NFL FanHouse

Entire AFC North Fell Apart Sunday

JJ Cooper — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:37:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers, AFC North

It was a rough day around the AFC North. A day when all four teams lost games they should have won.

Baltimore came into Sunday with more to gain, and more to lose, than anyone in the division -- beat the undefeated Colts, and Baltimore would stay right in the middle of the AFC playoff race. Lose and the Ravens would be in danger of falling out of the mix altogether.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, Baltimore looked ready to give Indianapolis its first loss. But with Baltimore needing only a field goal to take the lead, quarterback Joe Flacco was picked off inside the Colts 20 in the final three minutes of the game. The Ravens had one more chance, but Ed Reed lateraled into a fumble in the final 30 seconds. Now Baltimore sits at 5-5 with two games left against the Steelers and time quickly running out.

But as rough as the Ravens had it , it was even worse for the Steelers.

They were facing the inept Kansas City Chiefs -- a team that is just waiting for 2010 to arrive. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came close to throwing for 300 yards in the first half, but somehow Pittsburgh found itself in overtime against the Chiefs. Then, after K.C. wide receiver Chris Chambers turned a short pass into a 61-yard catch-and-run that set up an easy field goal, the Steelers found themselves losers against a team they were favored to beat by 11 1/2 points.

Sure, the Steelers had a bad Sunday, but can their loss compare to the Bengals? With the Steelers losing a 1 PM game, all the Bengals had to do was beat the lowly Raiders in the late-afternoon slot, and they'd have the division sewn up -- effectively a three-game lead with six games to go. And for 59 minutes, the Bengals followed the script. But when Bruce Gradkowski connected with Louis Murphy for a game-tying touchdown in the final minute, all of a sudden the Bengals were looking at overtime. That is, until Andre Caldwell fumbled the kickoff return on the next play, leaving the Bengals on the wrong end of a 20-17.

As bad as the Bengals loss was, and it was bad, the Browns might have had it worst of all. There has been nothing to cheer about in Cleveland this year -- the team came into Sunday's game with five touchdowns this season. Most fans get to cheer wins, Cleveland fans have to get excited about first downs.

But with a chance to play against a Lions defense that is just as inept as its own, Cleveland finally started scoring some points. Brady Quinn threw four touchdowns in the game, after Cleveland QBs had thrown only three combined in the Browns' first nine games. It looked like it was enough, too, as Cleveland led 37-31 when Matthew Stafford's Hail Mary fell incomplete as the clock hit 0:00 in the fourth quarter. But Cleveland was called for defensive pass interference.

Even that wasn't too bad -- Stafford had taken a wicked hit on the Hail Mary pass, so Daunte Culpepper would have to quarterback the game's final play completely cold.

At least, that was the plan. Cleveland called timeout, which gave Stafford enough time to shake off the cobwebs and return to the field. He found Brandon Pettigrew for the game-winning touchdown on the rare untimed down, then walked off with an aching shoulder.

On Sunday, all four AFC North teams lost. All four lost in heartbreaking ways that might be remembered for months or even years to come. And all four have an argument for having the worst loss of the day -- it is one argument with no winners and four losers.

Entire AFC North Fell Apart Sunday originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tenacious Raiders Stun Bengals Late

Matt Snyder — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:20:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Raiders, AFC North, AFC West

After a physical beatdown of the reigning Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals were riding high. "Just look at their next three opponents," observers proclaimed -- with good reason, as the Bengals were staring at the Raiders, Browns and Lions in succession on their schedule. The three teams had combined for four wins and 23 losses before Week 10, while the Bengals had won seven of eight since their fluky Week 1 loss.

Facing Bruce Gradkowski and the Raiders offense surely shouldn't be a problem for a team that held Ben Roethlisberger in check, right? Well, that's why they play the games.

Oakland scored 10 points in the final minute of regulation to upset Cincinnati, 20-17.

The Bengals jumped on top 14-0 behind two Carson Palmer rushing (that's not a typo) touchdowns.

This is where you have to give Oakland credit. Aside from the most devout of Raider Nation, no one thought Cincy would lose this game. After coughing up two touchdowns, the Raiders could have rolled over and taken the easy way out. Instead, they fought and they fought harder than they have all season.

Behind four takeaways -- seriously, Carson, there's a reason no one ever throws at Nnamdi Asomugha -- the Raiders rallied back. Gradkowski didn't light up the stat sheet, but he found a way to claw his team back in the game. He even shook off a mistake of his own to rebound with a game-tying drive.

With 6:08 left in the game and his Raiders trailing by a touchdown, Gradkowski had a chance to complete Oakland's rally after taking over possession in Cincinnati territory. Instead, he threw an interception on the first play of the drive. But his defense picked him up by forcing the Bengals to punt.

Gradkowski must have wanted more of a challenge. The second time around, he had just 2:12 to work with and the Raiders needed to move 80 yards. They did just that, 79 of those yards coming from Gradkowski's arm. He worked beautifully on the drive and found Louis Murphy in the end zone to tie the game with 33 seconds left.

The game appeared destined for overtime until Andre Caldwell fumbled the ball back to the Raiders on the ensuing kickoff. Already well within the strong-legged Sebastian Janikowski's range, the Raiders kneeled three times and let the Polish placekicker bring the win home. He connected on the 33-yard field goal and the Raiders had upset the Bengals, 20-17.

The Raiders got a nice game from tight end Zach Miller, who caught five passes for 65 yards and a touchdown, but the story was their ball-hawking defense and special teams giving the offense multiple opportunities to win the game.

The Bengals were without leading rusher Cedric Benson, but rookie Bernard Scott filled in admirably with 119 yards on 21 carries (recent addition Larry Johnson had two carries for a measly five yards). Again, though, the major theme here was Cincinnati's inability to hold on to the football -- you can't turn it over four times on the road and expect to beat anyone.

The Raiders will look to keep things going when they travel to Dallas for a Thanksgiving bout with the Cowboys.

The Bengals actually didn't lose any ground in the standings, as every single AFC North team lost on Sunday. So they received a gift. They'll count their blessings and look to take care of business against the Browns at home next Sunday.

Tenacious Raiders Stun Bengals Late originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LJ Pushes Bengals to Brink of Disaster

Terence Moore — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North

CINCINNATI -- Now you can add frequently bad actor Larry Johnson to a Cincinnati Bengals locker room already noted for drama.

Yeah, this makes sense.

It actually does, but only to a point.

Starting running back Cedric Benson has an aching hip flexor, and since nobody worth mentioning wanted to sign Johnson, he came this week as a cheap insurance policy for the Bengals. It's just that you have this little thing in sports called "chemistry," and Benson didn't exactly suggest after practice on Wednesday that he would celebrate Johnson's arrival by baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

"Oh, I didn't know I was supposed to be jumping out of my seat or anything, so I really have no feelings about (Johnson's arrival)," said Benson, among the NFL's leading rushers, responding to it all without the hint of emotion.

