Texans @ Bengals Pregame Chatter

[Stripes]

They can't make up their mind. Yates? Clemens? Delhomme? Garcia?

[TackHammer]

Where is the weakness in the Cincinnati defense? Stopping the pass. The depth at CB has taken a huge hit... and with Dunlap out, there hasn't been a consistent enough pass rush to help take pressure off the depleted secondary.

Will Houston be able to take advantage of this weakness? Possibly... but doubtful. Andre Johnson has played only 6 games this season, but leads all Houston WRs in receptions (31), yards (471), and TDs (2). In other words... without Johnson, they have nothing at WR. Their two most productive pass catchers on the season are TE Owen Daniels (44 receptions for 544 yards and 3 TDS) and RB Arian Foster (41 receptions for 510 yards and 2 TDs). Not to mention the fact that they are down to their 3rd string QB. They simply aren't built to take advantage of this defense.

Where is the strength of the Cincinnati defense? Stopping the run. Houston is the best rushing team the Bengals have faced this season, but they are incredibly one dimensional right now (they ran the ball 44 times compared to only 25 passes last week). Without Schaub, Atlanta focused in on Foster and Tate... and were able to hold them to around 3.6 yards/carry. Without the threat of Andre Johnson, Cincinnati will be able to dare Yates to beat them... focusing nearly all their energy on aggressively stopping the running game and wreaking havoc in the Texans backfield. The Bengals still lead the NFL in 3-and-outs... and I look for that trend to continue.

I think the matchup of Bengals defense vs. Houston offense really favors Cincinnati. We'll see if that translates to a win.

The Texans have been a running team for almost two years now. I wouldnt read to much into those numbers. And teams have been stacking the box on us all year without good results.

This should be an interesting game.

[volcom69]

Considering the Bengals' recent tackling woes, I'm not sold on their ability to stop the run.

This right here is my worry, last couple games this team forgot how to tackle, and have not been very disaplined! That said if they can somehow stop the run, and pressure Yates they got a shot! They have been letting up huge numbers on the ground as of late, so i hope they get back to tackling fundamentals this week.

[cincyhokie]

The Texans have been a running team for almost two years now. I wouldnt read to much into those numbers. And teams have been stacking the box on us all year without good results.

This should be an interesting game.

Why would teams stack the box with Schaub and Andre Johnson playing?

The keys for the Bengals will be if they can get Sims and Dunlap back on defense. Getting Clements back would help to. If the defense gets healthier, you'll see a different game.

I have to think the Bengals want this game more. They NEED this one. The Texans, not so much, even though they are the better team.

[TackHammer]

The Texans have been a running team for almost two years now. I wouldnt read to much into those numbers. And teams have been stacking the box on us all year without good results.

This should be an interesting game.

Why would teams stack the box with Schaub and Andre Johnson playing?

The keys for the Bengals will be if they can get Sims and Dunlap back on defense. Getting Clements back would help to. If the defense gets healthier, you'll see a different game.

I have to think the Bengals want this game more. They NEED this one. The Texans, not so much, even though they are the better team.

Johnson hasn't been playing. And like I said,teams have been stacking the box against us all season. To no avail...

The Falcons are #2 at stopping the run and look what it got them.

[derekshank]

The Texans have been a running team for almost two years now. I wouldnt read to much into those numbers. And teams have been stacking the box on us all year without good results.

This should be an interesting game.

Why would teams stack the box with Schaub and Andre Johnson playing?

The keys for the Bengals will be if they can get Sims and Dunlap back on defense. Getting Clements back would help to. If the defense gets healthier, you'll see a different game.

I have to think the Bengals want this game more. They NEED this one. The Texans, not so much, even though they are the better team.

Johnson hasn't been playing. And like I said,teams have been stacking the box against us all season. To no avail...

The Falcons are #2 at stopping the run and look what it got them.

Atlanta may not have shut down the running game... but they certainly slowed it down dramatically.

This is the first game Yates will be without Andre Johnson. And Johnson accounted for more than 50% of the Texans passing yards against Atlanta (97 out of 188 yards), and was targeted 9 of Yates' 25 attempts. Johnson got hurt at the end of the 3rd quarter, and Yates only threw the ball only 3 more times in the 4th quarter for 12 yards... and one of those attempts was a pick-6 that was nullified because of penalty.

In other words... stop trying to downplay the Johnson injury. It's a huge loss for a guy like Yates, and Johnson was the guy that made the Falcons pay for stacking the box. The Texans won't be able to win if they can't throw the ball against the Bengals, so they better figure out how to do that.

