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The Year in Review


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While a lot of attention is still on yesterday's events, I want to remind everyone that this was a wonderful season. Our Bengals went 11 - 5 which was the best record we had since the late 80s. We saw the emergence of our rookies, especially Odell. Our defense had multiple games with 5 interceptions. We had the best turnover ratio in the league. We have pro-bowlers at several different positions. We saw Rudi run hard and Carson throw long bombs and Chad do a Riverdance. All things considered, it was a good year, the best Bengals year since I was just a Bengal cub.

Of course, the story of the moment is about Carson and his future. I don't believe the reports that he'll be back for training camp and I also don't believe the reports that he'll miss all of next season. What I do believe is that he will heal up, get back on his feet and lead this team again just like this year. I don't know when he'll be back, but I know he will be back. I've found that the toughest thing with those injuries is mental rather than physical. While I've never torn a ligament or needed surgery on my knees, I can say that getting back on the field (soccer in my case) those first few times after I healed up I was a mental case, being extra cautious, not running at full speed, not taking any chances. Even though my knee was fine, it took a few games before I stopped thinking about it. Once I was able to clear my mind of it, I was playing just like I did before.

I don't know where the cards will fall next season regarding Carson's return, but we have a team that has finally experienced winning. They know what it takes to win games. I expect Marvin to have another good draft day in the spring, and hopefully take care of some of the issues we face on defense. And Cincinnati is now a more attractive free agent location. Put all this together along with our our pro bowlers and other studs and we'll have a team that can still win games. We'll win many more games with Carson at the helm, but if the team can hold it's own until his return, we'll be in a very good position for next year's post season. Guys, the future is bright in Cincinnati. Next season might be a little rough if Carson misses camp or the early part of the season, but we're not going to fall off to the map. It's not going to be a disaster. Cincinnati football is here to stay.

Who Dey, my friends. Who. Freakin. Dey.

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We'll win many more games with Carson at the helm, but if the team can hold it's own until his return, we'll be in a very good position for next year's post season. Guys, the future is bright in Cincinnati. Next season might be a little rough if Carson misses camp or the early part of the season, but we're not going to fall off to the map. It's not going to be a disaster. Cincinnati football is here to stay.

Who Dey, my friends. Who. Freakin. Dey.

:sure:

I agree. I think most of us were prepared for the season to end with a loss, perhaps after the first playoff game. What we weren't prepared for was the sight of Palmer laid out on the turf immediately after a huge play. And because it was so unexpected it's going to hurt much longer than the playoff loss.

But this team is built on a solid foundation and it's not going to crumble in a day.

We've been bloodied.

We've been beaten.

We're still coming.

Who. Freaking. Dey.

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i think the bengals had a good year . without palmer we will be in serious trouble . we have no qb's or will there be any f/a that can do what palmer can . and he will not be ready at the start of next season maybe bye the 4th or 5th game at best . and then with the mental part of it we will struggle in 06 like it or not without a healthy palmer we are in trouble.

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May I remind you that we managed to pull off an 8 - 8 record a couple years ago with Kitna at the helm? And this team has gotten some good upgrades since then and more will be coming this offseason. You're right, there's no one else who can do what Palmer can. For arguments sake, let's say that Palmer misses the first half of the season. Of course, we don't know who we'll face early in the season, but to believe we'll have a 4 - 4 mark at the midway point wouldn't be a fantastic leap of faith, at least for me. And then Palmer comes back and we finish with a 10 - 6 record maybe? It's possible.

As for the mental part of the game, I believe this team will be ready mentally. When something like this happens mid-season, the mental part can be tough. However, with this at the end of the season, there's enough time for the team and the coaches to evaluate things and figure out how they need to handle it.

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The question of the day. Do they have the personnel on defense to transition into a more ball control type team, at least until Carson is healthy? IMO Pollack & Odell will make a huge leap in effectiveness next year and Williams will be back. They may not be that far away, especially if they can land a quality safety in the draft or FA. I would still like to see a big fat sloppy Gilbert Brown, Ball, Goose, Washington... type DT.

Signing Kitna is a must. Even best case scenario, Carson will be limited in training camp. We can not take a step backwards getting a new qb up to speed. And they can not risk Palmer's career rushing him back.

As far as reviewing the year, other than Carson going down, we couldn't have asked for much more. Hopefully the defense will be in position to start shutting people down.

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May I remind you that we managed to pull off an 8 - 8 record a couple years ago with Kitna at the helm? And this team has gotten some good upgrades since then and more will be coming this offseason.

