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StumbleuponA lot of ugly in Bengals preseason loss
Chad says 'I'm good' after getting knocked out of game; rookies Sims, Caldwell sustain injuries.
COMMENT: What concerns you most about the Bengals' performance?
Monday, August 18, 2008
CINCINNATI — Carson Palmer's pass spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e all the way.
Chad Johnson leaped high for it, whiffed and came down hard on his left shoulder — a swift exit and no return.
Johnson's shoulder injury with 9:21 left in the first quarter marred a sloppy, unimpressive preseason home-opening performance by the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night, Aug. 17.
Detroit pulled away for a 27-10 victory in front of 63,877 spectators at Paul Brown Stadium as the Lions improved to 2-0, while the Bengals (1-1) suffered through an evening of injuries.
At first, Bengals spokesmen Jack Brennan and P.J. Combs reported Johnson's return was questionable. Later, they announced Johnson was still being examined by medical personnel and he would not return.
Johnson exited the locker room after the game with his left arm in a sling. He said he fell awkwardly, but received good news from team doctors.
"I'm good, I'm good, I'm good," Johnson said. "I'll be back in a week."
Cincinnati's two rookie third-round draft picks — defensive tackle Pat Sims and wide receiver Andre Caldwell — also were lost to injury in a two-minute span.
Caldwell's foot injury was announced at the end of the third quarter and Sims, a victim of a foot injury, was wheeled off the field on a cart with 13:18 to go.
Detroit's three TDs came on Jon Kitna's 27-yard pass to Calvin Johnson; Brandon Middleton's 50-yard reception from quarterback Drew Stanton; and Stanton's 10-yard bootleg that faked out the Bengals' entire defense.
Among the Bengals' positives were the performances of backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and second-round draft pick Jerome Simpson.
Fitzpatrick was 11-of-14 passing for 111 yards and a TD — a 12-yard toss to Glenn Holt — and Fitzpatrick accounted for 31 of the Bengals' 100 rushing yards.
Simpson enjoyed a breakout game — five catches for 114 yards, including a 42-yarder on the final play of the game on Jeff Rowe's "Hail Mary" short of the goal line.
"We had some mistakes that obviously need to be corrected," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "But we did some things we came in here to do.
"We ran the football effectively, and I'm pretty pleased with that. We worked this week on the running game and wanted it to click early on."
Contact this reporter at 225-2253
or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Next game
Who: New Orleans Saints at Cincinnati Bengals
When: 7:35 p.m. Saturday
TV: WKEF-TV (ABC, Channel 22)
Radio: WTUE-FM (104.7)
Comments
By MGOOTEE
August 19, 2008 7:50 AM | Link to this
19 YEARS OF UGLY MIKE BROWN FOOTBALL. HOW MANY MORE CAN WE STAND… PLEASE MOVE OUT MIKE.OF COURSE THE BROWN DIDN,T LOOK GOOD EITHER.. WE DO HAVE A TEAM IN OHIO .. GO BUCKS.. TO BAD THEY DON,T PLAY 14 GAMES.. CABLE WANTING TO TAKE THAT ALL ALWAY FROM US.
By tim
August 18, 2008 4:33 PM | Link to this
Why does Marvin say they controlled the line of scrimmage? Also they were not able to run the ball like he said they were. You cant count Fitzpatrick’s 30 some yards. The O line looked bad, the DB’s looked bad against Detroit’s first team and the D Line looked bad against Detroit’s first team. Are we in for a long year again? Frustrating….I’ve watched probably 15 other teams play preseason and I hate to say it but the Bengals look worse than anyone so far. Hope for better!
By Russ
August 18, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
My biggest concern are the DBs. Zimmer is relying on them to cover 1:1 to allow others to come in various blitz packages. Without tight 1:1 coverage, there will be no regular pressure on opposing QBs. We’ve suffered through this for years. Downs 1 & 2 we hold tight. Third and long we get burned for long + 1. ARGGHHHH! This then turns into points for opponents putting our offense in a tough spot and making us get away from a running game. Deja Vu all over again!
By dave
August 18, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
First of all, pre-season should be outlawed. How many times have we lost a player in a game that doesn’t even count? Full contact from a defender trying to make the team is dangerous. Inflict the hardest hit possible to impress the coaches at the offense expense. It’s gotta count. If they want the TV money and ticket sales, play a 20 game season. The “Zimmer” defense looks to be completely over rated. If they don’t play any better than this, they’ll be lucky to be 4-12 this season.
By Daniel
August 18, 2008 10:45 AM | Link to this
Who is emerging as the third receiver for the Bengals? Maxwell, Holt, Simpson?
By Andy
August 18, 2008 9:40 AM | Link to this
What concerns me the most is the lack of a pass rush by the defense. Unless the Bengals brought the blitz, the front four could not get any pressure on the quarterback.