Ravens @ Bengals pregame chatter

[volcom69]

Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts?

Yuck, good thing i turn down my TV and listen to Hoard and Lap. I would rather listen to them anyways.

I hope they learned something good from the first time playing these guys. We will get the Ravens best as they have alot to play for also.

I hope if the bengals get a lead they continue to keep the peddle down and dont go into prevent mode, this has hurt this team alot this year, and there is no need for it.

We all know what bengals past teams would do in games like this, im hoping for a better outcome with this young new team. Get them going Marvin, go all out in this game to win it!

[ArmyBengal]

I'm liking the Bengals chances in this game, but the game is very important to the Ravens as well, so I won't take it any further than that. I will tell you what though, I can't wait to see how this team does in a game as big as this one against a team like the Ravens. It's been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, but it sure would be nice to finish the regular season on a huge UP !!!

[HoosierCat]

Hensley with a ravens injury roundup this morning:

The Ravens are dealing with significant injuries to four starters as well as kicker Billy Cundiff heading into their important regular-season finale at Cincinnati.

Right guard Marshal Yanda (bruised ribs and thigh), cornerback Cary Williams (concussion), defensive end Cory Redding (ankle) and Cundiff (left calf) will likely be questionable for Sunday. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin (knee) has already been ruled out after having knee surgery last week.

Baltimore, which also placed wide receiver-kick returner David Reed (torn ACL) on injured reserve, doesn't have any plans to sign a free-agent wide receiver.

"There's really not a lot of guys out there," coach John Harbaugh said, via The Baltimore Sun. "If anything, people have been signing guys off their practice squads for about the last six weeks very aggressively. Unless a name comes before us, which we have not seen yet, I'd say that's probably not going to happen."

The Ravens will make a determination later in the week whether they will stick with Shayne Graham or go back to Cundiff, who was inactive last Saturday. Graham kicked two field goals from beyond 40 yards in the 20-14 win over Cleveland.

"We're not going to carry two kickers into the game if Billy's kicking," Harbaugh said.

Hensley's slant: The biggest concern is Yanda, who has been labeled as "very questionable" by The Sun. The Ravens' offensive line struggled mightily early in the season when left guard Ben Grubbs missed multiple weeks with a toe injury and was replaced by Andre Gurode. There could be similar problems going forward without Yanda, who is the team's best offensive lineman.

/>http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/38945/wake-up-call-ravens-dealing-with-injuries

[derekshank]

It's been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs

It has... but their ups have been mostly against teams of lesser quality, and their downs have been mostly the against "elite" teams of the NFL.

Honestly, this is the most remarkable thing as far as I'm concerned. The Bengals have traditionally been terribly inconsistent. They would occasionally beat a good team just to toy with our emotions, and would then find a way to lose against the bottom-feeders of the NFL.

This team, one of the youngest teams in the NFL, has been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL. Aside from the bad game @ Pittsburgh, they play more or less the same way every week. I look forward to seeing them continue to improve in the quality of their play... but maintaining the consistency.

[ArmyBengal]

It's been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs

It has... but their ups have been mostly against teams of lesser quality, and their downs have been mostly the against "elite" teams of the NFL.

Honestly, this is the most remarkable thing as far as I'm concerned. The Bengals have traditionally been terribly inconsistent. They would occasionally beat a good team just to toy with our emotions, and would then find a way to lose against the bottom-feeders of the NFL.

This team, one of the youngest teams in the NFL, has been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL. Aside from the bad game @ Pittsburgh, they play more or less the same way every week. I look forward to seeing them continue to improve in the quality of their play... but maintaining the consistency.

Agree and I also forgot to mention how much I have enjoyed the ride this year !!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

Honestly, this is the most remarkable thing as far as I'm concerned. The Bengals have traditionally been terribly inconsistent. They would occasionally beat a good team just to toy with our emotions, and would then find a way to lose against the bottom-feeders of the NFL.

That fact used to drive me crazy!

[derekshank]

Hensley's slant: The biggest concern is Yanda, who has been labeled as "very questionable" by The Sun. The Ravens' offensive line struggled mightily early in the season when left guard Ben Grubbs missed multiple weeks with a toe injury and was replaced by Andre Gurode. There could be similar problems going forward without Yanda, who is the team's best offensive lineman.

That sounds promising. Geno Atkins usually lines up over the RG, doesn't he?

I'm also looking forward to a healthy Dunlap against Oher.

[derekshank]

They handed out hot dogs also which was a nice gesture.

What's this? Hotdogs?

Does this mean they finally got the grill working at the stadium?

[HoosierCat]

Per Hobson, taxi squad WR Armon Binns tweeted that he'd been signed to the active roster. Geoff thinks this means Caldwell is being placed on IR but no official word yet.

[walzav29]

List of things that are better for us in the rematch

AJ Green will be playing

Dunlap will be playing

The corners are better prepared for Torey Smith this time around

It's at home

Anquan Boldin is out

We should have a sold out stadium, with actual Bengal fans

Dalton had 3 int's last game. He should do better.

Bengals 28

Ravens 17

I can't believe it. The rookie led Bengals are going to the playoffs!

[ArmyBengal]

Am I the only one that is happy Binns got signed to the practice squad ??

I wanted them to draft him in the later rounds and would like to see him get some time if we can manage it.

It's not like any of those other late round picks are doing much...

[HoosierCat]

Caldwell to IR/Binns promotion move officially announced by the team. They also signed former UC WR Vidal Hazelton to the PS.

