An 0-16 team starting 2-0???

Last Sunday had to be the luckiest win I have ever watched in the Marvin Lewis era. The Browns had everything going for them at the start of the third quarter: they had the momentum that started from a game changing kick return, which led to a span of 283 yards of offense and 14 points for the Browns to the Bengals 97; the Bengals starting QB was on the bench; and the Bengals defense looked to be on the ropes. It was like when Han Solo was captured trying to blow the defense shield. We all thought for sure they were up shit creek and we were heading towards another Bungal's second half ass whooping. However after the Browns went up 17-13, the most improbable thing happened. The Browns could not put the game away.

And it was all because of this guy:

 "You shall not pass!!!"

In their first drive of the third quarter, the Browns drove 50 yards to the Bengals 3 adding to their lead to make the game 17-13. One more score and the game was over. However, it was the last time of the game the Browns offense would move the ball into the Bengals territory. Literally, the Browns offense never moved the ball across the 50-yard line the rest of the game. Like the Battle of Thermopylae, Zimmer made his stand by letting loose his underappreciated front four rotation and his rebuilt LB corps to make up for the weaker Athenians (the secondary in this case). During the stand, Zimmer's squad stopped the Browns in their tracks holding them to the following stats:

No. of Brown's drives:                    6
No. of plays:                                33
Avg no. of plays per drive:             5.5   
Avg yards gained per drive:           10.3
Avg yards per play:                      1.9
No. of rushing attempts:                9
Avg yards per attempt:                 1.0
No. of sacks:                                2
No. of forced fumbles:                  1
No. of turnovers:                          1

We may disagree, but this is a unit on the rise again after a series of good drafts. Even with Mike Brown doing his best to screw it up by failing to address serious holes for several years (safety), or, in typical Mike Brown fashion, creating new ones (like letting one of the team's top defensive weapon leave town and then filling his spot with another first round cast off).
(Authors sidenote: It is not that Joseph left that is the key factor to me since he was entilted to do so and there are valid reasons not to sign him (injuries). It is more the quality of the talent that filled his spot. Had management been on top of the situation, they would have gone after the top tier CB's in FA to push Joseph's decision. Instead they did the typical Mike Brown thing in that they sat back and waited for the dust to settle, which forced them to go pick up a CB at the last minute. Since it was a last minute decison they acquired a player who is past his prime and a downgrade to the position.)

If - the big if - Zimmer can build upon this defensive stand when they travel to Denver, there is a good chance this team starts out 2-0. Denver is coming into the second week with key members injured (most importantly Moreno and Lloyd) and their offensive line looked overwhelmed against the Raiders front seven. In the past, I would say the injuries would not make a difference. Traditionally for the Bengals, opponent injuries seem like they are the equivalent of the Cubs playing at home with the wind blowing out - anytime the media mentions them it almost guarantees a loss.

Here is how the Bengals pull the upset in Denver:

1. Grind it out - Both sides again need to control the LOS. The offensive line did a really good job against the improved Browns front seven. Against the Broncos they should have a more favorable match up and should again be able to apply the "body blows" strategy. On the other side, Zimmer's DL was able to dominate the Browns OL for 3/4 of the game. This is a huge statement since the Browns have one of the best OL's in the NFL right now. The loss of Steinbach was a noticeable setback for them, that helped in allowing the front four to consistently pressure McCoy and allow Zimmer to drop seven into coverage. I personally can't remember a time when the Bengals defense was able to get pressure on a consistent basis by only rushing four; you may have to go back the 1981 team. Against a less talented OL in Denver, expect to see the front four repeat their performance.

2. Don't play stupid - Last Sunday the Bengals only committed three penalties and did not commit a single turnover. Read that again because it seems like that has not happened since 1988. Mike Brown may dilute the talent on this team, but, aside from a couple of breakdowns, Marvin and company demonstrated the sharpest execution I have seen from the squad in years. If they continue this trend, it should allow them to stick to their game plan and grind down the undersized Broncos. All three aspects of the game need to be executed perfectly to pull off the upset two weeks in a row.

3. Let the kids play - Dalton is the real deal, and has tremendous upside before he eventually gets Mike Browned. I now understand why Gruden wanted him so badly in a way that made me feel dirty reading about it. He is surrounded by a nucleus of young talented players that could gel into a solid group as the year progresses. If they can keep the game plan simple like they did last week, while mixing it up the punch combinations, then the kids should be able to focus on playing ball rather then being concerned about their assignments.

This has a thin margin of error, because although I would like to see them throw a few more uppercuts during the game, Mies van der Rohe is right is this case: less is more. Gruden needs to be smart and follow the KISS formula while keeping Dalton under a tight leash since he is a just a rookie starting in his second NFL game with only six weeks of preparation under his belt. High schools have more time to prepare than that these days. You don't want those really bad rookie mistakes to kill you, and we all know they are going to eventually show up to the party at some point this season.

