Sports feeds
E-mail sports alerts
DDN sports mobile
Sports TwitterBengals defense answers critics with results
Saturday, December 02, 2006
CINCINNATI — From the outhouse to the penthouse, the Bengals defense has done an about-face, replacing its laughable label with a stout stamp.
Cincinnati's 13-7 triumph over Baltimore on Thursday night was the continuation of a climb that began in the cellar when the Bengals' "D" was ranked dead last in the league after yielding 595 yards in a 31-16 victory at New Orleans.
Extras
Next game
- Who: Raiders (2-9) at Bengals (7-5)
- When: 1 p.m. Dec. 10
- TV: WHIO (CBS, Channel 7)
- Radio: WLW-AM (700), WTUE-FM (104.7)
"I'm glad (for the defense because of) all the criticism that was being leveled on them, and earlier on the offense, back-and-forth," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said Friday. "It's what being part of a team is all about, and a family. We're going to push harder and coach harder, and coach better and play better, and never have those extremes."
The seeds of a turnaround were planted when strong safety Dexter Jackson blasted his teammates as quitters after the meltdown against San Diego, a game in which Cincinnati blew a 21-point halftime lead.
The defense has yielded just 16 points in 11 quarters, and set club records for consecutive scoreless quarters (7) and time without allowing a point (123 minutes, 20 seconds).
"What Dexter said was good: 'First look at yourself, then you move forward,' " Lewis said. "That's what happens when you go all the way down, as low as you can get. You've got to start building back up."
Flea-flicker fallout
Quarterback Carson Palmer praised everybody but himself for his 40-yard touchdown pass Thursday to T.J. Houshmandzadeh — a perfectly executed flea-flicker that gave the Bengals a 13-0 lead in the third quarter.
Palmer handed off to tailback Rudi Johnson, who pitched the ball back to Palmer, who found Houshmandzadeh wide open down the right sideline.
"I was a little nervous," Palmer said. "I didn't have a good view of the secondary. I knew he was open because of the crowd reaction. (Houshmandzadeh) did a great job of selling the play, and the offensive line did a great job, giving us time to get rid of the ball, because it's a long-developing play. If you get the protection like we had, it makes it easy."
Chad's grand plan
In an interview with the NFL Network after the game, Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson revealed his plan for a TD celebration that never materialized because he didn't score.
"The whole thing was Soul Train," Johnson said. "The cheerleaders are in all four corners, so it didn't matter what corner I scored in. We were going to do the Soul Train. They were going to line up. I was going to (dance) down the middle. So everybody understood what I was doing."
Baptism by fire
Third-string center Ben Wilkerson filled in admirably for Bengals backup Eric Ghiaciuc, who suffered a sprained knee in the second quarter. It was the first game action of Wilkerson's two-year NFL career.
"(The Ravens) give you a lot of different looks," Lewis said. "For a guy getting his first significant playing time in the NFL, there's a lot going on. We were able to do fine, enough to win the game, and that's what counts."
Injury report
Bengals right guard Bobbie Williams (appendix), cornerback Deltha O'Neal (shoulder), defensive tackle John Thornton (knee) and wide receiver Kelley Washington (hamstring) have been upgraded to probable against Oakland.
Bengals left tackle Levi Jones (knee), center Rich Braham (knee) and Ghiaciuc are questionable.
No phone calls
Lewis gave his players the weekend off, but warned them several times in the postgame locker room: "I don't want any phone calls."
What did he mean?
"He's talking to everybody," Chad Johnson said. "I'm going to tell you how the phone call goes: 'Coach, I missed my flight. I'm going to be late.' "
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com
.
BENGALS DEFENSE, FROM VERY BAD ...
Nov. 12 vs. San Diego, 431 yards allowed in 49-41 loss
Nov. 19 vs. New Orleans, 595 yards allowed in 31-16 win
TO REALLY, REALLY GOOD
Nov. 26 vs. Cleveland, 203 yards allowed in 30-0 win
Nov. 30 vs. Baltimore, 316 yards allowed in 13-7 win
