Honest feelings about Sunday's win

[richmond_mat]

1. Bratkowski cannot call his way out of a paper bag. I could not believe he/they threw a pass on third and 2 on the first possession. (after geting it there with two solid runs ) Has he ever heard of showing pass and running it? For that matter, showing run and throwing it? They got the running game working, but did not start passing soon enough. Then he started loving passing again It really hurt to watch.

2. The D is very mediocre but improving (and oh so young ). I even expected a turnover.

3. A win is a win

[Interceptor]

Gotta revamp that front four. Blitz a little more. You gotta put the other side away or else they'll come back at you.

[BengalByTheBay]

Brat's not responsible for CP missing open receivers. The game plan was fine. Not sure what you're trying to say about the run/pass mix, but I had no problem with offensive play calling. Like many here, I'm not convinced this defense is improving right now. We're flooding the box and getting some results against the run. They were anything but stout and gave up far too many 3rd down conversions. But I did feel that this game was going to play to Cleveland's style when they had the short field on two straight possessions and were able to score. It was going to be a grinding game at that point and the Bengals adapted fairly well IMO. A win is, most definitely, a win at this point in the season and capturing the conference tie breaker was key.

[kingwilly]

Sunday:

1. Chad and his mouth got handled. maybe some residual pinkness going on.

2. Brat didn't call a terrible game overall, just a handful of bad calls at critical times.

3. I actually recognized when Pollack was on the field.

4. Deltha is one hell of a ball-magnet.

5. Rudi looked like he was firing on all cylinders, much like he did late in 2003.

6. The run-D showed up.

7. Tab Perry is a big guy with a big stride who streaks on returns. damn fun to watch. how is he not on the field for more plays?

8. Palmer doesn't even break 100 yrds and we win....the planets must be aligned just right for Cincy this year.

9. Not much has been said but this time of year our old field would have been a disaster...our fieldturf is the s**t.

10. "Money" graham took it to the bank...no pressure.

[Spain]

Your smoking crack!! lol This was the first game Teams have played 7 in the box. Palmer is going to get it fron now on. Thats Why Rudi won the last game. dude I never ever insult anybody but you really should think a lil more before you post. Just advice.

[Interceptor]

Your smoking crack!! lol This was the first game Teams have played 7 in the box. Palmer is going to get it fron now on. Thats Why Rudi won the last game. dude I never ever insult anybody but you really should think a lil more before you post. Just advice.

Errrrr.... What did I say???

[NYBengalfan]

This was supposed to be a letdown game, Im happy with the win.

[jjakq27]

Your smoking crack!! lol This was the first game Teams have played 7 in the box. Palmer is going to get it fron now on. Thats Why Rudi won the last game. dude I never ever insult anybody but you really should think a lil more before you post. Just advice.

Errrrr.... What did I say???

Don't mind him, it's part of the initiation process.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Your smoking crack!! lol This was the first game Teams have played 7 in the box. Palmer is going to get it fron now on. Thats Why Rudi won the last game. dude I never ever insult anybody but you really should think a lil more before you post. Just advice.

Errrrr.... What did I say???

Spain's been a little funky ever since his wife gave him a nut twist and took away his patio plants and some other personal things, last I remember. I think he was responding in the wrong thread, no idea what he's talking about there.

[buck3y3d]

-Play like that in the playoffs and I'll have to shut it down for the offseason

-Is that a defense or was it just Cleveland?

-Carson looked like preseason form (yet I'm still not worried).

-I hate Brat, but actually didn't mind his gameplan yesterday. Poor execution made a well called game look bad.

-Rudi, Rudi, Rudi. A playoff team needs a strong runner and Rudi looked pretty strong.

-Some fans should not be allowed to attend games. I am a homer, but at some point the "we just let them score to feel good has to stop"

- I would much rather play a run or pass team, than a run and pass team (i.e. anyone but Indy)

- Tory is good, but a step slow on coverage.

- Brian Simmons is playing better after a horrible 1st-half of the season.

- Odell is still a rookie.

- Finally, get me some playoff tickets.

[membengal]

I think we should give that win back because we don't deserve it. I will call the NFL office right now.

Wow, turns out in the NFL you have to take games as they happen, and be happy with wins even if you did not win by 40. Who knew Paul Tagliabue could be so testy? Apparently I interrupted him during his "special time" with the New York Giants' front office...something about them "paying him off for the extra home game".

[Stripes]

I was impressed by this win honestly. The Bengals played a bad game on offense, and still won nonetheless. Games like this come often to test good teams, and the good teams win them. Palmer will be alright, and when he is back to form this week inside a dome, the offense will look just great.