Comments

[Rick LaRue]

Your kidding right? That defense showed up the entire game. The Browns had 3 plays of note in the entire game. 2 on busted coverages and one run for 16 yards by Hardesty. Eliminate those 3 plays and the Browns barely moved the ball. Cribbs got them the only field position they enjoyed the entire game.

Stop with the J Joe crap already, he left because HE wanted to leave. Mike Brown attempted to resign him last season but he didn't want to do it then. You whine about Mike Brown but the real truth is had he signed J Joe he would have had to over pay him. Smart owners don't over pay for a player who has managed to be injured on 52% of all the plays he was eligible to play.

This is why I don't make a habit of reading this site, because you don't use facts when you post stupid stories.

[wchisthemouthontheothersideofgloryholes]

Hahahaha, smart owners?

You're kidding, right? The contraction of "you are" is "you're," by the way. I'm trying to help you as much as I can. "Smart owners" don't become the fastest owner to 200 loses, and the slowest owner to 100 wins. How's that for a fact?

Not to mention, that the Bengals DID offer Joseph a very similar offer, JJoe chose the Texans because they are actually moving in the right direction. It wasn't that the Texans' stupid owner was going to pay him more, it was that he would actually have a chance to win in Houston. And, are you seriously trying to say you have a better handle on this situation than Zimmer, who was pissed and had an outlash at the front office?

Please, don't make it a habit of reading this site and posting your "facts."

[Rich]

"wchisthemouthontheothersideofgloryholes"?

Wow, that is harsh. Harsh but laugh-out-loud funny.

[Wyatt]

blester,

If you're going to use "You shall not pass", at least photoshop Zim's head onto Gandalf's body.

Otherwise, I agree completely. Of course, hipster linebacker Von Miller could be the one to throw a monkey wrench in our upset hopes. (Man I love KSK.)

[blesterov]

@Rick, I updated the post to clarify my position on Joseph so you understand it is not just randomly spewing crap towards MFB. This was a serious screw up, but is the norm for how this organization operates.

[WhoDeyFans]

yes Von Miller is a bad ass, and was in the backfield often on Monday night.

[wch]

Don't get too orgasmic now. You guys made that mistake getting on the 'bandwagon' a couple of years back and completely 'undid' what you worked for prior to that time (so much so that an entire lot of you ended up sounding like hypocrites when you started praising Coach Lewis one day -- then cursing him the next).

Come back and talk about this in another month when the Bengals are likely to have a losing record and ranking in the mid to bottom end of all things statistical(and don't even minimize or forget that the capabilities of those teams over the next four game are -- well, less than stupendous -- so that means that the finishing at best -- mid-pack in a run of games playing against LOOOOOSSSSSEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Well that isn't exactly quite something that one should hag there hat on).

For the record, next four games:
1)Denver -- rarely do the Bengals win in Denver and rarely to they even play up to 50% of the hype (Though how much hype after one game -- just look at the lead post here to understand it and know that it indeed DOES happen). It wouldn't be too much of a stretch if they got beat by Denver. (note: Cleveland was 'over-hyped' -- people made them out to be the 'second-coming' when, in reality they were nothing but a 'straw-pony'.)
2)San Francisco -- Alex Smith? If anyone could make Smith out to be a 'Pro-Bowl' caliber player, it would be the Bengals. Need I say more?
3)'Buffaler' Bills -- Our 'old buddy' Fitzpatrick. A 'homecoming' of sorts? They *might* win this game -- but remember folks, the only way you are going to see any TV from this 'Titanic Struggle' is when you watch it on ESPN and see the highlights. It is a home stain -- err home-game.
4)Jacksonville "JAG-wirezs" (Fuck you Olberman and Patrick!). This is at best a 'toss-up' but we have to see how JJ progresses in the interim.
All in all, it ain't gunna look pretty folks!

[Dan R.]

We should get a good idea of how well conditioned this team is in the fourth quarter playing at high elevation. I know it was a short camp, but Marvin, for all his in-game faults, does typically do a great job with conditioning and preparation. Since we're short on talent, that (conditioning/fitness) and execution will be to two areas where we'll have to make up ground on most teams.

[ChiBengal]

Love how WCH wastes his energy and time bitching at us... You are complaining to the wrong people... Go stand outside PBS and run your mouth of diarreah to the fans that actually attend games. Most vistors of this site, dont support the team financially nor do we drink the kool-aid. We tend to look at a few positives and you bombard us with non-sense... You wasted another minute of my life I will never get back. Thank you and go F Yourself.

[Wyatt]

Did anybody else read wch's post with Chris Farley's "air quotations guy" voice in their head?

[guttersnake]

You forgot to mention that Champ Bailey is also still questionable to play, leaving little seniority in the secondary. Von Miller is a concern, but if the linebackers are forced to drop back more often than not, he may be more easy to negate. However, I agree - he's the most dangerous aspect of the Broncos right now.

