Browns and Broncos Beat Up

[HoosierCat]

The Browns rested practically all their starters yesterday so they emerged with no further injuries, but Denver apparently lost a couple guys, including their third-round pick and a LB who stated 13 games last season.

[HoosierCat]

Gocong, Watson hurting for Browns.

BEREA - Browns linebacker Chris Gocong (neck stinger) and tight end Benjamin Watson (hip) didn’t practice Monday morning and continued to work on the side with a trainer.

The team is hopeful the two starters will return Wednesday and be able to go Sunday in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Gocong missed all four preseason games with a pinched nerve that affects the strength in his arm. He took a hit to the head, and it “just kinda whipped it to the side,” he said.

Watson left practice Aug. 28. He led the team in 2010 with 68 catches for 763 yards and three touchdowns.

[HoosierCat]

Via Hobs, Bengals injury report from practice today:

NJURY UPDATE: The Bengals were short in the secondary Monday with cornerback Kelly Jennings still nursing a hamstring on the side and has yet to practice as a Bengal while safety Taylor Mays (knee) rode the exercise bike. Also not on the field was the new tight end the Bengals just claimed, Mickey Shuler, leaving them with just Jermaine Gresham and Colin Cochart at the position. Also not working was backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, but it doesn't seem to be anything that would keep him from playing.

[Spor_tees]

Via Hobs, Bengals injury report from practice today:

NJURY UPDATE: The Bengals were short in the secondary Monday with cornerback Kelly Jennings still nursing a hamstring on the side and has yet to practice as a Bengal while safety Taylor Mays (knee) rode the exercise bike. Also not on the field was the new tight end the Bengals just claimed, Mickey Shuler, leaving them with just Jermaine Gresham and Colin Cochart at the position. Also not working was backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, but it doesn't seem to be anything that would keep him from playing.

It's kind of unnerving to read that one of your only 4 cornerbacks is still hurt and has not practiced with the team since being picked up. I seriously hope this doesn't turn into the linebacker episode from a couple years ago when they got down to only 3 guys...

I believe they even moved a safety (Ndukewe I think) into the box that game in order to give some guys a rest. I sure hope Mays and Jennings can pick up this defense and all its audibles quickly.

[derekshank]

It's kind of unnerving to read that one of your only 4 cornerbacks is still hurt and has not practiced with the team since being picked up.

Jennings should be fine. I think they are just being cautious because they are only carrying 4 CBs until Pacman gets back.

In the meantime... Reggie Nelson has some CB experience if they find themselves in a bind. But the 4 guys they have should be fine until the bye. The 5th CB doesn't usually ever see the field except for STs anyway.

[HoosierCat]

Browns starting RT Pashos in a boot. Unknown whether it's serious enough to keep him out; coach describes it as a "sore foot," says walking boots are "magical." Did Cleveland add Harry Potter to their med staff?

[HoosierCat]

Good Terry Pluto column on the Browns.

/>http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2011/09/cleveland_browns_new_look_dese.html

[volcom69]

If Dalton can somehow go to clevenland and the win, this will be huge for his confidence. I really hope they dont come out trying to do to much with Andy, they should come out running the ball, throwing screens, let Dalotn complete some passes to help him gain confidence for the game, let the WR/RB move the ball after the catch. Run the ball then do play action to open up some longer throws! I think Dalton can do it, but he will need alot of help, just dont turn the ball over or make stupid mistakes, and dont force things that are not there.

[HoosierCat]

And the week 1 expert picks start rolling in. Yahoo:

/>http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/pickem

No surprises -- Cleveland across the board.

[derekshank]

And the week 1 expert picks start rolling in. Yahoo:

/>http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/pickem

No surprises -- Cleveland across the board.

Yep. Not surprising. The replacing Palmer and Chad with rookies is on everyone's mind. Not to mention a rookie OC and a lockout that makes everyone a little unprepared for the season.

But I do think some things are being overlooked:

1) They have a new HC (who is also the OC). The lockout will likely be just as hard on new coaching regimes as it will be on rookies.

2) Yes, McCoy has played in a handful of NFL games... but it's a new offense. Much of that experience is meaningless, as the offense the Browns are running will be just as new to McCoy as the Bengals offense is to Dalton.

3) The Browns defense has a new DC and switched to a 4-3. I don't think this can be overstated. That is a huge change in scheme, and there was a ton of turnover in the roster.