[skyline]

The Texans have been a running team for almost two years now. I wouldnt read to much into those numbers. And teams have been stacking the box on us all year without good results.

This should be an interesting game.

Why would teams stack the box with Schaub and Andre Johnson playing?

The keys for the Bengals will be if they can get Sims and Dunlap back on defense. Getting Clements back would help to. If the defense gets healthier, you'll see a different game.

I have to think the Bengals want this game more. They NEED this one. The Texans, not so much, even though they are the better team.

Johnson hasn't been playing. And like I said,teams have been stacking the box against us all season. To no avail...

The Falcons are #2 at stopping the run and look what it got them.

The Texans won't be able to win if they can't throw the ball against the Bengals, so they better figure out how to do that.

I would have agreed with this a few weeks ago. Now, I'm not so sure. Here's hoping they rekindle my belief on Sunday!

On a different note, I can't wait to see Green go up against JJoe...

[HoosierCat]

For what it's worth, the emerging "expert" consensus is that the Bengals won't even be a speed bump in the Texans' drive for the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl. Just as an example I caught Marcellus Wiley on M&M this a.m., and when asked what team outside the obvious top squads like GB and Pitt might get to the SB, Wiley couldn't slobber enough on the Texans' knob. Yates is the new Dalton (or possibly Newton, if not Unitas) and if he should somehow falter, well they just picked up Mr. Incredible Jeff Garcia yesterday.

Seriously. They were pimping Jeff freakin' Garcia.

Elsewhere, I keep encountering sentiment like, "how are the Texans underdogs in this game?" Houston is favored by 3 of the 5 talking heads at cbs. I'm sure the espn crew will follow suit.

So someone make sure to put up a sign in the Bengals locker room this week. Don't bother. It's over. Dunno why we should even play the game Sunday...

[HoosierCat]

reedy:

Clements, A.Smith, Crocker not practicing. Dunlap also not practicing but is working on the side

[HairOnFire]

The Texans won't be able to win if they can't throw the ball against the Bengals, so they better figure out how to do that.

The same things apply to Cincy. The Bengals simply can't win against anyone when ignoring half of their own receiving weapons. Against Pittsburgh Caldwell wasn't targeted once and I can only recall two balls thrown towards Simpson. One would have been an important play but was overthrown by Dalton. The other would have been a huge play but Simpson ran into the defender immediately after making his cut. Beyond that I can't think of another example.

Lewis claimed after the game that both wideouts were in the proper spots throughout the game but coverage dictated the ball be thrown elsewhere. Frankly, that's a bit of crap IMHO. Worse, save for the TD catch that wasn't Gresham had another quiet afternoon and too often reminded me why I cringe whenever he's asked to pass block. And yeah, the same goes for Bernard Scott. If I'm the opposing DC and I see he's in the backfield I'm blitzing.

This team can't win if AJ Green is all there is to the passing game.

[jking191]

The Texans signed Matt Turk to replace injured punter Brett Hartmann. I thought we ended Turk's career after his piss poor showing against us for the Jags in week 5. Guess not...

[volcom69]

The Texans signed Matt Turk to replace injured punter Brett Hartmann. I thought we ended Turk's career after his piss poor showing against us for the Jags in week 5. Guess not...

"Shank you very much"

[TackHammer]

The Texans have been a running team for almost two years now. I wouldnt read to much into those numbers. And teams have been stacking the box on us all year without good results.

This should be an interesting game.

Why would teams stack the box with Schaub and Andre Johnson playing?

The keys for the Bengals will be if they can get Sims and Dunlap back on defense. Getting Clements back would help to. If the defense gets healthier, you'll see a different game.

I have to think the Bengals want this game more. They NEED this one. The Texans, not so much, even though they are the better team.

[volcom69]

reedy:

Clements, A.Smith, Crocker not practicing. Dunlap also not practicing but is working on the side

Well this blows!!

It seems like the difference between the texans and the bengals have been, the texans have found ways to win with there injuries, while the bengals as of late cant find a way to win. So i hope they start getting these guys back i think they will need them to win this week.

[jjakq27]

JJoe discussed his departure from the Bengals. He sites financial security and the teams direction at the time as primary reasons for leaving.

http://cincinnati.co...e-chose-texans/

[walzav29]

This is an away game for Yates as well. We're 1-5 against teams with winning records. We have to beat a decent team at somepoint. We were humiliated last week. A team worth anything would roll the Texans this week. At home. No QB and No Super star WR.