So will Johnson help the Bengals?

"I haven't broken down film (on Johnson), so I really don't know," said Benson, still straight-faced. Then Benson added, "They make decisions for the team and stuff, and I don't have any thoughts."

Here are mine: to the dismay of Benson when it comes to Johnson, for instance, the Bengals have placed an imaginary sign outside of Paul Brown Stadium that says to their peers, "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to make us not look absolutely ridiculous if this doesn't work out."

The thing is, given the sorry ways of the Bengals since the 1991 death of Paul Brown, their venerable founder and first head coach, they have nothing to lose. As a result, they've taken the spirit of hiring rejects from George Allen's days with the Over The Hill Gang in Washington. And then they've combined that with the philosophy of the 20th century Oakland Raiders who believed in adding the bad boys of other teams to those of their own. And then they've kept repeating the process.

The result? Great -- so far. The defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers already have lost twice to the 7-2 Bengals. Plus, only the Indianapolis Colts at 9-0 have a better record in the conference.

This is a Cincinnati franchise with just one winning season in its last 19 years, and during one recent stretch, the Bengals challenged the NFL record for most players fingerprinted before, during and after a season.

Such a strategy (or lack thereof) of stacking a roster with undesirable and unwanted players didn't work for the Bengals back then, but their ownership and management is confident that they've got it right this time.

Maybe they have.

"I think a lot of guys have bricks on their shoulders, because you had an image of being a different player somewhere else, and you try to come here and try to get your career back on the right track," said Chris Crocker, the leader of the secondary, whose nomadic story is the dominant story for most on the Bengals' roster.

As for Crocker's story, he joined Cincinnati in the middle of 2008 after he was released by the Miami Dolphins. He began his seven-year career with the Cleveland Browns, but he was unwanted three years after that. Then he went to the Atlanta Falcons, but he was unwanted two years after that before his brief stay in Miami.

"In this locker room, we don't judge people by their past. We just judge people on what we know about them right now."
- Chris Crocker,
Bengals safety Added Crocker, "This (move to the Bengals) has worked for the positive for us because so many of us realize that second and third chances don't come very often. I give them (Bengals officials) credit for putting a bunch of guys together who hadn't done well at other places. That's hard (for management) to do.

"For players who are on this team, there's always an image, always a reputation that you carry that's good, bad or indifferent. There's always something that people said about you that may not be true."

Then again, it probably is true, but the Bengals decision makers (primarily owner Mike Brown and seventh-year coach Marvin Lewis) couldn't care less. I mean, if Terrell Owens isn't on his way to this side of the Ohio River, just wait. The same goes for Michael Vick, who only was a "yes" from heading to the Bengals after his prison time for that dogfighting mess.

Can Dennis Rodman block or tackle?

Let's go back to Johnson, who was considered so disruptive by his Kansas City bosses that he was waived earlier this month despite sitting 75 yards shy of becoming the Chiefs' all-time leading rusher. Most recently, he spent a couple of weeks suspended after using a derogatory term in public regarding homosexuals. He also was involved in a Twitter controversy when he ripped Chiefs first-year head coach Todd Haley in childish ways.

Before that, Johnson was arrested several times for alleged incidents involving the abuse of women, ranging from shoving the head of one at a nightclub to spitting a drink into the face of another to waving a gun at a former girlfriend.

The Bengals signed Johnson anyway.

Said Crocker, "In this locker room, we don't judge people by their past. We just judge people on what we know about them right now. We brought in Larry Johnson, and you have Cedric Benson, the guy in front of him, who he has had the same experience (of people doubting his worth). So (Benson) can help him out."

Yes, Benson can, but only theoretically (see above). Soon after the Chicago Bears picked Benson as the fourth player overall in the 2005 draft, he was labeled a bust. That's because he was. He was released in June 2008, and he was out of the league until the Bengals spread their always open arms three months later.

Elsewhere on the Bengals' offense, you have Chris Henry, their perennial reclamation project. His impressive season ended this month with a broken forearm, but only after he was waived last year and then signed again for a final chance to save his career after numerous encounters with the law. Placekicker Shayne Graham was released five times by other NFL teams. Punt returner Quan Cosby joined the Bengals as a college free agent. Wide receiver Laveranues Coles wasn't wanted by the New York Jets anymore after last season for various reasons, but along came the Bengals.

Then you have what the Bengals call the Scrap Iron Defense, because as linebacker Brandon Johnson said, "We've got a lot of pieces that nobody wanted."

Linebacker Dhani Jones was jobless for three weeks before he was signed by the Bengals in September 2007. Linebacker Rey Maualuga was bypassed in the first round of the 2009 despite his stellar career at Southern Cal. Defensive end Tank Johnson joined the Bengals as a free agent this year after an explosive past -- on and off the field.

The list is endless.

Still, the Bengals prosper. They will do so through the rest of the regular season and deep into the playoffs if they remember this: they are about one more Larry Johnson-type acquisition away from blowing it.

For verification, listen to that sound of mostly silence from Benson.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

LJ Pushes Bengals to Brink of Disaster originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Larry Johnson Headed to Cincy

Will Brinson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Free Agency

Larry Johnson cleared waivers last week, and as a result, was a full-on free agent (no one was picking up his salary, so this wasn't a surprise). Now it's being reported that LJ will sign with the Cincinnati Bengals.

That's the rumor, anyway, coming from Adam Schefter's Twitter account, where he's crediting Michael Smith with the news that Johnson is headed to Cincy for a visit and likely signing.

ESPN's Michael Smith reporting that Larry Johnson is en route to Cincinnati, and barring a breakdown, is expected to sign with Bengals.

This news comes on the heels of a Cedric Benson injury that has the AFC North-leading Bengals likely concerned about their running game. Further reports indicate that Johnson isn't expected to sign until later this evening -- presumably he's in for a visit with coach Marvin Lewis and to take a physical first.

Of course, provided that he does sign, you will immediately hear an amazing amount of overreaction from people saying "Typical Bengals front office behavior!" or something of the like. However, remember that this Bengals team has managed to turn Benson from a malcontent into a would-be Pro Bowler, keep Chris Henry in check and change the attitude of the entire franchise in just under a year.

Granted, much of that comes from winning, and if the teams starts dropping games with Johnson on the field or in the locker room, people will question the decision. But from a pure football perspective, provided they can keep LJ in check to a degree, this move makes a ton of sense.

Report: Larry Johnson Headed to Cincy originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bengals, Steelers Remaining Schedules Are Extremely Favorable

JJ Cooper — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:29:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Steelers, AFC North

When the Bengals beat the Steelers on Sunday, they came about as close as is possible to wrapping up a division in the middle of November. Cincinnati now effectively has a two-game lead in the division (thanks to their head-to-head tiebreaker advantage) with seven games to go. But more than anything, the easy schedule for the AFC North make it clear that we'll likely see at least two AFC North teams in the playoffs.

