Pre-Season Game 3 (merged postgame thread)

[kingwilly]

Watching the game on my DVR:

Thoughts...

1. First team O is, to borrow a Rage song, "Calm Like a Bomb".

The line is sufficient. If there is anyone I am most happy with it is Bobbie Williams, mostly because he has gone anonymous. You only hear his name when he has a penalty or has given up a sack, and so far he has not had his name called.

Benson is a machine. MACHINE. Give this guy 325 carries and stand back. Scott is a weapon and Peerman is a find and could do more as a Benson v2 than Leonard.

The WR unit is a work in progress. Chad is a clown. He is the one I worry most about. He disappears for plays ata a time. And when targeted, he does drop balls. F that. TO is ready to go. Sit him now. He and Palmer are clicking and we will need him in December. I am sure some will laugh but Chad is a No 3 receiver on this team. TO=1, Shipley=2, Chad=3.

Gresham is a serious weapon. I just hope Brat opens up and learns how to use him. This guy can be ruinous, like Owen Daniels or Cooley.

Carson looks a little TOO laid back. Watching the Pats/Falcons tilt, and Brady exudes fire and emotion. Carson just seems a bit TOO indifferent. They all have their own style and personalities but Carson would do well to show just a bit of life.

JTOS is garbage. Andre Smith is junk. Chase Coffman is junk.

These 3 need replacement. Smith wont get cut, nor the other two but these 3 are substandard. So very below where they need to be, I would have a hard time keeping them in good conscience.

Zimmer's D is a masterwork. He is getting great things from nearly every position, and those who are struggling, and the reason why, seem purely temporary. This D will win games, and those cut could start elsewhere (Hodge, David Jones, McDonald, Murray...) there is so much talent, it seems to exceed the talent on the O.

Standouts so far include Atkins, Dunlap, Trent, Jones (both), Rey and Miles.

As for the K situation, Rayner cannot be given the keys to the position. Nugent may be TOO big a ? as to health to trust, so maybe we grab a late release K? Rayner is not good enough. No way.

Overall, this team can win on D. They suddenly have the luxury of an Elite D that can give the Offense the room to get going and relive pressure to score every possession, which means this team can/should be better than last season. Give me a team where guys like Trent and David Jones might be cut because of depth of talent and I'll give you 11 wins. This team will cut at least 2 WR who could catch 50 balls on almost any NFL team (Simpson/Jones/Cosby).

This was not the "all cylinders firing" outing I hoped it would be but if this is a V8 running on 6 or 7 cylinders, then this team has a much higher ceiling than I thought and enough talent and depth to grab 11-13 wins.

NADS.

[membengal]

Schlereth and Wingo were VERY complimentary of the Cincy offense and its weapons on NFL Live just now with an extended highlights package of the game being shown.

Kingwilly, Smith had an up and down night, but I don't share your assessment of his game as trash. Not when he flashed blocking skills like I saw on the Scott TD run. Work in progress, but he is close to being ready to take over for Roland, I think.

[Kazkal]

Thoughts

QB-Points misleading I liked what I saw in the offense overall(least carson

RB-Ced is Ced,Scott is special and Peerman looks like a solid Practice Squad guy

FB-Tronzo(Sp?)! looks like he'll win the starting position

WR-Simpson showed some nice speed bad fumble but still gonna be hard to toss him...T.O. Looked like a Tight End when matched up against those eagle corners

TE-Gresham made a few mistakes but made some nice ass plays,I didn't wanna spend 1st on TE though I always wanted a TE like him so I'm glad we took him!

Oline-Looked Solid RT still looks like a weakness...BigDre Made some mistakes but still looked as good as Roland but atleast he has a high ceiling

Dline Tank made a nice Play....Geno Needs to be resigned now I want to see this man a bengal for the next 10 Years he's just a freaking wrecking Ball So tiny yet so Fast & powerful...

