Bleacher Report - Louisville

Bengals-Browns: Cincinnati Runs Over Hapless Northeast Neighbors

Eric Ball — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:15:52 -0500

The Cincinnati Bengals played the ball control game as they ran the rock down the Cleveland Browns' throats in a 16-7 workman-like victory.

The Bengals held the ball for just over 38 minutes as they rushed for 210 yards on the ground.

The Browns were simply unable to stop the Bengals two-headed rushing attack of Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott. With Cedric Benson out for the second-straight game with a hip injury, the team continued to impose its will in the running game. Johnson had 22 carries for 107 yards; Scott had 87 yards on 18 carries.

The stellar play of the Benglas defense continued Sunday. An overmatched Brady Quinn looked awful, going 15/34 for 100 yards. That’s a 51.3 QB rating.

He threw behind several receivers. His passes too often were at the shoelaces. A couple of times, he threw downfield between two receivers—but the pass was so bad, that it was hard to know who the intended receiver was.

Quinn wasn’t even pressured much by the Bengals front four, but the pass coverage was once again top-notch. The linebackers were all over the field, especially Brandon Johnson, who had eight tackles. The Browns finished with only 58 yards on the ground and 169 total.

Overall, the Bengals' game plan was incredibly vanilla. They had zero trick plays and lots of runs between the tackles. No reason to empty the play book in a game like this.

"There are no tosses or loop-di-loop plays. It's basically, `Line up and go after it,' " Johnson said.

Punter Kevin Huber was able to keep the ball out of Josh Cribbs' hands on punt returns. Cribbs barely touched the ball at all. Although he did throw an 18-yard bomb to Quinn, that was the second biggest offensive play all day for the Browns.

The Browns defense knew what was coming but simply couldn’t do anything about it.

Carson Palmer had a pedestrian 110 yards, completing 13 of 24 passes with a touchdown. He didn’t have an exceptionally accurate day. He has gone 15-straight games without having a 300-yard passing day. He only has two TD tosses in the past four games.

Palmer has really adapted to the “game manager” role in this offense. He doesn’t have to do it all for the Bengals to have a chance. He continues to take care of the ball and be the leader on offense.

"It felt like a bad-weather game," said Palmer. "It was just a physical, run the ball, control the field position and feed off the defense game."

Past concerns did arise during the game. The team is averaging around 18 points a game minus the 45-point explosion against the Bears. The offense is settling for field goals and getting killed by penalties. An infuriating 10 penalties for 75 yards continually killed momentum on drives.

The main culprits were the offensive line—too many holding penalties. The pass protection was below average as well. As great as the run blocking was, the pass blocking was pretty awful. Palmer was sacked three times and hurried throughout the game.

Chad Ochocinco (three receptions for 38 yards) is still playing at a high level, but if teams take him away, Palmer is struggling find other receivers. It's partly because they are not getting open, and also because he is getting hit before he can get to that second or third read.

So what does it all mean?

Well 8-3 is 8-3. A perfect 6-0 divisional sweep for the first time in franchise history is a tremendous achievement. But there are still things that need to be cleaned up.

CBS Sports analyst Boomer Esiason said it perfectly after the game. Maybe it’s a good thing that the Bengals haven’t hit on all cylinders yet. They are doing what needs to be done in order to win the game.

Maybe they’re saving the best for December and January.

"If we can run the football and play good defense, I can drive into the stadium pretty confident most days, and that's a good feeling," coach Marvin Lewis said. "I think we are at that point."

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The Up and Down Week of the SEC: Week 2

Rick Gillispie — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:14:32 -0500

The week started badly for the SEC as Vanderbilt lost by nine to Cincinnati in the first round of the Maui Invitational and Tennessee lost by one to Purdue in the Paradise Jam Championship.

Tuesday brought five wins for the SEC but the one loss was a bad one. Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Mississippi St all cruised to easy wins while Florida got the big win of the night with a 16 point victory over Florida State. Morgan State upset Arkansas by three in the Hall of Fame showcase game.

Kentucky won the Cancun Challenge with an eight point overtime win against Stanford on Wendesday. Vanderbilt beat Arizona by 12 in Maui and Auburn destroyed High Point. The low point for the SEC was The 26 point lost by LSU against Connecticut.

Alabama beat Baylor by three in the Old Spice Classic on Thursday.

Friday was a busy day for the SEC and the league struggled going only 4-4 for the day. Arkansas, Mississippi St, Alabama and LSU all lost while Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina all won. The big win for the night and for the season for the league was Florida's three point win over Michigan State in the Legends Classic.

The Gators continued their strong play by winning the Legends Classic by beating Rutgers. Mississippi State also won on Saturday winning by 14.

The week ended with three games as Arkansas fell to 2-4 with a 13 point loss to South Alabama. Mississippi improved to 5-1 with a 15 point win against Texas A&M-CC while Alabama won a great game against Michigan by two.

SEC POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK TWO:

1. Kentucky 6-0

2. Florida 6-0

3. Tennessee 5-1

4. Mississippi 5-1

5. South Carolina 5-1

6. Vanderbilt 4-1

7. Mississippi St 4-2

8. Alabama 4-2

9. LSU 3-2

10. Georgia 3-2

11. Auburn 3-3

12. Arkansas 2-4

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Risk of Signing Larry Johnson Pays Off for Bengals in Win over Browns

Dan Parzych — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:28:37 -0500

The Cincinnati Bengals received some criticism for the signing of running back Larry Johnson after his release from the Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks ago. After Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals appear to have made the right move.

With an improved offensive line, Johnson showed the Bengals why signing him for insurance he was worth the risk after his 107-yard rushing performance against the Browns in Cincinnati's 16-7 win over Cleveland.

Johnson was signed by the Bengals as insurance in case running back Cedric Benson's hip injury would keep him out longer than expected.

With another player on the roster with a history at being the No. 1 running back, head coach Marvin Lewis felt better about resting Benson for the second-straight week against the Browns.

Along with Johnson, he felt confident enough to rest Benson because of the impressive play of rookie running back Bernard Scott the last three weeks.

After rushing for 119 yards in his first career start against the Oakland Raiders last week, Scott ran for 87 yards on just 18 carries against a Browns defense ranked 29th in yards allowed per game with 159.9.

In seven games with the Chiefs this season, Johnson struggled with a weak offensive line, averaging just 2.7 yards-per-carry while rushing for just 377 yards and zero touchdowns.

In his first two games with the Bengals, he is averaging 4.7 yards-per-carry—thanks to an improved offensive line.

From 2005-06, Johnson was arguably one of the top running backs in the NFL, running for a combined 3,539 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Part of the reason why Johnson was able to find such success was because the Chiefs had one of the top offensive lines in the league.

Now that he has an improved offensive line, it should be interesting to see how the Bengals can use him as another option at running back.

It may be just one game, but the Bengals and their fans have to be excited about Johnson breaking the 100-yard mark in just his second game with his new team.

Dan Parzych is the Cincinnati Bengals Examiner for Examiner.com

He is also the founder of WhoDeyBengals.com

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Cincinnati Bengals Showing That Only the Strong Survive

Doug Tifft — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:56:36 -0500

One week after a letdown of bumbling proportions in a loss to the Oakland Raiders, the Cincinnati Bengals dominated the Cleveland Browns 16-7 on Nov. 29 in a Darwinian expression of strength.

The stronger Bengals overpowered Cleveland in almost every aspect of the game, resulting in a nine-point win that was never in much danger.

The Cincinnati offense dominated the line of scrimmage against the Browns by frequently using six offensive linemen.

