Try NFL Sport Channel Seach:
Selected searches:
NFL Football Players Draft Injuries Rookies Season Superbowl
Items by
Three Things The Bengals Need To Do To Beat The Jets
Published: January 8, 2010
No Comments
If you remember the last time the Cincinnati Bengals won a playoff game, it can mean only one thing: you are officially old.
Cincinnati defeated the Houston Oilers—yes, the Oilers—44-14 in the opening round of the playoffs on Jan. 6, 1991. The next week, the Bengals lost to the Los Angeles Raiders —yes, Los Angeles—20-10 in the infamous “Bo Jackson” game.
The Bengals have been to the playoffs only once since, losing to Pittsburgh in 2005, and on Saturday, they will try to finally get that playoff monkey off their back once and for all.
It won’t be easy. The New York Jets hammered Cincinnati 37-0 in the regular season finale only five days ago. While the Bengals were not motivated, the game showed that Cincy will have to be on the top of their game if they want to advance.
Here are three things Cincinnati will need to do if they want to beat the Jets:
1. Cut down on the penalties. Never mind a passing game that comes and goes; it is penalties that have been the Bengals’ biggest problem in the 2009 season. And not just any penalties, but pre-snap penalties such as false start, illegal motion, illegal formation and delay of game. You can take the “physical” penalties like holding and pass interference to a certain extent. At least those come in the act of the game. It is the pre-snap penalties that will kill a drive every time.
2. Make Mark Sanchez beat you. Everybody, including the Jets themselves, know what their biggest weakness is. The rookie out of Southern Cal has shown signs of greatness at times, but more times than not, he’s shown that he is a rookie. If Sanchez is allowed to simply sit back and hand off, it will be a long day. That means that the Bengal defense will have to get back to its run-stuffing ways, forcing New York into third and longs and make the “Sanchize” throw into the teeth of the deadly Cincinnati secondary.
3. Establish a passing game, along with the run. Maybe it was the cold. Maybe it was Chad Ochocinco’s balky knee injured in warmups. Maybe Darrelle Revis really did dominate the game. Whatever the reason, the Bengal passing game was atrocious Sunday night. Cedric Benson will be back and the Bengals will be motivated to take on the league’s top rushing defense. But they will also have to put the ball in the air eventually to beat the Jets.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Don’t Expect Repeat In Bengals-Jets Rematch
Published: January 4, 2010
No Comments
On the surface, Sunday’s 37-0 whipping at the hands of the New York Jets seems to be a bad omen for the Cincinnati Bengals. But in reality, how much bearing does it have on this weekend’s playoff game?
Absolutely none whatsoever.
The Jets won a game they needed to win. The Bengals played a game they were told to play. It was apparent that although Cincinnati played most of its starters, it was not going to go into the contest with all guns blazing.
New York did everything it needed to do. The Jets ran the ball, they pulled off gadget plays, they were big on defense. In many respects, the Jets looked like an unstoppable force, a team that is ready to roll through the playoffs.
But like your mother once told you, don’t always believe what you see. And as Princess Leia once remarked, “They let us get away. It’s the only reason for the ease of our escape.”
While the Jets were playing like a cornered rat, biting and clawing to get out alive, the Bengals looked like a bored house cat. The Jets may scamper by with a block of cheese, but the Bengals showed no interest in chasing after.
For many, it seems to be a dangerous way to play a game. After all, the Bengals are still a young team and turning the fire on and off isn’t as easy as some fans believe.
But consider a couple of things before you buy into the hype that the Bengals are merely a roadblock in the Jets’ quest for the Super Bowl. One, the wind chill was five degrees at kickoff and only got colder as the game wore on. Would you really want to play in a game with nothing at stake in that kind of weather?
And two, how much of its hand did New York show? The Jets seemed to pull out all of the stops in putting 37 points on the board. How much does an already offensively-challenged team have left in the tank?
A week from now, we’ll have all of the answers and its possible the Jets will be in full media darling mode by then. But if they believe they saw the best Cincinnati can offer, they may be in for a rude awakening.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Chris Henry Died as He Lived
Published: December 17, 2009
No Comments
There are many words that can be used to describe Chris Henry’s passing Thursday morning—sad, tragic, terrible, awful, heartbreaking, and unfortunate all come to mind.
But the one word that cannot be used is surprising. As absolutely sad as it is, can anyone truly say that they were surprised when they heard that Chris Henry had died in what can only be described as a violent way?
Arguably one of the most talented receivers in the league, Henry has always seemed to fight the inner demons that forced him to act out. A product of the poor neighborhoods of New Orleans, Henry was the unfortunate stereotype of the modern athlete.
