Bengals Early Bird Special

by Ryan Harper on Sep 15, 2011 8:01 AM EDT

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 11: Starting quarterback Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals is sacked by linebacker D'Qwell Jackson #52 of the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 11, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Good morning everyone! Time to rise and shine....or something of that nature. Grab yourself something to eat and get ready to catch up on the latest from Bengals Nation.

Nothing new on Andy Dalton as of this moment. And truth be told that worries me. On Wednesday Dalton did participate in practice, but he only ran a few hand-offs. If Dalton isn't ready for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos then Bruce Gradkowski is going to be starting. That kind of worries me truth be told.

Yes, Gradkowski did lead us to victory against the Browns, but here's the thing, he got lucky on the 41-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green. Had he not caught the Browns defense napping and just coming out of the huddle then who knows if the Bengals would have won the game. We can't expect something of that nature to happen again. When Gradkowski first came in he looked out of rhythm. His timing seemed off and his passes weren't always that accurate.

If Gradkowski starts then I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more from the running game on Sunday. Which if you think about it isn't all that bad. Benson had an outstanding performance and we all know Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard are threats to do some damage on the ground as well.

The odds are against the Bengals to defeat the Broncos, but hopefully the Bengals are able to claw their way to victory and start the season off with a two-game winning streak.

Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Wednesday.

On every sport team there are going to be "stars," hell there are probably at least a handful of "stars" on every team, but not all of those athletes are truly stars and Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth believes the media has a tendency to create "stars."
Typically when you have two quarterbacks, one being a rookie and the other being a veteran, the veteran quarterback usually helps the rookie grow. But in the Bengals case both Andy Dalton and Bruce Gradkowski have helped each other grow as quarterbacks.
Week in and week out there is going to be that one player that goes above and beyond, but isn't necessarily expected to and don't get the type of recognition that others receive. This player is known better as the "Unsung Hero" and this week that player is......
While the Bengals offense didn't put on a clinic against the Browns, Andy Dalton was pleased with the overall performance from the offense.
Marvin Lewis is excited about the acquisition of tight end Donald Lee who will provide the Bengals with a much needed veteran presence at tight end. Lee is known as a blocker and a receiver, but what role does he play for the Bengals?
In order to gain a better understanding at where certain players stand for Sunday's match-up against the Denver Broncos check out the practice report from Wednesday for the Bengals. Andy Dalton did participate in practice, however he wasn't throwing during that time. Also Otis Hudson and Kelly Jennings returned to practice.
Heading into the second game of the year, the Bengals and Ravens are atop the standings in the AFC North. Check out the latest from the Bengals foes in the AFC North.
It appears as if the Bengals are going to be the underdogs on a weekly basis and that remains the case this week against Denver, despite the Broncos sloppy loss to the Oakland Raiders.
With Sunday being opening day for a majority of the league it's little surprise that the NFL dominated TV ratings. And even Bengals fans tuned in for the opener!
Bengals running back Cedric Benson was nominated for AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Unfortunately Justin Bieber....er I mean Tom Brady (they both look the same to me) won.
Every week there's going to be that player that stands out on the Bengals. Someone who performs well under the pressure of being a professional athlete. Someone who is considered an MVP. And this week the MVP for the Bengals is.....well click to find out. I'm not telling you.
The Bengals battle it out against the Broncos on Sunday and there are connections for both squads.
A breakdown of snaps from the offense and defense against the Cleveland Browns.

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Comments

at this point in dalton's career

i feel much better with dalton on the bench than trying to play while dinged up. we don’t need another greg cook (blew his arm up rookie year), boomer (he was never the same after the injury in the superbowl year), or klingler (abused and done after his rookie yr).

if dalton is dinged, let him rest. if we lose in denver, we lose. if grad can’t lead this team to a win vs denver, denver is a walking wounded team with all their injuries, we aren’t meant to win. denver’s o-line lacks much depth or talent, lets hope our d-line shows up and carries our offense with solid field position most of the day.

" I for one, welcome our new Buffalo overlords. " - Whokebe

by palewook on Sep 15, 2011 8:31 AM EDT reply actions

Man I dont want 3 hours of football

with Grad at the helm……I do think we can possibly win with Grad (that is a big possibly), but just watching him play is awful…sorry guys…besides that one play, he was indecisive and inaccurate……I do agree with you palewook…Dont throw Dalton out there if he is not 100%…Dalton appears to be a brightspot right now and lets not ruin it. jus sayin……

by ticalcaldwell on Sep 15, 2011 8:38 AM EDT reply actions

Everyone is underestimating Grad IMO

He is probably as good as Dalton right now. Remember Dalton only has 1/2 game under his belt. Gradkowski is a very servicable QB who knows the system. Of course he looked a bit stiff at the beginning of the game. Dalton got all of the snaps during the week. I expect Dalton to move ahead of Grad as time goes on this season but right now I actually think it is kind of a wash. This will be a very run oriented offense against a relatively poor run D who will probabply have to crowd the box to try to stop it. Bailey is limping a bit so even as good as he is hw will probably only be 90% at best but he is still going to be good out there. Grad can throw well enough to keep them honest with the receivers we have.

