Bengals Week 3 Observations

*The Pittsburgh Post Gazette had a live blog during the game, they actually called it Steelers vs. Bungles. Check it out. Who's laughing now bitch!?!

*Offense was abysmal in the first half. -10 yards of total offense in the first quarter is absolutely terrible. I thought the play calling early was a little suspect. Bratkowski is committed to getting the running game started. And I understand you have to get a running game established to set up the pass. He stuck with Benson even with he looked like he could get nothing and eventually he got it going.

*Brad St. Louis, I can't defend you anymore. I tried yesterday to blame it on Huber, but then they slowed it down and he completely missed the mark. Come on Brad, you are the longest tenured Bengal, you need to learn to get the Bungle out of you. Now we all will be holding our breath for every FG and extra point attempt this season.

* I thought the defense was solid. The problem early was the offense couldn't stay on the field. But there were a few times that Pittsburgh got into the red zone and had to settle for FG's. That became huge as the game wore on.

*What about Mike Tomlin's decision to go for it on 4th and 2 in the second half. I thought that was a huge momentum shift for the Bengals. If that we Marvin's call we would have killed him today.

* Where is my man Chris Henry? 1 catch for 19 yards. Throw him the ball! Caldwell was huge today with 6 receptions for 52. Chad went for 5 and 54 and Coles was 5 for 34.

* Palmer gets credit for driving back for the win, but Palmer was terrible in the first half and more and more he worries me.

* Did anyone else notice how far back the safeties were on that last pass play???? Do you think Marvin and Zimmer learned something for the Denver game?

* Overall a win is a win. In the NFL it is the teams who can finish games who are successful. Looking at the Denver game without that joke of a reception we managed to drive late and take a lead. I like that out of this team, we need to play with that same sense of urgency throughout the whole game. I am excited to watch this Sunday against Cleveland. But lets not look past them.

College Basketball's top backcourts in 2009-10

4. Kentucky

Backcourt: John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Darnell Dodson, DeAndre Liggins
Analysis: Both Wall and Bledsoe are terrific athletes and are more than capable of running a team. Neither is regarded as a great shooter, but they may not need to make perimeter shots with their ability to get to the basket. Dodson is the guy who can really make shots from deep.

17. Xavier

Backcourt: Jordan Crawford, Mark Lyons, Terrell Holloway, Dante Jackson, Brad Redford
Analysis: New coach Chris Mack has plenty of backcourt options, but we think it'll be the tandem of Crawford and Lyons that will eventually emerge. Both are athletic and have the ability to score and distribute.

Read More...

Marshwan Gilyard Deserves a Look at for the Heisman

I know the Heisman traditionally goes to quarterbacks and running backs, however, Marshwan Gilyard deserves to be looked at by the committee for the highest honor in college football. Look at the guys numbers through his first four games this year.

The numbers don't lie and they've came against some decent teams.

32 catches for 442 yards and 6 TD's. He also has a rushing touchdown and is, in my opinion, the best return man in college football.

At this pace, he's projected to have 96 catches, over 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns! Is that Heisman worthy?

Sadly enough it probably isn't considering a guy by the name of Michael Crabtree put up ridiculous numbers (134 catches, 1,962 yards, 22 touchdowns) in 2007 and didn't win! Granted he was a freshmen, but still.

Steeler Week

This is Steelers week in Cincinnati and for Cincinnati fans this means it is a huge week. There are a number of reasons why. Sure, we haven't beat the Steelers at home since 2001. Either way we get excited for this matchup. Whenever the schedule comes out I look for this game. I am sure that fans in the Steel City circle this game for a different reason. For Pittsburgh fans this is an easy W on the schedule, for Cincinnati fans this is the chance to beat the hated franchise who we have chased for years. Why do I hate the Steelers so much? Thats easy, envy. As a Bengals fan I wish my franchise were just like the Steelers. The Steelers have attitude and swagger, the Steelers are always in your face, and most importantly the Steelers win. We have felt like the step-chidren of the AFC North for a few years. We all know the history from Palmers knee to Rivers jaw for years they have gotten the best of us. In 2005, we thought we got the best of them, we beat them in their house and went on to win the North division. But they came to Paul Brown and beat us in the playoffs, so they got the best of us once again. But regardless of the past this is a new year and a new week. I can block out all of those previous years and focus on today. If we lose every game of the year but beat the Steelers I will be very happy. This is a must win not only for a a playoff run but just for respect. The Bengals need to be aggressive and need to be physical. They need to shove the ball down their throats on offense and knock their lights out on defense. This is Steelers week fella's, time to step it up.

