Peter King Pounds the Bengals

[walzav29]

2. I think if I'm a Bengals fan, I have been teased again. This team is going to break my heart one more time. First off, was that Kim Herring covering Terrell Owens on the first play of Friday night's exhibition game in Philly? Herring, a safety, covering T.O., only the best wideout on the planet, with no cornerback help -- at least none after the first few yards past the line of scrimmage. Ridiculous. Stupid. Idiotic. They deserved to get burned for a 64-yard touchdown. It just reinforces the problems I believed Marvin Lewis had fixed. I thought these weren't the same old Bengals. And then, on the Eagles' second offensive snap, Owens catches a ball for 31. Jam him! Double him! Hit him in the mouth! Do something! In all, Owens had five catches for 131 yards in the first 26 minutes of the game. And it would be nice if this offense that is supposed to make fans forget about Esiason and Collinsworth could manage one touchdown pass between Carson and his two millionaire wideouts, Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. There's no question the schedule should prevent Cincinnati from falling into a huge hole early; the Bengals open with Cleveland and have only one returning playoff team, Minnesota, among their first six 2005 games. But it won't matter if they play like they did on Friday night when their first-teamers got totally embarrassed by Philadelphia's first-teams, 27-3, in the first half.

[HoosierCat]

King doesn't pull any punches...but llike Marvin said of the game, those punches are well-deserved. Time to get to work.

[HairOnFire]

When I think of Peter King's MMQB series I think of three things.

1 - Coffee nerdness - Not sure how it's spelled. One word or two? Then again who cares? Just make sure that each week a major chunk of your article is devoted to Starbucks and airport coffee. Because it's fascinating stuff, right?

2 - Mary Beth and the pets - Did Mary Beth get hold of a fastball during this weeks softball game? Did Pete get angry letters in response to another MMQB that King devoted to an unloved cat that had died? Or how about the the dead dog that he loved? And while we're at it what type of coffee is best to drink at a cat funeral? Then again who cares? Just make sure that each week ANOTHER major chunk of your article is devoted to things I don't care about.

3 - To read the third thing I always think of when reading any article on CNN/SI please click [HERE] or maybe [HERE] and while we're at it... click [HERE] as well.

[dave]

Well said, HaironFire. I used to like King until he started taking himself too seriously and offering his opinions on everything, starting writing as much about his damn daughter and coffee as he did football, and pretty much admitted that he doesn't see some teams play other than highlights (though that doesn't stop him from offering opinions).

And while Brett Favre might be my favorite non-Bengal of all-time, I'm tired of King blowing him and the entire Pats organization.

He sucks.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Yeah ok any writer that says anything remotely critical of the Bengals' will get lambasted on here and a "he sucks" label - we all know that and realize there is not a writer on this planet that doesn't "suck" according to most on football forums. Yawn.

Bottom line is, whatever stupid, no matter how basic, game plan Bresh had for the Eagles, with his stupid cover 2 and no double teaming on Owens - was ridiculous - not sure what they were trying to prove, but it was an absolute joke. Owens just pushed Deltha and Ratliff around like they were little girls one-on-one, it was truly embarassing. And Herring couldn't cover anyone downfield if his life depended on it at this point. Of course no writers or reporters here in town dare ask King Marvin why they had such an obviously terrible game plan for him.

That is a COACHING problem if you ask me.

There is too much talent on this team for them to come out and get blown out of the water 27-3 like that by anyone - and there is too much talent on this team for them to open the season 0-2 or anything of the sort, or to only have ONE TD pass from the 1st string offense (or TD over-all I think) in 3 preseason games.

But starters are missing and it's preseason and hopefully things will turn around soon enough when the real games start. Even though the 0-line here is constantly injured and overrated as hell by Bengals' fans, and the defense is still giving up yards and points like it's nobody's business.

The same exact problems they've had since Marvin took over.

But you gotta love the optimistic Bengals' fans who think "Stacy Andrews is coming along nicely" despite the fact he committed 4 stupid penalties in a single preseason game and has done nothing other than show he can actually line-up and block someone at a minimal competency level. Wow! Bring back Willie and bring him back quick! And please find a LT who can stay healthy for more than a week at a time!

[HairOnFire]

Yeah ok any writer that says anything remotely critical of the Bengals' will get lambasted on here and a "he sucks" label - we all know that and realize there is not a writer on this planet that doesn't "suck" according to most on football forums. Yawn.