When the Browns responded to seeing 6’9”, 325 lb. Dennis Roland at tight end by bringing eight men into the box, Cincinnati offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski countered by having Roland kick out the backside defensive end on a stretch play—consistently Cincinnati’s most effective offensive play throughout the afternoon.

Even other Cleveland run-stopping tactics, like corner and safety blitzes, were negated by poor tackling, allowing Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott to get into the secondary.

With the overloads, stretch plays, and missed tackles, Cincinnati was able to rack up 210 yards on the ground, adding to what was the eighth-best rushing offense in the NFL heading into the weekend.

The Bengal defense also exhibited supremacy over the Browns. Except, instead of a physical superiority, their advantage manifested itself much more in the mental deficiencies of Cleveland’s Brady Quinn.

Quinn epitomized a quarterback with happy feet in the pocket, launching inaccurate, hurried, and misguided passes whenever Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer would send an extra pass rusher.

Even when Zimmer abstained from a blitz, a show of six men at the line of scrimmage before the snap was often enough to force Quinn to a check-down into a conservative screen or run play—situations the Bengal defense handled easily against a Cleveland playmaking corps that left something to be desired.

As the Bengals continue to navigate through the plum portion of the schedule—a home game against Detroit next Sunday represents the third straight game with a cellar dweller—from their perch atop the AFC North, they can be comforted by their show of supremacy on Sunday.

It is a theme that will lead them into the playoffs, where as any Darwinian will tell you, only the strong survive.

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Unsightly November Loss? That's Rick Pitino Basketball

Jonathan Lintner — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:50:21 -0500

The critics shouldn't call Louisville's 76-71 loss at Nevada Las Vegas on Saturday an upset.

Quite frankly, it was just a prime example of Rick Pitino basketball.

It's November, which means Pitino wasn't fretting over wins and losses heading into the UNLV game, wondering how to counter the Runnin' Rebels' fast-paced style while fearing a vengeful visiting arena. As is the case for most early season contests, Saturday's game was a learning experience for the Cardinals in their first true road test.

So Pitino simply let them play. Let them experience adversity. Let them feel what it's like to lose.

The Thomas and Mack Center packed in 14,390 fans on Saturday, some of which spilled out onto the court to put an exclamation point on UNLV's second triumph over Louisville in two seasons. Pitino didn't have a problem with that—or his team's effort

“It's not a bad loss,” Pitino said. “It's not surprising when you play a road game like this, this early in the season. It's a difficult place to play. We knew it would be a tough game, but we knew it would make us a better team in the end.”

Louisville's roster contains eight freshman and sophomores, and they all played Saturday—including an uncharacteristic 14 minutes from freshman guard Mike Marra and 10 from sophomore forward Kyle Kuric.

That left freshman guard Peyton Siva and sophomore forward Terrence Jennings on the bench for much of the game. Both are expected to contribute greatly to the Cardinals' effort this season, but Siva played 14 minutes and Jennings nine.

Pitino mixed and matched lineups while standing up to UNLV's quick style of play. It caught the Cardinals down 10 at the half and peaked at 53-34 with 14:05 left.

But Louisville came storming back to tie at 64 with 4:25 remaining, then waned down the stretch and chose to die by the three rather than live by it. The Cardinals shot 6-of-21 from three-point range and were 1-of-5 over the last five minutes.

When the final buzzer sounded, Marra was on the court. So was freshman forward Rakeem Buckles.

Jennings and Siva were nowhere to be found when chants of “overrated” screamed down on the Cardinals.

It is, after all, only November—and the last time Pitino left November with an unblemished record was in 2005, when Louisville played only one game in the season's opening month. However, the Cardinals finished 21-13 in their first season in the Big East Conference and followed up a Final Four run with a trip to the NIT.

Since then, Louisville has been a team that starts slow and finishes strong.

That's Pitino ball. That's why Louisville lost Saturday.

And that's why the only thing that can be taken from another unsightly loss to UNLV is that Pitino hasn't changed his style—one which success can't be denied.

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Kentucky Prepares at Louisville's Freedom Hall, But Not for the Cardinals

Jonathan Lintner — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:37:20 -0500

It will be difficult for Louisville to defend its home court against Kentucky on Monday night when the Wildcats take center stage at Freedom Hall.

That's not because Kentucky coach John Calipari's heralded recruiting class is one of the best in the country heading into this season, and there is a widespread opinion that this could be a down year for the Cardinals.

Louisville really won't have a say in Monday's result, as Kentucky meets North Carolina-Asheville at 7 p.m. ET, continuing its streak of games in the Wildcats' home away from home in Louisville, Ky.

And predictably, Cardinals fans aren't fond of a visit from their most hated rival.

Every other year—the one when Louisville hosts the red-blue rivalry—Kentucky gains a warmup in Louisville's home arena before the Cats and Cards square off in early January. They become familiar with the court, the rims, and shooting to Freedom Hall's dark backdrop in a game designed to cater to the mass of Kentucky fans living 70 miles west of Lexington.

However, attendance numbers at Freedom Hall have waned in recent seasons, not having topped 15,000 since 2004's last matchup against Indiana.

That will change soon if Kentucky coach John Calipari has a say.

Calipari joked this past offseason that notoriously red Freedom Hall should be draped in blue when the Wildcats visit—that he would pour some life back into a lost tradition.

Kentucky has played in Freedom Hall every season since 1958, most notably against Notre Dame from the 1960s through 1980, and then the neutral-site rivalry against Indiana through 2004. Since then, the prestige of the opposition has dropped. The Wildcats have played Iona, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Alabama-Birmingham, and Appalachian State since 2005.

By expressing his interest in a big-time game at Freedom Hall, Calipari is fanning the flames of an already white-hot rivalry. Louisville fans don't want Kentucky on their home court, but Kentucky feels entitled to play in Louisville, where much of its fanbase and alumni reside.

Calipari also added an open practice at 5:30 p.m. Sunday to showcase his team in a public walkthrough.

To make matters worse for Cardinals fans, Louisville moves out of Freedom Hall for the 2010 season and into a new downtown arena. Calipari said he wants to continue playing in Freedom Hall, meaning Louisville's home court since 1956 will sit dormant outside of concerts, livestock expositions, and Kentucky's annual contest.

Since officially renewing the rivalry in 1984, Kentucky has won 15 of 27 games, including three of the last five held in Freedom Hall. However, with former Wildcat coach Billy Gillispie in charge, Kentucky went through two of its most obscure years ever.

After two years under Gillispie, Calipari moved in as head coach. With a renewed passion, now every element of the rivalry is scrutinized—even the games that shouldn't matter. That's why Kentucky's Freedom Hall attendance should receive a spike thanks to Calipari's words, higher-quality opponent or not.

Expect North Carolina-Asheville's cheering section to loom larger, and redder, than ever.

Anything to add a blemish to the other's resume—before or after Louisville and Kentucky actually meet.

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Cleveland Browns-Cincinnati Bengals Week 12 Preview

luise mary — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:01:40 -0500

A last-minute collapse against one of the worst teams in the NFL kept the Cincinnati Bengals from increasing their lead in the AFC North. Possibly getting Cedric Benson back Sunday for a meeting with the lowly Cleveland Browns might be just what they need to bounce back.

Cincinnati (7-3) opened the season with a 16-12 loss to Denver after giving up a fluky 87-yard touchdown catch with 11 seconds left. The Bengals then surprisingly won seven of eight, posting an 18-12 victory at Pittsburgh on Nov. 15 to move into sole possession of first in the division.

They were in prime position to expand that lead last Sunday as the other three teams in the North lost, but the Bengals gave up 10 points in the final 33 seconds to fall 20-17 at Oakland. Cincinnati committed eight penalties, fumbled three times and missed a field goal to see its three-game winning streak come to an end.

