WhoDeyRevolution

Friday Ramblings

This season brings back memories of my youth.  Bad ones.  Specifically from 1999, when the Rams came to town to battle the Bengals for the worst team of the decade.  That Rams team it turned out wasn't so much like the other Rams teams of the 90s.  That was Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace and the Greatest Show on Turf.  They fucking steamrolled us 38-10.  I sat in the lower section of the upper seats at Riverfront, next to a grizzled old fan, decked out in all orange, who just sat staring catatonically, save for the occasional outburst of "who dey dammit" that he yelled at nothing and no one in particular.  Also, he was stupefyingly drunk.  It was a profoundly depressing game.  The low point in all Bengaldom.

Ah, the lost decade, when blackouts roamed freely throughout the TV sets each fall and Bengals fans medicated with gallons of light beer.  Well, those blackouts appear to be a staple again of the Cincinnati fall as last week's crowd indicated.  Only now, I hope I can look back fondly on these blackouts as the first stages in Bengals financial collapse and hence potential for change.  I am probably naive to think that.  But, well, WHO DEY DAMMIT, is what I say to you.  Now where is some Keystone Light for me to chug...

I did my all too infrequent (screw you real job) perusal of the Bengals blogs out there and stumbled into a back and forth between Who Dey Fans and Cincy Jungle over Ced Benson and his general usefulness as a Bengal.  Who Dey Fans says he is quite useful, Cincy Jungle says his usefulness has expired.  I agree with Cincy Jungle but not for the reason cited (character stuff, pending suspension from Texas incident).  

Benson's usefulness has expired because Bernard Scott is just better.  In fact, Cedric Peerman probably is better too.  Hell, throw the White Weapon on that list as well.  This team makes strange personnel decisions all the time, but two of the strangest that had easy solutions in the past few years involve Bernard Scott & Evan Mathis.  Both players clearly are much superior to those who start in front of them, and yet the Bengals not only did not play them, they went out of their way to deny them opportunities even when those starting in front of them went down.  Can anyone tell me why the fuck we worked out two RBs this week (or maybe the week before) in case Benson got suspended?

If I could find out one thing from Marvin, Mikey and Co it would be why they refuse to give Bernard Scott more chances.

In other news, the Bengals rank 11th overall according to Football Outsiders measurements.  This will likely drop as they adjust more for strength of opponent later on.  As expected, that comes almost entirely from the defensive side of the ball where the Bengals rank 5th.  Mike Zimmer truly is The Judge from Blood Meridien and no matter how far you flee he will hunt you down and murder you.

(Bad) Gambling advice alert! The Bills come to town this week.  Even when they're terrible, and it appears they are not this year, they beat us.  Couple that with my thesis that the depressing home stadium drags down the Bengals play with it and the fact that the Bills are 3 point favorites and I'd probably take the Bills and laugh all the way to the bank.  And hey if the Bengals win, well, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL HOPING FOR RIGHT? RIGHT?? RIGHT???

who dey dammit

Our Condolences to the Shuller family

You have likely seen or heard this elsewhere already but we cannot neglect to mention the touching obituary of Saul Shuller that ran in the Enquirer recently.  Saul certainly knew how to face Death with a sense of humor:

Accepting that the end was near, the funny grandfather and great-grandfather said earlier in the day there was an upside to death: at least he wouldn't have to watch another Bengals loss.

Wow.

Though football is just a game, local teams are something that can tie a community together...even if, as Saul Shuller points out, the Bengals happen to tie us all into the same shared misery.  Wouldn't it be so much nicer if the Bengals gave our community something to be proud of, to rally around, rather than being a punchline year after decade?  For now though, Saul provides us all a reminder that we're all still stuck in this tragicomedy together until death does us part.

Many thanks to a member of the family for passing along the obituary.  And our deepest condolences to the entire family for the loss.

WDR Fan Policies & Procedures: Cheer for The Players, Keep Your Wallet Closed

Most NFL fanbases get to enjoy being simply a fan without any baggage.  Almost all teams have organizations in place that will allow them to compete for a title given the right combination of skill and luck.  Bengals fans do not enjoy this luxury.  Their organization does not have enough front office skill for ANY amount of luck to overcome.  Thus, supporting the team as a fan comes with a cost...you enable the very thing that ensures your misery as a fan.

Thus, you can be a good fan and a bad fan.  For most fanbases, this concept doesn't really exist.  Sure, some peope may talk about good fans and bad fans as far as behavior (drunken, for example) in the stands.  Or bad fans in the sense of being "fairweather".  But rarely do fans actually bear the burden of directly affecting the team's ability to succeed.

Bengals fans, unfortunately, share responsibility in the team's continued failure to the extent part of their fan behavior involves spending money on the team (through tickets, merchandise, concessions, parking, etc.).  Thus, there can be "good" Bengals fans and "bad" Bengals fans.  Fortunately, for those who are wondering, it's really simple to be a "good" fan.  Just do these two things:

1. Cheer for the players
2. Do not spend money on the Bengals under any circumstance

Those are literally the only two WDR rules.  Cheering and supporting the players gets somewhat complicated if you aren't going to games and you feel a really strong obligation to show them some love.  However, remember, in another Official WDR Policy Ruling, going to away games is acceptable.  Also, with the invention of Twitter, you can literally talk to Bengals players directly any time you want.  There are also other events in the non-internet world (what is that?) where players go out and about in the community.  You can support them then as well.  In other words, find another outlet, ANY outlet to be a fan that doesn't involve spending money.

In the first home game this year, on a beautiful day, with a likeable young team...the stadium looked half empty.  It feels wrong but that is progress, Bengals fans.  Stay disciplined.

