BengalsZone Fact or Fiction

[Kirkendall]

I'm kind of a dork, but wanted to get everyone's thoughts on the following. This is our own version of ESPN's Fact or Fiction and if you believe one or the other, give an explaination as to why.

1. Even if Kitna takes the Bengals to the playoffs, or even the Super Bowl, Carson Palmer will start next season.

2. Corey Dillon will be with another team next season.

3. Rumor has it that Ray Lewis is interested in playing with Marvin Lewis, this is his final year on his contract. Will he be the Bengals middle linebacker next season?

4. The Bengals will make the playoffs this season.

[ChicagoJungle]

1. Even if Kitna takes the Bengals to the playoffs, or even the Super Bowl, Carson Palmer will start next season.

2. Corey Dillon will be with another team next season.

3. Rumor has it that Ray Lewis is interested in playing with Marvin Lewis, this is his final year on his contract.  Will he be the Bengals middle linebacker next season?

4. The Bengals will make the playoffs this season.

1. Fact. My understanding is that due to contract/salary cap concerns, this has to happen. Besides, everyone (including Kitna) accepts the fact that Palmer is the future of the franchise. You don't invest $22 million in a guy to not play him. I think the real questions are: does Kitna stay as a backup or go somewhere else to help out? And, if the playoffs are either locked up or not possible does Palmer get a start this season?

2. Fact. He wants it, we can afford to let him go, assuming we get some trade value. Barring injury to Rudi, it happens.

3. Fiction. I don't see this happening. I don't claim to be a salary cap expert, but I can't see us paying Ray Lewis money even to Ray Lewis. Plus, he's completely insane.

4. Fact.

[halp]

QUOTE (Kirkendall @ Nov 21 2003, 11:07 AM)

1. Even if Kitna takes the Bengals to the playoffs, or even the Super Bowl, Carson Palmer will start next season.

2. Corey Dillon will be with another team next season.

3. Rumor has it that Ray Lewis is interested in playing with Marvin Lewis, this is his final year on his contract. Will he be the Bengals middle linebacker next season?

4. The Bengals will make the playoffs this season.

1. fact due to salary

2. FACT he has successfully pissed of the fans and probably teammates. to bad he isn't treaeted like T.B.'s johnson!!!!

3. fiction hardy is enough

4. fact and host a HOME play-off game

[JBrooks]

I'm kind of a dork, but wanted to get everyone's thoughts on the following. This is our own version of ESPN's Fact or Fiction and if you believe one or the other, give an explaination as to why.

1. Even if Kitna takes the Bengals to the playoffs, or even the Super Bowl, Carson Palmer will start next season.

2. Corey Dillon will be with another team next season.

3. Rumor has it that Ray Lewis is interested in playing with Marvin Lewis, this is his final year on his contract. Will he be the Bengals middle linebacker next season?

4. The Bengals will make the playoffs this season.

1. Fiction. Lewis is smart. Mike Brown listens to Lewis. It's hard to pigeonhole fact or fiction on this one b/c Marvin will decide by Palmer's development, not by salary.

2. Fact. Sad to say, but he'll be running somewhere else. MIKE...just keep it out of the division.

3. Fiction. It's a hell of a dream, but the cap won't allow it. Think Ray will take a paycut to play with Marvin? Hell, if anyone is crazy enough to be considered, arguably the best player in the NFL and do that, it's Ray.

4. Fact. Why? It's the reason you don't bet on your favorite team...because you gotta believe.

[JBrooks]

Sorry about not giving props to Kirkendall for the quote. Cut and paste is a habit. Good questions, and where did you hear the Ray Lewis rumor?

[Kirkendall]

Regarding Ray Lewis:

There was a quote from Lewis at a Baltimore paper that my friend gets. I don't have it handy, but will try to get it for you. In summation, Ray Lewis said he has interest in playing for Marvin Lewis. Not sure if it was an offical quote, or off the record (reason we haven't heard it on SportsCenter or any .com's probably).

Also, I don't think the Salary Cap would be a concern. If you take Dillon's salary out of the equation, release Kevin Hardy (whom I think is has been a disappointment this season; I've seen multiple missed tackles from him a middle linebacker should make), then you would have the money for Ray even after the salary penalty and Ray wouldn’t have to take a cut.

R.Lewis might be insane, but he has been the sole contributor in keeping that defense in high gear after all of the players they've lost since 2000. Not only is he a great linebacker, but a master motivator. Plus you have two high profile people who’ve won a championship, so they both know how to do it.