The Bengals are 5-0 in the North and looking to become the first team in franchise history to win all six division games in a season.

“I think it’s more disappointing because everybody lost and we also lost,” safety Chris Crocker said. “We’re not happy that we didn’t get another game up on our division opponents. That’s probably the most disappointing thing. This was a team we should have beat.”

Cincinnati has another chance to increase its hold on the North, as Pittsburgh visits Baltimore on Sunday night while it hosts the last-place Browns (1-9).

The Bengals have won two straight and eight of the last 10 meetings with the Browns. A 31-yard field goal by Shayne Graham with four seconds left gave them a 23-20 overtime victory in Cleveland on Oct. 4.

Possibly having Benson back could help Cincinnati continue that dominance.

Benson didn’t play last week due to a hip injury suffered against the Steelers, but coach Marvin Lewis said the running back “seems to be very close” to returning.

Benson has rushed for 859 yards and six touchdowns, but rookie Bernard Scott—a sixth-round draft pick from Abilene Christian—has emerged in the last two games.

He returned a kickoff 96 yards for the only touchdown against Pittsburgh while gaining 33 yards on 13 carries after Benson left the game. Scott ran for 119 yards on 21 carries last week.

“Bernard has earned an opportunity to continue to play ,” Lewis said. “He’ll have a chance, and he’ll get some opportunities one way or the other. If Ced is back and playing, Bernard will still play a considerable amount this week.”

Larry Johnson also could see more time on the field in his second game since signing with Cincinnati. He ran twice for five yards against the Raiders.

The Bengals will be facing a defense that is ranked last in the NFL, giving up 402.0 yards per game—154.9 on the ground.

Cleveland was on the verge of its second win last week but allowed a one-yard TD pass as time expired to fall 38-37 at Detroit.

The Browns, who have lost five in a row and 14 of 15, showed some improvement offensively, gaining a season-high 439 yards.

“The real positives are, we have been struggling offensively, and to have a game where we don’t turn the ball over, to be able to get the production that we got and move the ball as effectively as we had, that’s real progress and it’s positive,” coach Eric Mangini told the Browns’ official Web site.

Brady Quinn is looking to build on the best game of his career when he faces the Bengals for the first time. He completed 21 of 33 passes and set personal bests with 304 yards, four TDs and a 133.1 passer rating last week.

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Bengals-Eagles: NFL Survivor Picks Week Twelve (Post T-Day)

Mike MacGregor — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:51:59 -0500

Happy Thanksgiving! Yes, we had Thanksgiving Day games this week yet I am still writing my survivor picks on Friday as usual.

You can bet I would have had the heavily favored (and rightfully so) Green Bay Packers over the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys over the Oakland Raiders amongst my top picks, but writing the article prior to Friday just doesn’t fit into my schedule.

In the pools I’m running (one , two , three ), between 18 percent and 35 percent had Green Bay or Dallas, and they can sit back and enjoy the weekend, cheering for upsets galore. As for the rest of us, we have some work to survive another week.

Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers were a huge disappointment losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. The Steelers give up way too many kick return touchdowns, and they did just that, but they should have been capable of spotting the Chiefs seven points and still win the game

The team was without star safety Troy Polamalu, but we knew that going in. It is not like they are not used to playing without him from earlier in the season.

People think that Kansas City is a tough place to play. It isn’t really, not in recent history. Prior to this game, the Chiefs were 3-17 at home since the start of the 2007 season.

So what happened? Near as I can figure, the Steelers just blew it. Fortunately for them, the Bengals also blew their game against the Raiders—a game I was leery about and therefore kept it out of my top three picks —but unfortunately, the Steelers loss led to a fair number of survivor pool exits last week.

My other picks, the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, came through as expected for a 2-1 week. Now, let’s get on to this week.

Cincinnati Bengals Over Cleveland Browns (stats )

If you used the Bengals last week, then you probably aren’t reading this article. The Raiders pulled their second survivor pool “gotcha” of the year (recall Philadelphia Eagles, Week Six) scoring 10 points inside the final two minutes to upset the Bengals.

The Bengals were coming off huge divisional wins in back-to-back weeks over the Baltimore Ravens and Steelers, so a flat game travelling to Oakland was not that much of a surprise. There is enough body of work this year to indicate the Bengals are, in fact, for real (for right now) and the Raiders game was a one-off rather than exposing the Bengals as a fraud.

The Bengals are playing excellent defense, and the offense is clicking well with the running game and distributed passing by QB Carson Palmer. They just aren’t putting up many points in recent weeks. Short of the 45 they dropped on the Bears, the past five of six games are all under 20 points.

One reason is because they are a ball control, grind it out running offense. A small silver lining that came out of the Raiders game is that, even without bruiser Cedric Benson in the lineup, the Bengals appear to have a player in rookie RB Bernard Scott. Scott handled 21 carries plus three catches for 150 yards. If Benson cannot go again this week, then Scott should be able to fill in admirably.

Given the state of the Browns defense, as witnessed in the dramatic loss to the Detroit Lions last week, can we expect the Bengals to be closer to 20 points or 45 in this one? I’d say, closer to 45. Palmer should have his way with the Browns.

As for the Browns' offense against the Bengals' defense, yes, Brady Quinn did have a career day last week tossing four TD passes. As the Thanksgiving Day early game helped us keep Matthew Stafford’s Week Eleven performance in perspective with, “well, that was against the Browns,” we can similarly expect that last week Quinn’s stats were highly influenced by, “well, that was against the Lions.”

Last week was not an indication that the Browns have turned the corner on offense, and what we can expect to see is a sub-100 yard rushing, around 150 yard passing day by the Browns, resulting in 14 or fewer points.

The Browns did play the Bengals pretty tough earlier this season, a 23-20 overtime win by the Bengals at Cleveland. The Browns suffered multiple key injuries since then, and rookie WR Mohamed Massaquoi isn’t going to sneak up on them this time.

Mark down the Bengals for the win.

Philadelphia Eagles Over Washington Redskins (stats )

Another division game, which is in general a no-no for survivor pools, but one in which the game seems lopsided enough in the home team’s favor that we’ll buck the general rule and pick the Eagles for the win.

The Redskins did just about knock off the Cowboys last week, losing 7-6 with the Dallas TD coming very late in the fourth quarter. Plus, the Redskins won the prior week at home to the Denver Broncos, 27-17 on the strength of a great rushing day by Ladell Betts and after knocking Kyle Orton out of the game.

The Redskins have since lost Betts for the year, and Clinton Portis doesn’t seem any closer to returning to the lineup. Special-teamer Rock Cartwright filled in admirably last week off the bench but can he pull that stunt again? I have my doubts.

The Redskins' offense is short on talent and scheme, that posting average points is a struggle. They’ve been sub-20 points nine times this year, and given the Eagles' defense is fairly stout, holding opponents to 20 or less seven of eight times since their bye, bank on the Redskins scoring under 20.

As for the Eagles offense against the Redskins defense, the Eagles could (I say could) have a little trouble. The Redskins are pretty good defensively, while the Eagles rely on the big play since their young guys are, not unexpectedly, rather inconsistent. If the big plays don’t happen, the offense could struggle a little.

Still, the Eagles showed more commitment to the run last week than their typical m.o., giving LeSean McCoy 20 carries and he delivered with 99 yards and a TD. I’m not sure this is a sign of things to come, but it is a positive if they get more run-pass balance. They even seem to have figured out how to use Michael Vick better than earlier in the season.

The Eagles should be able to control this game by shutting down the Redskins' offense and putting their own offense into good field position to score. Furthermore, this game has to mean a lot more to the Eagles at this point than to the Redskins, who continue to walk around wondering who their new coach is going to be next year.

