daredevil25 Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Man that game had me watching from start to finish. Palmer and the O looked really tight early and not as fluid as they did last week. However, that last drive showed to me that Palmer is a player and will more than likely escape the Heisman curse. Miami put up a great battle, but you held on and like the cliche goes, "a win is a win is a win". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 I almost fell asleep in the 1st half & couldn't stop pacing in the second! I couldn't even watch Graham try that last FG. Doesn't seem to matter who's coaching, they're still the Cardiac Cats!WHO-DEY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Man that game had me watching from start to finish. Palmer and the O looked really tight early and not as fluid as they did last week. However, that last drive showed to me that Palmer is a player and will more than likely escape the Heisman curse. Miami put up a great battle, but you held on and like the cliche goes, "a win is a win is a win". Cheers for that DD. My hat's off to Miami's D. Man they were rock solid almost the whole game.And congrats to your boys being 2-0 and looking pretty damn good doing it. (actually you looked great against the 49ers, but they don't count cause they suck ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 I'm worn out, but as happy as I have been in awhile.Quick observations:1. Miami's D is no joke, unreal game by them. Along those lines, props to Palmer for being patient, not forcing things and making a big mistake. 2. I know Miami's offense has huge problems, but was so glad to see Bengals bring pressure and not give the Miami offense a chance to breathe. That's how it is supposed to be done. 3. That last drive by Palmer deserves a special place in Bengals history. I do now want to imagine what it would have been like to have finished letting that game slip away. It would have been bad. Instead, Palmers directs a cool-as-ice 59 yard drive, the Bengals longest of the night by far, and gets them into comfortable field goal range. The difference between 0-2 and 1-1 is unreal. Palmer is the man.4. Unreal that Jerry Fontenot was able to anchor the line after only being here since Thursday. I know Miami got 5 sacks, but, still, I do not want to imagine the carnage if Mike Mabry had had to start at center.5. Tell you all who went to the game, congrats, huge props. The stadium looked spectacular on national TV, loud as hell, and the espn three were appropriately complimentary. It made a real difference.6. I am as happy right now as I have been in a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 6. I am as happy right now as I have been in a long time. So am I membengal...so am I. :player: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrishcovga Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Good win, especially at home! Really impressed by overall intensity of the front 7. - Simmons and O'Neal were very noticeable. Touchdown pass probably would have been intercepted if not for the tip by Clemons.* Game Ball goes to Nate Webster - Finally showed signs of being a leader on this defense and keeping his guys in the right spot ! - Hit at 9 yard line in 3rd quarter on Gordon was priceless! - Game Goats - I'm not gonna go out on a limb and say Carson and the offense. However ( HOWEVER ) Game goats gotta be shelled out to 1. Nate Webster2. Kevin Hardy3. Deltha O'Neal ( twice )- we can't get freebie interceptions and not make the catches. 3 turnovers are good, but against a Miami offense that bad, we should've had at least 3 more !Reality Check:- WE are a much better defense when we stay out of Zone packages! - We don't have the personell to create sacks - we need to blitz , and I mean alot. Keep the offense looking for the extra man at all times and start dictating our one on one matchups on the line !- That's what Leslie Frazier was brought here to do, run the blitz happy ( eagles ) style defense.- Next week we play the Ravens, we've gotta blitz at least 75% of the defensive snaps! Keep Lewis going sideways instead of north and south!.- And we've gotta take our chances deep against them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Chrish, I agree wholeheartedly, esp. re catching those INTs and blitzing. I will add on the defensive side that, aside from not pulling down that pick, I liked what I saw from Deltha O'Neal last night. He wasn't perfect, but for a guy who barely got a chance to practice before losing most of the preseason to injury, he played well. If he can keep that up we can afford to risk man coverage and blitz more often.On the offensive side, I give Carson a B. He misfired on a couple of big throws -- the miss to Chad on the second to last drive and not hitting a wide-open TJ on the sideline near the end zone come to mind -- but he also had a couple drops (Chad, Schobel) and was getting hammered (5 sacks) all night. And he was getting little help on the ground. He kept his cool, didn't try to force anything, and when the final bell rang he answered.I'll toss Rudi another B. He didn't get a lot of yards but had a couple of good runs, which is a couple more than he should have given the way Zach, Junior and Jason were playing.The real disappointment last night, to me, was the o-line. I'll give 'em a D; the only reason they don't get an F is because we won. Couldn't pass block or run block. Clearly, they missed Braham's signal-calling roll. I do have to give props to Fontenot. For a guy who just joined the team three days beore he played like a champ. When I heard he was going to go I expected at least one muffed snap, but everything was smooth. But the bottom line is they need to get better because the ravens are no pushovers, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brew Man Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Chris, did you just give