Believe in the Bengals; Carson to the Raiders
The Cincinnati Bengals are 4-2 and if you haven't started to believe in them, you better start.
The Bengals ride into the bye week on a three game winning streak, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the division and only half a game behind Baltimore. Now some fans may not think the Bengals are for real because they haven't played anybody, well this isn't college football. Mike Brown doesn't make the schedule and strength of schedule has no bearing on how good a team really is in the NFL. The only thing that matters is the number in the win column and with a 27-17 victory of the Colts Sunday; the Bengals have a 4 in that column.
Yes, the Bengals haven't played the toughest of schedules. But they beat Buffalo and barely lost to the 49ers, who are now 5-1. They beat Jacksonville and Indianapolis by a combined 20 points, while the Steelers beat the two of them by only 7 combined points. Pittsburgh and Baltimore still appear on the schedule, twice, so the jury may still be out on the Bengals. However, this is a good football team.
On Sunday, the Bengals were able to beat the Peytonless Colts by doing what has won them four games so far this season. Great play from the number one overall defense, solid special teams and a balanced attack on offense lead by a rookie quarterback.
Andy Dalton played his best game as a pro Sunday, going 25/32 for 264-yds and a TD. If it weren't for some drops, Dalton could have finished with 28 or 29 completions. The Bengals only had 94-yards rushing, but they remained balanced with 32 passes and 31 rushes. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden continues to impress and he had a great game plan by using screens and quick passes to get the ball out of Dalton's hands.
One of the keys to Dalton's success Sunday and much of the season, has been due to the play of the offensive line. Colts defensive ends, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, are two of the best pass rushers in the game and neither one of them recorded a sack, yet along a tackle, in the game on Sunday. Tackles Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith deserve a lot of credit and there may not be any Pro Bowlers on that line, but they are a solid unit that basically goes unnoticed.
On defense, despite LB Rey Maualuga being out with an ankle injury, they forced three Indianapolis turnovers, including the first interception by a member of the secondary courtesy Leon Hall. Cornerback Nate Clements blocked a field goal, safety Reggie Nelson forced two fumbles and Carlos Dunlap returned one of those fumbles 35-yards for a touchdown.
The defense will head into the bye second in the NFL behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in total defense, but they are still third best against the pass and sixth best against the run.
The Bengals play again October 30th in Seattle and hopefully the momentum will continue.
On another note, Bengals owner Mike Brown finally gave into Carson Palmer's trade demands and traded the former number overall pick to the Oakland Raiders Tuesday. The trade give the Bengals a first round draft pick next year and the possibility of first round pick the following year.
I could not be happier, not because I hate Carson Palmer, but because it was the right decision to make. Why hold on to a guy that refuses to play for your team when you can get something for him in return? Mike Brown continued to say he would not trade Carson, but whatever changed in his mind, I think was for the best. And to get two high draft picks out of it makes Mike Brown look like a genius.
I really liked Carson while he was here, but the way he left will always taint his legacy as a Cincinnati Bengal. Carson Palmer was a very good quarterback for this team and one of the best in franchise history. Bengals fans will always remember the great season he put up in '05 on the way to the playoffs and then again in '09.
Yet, there are the times where his decision making and handling of Chad Ochocinco and the offense had us scratching our heads. I think fans, including myself, lost a lot of respect for Carson this past off-season for the way he went out. Walking out and threating to retire because he didn't like the ownership and refused to play for Mike Brown is no reason to quit on your teammates.
However, we will never know how things would have turned out had Kimo Von AxeMurder not torn up his knee against the Steelers in the '05 playoffs. My guess would be a lot different. Carson Palmer did a lot of great things for this organization and he gave Bengals fans sometime to cheer about once in a while and I will always be thankful to him for that. With that being said, it's indeed time to turn the page on Carson Palmer and focus on Andy Dalton being the face of this franchise.
"HOLY CRAP" PERFORMERS
RB Michael Turner, Falcons: 27 car for 139-yds and a TD from Turner helped Atlanta get back to .500.
