Guestblog: We're Beating Ourselves

Guestblog by our now-and-again sports writer, my brother Bradley!

We're Beating Ourselves

And no, for once I'm not talking about Carson Palmer.

It seems like Bengals fans are wandering around, looking for who to blame-- looking for that one special person to shoulder the criticisms and be the brunt of frustrations for angry fans. A 2-4 start is not how any of us wanted this season to go. Trust me, it stings me as much as anyone when I see our team power ranked next to the Jaguars and 49ers. Weren't we the dominate kings of the AFC North just one year ago?

But what seems to burn most people's asses around the city is that when you look at Cincinnati's roster: we've got just as much talent as the rest of 'em. Big names, big draft picks, and big performers stand-out big, as underrated and undervalued players pepper the remaining slots. So for the first time in a long while, the Bengals fans have no heads to place on the chopping blocks.

For the first time in maybe ten years, we can't hid behind personnel problems.

A whole football team is really put in perspective when you've got glaring problems like the Bengals once had. Those penalties we give up don't seem so bad when Palmer has no weapons. And rushing averages don't seem so bad when your line is unhealthy. And when you can't long-snap to save your life? The little problems that've accumulated seem to take a back burner.

So for anyone who's watched an NFL draft, we're finally starting to see the emergence of player intangibles. The leadership qualities and work ethic of players. The kind of qualities that evolve only with time, experience, and working hard. My guess is that for most NFL fans, this is a hard concept to grasp. The thought of making adjustments and practicing fundamentals is grossly overshadowed by huge player salaries and constant highlight reels.

We can play football if our head is on straight and we do what we're supposed to do. We don't lack talent, we just lack focus and efficiency.
- Chris Crocker

So my biggest plea for Bengals fans: give this team the environment to grow. The players have already proven they have the physical ability it takes to impress the coaches, and the drive to make a starting spot. Let's stop hoping for changes overnight, let's stop hoping for our favorite players to touch the ball every game, and for the Bengals to play like your Madden team. Let's start setting realistic expectations.

So I'll finish out this post with something to look forward to. As former first-round draft pick Andre Smith finally gets some solid playing time, he's developing as an excellent run-blocker for Cedric Benson. When all was said and done, Benson finished (in our game with Atlanta) with a 6.1 yard rushing average behind Smith and Bobbie Williams on the right side. Now that's something to smile about.

Football 101

I can't remember the last time I've had so much fun.

Dan managed two tickets to Football 101 through his office, and it sounded like something fun for my mom and me to try out. Neither of us are "football people," though she's much closer than I am.

Let's back up. Football 101 is a benefit for the Marvin Lewis Community Fund. Tickets are a bit pricey (in the neighborhood of $200), and they raise more money through raffles and silent/live auctions during the event.


When dinner and the live auction were over... that's when the fun began. I have to admit I was full of trepidation about heading onto Paul Brown Stadium and running drills. I don't have an athletic bone in my body! But the event was managed in such a way that everyone could have a great time. We ran tackling drills, kicked field goals, suited up in Bengals uniforms, met with coaches in the locker room and classroom, and even had a scrimmage at the end of the night.


There were times when my mom was lying on the astroturf, laughing her tail off. We both spent some time on the jumbotron, and we were able to meet coaches like Jay Hayes and Paul Alexander. And through all the fun and hilarity, I think I managed to learn a thing or two about football. No small feat!


And I'd like to say that Marvin Lewis was awesome. He was so engaged throughout the entire night, managed to raise a ton of money during the live auction, and was very encouraging and supportive to the women running around making fools of themselves. The energy was buzzing all night, all the way from 4:30 to almost 10pm.


Even if I can't score free tickets next year, I might be persuaded to buy a pair!

Football 101: http://www.marvinlewis.org/football101.aspx
Marvin Lewis Community Fund: http://www.marvinlewis.org/default.aspx
More photos and videos from my first time at Football 101: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rrrrred/sets/72157625041778999/

Guestblog: Seven Days as a Grieving Bengals Fan

A new Bengals-related editorial guestblog has come in from Bradley! I learned a lot from this post, not only about the Bengals but about my brother's insane post-game rituals. It makes me yearn for the Cyclones to start up again!! Thanks for the post, my sports correspondent!