He was arrested for giving drinks to underage girls and for driving home drunk. He was arrested for allegedly assaulting a parking attendant and for possession of marijuana. He seemingly ran out of chances last winter when he was arrested again and sat at home unemployed for four months.
But Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown felt pity on Henry, or maybe he just liked the fact that he could get a talented receiver on the cheap. Whatever the reason, Henry was back in camp and on the team, even if he was suspended for eight games.
Since that second chance, Henry has stayed on the straight and narrow. You didn’t hear a peep from him and teammates said that he worked as hard as any player in camp. Quarterback Carson Palmer had nothing but good things to say about his troubled receiver.
And Henry lived up to that praise. While he didn’t set the world on fire, he gave the Bengals a legitimate deep threat and the offense flourished. When he was lost for the season with a broken arm four weeks ago, the offense suffered.
As it turns out, Henry needed the Bengals much more than they needed him. For the past two seasons, the allure of playing football kept Henry straight. Once he lost that, in the form of injury rather than suspension, is when the demons returned.
The facts of what happened late Wednesday night will come out in the coming days, but the initial reports aren’t that encouraging. Maybe he was in the wrong place at the right time or maybe he was trying to help rather than hurt, but that seems to be unlikely. It is more likely that Henry died the way he lived—toeing the edge of how civilized people are supposed to act.
On the field, the Bengals will be okay. Henry was already on IR and out for the year and in an unrelated move, the team apparently was going to activate receiver Jerome Simpson to give the team what Henry used to give them.
Off the field, the Bengals will have to recover from a second tragic incident this season. When defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife Vicki died in September, the team rallied to win four of its next five games and seize control of the AFC North. Maybe this time, the team will rally again and make a push for the Super Bowl.
But more important than wins and losses, is the effect that Henry’s death will have on younger players, not just his former teammates. In both football and basketball, the “thug mentality” has taken a toll and its effects can be seen all the way down to the junior high level. For most star athletes, that kind of life leads to a loss of income or prestige. But Henry, and more importantly his two young sons, lost much more than that.
Surprising? No, Chris Henry’s death is not surprising. But maybe the lessons that are learned from his tragic death will serve as an inspiration to others. Now that would be a true Christmas miracle.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Bengals Look Like Bonafide Contender
Published: December 7, 2009
No Comments
As a long season wears down, it’s easy to nitpick at teams—to find every little crack and magnify every mistake.
It’s no different when it comes to the NFL Draft or presidential elections.
After a while, it’s easy to find reasons why a team can’t win rather than why it can win.
In the Bengals’ case, they improved to 9-3 on the season with a 23-13 win over Detroit on Sunday. While the game was hardly a blowout, Cincinnati was never truly threatened after the first quarter and dominated the Lions in all three phases of the game.
What the nitpickers will focused on is the continued struggles of quarterback Carson Palmer, who, other than a few times this season, hasn’t looked like the gunslinger he was before his elbow injury. The defense also gave up two big passes to the Lions’ Calvin Johnson, leading to both of Detroit’s scores.
However, what gets overlooked when the nitpicking begins is the fact that the Bengals won once again—their ninth win in 12 games. And they did it the same way they won the previous eight: by controlling the tempo of the game and hammering an opponent into submission.
Running back Cedric Benson came back after two games off due to injury and went over 100 yards for the fifth time this season. Chad OchoCinco tortured the Lions’ soft zone defense, and Palmer hit the passes when he needed them.
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals stiffened after a rough start to shut the Lions down over the rest of the game.
Of course, the win came against Detroit—one of the worst teams in the league—but in the NFL, a win is a win. The Lions may not be a powerhouse, but they are still professionals and a win on the road would have been huge for their season.
If there is something to worry about, it’s that the Bengals have a disturbing tendency to play down to their competition. The same team that swept Baltimore and Pittsburgh, crushed Chicago, and beat Green Bay on the road has lost to Houston and Oakland, and allowed Cleveland (twice) and Detroit to hang around.
But the bottom line is that the Bengals are in the driver’s seat—not only for the North Division title but also for the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
A win at Minnesota next week will go a long way toward silencing the critics.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Ray Lewis Nowhere To Be Found After Loss To The Bengals
Published: November 8, 2009
No Comments
Ray Lewis loves to talk.
Not in a T.O. or a Chad Ochocinco sort of way. No, when Ray-Ray opens his mouth, it comes complete with a four-piece string section and seraphim fluttering about his head.