With that said, I think R.Lewis coming over would help a defense that had problems all season stopping the run – 22nd in the league.

Plus since that incident he had in Atlanta – the murder accusation – he hasn’t been a problem in the league at all. If anything, the NFL has made him more of a spokesman and he’s shown as his career has progressed his maturity.

Any takers?

[JBrooks]

Takers? I'd love to see Ray in orange and black. The crazy comment I made was just off the cuff. I agree with you about his leadership, ability, and lack of personal problems since his accusations.

I think he'd be a huge pickup on the field and in the clubhouse.

Plus, his dedication and passion are huge. He seems to be single-handedly willing that defense to perform. I love the guy's ability.

Of course, this is all speculation that he'd be available, etc...but it's nice to dream.

[ChicagoJungle]

plus, he could do that "any dogs in the house" cheer before games. that seems to get people fired up.

I meant insane in a good middle-linebacker kind of way. I'd still let him play on my team and run my defense. I just wouldn't ever go to a nightclub with him. Or argue with him. Or cut him off in traffic.

Did you see that tackle he made last weekend on Ricky Williams? He got blocked and fell to the ground, then got up, and pursued the play down the line. Then, just as Ricky was breaking free of the pack, he blindsided him and took him to the ground with some authority. That guy has a lot of anger out there and uses it well.

[redsfan2]

I'm kind of a dork, but wanted to get everyone's thoughts on the following.  This is our own version of ESPN's Fact or Fiction and if you believe one or the other, give an explaination as to why.

1. Even if Kitna takes the Bengals to the playoffs, or even the Super Bowl, Carson Palmer will start next season.

2. Corey Dillon will be with another team next season.

3. Rumor has it that Ray Lewis is interested in playing with Marvin Lewis, this is his final year on his contract.  Will he be the Bengals middle linebacker next season?

4. The Bengals will make the playoffs this season.

This is the kind of thing I come here for. You just don't get this kind of info (if its true) or speculation (if its not) anywhere else.

#1.) IF Kitna and team win the division, I believe he will start the season next year. I then think that no matter how the team is doing, we will start to see Palmer around game 6 or 7. He'll probably begin to get intermintent starts after the 8th or 9th game, and be the starter for the last 3.

All of that depends on Kitna staying healthy ...... Palmer staying healthy ........ and Palmer being as advertised. As of now, I think that all of those will turn out to be true.

#2.) CD is gone. What he is doing right now is auditioning. I also think its a known fact to everyone in the organization. Dillons good attitude and his starts are directly related. Be a good citizen, and you get to start and leave here with a good rep and fond farewell. Act up and get benched or Keyshawned. Tomlinson has said that "some " people are getting tired of playing for a loser in San Diego. Cd wants to play out west ......... sounds like a swap to me. Betcha Lewis could make him stop laughing about the Bengals after just 1 of his mini camps.

#3.) I've got mixed feelings about Ray Lewis. Is he that big of an improvement over what we have that it would justify using the money we would have put into db's and the line ?? ( the O line ) .... He's a model citizen now, but I've read articles that he was losing millions from the crap he got himself into. I've got no problem with his level of play, BUT I'd put a good citizen clause in his contract where he either would lose substantial dosh or void his contract by getting into trouble.

#4.) No wild card is coming out of this division, so this is another way of saying that the Bengals will win the division. I feel good about their chances, but I think we need to see what happens over the next 3 games before we start planning on playoff seats.

Trivial trivia - The season before each of their super bowl appearances the Bengals had finished last in their division. T or F ???

There's another good one on KC's page. Last time the Chiefs were 9 and 0, was 1969. They were beaten by the Bengals by a score of ...... get this 24 to 19.

[Scottishbengal]

For what it's worth, here are my thoughts:

1. Palmer will obviously be the starter next year, but I can see Kitna staying as backup.

2. Dillion will stay - CD and Rudi will share the running back snaps as Palmers is eased into his rookie season with the Bengals opting to be a run heavy team.

3. I haven't heard the Ray Lewis rumour but I think we would be very tight on the salary cap next season, ($12million for 20 players as reported on Bengals.com)

4. Hopefully - I still believe it all down to the divisional games

[jbengals1]

1. Even if Kitna takes the Bengals to the playoffs, or even the Super Bowl, Carson Palmer will start next season.

2. Corey Dillon will be with another team next season.

3. Rumor has it that Ray Lewis is interested in playing with Marvin Lewis, this is his final year on his contract.  Will he be the Bengals middle linebacker next season?