Oh, don't bother, San Antonio. At least, not right now. As you can tell by perusing even a few threads, the order of the day is woe-is-us, gloom-and-doom, Cincy-is-cursed, blah, blah, blah. Next year's already lost because our schedule is too hard, carson will be out forever, we should fire Bresh and Brat and Alexander and who knows who else, and fire the whole defense, and trade locker room cancer Chad Johnson, and gawd knows what else, but the bottom line is we went 11-5 and that's simply unacceptable. Heads must roll!!! :rolleyes:

[/vent]

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I feel good about the Bengals. It would have been great to see

how the game would have played out if Palmer

wouldn`t have gotten injured. But what can

you say ?

Palmer will be fine. I have no doubt about that.

The Bengals Defense has a great core of young players.

All of the Offense will be back together next year.

The Bengals are in the top 5 for being "under" the

cap for '06.

And with another great draft by Marvin and being able

to "actually" attract quality top tier Free Agents.

I`d say the Bengals future looks brighter than ever.

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May I remind you that we managed to pull off an 8 - 8 record a couple years ago with Kitna at the helm? And this team has gotten some good upgrades since then and more will be coming this offseason.

Oh, don't bother, San Antonio. At least, not right now. As you can tell by perusing even a few threads, the order of the day is woe-is-us, gloom-and-doom, Cincy-is-cursed, blah, blah, blah. Next year's already lost because our schedule is too hard, carson will be out forever, we should fire Bresh and Brat and Alexander and who knows who else, and fire the whole defense, and trade locker room cancer Chad Johnson, and gawd knows what else, but the bottom line is we went 11-5 and that's simply unacceptable. Heads must roll!!! :rolleyes:

[/vent]

Whhhhaaaaat? You don't enjoy the players bashing from "fans" that root from their supposed "favorite" teams? C'mon Joisey, this is intellectual s**t right here son...

Great post SA.

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Yup, doom and gloom are the order of the day. Long suffering Bengal fans who weren't sure how to deal with success in the first place are now taking no comfort in the idea that the natural order of the universe has been restored.

The chant of Who Dey has become a distant memory already. In it's place we are offered the familiar dirge of...Woe is Us.

Damn, it's going to be a long offseason. <_<

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Yes, being a long time fan makes this a little harder, but it is what it is. 11-5 was more than what I had expected at the beginning of the season and I couldn't be happier. No one was ready to see Carson on the ground and out for the rest of the game. I know I was sickened by it. Our defense still sucks, but I see it getting better. How nice will it be to have Madieu back ?? Odell and Pollack should be huge next year and hopefully a sucessful defensive minded draft will put us over the top within the next two years. Deeper in the playoffs next year, SuperBowl in 2007 !!!

WHODEY !!!

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Sorry I'm actually upset/disappointed that our franchise QB blew out his knee due to a dirty hit - that our pro bowl WR got into a fight at halftime because he wasn't getting the ball enough - sorry that our other rookie WR got arrested and now faces up to a 4 games suspension next season.

I will feel better in a month or two when things shake out and become more clear - for now it's bitter disappointment and not sugar coating things just to make myself and others feel better without any sound rationale.

It's a crushing blow if you are a die hard fan, because my hopes rested on the immediate future of this team and another playoff season.

Right now that looks to be a tough road for this team next season, as they have some serious issues to address.

Bottom line is this franchise is still in good shape and Palmer will be fine eventually and good times will come back around - just not soon enough for those of us who've waited so long for a postseason worth remembering.

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Sorry I'm actually upset/disappointed that our franchise QB blew out his knee due to a dirty hit - that our pro bowl WR got into a fight at halftime because he wasn't getting the ball enough - sorry that our other rookie WR got arrested and now faces up to a 4 games suspension next season.

Oh for pete's sake. I'd need both hands and both feet to count the number of teams who either have a franchise QB with a nasty injury (the Jets and San Diego come immediately to mind) or who don't have a franchise QB, period (too many to name). On top of that, Carson's injury is one that players almost routinely come back from these days; the question isn't if he'll be back, but just when.

Chad Johnson's acting like a primma donna? Well, shoot, where the heck you been the last few years?

Our No. 3 WR faces a drug suspension? Cripes, how many teams actually can claim they care if their No. 3 wideout goes to jail or even falls off a bloody cliff? Just more reps for Kwash or Chris Perry or Tab Perry.

