He is who we thought he was.WDR published their take after Mike Brown spoke to the media Monday. To be honest, I didn't think Mike Brown said anything that was new; mostly saying the same dusty embarrassingly out-of-touch, ignorance and arrogant things he's always said. I've actually raised an eyebrow at those (not WDR) that were taken aback, essentially on course for Mike Brown's vision of profits. This is the same Mike Brown that's been in charge since he filled the void of personnel decisions left by his father. This will be your Cincinnati Bengals until he, and the family, sell the team. Then, and only then, can we join a small band of NFL teams where the vision changes from profits, to championships. Though we believe that championships would only increase profits, but what do we know? Boobs and Beer. Touche.
On the other hand, YES!
Running away. Now that Cedric Benson started his sixth game this season against the Ravens, let's take a comparison of their production, each with six starts.
Chris Perry | Carries | Yards | Cedric Benson | Carries | Yards |
Ravens | 19 | 42 | Steelers | 14 | 52 |
Titans | 21 | 64 | Texans | 13 | 49 |
Giants | 20 | 74 | Jaguars | 24 | 104 |
Browns | 12 | 28 | Eagles | 23 | 42 |
Cowboys | 13 | 31 | Steelers | 10 | 17 |
Jets | 11 | 14 | Ravens | 10 | 17 |
Losing three fumbles during the seasons's first five games was clearly the poison that killed Perry's chance starting this season, save an injury for Benson. However, in terms of production, there's little difference. When Perry started games, his yards-per-rush was 2.6; Benson's yards-per-carry when starting is just under 3.0. Perry's two rushing touchdowns still leads the Bengals, while Benson is tied with Ryan Fitzpatrick with one.
We're not suggesting that one or the other is better, nor are we disregarding the role of having an offensive line in desperate need to rebuild. And honestly, I feel this team needs a pure fullback as badly as it does a new center (and that's saying a lot!). Based on the production between their starts, six each, not much can be highlighted (other than not losing fumbles). So the question thus becomes, was Chris Perry that bad based on the similar numbers that Benson has produced, or did we put too much praise into Benson, or does it even matter while this roster keeps activating the existing staring lineup between the tackles; which in many ways, vindicates Perry's terrible season.
- There's actually a stat kept somewhere that tracks most injuries during a season. The Bengals placed their 21st guy on IR -- a club record.
- Palmer might not need surgery, though every other beat writer hints/predicts/assumes/guesses otherwise.
- T.J. Houshmandzadeh suffered a mild concussion Sunday, but should be fine.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick is not hot.
- Colts have some injury issues heading into their bye week against the Bengals.
- Reds are professional and family-oriented while the Bengals are fun and profit-maximizing. Fun? I'm dropping an internet acronym here. LOL.