Tracking T.J.

I read an article about T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the Chicago Tribune where he once again brutally butchered the English language saying ``Man, the Bears ain't holler at me.'' Despite is words of wisdom I wanted to take a quick look at his stats so far this season along with stats on Laverneous Coles.

T.J. Housmandzadeh
Week 1- STL 6-Rec, 48-Yds, 0-TD
Week 2- @SF 4-Rec, 62-Yds, 0-TD

Laverneous Coles
Week 1- DEN 1-Rec, 11-Yds, 0-TD
Week 2- GB 2-Rec, 9-Yards, 1-TD

Housh obviously has the upper hand in yards so far on Cole, although Coles has a score he has a pedestrian 20 yards receiving.

Survivor Week 3

Since I was out of town last week and forgot to post the Survivor picks everyone gets a pass. We all picked winners, although Redleg's was a little late! Here are this weeks slate of games. Good luck!

Washington @ Detroit
Green Bay @ St. Louis
Minnesota @ San Francisco
New England @ Atlanta
New York Jets @ Tennessee
Philadelphia @ Kansas City
New York Giants @ Tampa Bay
Baltimore @ Cleveland
Houston @ Jacksonville
New Orleans @ Buffalo
Chicago @ Seattle
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Denver @ Oakland
San Diego @ Miami
Arizona @ Indianapolis
Dallas @ Carolina

The Top 10 Sports Movies of the 2000’s

(1) Cars (2006) – Yes, I made a Pixar movie numero uno!
(2) Remember the Titans (2000)
(3) Friday Night Lights (2004)
(4) Dodgeball (2004)
(5) Blades of Glory (2007)
(6) Green Street Hooligans (2005) – my sleeper but a movie that is under the radar but a must see.
(7) Invincible (2006)
(8) The Longest Yard (2005)
(9) Talladega Nights (2006)
(10) Radio (2003)

Just didn’t make it...

Million Dollar Baby (2004) – Yes, I may be criticized for this one but although it won academy awards I just wasn’t into it.
Seabiscuit (2003)
We Are Marshall (2006)
Miracle (2004)
The Replacements (2000)
The Rookie (2002)
Coach Carter (2005)
Ali (2001)

What's Your Top 10?

Cris and the High School Girls

Here's an interview with Cris Collinsworth a la 1980 or so. He's got some interesting tips on picking up girls... and by 'interesting' I mean very, very creepy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8HdOEStmrs

Steelers Week- Never Forget

Bengals Week 2 Observations

* This win made last week's loss hurt even more. The Bengals looked like a completely different team yesterday and if only they could have capitalized against Denver last week. But we didn't so lets focus on the positive of this game.

* Cedric Benson ran the ball like a man possessed yesterday. He didn't just look good he looked very good. Benson is best when he can run between the tackles and make his move after cutting past the line. Benson runs with good burst and good power. Benson ran for 141 yards on 29 carries for 4.8 a clip.

* With Benson moving the ball it opened up the passing game. Palmer distributed the ball to 8 different receivers with Ochocinco getting 4 receptions for 91 yards. However the day wasn't perfect for Palmer. At times in the first half Palmer looked very uneasy especially when passing toward Charles Woodson.

* The defense really help up well for the Bengals. They got a big stop at the end of the first half. Palmer INT's gave them one score and a short 11 yard field. Outside of a 80 yard drive early in the first half the defense locked down. You have heard that Antwan Odom racked up 5 sacks, rookie Rey Maualuga added on for himself.

