The first quarter grades are in

[jjakq27]

This is just one man's opinion of the team after the first quarter grading period (4 games). Please feel free to chime in.

Team Record 1-3

Quarterback C+

We were told that the team would not put it all on Carson Palmer to win the game. However with CP leading the league in Pass Attempts with 154 (38.5/game) it appears that is not true. He has shown some great touch and poise considering the pass rush but he has also made some bad choices in the last two weeks. In the three losses, the Bengals were down by a touchdown or less late in the game and he was required to try to win the game. Playing from behind does not help the situation.

Offensive Line C

Injuries have been a major issue with getting some cohesion on the line. Levi Jones continues to get beat and should be taken down if his knee is so bad. Jerry Fontenot has done well in a difficult situation but was beaten on the blitz several times yesterday.

Running Backs B-

Rudi Johnson’s numbers have steadily improved over the four games but curious play calling has limited his role at times. Kenny Watson has looked good in spots. Chris Perry looked good as a pass catcher yesterday and Jeremi Johnson has done a good job of blocking.

Wide Receivers C

TJ has become Palmer’s go-to guy. That can’t happen if they want to contend. Chad Johnson has to become more of a factor. Did 7-11 move out of the neighborhood or what? And how badly do they miss Peter Warrick? I did like the speed that Cliff Russell showed but they seemed to get away from the deep ball later in the game yesterday.

Tight Ends D

They are not a major factor in Bratkowski’s offense/system. Matt Schoebel has made a few catches but none of the TE’s are a threat and probably allow the defense to play off of them more than they should.

Offensive Coaching C

As stated earlier, whether it is because of playing from behind or just curious play calling, they seem too quick to abandon the run. There are too many three and outs. They have been in all four games until late and would have been better off trying to hammer the ball a little more to control the clock and the ball. I think that Bratkowski is in love with Palmer’s arm and is trying force some things by throwing rather than play it conservative and pick their spots .

Special Teams B

As a whole the group has been pretty solid. Kyle Larson has done a decent job so far. Shayne Graham is Mr. Automatic on PAT’s and FG’s but his kickoffs could use some improvement though. The coverage teams have decent but gave up a long run to Randle-El yesterday and Sams last weeks. Return teams have been average.

Defensive Line D-

Duane Clemons seems to be the only one making any kind of difference. Justin Smith always seems to pushed wide of the QB. John Thornton has had some flashes. However as a group they are unable to consistently penetrate in the running game. And they always seem to arrive a split second too late on the pass rush. I don’t think there are any quick fixes here until the offseason.

Linebackers C-

Brian Simmons’ return after the Jets game seemed to solidify this group somewhat. Nate Webster’s injury was at an inopportune time since he appeared to be getting comfortable with the defense and his teammates. Kevin Hardy looks painfully slow though. Caleb Miller has done a decent job and seems to have the speed and energy to make some plays. Landon Johnson has done OK for a rookie also.

Defensive Backs C-

They have shown flashes on some pass plays but still seem to play off the receiver too much. Third down completions are still a problem. Tory James’ play has improved somewhat but is spotty and Deltha O’Neill has been average. Due to the injuries Madieu Williams has had a chance to play a lot and has done well while in the game. Rogers Beckett and Kim Herring have been non-factors. Keiwan Ratliff has gotten some reps as well and may press the veterans for playing time later in the year. I think the future is here with the group.

Defensive Coaching C-

It doesn’t seem like they blitz that often and have given up several long TD drives late in the game. Playing a lot of rookies was not in the plan but they seem to be playing better than some of the veterans. Even when some of these guys get healthy, I would leave the rookies out there. They seem to have more energy and fire than some of the old guys.

Overall Coaching/Philosophy/Draft C-

Many of the things that were preached by Marvin Lewis earlier this year have not happened. Things like stopping the run, winning divisional games, winning on the road and supporting Palmer. How much impact the injuries have had is hard to determine. However, they have not been able to bring in players this year (via FA or draft) that addressed any of those needs.

Most of the starting offensive players and coaching staff was left intact from Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau’s tenure. Lewis drafted Palmer, Steinbach and signed Bobby Williams and Reggie Kelly. Rudi Johnson replaced Corey Dillon. So drafting Kelly Washington (3rd-2003) and Chris Perry (1st -2004) might end up being a waste. Tinkering with this group was probably not necessary at the expense of the defense. If Rudi isn’t going to be here next year, RB is the easiest position to get production from with a rookie.