See, Ray Lewis is NFL royalty. He’s a media darling. The national media may air every single word a prima donna wide receiver may say, but only so they can crucify them.
When it comes to Ray Lewis, the media trip all over themselves like 14-year-old girls at a Jonas Brothers concert.
“Can you imagine how upset Ray Lewis is right now?” the talking heads asked after Baltimore’s recent three-game skid.
“Let’s take a look at the fantastic Ray Lewis,” gushed Dick Enberg before the start of Sunday’s game with Cincinnati.
“I can tell you one thing, Ray will not let them lose this game,” said countless “experts” all over the country this week.
Ray Lewis earned this respect. He’s been in the Pro Bowl every year and he approaches interviews much like Barack Obama. There’s no boasting or loud gestures.
Every word is measured and delivered in a quiet, confident way that just makes reporters melt.
But underneath that veneer lies a man who is no different than Terrell Owens or Randy Moss. Extremely confident, he has never taken the blame for a loss and has never given credit to an opponent for a win.
After the loss to New England, Lewis blasted the officiating for what was admittedly weak roughing calls on Patriot quarterback Tom Brady.
Well, maybe “blasted” isn’t the right word. After all, he delivered it more like Liam Neeson threatening the thugs in the movie Taken . But the message was clear, Ray didn’t like the calls.
Leading up to this week’s huge game with the Bengals, Lewis took umbrage to the fact that Cedric Benson broke the Ravens’ nearly three-year run of not allowing a 100-yard rusher.
“You give up two big runs to somebody just because you didn’t keep your leverage,” Lewis told the media earlier in the week. “Do you give credit to him? Hey, we’ll see this week. … You have to come do it again.”
Maybe Ray was right, but it really doesn’t matter. You can complain about grooving a fastball to Albert Pujols all you want, it doesn’t change the fact that the ball went 500 feet.
Benson rushed for 120 yards against the proud, vaunted Ravens defense a month ago and on Sunday, he did it again, slashing Baltimore for 117 yards.
That’s three 100-yard rushers in four games, if you’re keeping track at home.
Ray Lewis has often been one of the Bengals’ biggest detractors, a trait softened only slightly by his relationships with Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis and Ochocinco. He has developed an almost cottage industry in smacking the Bengals around in print.
But after Sunday’s 17-7 loss that left the Ravens essentially three games back with eight play, Lewis couldn’t be bothered with a comment. The Baltimore Sun reported that Lewis serendipitously got a phone call as reporters approached in the lockerroom and thus, was unavailable to talk.
It’s not surprising. Maybe the string section needed time to warm up or the seraphim were unavailable. Or maybe, Ray-Ray just needed time to admit when he was beaten.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
2009 Bengals Look a Lot Like 2005 Edition
Published: November 1, 2009
No Comments
While Brett Favre tries to silence the hostile Lambeau Field crowd and the Broncos, Colts and Saints attempt to stay undefeated, the Cincinnati Bengals are taking the weekend off and basking in the glory of their 5-2 start.
The Bengals have not been perfect—indeed no team is in this day and age—but they have played well enough to win four games on their final possession and a fifth in blowout fashion.
Cincinnati has risen to the top of the AFC North with a tried and true blueprint of a stingy defense and a strong game. The Bengal defenders have played extremely well overall, and Cedric Benson leads the league in rushing. Furthermore, quarterback Carson Palmer has rediscovered his fastball.
The Bengals haven’t started a season like this since 2005, the last time they made the playoffs. That year, Cincinnati also started 5-2, ran that record to 7-2 and ripped off a four-game win streak late in the season before shutting it down after clinching the division.
The Bengals finished 11-5 and while they lost in the first round of the playoffs, it still represents their only playoff appearance since the first Bush was in office.
The similarities between this season and 2005 are numerous. A young team just coming to age the ‘05 Bengals were full a vigor and swagger.
Rudi Johnson erupted for a team-record 1,458 yards on the ground. Chad Johnson nearly equaled that yardage total on 97 receptions and Palmer compiled a 101.1 passer rating for the season.
None of those gaudy stats would have been possible if not for the offensive line. Tackles Levi Jones and Willie Anderson were at the top of their games, guards Eric Steinbach and Bobbie Williams put together Pro Bowl-caliber seasons and center Rich Braham was the team’s unsung hero.
Within two years, that line was a shadow of itself. Braham had retired, Steinbach was gone via free agency and injures and age caught up to Jones and Anderson. By last season, the line was the team’s weakest link.
