ShulaSteakhouse Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 FOOTBALLOUTSIDERS.COMIf Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend is sidelined by his hamstring injury, Chad Johnson will face Ike Taylor for most of the game, and rookie CB Bryant McFadden will get extra playing time. At Football Outsiders, we track each team's performance against their opponents' top receiver, second receiver, tight ends, and so on. The Steelers are fifth best in the league at shutting down No. 1 wideouts, thanks largely to Townsend. But they are 23rd in the league at stopping No. 2 receivers, and dead last in the league against third and fourth wideouts. If the Steelers give Taylor extra help to stop Johnson from jigging in the end zone, they'll have to worry about T.J. Houshmanzadeh and Kelley Washington.Well you'd expect Henry and a combination of Walter and Washington to typically make key catches, hopefully. I fear TJ dropping darts from Palmer, but Lewis seemed impressed with him in practice so will have to trust his judgement if he plays.Walter was a big key in last week's win. But it doesn't matter who's out there, it's all about Palmer doing what he wants if you give him time to throw, and you have to get to him to beat them, like Jax did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripes Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 Good post. I might have to start old Henry in fantasy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 Townsend has been downgraded to doubtful...Bengals could have a field day through the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengalindian Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 I think that the only problem that would arise with Chad is that if he starts complaining about opportunities even when the Bengals win. He was pissed after Jax, rightfully so, but if he complains after a win, there's a problem. I think Chad is above this, and I'm excited for all the Bengals to have big days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spain Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 Great post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShulaSteakhouse Posted October 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 Another really good article there, good read for any Bengals' fan...lists the 20 biggest Bengals' games in their history and is questioning whether tomrrow's game is one of them...there are things you may disagree with him about here and there, but it's funny someone went into this kind of depth on them.Best Of The Bengals#14 Week 7, 2005: Steelers at BengalsThe Bengals have what it takes to win. They have Carson Palmer, already the third best quarterback in team history. (Want to argue Jeff Blake? Virgil Carter? Be my guest). They have very good backs and receivers. The line is solid. The defense is soft at times, but Marv Lewis builds smart, turnover-happy units, and the young Bengals defenders are getting the job done. The Bengals are on magazine covers. They’re near the top of the power rankings.But they need a meaningful win to prove that they’ve arrived. The 1999 Rams won lots of games and scored a ton of points, but they needed to sweep the 49ers to climb out of the novelty bin. The Bengals are in the same jam: they have to prove something to opponents, and to themselves.They get a chance to prove their point on Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted October 23, 2005 Report Share Posted October 23, 2005 Chris Henry breaks out and leads all receivers. Steelers don't see him coming from anywhere and spend all of their time worrying about Chad and TJ. Carson uses quick routes to beat the rush and establish the passing game, and goes long on a max-protect to Henry for a big time TD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Orange Posted October 23, 2005 Report Share Posted October 23, 2005 TJ has the surest hands on our team, I think...but you're right saying CH will give them fits...he can catch the ball anywhere, while TJ is almost all slot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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