Dunlap Also had a Very impressive Sack showing his speed and Reach ability...Well I'm not impressed by our starters passrushing ability I really like idea of MJ,Dunlap & Geno going after the QB

LB-All Looked good Resign MJ & Maualuga now they also need be bengals for next 10 years lol...sure 3-4 years early but can't risk these young studs ever getting away

DB's-Gave up Some Plays had some BS Flags overall looked Solid mainly backups giving up some plays

Kicker-Poor Nugg people just don't want him to have a fair shot

Punter-Huber Still super Directional skills but overall Str bit lacking

Returner-Wow Adam Jones is a beast...I am so glad we signed the guy he's just entertaining to watch return I'm also glad we didn't get Cowboy Pacman...I Dunno if we can Justify Cosby a spot as a returner but I hope we do keep 7 WR's and let him lead for the returners ala Bscotts huge run last year..

Score bit low but I liked what I saw besides Flags & Right Tackle but atleast with BigDre getting experience theres chance position gets upgraded.

[jjakq27]

I was very impressed by Adam Jones.

I can't figure out why Chad and Carson can't seem to get on the same page.

I think TO will be a force to recon with. His catch was a much needed boost and game changer.

I think it's time to move in a different direction at back-up QB. JT seems to struggle and was unable to move the team.

I thought the defense did a pretty good job at bringing pressure.

The injury to Wilson and the other DBs is very troubling.

[Sea Ray]

Injuries are a drag but they're part of the game and will happen. So if they happen, it might as well be a player waived just a few months ago. I would have liked to have kept Gibril for depth but if we were counting on him being a difference maker then we were in trouble from the get go

[HairOnFire]

Chad sucks.

Oh sweet Jeebus does he suck.

Both of Palmers interceptions were Chad's fault and that isn't anything new. Last seasons stats showed Palmer's interception rate doubled when throwing to Chad, and you can easily see why. He runs crappier routes than Jerome.

He deserved the shot to the head he got.

[Stripes]

Might want to merge this with Kingwilly's thread.

Terrell Owens is playing well this preseason, but I am starting to think the offensive newcomer whose impact will be most often felt this year might be Gresham. He provides a dynamic I've never seen before as a Bengals fan, one that has presumably been absent since Rodney Holman. Combined with Shipley's early emergence and the offensive line's surprisingly decent pass protection thus far, I'm feeling pretty darned good about the offense. The running game hasn't put up flashy numbers yet, but I think it's still looking good.

Odd (or probably not odd) that Chad is among the last players to come to mind when considering what the Bengals are capable of offensively. I hope he can find a way to get involved consistently without making his infamous Only Chad Would Do That mistakes. Surely he will though, he's been Palmer's number one receiver for years.

The defense looks better than it did last year. Preseason schemes might not offer much insight, but preseason physicality sure does. Our favorite bullies from last year have only gotten meaner.

[HairOnFire]

Chad is a clown. He is the one I worry most about. He disappears for plays ata a time. And when targeted, he does drop balls. F that. TO is ready to go. Sit him now. He and Palmer are clicking and we will need him in December. I am sure some will laugh but Chad is a No 3 receiver on this team. TO=1, Shipley=2, Chad=3.

I'm not laughing. Then again, I almost never laugh at anything Chad does.

JTOS is garbage. Andre Smith is junk. Chase Coffman is junk.

O'Sullivan is so bad it's impossible to evaluate the receivers. Smith was just horrible, and it worries the s**t out of me for the first time since drafted. Balance has always been one of his greatest assets but he was on the ground almost constantly. Fat and sloppy, his play regressed with each snap and they pulled him for good after he was swamped into JTO. He looks like he won't be ready to go for months, not weeks. Coffman was Coffman, a psuedo WR more than a true TE. But the bigger problem may be Reggie Kelly. He was being pushed around so much I wondered if he was wearing roller skates. Coates looks good by comparison.

As for the K situation, Rayner cannot be given the keys to the position. Nugent may be TOO big a ? as to health to trust, so maybe we grab a late release K? Rayner is not good enough. No way.

Very disappointing effort by Rayner. He looks like he's just keeping the spot warm for someone else. And am I the only one who didn't understand the decision to attempt a 59 yard FGA using a kicker who has been slow to recover from a quad pull?

This team will cut at least 2 WR who could catch 50 balls on almost any NFL team (Simpson/Jones/Cosby).

Jones hasn't impressed me a bit and I wonder aloud if Quan really has a role with the base offense. But Simpson, with all of his faults, looks like a guy who can get open almost at will. Not that it matters when playing with O'Sullivan.