As we mentioned last week, the remaining Bengals schedule puts Cincinnati in a very clear driver's seat in the AFC North. Cincinnati's next three games are against the Raiders (2-7), Browns (1-7) and Lions (1-7).

Anything is possible -- as the Bengals' near loss to the Browns earlier in the season showed -- but those are three games where Cincinnati will be heavy favorites. The schedule does get tougher after that with games against the Vikings (8-1) and Chargers (6-3), but Cincinnati ends the season with games against the Chiefs (2-7) and Jets (4-5). Being conservative, the worst-case scenario for the Bengals (barring a collapse) is a 4-3 finish, which would leave Cincinnati at 11-5. But 13-3 seems just as likely.

If that happened, Pittsburgh would have to go 12-4 to win the division, which means a 6-1 finish. While that seems very difficult, the Steelers' schedule to end the season is favorable for a run -- Pittsburgh plays only one game against a team with a winning record. Two games against Baltimore (4-4) are the toughest left on Pittsburgh's schedule. Pittsburgh also has games left against the Chiefs (2-7), Raiders (2-7), Browns (1-7), Packers (5-4) and Dolphins (4-5).

No Steelers-Ravens game is easy, but if Pittsburgh can get healthy, it has the schedule to go on a 7-0 run to end the season (much like it did in the run to the Super Bowl in 2005). Of course with the Bengals' remaining schedule finishing 13-3 might not be enough to win the division.

Bengals, Steelers Remaining Schedules Are Extremely Favorable originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bengals Batter, Bloody Stunned Steelers

Greg Couch — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Steelers, NFL Analysis

PITTSBURGH -- When you go to a Pittsburgh Steelers game, you absorb the vibe. You live it. You expect a day of face-stomping, mouth-smashing and butt-kicking, and you walk away with the satisfying feeling that you've just beaten someone up. It's all about identity.

So it was a little disturbing to see 65,000 people leave Heinz Field Sunday all limping, hunched over, bleeding and holding their arms to their sides. The Steelers are supposed to be the team providing the stomping, smashing and kicking, not the face, the mouth and the butt.

And the last team you would expect to be pummeling the defending Super Bowl champs? Not just beating them, but pounding them? The Cincinnati Bengals.

More: Polamalu Reinjures Left Knee | Updated Standings

But that's what happened, as the Bengals won 18-12 Sunday -- a game that looked like it was played in black and white, the way old-timers say it should be played.

"That was the most physical, grinding football game I've ever been on the sideline to experience,'' Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "Our guys did a good job of grinding blow for blow, back and forth.''

This was a big moment for the Bengals, who were already tied for first with the Steelers, and had already beaten them this year. Pittsburgh is the measuring stick for the Bengals, the rival that gets everything, wins in the end. The Bengals are the the little brother always trying to catch up. It's their identity.

Now, they're 7-2 and are going to win this division.

And confirmation is not just about this year, but also about an organization that just a few years ago was the most dysfunctional, most embarrassing in the NFL.

What is the Bengals' identity? It's not easy to just get past all those arrests from a couple years ago. They brought back Chris Henry, who had a bunch of those arrests. And they brought in Cedric Benson and Tank Johnson, who had had their own troubles with the law before arriving.

So I don't know if they just got rid of enough problem players, or if some of them grew up or what.

But the Bengals have been losers for years, patsies to the Steelers, threats to society. And a year like this, a game like this, a moment like this can start to redefine them.

"It's not changing yet; it's not,'' said Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, whose over-the-top, look-at-me show strikes me more as a good time than anything. "We've got to keep going. The name [Bengals] does not ring a bell the way it should.''

And what does this do to the Steelers and their identity?

Nothing.

Their identity is not based on the Bengals. To them, the Bengals are more of a welcome mat.

And last week, the Steelers looked fantastic at Denver, as if they are about to repeat. They have mixed in a running game with Rashard Mendenhall, who apparently has gotten around to learning the playbook. The defense was together with strong safety Troy Polamalu, who left this Sunday's game early after hurting his left knee again. That could be a big problem; an MRI is coming.

And of course, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is always ready to do his best in the toughest moments, winning games with last-minute heroics.

The Steelers are still in position to do big things. But this day was about the Bengals.

Imagine this: Just under 2 minutes left. Cincinnati up 6. Pittsburgh gets the ball at its 33.

You just know what's going to happen, right, Bengals fans? Roethlisberger drives down for the win, right?

Zero. That's how many yards that drive went. Roethlisberger threw four incomplete passes, under pressure on two of them, and that was it.

The Bengals have a tough defense, a mean line and glue for cornerbacks. Lewis is getting through to the them about identity. You could hear it in the words of quarterback Carson Palmer.

"It's about field position,'' he said. "At the end of the day, it's better to take the check down and dink the ball down the field ...

"We don't go into a game saying we have to score 35. We've done that in the past.''

The Bengals did not score one offensive touchdown Sunday. This out-of-control, free-spirited offensive mindset was gone. The game's only touchdown came on rookie Bernard Scott's 96-yard kickoff return.

On top of that, the Bengals played most of the game without Benson, who has been among the league's leading rushers all year. He hurt his hip in what's thought to be a minor injury.

Roethlisberger was sacked four times and the Steelers' running game was held to just 80 yards.

"Physical,'' Palmer said. "If there's one word you're going to describe us with, it's physical.''

Trying to define that identity, Palmer said the Bengals aren't ready to win a Super Bowl or have a dominant playoff run. But they have a real opportunity here. They thought they had one in 2005, when they won the division behind a young Palmer. That still stands as their only winning season since 1990.

Then they went to the playoffs and Palmer hurt his knee. Guess who they were playing, which team ruined everything?

The Steelers, of course. And the moment was gone.

Now, they have another shot, though nine games aren't enough to change everything. Palmer noted that "we don't ever play on national television.''

Well, stomping, smashing and kicking in a game, as opposed to on the streets in society, is a good start.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com

Bengals Batter, Bloody Stunned Steelers originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ochocinco Takes Steelers Fan on a Shopping Spree

JJ Cooper — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:27:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Steelers, AFC North

Chad Ochocinco is always looking for the spotlight, but say this for the Bengals wideout: he's more original than anyone else when he's trying to hog the spotlight. And some of his attention getters are pretty nice.

Over at his Twitter account on Friday, Ochocinco tweeted: "Hotel manager name is Jesse, first person to say my name Ocho Cinco to Jesse at the Marriot we about to act a donkey in the mall."

Jesse Staigler, one of the shift managers at the hotel, turned into a minor celebrity as at least 50 people who headed down to the Pittsburgh Marriott to find him (Ochocinco was in town for today's Steelers-Bengals game). David Anderson was the first person to get to the Marriott, so he was the lucky winner of a shopping spree paid for by the Bengals wide receiver. Fans were still calling the hotel hours later asking for Jesse. Like most everyone else who lives in the Pittsburgh area, Anderson is a Steelers fan.