I'm not quite predicting a win for the Bengals (there are so many unknowns with how Dalton will run Gruden's offense), but the Browns are dealing with even more off-season changes. With the Vegas line being -7, I'm taking the points and betting on Cincy.

[cincyhokie]

I like this quote by Benson. The Bengals may not win Sunday but he's right that they are being drastically underestimated. A loose, focused, hungry team...against a team with "hopes" and a new HC knowing the fanbase will have his ass if they lose? I'll take the team that's loose and focused...the same team that also won the division two years ago using a run/stop the run mentallity.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has plenty of underdog fodder to build that chip on the shoulder. He’s mixing the same kind of us-against-them chemistry that was bubbling in his first season of 2003.

Running back Cedric Benson started it earlier this week when asked about the low expectations and expect more of the same this week.

“Just tune in and watch. It will be fun. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people,” Benson said and when told Lewis’ teams seem to play better as the underdogs, he smiled.

“And nobody thinks we’re going to be worth a damn this year, huh? So it’s great for us."

/>http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/For-openers/99b49e89-7632-4403-a782-2b20baa124d0

[Sea Ray]

It is nice that there's no pressure on them but winning the opener on the road would be a huge upset. I doubt this team will any road games this year, particularly in the early going. If they improve they may steal one late

[HoosierCat]

I'm not quite predicting a win for the Bengals (there are so many unknowns with how Dalton will run Gruden's offense), but the Browns are dealing with even more off-season changes. With the Vegas line being -7, I'm taking the points and betting on Cincy.

We're I betting, I would, too.

5 of the 8 guys at espn have their picks in. Again, so far it's Cleveburg all the way.

/>http://espn.go.com/nfl/picks

But at CBS, one lone nut goes with the bengals.

/>http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/features/writers/expert/picks

[cincyhokie]

It is nice that there's no pressure on them but winning the opener on the road would be a huge upset. I doubt this team will any road games this year, particularly in the early going. If they improve they may steal one late

They're playing Cleveland. I don't think that's a huge upset. Also, Cleveburg is looking like they will be without their starting RT and a LB. They're already down Steinbach.

The Bengals can run over Cleveland with the running game and they can stop Hillis. They've done this before. The line at -7 is absolutely insanely dumb.

[Spor_tees]

I'm not quite predicting a win for the Bengals (there are so many unknowns with how Dalton will run Gruden's offense), but the Browns are dealing with even more off-season changes. With the Vegas line being -7, I'm taking the points and betting on Cincy.

We're I betting, I would, too.

5 of the 8 guys at espn have their picks in. Again, so far it's Cleveburg all the way.

/>http://espn.go.com/nfl/picks

But at CBS, one lone nut goes with the bengals.

/>http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/features/writers/expert/picks

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile!

[HoosierCat]

Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi has a good write-up on the Bengals. Unlike the national media types, he seems to get what the Bengals are trying to do.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The circus has left Cincinnati. The Bengals look more like a football team because of it.

Clownish receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens were shown the trap door after a 4-12 season in 2010. But the breakup of the T. Ocho Show didn't come soon enough for Carson Palmer. The declining quarterback was so disgusted with the soap opera atmosphere that infected the team that he vowed to retire rather than play another down for the Bengals. President Mike Brown held him to his word and refused to trade Palmer.

Brown is paying a hefty PR price for holding his ground. Bengals fans, who've bought out Paul Brown Stadium fairly regularly over the past 10 years, are railing once again about Brown's stubbornness and ineptness. ESPN the Magazine did Brown no favors by ranking the Bengals 122nd among 122 professional sports franchises.

On an indirectly related issue, Brown was one of two NFL owners who spoke out and voted against the league's CBA extension in 2006. Two years later, the rest of the owners jumped to his side and opted out, leading to the labor impasse this year and a new, owner-friendly labor agreement.

Feeling his revenue streams were adjusted satisfactorily, Brown invested in defensive free agents Manny Lawson, Thomas Howard, Reggie Nelson and Taylor Mays, and re-invested in nucleus players Andrew Whitworth and Leon Hall. The Bengals also swiftly updated the passing game in the first two rounds of the draft with receiver A.J. Green and quarterback Andy Dalton.

All of which brought coach Marvin Lewis to say this week, "I know we'll be a better football team than a 4-12 team. There's not the star power on paper that maybe we possessed last year, but when it comes down to it, I think we'll all be all-in, and they'll be all-in together. And that's the biggest statement we can make heading into the regular season."