[jjakq27]

Am I the only one that is happy Binns got signed to the practice squad ??

I wanted them to draft him in the later rounds and would like to see him get some time if we can manage it.

It's not like any of those other late round picks are doing much...

I like him. His catch against Pitt two years ago is legendary in UC lore. He's a great athlete that has some potential for next season. Glad that he got the call.

This might be the end for Caldwell here though. With Whalen's limited success so far and Shipley's possible return next year, he will likely get squeezed out. Also I think Simpson has shown just enough to warrant a new contract for next year.

[ArmyBengal]

Please refrain from using Simpson and the word "warrant" in the same sentence....

[HoosierCat]

I would say that Simpson's performance against the Cardinals has arrested his freefall out of town and demonstrated that those who convicted him of being a bust are guilty of jumping to conclusions in the court of public opinion. Clearly, all talk of Jerome's lack of skills should be put away for a long time, as the jury is still out. However, given the extenuating circumstances, I can't say whether the bengals will chose to sh*t or get off the pot with Jerome.

Also, warrant.

[derekshank]

Am I the only one that is happy Binns got signed to the practice squad ??

I wanted them to draft him in the later rounds and would like to see him get some time if we can manage it.

It's not like any of those other late round picks are doing much...

Whalen seems to be getting an increased role. It looks like he has become the primary slot receiver. He caught 3 passes against Arizona and played 28 snaps. Hawkins caught 1 pass, playing only 13 snaps. Caldwell was inactive and Tate is still strictly a ST player, getting zero snaps as a WR.

Meanwhile, Donald Lee played 33 out of 72 snaps along with Gresham in on every single play. Gruden appears to prefer 2 TE sets (46% of the time) rather than multiple WR sets... so I wouldn't look for Binns to be active on gameday.

[Earendil]

I would say that Simpson's performance against the Cardinals has arrested his freefall out of town and demonstrated that those who convicted him of being a bust are guilty of jumping to conclusions in the court of public opinion. Clearly, all talk of Jerome's lack of skills should be put away for a long time, as the jury is still out. However, given the extenuating circumstances, I can't say whether the bengals will chose to sh*t or get off the pot with Jerome.

Also, warrant.

I lol'd

[TJJackson]

Please refrain from using Simpson and the word "warrant" in the same sentence....

well, we cannot judge him so easily now....he has a bond with his teammates, and his development no longer seems arrested.

I am not sure if the FO will cop out on making a decision before the end of the offseaso, but even if they do, I don't think this will bar him from a return next year.

Lets not make a federal case of this yet.....

[jjakq27]

They handed out hot dogs also which was a nice gesture.

What's this? Hotdogs?

Does this mean they finally got the grill working at the stadium?

Looks that way. Hopefully they weren't leftovers from Sunday's game!

Please refrain from using Simpson and the word "warrant" in the same sentence....

LOL. Freudian slip??? Well played by everyone.

I guess I did forget that little issue with the DEA and the USPS. I heard that the folks in California botched some things that might prevent or preclude any charges against Mr. Simpson. Third party hearsay for now but we'll probably get the details during the offseason. Im still wondering if RG will impose any kind of suspension on him for next year once this gets settled.

[derekshank]

The Bengals/Ravens game is officially sold out.

Nice.

[HoosierCat]

The Bengals/Ravens game is officially sold out.

Nice.

Excellent.

Now, the Bengals need to do their part and win.

[HoosierCat]

Here's the week 17 TV map:

/>http://www.the506.com/nflmaps/2011/wk17.html

Looks like the early game most people will get is Jets/Dolphins, which is great for us because we can root for the Fish.

OTOH, no one outside their immediate markets will get the Cincy/Baltimore game. Instead the national game is...KC v. Denver?

F**k Tim Tebow. And F**K YOU CBS!!!

[derekshank]

Here's the week 17 TV map:

/>http://www.the506.com/nflmaps/2011/wk17.html

Looks like the early game most people will get is Jets/Dolphins, which is great for us because we can root for the Fish.

OTOH, no one outside their immediate markets will get the Cincy/Baltimore game. Instead the national game is...KC v. Denver?

F**k Tim Tebow. And F**K YOU CBS!!!

You beat me to it Hoosier.

Nice to see the Jets game will be on for the majority of the country at 1pm.

What's the deal with central Ohio getting this TBA bulls**t? I think they have shown every Bengals game to this point. It should be a no-brainer.

[jjakq27]

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Sundays-game-declared-a-sellout/6280edb7-78a1-49d8-a87a-c33e4ba00e26

This Sunday’s 4:15 p.m. home game vs. Baltimore is a sellout, the Bengals ticket office announced today. The game will be televised in the Bengals home market on CBS affiliates WKRC-TV (Channel 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (7) in Dayton and WKYT-TV (27) in Lexington, Ky.

“Our fans have made a tremendous response this week to our sales efforts, and we thank the entire community for its support of the Bengals,” said Katie Blackburn, the team’s executive vice-president. “We’re pleased that the game will be on television for everyone, and we look forward to the fans at Paul Brown Stadium giving us a great home field advantage for a very important game against Baltimore.”

The Baltimore game is a marquee NFL contest this weekend, moved to 4:15 p.m. from an original kickoff time of 1 p.m. to reach a wider television audience. The Bengals can clinch a playoff spot with a victory, and Baltimore is out to claim a division championship and first-round playoff bye.

[ArmyBengal]

Nice to see a sellout. Now go win Bengals !!!