The shopping spree is only the latest in a long line of publicity stunts by Ochocinco. He was fined by the NFL for his fake attempted bribe of an official in last week's game and he had promised to send a crate of mustard the the Steelers' defensive backs because they couldn't "ketchup to him." Bengals coach Marvin Lewis banned Ochocinco from sending the mustard, but a crate showed up anyway with a card saying it was from a Fan of Ochocinco.

Ochocinco Takes Steelers Fan on a Shopping Spree originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Preview: Bengals at Steelers

Chris Burke — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Steelers, FanHouse Previews

Pittsburgh doesn't win the AFC North every year -- it just feels that way. The Ravens actually took the division title in 2003 and 2006, and Cincinnati tied the Steelers for the crown in 2005.

That, of course, was the year that Pittsburgh and Cincinnati met in the first round of the playoffs. The Bengals' Carson Palmer went down after one pass attempt with a disastrous knee injury and the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl.

It has taken Cincinnati since that game to get back into contention, but the Bengals finally appear to be back. They currently sit tied for first place with Pittsburgh at 6-2 overall, and have a win over the Steelers to their credit this year. A win Sunday in Heinz Field, coupled with a favorable schedule the rest of the way, could mean the AFC North title slips out of the 'Burgh again.

More Previews: Broncos-Redskins | Eagles-Chargers | Cowboys-Packers

Three Key Questions:

1. Can Cedric Benson keep up his current pace?

2. Having played Monday night in Denver, will the short week hurt Pittsburgh?

3. How will Cincinnati handle Rashard Mendenhall?

Player in the Spotlight: Mendenhall. The Steelers' second-year running back didn't get a single carry in his team's Week 3 loss in Cincinnati, but he appears to have completely taken over the starting job now. If there was any doubt, Mendenhall may have silenced them with an impressive 22-carry, 155-yard performance in Pittsburgh's Monday win over the Broncos. He brings a more punishing dimension than Willie Parker, and the Steelers' ability to balance their offense will go a long way in deciding this one. Benson will get his yards for Cincinnati -- Mendenhall needs to answer him on the other side of the ball.

Cincinnati's Path to Victory: Cincinnati's 3-0 on the road this season, and that's a record that doesn't come about without solid play on both lines. The Bengals will do their best to take away one aspect of the Steelers' offensive attack -- though the safer bet is probably to limit Mendenhall and the ground game and force Ben Roethlisberger to win the game in the face of pressure. Carson Palmer needs to be solid, but if Benson falls short of 100 yards rushing, he'll have a hard time keeping the Cincinnati offense moving.

Pittsburgh's Path to Victory: The Steelers may have played their best half of the year in the second half at Denver, absolutely manhandling the Broncos en route to a 28-10 win. The defense is really starting to click -- remember, Troy Polamalu's first game out with a knee injury was in Cincinnati's Week 3 win over Pittsburgh, so it's hard to say the Steelers were at full steam. They'll also get Ryan Clark back after he had to sit out in Denver because of his sickle-cell trait. Polamalu's presence can't be understated, and the Steelers will use him to pressure Palmer, as well as to keep Benson in check. Don't be surprised to see Pittsburgh come out throwing early to try and loosen the Cincinnati defense up. Once Roethlisberger got hot in Denver, Mendenhall put the game on ice with some big runs.

Prediction: You really have to tip your cap to the Bengals -- that 6-2 record isn't a fluke. They're already 4-0 within the division, including a sweep of Baltimore. Should they complete their sweep of the Steelers, too, it would be hard to pick against them in the AFC North division race. Pittsburgh's absolutely scorching hot right now, though, with five straight wins. If Mendenhall turns into a legit No. 1 back and Polamalu stays healthy, those are two huge components working in the Steelers' favor that weren't there before. Cincinnati will make a game of it, but the Steelers will find a way at home. Pittsburgh 27, Cincinnati 17

FanHouse Preview: Bengals at Steelers originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL FanHouse Week 10 Preview Recap

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Colts, Cowboys, Packers, Patriots, Steelers, NFL Fans, NFL Live Blogging

For weeks, people have asked if the Cincinnati Bengals are for real. The team keeps responding by finding ways to win games, but the questions keep coming in. This week, they get a chance to sweep the defending Super Bowl champions. Green Bay was picked by many to be a playoff team this season, but they've limped their way to 4-4, got worked by a former teammate, and now face a virtual must-win against red-hot Dallas. Meanwhile, the Colts and Patriots are stealing the spotlight for another high-profile meeting.

We'll chat about all of this at 12 P.M. Eastern, and we invite you to join us after the jump!

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=859ac6836f" &amp;amp;gt;NFL FanHouse Week 10 Chat&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

NFL FanHouse Week 10 Preview Recap originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bengals' Defensive Stars Turn a Corner

Thomas George — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals

CINCINNATI -- When an NFL player begins to touch the stratosphere alongside the prized peers in his craft, well, that is an elusive, special time -- a time when, instead of the player solely looking outward, others start to look his way.

A time when a player turns the corner.

For Cincinnati Bengals cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall (pictured), it is that time.

Put aside their similar size, their quick feet and hands, and their youth. For Joseph and Hall, it is playmaking that is primary. Each has become a cornerstone of the Bengals defense -- two men on football's trickiest, most demanding island who are leaving receivers hungry and thirsty.

The Bengals (6-2) lead the AFC North after these cornerbacks choked the Baltimore Ravens' receivers last Sunday -- particularly constricting shifty veteran Derrick Mason -- in a 17-7 Bengals victory. Next up for Cincinnati are the Pittsburgh Steelers' dangerous duo of Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, along with rookie speedster Mike Wallace.

Of course, Joseph and Hall are in the spotlight, in part, because of what they have already done against this Pittsburgh group. In Week 3 on Sept. 27, Holmes was held to one catch for 18 yards and none of Pittsburgh's receivers reached the end zone in Cincinnati's 23-20 victory. Joseph added a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Bengals' upset win.

At Pittsburgh on Sunday, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis knows that, for Joseph and Hall, the results could be famine or feast.

Lewis is banking on the table his star cornerbacks have already set.

"One play, one game and everything can change, because that is the nature of the cornerback position in the NFL,'' Lewis said. "But they are playing good football. And having been a part of a championship team in this league, I can tell you that a team can't win it without exceptional cornerback play. You have to have that on the edges of your defense to be a special team. It is not an accident that we are getting that now and we are playing good defensive football.''

Joseph is 25 years old; Hall turns 25 in December. Joseph is 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, while Hall stands 5-foot-11, 199 pounds. Each cornerback has four interceptions this season. Joseph has 24 solo tackles, Hall 34.

Joseph was a first-round Bengals pick in 2006. Hall was a first-round Bengals pick in 2007.

Their lockers are side-by-side in the Bengals locker room. Their talents are complementary, too.