Our D is a bit suspect against the pass in TE coverage and they have a decent TE. The Raiders have a decent DL and they were in the backfield all day. I like our DL better and the same should happen. Orton is not Brady but he can play well if he has time.

I think we have the better team overall, by a bit and they do have multiple injury factors going against them. But we have to travel to thin air play in front of a very hostile crowd on top of the fact that the team hasn’t really gelled on either O or D yet. My internal computer is crunching the data and I think Denver can pull it off with home field advantage in their favor. Orton and their Coach are playing for their professional life. If the lose to “the worst team in the NFL” the week after losing to the Raiders Orton will have to camp out in the lockerroom or face a very dangerous public. I am hopeful for a win and we can do it but there are a lot of questions still to be answered.

Prediction as of now, no matter if Dalton or Grad starts, Bengals 27 – 24. But it could very easily the the opposite.

"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Sep 15, 2011 9:11 AM EDT reply actions

true

This is an audition to see if he can make the cut for next season. This whole year is for everyone. Give him a full week of practice and lets roll!

by DEWITT330 on Sep 15, 2011 9:49 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I expect him to be much better this week

Gradkowski had been getting limited snaps in this shortened pre-season. He’s look terrible and nothing like the QB I saw with the Raiders (not sure how he played in Tampa). That said, his play improved a lot as the game went on last week. Hopefully he’ll carry that momentum and confidence into Denver on Sunday.

Denver is not a must-win for the Bengals and we shouldn’t force an injured rookie QB into a high-pressure role at this stage in his career or the team’s readiness to go deep into the playoffs. Gradkowski was signed for this reason so let’s give him the reps he needs and hope that Dalton can even be functional as an injury replacement if Gradkowski goes down. I’d had to sign Zac Robinson off the PS since he’s probably no better equipped to help this team at QB right now than a half-a-Dalton.

Besides, the key to success in Denver will be the running game – this time with more involvement from Bernard Scott to wear out the defense chasing him sideline to sideline.

by bengaljohnboy on Sep 15, 2011 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions

We only win if we can make them respect the run enough to open up the pass.

If they can stack the box and still stop the pass we are in trouble, but I don’t see that happening. Our WR speed is too much for them to handle one on one – especially with Champ hurting even if he does play.

"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Sep 15, 2011 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Here's hoping

I’m a little more optimistic now about Grad, just because hopefully his timing and decision making will be a little better now. I imagine they have assumed he was going to start all week by the sound of things. If we can establish the run, he should be able to manage the game. Also Orton is a major factor. He blows up sometimes, so our D has to be ready. Right now Im a little worried about our chances, but we will see as the week finishes up. 21 – 20 Bengals.

by Caleb Burch on Sep 15, 2011 9:18 AM EDT reply actions

defense, defense, defense

Get to the QB. Orton struggled last week against a good Oakland pass rush. Do that, and the Bengals will create turnovers. Orton is hardly mobile and Dunlap and Johnson should offer plenty of trouble for Orton. Hopefully, Grad can manage the game and limit (or completely prevent) any turnovers and they can keep the offense on the field with Benson, Scott, and Leonard running all over the Broncos. Grad can do it. I have faith.

by M Shop on Sep 15, 2011 9:25 AM EDT reply actions

Dalton

Is going to take a beating this season, so get used to these weekly “will he or won’t he”. This is what happens when you put a rookie behind a bad oline.

What I want to know. Does he have a bone break or not?

by BENGALS69 on Sep 15, 2011 9:35 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

This is not a good O line but it is not a bad one either and it will get better.

"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Sep 15, 2011 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions

i agree our o-line isnt bad

not great, hell at least we dont have the steelers or broncos o-line. our o-line is middle of the pack. which is workable. we just need to run big sets, pound the ball a ton, screen some, then worry about passing beyond 5 yards and only then.

" I for one, welcome our new Buffalo overlords. " - Whokebe

by palewook on Sep 15, 2011 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Feankly, on running plays we mak have one of the better in the league,

especially with Bobby in there. Andre is the real beast we hoped for in the rushing attack and he will get better as well. Boling is filling in okay for a rookie. Whit and hell, even livings isn’t bad in th erun game. It is pass protection where we need to worry. Not so much with Dalton as he is pretty mobile. Grad – well – not so much. Grad throws okay and he doesn’t have happy feet, but he is not very elusive. Ifr Dumervill plays he will be over Whit and not at 100% so I am not too worried about him. Whit does well at LT.

"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Sep 15, 2011 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

4 sacks last week. Dalton knocked out of the game his

first time out and maybe not playing in Denver? Lots of hurries too. It has to get better or Gradkowski will take a beating too. Then who? You guys ok with this? I hope the Bengals have more sense of urgency to get better or Dalton/Grad will have a short season on the field. Remember Cleveland has a “not great, not bad” defense too.

But that said the Bengals did show some hope last week. Denver should be a tougher test with Orton being a legit NFL QB.

by BENGALS69 on Sep 15, 2011 11:37 AM EDT reply actions