Chris Crocker

[COB]

I look at this hit as the beginning of a change in the Bengals.

For the last couple years we were a soft team. The Steelers physical play was too much for the Bengals in '07, and our depleted roster couldn't hang with them in '08 either.

But then we picked up Chris Crocker. The second Steelers game last year comes up, and Ben hangs Holmes out there.

Crocker put Holmes into next week, but what he did after the play was large to me. He didn't jump around, he didn't pound his chest or taunt Holmes.

He walked quickly away from the play, and instead of looking to his own bench for the cheers, he stared at the Steelers bench. He didn't just glance over there, he stared at them.

Most of us played the game at some level, and to me that refusal to bow, that refusal to defer, that refusal to avert the eyes, showed a change. No longer intimidated, no longer happy to just compete with them. Now openly challenging them.

Looking forward to the game this week Bengals!!

PS - I also like the dismissive head snap Crocker gave when he finally looked away.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQCgtaoGeGY

[gregstephens]

Crocker, Maualuga, Williams. I'm with you. I can't wait till this Sunday.

[membengal]

Post of the week right there. And I could not agree more. That kind of infusion of attitude snuck onto the team with guys like Crocker, and built this off-season with the draft and free agency signings.

Part of me thinks that we are physical enough, finally, to stand up to the bully this time around and punch back. Even punch first.

I hope. Man, do I hope.

Great clip, COB. Thanks for that and the thread.

[TJJackson]

add in the beginnings of a pass rush versus a somewhat suspect Steeler's O-Line........

again, a winnable game.

I will again this week not be surprised by a win or a loss, tho of course a win would be infinitely preferable :-)

[bwillycuse]

add in the beginnings of a pass rush versus a somewhat suspect Steeler's O-Line........

again, a winnable game.

I will again this week not be surprised by a win or a loss, tho of course a win would be infinitely preferable :-)

All we need to do is get Ben on the ground or make him throw the ball up for grabs while he is trying to get away.

I see the Steelers in a little bit of disarray. Teams are moving the ball on them and they havent been able to run at all. They could easily be 0-2 (or 2-0 also). So a couple punches in the face early will go a long way to shut the Steelers fans up and get PBS rockin.

I cant wait til Sunday.

[jonahdsage]

I think we should start weekly "Hit of the Week" threads. We are laying serious lumber on people.

Thanks for the share.

[NYBengalfan]

THE BEST POST OF THE WEEK!! Gonna look at that replay over and over before we win sunday

[ArmyBengal]

I'm not about to overlook this game or anything of that nature, but it is in fact a game we have a good shot at winning. The pass rush and improved defense coupled with an offense that is getting in sync could be enough for us to win the game and make our presence felt in the AFCN.

COB, nice thread and GREAT video clip !!!

[7/11]

man i love seein that clip. hopefully after this weekend's game, we can start a montage..

..would love to see rey or roy bury ward's face in the mud a few times. maybe knock a few teeth out, break his nose, crack a rib.

i wanna see some tears hines. bring the tears hines, you f-in baby.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

I forgot how nasty that hit was. He really got his eggs scrambled.

I'll give him credit though, he held onto the ball.

[cincyhokie]

I forgot how nasty that hit was. He really got his eggs scrambled.

I'll give him credit though, he held onto the ball.

Yep. Not to laugh, though, but Holmes looks like he just tried to get off his bar stool too fast after drinking all day.

Great hit!

[derekshank]

I thought about starting a new thread, but this seems like a decent enough place to discuss this.

Here are a few of my thoughts about the upcoming Steeler game:

I don't think Benson is going to find much success. The Titans ran for something like 250 yards against Houston... but managed only 85 against the Steelers. The Bears managed less than 50 rushing yards Sunday.

Collins and Cutler were both able to have decent games despite having pretty mediocre WRs. If the O-Line can give Palmer some time, he might be able to shake a little more rust off this week. I hope so anyway, because otherwise it'll probably look like the week 1 version of the offense again.

The Steelers won't be able to run on the Bengals at all. I knew the Bengals could stop the run... but they are flat out shutting down RBs. Combine that with the fact that the Steelers O-Line is terrible and can't run block at all. They aren't going anywhere with the running game.

Ben will get his yards, but I think Cincy is going to harass him all day long. Unfortunately, he is pretty good at making something out of nothing... so I'm sure Bengals fans will get frustrated at times.

I'm not really sure what to expect from this game. I guess it depends which version of the Bengals offense shows up this week. But I have faith that the defense will keep them in the game. Pittsburgh only has 27 points on the season, so I'm confident the defense will hold strong. The key is the O-Line. If they keep Palmer off his back, this game is very winnable. If not, we'll probably see some rushed throws and interceptions that put the defense in a bad situation.

I don't think the Bengals are a better team than Pittsburgh, but it does appear they match up fairly well... as long as Palmer plays well.

[Kazkal]

Crocker,Roy,Rey & Keith all been making some big hits....=) It's nice having the kind of vicious hitters though hopefully crocker won't draw flags vs steelers.

[Kazkal]

I don't think the Bengals are a better team than Pittsburgh, but it does appear they match up fairly well... as long as Palmer plays well.

And Troy being out helps Carson alittle because troy always seems to have big games vs Carson...