The Eagles need to keep pace with the Cowboys, who won Thursday and currently hold a one-and-a-half game edge over Philly. If Philly loses and falls two full games back at this late stage of the season, they might have to kiss the division title goodbye.

Count on a strong Philly performance and win on Sunday.

Mike MacGregor created the Cheatsheet Compiler and Draft Buddy fantasy football and fantasy baseball draft tools, plus he developed various features and sports pools found at FFToday.com and MyOfficePool.ca. Mike owns and operates MyOfficePool.ca .

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No Cracks in Kentucky's John Wall During Perfect Start

Jonathan Lintner — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:53:18 -0500

Potential, talent, tremendous upside: all aptly describe the Kentucky Wildcats this season.

It's no coincidence that the same directly applies to freshman sensation John Wall.

Wall, a first-year guard out of Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C., chose to play basketball for Kentucky after ruling out Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and a slew of others.

He's lived up to the hype for a Wildcat team that's seeking consistency.

So coach John Calipari's dribble-drive offense is still eluding the newer members of Kentucky's young team. So the Wildcats haven't put together the pieces on defense. So team chemistry isn't quite there yet.

Doesn't matter, because there are no significant cracks in Wall's game.

He leads Kentucky in average minutes played with 38 a game, points at 19.8 a game, and assists at 6.6 per game. His field goal percentage for the season is greater than 50 percent. He's scoring almost two points per shot.

He's the reason why the NBA should reconsider its one-year rule, which prevented Wall from entering the draft last summer. Because right now, Wall is the only thing holding Kentucky's perfect record together.

The Calipari era looked to start at .500 with the Wildcats down 18 points in the first half against Miami of Ohio. Nineteen Wall points and a buzzer-beater later, Kentucky was 2-0.

The Wildcats averted a second would-be upset when Wall hit a jumper with 30 seconds left to tie Kentucky with Stanford in Tuesday's Cancun Challenge. The game went to overtime, and Wall's team came out 6-0.

But it's not only a numbers game for Wall, whose breakneck speed has allowed for easy layups in transition—or in half-court offense, for that matter. When Wall can't get the open lane, he's found teammates to boost his 1.4-1 assist-to-turnover ratio

When asked about Wall after Rider's 92-63 loss to Kentucky, where Wall had 21 points and 11 assists, head coach Tommy Dempsey said “He's as good as I've ever seen in the open court.”

And he does it all with the growing reputation of a guy who plays with a smile on his face—maybe the reason why his teammates embrace the best talent amongst Calipari's top recruiting class rather than loathe in jealousy over his growing fame and impending fortune.

“NBA, that's all I have to say,” junior forward Patrick Patterson said, referring to where Wall's talent truly belongs. “John Wall is a pro player and he wants the ball in crunch-time situations. Whenever we need a basket or something on the offensive end John is going to be the one to do it.”

He's only 19, and yet has become the Wildcats' vocal and statistical leader. Because Kentucky's positive attributes aren't making Wall.

As long as the defense struggles, the offense sputters, and chemistry is beginning to form, Wall is making them who they are—that tape's already played six times over.

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Cincinnati Reds Report Cards: Willy Taveras

Cliff Eastham — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:41:53 -0500

This is the sixth installment of the grading of the starters for the Cincinnati Reds' 2009 performances.

Willy Taveras is my biggest disappointment of the Reds' acquisitions last season. He came in as the reigning National League stolen base champ with 68.

This season, he "tentatively" stole only 25 bases and finished a dismal ninth in the league. Michael Bourn of the Houston Astros was the league's most prolific thief this year with 61.

When a player's OBP doesn't equal a real good batting average, something is wrong. A .275 OBP is a notch or two below anemic. His .240 average was a career low as well.

He missed 34 games in August and September while spending time on the disabled list.

His disappointing season is another terrible return on our money—$2.25 M basically poured down the drain. He did not perform as the table setter most of us expected him to be. He ran "cautiously" at best, rarely attempting to steal, appearing as though he was unable to get a read on the pitcher.

Prior to coming to the Queen City, Taveras was a respectable .283 career hitter. He only scored 56 runs and collected 97 hits. His OPS+ was a microscopic 48. That isn't a typo; there are only two digits in the number.

His defense was adequate, but again, not up to expectations. In all, it was just a miserable season for the 27-year-old Dominican.

If Walt Jocketty and the other Muckety Mucks think Willy is a bona fide center fielder that will lead us anywhere but the lower portion of the Central Division, he is on the Chinese pipe.

Look at these statistics he posted in 2009.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	AVG	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
404	56	97	11	2	1	15	.240	25	.275	.285	.559	48

Unfortunately, Willy ends the year with a weak D.

Next up: Jay Bruce

Cliff Eastham is a B/R Featured Columnist for the Cincinnati Reds.

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Kentucky, Florida The Only Undefeated Teams Left For The SEC

Rick Gillispie — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:30:06 -0500

Not even two weeks into the season and we are down to two teams left in the SEC that are undefeated.

Kentucky 6-0 just won the Cancun Challenge. The Wildcats haven't looked great in their six wins but the are getting it done. But with North Carolina on the schedule for Dec. 5 how long can the stay undefeated.

Florida is 4-0 and wins by an average of 21 points but the Gators have No. 2 Michigan State on Friday so their undefeated season could be over very soon.

With 14 loses by the other remaining 10 teams the SEC is in for another long year. Hopefully they can turn it around and show the nation that the conference is back and ready to win it all.

Four of the other Five major conferences have at least five teams undefeated only the Pac 10 has less. The Pac 10 has two undefeated teams.

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Chad Ochocinco and ESPN Listen To This

Benjamin Montozzi — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:25:19 -0500

Chad Ochocinco is a good, funny, sociable football player. He is a elite football player. He is so good that when he plays against other teams, the team tries to stop Ochocinco. I respect Chad Ochocinco. I look up to Mr. Chad Ochocinco. Chad Ochocinco is my icon.

In my opinion, he is a good wide receiver. When people are watching football highlights,people sometimes, say,"Where is Chad Ochocinco and the Cincinnati Bengals?" I try to look for Chad Ochocinco and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Chad Ochocinco has the king title of Twitter. He, even, has his own News Network, OCNN (Ochocinco News Network). He is know for his celebrations, his trash-talking, and for changing his last name to Johnson to Ochocinco. Chad Ochocinco has even sent gifts to other teams in the division.

Chad Ochocinco has a song with Lil Wayne called "Child Please." A show or something called Child Please with Chad Ochocinco. He is knows for his quotes (Child Please, Kiss Da Baby, C'mon Son, etc).

Before playing the Cleveland Browns, he sent pepto pistmol(spelled wrong). It back fired at the Cincinnati Bengals because they lost the game. Then, sent roll-over deodorant to the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals ended with the victory.

Finally, for the next-game against the Pittsburgh Steelers or Pittsburgh Tearers, he tries to send out mustard. The reason because the Pittsburgh Steelers can not Catch-up, Ketchup. Proudly, the Cincinnati Bengals ended with victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So, I'm going to go another step and going to have facebook and a bleacher report account. Chad Ochocinco has a Twitter. I have a Twitter account but, I cannot challenge Mr. Chad Ochocinco. I'm calling Chad Ochocinco. Chad Ochocinco listen. I respect you. Do you got any challenges? I got a challenge and a celebration for you, Mr. Chad Ochocinco.

Chad Ochocinco, I going to send a gift (maybe mustard) to a football team. Sorry for taking your idea. Sorry.

Who ever reads this, try to let Chad Ochocinco and/or ESPN that I got a challenge for Chad Ochocinco and celebration for Chad Ochocinco. If you tryed or did contracted Chad Ochocinco or ESPN, please let me know. Thanks. Child Please.