* Sloppy game for both teams Bengals had 13 penalties for 100 yards. Luckily the defense played solid, most of those yards were on Interference calls on Chris Crocker, I wouldn't want to be him in Zimmer's meeting today.

* I spent a lot of time watching the O-line play and I was very pleased with how well they held up. They gave up 2 sacks on Palmer but cleared a lot of holes for Benson. Whitworth has been pretty strong on the left side, although he did have two holding calls, and Kyle Cook has really impressed at the Center position. The line is really starting to gel.

* I am afraid that this team will be a little bit of Jeckyl and Hyde. We gave up a game last week that we were supposed to win and took a game this week that we should have lost. Lets hope that we can get consistent and win some games. What I like about this team is our defense can keep us in any game. If we can eliminate penalties and turnovers we can really be a strong team. Getting Benson started we have seen is what is key for this offense. I am encouraged after this win.

Antwan Odom 5 Sacks vs Green Bay Packers

Survivor Week 2

My pick: Denver Broncos.

Is Carson Palmer Really A "Franchise Quarterback"

(Carson Palmer vs. Jeff Blake)

Stats during career with Bengals:
Palmer: 66 games – 1401/2198 (63.7%), 15,877 Yards, 107 TD’s, 69 INT’s
Blake: 75 games – 1240/2221 (55.8%), 15,134 Yards, 93 TD’s, 62 INT’s

I realize Blake is no Palmer but it gives you something to think about after comparing the numbers. Granted, Blake played nine more games than Palmer as a Bengal from these stats but Palmer has thrown seven more picks in nine less games than Blake. Will Palmer ever return to his 2005-06 numbers? You cant say he doesn't have the weapons because his #3 and #4 receivers could be #2 options for some teams in the league.

Bengals Roster Move

Today the Bengals will waive RB DeDe Dorsey to make room for rookie OT Andre Smith. Smith was granted a roster exemption due to his late signing and was held off of the roster because of a broken foot injury. Marvin indicated that "DeDe did a lot to make a case to stay here, but we needed the spot." The Bengals had to get Smith on the roster today. Other than that Marvin said nothing of note at his press conference.

Bengals Week 1 Observations

* I did it again, I fell for it. I have been a Bengals fan my entire life, and every year I get excited for the opener. We always seem to have a "favorable" opening matchup that should get the season started on the right foot. Last year it was rookie QB Joe Flacco and the Ravens, we lose 27-20. I told some people Saturday to remember what we were saying last year about Baltimore and look what happened. They laughed because they didn't think we could possibly lose to the Broncos.

* On the Stokely play, yeah it was a fluke play, but at the same rate when was the last time that the Bengals were in the position to get a play like that? Two balls were knocked into the air this weekend and both were recovered by Denver. The biggest thing that bothers me about that play is the fact the Roy Williams and the rest of the safeties were around the ball. Why they are not backed up 40 yards into the secondary to avoid something like that happening is beyond me. Denver cannot afford to use the middle of the field so drop back a linebacker in the middle and bring three safeties way back in the secondary. As Lapham said on the call, "sometimes the football gods can be cruel" I love Mike Zimmer but I think he got that call wrong. Drop them back, that is the only thing that can beat you, and it did.

* The Bengals offense looked like an offense who did not have their Quarterback for most of the pre-season. All of the people doing pregame analysis said that we finally have a healthy Palmer. But we didn't, and it is showing. Timing was off and the offense showed.

* What sucks about being a long snapper. Whenever you mess up, it is very evident. Brad St. Louis is normally pretty consistent but there have been a few hiccups and when it happens it is a huge play. You have one job Brad, only one, lets get it done. On the same side of the card Huber should have grabbed that one. Sure it was a bad snap but not bad enough for that to happen. Maybe they should bring in a veteran to hold. Just a thought.

* Chad looked good, real good. Laverneous looked bad, real bad. (TJ had 6 catches for 46 yards in Seattle.) I am not sure why the go to guy in the pre-season, Chris Henry, was not utilized in the offense more. He found himself most of the time as the #4 reciever. Caldwell came up big in the late drive but Slim 15 can get it done....use him!