I'm looking for AJ and Shipley to short-long the Bronco's secondary once Benson sucks them in with some agressive running. Defensively, I'm going to be real interested to see how much our front four get after Orton. I think if they can set the tempo defensively quick, then the white-water of Denver's quarterback clubhouse will take care of the rest.

Lastly, I'm glad blesterov mentioned the lack of penalties and turnovers. I was thinking the same thing - that I can't remember the last time we played that precise. If its a fluke, I'll just enjoy it for the week... but its hard to forget that this is a team with less than five players over the age of 30, led by a rookie QB, a rookie WR, and a new Offensive Coordinator... and its week 1.

[blesterov]

@ wch - You crack me up. I don't think anyone is getting orgasmic except for you anxiously looking at the schedule down the road. Going 2-0 has zero bearing on whether the Bengals end up 6-10 or 2-14. The 0-16 reference was just a dig directed at certain individuals who lost their shit after the first preseason game, and thought this was the worse team ever.

I said it then, and I'll say it again; this team is better than most people give it credit. They are just young, but you can tell they buy into Marvin's philosophy 100%. Does this main they win the division, not a chance in hell. But they will surprise some teams if they are able to play Marvin ball. The Browns are not a bad club either so people shouldn't write them off so easily now just b/c they lost to the Bengals. People failed to realize this was a classic trap game for them: start of the season, the lowly Bengals coming into town, a team with three rookies starting on offense, and led by a rookie off coord. Everyone wrote it off as an automatic win for the Browns. From reading their sluggish energy level at the start of the game, it looked as if the Browns believed their own hype and assumed it would be an easy victory as well. That is why I put money on the game at the last minute, and walked away with a nice return.

@ Gutter - Good to have you back man. I hope you made it home in one piece.

I don't think the lack of penalties were a fluke. They executed very consistently in the preseason as well, and they improved as they got deeper into the preseason. A lot of this is a result of Gruden's scheme. Brat's offense was very complex, requiring the players to think a lot more than they probably should have. When you have players thinking rather than just focusing on their assignment (and on top of this you have inferior players), you will see a lot of stupid penalties like we experienced over Brat's tenure. Gruden's scheme on the other hand is supposedly more streamlined and instinctive. It allows them to focus more on assignments and execute as a unit. To me, they looked more machine-like with the goal of slowly beating their opponent down.

In the piece, I was looking more at the front seven match ups on both sides of the ball since this is the foundation of Gruden's and Zimmer's schemes. You are right the passing game has some excellent match ups as well. If Bailey is out this should help them be able to spread the field with Green and Simpson, and look for Gruden to try to throw more uppercuts by taking some shots downfield.

There are two ways this weekends game goes:
1) Marvin and co. build on last weeks game, correct the mistakes they made and continue that strategy in Denver, and then physically beat them down. They have the personnel, the match ups, and the ability to pull this off. They just have to play an aggressive mistake free game to pull the upset two weeks in a row.

2) Marvin and co. get big heads, lose focus, and Denver becomes a trap game for them. Denver was physically beaten down at home on Monday night, and they won't fold easily. Expect them to come in with a chip on their shoulder.

Regardless, I expect a physical game since both teams have a lot to prove, and it should be fun to watch.

[CurseofBoJackson]

I thought the "You Shall Not Pass" was a Monty Python reference, but that was "NONE SHALL PASS" right? Monty Python was better. wch, Your father was a hampster, and your mother smelled of elderberries! I fart in your general direction! Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!

[Wyatt]

Yeah, as I said, "You shall not pass" is from the Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Rings, and is uttered by Gandalf the Grey. I mostly remember Jimmy saying it in the LOTR-themed episode of South Park.

[JM]

I was actually shocked when I read that they only committed 3 turnovers. I won't watch but I would assume Dennis Roland was not on the field at all then?

If Zimmer can keep the score low then Gruden can remain vanilla on offense and limit the rookie mistake opportunities. I think the Bengals will be in trouble against teams that can score points because they would have to open up the offense too much.

It's a shit sandwich. You want the defense to do well but you know if it does it increases the likelihood that Zimmer will get bigger or simply better opportunities.

If it wasn't for Marvin's one year in Washington I would readily accept that Baltimore's record setting defense was all due to talent. They have fielded strong defenses with 3 other coordinators since Marv left. Our D was crap until Zimmer showed up.

God bless Mike Zimmer.

[JM]

Penalties not turnovers.

[True Religion jeans]

Good morning, Flann. I spent most of the day watching 9/11 TV coverage. As I said earlier, most of the weekend I had the same physical reactions as I did the day it happened. Same tight chest, same knot in the pit of my stomach. So much so that by the afternoon, I got out a bucket, some soap and bleach, and scrubbed my porch, including the ceiling of the porch, while I kept an eye on the football games. It's amazing how cleaning helps. I don't know that 9/11 will ever be a typical day for us, much as December 7th was never the same for those who endured Pearl Harbor.

[chanel watch replica]

The mime Bill Bowers wrote and performs in this comedy, which explores sound and silence in the confines of a small town. Scott Illingworth directs, for Urban Stages.