"Leon is a tough guy -- great speed and he fits in run support,'' Joseph said. "I spent one year in Division I ball before I got to South Carolina and then here. Leon coming from Michigan came from a bigger school and program. We both feed off each other.''

Both are excelling in man coverage, allowing Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to be more exotic with the rest of the Bengals defense. Cornerbacks who do not need a ton of over-the-top help are a defensive coach's dream.

And give the Bengals this -- they invested highly in these cornerbacks. They spent two first-round picks on two cornerbacks who are, indeed, becoming first-rate.

"We try to keep receivers off balance, keep them guessing,'' Hall said. "Johnathan is real quick. He has make-up speed he uses on receivers. People don't know how smart he is. He tells me things on the sideline I can use. He wants to be great. We both do.

"We pride ourselves on our work. We work a lot on technique. We do a whole lot of film study, probably more than the norm. It's extreme. We really try to understand what an offense is trying to do. We get along great off the field. It seems like we've played together a lot. It's gone fast.''

It is going faster. The Bengals are tied for first place in the AFC North halfway through their season, and their standout pair of cornerbacks are a key part of their hopes for the second half and beyond.

But Cincinnati has not won in Pittsburgh since 2006 -- in recent seasons, it has been Pittsburgh's Ike Taylor who has been the prominent cornerback when these teams battle. That's no longer the case.

Lewis credits the addition of free-agent safety Chris Crocker in 2008 with boosting the maturation of Joseph and Hall. Crocker spent three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, two with the Atlanta Falcons and one season with the Miami Dolphins before becoming a Bengal.

"I don't think they [Joseph and Hall] knew what hard work was until he showed up,'' Lewis said of Crocker. "He has helped make them better players. He has challenged them.''

Now Joseph and Hall challenge others.

And the league is taking notice.

"We definitely look at other corners,'' Hall said. "But we feel like we are kind of coming into our own.''

Bengals' Defensive Stars Turn a Corner originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chad Ochocinco Asks for a UFC Fight

Michael David Smith — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:44:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has found yet another way to draw attention to himself on Twitter, this time asking the president of the UFC to give him a fight in the Octagon.

In a series of tweets, Ochocinco has said he wants to try an MMA fight against some of the sport's elite athletes, with the proceeds going to charity.

The first tweet from Ochocinco came in response to ESPN's Sports Nation tweeting that Fedor Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar are regarded as the Top 2 heavyweights in MMA. Ochocinco responded to that by tweeting, "I'll fight either one of them right now!!"

Ochocinco (apparently unaware that Fedor doesn't fight in the UFC) then said that if Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White could make the fight happen, he'd gladly do it: "Get in touch with Dana White and I'll fight them to raise money for a charity of my choice <--I'm serious," Ochocinco tweeted.

And he wasn't done there. Ochocinco then started addressing White on Twitter directly, noting that he'd like to have a fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

"Dana this Ocho Cinco, I want to fight your #1 and #2 best fighters asap,exhibition to raise money for a charity of choice!!!!!!," Ochocinco tweeted. "matter of fact I want Anderson Spider Silva---please don't ignore me or you'll have to fight me yourself!!! Sincerely Esteban :)"

Obviously, Ochocinco is never going to fight in the UFC. It would be a violation of the terms of his NFL contract, and he'd get crushed. But Ochocinco always manages to entertain those who follow him on Twitter.

Follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

Chad Ochocinco Asks for a UFC Fight originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bengals a Win Away From Controlling AFC North

JJ Cooper — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:22:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, AFC North

The AFC North is not shaping up as expected. After three black and blue Steelers-Ravens games last year, everyone expected that Pittsburgh and Baltimore would face off for the control of the division again this year. But when Cincinnati finished off its sweep of the Ravens on Sunday, they put themselves in prime position.

The Bengals effectively have a three-game lead against the Ravens -- two games in the standings plus the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage. Baltimore and Pittsburgh also have two head-to-head games left on the schedule while Cincinnati only has one game against the Steelers and one nearly guaranteed win against the Browns left in the division.

Add it up, and it's easy to see how the Ravens could prove the spoiler in the division, but it's a lot tougher to explain how they will win the division, even with a relatively easy schedule to finish the season. On the other hand, Cincinnati is one more win away from taking control of the AFC North.

Yesterday's win was a strong sign that this isn't the usual Bengals team. Midway through the fourth quarter, Chad Ochocinco fumbled around midfield with Cincinnati holding a 10-point lead. In past years, that would have been the point where the Bengals fell apart. But instead of crumbling, the Bengals defense stiffened up and forced Baltimore to attempt a long field goal. When Steven Hauschka missed the field goal the Bengals' win was virtually assured.

For Cincinnati, next week's game against the Steelers becomes the biggest game the team has had since Kimo Von Oelhoffen shredded Carson Palmer's knee in the 2005 playoffs. Even if Pittsburgh beats Denver tonight, the Bengals could take a two-game lead on the rest of the division with a win next week (they would hold tiebreakers against the Ravens and Steelers).

And while Pittsburgh and Baltimore will be beating up each other in two head-to-head games, the Bengals remaining schedule includes games with the Chiefs, Raiders, Browns and Lions. Looking at that, a win next week will make it hard for Cincinnati to finish any worse than 11-5.

Bengals a Win Away From Controlling AFC North originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reborn Bengals Shut Up Ravens

Thomas George — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Ravens, NFL Analysis

CINCINNATI -- He is the king of smack, both verbal and physical. That is what Ray Lewis brings.

He called Cedric Benson's 120-yard rushing day last month against the big-time, big-mouth Ravens defense a fluke. And Benson said Lewis brought an extra assortment of jive here on Sunday.

"He started telling me how he was going to be there all day, on every play,'' Benson said. "I laughed and kind of smiled. Then he says, 'We are the team to go through, man!'

"So, I told him we'd just go through them to the playoffs and the Super Bowl.''

More: Check Box Score | Steelers-Broncos Monday Night Preview

No doubt, this was the clean version of this volley.

"I don't really know the guy,'' Benson added. "He always says his little bit. Sometimes it's hard not to look at it as silly. Sometimes it's hard not to feed into it. He is still a force.''

Of course, we all wanted to know what Lewis had to say about the Bengals' 17-7 win Sunday, about Benson's 117-yard rushing day this time around, about how Cincinnati did the smacking on the field. And why it was that, after Benson became the first running back in 40 games to rush for 100 or more yards against Baltimore in Week 5, he was able to do it again.

Oh, and also about how the Ravens were swept by the Bengals this season (Cincinnati won 17-14 on Oct. 11 in Baltimore).

But Lewis was quiet after the game. Not a whisper.

Usually steady, reliable safety Ed Reed was unprofessional in the postgame locker room, repeatedly interrupting a teammate's interview. Other Ravens showed they are big and bad and gruff when things go according to plan but, like a lot of pseudo bullies, are bewildered and weak when things go poof.