[Gregory Gall]

Your smoking crack!! lol This was the first game Teams have played 7 in the box. Palmer is going to get it fron now on. Thats Why Rudi won the last game. dude I never ever insult anybody but you really should think a lil more before you post. Just advice.

Errrrr.... What did I say???

Don't mind Spain. He's our resident mostly drunk, mostly unintelligable, always giving mostly unneeded advice diehard bengal fan from across the pond. Besides the patio plant incident with his wife he's also still reeling from when someone slipped something into his brother's drink at a bar while he (Spain) ran home to steal money from his wife's purse because they ran out and instead of taking his brother to the hospital he logged on to Bengalszone to get our expert medical opinions while his brother was convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

[membengal]

Honestly? Seriously now?

I woke up last night weeping because the Bengals won a game they so clearly didn't deserve.

WHY GOD, WHY? I screamed out in my pain and torment. But God said nothing back to me. I turned on and watched the tivo of the game again. There it was, once more, the Bengals with more points than the Browns, and, yet, somehow not deserving of winning. Then it came to me (was it you, God?), it doesn't matter how much you win a game by in the NFL, and one week has no affect on the next. Winning is what matters.

With that blinding flash of insight, I dried my tears and went back to bed. All is better now.

[Scottishbengal]

Not pretty, not easy, infact much harder than it should've been but Cleveland never play Cincy easy. But as someone has already stated a win is a win.

It shows resilience to still pull out a "W" when you haven't played well (either players/coaches or both) - bend don't break.

[BengalsDieHard1]

I agree. Terrible play calling....how many pass plays when we were in field goal range to win the game??? Lets just give it away........Brat must go!!!

[richmond_mat]

2. Brat didn't call a terrible game overall, just a handful of bad calls at critical times.

Well said King. That's how I feel almost every week. To be passing when you're in field goal range in a tied game is unnecessary and with as bad a day CP was having, a little bit stupid.

Sometime, after Brat mishandles a game late and the bengals lose, the naysayers will believe Brat is a liability. Granted, he doesn't throw the ball nor catch/drop it, but he DOES send in the plays which at times really make me wonder what the heck is he thinking.

memb just isn't that funny keep trying though

[chrispurdon]

I think he did call a good game, but i feel in general that they dont have enough play action in there offence

[MacD BengalFan]

I don't get it. The Bengals are doing something that haven't done for the last 15 years and some people are still not satisfied being critical of the play calling. If they had lost, I would understand, but they didn't. This was a game the Bengals were supposed to win, and they did. That is what it is all about.

[jamesbrooks21]

2. Brat didn't call a terrible game overall, just a handful of bad calls at critical times.

Well said King. That's how I feel almost every week. To be passing when you're in field goal range in a tied game is unnecessary and with as bad a day CP was having, a little bit stupid.

Sometime, after Brat mishandles a game late and the bengals lose, the naysayers will believe Brat is a liability. Granted, he doesn't throw the ball nor catch/drop it, but he DOES send in the plays which at times really make me wonder what the heck is he thinking.

memb just isn't that funny keep trying though

With the wind swirling like it was do you really think that field goal was automatic? I don't. And I'm sure if Brat did he wouldn't have been throwing. I think he called a fine game.

[buck3y3d]

I don't get it. The Bengals are doing something that haven't done for the last 15 years and some people are still not satisfied being critical of the play calling. If they had lost, I would understand, but they didn't. This was a game the Bengals were supposed to win, and they did. That is what it is all about.

I don't get it. I'm supposed to be satisfied with a playoff team that is struggling to beat a team they should blowout. I'm a fan, shortened from fanatic, meaning I want the Bengals to win a Super Bowl. I don't have to be satisfied with a squeeker where the team should have won by 14. The Bengals would not have beat a good team like that.

No, I'm not satisfied. 15 years of losing didn't lower my standards. I would still like to see the Lombardi Trophy take a tour of Cincinnati.

[San Antonio Bengal]

Did everything run smoothly? No. Did everything go as planned? No. Did our offense dominate the way it should have? No. Did we win the game? Yes. Now, what's the most important question there?

I was impressed with the win and it was just further evidence that this is not the Bengals team of old. Unless you are the Colts, you're going to lose somes games here and there. And this was a game where the Bengals could have tanked, could have just given up. In fact, the Bengals of a few years ago would have. Carson's numbers were terrible, but we still had just enough of the other components to win. We've only been in two or three close games this season, and I was encouraged to see how this team handled itself when the offense wasn't working, when things were going wrong. All of us know that Carson's performance was abnormal and he'll be back into form soon enough, but I was glad to see how the team handled the situation. It was just more evidence that this team believes in themselves and believes they can win.