[HairOnFire]

Crocker,Roy,Rey & Keith all been making some big hits....=) It's nice having the kind of vicious hitters though hopefully crocker won't draw flags vs steelers.

Two points. First, major props awarded for noticing the physical play of....(wait for it)....Keith Rivers. Perhaps he's been inspired by the addition of Rey, or maybe he's grown tired of seeing the Hines Ward block replayed everytime Rivers is introduced (Two weeks in a row, right?), but regardless....Rivers is now showing flashes of being the "downhill player" most scouts knew he could be, but mostly wasn't.

As for the flag waving, I'll never accept the sillier mistakes being made, but against the Steelers, and Hines Ward especially, I can very easily get behind a few message sending personal foul calls.

Not joking.

[Stripes]

Through two games, I'd say Rivers has been our most reliable tackler. I don't recall seeing him whiff or fail to bring someone down. Every time he's gotten to the ball carrier, he's made the tackle -- sometimes violently.

[Kazkal]

Crocker,Roy,Rey & Keith all been making some big hits....=) It's nice having the kind of vicious hitters though hopefully crocker won't draw flags vs steelers.

Two points. First, major props awarded for noticing the physical play of....(wait for it)....Keith Rivers. Perhaps he's been inspired by the addition of Rey, or maybe he's grown tired of seeing the Hines Ward block replayed everytime Rivers is introduced (Two weeks in a row, right?), but regardless....Rivers is now showing flashes of being the "downhill player" most scouts knew he could be, but mostly wasn't.

As for the flag waving, I'll never accept the sillier mistakes being made, but against the Steelers, and Hines Ward especially, I can very easily get behind a few message sending personal foul calls.

Not joking.

ya I could live with those flags too

[Pidge]

Great thread but just one thing, as uber-kewl as it looks, it's not a head snap. One of the other guys taps him on the helmet to acknowledge the awesomeness of the hit.

/pedant

[BengalByTheBay]

As for the flag waving, I'll never accept the sillier mistakes being made, but against the Steelers, and Hines Ward especially, I can very easily get behind a few message sending personal foul calls.

Not joking.

That was exactly what I was thinking after Johnson laid out Aaron Rodgers on a delivery hit and got flagged. While I'm never happy to get the 15 yards I was thinking that - as long as it's not stupid blatant - there just aren't that many opportunities to slam the opposing QB better than that. Even a sack rarely gets that kind of impact. As such, with the game still very much up in the air, I wasn't all that upset with the play. I don't even hate Rodgers, so you can imagine how happy I would be to duplicate that with Hamburglar getting plowed.

[Pidge]

I think the guys got into Rodgers head a little after a couple of those shots. Every little help and let's face it, as much as the nuffle would like it not to be, football is fundamentally about imposing your physical will on the opposition by means of controlled violence. You out-muscle the other team and half the battle is won.

[BengalByTheBay]

I think the guys got into Rodgers head a little after a couple of those shots. Every little help and let's face it, as much as the nuffle would like it not to be, football is fundamentally about imposing your physical will on the opposition by means of controlled violence. You out-muscle the other team and half the battle is won.

And playing on the edge of the rules is part of the game. The Squeelers have been living there for years and benefiting from it. It's our time. Rivers should be motivated, Crocker and Williams will bring some weight and Rey probably flattens the parking attendant on the way into the stadium.

[Pidge]

I think the guys got into Rodgers head a little after a couple of those shots. Every little help and let's face it, as much as the nuffle would like it not to be, football is fundamentally about imposing your physical will on the opposition by means of controlled violence. You out-muscle the other team and half the battle is won.

And playing on the edge of the rules is part of the game. The Squeelers have been living there for years and benefiting from it. It's our time. Rivers should be motivated, Crocker and Williams will bring some weight and Rey probably flattens the parking attendant on the way into the stadium.

Having seen the Hard Knocks episode, that douche nozzle has it coming.

[cincyhokie]

I think the guys got into Rodgers head a little after a couple of those shots. Every little help and let's face it, as much as the nuffle would like it not to be, football is fundamentally about imposing your physical will on the opposition by means of controlled violence. You out-muscle the other team and half the battle is won.

And playing on the edge of the rules is part of the game. The Squeelers have been living there for years and benefiting from it. It's our time. Rivers should be motivated, Crocker and Williams will bring some weight and Rey probably flattens the parking attendant on the way into the stadium.

Having seen the Hard Knocks episode, that douche nozzle has it coming.

The mechanical gate that wouldn't let Marvin in? Or an actual live attendant? Or either?

[Pidge]

The mechanical gate that wouldn't let Marvin in? Or an actual live attendant? Or either?

All of them. DOMINATE! Kick that gate's butt Rey, it said things. Things about your mom.

PS, looking forward to the other game this Saturday. Nervous as hell though.

[cincyhokie]

The mechanical gate that wouldn't let Marvin in? Or an actual live attendant? Or either?

All of them. DOMINATE! Kick that gate's butt Rey, it said things. Things about your mom.

PS, looking forward to the other game this Saturday. Nervous as hell though.

Yeah, me too. I know VT is playing at home but Miami is looking like the old Miami...and well, our QB sucks. We almost lost to fuggin Nebraska! At home! I'm thinking Miami is going to win by at least 7 points. Hokies have their midseason crisis early and wonder again why they can't field a competent offense.