Overall, this team can win on D. They suddenly have the luxury of an Elite D that can give the Offense the room to get going and relive pressure to score every possession, which means this team can/should be better than last season.

This. Last years defense was outstanding, but not quite elite due to a few missing pieces. Now with the exception of safety those peices are in place. Atkins and Dunlap have been remarkable and if they can get MJ to play more disciplined they'll dominate.

[HairOnFire]

Terrell Owens is playing well this preseason, but I am starting to think the offensive newcomer whose impact will be most often felt this year might be Gresham. He provides a dynamic I've never seen before as a Bengals fan, one that has presumably been absent since Rodney Holman.

As a receiver he's been as advertised. And as a blocker too, and that's not quite as impressive. The pass attempt where he simply didn't engage comes to mind quickest, but getting beyond that....most of Benson's runs were behind lead blocks from Gresham and the results were pretty mixed. Sometimes he'd shatter a defender and other times there wasn't much push at all. In fact, I'd guess more than half of the rushing attempts behind Roland and Gresham were stuffed outright including a couple of one-yard losses.

A work in progress, ehh?

[Sea Ray]

Hair, you ready to take back your criticism of the Shipley pick or are you going to wait 'till the regular season?

[Sea Ray]

O'Sullivan wasn't this bad last summer. What happened? I'm guessing they're just keeping him in case another QB gets hurt but if that's the case why does he get the third qtr play? I'd sure like to see Jordan work with the #2s instean of O'Suck

I'm wondering if they'll end up picking up a kicker off the waiver wire right before the season starts like they did with Shayne.

[Stripes]

O'Sullivan is making me miss Ryan Fitzpatrick.

I don't think there's any way the Bengals can seriously go into the regular season with him as the backup to Carson unless he really gets it turned around in the next two games. Jordan looks better to me, but only marginally so. At least Jordan offers a similar skillset to Carson and wouldn't require much revision to the offensive gameplans should he ever have to play.

[BengalPimp]

O'Sullivan is making me miss Ryan Fitzpatrick.

You said WHAT?

[ArmyBengal]

*Atkins and Dunlap are just fun to watch and they aren't even starters. Yeah, REAL fun !!!

*I thought Big Dre looks sloppy and slow, but must remember how little practice (see hardly any) he has had.

*Scott's patience and burst on his TD run were very impressive. Benson is a beast.

*Gresham is a matchup nightmare. When they lined him up outside, the Eagles defense was helpless. Knowing Coffman was the most prolific pass catching TE in college, why don't they try the same with him. It's not like he's a little guy or something.

*Anyone else thinking Carson is still throwing high ??

[HoosierCat]

Random thoughts --

Palmer looked fine. I keep reading people complaining that his throws were high. His throws have always been high. How many times have we watched Chad jump about 8 feet into the air, grab the ball, and then get blasted by a LB or safety while hanging helpless in the air?

Chad needs to focus. I know it's just preseason but he needs to take it a bit more seriously.

The TO - Chad "interview" at halftime was less annoying than I thought it would be.

Owens was open all night.

As has been noted, the Skin Zeppelin went up in flames. In his defense, he had, what, two practices? Reminds me of the Nineties teams who usually needed September to "play themselves into shape."

I thought Reggie Kelly was slipping back in '08. Now I'm sure of it.

Gresham has monster potential. Needs to pick up his pass protection.

Lot of people forget that Tank played last season with a bum foot. Last night we got a look at what damage he can wreak when healthy.

Geno Atkins, where have you been all my life?

Offensive penalties were back again last night. Booooo!

If this is how the D responds when Mike Zimmer is mad, can someone go sucker punch him every Monday morning?

Marvin still can't manage a clock.

Forget about Dez Briscoe, I'm not sure Peerman or Tronzo make it to the PS & if they do I wouldn't expect them to last the season.

Nice to see Palmer able to spray the ball around the field. Reminds me of the '88 squad.

[Kazkal]

Well Flesh Moobins flamed two things to factor in he's only had 2 Practices and still has 3+ weeks to get ready...Our other Option is Roland Which I'd put money on Bscott wouldn't have scored that TD if the 6'9 Swinging door was in...Well it take Months I think 3 weeks ism ore then enough time to get Better then Roland and then hopefully by week 5-6 He'll show why he was drafted top 10.