[HoosierCat]

I don't have to be satisfied with a squeeker where the team should have won by 14.

Should they have? Why? One thing that IMHO is going unrecognized is that, despite their record, Cleveland is not that bad of a team.

I suspected this might be the case before the season. Most people had the Browns being a 2 or 3 win disaster, but I warned that they had made some good moves, most notably in focusing on building a good o-line and cutting the dead weight on the defensive line. And I was sure they would play hard for Crennel. I figured them for about 6 wins, and they still may hit that mark. In the opener they played us tough, and if they hadn't had 2 TDs called back on penalties it probably would have been another 3 point game, one way or the other. Before last Sunday's game, I said it would be closer than expected and predicted a 27-20 Bengals win. Not to toot my own horn but I wasn't far off.

In his espn.com column (here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/stor...hael&id=2257550 ) tonight, Michael Smith looks at the Browns in their capacity as a spoiler in the last three weeks. He notes (emphasis added):

The Browns have played Jacksonville and Cincinnati tough the past two weeks. And, remember, they also beat the Bears earlier this year and hung tough with the Colts at Indy. They have a rookie quarterback, Charlie Frye, at the helm now, and Cleveland might have something special in this third-round pick out of Akron. After Frye's second start, teammates and opponents were raving about his poise in a hostile environment. He has shown strong leadership skills for such a young guy. "Charlie Frye is a championship-type guy," Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer after the Browns lost to the Bengals on a last-second field goal. Wow. Maybe Romeo Crennel has his Tom Brady, who knows? Frye definitely possesses skills similar to those of another former MAC quarterback starting in the AFC North, Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, in that he can get out of the pocket and make plays on the move. And we know the Browns can run the ball. I love what Reuben Droughns has given the Browns this season at running back, besides the team's first 1,000-yard season in 20 years.

Defensively, Cleveland is 10th in the league in points allowed at 18.2 per game, behind the Steelers and ahead of the Giants. The Browns give up the fewest points of any team with a losing record. And to think, Crennel is in the first year of teaching his system. His plan for now is to keep it simple on D and keep the games close, maybe win a few in the end. At the end of the day, Crennel has done a commendable job leading the Browns. He always has been able to get guys to play for him, and you can see it in how feisty the Browns have been. These remaining games are some players' last opportunity to make an impression on Crennel, prove they're worthy of keeping around. So the Browns are playing for plenty.

To finish, the Browns go to Oakland, then play host to Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The Steelers (8-5) probably need to win at least two of their last three, if not run the table, to make the playoffs. Minnesota this week might look like Pittsburgh's most difficult remaining test, but the game that would worry me most if I were a Steelers fan is that Browns tilt. Anyone who has been around the rivalry between these longtime division opponents knows the Steelers at home on Christmas Eve is going to be the Browns' Super Bowl.

Certainly the Bengals didn't play their best game, but before people start jumping off the bandwagon, remember the Browns aren't pushovers.

This was a good win.

[membengal]

Joisey, a standing ovation from me for that post. Well done.

As much as people here complain bitterly about the slowness of national perceptions to change about the Bengals, their own perceptions about other teams are equally slow to change. The complaints about barely beating the Packers? Well, pretty much that is the Packers' M.O. this year, they barely lose. Pretty much every game. Matter of fact, their point differential is still pretty close because of how bad they butchered New Orleans while then barely losing pretty much every other game they have played.

Cleveland? Allowed 13 points to Indy in Indy. That's it. Hell, if Cleveland had not had a punt return called back in that one (much like in the opener against Cincy) who knows?) Shutout a Dolphins team that just went into San Diego and won. Beat Chicago. Should have beat Jax. And we cry because the win was not pretty enough? Ridiculous.

Perhaps the most puzzling "close" win of the year was the game against Houston, and yet, if you all will remember, Houston had a bye before that game and was trying hard for their new coordinator. To the extent they had a "best shot" to give someone, we got it.

And yet, the Bengals won. That's a common theme this year, and an overlooked one by too many. Winning, so far, every game, they "should" win. Way WAY harder than it sounds. In fact, other than Indy, I don't think anyone else has pulled that off (maybe seattle too). A win's a win. Each game it's own beast. Marvin preaches that, and it makes sense. They team approaches in that way, and so far, so good.

Peace.