This season, the line again is one of the team’s strengths, even with first-rounder Andre Smith yet to step foot on the field. Andrew Whitworth has stepped in for Jones on the left side, Kyle Cook is the team’s first outstanding center since Braham and Williams has taken over the leadership.
The right tackle platoon of Dennis Roland and Anthony Collins—playing for Smith—has been very effective and Evan Mathis has dominated the left guard position, despite starting the season on the bench.
With the line dominating, the offense has begun to hum once again. Benson, thrown out with the garbage a year ago, is an MVP candidate. Chad Ochocinco, the former Chad Johnson, is running wild through the secondary once again and Palmer showed the Chicago Bears last week that he is all the way back from his two season-ending injuries.
Defensively, this year’s Bengals may be better than the 2005. The ‘05 Bengals thrived on turnovers, changing games with fumbles and interceptions.
This year’s Bengals are more traditional, getting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run. Cornerbacks Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall are making their cases for the Pro Bowl, dominating opposing receivers.
But the biggest difference between the two teams may be in the intangibles. The 2005 team was a dominate force, but this year’s team seems to have more moxie, and that special something that turns heads.
In seven games, they have already beaten Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Chicago, and have shown an ability to win in almost any situation.
The last six times that Cincinnati has started the season at least 5-2, the Bengals have made the playoffs. It’s way too early to make that same comparison this year, but it’s not hard to imagine the Bengals playing deep into January.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Bengals’ Cedric Benson Gets The Best Kind Of Revenge There Is: A Win
Published: October 25, 2009
No Comments
Cedric Benson said that revenge was not on his mind. Sure, the Chicago Bears dropped him like honors math after three seasons last year, but the former first-round pick played it cool all week.
Then on Sunday, he let the hammer drop.
Benson wasn’t the only reason that the Bengals romped 45-10 on Sunday, but he was the galvanizing force.
Much like the tragic death of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife Vikki several weeks ago, the Bengals seem to thrive on emotion and Benson gave them plenty to use.
The fourth-overall pick in the 2005 draft, Benson was a bust from the moment he stepped on the field in Chicago.
He was a loner. He didn’t get along with teammates. He fumbled the ball.
And, oh yeah, he also got arrested twice on DUI charges.
Last week, Benson said that he thought the Bears blackballed him after the release, telling teams that the disgruntled running back wasn’t worth the time.
It wasn’t true—Bears coach Lovie Smith apparently gave Marvin Lewis a ringing endorsement—but perception is reality and Benson obviously believed it.
But while Benson said that revenge wasn’t on his mind, his play said otherwise. He repeatedly sliced open the soft Bear defensive line and tore the heart out of Chicago. With the Bears so worried about Benson, quarterback Carson Palmer had a field day, surgically dissecting the secondary and turning the game into a rout.
The damage wasn’t limited to just the offense. The Bengal D forced four turnovers, turned Matt Forte into a useless bystander and hit Jay Cutler all day long. It was a performance reminiscent of the first five games of the season and showed that this Cincinnati defense is the real deal.
Of course, the Bengals were helped out considerably. The Bears did not appear to be ready to play and Cutler continues to make too many mistakes with the ball to be considered one of the league’s top quarterbacks. On defense, Chicago appeared to be lost as the Bengals receivers—particularly Chad Ochocinco—did whatever they pleased.
But at the heart of it all was Benson, the soft-spoken Texas country boy who just wants the ball and wants to help his team win.
Just over a year ago, Benson was rescued off the scrap heap by the Bengals and it turned out to be the greatest free agent signing in franchise history. With his 189 yards Sunday, he vaulted past Minnesota superstar Adrian Peterson to No. 1 on the league’s rushing list.
“I continue to be as graceful as I can be,” Benson said in the postgame press conference. “I’m not shoving anything in anybody’s face. Like I say, it wasn’t a revenge day for me. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunities.”
Take advantage he has. If he—and his team—continue to play this way, they have even bigger opportunities down the road.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
The Bengals Are 4-1? Believe It!
Published: October 11, 2009
No Comments
A team that believes in itself is a dangerous thing. In a league where every team is separated by only the slimmest of margins, a team that truly believes it can win can go a long way.
The Bengals have proved that all season and on Sunday, they took it the next level. Cincinnati went on the road, faced a division rival and beat one of the best teams in the league on a touchdown pass in the final minute.
It’s nothing new for these Cardiac Cats, who have come down to the wire in each of their five games this season. The Bengals have won four of them, and arguably should have won the other.
Talent is everything, but it means nothing without the true belief in your heart that can you overcame whatever obstacle that is thrown in your way.