Or when they get punched.

That is what the Bengals did to the Ravens on Sunday. Cincinnati jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and a 17-0 lead at halftime. The Ravens offense gained only three first downs in the first half, punted three times and threw one interception. The Bengals led in time of possession for every quarter of the game, held the Ravens to 1 of 10 on third-down conversions, and outrushed Baltimore, 146-55.

The Bengals, indeed, did the smacking, the dominating, the winning.

In recent seasons, the Bengals have been kicked around in their division and in this league. But something about the Ravens brings out the best in the Bengals. And something about this Bengals season, this 6-2, first-place season in the AFC North, is different.

A couple of the Ravens' classier pros tried to offer an explanation.

"They finally have a legitimate running back,'' defensive end Trevor Pryce said. "A back who is not afraid to run between the tackles. You have to play the run against them now. They've got good receivers and the quarterback is good, and now you throw that running back in there -- that's a good offense.''

The Ravens fell to a 4-4 record.

In spite of all their talking, they are only average.

They played this game as if they were feeling the pressure of what the Bengals are becoming in the division and what the Ravens are struggling to remain. The Bengals, who are now 4-0 within the AFC North, were easily the more dominant and better team in this game.

"Their record doesn't lie,'' Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth said. "I don't know what exactly their reputation is or was, but I would think they should just keep doing what they are doing. That's winning.''

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is sacked by Cincinnati Bengals' Robert Geathers during fourth-quarter action at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Begals defeated the Ravens, 17-7. (Gene Sweeney Jr/Baltimore Sun/MCT)

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Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan runs for a touchdown after an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter of their NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. Tennessee won the game 34-27. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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The mix the Bengals showed Sunday will go a long way in their quest for a new name, a new standing.

The defense was solid up front, in the middle and on the back end. It covered and smothered the Ravens offense and quarterback Joe Flacco (two interceptions, no touchdown passes and a 48.3 quarterback rating). The Bengals' cornerbacks (Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall) were stellar, limiting Baltimore's star wide receiver, Derrick Mason, to three catches for 31 yards, and not even a sniff of the end zone.

Benson, meanwhile, kept breaking backside runs against a Baltimore defense playing minus injured nose tackle Haloti Ngata, who missed the first start of his four-year career. Chad Ochocinco was impressive in his routes and in his overall game, forcing the Baltimore cornerbacks to slip and fall and spin in their attempts to cover him. Quarterback Carson Palmer kept re-setting his pocket, taking shots and delivering. The Bengals were aggressive and confident.

They have a renewed spirit -- and it was on display Sunday.

"Last year we learned, period,'' Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones said of Cincinnati's dismal 4-11-1 mark in 2008. "We learned how bad it can get. So, we asked ourselves some questions going into this year. Do you really want to be that bad? Do you really want your legacy, your time spent here remembered for being a terrible team? Are you really comfortable being a laughingstock? We started by taking one positive step forward. And that leads to another. It's contagious.''

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Baltimore all game long produced only one sustained drive that gained points. It was early in the fourth quarter and ended on a Ray Rice 2-yard run. The Bengals, though, scored on their first two drives, one covering 73 yards and the other 80 yards. Next came a 75-yard drive that gained a field goal. All three drives produced 10 or more plays.

It was a steady, sustained effort by the Bengals.

"They earned it,'' Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.

The bad news for the Bengals was they may have lost receiver Chris Henry for the season with a fractured forearm, and linebacker Keith Rivers was on crutches afterward due to a leg injury.

Even so, the Bengals, across the field, won the matchups that mattered. Cincinnati is earning a fresh reputation as a serious contender -- halfway through the season, they find themselves hunted in their own division.

"For whatever reason, our guys get excited about playing them,'' Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said about the Bengals' 4-2 record against Baltimore over the past three seasons. "We know it's going to be a grinder, an all-day sucker.''

That is style, a game that the Bengals can now handily play. Smack for smack.

Reborn Bengals Shut Up Ravens originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bengals WR Chris Henry Breaks Arm

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:35:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, NFL Injuries

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Bengals receiver Chris Henry wasn't sure whether he'd play again this season after he broke his arm during a 17-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Henry broke his left forearm just above the wrist when he was tackled by cornerback Fabian Washington after a 20-yard reception. Henry's back hit the ground and Washington landed on top of him. A replay showed the forearm bowing slightly.

He knew immediately that the injury was severe.

"I was about to get up and I felt my arm (hurt)," Henry said. "Then I noticed it was broken."

The medical staff put an inflatable cast on the arm and called for a cart to take him for an exam. Henry said he won't know his status for the rest of the season until he sees a specialist on Monday.

"I'm just going to try to stay on top of it and stay working," Henry said. "I'm going to try to get it better so I can get back out there with these guys."

Henry was a key part of the 2005 Bengals team that made the playoffs, but fell out of favor because of five arrests. The Bengals released him after his last arrest in 2008, but owner Mike Brown changed his mind and decided to bring him back over the objection of coach Marvin Lewis.

Henry was suspended by the NFL for the first four games last season because of his off-field problems. He played in the last 12 games, catching 19 passes for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has stayed out of trouble since his return.

He was fourth among Bengals receivers this season with 12 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Henry was used mostly on third-down plays, with Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles and Andre Caldwell getting most of the playing time.

When Brown brought Henry back, he gave him a two-year deal that expires after this season.

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Bengals WR Chris Henry Breaks Arm originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL FanHouse Preview Chat Recap

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Colts, Ravens, Saints, NFL Fans, NFL Live Blogging

Most teams will play their eighth game this week, meaning that we're hitting the halfway mark. Already, there's talk of 16-0 teams and teams that have played themselves out of serious contention.

We previewed this weekend's big games, got your predictions, and found out who you think has the better shot of running the table among the remaining unbeatens. Read all about it after the jump.

&lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;altcast_code=b2b20c2f1f" &gt;NFL FanHouse Week 9 Chat&lt;/a&gt;

NFL FanHouse Preview Chat Recap originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brutal Effort by Bears in 45-10 Thrashing

Matt Snyder — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:40:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Bengals, AFC North, NFC North

Bengals 45, Bears 10. It was 45-3 before the Bears finally got into the end zone, but the game had long been over at that point. It was one of those games that makes you wonder -- were the Bengals that good or the Bears that bad? As is usually the case when you ask that question, it was a combination of both. You have to give the Bengals credit, especially Carson Palmer for his precision passing. Well, really, the entire team deserves loads of credit.

Still, this game was more about how pathetic the Bears played. For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, that was a simply despicable attempt at playing football on nearly every front. More games like that, and the playoffs won't even be a possibility come late November.