* Bob Bratkowski ran the leagues last ranked offense last season, and he still has a job, and he still cannot come up with plays to move the ball. Why is that? Is he also Mike Brown's boy?

* Benson had a solid game, he broke off a few runs and ran most rushes for a gain. Benson will be strong, but we need some offensive consistency.

* Defense came up HUGE all day. Its a shame, even with the Stokely play we should have never been in that situation. Offense needs to score, offense is the issue.

* O-line was play was spotty. Whitworth looked strong but a few times Anthony Collins looked like Gus Parrish. We cannot have Palmer being rushed out of the pocket. He avoided a few sacks but was running for his life on a few plays.

* What happened to stretching the field? How many times did we look deep? Someone send Bob Bratkowski highlights from 2005.

NKY Survival Football Results

Adam: New Orleans (Won)
Wojo: New Orleans (Won)
Matt: Baltimore (Won-Barely!)
Redleg2420: Baltimore (Won-by a nose!)
SHU: San Diego (Yet to play, but pretty safe)

Holmes Star Ricardo Johnson Commits to Ohio U

There are a number of reports circulating that Holmes Senior forward Ricardo Johnson has committed to Ohio University. Ricardo was the MVP of the Kentucky State Tournament where he lead the Holmes Bulldogs to their first State Championship last season. Johnson is the first commitment from a very talented Holmes senior class which includes Jeremiah Johnson and Elijah Pittman. Ricardo also received an offer from Bradley and was being recruited by a number of smaller D-1 programs. Congratulations to Ricardo and good luck in your senior season at Holmes.

NKY SportsWorld NFL Survival Contest

I want to do more of this on here for a little friendly competition. I am sure that most of you have played this game before. Basically you will select a team that you think will win a given game. If the team wins you move on, we will not look at spreads just straight up. You cannot use one team more than once. For instance, if you pick the Bengals over the Broncos you cannot use the Bronco's the rest of the season. Winner will receive a prize that is yet to be determined. Here is the week 1 schedule. Picks are due today, but you can get a pick in before Sunday (you just can't pick tonight's game if you do) Post your pick in the comments section.

Today: Tennessee at Pittsburgh
Sunday:
Miami at Atlanta
Jets at Houston
Detroit at New Orleans
Denver at Cincinnati
Kansas City at Baltimore
Dallas at Tampa Bay
Minnesota at Cleveland
Philadelphia at Carolina
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
St. Louis at Seattle
Washington at NY Giants
San Francisco at Arizona
Chicago at Green Bay
Monday:
Buffalo at New England
San Diego at Oakland

NFL Starting QB's by College Conference

While watching College Football this weekend and some spectacular Quarterback play I was curious if there were any trends as to what conference historically produces the best/most QB's. Since I am not employed to search through statistics the best that I could do was list the current starting QB's in the NFL and the conferences that they play in. What this showed be was basically the power conferences on average will produce the most QB's. There really is no major evidence or any one conference that dominates another, but would fairly say that big conference QB's are most likely to make it to a starting position. Although again, that is not scientific. Check it out.

SEC
Matthew Stafford- Georgia
Peyton Manning- Tennessee
JaMarcus Russell- LSU
Eli Manning- Mississippi
Jason Campbell- Auburn
Jay Cutler- Vanderbilt

PAC-10
Mark Sanchez- USC
Carson Palmer- USC
Matt Cassel- USC
Trent Edwards- Stanford
Aaron Rogers- Cal

Big-10
Tom Brady- Michigan
Kerry Collins- Penn State
Kyle Orton- Purdue
Drew Brees- Purdue

ACC
Matt Schaub- Virginia
Phillip Rivers- NC State
Matt Ryan- BC
Matt Hasselbeck- BC
Shaun Hill- Maryland

Conference USA
Chad Pennington- Marshall
David Garrard- East Carolina
Brett Favre- Southern Miss
Byron Leftwich- Marshall

