WhoDeyRevolution

Well At Least the Good Guys Won

I just assumed that with the Pats out once again (2005 & 2008), no other team in the NFL would step up and knock off a fatally flawed Steelers team.  What a nice feeling it is to be wrong.

And now there is literally nothing to talk about until there is a new labor agreement.  Here's some random links to read to kill time.  None of them are about football.  It's terrible.  I know.  But what can I do?

Do you live your life like a viking?  You should.  Some tips to start - EDSBS

You probably don't think about Singapore much, but its existence is worth your consideration - Wired

Michael Lewis writes about everything well, not just sports, here's his lastest piece on how Ireland voluntarily committed epic financial suicide - Vanity Fair

Mike Brown vs. Art Rooney

Forgive us if you have already seen these, but some hero has put together 2 Xtranormal videos of Mike Brown talking to Art Rooney.

To give you some perspective, the Steelers had only had 7 losing seasons since 1972, and since 2005 are 72-35 with 2 Super Bowl wins and potentially a third this year.

The Bengals had had 2 winning seasons in the last 20 and haven't won a playoff game since 1991.

Friday Gamblin'

According to docsports.com the Bengals will be 4.5-5 point underdogs at home on Monday night against the Stillers (depending on the sportsbook).  That's right.  We're 5 point dogs on Monday night at home to a team we beat twice just last year.

Vegas sure thinks we suck. 

I'm inclined to agree.  Haven't seen anything this year that leads me to believe the Bengals will get inspired to play the type of mentally tough game they will need to in order to beat the Steelers.  Also, you have to believe that the stadium, after a nice multi-year streak of keeping Front Runner Nation's fans at bay, will finally again be somewhat more populated with lowest common denominator's waving their silly yellow towels.

I'll take the Steelers to cover.  And 1 gallon of bourbon. 

Folks, it's all over.  But let's relive the good times and have some fun at FOOTBALL TOWN USA's expense.  Read here and here.  For all Steelers bashing, just peruse here.

Oh, and in case it wasn't obvious, we are openly soliciting for Project Mayhem ideas.  There's only one criteria at this point:  it needs to be cheap.  WDR, once gloriously funded by ourselves, occasional solicited fan donations and a few backers, is broke.  No more billboards.  No more airplanes.  No more urinal cakes.  Expenses must be virtually nil.

It's hard to be all mayhemy from your parents basement.

Yet Another Steelers Title Invalidated

Historically we have had little to cheer for as Bengals fans.  Thus, we resort to picking apart the successes of other franchises, so that we can feel better about our own inadequacy.  Ok, really just Pittsburgh.

Showtime addressed here how the 70s titles rested largely on the Steelers pioneering the use of steroids.  Now we can cancel out the 2005 title as the official in that game recently apologized for blowing critical calls in the 4th quarter of the Superbowl:

“It was a tough thing for me. I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game and as an official you never want to do that. It left me with a lot of sleepless nights and I think about it constantly. I’ll go to my grave wishing that I’d been better. I know that I did my best at that time, but it wasn’t good enough. When we make mistakes, you got to step up and own them. It’s something that all officials have to deal with, but unfortunately when you have to deal with it in the Super Bowl it’s difficult.”

The end of blog accurately notes, "only two? (calls)":

The Darrell Jackson pass interference in the first quarter and the upheld Ben Roethlisberger touchdown late in the first half also looked questionable.

That just leaves 1 title to go before Pitt is back swimming in the sewer with us.  We just need a way to invalidate the 2008 title. 

I personally blame 2008 on New England.  Pitt never can get through the playoffs when they have to face NE.  And Brady had no knee in 2008.  Also, their opponent?  Arizona.  Not like they had to go up against the Walsh/Montana 49ers.

If bored and looking for some amusement, perusing the posts of our "pittsburgh where bad people deserve their shitty lives" tag can be a fun distraction.

Dirtsburgh: A Collage Of A Certain Beastly Variety

We have all seen the enjoyable photography of obese women depicting their appreciation toward the city they love and their affinity toward the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers.  The bent over land-beast with Rothlesburger stapled to a yellow sailcloth being worn as a pair of underwear has put a smile on my face for years  Who says a little cellulite is a turn off?  Nothing a few lunges and the stair-master can't melt right off. Then there's the before picture of a Biggest Loser Campaign nominee sporting her XXL Steeler Football muumuu giving the guns that still makes me proud to be an American. 

These depictions are but a glimpse into a town that certainly has more to offer than a couple of web sensations that have been sadly epitomized as symbols of a team that has won 6 Superbowls!  I have searched long and hard (exactly 4 minutes and 49 seconds) to bring the good people of Cincinnati a glimpse into what it is to be a real fan of an empire the Bengals can only sniff to be compared to.

Like the Bengals Losing Justin Smith...Only the Exact Opposite

Watching Phil Rivers, aka King Laserface, move the Chargers offense of super-soldiers down the field effortlessly again and again in the 4th quarter versus the Stillers brought a big smile to my face.  And even though the Stillers failed in their 4th consecutive attempt to blow a game where they had a lead, it still seems as if something may be awry in "Football Town USA".

So I went to the usual source for answers; the trusty nerdery at Football Outsiders.  Here's some science from them that should give Bengals fans a little bit of hope:

They [Pittsburgh] are also the first team whose defensive DVOA went up over 40 percentage points between one season and the first four games of the next season. You also might notice that none of these teams really got back their defensive mojo...

The point is that Pittsburgh has experienced the biggest fall in performance of a defense as measured by FO from one season to the start of the next.  Importantly, the poor performance in the first 4 weeks continued throughout the season for teams that experienced huge drops like Pitt.

Great, right?

Well, of course, there's one huge caveat.

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.

If You See This Thing at the Game, Punch It

Who wears short shorts? Stillers fans!

Guy?

Girl?

Irrelevant!

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.