Good morning everyone! It's a new day and with every new day there's a new beginning. New opportunities for us to improve ourselves, to go out and learn something new, or to lurk around on the Internet and do whatever it is you do on here.
Jordan Shipley is out for the season. That honestly sucks. And I'm pretty sure we can all come to that conclusion. Shipley is obviously a fan favorite for his abilities on the field, and well he was probably the Bengals second best receiver, (behind A.J. Green and ahead of Andre Caldwell and Jerome "I can't catch the ball" Simpson). This was suppose to be a breakout season for Shipley, but now he can focus on recovering and regaining his strength for the 2012 season.
With Shipley out for the season, Caldwell is undoubtedly assured to receive (no pun intended) more playing time. Caldwell is going to have to show some old glimpses of his 2009 form if he wants to move up the depth chart. I think Caldwell will do an adequate job of managing third receiver.
As for Sunday's loss to the Broncos, even though the outcome is what I was anticipating, I noticed an improvement for the offense. Andy Dalton didn't look like a rookie out there, minus that whole fourth and one play-action crap. For a majority of the game he looked as confident, like a veteran of the league, like a leader of a football squad that doesn't contain many leaders in the first place.
Can you say stud? I can. A.J. Green. On Sunday, Green also looked as if he wasn't playing in only his second professional game. He made highlight-reel catches and on the Bengals final drive he had the knowledge to get out-of bounds in order to stop the clock. Holy crap! A rookie being aware of how much time was left in the game and knowing how crucial every second is is unheard of. Alright, maybe not unheard of, but it still deserves praise.
Hopefully this Sunday against the 49ers the Bengals will be able to grow in their development even more. I believe Dalton and Green will both continue heading in the right direction this week and help the Bengals re-enter the win column.
Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Tuesday.
- In Pro Football Talk's Power Rankings the Bengals moved up even farther despite losing to the Broncos on Sunday. SB Nation decided to continue the trend. However, for ESPN, it took a loss for the Bengals for them to finally inch their way up the power rankings.
- The Bengals held tryouts for multiple players on Wednesday. Among the players who participated in the tryouts, former Bearcats wide receiver Armon Binns was signed to the Bengals practice squad. Former Panther running back Tyrell Sutton also worked out for the Bengals.
- Andrew Hawkins has officially been signed to the Bengals active 53-man roster.
- Cincy Jungle's Week Two MVP goes to......well I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to click the link to find out.
- For once the Bengals open the week not being the underdogs. They are the favorites against the San Francisco 49ers.
- Andy Dalton was nominated for Pepsi Rookie of the Week for week two. Not trying to discourage anyone, but I have a feeling Cam Newton will receive that honor despite losing again.
- A trial date was finally set for Bengals cornerback Adam Jones.
- Cincy Jungle's Unsung Hero of the Week for week two goes to.......well do you actually think I'm going to tell you? If you do, then you have another thing coming.