The Revolution Marches On

As Comrade Sleeping with Bieniemy so eloquently put it - progress has been made.  However, progress does not happen overnight.  Since launching this site in 2008, the Bengals have failed to sellout just five regular season games.  The good news?  They have been the last five games played at the mausoleum known as Paul Brown Stadium.

Nearly 20,000 revolutionaries refused the...umm...urge to watch yesterday's titanic struggle.  Think about that.  Last year's home opener against Baltimore had over 64,000 in attendance.  Sunday's announced crowd was 43,363.  The rest of America might be saying this morning that Cincinnati is not a football town - but boy do we know better.  Looking ahead to the schedule - the announcement for a non-Bills sellout is forthcoming.  The 0-3 Manning-less Colts will not be sold out.  While Pittsburgh on November 13th will be the only reprieve (unless the fighting Colt McCoy's keeping winning), expect a mid-90's like appearance by Steeler fans to get the "Litter Box" sold out.

By the way - that's my new name for the Jungle - the Litter Box.

The Bengals continue to amaze, if nothing else.  Yesterday, it was no halftime entertainment for a home opening NFL football game - in 2011.  Hell, you could argue they forgot the actual entertainment for 4 quarters.  A friend who had never seen the NFL Sunday Ticket RedZone channel asked if they too were blacking out the Bengals-Niners game.  It's hard to show a game on the RedZone channel if neither team gets there, I explained.

The sad part, which I will be explaining in more detail during an upcoming post, is the following:

1. I love Cincinnati.  
2. I love football.
3. I love the NFL.  
4. And yet I absolutely detest the Cincinnati Bengals franchise.  

The Bengals continue their free-fall, slamming into new lows on the way down.  Unbelievable to think we are only at Week 3.

PROGRESS.

(pic via Joe Reedy)

That, Bengals fans, is a beautiful sight.  Particularly the empty club seating level, which is non-shared revenue.  I know it feels wrong to embrace the beauty of this picture.  But make no mistake, it is beautiful.  The only way the Bengals can get better is to make the home stadium environment worse.  Don't fight it.  Just go with it.

The hardest part for me is that all this sucks for the players, many of whom are very likeable, who are caught in a war between the fans and ownership.  If crowds remain lackluster like this (and you should all hope they do) the Bengals will probably perform better on the road this season than in front of a depressingly empty stadium at home (gambling implications?).  Just remember, the players will get paid whether or not you give Mike Brown your money.  Find other ways to show the players love besides wasting your money on Mikey.

Who Dey everyone!  Sunday's game should make you feel better, not worse.   

Bengals Never Disappoint

One thing about the Bengals is they have never lacked for surprises. Very bad weed jokes became commonplace on an otherwise regular hump day and the zombiefied 2006 jokes came back in full force.

More interestingly the Bengals have been found to be a staggering -3 on Sunday.  At this point I'm thinking the Ginger to Green combo should at least make the games entertaining like Blake to Pickens & Scott.

Now if Marvin could ever learn when to go for two....

Northern Kentucky Man Wants Tebow

Amazing

In my wildest dreams the guy from Independence looks like this     just look you won't be disappointed

Kentucky Waterfalls Yall

So when Broncos fans start booing good old "Neck Beard" early will you be happy when Tebow gets the call or will you think we are watching another Favre type beginning against the bengals...

 

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.

Irrational Hope

That was a much better way to start the season than watching left handed passes from Gus Frerotte. The sometimes luvable bungals will not have Wildman on the billboard until week 9 this year! Plus, all the insufferable Cleveland hype just went out the window because they lost to the Mike Brown's bungals at home in week one as big favorites. You just know Sam Wyche is smiling right now.

IF someone was to believe in Irrational against all belief defying hope then THIS is going to be the most improbable year ever in the history of NFL seasons as Bruce Gradkowski does his best Trent Dilfer impression and Cinci rides a great defense and running game to previoulsy unconsidered glories. 

That would be nice for a change...Who Dey! Kyle Orton's neck beard better watch out

 

 

 

Start Your Own Revolution: One Man Rogue Project Mayhem Task Launched By Fan

Readers, we understand the frustration some of you share about the tailing off of Project Mayhem tasks these days.  We would like to execute a never-ending string of them but resources are very limited amongst the "staff" here.  However, please do not interpret the lack of PM Tasks as indication we are not planning to do anymore.  Quite the contrary, we encourage our readers to continue to share their ideas and energy with us (whodeyrevolution at gmail dot com), we do brainstorm ourselves, and hopefully we will hit upon a golden idea soon.  We are ALWAYS OPEN to ideas and thrilled to hear yours.

Needless to say we are even more thrilled when fans take matters in the own hands entirely and we can simply sit back in our easy chairs, point, and go "YES. THAT. AWESOME."  On that note, I direct you to Lance's blog, where I point and say to you "YES. THAT. AWESOME."

"I am a dedicated Cincinnati Bengals fan Lance and I have listened to you for a while and I have never called in but I like your show.  I want to announce to you, once the first game starts I will sit out side of Paul Brown Stadium until my voice is heard by Mike.  Mike does not care about anyone but himself and I am quite aware of this.  He has been that way since he took over in 1991.  I am 26 years old and the last time the Bengals even went to a Super Bowl I was a baby.  I love my Bengals dearly!!!  I served in the military and I had to put up with every single day getting taunted because I was a Bengals fan but I stood my ground.  Enough is enough.  I will sit out there the entire season if needs be.  If I am arrested, which I hope doesn't happen, I will go right back outside of the stadium and sit there until I am heard."

"Joshua" immediately distinguishes himself as a great revolutionary with this gesture, should he actually go through with it.  He is a one man Project Mayhem SWAT Team planning to wreak havoc and we support him wholeheartedly.  All Bengals fans should.