P.S. Is that really Chad Ochocinco in the song Child Please with Lil Wayne featuring Chad Ochocinco? Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Look up 94sportscenter on youtube, it is me playing basketball. Thanks.

P.S. I think Allen Iverson is retiring.

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What Are Bengals Fans Thankful for?

Russell Wight — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:28:05 -0500

As I celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my family, I begin to think about what I am thankful for regarding the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals.

Despite a couple of bumps in the road, the season has been an enjoyable one for Bengals fans. The team is 7-3 and all alone atop the AFC North.

What are Bengals fans thankful for?

Carson Palmer's Health

Carson Palmer has remained relatively healthy. A lot of credit needs to go to the offensive line. Protecting Palmer was a big concern of mine heading into this season. The line has played well so far.

Palmer has shown no signs of the elbow injury that caused him to miss all but four games last year. He has been playing with an injured left thumb, but it has not seemed to bother him. Palmer has also been displaying an ability to move in the pocket and even run the football that we have not seen before.

Running Game

Cedric Benson is averaging 95 yards per game on the ground. His consistent production has helped transform the Bengals offense into a balanced attack that controls the clock and plays smart, effective football. Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard have also been key contributors in the running game.

The offensive line deserves credit when it comes to the team's ability to run the football.

Defense

I cannot say enough about the attitude and intensity that defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has brought to Cincinnati. The Bengals are allowing 84 rushing yards per game, good enough for second in the NFL. Cornerbacks Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph have repeatedly shut down the opposition's top receiving threat, forcing quarterbacks to find other options.

Attitude

After the season-opening loss to Denver, this team could have imploded with a "here we go again" mentality. It would not have been surprising given the recent history of this franchise. However, they put the loss behind them and won the next week in Green Bay.

They are 5-0 in their division with the Cleveland Browns coming to Cincinnati on Sunday. A perfect record against AFC North opponents would be great, but this team has bigger goals.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Cincy Fans Feel the Frustration This Season wIth Bengals' Shayne Graham

Dan Parzych — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:01:11 -0500

After last weekend's Cincinnati-Bengals-Examiner%7Ey2009m11d23-Bengals-17-Raiders-20-Cincy-allows-Oakland-to-score-10-points-in-final-minute-of-game" target="_blank">20-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders , Cincinnati Bengals fans have recently expressed their frustration with kicker Shayne Graham, who missed a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter.

While it's hard to blame the loss on him individually considering Bengals wide receiver Andre Caldwell fumbled the kickoff with 17 seconds left, it’s obvious how important Graham’s missed field goal was later in the game.

Not only are fans frustrated with his missed attempt from the loss to the Raiders, but they are beginning to become frustrated with his performance through the first 10 games this season—especially with everything that occurred in the offseason.

Graham seemed unhappy with the way negotiations talks worked out between him and the Bengals during the offseason. After he was placed with the franchise tag in February, he signed a one-year deal worth $2.483 million at the end of April.

After the signing, he expressed his desire was a long-term deal from the Bengals or from whichever team was willing to sign him.

With the way the ninth-year kicker has performed as a Bengal, it seemed as if Mike Brown and company would have to issue granting Graham his wish for a long-term deal. He holds five records with the franchise, including highest field goal percentage in a season (91.2), most points in a season (131), field goals in a season (31), most field goals in a game (seven), and consecutive field goals made (21).

Prior to the 2009 season, Graham was the team's all-time leader for field goal accuracy at 87.5 percent and ranked fourth on the NFL all-time list with an 85.6 percent kicking accuracy. With these types of statistics, it's hard to imagine the Bengals not offering him the long-term deal he desired.

However, the Bengals may be relieved the long-term deal was never offered in the offseason with the type of numbers Graham has put up this season.

Through 10 games, Graham is having not only his worst season as a Bengal, but his career. His 37-yard field goal attempt against the Raiders that fell wide right is only one of the five attempts he's missed on the season (12-of-17).

His field goal percentage (70.6) this season is the worst of Graham's nine-year career. Other than his first two seasons in the league with the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers, his lowest kicking percentage came in 2006 (83.3).

The loss to the Raiders was the first time Graham missed a field goal in a game the Bengals came up on the losing end for. His previous misses came in wins against the Steelers (twice), Browns, and Ravens.

Week 11 consisted of five games (Falcons-Giants, Redskins-Cowboys, Colts-Ravens, Bengals-Raiders, Titans-Texans) decided by three points or less in which a kicker on the losing team missed a field goal during the game. Each of these five games could have ended differently had certain field goals been made instead of missed.

Last week is the perfect example of how important kickers are in the NFL. If the Bengals make a deep run at this year's playoffs, how are they supposed to feel comfortable with Graham if they need to rely on him for a pressure situation?

Despite his struggles this season, all that Cincinnati fans can do is pray Graham will come through if needed for the remainder of the season. If not, it would be no surprise if the Bengals decided to part ways with him in the offseason.

Dan Parzych is the Cincinnati Bengals Examiner for Examiner.com

He is also the founder of WhoDeyBengals.com

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Philadelphia Eagles Waive CB Jack Ikegwuonu; Sign CB Geoffrey Pope

Bob Cunningham — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:51:00 -0500

Jack Ikegwuonu, once thought to be a steal in the fourth round, has officially worn out his chances in Philadelphia as the team waived the underachieving cornerback today.

In his place, the Eagles signed Geoffrey Pope (6'0 186), a cornerback off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad. Pope will immediately take Ikegwuonu's place on the 53-man active roster.

How much time Pope will see has yet to be determined, but it will most likely happen on special teams, if he's even active on game days. P.J. Hill, another mid-season pickup for the Eagles this year, has spent most of his time as a healthy scratch so expect Pope to do the same.

However, if the Eagles feel like they need someone else to strictly play special teams, he could stay active over a guy like Quintin Demps.

Realistically, Ikegwuonu wasn't going to get much playing time anyway. Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, Macho Harris, Ramzee Robinson, and Dimitri Patterson (not necessarily in that order) were all ahead of Ikegwuonu. However, it spoke volumes that a guy like Robinson, who was only with the team for a week, was seeing time over Icky.

I had said that during training camp he appeared to lack the closing speed that a corner needs, most likely due to his knee injury before the draft two years ago. It's a shame because watching him you could tell he knows how to play the game, but in this league your body has to hold up or you're going to get replaced.

That's why Icky is going through now, and barring a magical comeback as a safety, his days in the NFL are most likely numbered.

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Better Hitter: Derek Jeter or Pete Rose?

Perry Arnold — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:50:58 -0500

Pete Rose has more hits than any other man who ever played professional baseball.

He finished his long career with 4,256 hits, surpassing the immortal Ty Cobb.

Derek Jeter has now played fourteen seasons with the New York Yankees and is generally recognized as one of the best players and best hitters of his era.

I have long been intrigued thinking of the comparisons of these two men on the field. (Off the field there is no comparison.)

One of the thoughts that is frequently on my mind is whether Jeter could possibly surpass Rose in career hits. As a Yankee fan and as a baseball fan who has always despised Pete Rose, it is my fondest baseball hope that someday Jeter will pass Rose in total hits.

Jeter will have to play well into his forties to get it done. Late this season, there was some indication that Jeter has actually talked about playing long enough to challenge Rose's record. I hope he does.

I did a statistical analysis of Jeter and Rose to compare their career hitting marks. When you look at the gross numbers based on a 162 game average, Jeter comes out ahead in almost every category.

Based on this 162 game average, Jeter beats Rose in runs scored by 119 to 98. Jeter comes out on top in hits with 208 to Rose's 194.

