Bengals vs. Bills - Last Chance for Contention

[camisadelgolf]

Originally Posted by Screwball

On another note, what in the world was up with the running game today? The Bills were ranked 24th against the run coming into today's game, and we were able to rush for all of 28 yards. I repeat, 28 yards. I seriously hope Rudi Johnson is relegated to backup in favor of Kenny Watson, or even Chris Perry if he ever gets healthy. I'm sick of watching him stutter step in the backfield on every carry. Just hit the freaking hole Rudi.

It's scary to think of how the line is going to be without Willie Anderson in a few years. As for the stutter-step thing, I agree and disagree. When you're surrounded in every direction by the defense, you need to take your losses and fall forward. On the other hand, the best running backs are the ones who know when to be patient and wait for a hole to open up. Unfortunately, those holes rarely opened against the Bills.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by 5DOLLAR-BLEACHERBUM

Not so fast, for those of you who were watching that other game the Browns are now 5-3.

That's true, and I'm ecstatic over it. I've stated all along that if they fix this offensive line, and they have, this would be a much improved team. But their defense still sucks, regardless of that stop they made in O.T. yesterday when the Seahawks had 4th and less then 1 yd, causing them to turn the ball over to the Browns.

That was an excellent game to watch. I saw very little of the Indy-Patriots game.

But here are our defensive stats so far....

PTS/G..... 29.1 (30th)
PassYd/G.....270.7 (31st)
RushYd/G.....135.1 (27th)
TotalYd/G.....410.1 (32)

And Romeo (like Marvin) comes from a defensive background????

His LBing corp is a joke. Do they even know how to put pressure on a QB? I like a 3-4 defense; but he doesn't have the personnel to make it work. And while the one corner (Eric Wright) is a rookie, and learning, he is getting burned big time.

Originally Posted by lo ryder

I absolutely despise the Browns, but I give them credit for the year they are having. That team does not have half the talent of the Bungles, but they sure didnt give up and fold the season.

I totally disagree with this assertion, as far as talent.

Our receiving corp of Edwards, Winslow, and Jurevicius, matches up pretty well aganst Johnson, T.J., and Kelly....

      RNK  NAME         REC  YDS  AVG   YPG  LNG  TD
       2 Johnson         47  779  16.6  97.4  56   3
       4 Edwards         42  736  17.5  92.0  78   9
       8 Houshmandzadeh  62  674  10.9  84.3  42  10
       9 Winslow         42  657  15.6  82.1  49   3
         Jurevicius      20  236  11.8  33.7  29   3
         Kelly           11  131  11.9  16.3  23   0

Derek Anderson. Alot of people were laughing at this kid and wrote him off. I didn't. The kid put up some impressive numbers while at Oregon State. Last year was his rookie year and he appeared in a total of 5 games, and started 3. You judge a rookie QB on 3 starts? And they were three games where he played against some pretty stout defenses in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay.

Had a career-high 276 yards passing in his first NFL start at Pittsburgh on Dec. 7, 2006. Completed 13 consecutive passes, which tied for fifth-best in franchise history, at Baltimore on Dec. 17, 2006. He then stunk it up in the last start vs T.B. (4 INTs).

Again.... a rookie, running for his life behind that offensive line, and people say he makes bad decisions with the ball?

I'm not saying the kid is Joe Namath. He's not even a Carson Palmer. But he is not as bad as some have stated, and he's showing that behind a much improved offensive that has only allowed 8 sacks all year and zero in the last 4 games .

Watching that game yesterday, Seattle was doing their best to blitz and put pressure on Anderson. And the offensive line, as well as Vickers, did an excellent job at picking them up while Anderson goes 29-48 (364 yds).

QB Rating 95.5 (6th)
Total Passing Yds.... 2108 (6th)
TDs.... 17 (3rd)

[BuckWoody]

Well, I know that I've moved past anger with this team and on to quiet resignation. They just aren't very good. The defense has got to be the worst in franchise history, and that's saying something. I don't see much light at the end of the tunnel either. Chris Henry comes back so that might help the offense, but the D is beyond help. Joseph and Hall may turn into good CB's in the future but right now they are just over matched. The d-line yesterday was just pathetic. They can't stop the run and they can't rush the passer, other than that...they're pretty good.

I started the season thinking that 10-6 was a pretty reachable record. Now I think that 6-10 will be the absolute best they can do.

[Reds Freak]

Originally Posted by BuckWoody

Well, I know that I've moved past anger with this team and on to quiet resignation. They just aren't very good. The defense has got to be the worst in franchise history, and that's saying something. I don't see much light at the end of the tunnel either. Chris Henry comes back so that might help the offense, but the D is beyond help. Joseph and Hall may turn into good CB's in the future but right now they are just over matched. The d-line yesterday was just pathetic. They can't stop the run and they can't rush the passer, other than that...they're pretty good.

I started the season thinking that 10-6 was a pretty reachable record. Now I think that 6-10 will be the absolute best they can do.

I don't know where you see four more wins out of this team. I'll give them two at the most, winning a combination of either St. Louis, Miami, or San Francisco. My guess is 4-12...

[BuckWoody]

Originally Posted by Reds Freak

I don't know where you see four more wins out of this team. I'll give them two at the most, winning a combination of either St. Louis, Miami, or San Francisco. My guess is 4-12...

