This weekends game against the Ravens offers me a lot to worry about. Will the Bengals O-Line be able to protect Palmer from a good Ravens pass rush? Will Chris Perry be the work horse back this team needs? Will Chad and T.J. be able to step right and play at a high level? All of these are big worries to me but the I think I will be most disappointed if the Bengals let Joe Flacco beat them!
If Joe Flacco goes Shaun Hill all over the Bengals asses then its going to be a long long long season in Bengaldom. (Shaun Hill went 21-28 for 197 yards with a passing and rushing TD) To me this is a tell tale sign whether this season is going to be a 3-13 clunker like most of the ones in the 1990s were. If a rookie QB goes out their in his debut and beats this team then any slim hopes I have of the Bengals making the playoffs will have disappeared.
To make sure a rookie QB doesn't beat us I can only hope Mike Zimmer is going to bring pressure right up the middle to try and rattle Flacco. I'm assuming they'll need to blitz since the D-line has not brought much pressure to date (I see better than I hear). The only problem with blitzing is the Bengals don't even get to the QB a lot of the time they do decide to blitz. Maybe this year will be different this year but call me skeptical. I just know that if Joe Flacco plays anywhere near as good as Shaun Hill I'll be ill.
If we lose to a quarterback who's named after a failed Taco Bell value menu offering, we officially enter cartoon territory. However, with Frank Walker, Corey Ivey, and, maybe, Haruki Nakamura filling in for McAlister, Rolle, and Reed, respectively, Gregg coming off of knee surgery, Ray Lewis older and more injured, and Tavares Gooden concussed, I'm expecting a less exotic and much less effective Ravens defense. That should bode well for Carson, T.J., Chad, and Ben Utecht to get their passing rhythms perfected before going to see Mr. Haynesworth next week.
Bengals 34 Baltimore 6, by which I mean that the Ravens are that bad, not that we're that good. It's kind of like starting your season at Youngstown State.
Posted by: IgnatiusJReilly | September 03, 2008 at 11:27 PM
The Ravens are TERRIBLE. This is a must win....not just for the playoffs, but my sanity.
Posted by: Nick | September 04, 2008 at 07:24 AM
I hate Raven's stadium but it is where Carson solidified himself as the real deal back in 2004. His 4th quarter was flawless. I'll never forget when he threw to the corner of the endzone for the game winning TD and just blew the ball right past Ed Reed at his peak. Awesome.
Posted by: Sleeping With Bieniemy | September 04, 2008 at 09:46 AM
All I remember from that Raven's game was Palmer dropping a 15 yard crossing pattern into Housh's chest between two layers of zone defenders. One of the best moments of my Bengals rooting career when I could exhale and say Carson's gonna be good. And I'm pretty sure John Navarre made his only NFL start that day and I made money off of his suckitude.
Posted by: Paul Katz | September 04, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Thats Right Bitches, you lost to the Ravens. Joe Flacco n my boys beat ur asses like a bunch of bengal cubs. your offense did nothing Palmer got 99 yards and he is a joke, while Perry got 42 yards. That is why they r 0-3 and we r 2-0 cant wait to beat u in the jungle. the whole team has this ego that they r the team. i do feel bad for marvin tho he needs to get rid of the whole team n get a high school team to play
Posted by: Memphis Riggs | September 24, 2008 at 09:16 AM