Green Bay Packers: Without question, the most complete team in the NFL. The Packers are the NFL's last undefeated team after a 24-3 win against St. Louis, in which QB Aaron Rodgers threw three more touchdown passes.
San Francisco 49ers: San Francisco did something that no one in the NFL has been able to do so far this season, defeat the Detroit Lions. Rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh took the 49ers into the Motor City and handed the Lions their first loss of the season. RB Frank Gore had a great game, rushing for 141-yards on 15 carries and scored a touchdown. The 49ers are 5-1 and are certainly one of the league's most surprising teams.
RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants: Buffalo had a hard time stopping Ahmad Bradshaw, whose 26 carries for 104-yds and a career high 3 TD, helped the Giants get win number four.
RB Fred Jackson, Bills: 16 car, 121-yds, and a TD was not enough from Jackson as Buffalo suffered their second loss of the season.
RB Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers: Mendenhall's, 23 car, 146-yds, TD, leads the Steelers to 4-2 and 3-0 at home with a 17-13 win over Jacksonville.
S Kurt Coleman, Eagles: Not only did the former Buckeye lead the Eagles with seven tackles, but he had three interceptions that played a big part in Philadelphia getting a much needed win.
P Shane Lechler, Raiders: It's not every week you see a punter throw a touchdown pass. Lechler punted four times for 194-yds, including a 59-yarder and two punts were downed inside the 20, which is no surprise. What was a surprise, was his 35-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss. The Raiders won again and are looking good at 4-2.
WR Anquan Boldin, Ravens: Best game of the season so far for Boldin, 8 rec for 132-yds.
WR Marques Colston and TE Jimmy Graham, Saints: 7 rec for 118-yds and a TD for Colston and 7 rec for 124-yds from Graham was not enough as the Saints fell to the Buccaneers on the road.
"Holy Crap" Performer of the Week:
WR Devin Hester, Bears: 2011 is Devin Hester's sixth year in the league and NFL teams still have not realized that you don't kick the ball to Devin Hester. It has become one of those unwritten rules in football, don't kick the ball anywhere remotely close to the guy or he just might return it for a touchdown.
The Vikings failed to follow these rules Sunday night as Hester returned his fifth career kickoff 98-yards for a touchdown. Hester is now tied with Hall of Famer Rod Woodson with 17 career returns for touchdowns and he is now only two behind all-time return leader and another Hall of Famer, "Primetime" Deion Sanders, for most in NFL history. Hester also caught 5 passes for 91-yards, including a 48-yard TD catch.
"C'MON MAN" PERFORMANCES
St. Louis Rams: The Rams were the favorites to win the NFC West after going 7-9 last season with a rookie quarterback. After five games, the Rams are 0-5 and have been outscored 137-49. With the 49ers 5-1, it's going to be hard to get back in the thick of things out west.
"C'mon Man" Performance of the Week:
QB Rex Grossman, Redskins: Grossman was benched in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Eagles and for good reason after going 9/22 for 143-yds with 4 interceptions. A horrible performance from Grossman will certainly raise quarterback questions in Washington this week.
QB Cam Newton, Panthers: Cam Newton has played very well this season and Carolina is a much improved team, but they are still 1-5. Newton was 21/35 for 237-yds and he ran for 50-yds and a score, but his three interceptions were costly. Give him some more time and the wins will come, because he's extremely talented, but for now, "C'mon Man."
QB Drew Brees, Saints: 29/45, 383-yds, TD, 3 INT. An uncharacteristic performance from Brees with the three interceptions.
RB Peyton Hillis, Browns: Hills only had 6 carries for 14-yards before leaving Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. So far this season, Hillis has just 60 carries for 211-yds and only 2 TD. Can you say "Madden Curse?"
Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz postgame handshake: It was just like the end of every football game, the two head coaches meet in the middle of the field, shake hands and congratulate each other on the game. Well, that wasn't the case Sunday in Detroit between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz. Harbaugh's 49ers had just beaten the recently undefeated Lions and Schwartz was less than pleased with the handshake he received from Harbaugh.
