BlogsSam Wyche ranked as one the of motivational coaches in history; reactions to hard knocks shows pointless "expert opinion"
by Kirkendall
on Jul 3, 2009 2:32 PM EDT
1 comment
In James Walker's latest mailbag, the following question was asked.
Nick from Cincinnati, Ohio, writes: With the Bengals drafting inside linebacker Rey Maualuga, will he sit behind starter Dhani Jones or be moved to left outside linebacker so he can start?
Now I got to thinking -- whether you go to Cincy Jungle or not -- shouldn't you have at least a working knowledge of how the team plans on using Maualuga? More responses to the Bengals making the playoffs.
NFL.com discusses the top ten motivational coaches in NFL History. Number nine, Sam Wyche. Any guesses on the most famous speech in his career? Though it's always nice to see former Cincinnati mayor, Jerry Springer. Right? Anyone?
Carson Palmer isn't very enthusiastic about Hard Knocks coming into Bengals training camp. However, Chick Ludwig makes an argument that the Bengals need them.
The series should enhance their poor image. They’re viewed as losers and perceived as criminals. They’ve had one winning season in 18 years and went through a stretch where 10 players were arrested in 15 incidents between December 2006 and June 2007.
But the most obvious reason?
And let’s not forget that season tickets are available for the first time in three years. Paul Brown Stadium is nowhere near sold out.
The Bengals don’t get any money from “Hard Knocks.” However, with 30 million HBO subscribers in 50 states, the team is bound to win some fans eager to cough up cash for tickets.
Remember: Team owner and president Mike Brown is a very smart businessman.
Speaking of Ludwig, he remembers when Akili Smith didn't know who he was.
Andrew Crummey got in 25 snaps last season, including 11 plays at center and a snap at tight end against Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney.
James Hasty said on ESPN's NFL Live:
"I just want to know why we would even want to watch the Cincinnati Bengals? I think we're going to watch them for one reason and one reason alone: How not to run a professional franchise."
This my friends, is "expert analysis" courtesy of ESPN.
Who Dey Fans respond to the article that the Bengals have the worst uniforms in professional sports.
Let me tell you what I think of Paul Lukas. This is a DBag that has spends his time making fun of the clothes that men wear. Rather than worry about the important things in a professional sport like the action or score, he wonders if the free safety is wearing socks that match his helmet. This ranks with the hoards of girls that root for players based on "who's hot".
Thank you.
Rookie Michael Johnson came away from the rookie symposium saying:
"There shouldn't be any excuses for messing up," he said, "They kept repeating, 'Choices, decisions, consequences.' There wasn't so much that there was a lot of stuff covered. But there was a lot of repetition and there's nothing wrong with that."
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Warrant out for former Bengals running back Chris Perry; should we care?
by Kirkendall
on Jul 3, 2009 1:56 PM EDT
0 comments
We saw it last night and wondered if we should even reference it. After all, at this point in time, the former Bengals player that has a warrant out for his arrest, is in fact, former. Even though when the warrant was issued after a failed court appearance on June 17, this former Bengals running back was released.
The City of Wyoming claims that Chris Perry owes the city thousands of dollars in back-taxes from 2006-2007. He was in court in April 22 and scheduled to make another appearance on June 17. He failed to show up and a warrant was issued.
Considering his court appearances and subsequent warrant happened while Perry was packing his bags out of Cincinnati, it's fair to say that this shouldn't hurt the Bengals attempt to rebuild their image. People that have no interest with the Bengals will say their typical things about the team's character issues. And that's fine. What else do we expect from small-minded trolls?
Perry was picked up by Orlando in the June 18 UFL draft. His ill-timed fumbling talent and tax problems are their problems now.
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The Cincinnati Bengals would have to average a 9-7 record for 41 seasons to achieve .500 all-time
by Kirkendall
on Jul 3, 2009 1:45 PM EDT
1 comment
The Bengals franchise has an all-time record of 272-354-2. So I got to thinking: What would the Bengals have to average, per year, in order to achieve an overall record of .500?
If the Bengals averaged a record of 10-6, it would take them over 21 seasons. If the Bengals averaged a record of 11-5, it would take 14 seasons and with an average 12-4 season, it would take over 10 seasons. And if the Bengals averaged a record of 9-7, it would take 41 seasons to finally achieve .500 all-time.