“No talent, all heart!” tackle Andrew Whitworth yelled as he ran off the field.
Despite a 3-1 start, the Bengals have had their share obstacles, most of them self-inflicted. On Sunday, Cincinnati had another horrific performance by its kicking game, yet when push came to shove; it was the Bengals that were celebrating after the game.
The scary thing for opposing teams has to be the fact that Cincinnati has yet to play a truly good game. In every game this season, the Bengals have been lucky to survive. Critics will go as far as to point out that the team is as close to 0-5 as it is 5-0.
But that’s not the point. You don’t get style points in the NFL. If you’re chasing a berth in a BCS bowl, looking good means as much as being good. In the NFL, it’s “Just win, baby.”
Nobody epitomizes that better than Carson Palmer, who has been the architect of each of the Bengals’ late-game heroics. The forgotten man in a league that worships quarterbacks, Palmer missed virtually all of last season with an injury and as a result, has taken a back seat to the league’s crop of new stars.
But Palmer is still one of the game’s top gunslingers and he proved it Sunday. With the game on the line in front of a hostile crowd, Palmer methodically took the reins of his football team and drove them down the field. Even as time wore down, there was no panic in Palmer’s demeanor, only that California cool he possesses so well.
Sure the Bengals were helped by two huge penalties on the final drive, and Ravens apologists are sure to be out in force, especially considering the culprits were two of the media’s favorite darlings, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. But Palmer also made every right decision on the drive and hit Andre Caldwell with an absolute bullet on the game winner, all while playing with a bad thumb on his left hand.
The key to Palmer’s success? Belief. Not only does the veteran QB belief in himself, but the rest of the team believes in him as well and teams are starting to find out how dangerous that combination can be.
If you want to beat Cincy, you’re going to have to put them down early. Like a horror movie villain, you had better make sure that they are dead before you turn your back on them. If you don’t, you had better believe that will come back.
Because they certainly do.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Bengals Win: Final Result Is All That Matters
Published: October 5, 2009
No Comments
A win is a win is a win, no matter how lousy your team looks in the process.
Cincinnati survived a comatose offense, a vulnerable defense, and long snapper Brad St. Louis’ sudden case of the yips to beat Cleveland 23-20 in overtime Sunday.
It wasn’t pretty, but thankfully, this is the NFL, not the BCS, where nobody hands out style points. The bottom line is getting the victory, then moving on to next week.
It’s a concept that some fans have a hard time wrapping their heads around. “We didn’t play well,” they say, or “We should have blown that team out.” True, but the bottom line is the final score. Nothing else truly matters.
Sure, you would like your team to play better, but would you rather be a 3-1 Bengals team that has yet to play a truly good game, or an 0-4 Tennessee Titans team that has played well enough to win. History says Tennessee’s season is effectively over, the Bengals are just getting started.
There are a lot of things about the 2009 Bengals that make you shudder. St. Louis has been one of the league’s best long snappers for a decade—his poor snap at the end of the Denver game four years ago not withstanding—but has suddenly found it difficult to hit the holder in stride. Both blocked kicks on Sunday were the result of poor snaps.
It’s a problem that needs to be dealt with, but the solution isn’t as easy as just cutting St. Louis. A competent replacement would have to be found, and that individual would have to find an instant rhythm with holder Kevin Huber, and Shayne Graham. Frankly, the best solution may be standing pat, and helping St. Louis work through this rough patch.
The Bengals’ other issues are much easier to solve. In 17 quarters this season—including the overtime period Sunday—the Bengals’ offense has looked pathetic in 11 of them. But, quarterback Carson Palmer has found a way to rally the troops for late scores in all four games, and if he can do that in the final two minutes, then eventually, the team can do it for 60.
The defense looked lost at times, but that could be attributed to the absences of tackle Tank Johnson, and safety Roy Williams. The two former Cowboys have brought a level of swagger to the defense that can’t be measured.
But, the bottom line is that the Bengals survived a desperate division foe on the road. The Browns had their backs to the wall, and were in a must-win situation against their archrival. You knew Cleveland would play their best game of the season, and they didn’t disappoint.
But in the end, it was Cincinnati celebrating at midfield, and enjoying the fact that it is now tied for first place in the AFC North. That may not be much in college football, but in the NFL, it’ll work out just fine.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Hey Bengals, Want to Be Taken Seriously? Beat Cleveland
Published: September 30, 2009
No Comments
Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was a giant step in the right direction, but if the Cincinnati Bengals want to make a true statement, they must beat Cleveland this weekend on the road.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
