Dec 14th 2008 2:42AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Redskins, AFC North, NFC EastThe NFC East is arguably the best division in football. The Cincinnati Bengals are arguably the worst team in the AFC. Both will collide today at Paul Brown Stadium.

Yet there is an interesting oddity: the Bengals have done pretty well against the NFC East.

-They went into New York and actually took the Giants into overtime.
-They went into Dallas and hung around with the Cowboys to the very end.
-One of their two non-losses came in their tie with the Eagles.

Now the NFC East’s last place team comes to town … the Washington Redskins.

The Skins have lost four of five and the offense ranks 4th worst in points scored. Washington has also struggled against the worst teams in the NFL. They lost at home to the St. Louis Rams (they are 2-11 right now) and had trouble putting the 0-13 Detroit Lions and 2-11 Seahawks away.

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Dec 12th 2008 12:30PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Filed under: Bears, Bengals, AFC North, NFC North, NFL Real TalkI’ve often said that Matt Forte is the antithesis of Cedric Benson, both on the field and off. On the field, he actually makes cuts, catches passes, and runs just as hard on each and every carry. Off the field, Forte is humble, gracious, hard-working, and he cares about his team winning football games. Oh, and he doesn’t get arrested twice in the span of a few months.

Benson was the complete opposite of everything I said above. Arrogant, indifferent, lazy, running afoul of the law, unproductive, etc. With a recent quote, he proved he was also delusional. ”(Forte) is having a great year, but when I see the highlights, I see holes,” Benson told reporters in Cincinnati. ”I see them using him in the slot, something they didn’t do with me. If I was there right now with the holes I see, I’d probably have 1,800 yards right now. I definitely would have 1,500 by now. I congratulate him on all of his success. He is taking advantage.” This is such a farce, I don’t even know where to begin. I mean, 1,800 yards? With two games to go? Cedric Benson would be on the verge of a 2,000 yard season?Continue Reading

Dec 10th 2008 3:16AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC North

The Bengals waived backup defensive end Josh Mallard. You don’t know who he is and this little bit of transaction news was as earth-shattering as a pin dropping. He was only in Cincinnati for a couple of weeks as a fill-in when Frostee Rucker and Robert Geathers were placed on IR. He has played in just 40 games with the Colts, Falcons, Broncos and Bengals since he was drafted in 2002.

The real reason anyone cares is because it gives us a great chance to look at his Broncos headshot taken before the season began. I don’t know if that is intense, scared, confused or oops-I-crapped-my-pants. Did the cameraman ask to see his war face? Or is he really nuts?

At any rate, he is way too serious to be a Bengal. Now he’s not.

Dec 7th 2008 5:52PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Colts, AFC North, AFC SouthWhile there were some nice offensive stats — Peyton Manning went 26-for-32 for 277 yards and three scores — the story of this game was the Indianapolis defense. After losing Gary Brackett, the rest of the Colts defensive personnel stepped up their game with five sacks, four takeaways, and a touchdown. The Bengals managed only a field goal.

Obviously, we can qualify all of the above by saying the Bengals are quite the embarrassing football team at this point — being spared much ridicule in light of the Lions’ woes — but you can only play the competition put in front of you. The Colts have now won six straight games. They get the Lions at home before traveling to Jacksonville in Week 16. Really, it’s hard to see how this team gets tripped up before the last week, which means they’ll be bringing an 11-4 record home to face Tennessee.

The only item of concern has to be the running game. Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai combined for only 57 yards on 20 carries. When Jeff Saturday comes back some of this should be resolved, but they can’t go into the playoffs without the ability to run the football.

At least not if they expect to go anywhere.

Dec 5th 2008 12:52PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC NorthWhile there are twenty or so teams trying to get into the playoffs, there are also those bottom feeders who are looking at the offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals are one of them and soon they will have to make a decision they’ve avoided for two years.

Chad Johnson or T.J. Houshmandzadeh?

Housh contract is done when the season ends. He currently leads the Bengals in pretty much every receiving category and currently third in the NFL in receptions. Chad Johnson’s numbers have dropped off significantly despite being one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.

Most people would think that the team would place the franchise tag on Houshmandzadeh and then release or trade Chad Johnson. It is almost inconceivable that the team could afford to keep both, even if some are saying Chad isn’t going anywhere.

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Dec 2nd 2008 11:36AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL FansBengals owner Mike Brown gave an interview to the to discuss the team’s horrible season and the future of the franchise. If you are a Bengals fan, you will not be surprised by what he says.