a game goat to Nate? He was all over the field last night! I was as surprised as anyone at how good he looked. The defense stepped up big time. Without them, we dont have a chance last night. I was there and it was electric. :player: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Stripes Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 what a game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JungleFanatic Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 What a difference a week (and a ROARING jungle) can make!Awesome game last night!!! Our LB's were in the zone :player: !WHO-DEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedsFan75 Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Watching that game had me almost forgetting I was suffering with the flu. I was on the edge of my seat the entire 2nd half. Scary what happened when the D went to protect the lead and moved into the zone...Gotta Blitz the Ravens..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brew Man Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Gotta Blitz the Ravens..... Hopefully the Ratbirds will be without the services of thier All Pro tight end, then blitzing will be easier..... :player: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schweinhart Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Heap got rolled in a major way. At best he's got a severe high ankle sprain. Doubt he can play for a few weeks.No doubt the D blitzes vs. any team w/ horrendous QBs like Feeley and Boller. But I'll say this for Boller -- he took off running several times vs. Steelers w/ success.Anyone notice how fast Bauman blitzed from the corner? That dude is different gear fast w/ a great jump on the ball. I'd like to see more of that.The gang blitzing worked well, too, vs, Fins, but if the D does that vs. Ratbirds and its a Lewis handoff, the tackle best be made at the LOS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizona Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 I agree with the last post. A big blitz that misses Jamal leads to a big run and a TD. But, I would blitz us every down too. It's a chance you have to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingwilly Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 That is what is called "Winning Ugly" .The Bengals showed something last night that was very distinct. They persevered and did not make the big mistake. This time last year we were all talking about how we "Won" the game at the Raiders, which was lost on Kitna's big interception. This was different. The Offense was faced with some real challenges. First being some injuries that kept our regular Center off the field. Do not underestimate the importance of Fontenot coming and effectively running the line. That was huge. The second was that the Miami D is very good and plays with pride and intensity. Thomas, Seau, Taylor, Madison...these guys are players and they only gave up plays once they started getting tired. The trick here was that Palmer and company did not get antsy. They kept running the ball, stuck with the plan and despite having a poor statistical game...they won. Win Ugly...still a win.Also, our D showed they could dominate a team. One, that while has issues, also has a few weapons. Anyone else feel that nervous sensation every time McMichael grabbed a pass? or Chambers? I did. But key was the upfront pressure. Feely had no time and no options and Gordon really had nothing to work with. Miami's O-line was pretty bad, getting beat and out-run on nearly every play. D showed up, and finished the game.Constructive criticism:1. Note to Bratkowski - the fake reverse on seemingly every play is basically worthless as a misdirection. The one time they hand it to Housh, he goes for 9 yrds? that is alot of work to set up the one time you do give it on the come-back. That crap will not work on seasoned guys like Taylor, Seau and Thomas. Hats off to the Miami D for giving hell.2. Madieu Williams seemed more natural at safety. Beckett better hope he comes back quickly, or all we'll remember about him is that his mom chose Rogers not Roger.3. Bauman, O'Neal and James looked like they meshed. Over the top, blitzes, and 1 on 1 they did a decent job. Feely had little to throw at and combined with pressure and decent coverage, this is why. 4. Webster played better by playing slower. He did not over pursue, or bite on the motion, or miss tackels. Having Simmons out there keeps him balanced.5. Rudi Johnson needs to get a decent cut back and be more creative. He regularly ran to the line, to where the hole should be, slowed down and stumbled to field turf. He had a few 12-15 yrd runs that happened when a hole appeared..BUT...take a note from Faulk or Martin. They hit the line, bounce and cut back. It can even be schemed this way with the tight end pausing and the turning the end in against the cut back to spring the runner. This is a play that St. Louis runs ALL THE TIME with Faulk for an easy 8-25 yrds. Imagine the first guy trying to tackle Rudi is the free safety in open field.In summary, it is a big, ugly, happy win. The Benglas did not fold, or play prevent, or make the one big mistake. Last year we had some good, tight games that we won; in Pittsburgh, against SF, Seattle. But we also lost some…Buf, Oak, AZ. We need to get over that hump and last night showed we are close. Real close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbarian Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Yeah, I'm going to have to disagree with Chrish about Webster. The Oompa Loompa had a GOOD GAME. He had 10 tackles last night and was all over the f**king field.His job is to not make INTs but to defend the pass--if that was Webster's job, then he'd be a Tight End, not a LB.Everything else I agree with you though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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