On Sunday, Lewis enters his ninth season, surpassing founder Paul Brown and Sam Wyche as the franchise's longest-tenured coach. Five wins will make him the winningest one, too.

Many doubt the Bengals will exceed their victory total of 2010. But Lewis' teams have a habit of exceeding low expectations. They are more dangerous when little is expected of them.

[cincyhokie]

Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi has a good write-up on the Bengals. Unlike the national media types, he seems to get what the Bengals are trying to do.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The circus has left Cincinnati. The Bengals look more like a football team because of it.

Clownish receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens were shown the trap door after a 4-12 season in 2010. But the breakup of the T. Ocho Show didn't come soon enough for Carson Palmer. The declining quarterback was so disgusted with the soap opera atmosphere that infected the team that he vowed to retire rather than play another down for the Bengals. President Mike Brown held him to his word and refused to trade Palmer.

Brown is paying a hefty PR price for holding his ground. Bengals fans, who've bought out Paul Brown Stadium fairly regularly over the past 10 years, are railing once again about Brown's stubbornness and ineptness. ESPN the Magazine did Brown no favors by ranking the Bengals 122nd among 122 professional sports franchises.

On an indirectly related issue, Brown was one of two NFL owners who spoke out and voted against the league's CBA extension in 2006. Two years later, the rest of the owners jumped to his side and opted out, leading to the labor impasse this year and a new, owner-friendly labor agreement.

Feeling his revenue streams were adjusted satisfactorily, Brown invested in defensive free agents Manny Lawson, Thomas Howard, Reggie Nelson and Taylor Mays, and re-invested in nucleus players Andrew Whitworth and Leon Hall. The Bengals also swiftly updated the passing game in the first two rounds of the draft with receiver A.J. Green and quarterback Andy Dalton.

All of which brought coach Marvin Lewis to say this week, "I know we'll be a better football team than a 4-12 team. There's not the star power on paper that maybe we possessed last year, but when it comes down to it, I think we'll all be all-in, and they'll be all-in together. And that's the biggest statement we can make heading into the regular season."

On Sunday, Lewis enters his ninth season, surpassing founder Paul Brown and Sam Wyche as the franchise's longest-tenured coach. Five wins will make him the winningest one, too.

Many doubt the Bengals will exceed their victory total of 2010. But Lewis' teams have a habit of exceeding low expectations. They are more dangerous when little is expected of them.

I saw that earlier too. Very fair and accurate write-up.

[COB]

Amazing how the Bengals are being dissed. And that's saying something when you consider the media's attitude towards the franchise normally.

I heard Michael Strahan on Mike and Mike this morning. They were discussing opening week, and they asked him about the two rookie starting quarterbacks, and he dismissed Dalton's chances with something like, "I don't think Andy Dalton can win because of the situation in Cincinnati there." That was it. Then he went on to talk about Cam Newton for a while, how he can get it done. Earth to media: The Panthers suck, and the Bengals beat their asses all over the field when the starters were in.

It's kind of a perfect storm: Hated franchise lets everyone down last year after they were forced to jump on the bandwagon by the '09 season. Then Carson Palmer somehow is an angel for demanding a trade and refusing to play, and Mike Brown is once again in the role of evil dunce, carrying out petty grudges instead of trying to win.

Do any of these guys even watch the preseason? Does anyone other than Solomon Wilcotts bother to notice how the team has actually played on the field?

It's pretty mind boggling. There is no rhyme or reason for Cleveland to be favored over the Bengals. If any talking head were to be asked to explain their pick, we'd hear, "Well, it's the Bengals. Gufaw, Harumph." Then they might say something about us starting a rookie quarterback. Whatever. Cleveland's defense totally sucks. I barely care what happens when we have the ball. I'm really looking forward to our defense against their offense. Their tackle is absolutley great. Our d-line is pretty darn good, not that anyone has noticed. Zimmer has crafted this defense to stop the run. With Hillis and Joe Thomas, our D will be tested with a power running game that, until Hillis wears down two thirds of the way through the season, will likely be the best in the AFC North. Total smashmouth vs smashmouth D. I can't wait.

Bengals will win in Cleveland. Media reaction? "Why does Cleveland suck so bad all of a sudden?"

[HoosierCat]

There is no rhyme or reason for Cleveland to be favored over the Bengals.