Jeter also wins in RBI per season with 81 to Rose's 60. And Jeter has a higher average (.317) than Rose (.303) and higher OPS+ (121) than Rose (118.)

However, this is not a completely fair analysis because it includes the much later and less illustrious years of Rose's controversial career.

So I went back and took a look at Rose at age 35, the same age as Jeter when the 2009 season finished.

Again, Jeter surpasses Rose in every category except OPS+. Rose wins that comparison with 126 compared to Jeter's 121.

But based again on a 162 game schedule for their first 14 seasons, Jeter averages 119 runs per season to Rose's 108; Jeter has 208 hits per season compared to Rose at 204; and Jeter averages 81 RBI to Rose's 62.

And Jeter has a .317 batting average compared to Rose at .310 at the same points in their careers.

So statistically, Jeter is the better hitter at this stage in his career. He is also within 15 hits of Rose at the same point.

At the end of the season in which Rose turned 35, he had played in 46 more games than Jeter and had 227 more at bats than Derek.

So a quick calculation tells you that Jeter has gotten one hit every 3.152 times at bat while Rose had one hit every 3.217 times at bat.

So Jeter, just barely, is getting more hits per times at bat than Rose had when he was 35.

Will Jeter eventually pass Rose for total hits? Who knows? Time and something more than 7 years will give us the answer.

At Jeter's current hit pace, he will need 7.25 more years to catch Rose. Jeter at that point will be past his 42nd birthday.

Will his body, his team and Minka let him play long enough to challenge Rose? It is going to be a lot of fun finding out.

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Cincinnati Reds 2009 Rewind: Bronson Arroyo

Russell Wight — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:26:57 -0500

This is the first post of my in-depth review of the 2009 Cincinnati Reds. After a quick look back at the season as a whole, I will now begin a player-by-player analysis of this year's performances and what to look for next year.

Bronson Arroyo finished the year 15-13 with a 3.84 earned run average. Despite beginning the season with discomfort caused by carpal tunnel syndrome, he was the workhorse of the pitching staff. Arroyo made 33 starts and logged 220.1 innings, and it was the sixth consecutive season in which he has started over 30 games.

Prior to the All-Star Break, the right-hander made 18 starts, giving up 125 hits and 67 earned runs in 112 innings pitched. In the second half, Arroyo made 15 starts, surrendering 89 hits and 27 earned runs in 108.1 innings. His earned run average was more than three runs better in the second half of the season, ending up at a respectable 3.84. His final start of the year resulted in a victory over the Cardinals. It marked the 12th straight start in which he pitched at least seven innings and allowed three or fewer runs.

To say that 2009 was a tale of two seasons for Arroyo would be the understatement of the year.

Racking up 15 wins on a team that finished 78-84 is a noteworthy accomplishment. With Aaron Harang having another disappointing season and Edinson Volquez slated to miss most of 2010 because of Tommy John surgery, Arroyo will need to put together a full season of quality starts if the Reds are to contend in the NL Central.

Arroyo has decided not to have carpal tunnel surgery on his right wrist this offseason. He says the condition has improved since he stopped playing the guitar during Spring Training. However, he plans on playing this winter and then giving it up when the 2010 season rolls around.

Arroyo needs to be on the mound when the Reds open the 2010 season against the Cardinals next April. He is the most reliable starting pitcher on the team and has earned the honor of being the Opening Day starter.

Arroyo is 32-years-old and has one guaranteed year left in his current contract that will pay him $11 million in 2010. There is a club option for 2011 for $11 million.

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Learning Continues Through Louisville's Testy Three-Day Homestand

Jonathan Lintner — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:14:51 -0500

When it comes to playing three games in three days, there’s not a better college basketball team suited for the task than one coached by Rick Pitino.

The Louisville Cardinals, riddled with scheduling conflicts on their home court in Freedom Hall, knocked off East Tennessee State on Saturday, Morgan State on Sunday, and Appalachian State Monday.

But when a three-game streak sets the season off, Pitino said even the most conditioned teams face an obstacle in winning them all.

"We want time to teach,” Pitino said Saturday. “There's nothing I can do about it. You want time to teach with all the mistakes you make, but you've got to get ready for the next opponent. That's the disappointing thing about these types of games.”

For the second year in a row, Louisville had to work around a series of non-basketball events and find a slot to squeeze in some November games. The Cardinals sandwiched three contests between a livestock exposition, a rodeo, and a pair of concerts.

At least for Pitino’s sake, this marks the last time his team will launch a season with three games in a row. The Cardinals move from Freedom Hall into a new, waterfront arena in 2010.

Pitino said he didn’t expect much learning to happen in the Cardinals’ opening home stand—that progression would come in the four days between their game Monday and the next against UNLV on Saturday. But the growth was obvious.

Pitino cited poor shot selection on Saturday, when his team shot 6-of-30 from the three-point line. They responded by shooting 44 percent on Sunday.

With better shooting, defense was sacrificed. Morgan State piled up the points in its 90-81 loss to Louisville.

So on Sunday, the Cardinals put it all together in an 80-53 dismantling of Appalachian State. Turns out three games in three days can have its benefits.

“I thought we did a terrific job tonight for the third game in three nights. What we wanted to do was improve in all three games, and we did,” Pitino said. “I was really upset the first night. Because when you spend so much time trying to figure out from a statistical thing what could help or hurt, you're 1-for-11 in taking challenge shots.

“You give the guys credit because they immediately saw what they did wrong. And, on the next night they went to the line 40-something times by driving, so you've got to give them credit for understanding where they made their mistakes.”

Going back to last week’s season opener against Arkansas, this past weekend was more proof of how far ahead this team—thought to be less talented than last year’s Cardinals—really is.

That includes important minutes from the freshman class.

Rakeem Buckles contributed eight points on Saturday. Peyton Siva added nine on Sunday, and Buckles was back Monday night with a career-high 10 rebounds.

Louisville didn’t get that kind of production last season from a freshman—outside of the exception, starting forward Samardo Samuels—until Terrence Jennings broke out after the New Year.

“I think all the freshmen are going to be terrific freshmen,” Pitino said. “This freshman class is really, really good, and they'll develop each year and get even better.”

Last weekend’s home stand was just the surprising beginning of that learning process, spurned by Pitino's conditioning standards and an unfortunate schedule of events.

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Chad Ochocinco Challenge?

Benjamin Montozzi — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:37:58 -0500

I calling Chad Ochocinco. Chad Ochocinco you are a good person. Chad Ochocinco, any challenges? I got a challenge for you, Mr. Chad Ochocinco.

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John Wall: Should He Be Playing for the Kentucky Wildcats?

Stephen Clay — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:34:15 -0500

When you look at YouTube videos, you never know if what you see is real or imagery put together by some creative sort.

Last year, while still in high school and undecided on his college choice, John Wall was plastered all over the site. Granted, the kid is not from the New York playground, but he became a YouTube legend. With some incredible one-on-one feats that the Harlem Globetrotters would be proud of, Wall has made his make as a national sensation at an early age.

It was very clear by those who followed this kid's career that he has incredible skill and would have been either the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in last year's NBA draft. Instead, Wall went through a planned smokescreen and followed John Calipari to Kentucky.

What is Wall doing at Kentucky?

Looking back at Wall's recruitment it was pretty clear early on he was going to Memphis. All the tea leaves were there: a big fan of Derrick Rose (a player many say Wall's game resembles), a rumored connection to William Wesley (aka Worldwide Wes) and a head coach in Calipari who was developing a reputation for bringing in "one and done" caliber basketball players. Kentucky was not even on the radar.

After Calipari switch his allegiance from Memphis to Kentucky, Wall did the same.

