Black (and Orange) Monday

September 10th, 2007 will mark the start of the Bengals 40th season. What better way to celebrate than with the Bengals' first home monday night game since 2004 and the first night opener since the Bengals' first ever game, a 29-13 defeat by the San Diego Chargers on September 6, 1968. Thats right, the Bengals are featured in one of the doubleheader Monday Night Football games and their opponent is none other than the 2006 AFC North defending champions, the Baltimore Ravens.

It would be great to start the season 1-0 in overall record and division record, but the problem is the Bengals might not be at full strength. Chris Henry will miss this game because of a definite suspension to be handed out soon and Jonathan Joseph will possibly be riding the bench. Marvin Lewis has not ruled out sitting him down because of his run in with the law on January 22nd. Henry and Joseph are major cogs in the Bengals scheme and missing them would hurt. Especially because the last time the Bengals and Ravens met Jonathan Joseph had 4 pass breakups (that should have been interceptions) and could have been cosidered the MVP of the game.

It has been argued that the Bengals' off the field issues haven't affected their play, but if their key players can't suit up it definitely affects things. I am now convinced that Henry is a cancer because of his latest traffic violations. It shows me that he has made no progress and he should not remain with the team, no matter how talented he is. The rest of the team needs to put the team first and win some games. I'd like nothing more than to see the black and blue Ravens leaving Cincinnati with their tail feathers between their legs.

Can the Bengals Get Out of the 8-8 Rut?

For those of you that were dismayed when my post was absent from your Thursday morning last week, I apologize. I was on a much needed vacation.

But now I'm back and so are the weekly posts.

This week, most of the teams in the NFL are starting their offseason workout programs. The Bengals won't start until some time next week, but I figured now is as good as ever to make a realistic prediction for the Bengal's 2007 season.

As far as anyone is concerned, the 2006 season was a failure. It was full of the highest highs that were replaced quickly by the lowest lows. The lowest was the second half meltdown against the Chargers that all of Bengaldom shall remember for years. After looking at '06, I came to realize that if the Bengals would have closed the deal on many of the close games they were involved in instead of giving up, their record would have been 13-3. The Steelers, Falcons, Chargers, Buccaneers, and Broncos games were all within the Bengals grasp but the victory managed to elude them. Bengals fans are familiar with this sort of occurrence because it happens so often that it is commonplace for fans to leave Paul Brown Stadium feeling broken hearted after being filled with such hope. These lapses have some, particularly me, believing that if they continue, Marvin Lewis may be out of a job. Especially if the Bengals don't make the playoffs.

If you examine all the elite teams from 2006, you realize that they all came together in the second half to win ball games. No one proves my point other than the Chargers on that infamous November 12th afternoon or the Colts against New England in the AFC Championship. The Bengals will never be a championship team, like the Colts, until they can win in the clutch on a consistent basis. Sure they had their share of clutch plays in '06, like the 4th and 1 pass that found itself in Chad Johnson's arms 32 yards down field for the conversion. However, fewer instances come to mind when you apply the clutch to the defense. Its that simple, the defense does not make plays on a consistent basis. Does it have the potential? Yes, but it will have to find an individual to give it an attitude, particularly a middle linebacker.

Lets say that the draft is defense heavy in the first two rounds and there are no major injuries to speak of, I estimate the Bengals record will be somewhere in the area of 10-6. Keep in mind this is a very early prediction and I will update my prediction as the offseason continues.

I think that 2007 will see Carson Palmer's number climb because he won't be coming off of a major knee surgery and because Levi Jones is returning to guard his left side. Many of the injured wide receivers will be returning that will be crucial in special teams and replacing Chris Henry during his eventual suspension (everyone knows its coming). Hopefully Rudi Johnson will have someone to step in and let him take a series off every now and then. That will help his stats improve drastically.

The defensive picture is so blurry that it is hard to foretell how successful they will be in '07. I think that the talent is there but the heart and desire is not. If Marvin Lewis can bring out that talent, the defense would be scary.

2007 is a pivotal year in Bengals history because if a talented team such as this fails to make the playoffs, I believe Marvin may be looking elsewhere for work. If you don't agree with me, just ask Marty Schottenheimer. He guided the Chargers to a league best 14-2 record and then lost his job because of a 1 and done playoff run. Marvin has had 5 years to make a contender in Cincinnati and he has done that but he has not taken the team to the next level, making the playoffs on a consistent basis and having playoff success.

Why the Return of Reggie Kelly is a Good Thing.

For all you advocates for a new tight end, this is for you. You know who you are. You are more interested in watching the combine for Greg Olsen than Leon Hall. You were heart broken when Leonard Pope, Marcedes Lewis, and Dominique Byrd slipped through the Bengal's grasp in last spring's draft. You were hoping and praying that the Bengals would finally find a pass catching tight end that would stretch the field and create mis-matches on linebackers.

I'm sure a lot of you that play EA Sport's Madden Football series draft or trade for a tight end when you play as the Bengals in franchise mode. So do I. It helps in the video game. However, when the Bengals suit up to play on sundays, they are not powering up the XBOX 360s, they line up for real. Therefore they have to use an offense that takes advantages of the weapons they already have. It is very unique because it features three ultra talented wide recievers. No other team in the NFL has the reciever corps. that Cincinnati does. None. Why not feature them most of the time in three reciever sets? Offensive Coordinator Bob Bratkowski does just that. He understand that any tight end is going to be the fourth progression for quarterback Carson Palmer. First is Chad Johnson of course, then follows T.j. Houshmandzadeh, then comes Chris Henry.

Why does Chris Henry come before a tight end? Chris Henry is 6' 4", fast, can jump over any corner in the league, and he scores a touchdown every third time he touches the ball. He functions as a vertical weapon that can be lined up in the slot or outside and do the same thing as a pass catching tight end would do. This means that since you have a deep threat in Chad, a chain moving T.j., and a vertical target in Chris Henry, you don't need a tight end for anything except to block. Which is why I'm glad that Daniel Graham, Jerramy Stevens, and Eric Johnson did not come to Cincinnati. Reggie Kelly is a great blocker and his prowess is key to the success of Cincinnati's offense. He serves as a 6th offensive lineman on running and passing downs, creating holes for Rudi Johnson and extra time for Carson to drop back and throw.

Re-signing Reggie Kelly not only means the character left in the locker room is staying, but it means that the high powered Bengals offense also stays. No pass catching tight end will ever be able to create the miss matches like Chris Henry can. That is why you will never see a Antonio Gates or Ben Watson in Cincinnati. Cincy's tight ends block. Let the arguments cease.