After the crushing defeat we were handed in New England a couple Sundays ago, I was moved to put together a piece on my process of what happens after a Bengals loss. My own Kübler-Ross model, if you will. Though, I'll admit having a successful baseball team helps the bounce-back a little. How 'bout them Reds?

Day One:
Game Day

I've been pumped for game day all week, and it's finally arrived. The people all around town are dressed in orange and black, yelling Who Dey at each other in any instance they can. My brother is already awake and sends me a large list of statistical data concerning a Bengals victory.

I sift through my feed reader while wearing my Thurman jersey, casually smiling at the Cincy Jungle game previews, and reading some of the NFL.com's comment section to get fired up. A quick prayer to the football gods, a sacrifice to the offensive line, a tribute to the secondary and a fast for the strength of our pass rushers.

Nothing can stop me from believing in a victory, even when it's absurd to do so. You'll hear me spout things like "one pick-six and we're in position to tie it up." I'll quote obscure statistics as through I've been cornered, and only the use of numbers can save me. "Yeah, well, Tom Brady's three-step drop gets 7.8% slower on the second snap of every 4th-quarter drive." But as my brain refuses to accept the outcome, I have already started the grieving process for the week's showdown.

It was game day.

And for the rest of that day, I generally refuse to talk about it. I just block it out of my mind. I take up interest in the other teams playing, desperately searching for one of my number twos to be doing well. Bears, Wildcats, Texans, anyone. As long as somebody who I don't hate is doing well, I can block out the Bengals for one more day.

Day Two:
Yeah... Well...

I've woken up in a somber mood. And despite the huge stack of bandwagon Facebook statuses I could repudiate, I still don't want to talk about it. I've turned my attention somewhere else, to somebody else, to something that's not football, as though it's some social conspiracy movie where I turn my head and with glassy eyes say, "What Bengals? The Bengals haven't played in thirty years! Stop being silly, honey!"

But deep inside I know that the other fans are loving it. They're torching effigies of players in their favorite bars. They're blogging about how good it feels to have taken a shit on the losers of the NFL. They're high-fiving each other as they fill their fat f**king faces with anchor-themed beer and chow-dah. They're taking everything I hold sacred about my team, and turning them into bad puns and stupid forum signatures. And I know, for one fleeting moment, that Tom Brady stands in his boxers in an apartment high above the Foxborough skyline, looking out of the window, and cracks a slow smile.

Day Three:
Fantasy Wrap-Up

The third day can add additional insult to injury if you're not careful with how you play it. And after one such fantasy football game of literally beating my opponent by .01 points, you get the sense to let the game finish before you start to make your judgments. Hence the waiting.

So as day three rolls around, most of the fantasy sites have solidified in their results. The games are tallied up and you get the bittersweet satisfaction of a little W by your team's name, or crushing abysmal feeling of the little red L. But either way, Bengals players have made their impact even in your virtual game. And trust me, no matter how many times you've played fantasy football, that week's opponent never starts one of your team's under-performers.

Day Four:
The Madden Game

I've finally reached the fourth day of a Bengals loss. That day of all days is the most important, and the most childish of all sports-related rituals. I play Madden, and as you may have guessed, it's the rematch game I wish my real team could have actually played.

And you start to get this feeling; trust me. It's not until Palmer has thrown for his 300th yard, or Benson has made his 5th rushing touchdown and after your kicker has more receptions then their top three wide-outs combined. You get this feeling that everything is going to be okay. That your team is finally the insanely over-hyped killing machine that you think they are. Er, thought they were.

Final score: Bengals 89 - Patriots 3

Day Five:
Scrutiny

I'm finally out of my slump on the fifth day, and it's finally time to take a good hard look at what actually happened. I have to look at every pass, every run, and every kick to determine what truly went wrong for my team. The more technical I can get, the better.

Passing logs comparative to the average for Palmer, for all quarterbacks, for Brady. Average YAC for receivers, passer ratings, and game film for just how fast Bernard Scott hit the hole. At the end of the day, I'm a lean, mean, statistics-quoting machine. By day's end, I know just whose head should be on a silver platter.