The issue of eligibility came into play over his association with Brian Clifton, the AAU coach Wall has played for in recent summers. Clifton was a former agent so the NCAA wanted to make sure Wall did not incur any benefit from that relationship. The findings ultimately led to Wall having to sit out meaningless games and paying back $787.58.

A kid like John Wall should not be forced to play at Kentucky, or any other school for that matter. He is old enough to earn a living and has a skill set that is highly employable. Remember my comment earlier about his draft projections?

When watching him play in games thus far for the Wildcats it is obvious he has no business playing college basketball and should be in the Association. The kid has mad game and swagger that says "you got no shot against me."

He even slipped up and made the comment "that's what they pay me to do." Even he believes he should be playing professional basketball!

Wall, and other kids coming out of high school, have the choice to either attend college, join the military or go out into society to earn a living. Every person is responsible for the success or failure of their decision. It is not for the NCAA to decide or enforce, at least not in basketball.

Just look at the very best in the NBA over the last decade. Kobe Bryant. Tracy McGrady. Kevin Garnett. LeBron James. Dwight Howard. Josh Smith. Not to mention countless others who have earned enough money in their NBA careers to exceed what many of us "normal" people earn in a lifetime with our college degrees. A kid can also go to school on their own dime through summer school or after their playing days are over.

The window as a professional athlete is short. Why take away a year of earning potential and possibly jeopardize injury?

Right now John Wall should be a millionaire playing in the FedEx Forum for Memphis, as he was supposed to from the beginning.

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Cincinnati Bengals Week 11 Report Card

Russell Wight — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:42:50 -0500

The Cincinnati Bengals reverted back to their old ways on Sunday and it resulted in a loss to the Oakland Raiders. Turnovers and penalties were aplenty as the Bengals missed an opportunity to distance themselves from the rest of the division. Every team in the AFC North went down on Sunday.

Technically, the Bengals didn't lose anything. They are still one game up on the Steelers and, of course, hold the tiebreaker. I am going to give the Bengals a pass on this one. They did not play well. The real test is going to be how they respond this week against another supposedly inferior opponent, the Cleveland Browns.

Offense

The Bengals jumped out to a 14-0 lead and looked to be in total control. The Raiders defense made adjustments, kept consistent pressure on Carson Palmer, and held the Bengals to just a field goal for the remainder of the game.

Penalties, fumbles, and the offensive line breaking down should give the offense plenty to work on in preparation for this week's game. Bernard Scott rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries in place of the injured Cedric Benson, but 61 of those yards came on one play. Grade: C .

Defense

Unlike the Raiders, the Bengals defense was not able to get pressure on the opposing quarterback. Cincinnati was unable to sack Bruce Gradkowski, who was making his first start of the season. Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall both played well, allowing just one reception for Darius Heyward-Bey.

Morgan Trent got turned around on a Louis Murphy's 38-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter that tied the game. The defense was able to hold the Raiders under 300 yards of total offense.
Grade: B .

Special Teams

Shayne Graham missed a 37-yard field goal. Andre Caldwell's fumble on a kick return late in the fourth quarter led to Sebastian Janikowski's field goal that gave the Raiders the lead.
Grade: D .

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Blame Raiders, Not Bengals, For Sunday's Upset

John Phythyon — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:58:21 -0500

It’s easy to look at the Raiders’ stunning 20-17 upset of the Bengals Sunday and say Cincinnati choked. It was a trap game, and the Bengals fell into it hard.

After all, go the arguments, they lost three fumbles. They missed a field goal. They gave up three sacks. They only scored 17 points on a two-win team. They had an emotional let-down after a big win in Pittsburgh.

But before anyone starts crying, “Same old Bengals that can’t handle success,” it might be worth noting that the Raiders played a pretty good game.

Maybe that statement is as shocking as the score yesterday, but Oakland deserves credit for executing a sharp game plan.

Consider: The Bengals had the second-best run defense in the league and had been putting a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times last week.

So the Raiders, starting a backup quarterback, put together a max-protection scheme and had Bruce Gradkowski throwing it quickly. That neutralized the Bengals’ pass rush.

With Cincinnati running back Cedric Benson out, the Raiders loaded eight men in the box to stop the run and blitzed the daylights out of Carson Palmer, so he wouldn’t have time to find an open receiver.

Rookie running back Bernard Scott may have had 119 yards rushing, but 61 of it came on a single play. Otherwise, he averaged 2.8 yards per rush.

This wasn’t Cincinnati playing down to the level of its opponents. The Bengals just plain got beaten.

Yes, they lost three fumbles, two in the red zone. But those were all great plays by the Raiders. Yes, they dropped a few passes, but not many. Palmer may have been sacked, but it wasn’t due to breakdowns on the line. The Raiders rushed more guys than the Bengals could stop.

The Raiders may not be a good football team, but they played a stellar game against Cincinnati and pulled it out. If the Bengals need to learn anything from this loss, it’s how to counter the game plan they faced on Sunday.

So it may be tempting to sling mud at the Bengals for losing a game that, at least on paper, they should have won. But if you’re looking to point fingers at someone for Sunday’s disappointing loss, you should start with the guys in the black and silver uniforms.

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Ten Reasons Why the Bengals Lost to the Raiders

Eric Ball — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:08:54 -0500

Talk about your classic "Don't let a bad team hang around" game. The Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t hold a 14-0 lead and let the Raiders slowly inch back into this ugly contest. The Raiders scored 10 unanswered points over the final minute to take a 20-17 win. How did this possibly happen?

1. The playcalling on offense. The Bengals abandoned the passing game in the second half. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski called way too many runs on second and third and long. Bernard Scott did rush for 119 yards on 19 carries but didn’t convert enough third downs to run out the clock.

Fullback Jermi Johnson had a key fourth quarter fumble with the Bengals inside the Raiders 15-yard line. He almost never gets a carry, why decide to give him one when Scott was running so well? For the day the Bengals had three fumbles and QB Carson Palmer’s last hail mary was picked off to make it four total turnovers.

2. The previously invincible offensive line couldn’t protect Palmer in the second half. The Raiders were getting consistent pressure which led to an antsy Palmer. He rushed numerous throws in addition to the strip-fumble

3. Shayne “franchise tag” Graham shanked a 37-yard field goal that ended up costing his team. This guy used to have the highest percentage of made field goals of all-time. He is now a below average kicker that will most likely not be a Bengal next year.

4. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer allowed rookie nickel cornerback Morgan Trent to “cover” Raiders wide receiver Louis Murphy on the final drive.

Trent got twisted around when getting burned by Murphy’s game-tying, 29-yard TD with 33 seconds remaining. The rookie sixth-round draft pick has played well up to today, but QB Bruce Gradkowski kept throwing his way in the fourth quarter.

This was the first game the Bengals really could have used recently IR’ed safety Roy Williams.

5. With Bernard Scott (21 carries, 119 yards) promoted to starting tailback in the wake of Benson’s deactivation, the kickoff return job fell by default back to Andre Caldwell.

Caldwell fumbled Oakland’s kickoff with 0:27 on the clock, setting up Sebastian Janikowski’s game-winning, 33-yard field goal with 0:15 remaining. Caldwell shouldn’t have even returned it as he caught the ball mid-way in the end zone.

Scott had returned a kick to the house last week against Pittsburgh after a mediocre performance by Caldwell to start the season.

6. Their opening drive, which went for a touchdown, was more crappy magazine than textbook perfection. The drive covered 78 yards, but included six plays for negative yards. Three were penalties. Chad OchoCinco had two false starts and the team overall seemed to lack focus.

