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Bengals' end was cute against not-so-cute foes
Monday, December 29, 2008
Here are some points to ponder as you spoon up your Cream of Wheat and sip your steaming cocoa on this late December morning:
• While the Bengals have very little to cheer about after finishing a 4-11-1 season on Sunday, Dec. 28, give them some credit for winning their last three in a row.
That might not be as encouraging as it looks, though. The combined record of those three teams they defeated was 15-33. And in the two weeks before "the streak," the Bengals lost to the Ravens 34-3 and then the Colts 35-3.
So the Bengals can beat bad teams. That's a start.
• One thing the Bengals lost by winning out — a higher draft choice than Cleveland.
The hapless Browns, 4-12, set an NFL record Sunday by completing 24 consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown.
How soon will Browns fans be asking, "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?"
Quite possibly, today.
• I like the addition of Willy Taveras to the top of the Reds lineup. I tried last year to get him for my fantasy team. No power, but plenty of SBs.
Speed kills and the Reds could be rather speedy this coming season. They went through a terrible stretch of seasons relying on the power of Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn. How did that work out?
So why not rebuild the team for speed? Sure, they could still use a power hitter, but they have pretty good power with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Edwin Encarnacion and Brandon Phillips. And new catcher Ramon Hernandez will also provide some pop.
Personally, I would like to see Chris Dickerson get a shot at left field. If healthy, he can produce speed and power.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2409
or jmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Comments
By antzzz
January 6, 2009 12:02 AM | Link to this
i feel the bengals kept there own with fitzy as qb.. and finished the season strong…. i fell fitzy will be a reliabel backup if palmer ever goes down next season.. i honelty feel they should keep chad and t,j unless they want to go their own ways.. and strenghten the defense.. they got the talen ton offense it that there just no clicking… Defense is the key to many flaws there
By DudeNation
January 1, 2009 11:24 PM | Link to this
Fitz would be better off in a West Coast offense than a downfield offense. I don’t advise him to stick around, particularly since Carson takes EVERY snap in practice when he’s healthy. That doesn’t allow the backup QB to have any timing practice with his receivers. He never clicked with Ocho, probably because Ocho doesn’t run the correct routes in games.
By Mike in Cleveland
January 1, 2009 12:26 PM | Link to this
I am a long time Bengals fan living in Cleveland. Thank God they posted a better record than the clowns. That said, all of the keep this player, cut that player talk does not matter. Unless Mike Brown dies or changes his stragegy to running this club, the Bengals will never have any long term success. It’s sad for the unknowing fans, more sad for those that do know.
By PATSfan
December 30, 2008 1:23 PM | Link to this
im a patriots fan but i think the bengals could be good next year. get carson back, trade chad for some draft picks, resign tj and benson get some o lineman and i could see them going 8 and 8 next year
By Jim
December 29, 2008 11:59 PM | Link to this
I think the Bengals showed alot of class. They stuck behind their coach and never gave up. That is more than anyone can say about the pitiful Dallas Cowboys. Marvin Lewis is a class act and should be given alot of credit for holding things together under the given circumstances of numerous injuries. GO BENGALS!!!!1
By bob
December 29, 2008 10:17 PM | Link to this
Fitzy will look really good replacing Ken Dorsey as the #3 QB for the browns…..
By smc64
December 29, 2008 7:10 PM | Link to this
Chuck zimmer you have it so right, I grew up watching the bengals. Every team has their ups and downs. S**t happens, but I am not going to jump ship just because they lose. At least they keep fighting and not give up. I will always be very proud to wear their team logo on my sweatshirts and jackets. Bengals will be back all the way real soon. GO MARVIN AND THOSE BENGALS!!!!!!!
By Steve Lewis
December 29, 2008 6:55 PM | Link to this
Keep Ryan, he can at least scramble. Use Chad as bait for some o-line man. resign T.J., Benson. Fire o coordinater. Get a a RB/WR tailback to go woth Benson.
By Scott Ward
December 29, 2008 5:33 PM | Link to this
I am a Bengals fan also, Chuck, but it is getting hard to stay a Bengals fan. I can understand a few bad years, every team goes through that. But we are talking almost 20 years of failure. One playoff game in 18 years? You can’t blame injuries because every team deals with that also. Personally, I could not believe the attendance. Why do people keep supporting this?
By BigJack
December 29, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this
My thoughts on finishing with 3 wins? hmmm… well, I guess Marvin might have saved his job. The fact is that the D has played pretty well this year and the O has been missing Palmer. That said, I’m not sure that Marvin can make this team believe they can win into the post-season.
By Chuck Zimmer
December 29, 2008 12:47 PM | Link to this
First and formost,I am a Bengal fan. Do you people think loosing is fun for them ? They all want to win. The nature of the beast is someone wins and someone looses. This team had some bad breaks this year. Other teams had some good breaks. I am sooo sick of you people bashing my team when things are going bad, then when they are wining they are your team again. We as Bengal fans don’t want or need your support. If you don’t support me when I’m down, stay the hell away from us when we are winning
By dan
December 29, 2008 12:08 PM | Link to this
I’m ready to dump Bratkowski. He never devised a plan to get Chad open, or to make defenses pay for staying in Cover-2. He never found a way to run the ball. His plays are sooooo predictable. For example, after EVERY incompletion on first down, he followed up with a run up the middle on second down. No wonder Fitz was having to throw on 3rd and 9 so often. PREDICTABLE.
By Ocho Choko
December 29, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
Face it the Bengals suck. Every year we hear the same promises of how they are going to win, what a joke. Fire Marvin and cut Chad, also get a new quarterback and let Carson sit. Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck Bengals suck
By dan
December 29, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
As it turned out, 2008 was a 20-game preseason for 2009. Luckily, Cincy found some good players off the street, and developed young players into solid contributors. KEY FREE AGENT PICKUPS: I don’t see a lot of action here. KEY DRAFT: Get a center and pass rusher on day one. Get a fullback on day two. KEY RE-SIGNINGS: Benson, T.J., Graham.
By gwes
December 29, 2008 11:55 AM | Link to this
Let’s face it, a winnning season is not a losing season. Regardless of how much we want to hold on to 3 wins against struggling teams, it’s just not enough for hope.
So next year’s guesses are as follows…… Palmer will come to training camp and then declare he needs arm surgery. No improvment from the D line, still won’t be able to get a sack. O line will be the same cluster thanks to wonderful play calling (please fire the offensive cord.) We’ll be planning for the 2010 team in Oct.
By M
December 29, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this
Well, the year is over. #2 QB was better with Benson in the lineup than with Perry. We need to dump Chad, sign Housh and Benson. Defense was a lot better this year than in the past. Offensive and Defensive linemen would be my choices for the draft. Palmer needs protection. We don’t need a circus atmosphere next year. Hopefully, ‘09 will be a great year.
By CDouble13
December 29, 2008 10:06 AM | Link to this
The late season wins show how this team never gave up on Marvin Lewis, no matter how out manned, under-talented, ect. This team had so many chances to quit, but it didn’t. My advice to “Bengal Nation,” stop trashing Marvin Lewis, given the circumstances the Bengals could be looking like Detroit at 0-16. The team must get some better players,true, but as for next year, weren’t the Jets, Falcons, and Dolphins all supposed to suck and The Super Bowl was supposed to be Dallas vs Jax? U never know!
By ShockMonkey
December 29, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this
I believe Fitzpatrick is a FA. He’s a nice backup…period!
By Gerald
December 29, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
I think Fitzpatrick is a VERY solid backup for the Bengals for years to come. If he were to be cut loose, it would be a sham and a shame.