These guys are head coaches in the National Football League and for them to act them to act the way they did is pretty sad. Both coaches should have handled the situation differently and this is worthy of a, "C'mon Man."
The Bengals ride into the bye week on a three game winning streak, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the division and only half a game behind Baltimore. Now some fans may not think the Bengals are for real because they haven't played anybody, well this isn't college football. Mike Brown doesn't make the schedule and strength of schedule has no bearing on how good a team really is in the NFL. The only thing that matters is the number in the win column and with a 27-17 victory of the Colts Sunday; the Bengals have a 4 in that column.
Yes, the Bengals haven't played the toughest of schedules. But they beat Buffalo and barely lost to the 49ers, who are now 5-1. They beat Jacksonville and Indianapolis by a combined 20 points, while the Steelers beat the two of them by only 7 combined points. Pittsburgh and Baltimore still appear on the schedule, twice, so the jury may still be out on the Bengals. However, this is a good football team.
On Sunday, the Bengals were able to beat the Peytonless Colts by doing what has won them four games so far this season. Great play from the number one overall defense, solid special teams and a balanced attack on offense lead by a rookie quarterback.
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| Heading into the bye week, Andy Dalton has the Bengals looking really good at 4-2. (Jeff Swinger/The Cincinnati Enquirer) |
One of the keys to Dalton's success Sunday and much of the season, has been due to the play of the offensive line. Colts defensive ends, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, are two of the best pass rushers in the game and neither one of them recorded a sack, yet along a tackle, in the game on Sunday. Tackles Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith deserve a lot of credit and there may not be any Pro Bowlers on that line, but they are a solid unit that basically goes unnoticed.
On defense, despite LB Rey Maualuga being out with an ankle injury, they forced three Indianapolis turnovers, including the first interception by a member of the secondary courtesy Leon Hall. Cornerback Nate Clements blocked a field goal, safety Reggie Nelson forced two fumbles and Carlos Dunlap returned one of those fumbles 35-yards for a touchdown.
The defense will head into the bye second in the NFL behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in total defense, but they are still third best against the pass and sixth best against the run.
The Bengals play again October 30th in Seattle and hopefully the momentum will continue.
On another note, Bengals owner Mike Brown finally gave into Carson Palmer's trade demands and traded the former number overall pick to the Oakland Raiders Tuesday. The trade give the Bengals a first round draft pick next year and the possibility of first round pick the following year.
I could not be happier, not because I hate Carson Palmer, but because it was the right decision to make. Why hold on to a guy that refuses to play for your team when you can get something for him in return? Mike Brown continued to say he would not trade Carson, but whatever changed in his mind, I think was for the best. And to get two high draft picks out of it makes Mike Brown look like a genius.
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| Carson Palmer got his wish and traded his Bengals stripes for Raiders silver and black on Tuesday. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) |
Yet, there are the times where his decision making and handling of Chad Ochocinco and the offense had us scratching our heads. I think fans, including myself, lost a lot of respect for Carson this past off-season for the way he went out. Walking out and threating to retire because he didn't like the ownership and refused to play for Mike Brown is no reason to quit on your teammates.
However, we will never know how things would have turned out had Kimo Von AxeMurder not torn up his knee against the Steelers in the '05 playoffs. My guess would be a lot different. Carson Palmer did a lot of great things for this organization and he gave Bengals fans sometime to cheer about once in a while and I will always be thankful to him for that. With that being said, it's indeed time to turn the page on Carson Palmer and focus on Andy Dalton being the face of this franchise.
"HOLY CRAP" PERFORMERS
RB Michael Turner, Falcons: 27 car for 139-yds and a TD from Turner helped Atlanta get back to .500.
Green Bay Packers: Without question, the most complete team in the NFL. The Packers are the NFL's last undefeated team after a 24-3 win against St. Louis, in which QB Aaron Rodgers threw three more touchdown passes.