In my defense, I did say "absolute best they can do". They have those games you mentioned along with Arizona at home and a rivalry game with Cleveland at home. Knowing this team over the years, I wouldn't put it past them to win just enough the rest of the way to screw up their draft position...then take a RB or WR in the first round.

[Roy Tucker]

I think the Bengals overestimated the defensive talent they had before the season started. And then, injuries just decimated the talent they did have. Just a rag-tag outfit that can't stop anyone.

I was a little surprised to see Marvin go so long with Rudi. Every game the Bengals have left is a "must win" and Watson was producing. I'd play Watson and let Rudi earn his way back. You don't blow a game like this trying to get one guy going.

TJ is a pro's pro but Chad seems a little lost. He hasn't reponded to all the adversity in a very mature fashion. Too many dropped passes and letting the team down during a very critical stretch.

[traderumor]

nm.

[HotCorner]

I truly wonder if the Bengals front office felt the offense could carry this team and thus made very little effort to fix the defense from a financial standpoint (i.e. improve through draft vs. through FA).

If the Bengals brass do not want their fanbase to leave, they better make drastic improvements to the defense in the offseason via free agency or trade since their recent track record in the draft has been lacking.

Here are the first-day picks under Marvin's watch:

2003: Carson Palmer (1), Eric Steinbach (2), Kelley Washington (3)
2004: Chris Perry (1), Keiwan Ratliff (2), Madieu Williams (2), Caleb Miller (3), Landon Johnson (3)
2005: David Pollack (1), Odell Thurman (2), Chris Henry (3)
2006: Johnathan Joseph (1), Andrew Whitworth (2), Frostee Rucker (3)
2007: Leon Hall (1), Kenny Irons (2), Ahmad Brooks (3) ***

*** Supplemental Draft Choice

Of these 17 picks, six are on the active Bengal roster, six are out with injuries and six are no longer with the team. Not a very good return.

[Cedric]

Originally Posted by HotCorner

I truly wonder if the Bengals front office felt the offense could carry this team and thus made very little effort to fix the defense from a financial standpoint (i.e. improve through draft vs. through FA).

If the Bengals brass do not want their fanbase to leave, they better make drastic improvements to the defense in the offseason via free agency or trade since their recent track record in the draft has been lacking.

Here are the first-day picks under Marvin's watch:

2003: Carson Palmer (1), Eric Steinbach (2), Kelley Washington (3)
2004: Chris Perry (1), Keiwan Ratliff (2), Madieu Williams (2), Caleb Miller (3), Landon Johnson (3)
2005: David Pollack (1), Odell Thurman (2), Chris Henry (3)
2006: Johnathan Joseph (1), Andrew Whitworth (2), Frostee Rucker (3)
2007: Leon Hall (1), Kenny Irons (2), Ahmad Brooks (3) ***

*** Supplemental Draft Choice

Of these 17 picks, six are on the active Bengal roster, six are out with injuries and six are no longer with the team. Not a very good return.

In an earlier thread I detailed the drafts and free agency pickups of Marvin Lewis. They are so bad it's scary. Every year it's the same retreads and people get excited. Kim Herring, Dexter Jackson, Kevin Hardy, Edge Hartwell, Sam Adams.

Marvin just doesn't have a direction or a clue. His track record is out in the open. It's almost impossible to debate how poorly he has managed this team. He has even managed to ruin the offensive line and when the line goes the whole offense slowly crumbles. Everything is crumbling and it wasn't hard to guess that. Predicting a terrible team this year was about as predictable as predicting the Reds would be bad. At least the Reds seemingly care and have some young talent.

[Tony Cloninger]

But ML can only spend what MB allows...you think he did not want more than cheap retreads who are here to pick up a paycheck.

Better than Jocelyn Borgolla or James Joseph from 1997...but not exactly a Kevin Greene....or Adelius Thomas.

Even if MB knew that one big time FA would take this team over top....he would not do it. He would not have his precious cap messed up.....beacuse we have to think about the future and who might get injured. This year.....injuries happened....but it's not anywhere close to this every year.

The Ahmed Brooks thing has turned into Rich Braham Part II and he either get's activated or go sign someone else and move on.

[Matt700wlw]

El Sucko Bengals!!!

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

Even if MB knew that one big time FA would take this team over top....he would not do it.

It'd be hard for him and Ralph Wilson to decry the lack of fairness in the NFL's salary cap structure if they made a habit of tossing out the huge guaranteed money bonus figures that the larger market clubs do.

[dsmith421]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

The #1 hallmark of the Mike Brown Era: Lack of accountability.

Absolutely. And it makes some logical sense that he can't demand accountability out of his subordinates because someone might notice that he's a complete, abject, and unmitigated failure as a football executive.

Being a Bengals fan is one of the most surreal experiences in sports. For most of my life I feel like I've been rooting for them to lose in such humiliating, horrific fashion that public and league pressure would cause Mike Brown to sell the football team. You can't unconditionally support the Bengals because their ownership is not making a good faith effort to succeed.

[Matt700wlw]

[HotCorner]

Originally Posted by Cedric

He has even managed to ruin the offensive line and when the line goes the whole offense slowly crumbles.

I can not fault ML for the injuries that have hit the OL.