Day Six:
Mounting an Offensive

The previous day is crucial to the sixth day, as I finally turn my attention to the opposition. Now armed with a quiver full of data, I can set out on a journey to set the record straight. No tweet is left unguarded, no status unchecked, no e-mail unanswered as I fly solo on my mission to conquer the nay-sayers. I march to the top of the hill and firmly plant the flag into the sand, declaring that this is where our season stands. (And, you know, some slurs toward the other team's players. Sorry, Wes Welker.)

And for that small amount of time, I don't think I could be prouder to be a Bengals fan. Then again, being 19, I have yet to see the Bengals win a playoff game. We'll talk then.

Day Seven:
Forward Progress

By the final day I couldn't even tell you the score of last week's game. What? We lost? Whatever, it's a new week.

It happens that quickly. In just 144 hours I've already forgotten about last week's game in anticipation of the following week's gridiron match-up. My fantasy team's roster has been selected and checked twice, and I'm back to my pre- pre-game rituals. I've gathering all the ingredients for the brewing process of hating this week's opponent. And I suppose it isn't until now, finally, that able to fully accept a Bengals loss.

I mean, even if it was a team we could have beaten.

Guestblog: The Pressure of Being Palmer (or Bratkowski)

Guestblog! I was tempted to tag this one "Bradleyblog," as he is becoming more and more of a regular contributor thanks to his passion for local sports (which, outside of love for the Cyclones, I have a hard time brimming over with). Thank you Bradley!

I saw this juicy little piece of graph show up in my feed reader the other day, and couldn't help but share.

Now, it goes without saying that anything a sports writer says is based on the assumption that big players stay healthy, that nobody dies unexpectedly, or nobody gets arrested outside of a night club. No matter how much hype is put into a team, they can always fall apart worse than the Blues Brothers' car.

So with all the excitement of the draft picking up several key players, and having filled any major holes with the free agency, the Bengals-- like all teams-- move on to "phase two" of the off-season: cutting the fat. Off-season workouts and minicamps will start springing up like wildflowers, which means evaluating who's put in the starting position, and who gets a less-fortunate, uh... re-adventure.

So why the graph is so interesting, is that we're hearing from some two thousand people what their concerns are for who's been put under the microscope. This is a big deal, people, because football teams work like clocks, and if one gear doesn't work, well, we're off by another year.

So I'd like to just take a look at the two most important parts of the chart: Carson Palmer and Bob Bratkowski (our starting quarterback and offensive coordinator, respectively). Both have come under fire the past few years for their inability to perform at a level that the fans and the team expect. Palmer, however, faces the challenges of injuries and an equally struggling offensive line to keep him safe from sacks throughout the season. With the lack of a solid tight-end as well, he fought hard to make plays with this receivers under enormous pressure from the opposing pass-rush.

Basically, being a quarterback.

So when you cross-reference a few facts, you start to realize why Palmer is under the kind of pressure he is. First of all, he gets paid a lot. A lot. And for the kind of stats he's put up the last few seasons, the fans are expecting one hell of a bounce-back. As well, Palmer is injury prone: fighting off multiple kinds of injuries with varying severity. That kind of thing can jar a QB mentally, forcing him to get rid of the ball prematurely out of fear of being tackled-- and breaking a very important role of the quarterback: staying cool in the pocket.

Thirdly, Carson's not getting any younger. And even if he was-- which would be strangely unsettling-- I'm not sure it could launch him into the "elite" status he should have. We have to face that Palmer will soon be starting to wrap up his career as injuries take hold and age sets in. So, pressure? This guy could cook a pot-roast with the pressure he's facing.

However, has put himself in a stranger place than ever in terms of pressure. For the first time since I started enjoying football, Carson is starting a season without coming off of a major surgery, a playoff run that resulted in the Bengals shattering expectations. He's got a Ukrainian arms deal worth of weapons at his disposal, an established running game to rely on, Chad Ochocinco catching everything in his zip code, and a young group of players eager to win. With this kind of team, Palmer is facing the pressure of having to have an amazing season.

As for that little bratwurst.