7. Cincinnati is 0-10 in Oakland, 1-14 on the road vs. the Raiders. Not sure what it means but that is not a good stat for the Bengals. The Oakland Coliseum was half empty and the crowd was a non-factor. Didn’t matter

8. The Bengals have scored less than 20 points six times in 10 games. Since putting up 45 against the Bears, the Bengals have combined to score 45 in the last three games.

9. The prevent D in the last two minutes. Soft coverage, shoddy tackling, and no pressure on the QB… sound like a recipe for success??

10. Jonathan Joseph lets a game-ending interception fly right through his hands. On one of the final plays on the game-tying TD drive, QB Bruce Gradkowski threw a rocket that Joseph jumped the route and simply didn’t catch.

“We didn’t play winning football long enough or consistently enough. When you don’t win we better learn a hell of a lesson because we paid a hell of a price.”

—Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said after the game. Sounds about right.

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Upsetting Loss for Cincinnati Bengals in Oakland

Russell Wight — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:52:31 -0500

The titanic struggle between Cleveland and Detroit caused me to miss the beginning of the Bengals game. Since the Browns are a division opponent, I suppose I should have been rooting for the Lions. However, I really didn't care who won the game. I was just glad it didn't go into overtime.

When the local CBS affiliate finally switched to the Bengals and Raiders, it was already 7-0. A solid running game and precise passing by Carson Palmer allowed the Bengals to control the clock in the first half, holding the ball for over 21 minutes. Carson Palmer had two rushing touchdowns, leading the way to a 14-7 halftime advantage for the Bengals.

The Raiders defense is sound. They were in the Bengals backfield all day and hit Palmer hard several times, causing him to fumble the ball once. Except for a 61-yard run by Bernard Scott, they contained the Bengals offense in the second half. Turnovers and penalties didn't help the Bengals offense either.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fine. There you have it. I am writing this post in the final minutes of the game. The Raiders just scored a touchdown to tie the game. Andre Caldwell fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and now Sebastian Janikowski is about to attempt a 33-yard field goal.

Excuse me while I go puke.

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Redskins Lose to Dallas, Situation Is "Bleak" in D.C.

Jarrett Carter — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:58:29 -0500

In one of the only two meaningful games remaining on the Redskins schedule – the rivalry series with the Dallas Cowboys - the team that would have been victorious suddenly wasn’t. And it’s official to ‘Skins fans everywhere that 5-11 would be an absolute dream, and not just a funny soundbyte out of former ball coach Steve Spurrier.

I ask in 2009 what was legitimately asked in 2008: Do Redskins fans REALLY want Dallas ? Until the management structure is in place to do the rivalry justice, is it wise to thirst for blood out of this turnip out of a match-up? And don’t get me wrong; the Redskins, on paper, are capable of beating Dallas as currently constructed.

But the psyche and spirit of this team is do damaged, the prospect of winning big games so foreign, you would be hard pressed to make an argument for this Redskins team to be little more than the franchise standard for ineptitude.

Where do you begin with today’s choke job? Missed field goals? Porous defense in the late stages of the game? Injuries that limited any hope for offensive balance ? And yet, as late as could be without actually winning, the Redskins were in position to win.

Close enough for the victory cigar to be poked right into their collective eyes.

Jim Zorn calls the situation bleak for the Redskins , and honestly, that doesn’t begin to describe it. The Ravens situation is bleak. The Redskins? They’re forgettable.

And against a rival that matters above all else, against an opponent that transcends records, stats and time itself, forgettable reminded us all that forgettable is the most this team can muster.

Technorati Tags: Dallas Cowboys , Washington Redskins

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Cincinnati Bengals Bandwagon Just Got a Lot Lighter

Doug Tifft — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:12:48 -0500

Thud!

That was the sound heard ‘round Cincinnati Sunday evening, as the 2009 Bengals bandwagon dropped off a few thousand patrons following a 20-17 turnover-filled loss to the Oakland Raiders in week 11.

In a week that saw the queen of conservative politics blaze through Cincinnati on her cross-country book tour, the apprehensive attitude seemed to rub off on the Bengals’ play calling.

Cincinnati offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski made good on a promise to focus on the run game despite the loss of running back Cedric Benson, distributing 36 carries between Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard, and Larry Johnson—complimented by a few scampers by Carson Palmer.

As the reliance on the run became evident in the second half, Oakland was able to creep their safeties closer to the line of scrimmage, frequently putting eight men in the box against a Bengals team determined to sit on a lead. With cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson handling Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles in single coverage on the outside, Oakland could afford to challenge the Bengals to run the ball.

When untimely fumbles by Jeremi Johnson, Palmer, and Andre Caldwell and a missed chip shot by Shayne Graham soured the Cincinnati strategy, the Bengals proved to have been their own worst enemy. In a game where they controlled the ball for over 38 minutes, draining the clock on long, laborious drives, the Bengals were left with only 15 seconds to attempt a game-winning drive.

Meanwhile, the Raider offense was gaining much-needed momentum in the second half thanks to a similarly laid-back Bengal defensive game-plan from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Zimmer frequently settled into soft man coverage with a cover two over the top, allowing for fewer blitzing opportunities with linebackers often occupied in coverage against tight ends and running backs.

Facing only four or five rushers, the Raiders offensive line was able to give inexperienced quarterback Bruce Gradkowski time to progress through his reads and pick up momentum-gaining first downs.

With the Bengals controlling their own destiny in the AFC North, and simply attempting to survive and advance to week 12, a conservative approach carried a great deal of pragmatism before kickoff, but ultimately came back to bite the Bengals.

Still, with the 11^th best rushing offense and the second best run defense in the NFL, the Bengals seem to only have hit a bump in the road.

Don’t try to tell that to the folks that fell off the wagon, though.

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Cincinnati Bengals' Bernard Scott Has Career Day Against Oakland Raiders

Dan Parzych — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:26:46 -0500

The Cincinnati Bengals knew they could rely on backup running back Bernard Scott">Cincinnati Bengals knew they could rely on backup running back Bernard Scott to carry the load against the Oakland Raiders if running back Cedric Benson was unable to go.

Turns out they were right.

One week after scoring the game's lone touchdown on a 96-yard kick return in an 18-12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, Scott recorded his first career 100-yard game in his first career game as a starter for the Bengals.

Unfortunately, Scott's performance wasn't good enough as the Bengals continued their struggles in Oakland: losing to the Raiders 20-17. He finished the day with 119 yards on the ground, including a 61-yard run in the third quarter. He also hauled in three receptions from Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer for 32 yards.

Scott showed the Bengals last week he was capable of handling the load at running back when he replaced Benson in the second half against the Steelers. The fact he was able to gain 33 yards on 13 carries against the NFL's No. 1 ranked rushing defense gave the team high expectations for him against the Raiders on Sunday.

The Bengals knew this would be the perfect week to rest Benson to provide him with extra time to recover from a hip injury he re-aggravated in the first half of last week's game against the Steelers. The Raiders rushing defense ranked 29th in the NFL entering Sunday's game; allowing 155.6 yards per game on the ground.

Even with Benson on the bench, the Raiders still allowed the Bengals to run for 177 yards on the ground and average 4.1 yards-per-carry. Along with Scott's performance, running back Brian Leonard contributed by running for 35 yards on 12 carries.

Still, the fact that the Bengals were unable to leave Oakland with a win after an impressive performance from the ground game has to be heart breaking, especially since they could have been closer to claiming their first division title since 2005.

After the Steelers 27-24 loss in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bengals failed to take advantage and increase their lead in the AFC North. With upcoming home games against the 2-8 Detroit Lions and 1-9 Cleveland Browns, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has to feel more comfortable knowing he can rely on Scott should Benson need more time to rest his hip injury.

Dan Parzych is the Cincinnati Bengals Examiner for Examiner.com

He is also the founder of WhoDeyBengals.com

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