[Sea Ray]

The Texans won't be able to win if they can't throw the ball against the Bengals, so they better figure out how to do that.

The same things apply to Cincy. The Bengals simply can't win against anyone when ignoring half of their own receiving weapons. Against Pittsburgh Caldwell wasn't targeted once and I can only recall two balls thrown towards Simpson. One would have been an important play but was overthrown by Dalton. The other would have been a huge play but Simpson ran into the defender immediately after making his cut. Beyond that I can't think of another example.

Lewis claimed after the game that both wideouts were in the proper spots throughout the game but coverage dictated the ball be thrown elsewhere. Frankly, that's a bit of crap IMHO. Worse, save for the TD catch that wasn't Gresham had another quiet afternoon and too often reminded me why I cringe whenever he's asked to pass block. And yeah, the same goes for Bernard Scott. If I'm the opposing DC and I see he's in the backfield I'm blitzing.

This team can't win if AJ Green is all there is to the passing game.

So, are you missing Shipley yet?

[skyline]

The Texans won't be able to win if they can't throw the ball against the Bengals, so they better figure out how to do that.

The same things apply to Cincy. The Bengals simply can't win against anyone when ignoring half of their own receiving weapons. Against Pittsburgh Caldwell wasn't targeted once and I can only recall two balls thrown towards Simpson. One would have been an important play but was overthrown by Dalton. The other would have been a huge play but Simpson ran into the defender immediately after making his cut. Beyond that I can't think of another example.

Lewis claimed after the game that both wideouts were in the proper spots throughout the game but coverage dictated the ball be thrown elsewhere. Frankly, that's a bit of crap IMHO. Worse, save for the TD catch that wasn't Gresham had another quiet afternoon and too often reminded me why I cringe whenever he's asked to pass block. And yeah, the same goes for Bernard Scott. If I'm the opposing DC and I see he's in the backfield I'm blitzing.

This team can't win if AJ Green is all there is to the passing game.

So, are you missing Shipley yet?

Yes, but Dalton still has targets to shoot for. It's not like he's got a terrible receiving corps to work with.

Dalton, and the offense as a whole (Gruden included) need to find better ways to get the ball to those individuals. I've been pretty pleased with how Dalton has spread the ball around this season, but I think Pittsburgh's scheme threw them pretty hard last week.

[Sea Ray]

Yes, but Dalton still has targets to shoot for. It's not like he's got a terrible receiving corps to work with.

Dalton, and the offense as a whole (Gruden included) need to find better ways to get the ball to those individuals. I've been pretty pleased with how Dalton has spread the ball around this season, but I think Pittsburgh's scheme threw them pretty hard last week.

I would argue that we have experienced a dropoff after losing Shipley. I'll be glad to get him back next yr

[Stripes]

Shipley was gone before the five game winning streak. I do think he'd be helpful were he here, but that loss doesn't strike me as terribly important right now.

[HoosierCat]

Dunlap, Clements, Benson not practicing today.

Flesh Zep back on the field, tho.

[cincyhokie]

Dunlap, Clements, Benson not practicing today.

Flesh Zep back on the field, tho.

Too cold to practice for hammstring injuries. Either way, it looks bleak for seeing either in Sunday's game.

[HairOnFire]

So, are you missing Shipley yet?

I guess that depends on whether Shipley would have been targeted last week or would have simply been yet another receiving weapon being deliberately ignored as Marvin Lewis admitted, due to the Steelers coverage packages.

That said, I guess this is where you make up a bunch of stuff about what would have happened but didn't....instead of discussing what did happen and why.

[Sea Ray]

So, are you missing Shipley yet?

I guess that depends on whether Shipley would have been targeted last week or would have simply been yet another receiving weapon being deliberately ignored as Marvin Lewis admitted, due to the Steelers coverage packages.

That said, I guess this is where you make up a bunch of stuff about what would have happened but didn't....instead of discussing what did happen and why.

Nope. I'll just say that I think Shipley is a superior receiver to Caldwell and I'll be glad to get him back next yr

[HairOnFire]

Yes, but Dalton still has targets to shoot for. It's not like he's got a terrible receiving corps to work with.

And yet no shots were fired. And that was by design apparently. Which only strengthens my season long complaints about the Bengals inability to exploit the weapons they have on routine slants and hard outs. Granted, the exception to all of that is AJ Green, but the Bengals aren't going to beat many teams using a one-man passing attack....which is exactly what they tried to do.