I figured this out using the following "formula". I subtracted wins (272) from the team's losses (354) to get 82 -- the difference between wins and losses. I subtracted wins from losses on the corresponding records (example: 12 wins minus 4 losses is a difference of 8). I divided eight into 82 to come up with 10.25. That would be how many seasons it would take to achieve .500. I checked my work by multiplying 10.25 into 12 wins and 4 losses to get 123-41. I added that record into their existing record and got 395-395.
I didn't factor in the Bengals two ties; because I simply wanted an idea of how far away the Bengals are from achieving a .500 all-time record. After calculating the depressing results, I had my idea. And then I realized it was probably a bad idea to promote how bad the Bengals have been in the past -- especially since Mike Brown took over (101-186-1).
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The Bengals Defense Could Make it 3 in the AFC North
by Jay McDonnell
on Jul 3, 2009 10:30 AM EDT
4 comments
We all know about the other two defenses in the division. The reputation of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens has been established as being tops in the league, year in and year out. But the Cincinnati Bengals defense has a different kind of reputation. Not only are the Bengals known for losing, they are also known for bad defense. When I did my research for "Mocking the Mock Drafts", most of the so called draft nicks claimed the Bengals needed defensive help because it was so bad, which clearly told me that they didn't do any research and made their assumption solely based on the reputation of the team. Even the talking heads (who think they know football) l talk mainly about Carson Palmer's return and how the offense will be potent again. Not one has recognized the Bengals defense and how much they have improved over recent Bengal teams.
Now most of you may be thinking I have been ingesting something of an illegal nature and need to put it down and step back for attempting to make you think the Bengals defense can be as good as the Steelers and Ravens. But it is possible. Last season's defense was the sole reason the Bengals were able to win 4 games. Without them, the Bengals may have finished with the same miserable record as the lowly Detroit Lions. In the 4 victories and the kissing of their sister, the defense allowed a total of 51 points, or a smidgen over 10 points per game, which puts them in Steelers and Ravens territory. In the 3 victories to finish the season, the Bengals defense shutout the Browns while the Bengals offense scored a total of 14 points, and then held the Chefs (oops, did it again) Chiefs to 6 points with the Bengals offense scoring 16 points. In the final three games, the defense didn't allow more then 280 yards and held Cleveland to only 182 yards of total offense, which again, puts them in Steelers and Ravens territory. Yes, I know. The Browns and Chiefs offenses didn't put fear into the opposition's defense. In the other two victories and the token tie, the Bengals defense prevented the opposition from making a comeback to win the game. This was not the case earlier in the season when the defense allowed the Giants to win in overtime after taking a 20-16 lead in the 4th quarter and then letting Dallas win after grabbing a 22-17 lead late in the game.
In the offseason, the Bengals felt it was necessary to shore up a defense that showed improvement as they went out and signed Tank Johnson and Roy Williams providing experience and depth to the rather young defense. Both players have a reputation for being a force at their positions and are expected to start alongside emerging Domato Peko and Chinedum Ndukwe. The last full season Williams played (2007), he was credited with enough tackles that would have placed him 5th in tackles for the Bengals last season, ahead of Ndukwe and Marvin White. During this past draft, the Bengals had some luck fall their way when Rey Maualuga fell into their lap, who should draw playing time away from a veteran from last season. Plus, lining up alongside former USC teammate Keith Rivers should feel like old times for the two of them, who anchored one of the toughest defenses in college football a few years ago.
Before coming to the Bengals from the Dallas Cowboys, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer established himself with a reputation of being a no-nonsense coach. During his tenure with the Cowboys, the defense finished in the top 10 top 4 times and finished tops in the league in 2003. Zimmer's aggressive blitzing style surfaced last season as it appeared the Bengals blitzed more often than previous seasons. He does admit that the blitzing scheme used last season was stale compared to what he wants to implement this season, and that was due to the level of experience the players had with his system. With the addition of Williams at safety, who has spent every year of his career but one with Zimmer, should help the defense learn the system and which should increase the number of blitzes from the Bengals safeties.
Now I know some of you may think that I am comparing the Bengals defense to the Steelers and Ravens. No, I am not. But what I do feel is that there is a distinct possibility the Bengals defense has improved to a point which could change people's perspective of it. This improvement could also add a third team to the AFC North's reputation of hardnosed defenses that finish near the top and can carry a team to victories.
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July 15th is deadline for long-term deals of franchise players; Bengals are ranked 118th; Now we're ranking fashion in the NFL?
by Kirkendall
on Jul 2, 2009 11:20 AM EDT
in Analysis
4 comments
July 15th is the deadline in which players with the franchise tag are allowed to sign long-term deals. Negotiations continue with Shayne Graham; two weeks remain if the two sides want to settle on a deal that last beyond this season. Otherwise, it's a one-year deal and unrestricted free agency.
The Bengals have the worst uniform, writes Paul Lukas. If there's a more meaningless waste of our time, please let us know. Fashion rankings in the NFL. Sad day for fans of the best sport in the world when we start gossiping about girly things. Moving on.
The USA Today is doing a series that explores the history of ten AFL Franchises in celebration of the league's 50th anniversary. Today? The Cincinnati Bengals and Paul Brown.
Understand, Paul Brown — who led the Browns to seven titles beginning with their AAFC inception in 1946 and entered the Hall of Fame in 1967 — remains an NFL icon and innovator. Face masks on helmets, racial integration, innovative plays — you name it, he did it.
Joe Reedy lists the ESPN Fan Rankings 122 professional franchises in North America -- the Bengals were ranked 118th. Far it be from me to have fans who, for all we know, have never stepped foot in the great (and broke) state of Ohio, to actually have a say on how other teams should be ranked. That would be like us ranking the Dolphins. Or the Clippers.
Dan Skuta is a linebacker -- who we spoke briefly about when the team signed undrafted free agents -- said he feels he'll make an impact with the Bengals (h/t to reader Patrick for the link).
I'm gonna make an impact on special teams right away. You never know what can happen ... I've talked to guys who started the season on the practice squad then ended up starting by the end of the season, so I'll be ready.
AHN's Matthew Harvey writes that Andre Smith will attend training camp; whether he signs or not, saying "while contract negotiations continue, he plans to attend training camp." Right.
Dave, on the other hand, reasonably points out that a holdout could easily be avoided. I agree. It could be. I just don't believe it's likely. Matt says a holdout is coming.
Competition at safety will be very strong. Roy Williams isn't here just to play. He's here to be the best.
“I want to be the best and will take that onto the practice field,” Williams said during the recent minicamp. “I’m going to compete and whatever I do I will try to do at a high velocity. I see all the other guys are like that as well. The competition is great and we will have a great team because everyone is competing for the same jobs and that’s a good thing.”
Scout Inc ranks the Bengals 24th in their recent power rankings.
Adam Hasenmayer ranks running back packages in his latest positional power rankings. The Bengals group led by Cedric Benson ranks 28th.
It remains a mystery to T.J. Houshmandzadeh that when you have confidence, you perform better. Really? Sorry. Houshmandzadeh to me is like a bad breakup after a long relationship. I'm being picky.
Michael Johnson is contributing to Bengals.com while at the rookie symposium. He was really taken in by Willie Brown's stories, which mostly dealt with racism in the 60s. However, one thing you learn is that even though rookies in the NFL seem larger than life, they really are just kids.
"It went fast, but it didn't bother me because I'm kind of a penny pincher," Johnson says. "Actually, I've got less money now than I did last year. In college, everything is pretty much provided for. But now this is the first time I've had to pay rent, buy food, figure out what the utilities are going to be."
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Andre Smith wants to sign so he can learn new position at right tackle
by Kirkendall
on Jul 2, 2009 10:22 AM EDT
0 comments
I agree with reader chazerize that Andre Smith is saying all of the right things when he says he wants to be in camp because a "holdout could hamper his transition from left tackle to right tackle." However, along with Joe Reedy, there's the reality that Smith wouldn't say anything to contradict the point.
There are a lot of things at work here. There's the fact the Bengals have developed a reputation of signing first-round draft picks late -- sometimes deep into training camp. There's the reputation that Andre Smith has already developed; not to mention the reputation of his agent. There's the thought that Smith could be looking at what Vernon Gholston got last year -- maxes out at $50 million, "at worst" valued at $32.5 million and $21 million guaranteed. If that's the case, there's a thought that the Bengals could balk at that.
Either way, even though Smith says the right things, nothing changes. We're still expecting a prolonged holdout and, at worst, Anthony Collins starts at right tackle against the Denver Broncos.
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Silent Auction overtime? Former Bengals receiver guarantees playoffs
by Kirkendall
on Jul 1, 2009 12:25 PM EDT
3 comments
+ The Friar brought up a topic that's often generated debate among the CJ crowd. Originally we brought up the debate of overtime after the Bengals and Eagles finished the game in a 13-13 tie. However in reality, changing overtime because of a potential tie isn't a strong enough argument -- there's been two ties in the past ten years and four ties since 1990. But if the case is argued on fairness, then I believe you have the strongest argument. In March, Rich McKay said that the "team that won the coin toss won 63 percent of the games." And of the teams that won, 43.4% won on the first possession.
Back to the Friar, who referenced this Shutdown Corner piece, saying that instead of a coin toss, the NFL should use a silent auction.
Each coach writes down the yard-line at which they’d be willing to accept the ball, and they put their bid in a sealed envelope. Both coaches hand the envelopes to an official at midfield, and the coach who’s written down the least advantageous yard-line gets the ball, at the yard-line he's written down.
So, for example, say the Steelers and Cardinals are going to overtime. Naturally, both teams want the ball first. Mike Tomlin would like the ball, but he wouldn’t mind putting the responsibility on his great defense, either, so he writes down “22 yard-line.” But Ken Whisenhunt is willing to take more of a risk, trusts his offense more, and he’s written down “11 yard-line.”
You have to admit, it's interesting. We'll have to wait for that "$1" Price of Right bid which will give Marty Mornhinweg some company in the great hall of brilliant overtime decisions.
+ Recently you've gotten the feeling that either T.J. Houshmandzadeh has completely changed, or feels comfortable enough to open himself up being a self-declared lead dog. Granted, he's a Seahawk now, so our opinion of him matters little. But since we're in the middle of another dead period in the NFL offseason, why not chat about the guy that's more comfortable in Seattle because people are richer and don't ask him for an autograph as much (or perhaps Houshmandzadeh hasn't been in Seattle enough to make his face recognizable to more normal fans who just watch the games).
Last week, Houshmandzadeh guaranteed the Seahawks will make the playoffs. We don't have a problem with a player guaranteeing his team will make the playoffs; in fact, shouldn't more players have enough confidence to say that their team is a winner? But don't you guys get a little tired of athletes "guaranteeing" anything?
More.
Chick Ludwig makes the argument (again) that Ken Anderson and The Rattler should be in the Hall of Fame.
Even though he's just a punter, Bengals rookie Kevin Huber is expected to make a difference on special teams.
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Fan Rebellion -- Hockey Fans Hire Super Agent Drew Rosenhaus
by Mike Boyd
on Jul 1, 2009 8:25 AM EDT
in Analysis
3 comments
Rosenhaus Sports announced Tuesday that NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus has been hired by the fans of the Florida Panthers to renegotiate season-ticket pricing for the 2009-2010 season. Drew Rosenhaus also posted a message on his Twitter feed. Upon reading this, my heart started racing. Do you think Drew would be willing to come to Cincinnati to discuss fans' concerns with the Bengals and Mike Brown? Would he be willing to chat live on Cincy Jungle about the prospect of representing Bengal fans? This could be our big break.
I couldn't believe that hockey fans were actually smart enough to launch the first formal, class-action fan rebellion in professional sports history. Then, I looked for more information. It turns out that hockey fans are not smarter than football fans. In fact, they may be dumber if they fall for this scam. Rosenhaus was actually retained by the Panthers as part of a marketing campaign, hence the press release and the Twitter feed. Yahoo Sports is reporting that the team reached out to Rosenhaus and the team announced that it is indeed part of the team's new "viral" marketing strategy which includes tv and radio commercials.
This sham insults the intelligence of fans everywhere but Drew Rosenhaus has done that before.
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