated by the clip.

Defense. I don't even know what to say. I'll start with inconsistent. Where was the D that was ball-hawking, flying around, making big hits, and pressuring the QB on Monday night? Yeah, the Baltimore game was hard hitting, but they're professionals and they've played on Monday night before.....that is not an excuse. The biggest thing was the lack of pressure. No sacks on Anderson, and from what I saw no blitzes and no pressure AT ALL. You can't give an NFL QB all the time in the world and expect to win. 2nd thing was missed tackles- I saw too many to count....I saw at least 8 badly missed tackles.

But I'm gonna try to stay away from the negative (its hard) and hope that something positive can come out of this game. I guess I hope they take all their games seriously, so they don't lose another game this year that they should win.

[ZM Punk]

Quote: Originally Posted by SlimKibbles

What an embarrassing game. I don't know if the defense was worn out from Monday's game against the Ravens or what the deal was, that performance was pathetic. Do you change coordinators now after week 2 or wait until the end of the season? Special teams did a poor job on coverage as well with Josh Cribbs. Something has to give here.

The special teams this season has been pathetic to say the least.

I agree I think its time for a change at defensive coordinator. I am so sick of seeing this team sitting back in soft zones especially considering that we have no more than one adequate pass rusher on the defensive line it just doesn't make any sense. It's different for teams like the Colts to sit back in a soft zone because they have good pass rushers like Dwight Freeney to pressure the QB but we have nobody remotely close to that.

I thought that after Mondays game the defense phillosophy was going to change this season, but I guess I was wrong.

[ESPNdeportes]

Staring 1-3 right in the face with the Pats coming to town on Monday

[SlimKibbles]

Quote: Originally Posted by ESPNdeportes

Staring 1-3 right in the face with the Pats coming to town on Monday

And it's done. What a shocker. Just be 4-4 when Chris Henry gets off his suspension. In the meantime, find some more LB's. They're dropping like flies.

[SlimKibbles]

Just in case you all haven't seen it yet.

Quote:

Bye week report card Bengals' pass offense only bright spot early BY MARK CURNUTTE The Bengals ended the first quarter of the season with a 1-3 record and a three-game losing streak. The defense has shown little if any signs of improvement. The special teams, like the defense, have been hit hard by injuries but have allowed game-changing plays in two of the four losses. Efforts to improve the run offense have failed, and it is right where it was - ranked 26th in the NFL - at the end of the 2006 season. And the coaching and leadership of Marvin Lewis, previously shielded with Teflon, is coming under fire by many fans and columnists locally and across the country. The 34-13 loss Monday night to New England, which capped the season's first quarter, was an embarrassment equal to some of the stinkers displayed by Bengals teams coached by **** LeBeau, Bruce Coslet and Dave Shula. The bickering Bengals were caught on film by ESPN cameras for a national TV audience. Lewis ripped his team in the post-game locker room, a tirade overheard by media members outside a set of steel doors. Lewis, typically, in an attempt to protect his players and not yield any competitive advantage, was vague in his assessment of the first quarter of play and his plans to repair his physically and emotionally beat-up team when it returns from its bye. The Bengals are "not where we want to be," said Lewis, whose previous two teams, 2005 and 2006, had started 4-0 and 3-0, respectively. "But it is where we are. That's the No. 1 thing to take notice of, then go about it and make the corrections. ... There's a lot of football left with 12 games, and a lot of opportunities. But we need to play one play, one series (and) one possession at a time." The numbers don't lie. The Bengals did not play well in the season's first month. Last season, a one-point Week 6 loss at Tampa Bay proved to be particularly regrettable when the Bengals failed to make the playoffs. In 2007, that defining doomsday might have come earlier - a Week 2 loss at Cleveland. The Bengals' 1-3 first quarter of this season showed they are still over-dependent on takeaways to compensate for a leaky defense, and on quarterback Carson Palmer and the receivers to move the ball. The offense is playing with an air of desperation, as if it's trying to make up for the defense. THE GRADES Pass offense: A-minus With the running game sputtering at 83.3 yards a game, the Bengals are relying heavily on the pass. The team has 10 passing touchdowns but just one on the ground. Chad Johnson is second in the NFL with 495 receiving yards, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh leads with 39 receptions. Palmer is forcing some balls, but it's out of necessity. The Bengals are unbalanced offensively. The NFL average for pass plays is 56 percent, but the Bengals are throwing 64 percent of the time through four games (165 drop-backs and 94 runs). Run offense: D The stated preseason goal of improving the run game has not materialized. The Bengals are 26th in the league, exactly where they were at the end of 2006. An injury to rookie Kenny Irons hurt them, and it's fair to ask if Rudi Johnson finally is wearing down. The offensive line is not blocking as well in the run game as it is for the pass. Pass defense: F The Bengals have allowed 11 passing touchdowns, second-most in the NFL to Cleveland's 12. Cincinnati is 26th in pass defense at 251 yards a game and tied for 27th in total sacks with just four. Cornerback Johnathan Joseph appears to be playing hurt with the lingering effects of a foot stress fracture. Fellow corner Deltha O'Neal looks more like the 2006 model than the 2005 Pro Bowl player. Run defense: D With an inordinate number of injuries at linebacker, the Bengals are forced to play with safeties and ends as outside linebackers and a cast of newcomers who were signed after training camp - a problem partially created by the front office. Despite the yards and points allowed - the team is 30th in yards per game at 403 and 31st in points at 32.2 - the Bengals are doing better on third down (tied for 17th at 42 percent). Special teams: D (or I, for incomplete) The defensive injuries have devastated the coverage units, and special teams coach Darrin Simmons has been forced to work in new players every week. The coverage units - 24th against punt returns and 30th against kickoffs - played their best game in Week 4 against New England. But the week before in Seattle, the kicking game made three major mistakes that cost the game. Coaching: D The Bengals needed six takeaways to win the opener against Baltimore. But the defense and special teams could not make one positive stop or big play at Cleveland in Week 2. Marvin Lewis and Chuck Bresnahan's defense has shown no improvement in the past couple of seasons; though they would not use injuries as an excuse, that's a partial explanation for this year's performance. The desired fast start did not happen, and the responsibility rests with Lewis in both game preparation and personnel decisions.