San Francisco 49ers: San Francisco did something that no one in the NFL has been able to do so far this season, defeat the Detroit Lions. Rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh took the 49ers into the Motor City and handed the Lions their first loss of the season. RB Frank Gore had a great game, rushing for 141-yards on 15 carries and scored a touchdown. The 49ers are 5-1 and are certainly one of the league's most surprising teams.
RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants: Buffalo had a hard time stopping Ahmad Bradshaw, whose 26 carries for 104-yds and a career high 3 TD, helped the Giants get win number four.
RB Fred Jackson, Bills: 16 car, 121-yds, and a TD was not enough from Jackson as Buffalo suffered their second loss of the season.
RB Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers: Mendenhall's, 23 car, 146-yds, TD, leads the Steelers to 4-2 and 3-0 at home with a 17-13 win over Jacksonville.
S Kurt Coleman, Eagles: Not only did the former Buckeye lead the Eagles with seven tackles, but he had three interceptions that played a big part in Philadelphia getting a much needed win.
P Shane Lechler, Raiders: It's not every week you see a punter throw a touchdown pass. Lechler punted four times for 194-yds, including a 59-yarder and two punts were downed inside the 20, which is no surprise. What was a surprise, was his 35-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss. The Raiders won again and are looking good at 4-2.
WR Anquan Boldin, Ravens: Best game of the season so far for Boldin, 8 rec for 132-yds.
WR Marques Colston and TE Jimmy Graham, Saints: 7 rec for 118-yds and a TD for Colston and 7 rec for 124-yds from Graham was not enough as the Saints fell to the Buccaneers on the road.
"Holy Crap" Performer of the Week:
WR Devin Hester, Bears: 2011 is Devin Hester's sixth year in the league and NFL teams still have not realized that you don't kick the ball to Devin Hester. It has become one of those unwritten rules in football, don't kick the ball anywhere remotely close to the guy or he just might return it for a touchdown.
The Vikings failed to follow these rules Sunday night as Hester returned his fifth career kickoff 98-yards for a touchdown. Hester is now tied with Hall of Famer Rod Woodson with 17 career returns for touchdowns and he is now only two behind all-time return leader and another Hall of Famer, "Primetime" Deion Sanders, for most in NFL history. Hester also caught 5 passes for 91-yards, including a 48-yard TD catch.
"C'MON MAN" PERFORMANCES
St. Louis Rams: The Rams were the favorites to win the NFC West after going 7-9 last season with a rookie quarterback. After five games, the Rams are 0-5 and have been outscored 137-49. With the 49ers 5-1, it's going to be hard to get back in the thick of things out west.
"C'mon Man" Performance of the Week:
QB Rex Grossman, Redskins: Grossman was benched in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Eagles and for good reason after going 9/22 for 143-yds with 4 interceptions. A horrible performance from Grossman will certainly raise quarterback questions in Washington this week.
QB Cam Newton, Panthers: Cam Newton has played very well this season and Carolina is a much improved team, but they are still 1-5. Newton was 21/35 for 237-yds and he ran for 50-yds and a score, but his three interceptions were costly. Give him some more time and the wins will come, because he's extremely talented, but for now, "C'mon Man."
QB Drew Brees, Saints: 29/45, 383-yds, TD, 3 INT. An uncharacteristic performance from Brees with the three interceptions.
RB Peyton Hillis, Browns: Hills only had 6 carries for 14-yards before leaving Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. So far this season, Hillis has just 60 carries for 211-yds and only 2 TD. Can you say "Madden Curse?"
Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz postgame handshake: It was just like the end of every football game, the two head coaches meet in the middle of the field, shake hands and congratulate each other on the game. Well, that wasn't the case Sunday in Detroit between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz. Harbaugh's 49ers had just beaten the recently undefeated Lions and Schwartz was less than pleased with the handshake he received from Harbaugh.
These guys are head coaches in the National Football League and for them to act them to act the way they did is pretty sad. Both coaches should have handled the situation differently and this is worthy of a, "C'mon Man."
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