MAC
Ben Roethlisberger- Miami OH

Big East
Donovan McNabb- Syracuse
Marc Bulger- West Virginia

Missouri Valley
Kurt Warner- Northern Iowa

Sun Belt
Jake Delhomme

Ohio Valley Conference
Tony Romo- Eastern Illinois

No Conference or DII
Brady Quinn- Notre Dame
Joe Flacco- Delaware

Cincinnati In Latest Polls

After a methodical 47-15 rout of Rutgers on the road in the first game of the season, the Cincinnati Bearcats football team has reached the top 25. Cincinnati sits at #23 in both the AP and USA Today polls. A positive showing from the Bearcats on national TV Monday gave the team a bout of confidence and gave voters a chance to see the team without any other games on at the time. The Bearcats proved naysers wrong and showed that once again they will be a force in the Big East.

No more dancing in Ft. Wayne

In a shocking move from Scott Pioli and and Kansas City Chiefs they have released veteran safety Bernard Pollard. Perhaps you know of Pollard from his physical play on the field, from the hit that ended Tom Brady's 2008 season, or from his amazing dancing skills displayed two years ago on Hard Knocks.

This move really does surprise me though, Pollard has been a solid contributor to this defense for a few years. Perhaps Pioli still has hard feelings from the Brady injury.

I really think the Bengals should sign him. From what I have seen through hard knocks we currently have not a single dancer from Ft. Wayne. Bernard can come into the locker room and "show us how they do it in Ft. Wayne."

One more reason to love Rey Maualuga

Update on some former Reds

I was curious to find out what some of the guys we traded this year are doing since the trade. Here's a quick update...

Edwin Encarnacion (Toronto) .185 BA, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .236 OBP, 65 AB
Alex Gonzalez (Boston) .280 BA, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .280 OBP, 75 AB
Jerry Hairston (NY Yankees) .255, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .371 OBP, 51 AB
Josh Roenicke (Toronto) 5.11 ERA, 8 BB, 12 SO, 12.1 IP
David Weathers (Milwaukee) 4.05 ERA, 8 BB, 8 SO, 13.1 IP

Not missing much I guess.

Bengals Announce Practice Squad

The Bengals have selected the maximum number of eight players on their practice squade listed below. Among those who did not make the squad were Marvin White, who was picked up by Dallas, and Fui Vakapuna who was not re-signed and is expected to sign with Arizona.

TE Darius Hill
HB James Johnson
S Corey Lynch
DT Clinton McDonald
FB Chris Pressley
WR Maurice Purify
G Jason Shirley
LB Dan Skuta

Corruptness of College Basketball

College basketball has always been my favorite sport to watch and follow. Period. College basketball never used to be subject to the extreme and widespread rules violations, unethical decisions, and corruptness that is crippling other major sports. College basketball was never the subject of steroid rumors like the MLB, gambling referees like the NBA, or thuggish athletes like the NFL. However, college basketball is following into this same pattern and it has to stop. NCAA teams at unbelievable rates are involved in illegal recruiting practices and corrupt decisions. Just this past week, Louisville head coach hired Pike High School Assistant Coach Shabaka Lands in order to reel in No. 2 ranked HS star Marquis Teague. This same practice has happened in the past, most noteably with star players Michael Beasley and Dajuan Wagner. Other teams have been involved with recruiting of grade school kids, illegal contacting of recruits, contacting of committed recruits, changing of HS grades, and payment of money to future players. The list goes on and on. It would be naive to think that this is not happening everywhere. Anything is being used to get ahead. In the process, it just might cripple college basketball.

Things Heard on Andre Smith

You think several months off of playing is not a downfall??

Andre Smith weighed in to Bengals training camp at 364 pounds!! 364! That was 34 pounds over his expected playing weight. What do you eat in two months to gain 34 pounds?? A horse? And he wonders why he broke his foot.

The more and more I watch and hear about Andre Smith the less and less I like him. And to be honest, I liked him very little to begin with. Is it still too early to say I told you so??

