Bengals: Looking ahead

Monday, November 19, 2007

Looking ahead

I am looking forward to watching some of the Tennessee game tonight at Denver to see how the Titans have rebuilt. I caught a little of the Monday night game earlier this season against New Orleans.

Some people think Jeff Fisher is over-rated as a coach. Not me. What he does in Nashville is impressive. They have retooled and rebuilt. Their down period was short-lived.

As for the Bengals, I can't see them winning Sunday against the Titans. Tennessee plays solid defense and is strong up front. If the Bengals couldn't get in the end zone offensively in the fourth quarter against Arizona without its best defensive player, safety Adrian Wilson, I can't see them defeating Tennessee.

Then it's off to Pittsburgh. It's going to get worse.

I see the Bengals coming home for their Dec. 9 game against St. Louis with a 3-9 record.

But they're likely to win three of their final four games which are against the Rams (home), at San Francisco, Browns (home) and at Miami.

Final Bengals record: 6-10.

25 Comments:

at 11/19/2007 12:39 PM

Unknown said...

When will we see this team put together a complete game where both sides of the ball play well. Kudos this week to the defense and special teams, they both played well.

The lack of a running game has put way too much pressure on Palmer and the passing game. Unfortunately I agree with Mark and see this really bottoming out in Pittsburgh in two weeks.

at 11/19/2007 12:58 PM

Anonymous said...

Hey Mark,

It's unfortunate but I think I have to disagree with you on this one. I agree the Bengals will lose to Pitt and Tennessee but I think they will also lose to Cleveland and one of the SF/MIA/STL games for a record of 5-11. What happened this year? There was so much potential and hype going into this season and now they are a team in the bottom fourth of the NFL. Very upsetting and frustrating. If major changes aren't made in the offseason I fear for another decade or so of mediocrity. I feel for TJ & Whitworth. Those two are way to good for this garbage.

at 11/19/2007 1:25 PM

Anonymous said...

How can anyone in their right mind predict that the Bengals will win another game this year?

Face it - they are just not any good.

Week after week, decade after decade, the analysis and questions about how to fix their problems after each weekly loss go on and on and on.

There is one common denominator and we all know who it is - Mike Brown.

I'm at the point where Cincinnati should just forget about the Bengals and start supporting the UC Bearcats. At least they are worth the trouble and effort.

at 11/19/2007 1:33 PM

Anonymous said...

I had several nay sayers before the season started say that the Bengals would go 6-10...To that I responded with "You're an idiot"...Now look who's the idiot...It's disgusting and embarassing all wrapped into one miserable heap.

at 11/19/2007 1:35 PM

Anonymous said...

That final record sounds realistic. Maybe you're being nice because I would have said 5-11! So is 6-10 how the NFL scripted it for the Bengals this year?

at 11/19/2007 1:35 PM

Allan said...

This year, every time the Bengals have enjoyed even an iota of success, they immediately make a big mistake.

Yesterday's game was a prime example. This team is not mature. It does not have one leader that commands respect among his peers.

Marvin Lewis preaches incessantly about doing things the right way and using the correct technique. Yet every week, the errors continue.

The D-Line can't tackle Kurt Warner. Chad Johnson fumbles without being hit(this is not the first time that has happened).

If this team had a real leader(Sorry Willie), it would be 5-5 at worst. Maybe it's time to start signing drafting some leaders.

at 11/19/2007 1:40 PM

russ said...

You're being very optimistic. The Rams have Bulger and Jackson back. 5-11 best case scenario.

at 11/19/2007 1:42 PM

Anonymous said...

This team has lost all heart, if it had any to begin with that is...Watching from home you could see nothing but expressionless acceptance on any of the Bengals faces that happened to be on camera...From Carson, to Chad, to TJ to Rudi...They were playing in a game they knew they must win and yet none of them seemed to care...Chad fumbles inside the 10 and doesn't even make an effort to recover it...Carson throws 4 picks with a look of "Huh" on his face after each one...TJ gets hurt, with it appearing as though it's not that major, and can't make his way back onto the field for either of the last two drives where they still had a shot to tie the game...The only word I can think of in regards to all of them is pathetic...Mr. Brown, you are pathetic...Mr. Lewis, you are pathetic...The rest of you, well, you're just playing follow the leader.