More: Check Box Score | Saints Rally, Stay Unbeaten | 'Boys Pound Falcons

The offensive line is awful, just downright atrocious. Jay Cutler has about two seconds to throw before being hit, and this was against a team who just lost its best pass rusher. Matt Forte has maybe six inches of running room on any given play. And make no mistake about it, Cutler made some awful passes, while Forte is running like he's planning on living off his rookie reputation for the rest of his career. Receivers are playing volleyball (Cutler's second pick was batted upward by his intended receiver before being intercepted) and losing fumbles (Devin Hester, though he otherwise had a nice stat-line).

The defense was an absolute sieve. Palmer had more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (four), which sounds like a video game stat. Chad Ochocinco schooled Charles Tillman, just like he said he would. Cedric Benson proved his point, I guess (don't even get me started on him, he's still a joke of a man -- even if he's a good running back now). The defense as a whole misses tackles with alarming frequency, mostly due to trying to rip out the football instead of simply making the tackle (which is Lovie-ball -- he wants takeaways, after all). There was no pass rush.

The stats look pretty bad as well, not surprisingly. The Bears were outgained by 169 yards, earned only half as many first downs as Cincy did and turned it over four times. They allowed the Bengals to convert on eight of 12 third downs. And they can't run, rushing for just 35 yards.

Did the team not know they had a game Sunday? Were they unprepared? Were they satisfied with only losing to the Falcons by seven the previous week?

Whatever the reason, that wasn't a playoff-caliber team Sunday. Lovie Smith was outcoached, the offense sucked and the defense sucked. That wasn't even the work of a six-win team. Beating the Browns at home next week won't mean things are all of a sudden better, either. The Bears have some serious work to do in order to live up to expectations.

Brutal Effort by Bears in 45-10 Thrashing originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cedric Benson Says Bears Tried to 'Blackball' Him From NFL

Matt Snyder — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:03:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Bengals, AFC North, NFC North

Cedric Benson's time in Chicago was a tumultuous one. He was drafted by the Bears in the first round -- the fourth overall pick -- of the 2005 draft and proceeded to hold out for 36 days. After arriving, he constantly complained about being mistreated by teammates. That may have been true, as the incumbent starting running back, Thomas Jones, was well-liked by teammates. Maybe it was because Jones worked hard, cared about the team and didn't have a sense of entitlement -- all opposite traits displayed by Benson in Chicago.

Now, Benson is becoming the player many thought he could coming out of college, due to -- in my opinion -- having received a wake-up call when the Bears cut him. Although, if you hear it from him, that isn't the case at all. In fact, he claims the Bears attempted to blackball him from the NFL.

Blackball? Wow, so the Bears went to the trouble of calling every other team and telling them specifically not to sign Cedric Benson?

''No doubt,'' Benson said. ''I heard all the rumors that were said coming out of Chicago. Even the Bengals told me that they would call and inquire about me and get nothing but negative things.''

Such as?

''That I didn't work hard, that I was, I guess, a prima donna, just wasn't focused,'' he said. ''Just anything negative that they could say was said. I'm sure that contributed largely to me not getting picked up right away.''

Um, Cedric ... that's not attempting to blackball a player. That's a former employer giving an honest assessment of what you were (and, for the record, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has said Bears coach Lovie Smith "vouched for" Benson when the two discussed the Bengals possibly bringing him in).

Look, the Bears ran Jones out of town for Benson -- and, by the way, Jones is still better here in 2009. Benson rewarded them with poor work ethic, a sense of entitlement and obvious apathy. He mocked disgruntled fans in the front row behind the Bears bench during the incredibly disappointing 2007 campaign, at times shrugging his shoulders and laughing when people accused him of not caring about the team. He got arrested twice within a matter of weeks in the 2008 offseason. At that point, there wasn't a person in the world who thought the Bears should have kept Benson around. They turned the page.

Benson needs to do the same.

He is third in the NFL in rushing. He's playing for a really solid team. He's running hard, his teammates like him and he appears to care. Good for him. He's changed -- just not near as much as he needs to. You see, when I was in my early 20s, I didn't work hard at my job. If my current employers called my employers from those years to ask about me, I'm sure they'd hear I wasn't committed to the job, because I wasn't. In my current gig, I am. There are people all over the world with a similar circumstance. People can change. It's apparent Benson has morphed into a hard-working No. 1 NFL running back. It's a shame he can't just be accountable for his past indiscretions instead of levying ridiculous accusations (seriously, does he even know what "blackball" means?) against the team who did everything they could to give him a chance. You can't come full circle as a changed human being without a little accountability.

Instead, all you hear from Benson is excuse-city. He's better for the Bengals because they cleared a path for him instead of having him come in and compete, he has recently said. What a joke. If you want to compete for a job, how about not holding out for more than a month? How about just going out on the field and proving you are better than the other back? You have to earn respect, it's not a God-given right. It's just sad he still can't look back and realize his myriad mistakes during his stint in Chicago.

And has he ever done anything wrong in his life, in his own eyes? If he's sincerely apologized for any past indiscretions or admitted he could have done something even a tad bit better, I've never seen it. It's always what someone else is doing to him or who is trying to keep him down. How about being truthful with himself and trying to better himself as a person?

Of course, it still doesn't appear he's being fully truthful with himself. He claims this weekend's game against the Bears isn't about revenge or showing them what mistake they made to let him go. It's just another game. I'm not going to call him a liar, because he may be telling the truth. But, if he really doesn't care about this game more than any other, what's with all the whining and negativity toward the Bears? If it's just another game, go play it without the accusation-hurling. People don't complain about things if they don't care. Benson's grown as a player and now it's time he grew as a man.

The Bears turned the page, now it's time for Cedric to do the same.

Cedric Benson Says Bears Tried to 'Blackball' Him From NFL originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bengals Place Defensive Star Antwan Odom on Injured Reserve

Bruce Ciskie — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Injuries

Though a 28-17 loss to the Houston Texans wasn't an ideal way to come off an eye-opening 4-1 start, the Cincinnati Bengals knew it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Unfortunately, the repercussions of Sunday's game at Paul Brown Stadium will be felt for the rest of the season. The club Monday announced that Antwan Odom, who entered the weekend tied for the NFL lead in quarterback sacks, will miss the rest of the season.

The move only makes official what was reported Sunday, but that is indeed a sobering reality. Odom tore through the Packers for five sacks in a Week 2 "upset" at Lambeau Field, and the Bengals pronounced themselves as a legitimate team by beating the Steelers at home in Week 3 before a win at Baltimore last Sunday. Odom had seven sacks through the first two games, the most by any NFL player in the season's first two weeks since sacks became an official NFL statistic (1982).

A torn right Achilles' tendon ends his season, and it also sends shockwaves through the Bengals defensive front. Ends Robert Geathers and Michael Johnson will have to try to pick up some of the slack. The Bengals have flourished this season in part because of Odom's play, and while he's relied on Geathers and tackles Domata Peko and Tank Johnson to take up blockers and give him space.

Young linebackers Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers might see different schemes as offenses adjust to not having Odom around. That means veteran defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer might have to get more aggressive to create havoc in opposing backfields.