To be honest I couldn't tell you if Peter King's latest stuff sucks or not. What I can tell you is why I no longer bother reading what he writes unless somebody bothers to cut a snippet of interest out of the clutter and then post it on a message board I happen to be reading. Simply put, I gave up on him.

Coffee nerdness, Mary Beth, which of his pets are still alive, does he still like Six Feet Under? Please tell me that Troy Aikman returned his last phone call.

As for the snippet quoted, there's not much I'd disagree with. Nor is there anything new that hasn't been mentioned by the great masses of the unwashed....so I find I don't care very much that Peter King is now counted amongst the outraged. Yawn indeed.

[skyline]

Yeah ok any writer that says anything remotely critical of the Bengals' will get lambasted on here and a "he sucks" label - we all know that and realize there is not a writer on this planet that doesn't "suck" according to most on football forums. Yawn.

Bottom line is, whatever stupid, no matter how basic, game plan Bresh had for the Eagles, with his stupid cover 2 and no double teaming on Owens - was ridiculous - not sure what they were trying to prove, but it was an absolute joke. Owens just pushed Deltha and Ratliff around like they were little girls one-on-one, it was truly embarassing. And Herring couldn't cover anyone downfield if his life depended on it at this point. Of course no writers or reporters here in town dare ask King Marvin why they had such an obviously terrible game plan for him.

That is a COACHING problem if you ask me.

There is too much talent on this team for them to come out and get blown out of the water 27-3 like that by anyone - and there is too much talent on this team for them to open the season 0-2 or anything of the sort, or to only have ONE TD pass from the 1st string offense (or TD over-all I think) in 3 preseason games.

But starters are missing and it's preseason and hopefully things will turn around soon enough when the real games start. Even though the 0-line here is constantly injured and overrated as hell by Bengals' fans, and the defense is still giving up yards and points like it's nobody's business.

The same exact problems they've had since Marvin took over.

But you gotta love the optimistic Bengals' fans who think "Stacy Andrews is coming along nicely" despite the fact he committed 4 stupid penalties in a single preseason game and has done nothing other than show he can actually line-up and block someone at a minimal competency level. Wow! Bring back Willie and bring him back quick! And please find a LT who can stay healthy for more than a week at a time!

Yeah, and I guess New England had a coaching problem last year as well, right?

[InsultComicDog]

I think we're overreacting just a touch.

King himself may be overreacting based on overanalyzing a preseason performance. But if such problems continue into the regular season, his concerns may prove legitimate.

Unless you happen to know exactly what the team was trying to accomplish in a preseason contest it is very difficult to gauge the extent of success or failure.

[skyline]

Yeah, I'm not going to be upset with King here. We lost badly...

You can interpret that however you'd like since it was preseason, but we do know that Lewis isn't happy, and the team shouldn't be either.

I'm not going to announce our season dead and gone, but King has the right to throw some criticisms around on this one.

[kingwilly]

For all the BS flying around about pre-season results not mattering, let me tell you the gigantic difference between the NE-CIN game from last year and the PHI-Cin game this year.

When the Bengals put a whooping on the Pat's last year, Belichick was so incensed, he kept the starters in for the rest of whole game. His disgust with their effort so pervasive, he figured if they wanted to play shabby, let them play shabby for all 4 quarters. Pat's go on to win SB. Seemed to get their attention. That is coaching.

The PHI-CIN game starts with the play anyone that who has an inkling of football precognition could have seen coming: McNabb to TO, Big-time players making a big-time play (as a bonus, they hate each other and don't even speak!). ML has indicated this may be him not "coaching hard enough". Hey coach, take a page from ol'Bill, let the starters play the whole game...that may finally get thier attention.

And for all the "But a starter could get hurt, blah blah blah...." chatter, I'd rather have a team who finally get it and be down a starter than a team of starters who can't find their aZZ with two hands and a road map.

[skyline]

I'd rather have a team who finally get it and be down a starter than a team of starters who can't find their aZZ with two hands and a road map.

Do you really think that's what we're going to have here? A "team of starters who can't find their aZZ?" All because they didn't play the 4th quarter last week? I think you're being a tad overdramatic here.

Lewis is making it clear to his team that the performance was unacceptable. He's taking care of business. Just because he didn't have them play the 4th quarter doesn't mean he isn't making his point to the team.