Jamie

at 11/19/2007 1:44 PM

Anonymous said...

How sad, expectation so high and smashed...

All aspects of the game, offensively, defensively and (typically) un-special teams.

I don't see the problems being fixed any time soon, but I sure do hope I am wrong.

at 11/19/2007 2:41 PM

Anonymous said...

Ode to Mike, Katie & Troy,

Oh, what pain Bungledom suffers
Lament, o’ yea fans of football the prideful and weak Brown family
Hidden away in their PBS bunker
They blithely ignore the stark reality

A hero we had in proud Carson
Strong of arm and fleet of foot
He reared over Cincinnati like a mountain
But rot he does now from limb to root

Wail as we might there is no end in sight
Mike, Katie and Troy are sure to destroy
Whatever joy the #1 Fan would ignite
For we know, hope is but a ploy

Repent of evil Brown
Or riots will surely incite
Run yourself out of town
And grant Cincinnati a respite!

by: Kentucky Scot (Fan Since 1970)

at 11/19/2007 2:59 PM

Anonymous said...

With Bulger back with St. Louis, that game is not looking so great either! And as much as I hate to say it, the Browns could be fighting for their playoff lives at that point, and the Bengals will be making airline reservations for the off season. I think it optimistic for 5-11

at 11/19/2007 3:14 PM

Popcan said...

Personally I think the players should only be paid when they win. Maybe that will light some fires under this pathetic excuse for a preseason playoff pick. Who's with me?

at 11/19/2007 3:50 PM

Anonymous said...

this season is over and should start preparing for next year. we need to drop some serious offensive players to get cap room and buy a defense. if we drop big willie, levi, and rudi who don't play anyway we could save significant money and if we have to overpay to bring in some big names to play defense then we need to. if odell comes back next year with maybe pollack and we invest our draft into defense(and we should have a high draft pick) i don't see why 2008 can't be our year. at some point the loyalty has to end with anderson, levi, and rudi and realize they are not giving us a return on our investment and that money is better spent elsewhere.

at 11/19/2007 3:54 PM

Anonymous said...

as pathetic as the dolpins are , the bengals could be there first victory. would'nt that just be the icing on the cake.

at 11/19/2007 3:58 PM

Anonymous said...

What is really going to suck is if going into the last week Miami is 0-15 and.....yeah they end up 1-15...that should be the final nail in the coffin for Smelvin Lewis and his coaching staff....and they may as well get rid of that fantastic training and medical staff that has been such a help.

at 11/19/2007 4:06 PM

Anonymous said...

Mark, you are kidding yourself if you think this team wins more than 1 or 2 of the remaining games. This team has no heart...no desire to win...no fire to play. They play with no emotion. They play win no pride. They will show up and cash their tickets the remainder of the season, just like the owner does.

at 11/19/2007 4:18 PM

Anonymous said...

At this point, might as well lose and get a better draft pick, pathetic as that sounds.

at 11/19/2007 4:21 PM

Anonymous said...

LET'S GO CYCLONES!

--JR

PS: It is only by the grace of God that David Pollack is still walking. I admire his optimism, but I would not make any plans around him putting on pads again.

at 11/19/2007 4:51 PM

Anonymous said...

You Know Maybe Corey Dillon and Tikeo Spikes had it right.
This is a pathetic orginization that is and never will with the Browns running the show going nowhere.
Can you blame Cory for throwing his uniform up in the stands. NOPE~!

at 11/19/2007 8:45 PM

Kentucky Scot said...

Lions with John Kitna are a better team than the Bengals with Carson. What more can we say?

at 11/20/2007 1:26 AM

Anonymous said...