I will feel better in a month or two when things shake out and become more clear - for now it's bitter disappointment and not sugar coating things just to make myself and others feel better without any sound rationale.

Who's sugarcoating anything??? Do we not have so much talent at WR we've bandied about putting Tab at safety? Do players not come back routinely from ACL injuries nowadays? I'm not sugarcoating anything but IMHO you seem bound and determined to wizz on everything and anything positive.

It's a crushing blow if you are a die hard fan, because my hopes rested on the immediate future of this team and another playoff season.

Let me get this straight: you already, right now, have given up on next season? Why, because of the alleged tough schedule I've seen you complain about? Hey, it isn't going to be any easier for Cleveland or Baltimore, and frankly I'd rather have Palmer with a peg leg than Boller. We were just fine without Henry this year. And if Carson has to sit for a few games then we dink and dunk and run Rudi 35 times.

Right now that looks to be a tough road for this team next season, as they have some serious issues to address.

No more so than any other team in the league.

Bottom line is this franchise is still in good shape and Palmer will be fine eventually and good times will come back around - just not soon enough for those of us who've waited so long for a postseason worth remembering.

As long as you're predicting the future can you pass along the winning numbers in the next powerball drawing, too...:rolleyes:

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Kitna, without the rust that comes from sitting on the bench all year, threw 26 TDs and 15 INTs in his last full year as a Bengals starter, and that was without the emergence of Chris Henry and Kevin Walter. We will be fine with Kitna, and if we have to stay with him while Palmer recovers, so be it. Keep the freakin' faith, people...2006 is gonna be another good one in the Jungle.

WHO MOTHERF***IN' DEY :bengal::bengal::bengal:

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Do we have the August posts available? You know - those predictions for an upcoming season? If I remember correctly, everyone thought the defense, led by Odell & DP, would cover the inconsistencies of the offense, and we had a good chance to win the division at 10 - 6 or get a wild card at 9 - 7.

We got our 10th win the 1st week of December! Great year! thanks for the reminder, Tex.

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Do we have the August posts available? You know - those predictions for an upcoming season? If I remember correctly, everyone thought the defense, led by Odell & DP, would cover the inconsistencies of the offense, and we had a good chance to win the division at 10 - 6 or get a wild card at 9 - 7.

We got our 10th win the 1st week of December! Great year! thanks for the reminder, Tex.

http://forums.bengalszone.com/index.php?showtopic=5989&st=0

Here's a July thread in which Bengalszoners predicted the division standings. Here is the last post...

HOMERS!!!!

How in the world can an OBJECTIVE fan pick the Bengals

over the Steelers? Come on, they were 15-1 last year!!!

I think our defense will slowly begin to show signs of

life, but it is unreasonable to think that Pollack and

Thurman can turn this squad around. True, Bryan

Robinson should help and Geathers/Williams turned

in good freshman years, but there are still too many

questions about the D.

I say Pitts 12-4, Cincy 10-6, Balt 9-7, Cleve 5-11.

For me Balt is the big question...I know they added

some WR help, but Ray Ray isn't the Player he used

to be and Boller Sucks...

:D:D:D:D:D

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well we just have to wait and see what they are going to do . but no matter what i will still support them . and i do believe marvin will do what it take to win games . yea i was still pretty down this morning

Everybody was. Some still are. The Palmer injury sucks, but IMHO people are letting it distort their view of the team's future way too much. Consider:

On defense, going into this season, the secondary looked pretty good, the d-line looked pretty awful, and the LB corps, set to feature two rookies and one second-year guy, gave any realistic observer the heebie-jeebies.

Where are we now? Well, the secondary still played pretty well, and that was after the loss of both starting safeties. Madieu will be back next year and they will almost certainly pick up a vet safety and/or take one high in the draft. Odell turned out to be a stud and Pollack was finally coming on at the end of the season. So in the end, we actually have less to fix on defense this year than last, and all of it concentrated on the front four.

On offense going into the year, we had questions about Palmer (were the last few games of 2003 really what we were getting), questions about TJ (one-year wonder?), an unknown rook in Henry at No. 3, and questions about Chris Perry (after missing all of the prior year). Now, the only real question on offense is how long it takes Carson to get back, and the consensus appears to be that training camp isn't unrealistic. Beyond that, the most pressing issues involve our backup QB and whether we should draft a TE.

We have no crucial players going into FA. We have no cap issues. Frankly, I think this promises to be a long, boring offseason. Does the team have challenges? Of course...but overall it's in great shape.

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