Same Old Bengals

[Lord Nepenthean]

It seems that here in Cincinnati, it's back to the same old Bengals.  Maybe we all got off to a bit of a false start believing in Marvin Lewis.  The 1-3 start to this year's season is frankly unacceptable.  The 8-8 season was big here, but so far it doesn't seem like the team has made any improvements.  

Sure, you can say that Palmer is still (essentially) a rookie, but I don't really care.  So is Roethlisburger.  Palmer isn't even that much of a problem anyway.  He's getting way too much criticism.  The offensive line, on the other hand, is disgusting.  They can't protect Palmer, and they can't block for Rudi.  Why, why, why?

Don't even get me started on our 'what's a cornerback?' defense.  Having two rookies at safety isn't helping either, and the linebackers just plain suck.  Teams have been running all over us all year, and that makes passing easy (if necessary at all).

BLAH.  You better shape up, Marvin.  We're sick of crappy football teams in Cincinnati.

[shadytool]

oh boy what a shitty game... for the past four weeks.

nep i agree on carson palmer, let him take the snaps, until the O-line gets him about killed.
and speaking of the lines the defensive line is pathetic.  they ought to be ashamed of they way that they play.  maybe there was something to marvin trying to pick up two pro-bowl tackles this off season in daryl garner and sapp.  garner turned out to have a destroyed back and denver just released him.  we had a deal with him (it seemed like before he was even released) until he failed his physical.  but while garner was still in denver we went after sapp.  so we thought that we had garner in the bag and STILL went after sapp.  i guess that the price for sapp got too high so we backed out thinking that we would still get garner.  nontheless, neither of those options panned out and we are stuck with a shitty d-line.  

as for the secondary, those two rookies that are playing strong and free saftey are both cornerbacks.  sucks when your team is so banged up that it has to put two rookies on the feild and have them play out of position.  and the LB's arent much better than last year.  just when it looked like nate webster was coming around (week 2 & 3 he had two forced fumbles and a recovery, a deflected pass and lead in tackles) he is knocked out for the season.  that means that rookie caleb miller is starting MLB.  he looked like he was getting caught in traffic today but i think that he will get better as the year plays out.  same thing with the two rookie CB's.

the offense is bad cause the line is hurt.  our center have knee surgery and couldnt go since week 2.  his backup, larry moore, had been hurt since at least the first week of play.  so then you have to get Jerry Fontenot (17 years in the NFL) and have him start with 2 days notice.  levi jones T is coming off a surgery also.  peter warrick is hurt also and didnt even play today.  he is missed cause he really helps take the pressure off chad johnson.  even thought c. johnson was making catches against the ravens in triple coverage.  thats right... TRIPLE COVERAGE!

maybe the bi-week will help out with some injury issues.  help the offense get its timing back.  and help out the rookies know their place better on the defense.  

if not, this is a very young team.  even before the injures.  growing pains.  but this is different from  the past 13 years... cause we have a coach with a plan.  someone who is in charge.

we started out last year 1-3 also.  we will have some good games this year.  but i am not thinking about super bowl quite yet.

who-dey

[Lord Nepenthean]

One of the many problems I see ahead is that the schedule just keeps getting harder and harder from here on out.  Fans have sold out  so many home games this year (all of them?), and they want immediate results.  That's kind of unfair, but the way both the offensive and defensive lines have been playing this year is just awful.  Then all of the injuries doesn't help anything.  Having to put rookies in because of injuries is bad enough, but as you said, they're out of position too.  A few weeks ago, they had a cornerback playing safety and a safety playing cornerback.  Where's the logic in that?

One thing that really disturbed me beyond everything I've said and Rick has said already is that the team didn't seem energetic at all today.  I know the game was at Pittsburgh, but still.  If the D plays hungry, they're going to do a lot better.  This wasn't as much of a problem for three of our offensive players, but the rest of the offense was sleeping, so it didn't matter too much.

Oh, and who the heck is #86?  I heard on the radio that the Bengals just picked him up like one or two days previously.  I think he was playing at tight end.  Palmer threw one or two passes to him, but I can't remember if they were caught/dropped/overthrown.

P.S.  Go back to Michigan, Chris Perry.  I still resent that you were our first round pick.  We should have gotten a cornerback, linebacker, or safety instead.  Hell, Chris Gamble would have been a nice choice if he was still available.  That guy could've passed to himself, blocked for himself, kicked the point after the TD he scored, intercept the ball after the kickoff, and run it back for another TD, all while calling the plays from the box.  Stupid Chris Perry.

[Lord Nepenthean]

HA.  Still think Palmer is as good as Roethlisberger, Rick?  Losing to Cleveland that badly is inexcusable.  Ohio football teams are the worst.  The only time one of them wins is when they play another bad Ohio team.

[shadytool]

roethlisburger is the flavor of the month right now.  he will stumble, just like any other rookie does.  but the team he is playing on is helping out alot.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Just had to get that out.

[Lord Nepenthean]

Ben will have his bad games, but it's no fluke that he's playing the way he is.  Four rookie starts and four wins a coincidence?  I think not.  That hasn't been done since the early eighties.  He has FAR better numbers than most rookie QB's, including Manning, Couch, Vick, Palmer, etc, etc.  And, if the Browns can destroy us like they did today, Pittsburgh is going to obliterate us when we play them next....  if the Bengals even survive Denver on Monday Night Football next week.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

I shudder to think.

[Hydrobond]

Same old bengals are leading the Broncos 13-7 at the half.  On national TV.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

WHO DEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(besides just about everyone)

[Lord Nepenthean]

Nope.  It's the same old Bengals still.  They end up occasionally winning a big game here or there, but the next week they have a few bad drives and fart around for 55 minutes.  Then at the end they do a few good things to maybe pull something off, but instead Palmer (once again) makes an idiotic mistake (turnover).  Thank goodness for the Steelers.  (Yup, the Steelers.)

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bet there are more steelers fans in ohio than pennsylvainia.

[Lord Nepenthean]

Probably.  There aren't really any teams in Ohio that are nearly as much fun to watch as the Steelers have been this year.  Sure, I'll always stand by my Buckeyes and Bengals, cheering them on and rooting for them no matter what.....  but this year neither team is as exciting to watch as Pittsburgh....  which is frightening for me to say as a Bengals fan.  Ben is just such a class act that he's hard not to like.

[Hydrobond]

As long as you dont start liking the browns, then i guess we can let the fact that you are enjoying the steelers slide.  But dont let me catch you again ;-)

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Don't think I like the steelers. I hate the steelers. I'd rather watch the Bengals get destroyed then root for a yellow, black and white and red and blue and whatever other colors they use, team.
I'll never be a traitor to my teams, i just know lots of people who are.