Mike Brown is the owner and should be held accountable. However, did Brown drop any passes on Sunday? Was he responsible for 4 interceptions? Was he responsible for false starts, holding, personal fouls, etc? A well coached team is always fundamentally sound, even if they don't have the overall talent. This team is far from being fundamentally sound. Who's fault is that?

at 11/20/2007 8:15 AM

Anonymous said...

God Bless you Kentucky Scot!

3-13 will be their record.

at 11/20/2007 12:13 PM

Anonymous said...

I have two things that I think the Bengals need to work on.

First, the bengals need to start running the ball effectively. The bengals have not been as explosive on offense as they have been in the pass because there is no threat of a run. 7 field goals against the ravens proves that the bengals lack a running game.

Second, the defense needs an identity and a vocal leader. No one is intimidated by anyone on the defense. The D-line doesn't get to the qb to rush throws and therefore they eat away at the secondary.

O, and one last thing. If the bengals could run the ball, maybe our wide receivers won't get nailed by the defense so often. Our opponents sit on the passes to lay down the hits. The fact that CJ and TJ get drilled each week could be a reason for an increase in dropped passes.

at 11/20/2007 2:09 PM

Anonymous said...

Mark writes -Final Bengals record: 6-10.

On September 27, 2007 I wrote the following;

“Before the entire painful season unfurls the very real thought of a 6-10 record for 2007 needs to be anticipated. 1-3 after Monday night leaves 12 games left. If the Bengals win 5 and lose 7 there you have it, 6-10. Look at the schedule do you see more that six wins in the last 12 games? If there is a sports God, a Bengal turnaround will be on the level of the Mets World Series win, US Olympic hockey gold medal, and the real biggie, the parting of the Red Sea. Yes there are injuries and, as the coaches lament, people not carrying out assignments, confusion, poor decisions, etc, etc, etc. The faces have changed on defense, the talent has changed, yet the results remain the same; poor inconsistent tackling, blown coverage’s, etc, etc., etc. From a management view (head coach) the constant that matches the continued unacceptable results has been defensive team coaching.

“It is one thing to identify talent; it is another to mold it. Coaches are no different than your best managers. They are responsible for developing players and forging a sense of shared mission that separates the best teams. Like all managers, coaches must massage egos, build consensus and motivate players to disregard pain, exhaustion and self-interest for the greater good”. Coaches set the organizational tone. They understand that football, like business, is not a game of statistics. It is a game of discipline, guts and tendencies. That's why they focus on repetition and habits, knowing one blown assignment or half-hearted effort can lose a game.

Leadership requires hard decisions and after 5 years of defensive inconsistencies, unacceptable results, and the same excuses, (Marvin must have them written somewhere) self preservation instincts say, Get me a defensive coach, with simple schemes, a desire to crush the other team, and players that breath fire for 60 minutes. Last year the Ravens head coach fired his best friend because the results weren’t acceptable. If the season ends at 6-10 selling tickets for 2008 will be a marketing challenge because the expectations (goals) have not been meet, the results are less than anticipated and improvement invisible and lastly a new coaching staff will be on board.
Are the players innocent in this decline, no, but they do reflect the coaching they are receiving. As any parent knows, kids emulate what their environment teaches them, and it looks like there is a lack of teaching and learning happening at Paul Brown Stadium.”

I am glad to see that you have stopped drinking the Cool-aid. Now it is time to meet with the sports editors of the Post and Inquirer and show the power of the press, map out an agenda that will lay bare the Bengals organization, cause ownership to be defensive, and the NFL to put pressure on the franchisee for failure to uphold the image of the NFL. Yes they will threaten to leave the area but the lease should keep them here. The city needs to raise what ever rates/taxes it charges the team. If you want to sell papers now is the time to move in and provide fuel for a fire that is ready to grow.

at 11/20/2007 4:38 PM

Anonymous said...

The only thing that will help the Bengals is if Mike Brown has been making a ton of money on Bengal merchandise. Hopefully he has, because he will want to continue the revenue stream and the only thing that will keep it going is a winning franchise.

Mike Brown, I love you. Please down fall off the wall and have all the Kings men put you back together again.

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Monday, November 19, 2007

Looking ahead

25 Comments: