Don't "Rush" to judgment...

Feel free to disagree with me, but I just want to put this out there.  Keep in mind, even I’m not sure the Bengals deserve this much credit, but they’ve proven a lot of people wrong within the past year so hear me out.  Jump with me…

In the past two weeks, we’ve seen a lot of running and well….a whole lot more running.  I for one am absolutely thrilled to have a team that can roll out a “punch you in the mouth”, “bloody nose”, “smashmouth”, “AFC North trench warfare” kinda O-Line, and D-Line for that matter.  Most of the comments I’ve read, plus unwarranted “booing” at the stadium (while winning???), don’t lead me to believe you enjoy this formula, despite the fact that it has brought this division three Championships in the past decade.  It has been embarrassing to watch the Bengals inability to stop-the-run in the 4th-quarter year after year.  To return the favor in 2009 has been glorious.  With all that said, it’s not the point of my post.

The NFL is both a copy-cat league and a league of deception.  Clearly, we’ve witnessed the Bengals Version 2009 copy-cat the Steelers and Ravens formulas of success.  Marvin Lewis did his time with both of those coaching staffs and has finally compiled his ideal roster here in the Nasty Nati.  Now I’m going to throw something wild at you: 

Could the Bengals possibly be deceiving its abused fanbase and remaining opponents with its “boring” ground attack?  Here’s the evidence:

Exhibit A: 

With three straight weeks of the NFL’s lower-tiered Rush Defenses of this 2009 season, I believe Marvin Lewis saw an opportunity.  Not only could the Bengals rest their battle-tested starting RB, but begin to groom the likes of Turn-Hard Bernard Scott, Brian Nike-Air Leonard, Andre the Giant Smith and recent acquisition Scary Larry Johnson. 

The 2009 Bengal Offense all starts with the Power Run Game.  If they can run, the Play-Action Pass will be effective.  If you can’t run, face it, you ain’t foolin’ anybody.  Palmer is deadly with a power run game.  With seemingly endless combinations of O-Lineman, and a stable of tailbacks, the time is now for “toying” around with all the new “toys”.

Exhibit B:

So much of an NFL player’s week is consumed by film-review that it makes the job that much more enviable to me.  You can hit the sled, run 40’s, and run drills all you want, but these football players spend a ridiculous amount of time in the film room.

With virtually a month of 2-to-1:Run-to-Pass Ratio, the Bengals are limiting Pass plays for opposing defenses to review.  The Vikings and Chargers could seemingly review the Larry-Bernard Duo, yet Benson comes back on a tear and LJ and Scott don’t even get a snap.  Could they possibly be withholding pass plays to keep opponents off balance?  Could they be taking advantage of weak rush defenses?  Could they possibly be doing what seemingly every team does in the preseason (work out of base packages and not put anything on film for your Week 1 game)????

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Alright, let’s face it, no Bengal team in recent memory deserves credit of Exhibit B.  However, with respect to Exhibit A, most Bengal teams in recent memory have spent November and December working on “next year”, our favorite battle-cry.  Again, I’m not sure they deserve this much credit.  I do know the following:  

--If you can run it down their throats, Play-Action’s a bitch. 

--Carson Palmer is sick rolling out of Play-Action. 

--It’s not often the Bengals have the roster/ability to run this well to set up Play-Action.

--You have to be able to Run the ball in December/January.

--We swept our division.

--We’re 8-3.

--You’re tired of reading this fanpost.

--We’re 8-3.

--We’re 8-3.

--We. Are. Eight. And. Three.