The starting defense was upgraded via free agency last year but the glaring need of run stopper was not. I know that the Darryl Gardner situation and not signing Warren Sapp probably messed up their draft but taking a DE or DT with the first pick should have been a priority regardless.

[skyline]

I'd say that's pretty accurate up to this point. I expect them to go up significantly over the course of the season.

[vettespd20]

I agree with most besides i think the OVERALL coaching should be about an B. And I think the QB should be about a B- to B. Because coaching should be a little higher than u said and I think that the QB should be higher because Its not all PALMERS fault he is trying to make things happen from nothing but has made bad mistakes. But very good input.

[bengalsfan33]

Nice read, jjak.

I agree mostly with what was said. I think if we didn't have so many dang injuries, than the Bengals would be in much better shape. Hopefully the front office goes out and gets another LB(Jason Gildon)...

[kingwilly]

I disagree with the coaching scores. A C grade indicates "average" and they are certainly below that with a 1-3 record...so I'd call it a D+ for off and def coaches.

Most of the other grades are probably right on. Maybe a C- for Special teams.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Linebackers get an F as does the d-line. How can the worst defense in the NFL and one that's last in the league in rush defense get anything above an F????? How?

I've watched the pathetic LB's here closely, and frankly, they all suck. I mean they are not good at all people - look at their tackle #'s - ecspecially Hardy - who is a complete waste of time and roster space. They are all inconsistent and Simmons has gotten seemingly worse with time.

And I hope Miller improves because right now he absoutely stinks - cannot make a play or a solid tackle to save his life, and at times on film he still looks clueless (even admitted as much afterwards). Why do the Bengals always have these "lost players" problem and not other teams?

The sack #'s and rushing defense point towards the d-line also.

The coaching staff deserves a D IMO, and am only giving them that high of a grade because of injuries.

Luckily, the season's still quite young and there's room for improvement.

Either way they're not going to improve that much - and therefore I would accept nothing less than a complete gutting of this defense altogether and re-evaluation of the o-line in the off season.

Fortunately it doesn't look like re-signing Rudi and Warrick are going to be much of a problem at this point due to their lack of team support and opportunity and/or injury.

But hey other than the defensive grades, which are waaaay too lenient, I can agree on the other's.

[Kirkendall]

Seriously, if Kitna put up the same stats under the same circumstances, I really think most would give the QB grade a solid D -- as would I. 3 TDs and 7 INTS? I don't care who's in there, that's not good.

[Barbarian]

I disagree with the coaching scores. A C grade indicates "average" and they are certainly below that with a 1-3 record...so I'd call it a D+ for off and def coaches.

Most of the other grades are probably right on. Maybe a C- for Special teams.

I'm going to say that the C grade for the Coordinators is way too high. I would say that they deserve a D-/F. That's ridiculous.

Linebackers get an F as does the d-line. How can the worst defense in the NFL and one that's last in the league in rush defense get anything above an F????? How?

I'll agree with this too. Anything above an F for the front seven is assnine!!! They have one of the worst Run Defenses in the league. No way these jokers are anything above an F.

[jjakq27]

Thanks for the input everyone. I graded on a "curve" because of the injuries and because Palmer is a newbie.

[HoosierCat]

Good read, jj. In general, I agree. One thought...

How much impact the injuries have had is hard to determine.

Actually it isn't. The only real question is whether you want to classify the impact as "major" or go all the way to "devastating."

Before the season even got started, we lost two 2003 picks who were supposed to push for starting jobs this year, Weathersby and Abdullah. By opening day, we were starting four rookies on defense -- not 4 out of 11 but 4 out of 7 of our LBs and DBs -- on defense. Between injuries to Herring, Beckett, Simmons, and Webster, I don't believe we have actually had a single game yet this year with all 11 of our defenses starters healthy. There's an old football rule of thumb that says you lose 1 game for every rookie you start, so I suppose we should count ourselves lucky we've won 1 so far.

On offense, Carson Palmer has yet to play behind the five guys he practiced behind in the offseason. We had to make an emergency signing, Fontenot, after the C position was basically whiped out on opening day. Steinbach, Jones and Anderson have all been fighting injuries. Chris Perry got dinged up coming into the season, fell behind, and is only now beginning to get into games. Peter Warrick missed the last game, and clearly isn't the guy from last year.

Any way you look at it, we've been hammered. Hopefully, with the bye week, we can get the o-line, Herring, and Beckett healthy, get Russell some more reps with Carson to give us an alternative to Warrick, and maybe find a vet who can hold down the middle until we can get Miller up to speed. If we can get this team healthy, I believe we'll see some different results on the field.