[ArmyBengal]

If Carson's high throws are someone elses fault, cool.

[redsbengalsbucks]

*Atkins and Dunlap are just fun to watch and they aren't even starters. Yeah, REAL fun !!!

*I thought Big Dre looks sloppy and slow, but must remember how little practice (see hardly any) he has had.

*Scott's patience and burst on his TD run were very impressive. Benson is a beast.

*Gresham is a matchup nightmare. When they lined him up outside, the Eagles defense was helpless. Knowing Coffman was the most prolific pass catching TE in college, why don't they try the same with him. It's not like he's a little guy or something.

*Anyone else thinking Carson is still throwing high ??

Yes, I though that most of Carson's passes were high, he needs to figure out what is wrong with his release point.

[redsbengalsbucks]

If Carson's high throws are someone elses fault, cool.

Just how is a high throw someone elses fault? Oh wait, I forgot it was Bush's fault!

[HoosierCat]

Again, Carson's throws have always been like that. If I had a nickel for every time I've said some variation on, "Jeez, Palmer is going to get his wideouts killed" because thy have to go 10 feet into the air to get the ball, turing them into defenseless targets for safeties and linebackers, I'd have a boat load of nickels.

[Kazkal]

they be high so defenders can't get them

[kingwilly]

*Atkins and Dunlap are just fun to watch and they aren't even starters. Yeah, REAL fun !!!

*I thought Big Dre looks sloppy and slow, but must remember how little practice (see hardly any) he has had.

*Scott's patience and burst on his TD run were very impressive. Benson is a beast.

*Gresham is a matchup nightmare. When they lined him up outside, the Eagles defense was helpless. Knowing Coffman was the most prolific pass catching TE in college, why don't they try the same with him. It's not like he's a little guy or something.

*Anyone else thinking Carson is still throwing high ??

Atkins and Dunlap look really really good. I am very pleased with those two.

Big Dre looks like he just walked in off the street. His technique is nowhere, his fitness is dreadful... He had two penalties and gave up 2 sacks (1 negated by his own holding call) and missed a block that let Graham snuff the RB for a loss. He was about as bad as he could be.

The Bengals RB situation is ideal: Benson is a hammer, Scott is lightning and we have possibly 3 RB's who could be there to back them up.

Gresham does make defenders look silly. I think the issue with Coffman is he is not smart enough. Not much to be done about that.

Carson looks OK. Some of his passes are a bit off but I am still going to wait before I bang him, as I feel the WR's could be at fault.

[redsbengalsbucks]

Again, Carson's throws have always been like that. If I had a nickel for every time I've said some variation on, "Jeez, Palmer is going to get his wideouts killed" because thy have to go 10 feet into the air to get the ball, turing them into defenseless targets for safeties and linebackers, I'd have a boat load of nickels.

Again, I'll state that Carson needs to figure out what is wrong with his release point. Turning your WR's into defenseless targets, does not a good QB make. Looks to me like his consistent high throws have gone from just a little high to just out of the reach of the WR many times the last two seasons.

[Kazkal]

How much of it is WR not running right route or going deep enough? Like the first interception where Carson seemed pissed that chad ran the wrong route...Not only that but Maybe Chad asks for them slightly high so that way he's only one make play on it...It's not like this is new it's always been chads specialty making those freakish catches...

[Sea Ray]

How much of it is WR not running right route or going deep enough? Like the first interception where Carson seemed pissed that chad ran the wrong route...Not only that but Maybe Chad asks for them slightly high so that way he's only one make play on it...It's not like this is new it's always been chads specialty making those freakish catches...

Actually it was Carson's fault , not Chad's. This quote came from Carson in the post game:

Q: On the first of the two interceptions, was Chad (Ochocinco) supposed to go short, and he went long?

“No. It was my fault. There was just a miscommunication between the two of us. I just need to give him another second to let him get to where he’s going to end up. I’ll look at it. It’s still cloudy, thinking about the way it happened. I just need to do a better job of letting him get to the spot that he’s going to get to, so he can have a chance to make a play on the ball.”