Supporting Chad Ochocino

For the past few years we have heard from different media personnel, TV analysts, and bloggers that Chad "Johnson" Ochocino was selfish and a cancer to the team. From watching Hard Knocks, following Chad on Twitter, and watching his show on UStream I see none of these qualities. Perhaps Chad is in a different place right now, but what I see from Chad is a fun loving, dedicated, and motivated football player. Last night on Hard Knocks they showed a clip from 2003 when Chad approached Coach Marvin Lewis on the football field and said, "I want to be the best, I want to be better than Rice." That is what Chad wants. He wants to be one of the best he really wants to be the greatest Wide Receiver of all-time. I would say that most who play this game want to be the greatest at their position, but Chad takes it seriously. I think Chad has been painted with the wrong brush. I don't think that he is a distraction, I don't think he is a cancer. Chad is not going to be the vocal in your face Ray Lewis type of leader, but in his own way Chad is a leader.

I wrote a story on here about Griffey Jr. a few days ago. In Seattle, Griffey has been embraced for keeping the locker room light and having fun with the game of Baseball. Chad is the same way in football. He wants to be the best but he also wants to have fun. There is no malice, no anger, he does not put down his teammates while trying to be the best. Chad helps pick up his teammates. I think that Ochocino has gotten a bad rap from the media. Even through everything this year they still say that Tweeting is a distraction and he is bringing down his team. I don't buy it, I just don't. NKYSportsWorld remains and will always be a supporter of #85, and for those of you who don't agree....Child Please!

Bengals Preseason Finale: What to watch for

- It has already been announced that Carson Palmer will not play in this game but should be ready to go for the regular season finale. I hate to think this way but the first thing to watch for tonight is the play of J.T. O'Sullivan. But the reality is Palmer only played in four games last year and with his preseason injury we can only cross our fingers that he will be healthy this year.

- Watch the Running Back situation. The Bengals face a very difficult decision as to who they should keep at this position. From what I have read and what I see on Hard Knocks they are forced to make a decision between DeDe Dorsey and Brian Leonard. Both have had impressive preseasons so far and both have made a strong argument to become the third back.

- While watching the running backs in the backfield also sneak a peek at the Fullback situation. It appears that Jeremi Johnson has locked up the #1 spot but there seems to be a battle between Fui Vakapuna and Chris Pressley. Both are rookies but the Bengals have more invested in Vakapuna with a 7th round selection. Pressley was signed as a free agent. From watching meetings covered on Hard Knocks the Bengals like Pressley's physical nature but really seem to be pulling for Vakapuna.

- Perhaps the first place you should watch is special teams. With the injury of Andre Smith the Bengals will now be forced to keep around an extra offensive lineman, thus further hurting the roster situation. Tom Nelson will be fighting for a spot but showing his abilities as a kick returner. Also returning kicks will be Quan Cosby, who returned a punt for a TD last week.

2011 Reds Games Just Got Better

If you could pick one place to go before a Reds game, how about a brewery?

"City Council approved today a preferred development agreement with Christian Moerlein Brewing Company for the construction of a 15,000-square-foot restaurant and brewery and expansive outdoor biergarten facing the Ohio River."

That brewery and biergarten will be right across the street- literally- from Great American Ballpark.  So, even if the team doesn't get any better, there's still a reason to look forward to 2011. 

Local Product chooses Xavier

Griffin McKenzie, a 6'9" Power forward out of Moeller high school has verbally committed to the Xavier Musketeers. McKenzie, who is ranked as a three star recruit from Rivals.com, has offers on the table from Cincinnati, Ohio State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest among others. McKenzie joins a 2010 class for Xavier that is loaded with forwards which include Jay Canty, Jordan Latham, and Justin Martin.

Reds to Honor Hal McCoy

In a nice gesture to honor the 37 year tenure of Dayton Daily News writer Hal McCoy the Reds have teamed up with the newspaper for a special Hal McCoy night at the ballpark. McCoy is currently the longest tenured beat writer in the country. Fans can enjoy half price tickets for the game on September 16th against the Houston Astros. You can order tickets by clicking this link.

