WhoDeyRevolution

Week 2: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

1. Zimmer. Glad to see he didn't pull a Breshnahan again this week. He clearly won the chess match yesterday, and the players executed his plan perfectly. 

2. Geno Atkins (#97) & Pat Sims (#90). Any time Flacco dropped back to pass, at least one of these two guys were collapsing the pocket and forcing Flacco to hurry his throws. Everyone in the media is always fascinated by the glamorous sack stat. Don't fall for it.

For example, Hob clings to the sack stats when defending the actually terrible 2007 Bengal's OL which caused Palmer to learn some bad habits that he is still trying to work through. It is pressure that really effects the opponents QB efficiency rating by forcing the QB to hurry and make poor decisions. No pressure the first week = Brady 120.9 with a 71.4% completion percentage (seemed like 95% while watching the game). Constant pressure from the front four this Sunday = Flacco 23.8 with a 43.6% completion rate and four INT's. According to the NFL stats, no Bengal defensive player recorded a single sack against the Ravens. I would be perfectly happy if this team doesn't get another sack the rest of the season, as long as they produce like they did Sunday.

3. Bengals OL. It wasn't pretty, but they managed to give Palmer the time and space he needs. Even with the rotating timeshare at RT, they picked up almost every blitz package and stunt the Ravens threw at them. Roland held his own against Suggs for the most part, which is a very difficult thing to accomplish. Personally, I think the RT timeshare is as cheesy in football as it is in real estate, and Smith has to take over the position to solidify the OL at some point.

The Bad:

1. Palmer. He had the time and space and he couldn't take advantage of it. His poor performance yesterday made this game a nail biter when it shouldn't have been even close. The mistakes made Sunday are the remaining scars of the years of abuse he took behind a sub-par OL from 2006 to 2008. Unfortunately, his recovery is a work in progress and it will take time to work these things out since they are mostly mental. The throwing errors we are seeing are most likely from Palmer still feeling like he needs to force his throws to avoid being hit. His passes are either too early, too late, or off target because of this.

The good news is that his mechanics and footwork have improved dramatically compared to the previous two seasons, but his read and reaction skills are still a few steps behind. Does this mean Palmer is done? In this case, we have to ask WWLD? I think Lando would recommend the same treatment that he recommended while his men are getting blown to hell: "we have to give him more time." He just needs to learn to relax and play football again, and I expect that we will see Palmer work out these mistakes as the season goes on if the OL can continue to give him the security he needs in the pocket. If the OL continues to provide space for him and he doesn't improve, then yes he is done. So the jury is still out.

2. Batman and Robin's hands. Johnson has never been good at catching a ball while running toward the interior of the field, and this weakness was showcased Sunday with several dropped balls. TO had one or two catchable TD passes and he couldn't bring them in. From the past two weeks only, it seems like if you can cover TO tight, he can't concentrate on catching the ball. TO's decrease in speed doesn't help out in this department either. I still believe he would be better in the slot than as the #2 since he would have more favorable personnel match ups and routes that get him open by taking advantage of the seams in the zones and exploit his ability to get some YAC's like we witnessed against the Ravens. 

3. Gresham's blocking. I wrote at the end of the preseason that we would see Benson get blown up a couple of times while running the stretch play because of his inexperience. However, Bratkowski continues to test Gresham's improvement at the most inconvenient times. There were a couple of 3rd and short plays where they ran toward Gresham's side; almost every time he whiffed and Benson was blown up. They either need to: a) stop calling this play on third and short; b) teach the kid to block aggressively really quick; or c) fire Bratkowski.

The Ugly:

You know what?  This deserves it's own post.

 

WDR to Graham: Facing You Will Be Fun Too

ESPN AFC North blog author James Walker (who incidentally has been growing on me over the past two years - rare that I like anyone from ESPN), posts an article today entited:  "Graham:  Facing Bengals Will Be Fun."

Agreed!  It will be a fucking blast. 

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight Ginger's insult of the Bengals which he disguised as praise for the Ravens:

Graham also said that he's very impressed with the overall culture and atmosphere of his new team.

"They invest a lot in the team and the facility. You can tell they don't spare any expense for anything," Graham said of the Ravens. "They treat their players, their trainers, to the people working in the ticket office -- everyone is treated first class. So it's a great organization. It's great to be around that, and I feel very welcomed here."

Depth: Overrated

As Sly just noted, raging super badass Ed Reed might miss the first 6 games of this season.  Glorious news.  Football Outsiders mentions the remarkable amount of depth and good players the Ravens have on the defensive side of the ball, but that only goes so far.  In fact, I think depth matters a whole lot less than generally thought.

Sure, you want to have as many talented players at all positions as possible but there are limitations to replacing player after player.  At some point you are just screwed.  Most great teams, in any sport, are leveraged to a few key people.  Their success or failure will depend ultimately on those people alone.

For the Ravens, Ed Reed is one of those guys.  Ray Lewis was too.  On the offensive side, Ray Rice, their two young tackles and Flacco are probably the counterparts.  Without any of those guys, the Ravens super bowl aspirations take a large hit.

If I told you Polamalu was out for the season, would the Steelers D intimidate you?  Would you think their D could lead them to a Superbowl?  Absolutely not.