Now current football theory goes something along the lines that a football team should have an established run game that can provide sufficient yardage, and a viable threat to the opposing team throughout the whole game. Once you can prove your running game is a threat, that provides the option to hit your opposing D with a multidimensional offensive plan, including a passing game. From there, "fake runs" that are actually passes, or "play action" plays can be used as the defense is still trying to cover against the run.

Or, if you're Bob Bratkowski, ignore your QB and receiving corp, don't even acknowledge the tight-end, and run the ball on every play. Establish your running game several times, and don't let up on ground attack.

Okay, so maybe I'm taking a few unfair shots at Brat, because of how bad our offense was last year-- putting up a pretty awful passing game, placing the bulk of the weight on our running back Cedric Benson. But my exaggeration comes from a place of truth. We ran the ball a lot last year,* but it never seemed to materialize into a better passing game.

*We had the second-highest running play average, behind the New York Jets.

I can't imagine how much trouble we would have been in if Benson had a more severe injury in the '09 season. Or if we would have lost key run-blockers. My point is, Bratkowski put us in a great offensive position to win several years go. We were starting to conquer our opponents with a two-headed beast of passes and runs: one complementing the other. But the past few seasons, Kowasaki has run our plans into the ground. Literally?

He's put himself in the hot seat-- one I feel is hotter than Palmer's-- for the pressure he's taking. Bengals fans hate him for not opening up our offensive to at least what it was. And more importantly, for coming under fire about play-calling. What makes it worse is that with Mike Zimmer (our defensive coordinator) as a shining example of perfection, it's hard not to notice where the Bengals are starting to falter.

But where I draw the biggest difference between 'Kowski and Palmer, is that Palmer has the Bengals Nation behind him. Coaches and players don't stay with teams in the same way, in that coaches have a much smaller room for error in terms of performance and production. With Palmer-- before putting any fault on him-- you first have to look at the strength of the offensive line, the strength of the opposing defense, and the overall climate of the game.

You see my point? Palmer has more room for error, while Bratkowski has to see immediate results in order to keep his position wearing black and orange. When you've spent as much money on Palmer as we have, and when half of Cincinnati is wearing his jersey, and when his name is synonymous with the Queen city, it's much easier to fire somebody everyone already hates, than to cut to a crowd favorite.

Guestblog: "Unseen Costs: Shayne Graham's Price Tag"

Yes!! An update to the Bengals content on our blog! I love this post (written, as always, by my little brother Bradley) and I've put my favorite paragraph in bold. Even if you're not a football fan, give 'er a skim. Thank you Bradley!

As excepted, Shayne Graham's pair of missed goals during the Bengals' 24-14 wild card playoff loss to the New York Jets had a significant backlash-- one that will cost him his job.

But it's been all but subtle, as the Bengals have brought on two new place-kickers to match up against the veteran's impressive seven year stint with the Bengals, who brings with him one pro-bowl invitation, All-Pro honors, a franchise leader in field goals, and a laundry list of other highlights. But as for Graham, the hefty three-million price tag he carries around might be the most important detail to his departure.

So with the official signing of Redskins's Dave Rayner to the team, it seems that Graham's loyalty is being called into question. His dedication had been undisputed for several years, as Graham as brought an excellent work ethic and valuable skills to the table.

But has that gone to his head?

Earlier in the season, deadlines for new contracts meant no new ink for Graham, causing an uncharacteristic spout of anger toward the Cincinnati Bengals via his Facebook. Graham even went as far as ducking out of Cincinnati's locker room after his AFC Wild Card performance, and leaving early during the next day's departures.

But it's not hard to predict Graham's future. We're signing new blood left-and-right, and with examples like rookie Kevin Huber it's hard not to fantasize where that extra few million could be redistributed throughout the team. But what's also important to consider are two areas often undervalued in a player's position on the team.

Unfortunately for Graham, his most recent years have put him in a position to be hated among Bengals fans. Without his performance at the wild card game, Shayne was racking up a bad wrap for his performances. A missed goal against the Steelers, Bengals bashing and constant injuries made him a constant target by fans for dead weight. And with the current lack of depth at the receiving corp, it's easy to see fat in need of a trim.

But what's so strange about Graham's place with the fans-- which can have devastating effects-- is that he's also considered to be one of the most charitable members of the Cincinnati Bengals, and of Cincinnati as a city.