4. The Bengals will make the playoffs this season.

1. yes Carson palmer will start next year,he would be to much $$$ just to sit there and use his hand pulling out splinters when he could be using them to pull out a WIN

2. NOT GOING TO ANSWER THAT 1 I'M A BIG DILLON FAN, but by me not answering you know my answer

3. I can see Ray in stripes next year, he knows what Marvin Lewis can do and has allready done with the bengals and Marvin Lewis knows RAY

4. Playoffs..........I think so but lets not buy the horse before we get the buggy....1 GAME AT A TIME FOLKS/1 HEARTBEAT/1 BENGAL NATION

[Kirkendall]

Reds2Fan: I was waiting for someone to bring up the Bengals previous season placement in the ol' AFC Central. Pretty amazing eh? There's a lot of ironies this season that makes me think the football gods are rewarding us in Bengaldom. One in particular is the Browns and Bengals play each other in the final game this season at PBS. The last time that both teams met at the final game was in 1990.

Regarding Wild Card: The sixth spot is currently held by 6-4 Denver, so I still think that's a possibility. With Cincinnati 1 game behind the wild card spot, plus Miami sporting a 6-4 record, anything can happen. Division would be great, but Wild Card, just as good. Of the past six Super Bowl winners, three have been wild card entries (2001 New England, 2000 Baltimore, '97 Broncos).

[redsfan2]

Reds2Fan: I was waiting for someone to bring up the Bengals previous season placement in the ol' AFC Central. Pretty amazing eh? There's a lot of ironies this season that makes me think the football gods are rewarding us in Bengaldom. One in particular is the Browns and Bengals play each other in the final game this season at PBS. The last time that both teams met at the final game was in 1990.

Regarding Wild Card: The sixth spot is currently held by 6-4 Denver, so I still think that's a possibility. With Cincinnati 1 game behind the wild card spot, plus Miami sporting a 6-4 record, anything can happen. Division would be great, but Wild Card, just as good. Of the past six Super Bowl winners, three have been wild card entries (2001 New England, 2000 Baltimore, '97 Broncos).

#1, you're dating yourself.

The relevence of the Browns being our last game hadn't occurred to me till I read it in an article, and I can't even remember where that was. It is interesting how this season is playing out though isn't it ??

Statistically, the wild card could still come from the North. I doubt that anyone would give me that bet at the odds though. Winning the division would be cleaner, and I think put Marvin Lewis is the drivers seat for coach of the year. I know its not important to him, but I think all the rest of us would like to see it for him.

Good catch on the wild card super bowl winners too. Did you remember that the first one to do it was one of the originals too ??? ......... Oakland Raiders.

[San Antonio Bengal]

1. Fact. Much has been invested in Carson Palmer and he can potentially be the quarterback for years to come. Kitna's playing the best of his career, but the rest of his time in the NFL has been marked by inconsistency. It's too soon to judge whether this is the real Jon Kitna or if he will go back to his previous ways. No matter the case, Kitna is a great leader and we do benefit from having on the team whether he is 1st or 2nd on the depth chart.

2. Fiction. Dillon has two years left on his contract. Only if he pulls a 'Keyshawn' will he get traded or let go. Corey is the franchise player right now -- not Rudi, not Palmer, not Kitna or anyone else. One of those others might step into the role of the "franchise" player, but that will be later on ... next season at the earliest.

3. Fiction. This comes down to money. I haven't heard of this rumor before now, but if it were true, while the desire might be there, Ray Lewis will ask for a good chunk of change for his services. While the defense can stand some improvements, I don't know if the cost of Ray Lewis can justify the gain.

4. Fact. The Bengals are playing well in a division which is down. Cleveland has consistency problems. Pittsburgh is almost completely out of the race with only 3 wins to their name. Baltimore still has a good defense, but their offense is imploding (or has imploded). On the other hand, Cincinnati is playing good ball with victories over KC, Houston, Seattle and Baltimore (back when they had somewhat of an offense). Cincy has a lot of confidence and for the first time in a long time, they can go into a game feeling they can win. Just having that attitude can go a long way in the win column. It just seems that the stars are aligned for a 10-6 or 9-7 season with their first AFC North division crown.