Seattle understands Griffey

If you have read this blog for any length of time you know that I am a huge fan of Ken Griffey Jr. and we have touched on this topic a number of times. I was reading an article from The Seattle Times and I think that the Seattle fans understand their expectations of Griffey and appreciate what they have. Griffey has been limited to pinch hitting situations in Seattle and so far this season .221 with 14 HR's and 33 RBI with limited plate appearances. Seattle wasn't counting on Ken Griffey Jr. to come in an transform the Mariners into a playoff team. Seattle wanted Griffey to come in and help the young players along, keep the clubhouse loose, and answer the call when needed.

From day 1 in Cincinnati the front office and fans expected Griffey to come in and make the Reds a World Series contender. Jim Bowden even referenced it in his speech when he introduced Griffey to the media. But there were a number factors that played against the whole situation. First, Griffey dealt with injury, not because he was out of shape he suffered these injuries while playing. Second, we didn't build a team around him. We never had a pitching staff, we never had defense to go with him, we put everything on his shoulders.
Even after multiple seasons with Griffey up until his last plate appearance as a Red the fans expected Junior to be the superstar that he was in the early 90's. We had expectations for Griffey that were just beyond reason. Seattle doesn't have those expectations. Seattle is excited to have a future Hall of Famer in the locker room keeping the locker room loose and leading in the only way that Griffey knows how. By keeping the game fun.

Andre Smith out with Fractured Foot

I am sure that by now most of you have heard the news that first round selection Andre Smith has fractured his foot in a non contact drill in practice today. Only two days after signing his contract, which ended a 30 plus day holdout, Smith will be on the sideline for an unknown amount of time. Smith will not need surgery on the foot which will speed up the recovery process but for a player who is already very far behind from missing camp this will not help his chances. I think this will prove to us that Smith will not be ready to contribute at all this season.

2009 Bengals Predictions

The season is right around the corner and I am getting very excited about this team. The Defense appears to be improving over a #13 ranked defense last season and with a healthy (well mostly healthy) Carson Palmer the offense should improve tremendously over the Ryan Fitzpatrick era of last season. With that I wanted to post the Bengals schedule along with my predictions for the year.

Sun, Sep 13 Denver 1:00 (W)
Sun, Sep 20 at Green Bay 1:00 (L)
Sun, Sep 27 Pittsburgh 4:15 (L)
Sun, Oct 4 at Cleveland 1:00 (W)
Sun, Oct 11 at Baltimore 1:00 (W)
Sun, Oct 18 Houston 1:00 (L)
Sun, Oct 25 Chicago 1:00 (L)
8 -- bye -- -- --
Sun, Nov 8 Baltimore 1:00 (W)
Sun, Nov 15 at Pittsburgh 1:00 (L)
Sun, Nov 22 at Oakland 4:15 (W)
Sun, Nov 29 Cleveland 1:00 (W)
Sun, Dec 6 Detroit 1:00 (W)
Sun, Dec 13 at Minnesota 1:00 (L)
Sun, Dec 20 at San Diego 4:05 (L)
Sun, Dec 27 Kansas City 1:00 (W)
Sun, Jan 3 at NY Jets 1:00 (L)

So based on my predictions I see the Bengals going 8-8 which is Marvin Lewis' average season. But in all honesty there are some winnable games that I marked as an L. If you look at the locks, the games that we should win hands down I look at Kansas City, Cleveland (2), Oakland, and Denver. In my opinion a loss to one of these teams would be an upset. So that is five games that we absolutely "should" win. Now look at the games that we should have a shot and should be swing games NY Jets, Baltimore (2) which would bring us up to 8 wins if we can win those. So I think there are really 8 winnable games on this schedule. Now we just have to find a way to beat Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Houston or Chicago. If we can win all of the games that we should (5) and grab those swing games (3) then find a way to win two of those tough matchups we could be a 10 win team which I think would get us into the playoffs in our division. It could happen!