With the current economic recession, more and more charities are scaling back. Money is harder to give, and winning teams can give a fledgling city a small but well-earned edge for capital. But with Shayne Graham's departure from Cincinnati, we can kiss goodbye all of the good fortune he's brought the underprivileged kids of the Kicks For Kids program. Tack on charity dinners, his work with Goodwill, the Freestore FoodBank, collaborations with the Westin, IHOP's Read Across America, Cincinnati Veterans Administration Hospital, the YMCA, the Fraternal Order of Police and countless others, cutting Graham might be more detrimental to the City of Cincinnati than just one of its teams.

So while there's little doubt in my head that Graham's colors will remain orange and black during the 2010 season, I'm hard-pressed to imagine that his selfless acts and charitable donations will continue to occur in a city he no longer occupies. We've put our own players between a rock and a hard place with the city of Cincinnati, a problem that if isn't fixed sometime soon, will come at a much higher price than we can imagine.

Guestblog: "100 Holes, 99 Pieces of Gum: A Look at the Cincinnati Bengals"

It's been very guest-bloggy up in here lately, as I've been doing some business travel. Also, when the posts floating your way are this good, it's impossible to turn them down. My brother Bradley wrote this post... he is quickly becoming my sports writer, as that's one area of Cincinnati heritage that I can't begin to cover with any competence!

Did you ever see that scene in Vegas Vacation, when Clark Griswold is at the Hoover Dam and tries to plug the holes with his gum? I've always felt the Bengals to be in a similar situation, where the moment our running game takes off, the passing game breaks down. And as soon as our passing game tightens up, our long-snapper goes kaput. Then it's our tight ends, then it's our defensive backs, then it's this, then it's that.

Now most of that can be chalked up to the game of football. Generally, when guys collide at three hundred miles an hour, sixteen days a week for forty-two million, things aren't going to work well every time. But damnit, if it's not one thing it's another with the Cincinnati Bengals. So let's take a look at some of the holes that need to be filled in the organization, and what can realistically be hastily taped up until next year.

Arguably, the tight end is the most important position to be filled by the Bengals right now. Banter has gone back and forth about the resigning of Reggie Kelly, who was lost to a season-ending injury, but no final word has been made on a return. The Bengals then lost Ben Utecht to injury, and are finally releasing him to the free agency. Chase Coffman, same story, and I hope you're seeing a pattern here. So the position was finally given to a combination of the Daniel Coats and JP Foschi. Coats quickly earned my status as "the next Brad St. Louis," because of his inability to perform.


So, with the position in question and clearly no easy solution in sight, the Bengals have to focus this season on pursuing a tight end. This means a number of things, like further pursuing Reggie Kelly, a tested tight end who knows the team, knows the plays, and knows how much he should earn; or do we continue the Bengals' streak of finding talent in youth: spending precious draft picks on an untested college kid, or (uncharacteristically) anchor down a big name from another team, in exchange for what I can only assume would be talent from our own field.

But the bigger problem I have with the tight end position is the role the tight end plays in the line. Every site I've read so far has demanded the player be active enough to catch pass-after-pass from Palmer, and planting on the field as a security blanket for our passing game. However, after watching an often-times fearful Carson Palmer make throws off his back foot in fear of being tackled, I'd like to think a credible argument could be made that a blocking tight end could be more valuable overall. With the roster full of wide-out options, it seems silly to me to add one more to the mix, especially with the short routes that Coles can handle, and the amount of times another blocker could have prevented turnovers, or given Palmer that extra second he needed. The way I see it, Palmer needs time, not options: so let's give him just that.

And not as a direct contradiction to what I just said, but beefing up the wide-out options is the second priority of the Bengals in the off-season. With the departure of TJ Houshmandzadeh, it was quickly realized that no one man could step up to do his job: that it would take the entire receiving corp to provide the depth and openings that TJ himself provided for the Bengals. But with the unfortunate passing of Chris Henry, and the less-than-exemplary display by Coles, it's clear that the options Palmer once had need to return to what they once were, and not what "should be" by fans.