Well of course there is: the bookies are smarter than the media, and they're thinking the same thing you and I are -- that the Bengals are getting downgraded because everyone thinks Mike is a d*ck, not because of what's happened on the field. Last I saw at walter's site 70%+ of the bets were going on Cleveland. I wouldn't be surprised to see the line increase.

Things could still very easily get ugly Sunday. There's plenty on the Bengals that could go wrong. But I totally agree that the "Mike Brown sucks/Bengals organization is a joke" line of criticism has been taken way too far this year.

Still, I hope they keep piling on. Like Grossi said, this team is at its most dangerous when no one expects it to do anything.

[HairOnFire]

They're playing Cleveland. I don't think that's a huge upset.

It's probably just the contrarian in me, but if this game was being played in Cincy rather than Cleveland I would put the Bengals odds of winning the game outright much much lower.

Go figure, right?

[derekshank]

Reedy's take on the defense

I like Reedy. He strikes me as fair, although usually a bit more pessimistic than I (of course, he's not a Bengals fan). In his other writings and interviews, he's made it clear he thinks Dalton is going to struggle a lot... but he appears to like the defense.

Here are his noted changes:

Here’s a look at this year’s expected starters and the players they replaced in parenthesis:

LE: 91 Robert Geathers

NT: 94 Domata Peko

DT: 97 Geno Atkins (Tank Johnson)

RE: 93 Michael Johnson (Antwan Odom)

SLB: 50 Manny Lawson (Rey Maualuga)

MLB: 58 Rey Maualuga (Dhani Jones)

WLB: 53 Thomas Howard (Keith Rivers)

LCB: 22 Nate Clements (Johnathan Joseph)

RCB: 29 Leon Hall

SS: 42 Chris Crocker

FS: 20 Reggie Nelson (Roy Williams)

Aside from Joseph (and perhaps Rivers) nearly every change looks to be a notable upgrade, no?

I'm expecting a low scoring game on Sunday.

[cincyhokie]

Reedy's take on the defense

I like Reedy. He strikes me as fair, although usually a bit more pessimistic than I (of course, he's not a Bengals fan). While he seems to think Dalton is going to struggle a lot, he appears to like the defense.

Here is his noted changes:

Here’s a look at this year’s expected starters and the players they replaced in parenthesis:

LE: 91 Robert Geathers

NT: 94 Domata Peko

DT: 97 Geno Atkins (Tank Johnson)

RE: 93 Michael Johnson (Antwan Odom)

SLB: 50 Manny Lawson (Rey Maualuga)

MLB: 58 Rey Maualuga (Dhani Jones)

WLB: 53 Thomas Howard (Keith Rivers)

LCB: 22 Nate Clements (Johnathan Joseph)

RCB: 29 Leon Hall

SS: 42 Chris Crocker

FS: 20 Reggie Nelson (Roy Williams)

Aside from Joseph (and perhaps Rivers) nearly every change looks to be a notable upgrade, no?

Agreed. Although, I think Keith "Brian Simmons" Rivers being replaced is an upgrade in itself.

[cincyhokie]

Annnnd Colin Cowherd just states that the Browns beating the Bengals is the safest "bet" of the weekend. Says there's "no way" Andy Dalton can come into Cleveland and win.

I'm beginning to like our chances more and more.

[derekshank]

I think Keith "Brian Simmons" Rivers being replaced is an upgrade in itself.

Hence my "perhaps" clause.

Even still... I like Rivers and think he's underrated. He hasn't lived up to his draft status, because you expect to get a "playmaker" when you get a guy that early. But he is solid... A jack of all trades, master of none? Perhaps. But if the fact that he's solid is the worst that can be said of him - he's ok in my book.

[princeton]

I think Keith "Brian Simmons" Rivers being replaced is an upgrade in itself.

I don't. Bengals managed to find an even less physical player than Rivers to replace him. Kudos.

I'll go even further-- will this team ever look for a pass-rushing weak side LBer instead of putting a "complete" (aka non-passrusher) guy over there? And even when they draft a pass-rusher, they decide to teach him how to not rush the passer as a SLB (Moch this year, Michael Johnson in years past). I think the very key to this years' defense is the pass rush but it's going to have to come exclusively from the DLine because the LBer crew is filled with confirmed non-pass rushers (Manny Lawson, KRivers, I'm looking at you).

Taylor Mays has the body of a third down pass-rushing WLB, BTW...