For the Bengals, there is no planning for the loss of Carson Palmer.  Or Mike Zimmer.  Or the absence of Marvin Lewis to run the Bengals like a real organization.  The Bengals are leveraged to those three guys.  And there is not much hope without them.

This isn't a bad thing.  It's just reality.  I doubt Colts or Pats fans get upset that they depend solely on the health of Manning and Brady.  Most any fan would love to be in their shoes.

Realistically, there is only so much depth can do.  Even the injury to Kendrick Perkins probably made the marginal difference that swung game 7 of the NBA finals to the Lakers.  I'm sure many of you don't even know who Kendrick Perkins is.  But yes, even the loss of a decent NBA center on a team with pretty deep front court couldn't survive the loss of that guy for one game.

This is all just a long-winded way of me saying Ed Reed matters.  A lot.  And his absence, if it occurs, will be a big boost for the Bengals.

Let's All Have a Good Laugh at My Expense

First, up, my most recent post where I ask (assuming the answer is basically "no"):

Do the Bengals have an edge in any area against Baltimore this week?

Well, yes, it turns out they do.  They have in edge in every area (except the area where you have to snap a ball seven yards backwards so a Ginger Kid can kick it - in that area the Ravens RULE).

All due respect to my boy Competitiveness, but if luck played a role in this game, it was good luck for the Ravens that they weren't down and out of this game by the end of the 3rd quarter.  The overthrow by Flacco on 3rd down and the convenient penalties on the game-winning drive merely allowed the final score to validate what anyone watching that game should have realized:  the Bengals outplayed the Ravens in every facet of the game and were a better team.

Second, I revisited my season preview and concluded the following:

Bengals fans find out this team has a ceiling.  And that ceiling is the wild card playoff round.

I even underlined it at the time for emphasis.  Whoops!  Instead we found out that the Bengals could beat a team previously thought to be among the class of the AFC (and for the past decade or so, by extension the entire NFL)...on the road.  The defense is legit, I can only imagine the offense can get better from here on out, a team identity for once exists, and a good-karma snowball appears to be rolling downhill and gaining speed.  All bets are off.

But, I remind everyone that the season is LONG and the Superbowl is all that matters.  And with that I will bow out of the prediction business for this season...

Do the Bengals Have An Edge in Any Area Against Baltimore This Week?

Besides receivers?

Even at QB is questionable.  Palmer is proven while Flacco is still not.  But as of this week, I don't think Palmer has performed noticeably better than Joey.

Try to ignore it if Michael Oher plays well.

But back to the point, how exactly will the Bengals win this game?  What has to happen?  And I'm not talking some Jake Delhomme-like meltdown from Flacco that hands us the game.  I'm saying, if Baltimore plays a decent game how do we win?

The Bengals winning at Baltimore by hanging 24 points in the 4th quarter on Ed Reed & Co in 2004 remains the most impressive thing I have ever seen a Bengals team do in my lifetime.  I think we need something like that to happen.

Open thread below.  Discuss.

Where We Go From Here

It's been quite an active couple of days for comments on our site.  We appreciate everyone's viewpoint, and I think it is all a testament to how emotionally we are tied to this team...in one way or another. 

For those of you who were up in arms over the posting of the Blair Witch style video of the two crucial plays from the game on Sunday:  It was not my intention to celebrate those who were in the stadium as supporting Mike Brown, etc.  I just thought it captured what this city actually felt on Sunday, and how it could be like that all the time if the Bengals actually structured the organization like a real-live NFL team.  This team has a long way to go to even sniff the playoffs, and I sure as hell don't to think this team is going to a Super Bowl anytime soon.  If Brian Leonard doesn't get his hand down and leap for a first down, we are talking about another loss to Pittsburgh and a disappointing 1-2 start.  I as much as anyone understand that.  

The margin of winning and losing in the NFL is razor thin.  Much like playing blackjack at a casino...over the long run, you are going to lose.  In today's NFL if you are not hunting for and exploiting every single last advantage you can find, the other teams will consistently win more than you.  Without having a general manager, an extensive scouting department, or a clear long-range 'plan' (or system) for your football team, you will not be successful over the long run.  It just isn't possible.  We have a sample size of nearly twenty years in the Mike Brown/Salary Cap era.  I think that is enough to make a logical, realistic judgment.

AFC North Standings

Baltimore	2	0	0	1.000	1-0-0	1-0-0	0-0-0	2-0-0	69	50	+19	Won 2
Pittsburgh	1	1	0	.500	1-0-0	0-1-0	0-0-0	1-0-0	27	27	0	Lost 1
Cincinnati	1	1	0	.500	0-1-0	1-0-0	0-0-0	0-1-0	38	36	+2	Won 1
Cleveland	0	2	0	.000	0-1-0	0-1-0	0-0-0	0-1-0	26	61	-35	Lost 2

This team has every right of being 2-0.  Say what you want, and we have, but today's win at Green Bay is the biggest non-Pittsburgh road win since at least 2004 and potentially since the 90s.  To think that this team is playing Pittsburgh next week in a must win game.  Ha.

Antwan Odom looked like Pro Bowler, Andrew Whitworth looked like a little leaguer.  Carson made several bad throws but was OK overall, I guess.  Cedric Benson ran hard, again, and looked solid.  Chad looked like Chad.  Penalties, penalties, penalties.

More to come later, obviously, but let's celebrate this win while we can.  Seven days until the next "Biggest Game of the Year."  Who Dey.