A lot of armchair writers have discussed the importance of adding more receivers to the mix, to give Palmer more hands to throw to. But is that really where we need to spend time and money, when the tight end problem is still here, and the receivers we have are still developing? And what do we expect from our passing game, to overshadow what it once was in 2005? Let's try and be realistic about what can happen in just one year. Similar to the tight end, we're left with drafting a rookie, paying big bucks for a big name, or trading away pre-existing strengths.

The solution isn't simple, and is also a matter of coaching. Where does Marvin Lewis want to take us? Where does Bob Bratkowski fit into the picture? And do we want to return to the old dynamic of two great receivers on both ends of the field, or a rotating mixture of rookies to fill the void? Do we stay the course and run the ball? And are the wideout options really the most important areas to focus on? We have young players to cultivate, and we have the team as a whole to look at, not just one side of the ball, one set of hands, or one player's attitude. Locker room chemistry can't be bought, and healthy players can go at any minute.

Let's just hope the gum holds.

Guestblog: The Cincinnati Bengals

I've been needling my brother Bradley to write me up a Bengals post since we started this blog-- it seemed perfect with his love of the game and my complete lack of football know-how. You can read more of Bradley's writing at his own blog and at Defenders of the Hate. (I added the pictures.)

The Cincinnati Bengals: A Re-adventure

So it finally arrives, that golden time of year when the collective overlap of hockey, baseball and football make for a sports fan's biggest month. Mock-drafts are in the air, jerseys are being worn with pride, and Chad Ochocinco's Twitter is now rowdy with smack-talk.

Ah, it's a wonderful thing.

But new restaurants and public transportation aren't the only thing getting a revamped image in Cincinnati this year, as the Bengals look to make a playoff berth reminiscent of 2005, which was the last time the jungle was home to the division's leading team. But why the re-adventure? Why are the Bengals so suddenly contenders? as my sister asks when I run upstairs to tell her the score. The answer is simple: 9 + 85 = TD.

Ok, so there are a few more things to it than that --like excellent coaching by Mike Zimmer-- but the most important event of the season has been the return of the God of Golden Arms, Carson Palmer. After battling a partially torn ligament and tendon for most of the previous season, and a career low in passing, the "human Jugs machine" rebounded in 2009 by taking control of the team, and stepping up both as an accurate, reliable quarterback, but as a team leader that we desperately needed.

Carson is key the Bengals' success in this season. A healthy, safe quarterback means more shots at the endzone through our terrific corp of wideout options, like Laveranues Coles or Chris Henry. But more responsible for the passing game's overall success has been our offensive line, which was significantly strengthened through particularly smart drafting, and coaching. Our o-line has allowed more time for Carson to have in the pocket, increasing the effectiveness of our throws by a noticeable amount.

(And, Bengals fans, look forward to an even better offensive line when Andre Smith returns,)

Next, is my personal favorite reason why the Cincinnati Bengals have improved so much over last year: Kevin Huber. Born in Porkopolis, playing for UC, and getting drafted by the Bengals, Huber punted his way into my heart as an all-Cincinnati guy, and boasting some of the best skills the NCAA has ever seen. You can attribute quite a few great field positions to this guy, who's managed to make many a veteran punt-returner think twice before taking off.

Finally, a huge momentum shift in our team dynamic has come from the aggressive and talented group of defensive players we've collected. Players like draft pick Rey Maualuga help create an excellent pass rush, something last year's Bengals struggled with. No list could be complete without the mention of Antwan Odom as well, who made a brief but triumphant return from injuries to tie the franchise sack-record, and garner the NFL's defensive player of the month award.

So you can already see how one major change in a team can have a positive effect on other aspects of the game. A good draft leads to good offensive lines, which leads to more time for a quarterback to make the throws. But while our passing game is getting off the ground, running back Cendric Benson has managed to keep the chains moving with an amazing display of talent. Having turned his life around both on and off the field, Benson believes he's more focused than ever, which translates to Marvin Lewis having another deployable weapon on the gridiron, as opponents now face a significant threat from the air, or the ground.

But the most exciting thing about the Bengals re-adventure, is that we currently have the youngest roster in the NFL: which translates to rookies only getting better, and the team getting more experienced with every game, and every season. Ladies and gentlemen, look forward to winning.

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And head over to One Man Crime Wave for more in-depth Bengals coverage: interviews and reviews.