And are you really sure you'd be ok with Palmer or Chad being hurt? I know I wouldn't.

[HairOnFire]

Hey coach, take a page from ol'Bill, let the starters play the whole game...that may finally get thier attention.

Won't happen for about a million great reasons. However, if you're a fan of reading between the lines it seems like Marvin is open to the idea of playing the starters more than originally intended if they don't show sharper more focused play.

Watch and see I guess.

[InsultComicDog]

Hey coach, take a page from ol'Bill, let the starters play the whole game...that may finally get thier attention.

Won't happen for about a million great reasons. However, if you're a fan of reading between the lines it seems like Marvin is open to the idea of playing the starters more than originally intended if they don't show sharper more focused play.

Watch and see I guess.

I'm sure Andy Reid enjoyed watching his 2nd string defense go to work against the starting squad. Probably helped him make some roster decisions.

But it didn't do much for the Bengals.

[kingwilly]

Do you really think that's what we're going to have here? A "team of starters who can't find their aZZ?" All because they didn't play the 4th quarter last week?

Based on the overall lack of progress, apparent disconnect from the skill position players and mental errors/inconcistency on the O-Line, blown assignments and lack of discipline that I have watched so far, this team could not find their Azz with two hand and a road map.

I don't care if Big Wilie is out, Madieu is out, Odell is a rookie etc. This team is glaringly behind the curve. Maybe its a ML thing, or a 'player believing their own BS thing' or a freaking Bayou Voodoo thing, you can't dispute the fact that they are not clicking, not connecting and not firing on even half their cyclinders.

He's taking care of business.

In what sense? How? It certainly has not shown on the field, at all.

Just because he didn't have them play the 4th quarter doesn't mean he isn't making his point to the team.

Playing the starters out for a game in progress as a response to them having their heads up their azzes is my suggestion. I assume he is trying other techniques but maybe that would have given them a jolt. The game to do it in would have been Philly, player evals be damned.

[WhoDeyHomer]

As I said in another thread, we obviously were playing our game regardless of who was on the field for either team.

First off, was that Kim Herring covering Terrell Owens on the first play of Friday night's exhibition game in Philly? Herring, a safety, covering T.O., only the best wideout on the planet, with no cornerback help -- at least none after the first few yards past the line of scrimmage. Ridiculous. Stupid. Idiotic. They deserved to get burned for a 64-yard touchdown.

Obviously as I've said, this would never happen in the regular season, props to McNabb for recognizing it, but ML is trying to better his players by CHALLENGING them, not by having them prove they can beat up on the scrubs who won't be playing.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Who's responsibility is it to call the Bengals defensive coverages? Bresnahan, Thurman? You just don't single cover a guy like T.O., I don't care if it's the first play from scrimmage, or the last! You'd think it would be common sense, wouldn't you? Sheeze...

Hello!!! McFly!!! T.O. in on offense? Then two men on his ass like stink on s**t!

[redsfan2]

Herring is what ?? 6' 195 - 200 pounds ? Owens is 6'4 220 -230 ??? He'd have been better off fouling him and taking the flag .... except that he was so far out of position that he couldn't even get close enough to do it.

Fact of the matter is, even if Herring had been close enough to smell that blond broad on TO's breath ...... a slight 6' defender + a solid muscle 6'4 WR = 7 points for the offense.

You saw that and you just knew it was going to be one of those nights.

[kingwilly]

True. But the fact is that TO lines up and does not get jammed, bumped or smacked and then tears off past Deltha, who just "ASSUMES" that herring can pick him up, which clearly he couldn't, physical attributes aside. That is bad coaching.

Can Deltha jam TO? I wished he had tried. Based on the D that was called, he did not. So it is either a bad playcall or bad technique, both of which mean bad coaching.

Anyways, we got burned on that play then smacked like a redheaded step-child for the next 4 quarters. I'm ready to turn the page.

[redsfan2]

Herring wasn't that far off ... couple of steps maybe ???? Thing is though ... You can't give Owens even 1 step. And you're right ... a shove at the line wouldn't have hurt either. Doubt that it would have made a lot of difference on the coverage, but Owens caught the back of that ball on his fingertips. It could have made a difference on that ..... and then instead of seeing a td ... maybe we'd have seen Owens and McNabb duking it out

I agree with turning the page as far as talking about it as well .... but I'd almost bet that Coach Lewis keeps that film and shows it about twice a day for the rest of the year.