He thinks Marvin Lewis and the coaching staff are doing “an incredibly good job.” He blames injuries and the suspensions of players he drafted as the reasons the team has underperformed. He also says the team doesn’t need a general manager (Brown and his daughter serve that function): “I call them themes. They (fans and customers) like to talk about different themes when things don’t go well. Part of being in this job, the good side of the coin is it shows the emotional connection the fans have with this football team.”What he is pretty much saying is that fans wouldn’t call for a general manager if the team was winning. Backwards thinking at its best.

I just wish I knew what the ’s Mark Curnutte was thinking when he received that answer. He had to be dying to ask, “don’t you think that you might be winning if you did have a GM?”

Nov 30th 2008 5:59PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Ravens, AFC North, NFL FansWith the Bengals’ 34-3 loss to the Ravens, Cincinnati falls to 1-10-1.

That marks the 16th season that the Bengals have lost at least 10 games during a history that spans 41 years. That means 39 percent of the time … or about two out of every five years … the Bengals hit double-digit losses.

Remember that their first 10 seasons were played during 14-game schedules. Taking those away means 14 of the last 31 seasons have ended with 10-plus losses. That’s nearly half of the time.

Now think about this: the Bengals have had just 11 winning seasons in their history (26 percent). That means they are more likely to lose 10 games than they are to have a winning season. In fact, they are just as likely to lose 11 games (12 times) as they are to have a winning season. That is unreal.

They get a shot at their 13th season of 11 losses next week in Indianapolis.Continue Reading

Nov 30th 2008 11:56PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Injuries, NFL CoachingYou have to love Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. His shameless routine is a running joke for the Cincinnati media. So much so that everyone just dismisses pretty much anything he says.

Still, you have to do a double take when he says things like this:”Our football team won’t have to go through another season like this. Nor will our fans,” Lewis said. “Believe me.”Um, you do know what city you are in, right? This is a franchise that has just 11 winning seasons and just lost their 10th game for the 16th time in 41 seasons. These fans have seen seasons like this before and odds are they will again. There has been exactly one winning season and no playoff wins in the last 17 years. Excuse the fans if they don’t believe you.

But what else can he say? Lewis is up against a wall even if his job isn’t in serious jeopardy. To be fair, Cincinnati has been devastated by injuries this season — which includes losing Carson Palmer for most of the season. Palmer will be back next year, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh and/or Chad Johnson may not. There are more questions than answers and not enough people who care to do what it takes to turn it around.

That’s why Lewis’ words fall on deaf ears around here.

Nov 28th 2008 2:05PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, NFL Fans
When I read the caption under the photo I just figured it was some eager beaver who had the misfortune to look like Bengals wideout Chad Javon Ocho Cinco. But after thinking about it for a half-second, it makes perfect sense in a “mental patient writing his memoirs on the wall of his padded cell in his own feces” sorta way.

So while most players are getting treatment, going over this week’s game plan one last time, or, you know, sleeping, Mr. Cinco was doing some holiday shopping. On Black Friday. Courtesy of the : Ocho Cinco makes his way through the Best Buy store in Florence, Ky. He said was in the store to buy coach Marvin Lewis a gift. Seen with a Rock Band kit, portable stereo and a Cuisinart four-slice toaster, Ocho Cinco said, “I’ve been trying to call coach, but he doesn’t answer.” It was 5:25 a.m.Not sure if he was undercover with the black leather jacket, the Steve Urkel glasses, and the black scully, or if that’s his normal combat-shopping attire. Either way, it’s good to know that Chad is passionate about something this season.

More photo silliness here and here.

Nov 26th 2008 12:56PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Chiefs, Lions, Raiders, Rams, SeahawksLooking at the NFL standings, there is an interesting trend forming. Right now, 20 of the NFL’s 32 teams have a record at or above .500. That is 63% of the league. There are three divisions who don’t have a team with a losing record.

To feed wins to all those teams you need some really, really, really bad teams taking all the losses. That’s the issue with the NFL this season. Detroit (0-11), Kansas City (1-10), Cincinnati (1-9-1), Seattle (2-9) and St. Louis (2-9) are a combined 6-48.

It is so bad that the freakin’ Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers have three wins apiece and the Denver Broncos can actually lead a division. The Arizona Cardinals have all but won their division already and will host a playoff game for the first time since 1947.

Cats and dogs living together. Mass hysteria!Continue Reading