In the end, it's quite a challenge for the Bengals. However, they've handled adversity very well so far, both on and off the field. There's no reason to think they won't be okay, even though Odom's loss is a major one for them.

Bengals Place Defensive Star Antwan Odom on Injured Reserve originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's a 'Hard Knock' Life, But This Year's Bengals Can Take It

Dan Graziano — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, NFL Analysis

CINCINNATI -- As losses go, this one was a stinker. Flying high off yet another last-minute intra-divisional win, the Bengals showed up for a home game Sunday against the Texans and had just about everything go wrong. They lost, 28-17, most important, and they also saw key defensive lineman Antwan Odom and Domata Peko go down with injuries. Odom's is a torn Achilles' tendon, which means they've lost him for the season. Bad, bad loss.

But the message Bengals coach Marvin Lewis delivered to his team in the wake of this bad loss was the same, simple two-word mantra he delivered on the first night of the season, after a goofy last-minute bounce cost the Bengals a game against the Denver Broncos:

"Don't flinch."

"That's a word we always use," Lewis told me last week. "Don't flinch. Just keep playing. Something bad happens, don't flinch. Don't worry about it. Let's just go make something good happen."

It's been a while since much good happened for the Cincinnati Bengals. With one winning season since 1990, this is a franchise that has established itself as one that can do no right. Not only do they annually find themselves among the NFL's bottom-feeders, they've also built a reputation as something of an asylum for the league's questionable characters.

But this year's group swears it's out to change all of that.

"Back in minicamp, I think we all knew something was different about this group, something was special," quarterback Carson Palmer told me last week. "Just a different team, a different attitude. A little more professionalism, a more mature team."

Which is why, when they lost that season opener on that fluke bounce, it wasn't hard for the guys in the locker room to avoid sinking into that "Same Old Bengals" malaise.

"No, because we really felt, physically, like we won the football game," left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "We felt like we were very physical the entire day and a fluke play there at the end lost us the game. Guys really felt like, 'Next week, we've got to go on the road, and Green Bay's got to pay for this.' That was the attitude we had going into the next game."

That hasn't always been what it means to be a Bengal. At least not to those who look at the organization from the outside and have come to associate it with loudmouths, louts and losing.

"That may be what it looks like from the outside," said running backs coach Jim Anderson, who's been on the Bengal coaching staff for 26 years and has seen only four winning seasons in that time. "But when you see it from the inside, you know what it means to be a Bengal. What we know here is that, in football, you're only inches away from being successful."

To Anderson, what it means to be a Bengal is not losing as much as striving. Sure, they've seen their share of hard times here. But what Anderson seemed to be saying is that being a Bengal means understanding that life in the NFL isn't easy and figuring out what to do once you've established that.

Which brings us to 2009, the year in which the Bengals found themselves featured in front of a worldwide audience on HBO's "Hard Knocks" reality show. Cable subscribers everywhere got a look at what it means to be a Bengal, and the players on the other end of the camera felt the impact of the number of eyes that were on them.

"I think it had an effect, sure," Whitworth said. "Maybe not anything anybody noticed, but if you look back, I think the idea that we were being watched maybe sort of got everybody's attention. I don't want to say it made everybody more serious, but I think it put everybody on their best behavior."

Which would be a major departure from what it's meant to be a Bengal in years past. But these days, when you ask what it means to be a Bengal, you have to factor in how hard the 2009 group is working to change the answer.

What does it mean to be a Bengal? It used to mean drama -- and nothing but the bad kind. Arrests, DUIs, general rowdiness and discontent. In 2006 alone, 10 different Bengals players were arrested in 11 separate incidents. And even when there weren't off-the-field issues, the Bengals made bad headlines. As recently as this past off-season, controversial receiver and attention magnet Chad Ochocinco was asking for a trade out of town.

But this year's Bengal story is about redemption. Players like Tank Johnson and Cedric Benson, who have flamed out elsewhere, have found homes (and peace) here. A receiver like Chris Henry, who flamed out here, is back, humbled and re-dedicated. Ochocinco has made peace with his team and his city. He's a big part of the reason Sunday's game wasn't blacked out in the home market, as he and team sponsor Motorola bought about 1,200 tickets in advance of the deadline and distributed them free to Bengals fans who lined up outside Paul Brown Stadium on Saturday. He still speaks (and tweets, and ustreams) his mind, but Ochocinco seems more than ever like one of the guys.

The only drama around here this year has been the good kind. Prior to Sunday, all five of the Bengals' games this season had been decided in the final minute. And the last four had been comeback wins.

"I do think what helps is the sense of 'team,'" Lewis said. "The sense that, regardless of whether it be offense, defense or special teams, whatever phase is out there at that particular time, the other groups are confident that they can make a play to put us in position to win a game. And then you don't have that tendency of trying to do too much."

What does it mean to be a Bengal? It used to mean accepting losing. The Bengals just lost, and that's the way it was. 8-8 was a good season, 7-9 about par for the course. But last January, when they finished a brutal season at 4-12, a couple of players, led by Whitworth, went into Lewis' office and asked, basically, if he'd make the off-season workout program tougher.

"As I met with the guys in their exit meetings, a lot of them wanted to make sure, in the off-season program, that we would ratchet it up and take a different approach," Lewis said. "That they would really have a program that addressed, by position, what they do -- that the lifting and the running and the conditioning be more tailored to them by position. And also that it be competitive within the groups, so that each day was more than just 'Blah, blah, blah, ho-hum."

So Lewis and his staff altered the off-season program to make it more intense, detailed and competitive. Lewis said it was something he and his strength coaches had been working on phasing in anyway -- tailoring specific practice and workout routines to the specific position groups (since receivers need different muscles than offensive linemen need, etc) and creating competition among the groups during practices. But when the players approached him about doing it, he saw a real opportunity.

"I think when the membership thinks it's happening that way and it's benefiting them, then that's a good thing," Lewis said. "Because you have everybody pulling their end of the rope."

What does it mean to be a Bengal? For much of this decade, it meant you couldn't stop anybody. Cincinnati's defense ranked 28th, 30th and 27th in the NFL in yards allowed from 2005-07 -- a sore spot for a coach like Lewis, who made his reputation by building a Super Bowl champion defense in Baltimore. For the problem, Lewis blames the Bengals' 2005 draft, in which they used their first two picks on linebackers David Pollack and Odell Thurman. Pollack suffered a career-ending neck injury in September of 2006, and Thurman's career drowned in a sea of drug suspensions and other legal problems.

"When you lose a first-round pick and a second-round pick, that's difficult," Lewis said. "You have to start from scratch again. It takes some time to recover."

But in 2009, being a Bengal means taking pride in your defense. Last season, Mike Zimmer's first as defensive coordinator, the defense jumped to 12th in the NFL. Through the first five games this year they ranked 17th and were feeling pretty good about themselves.

"When you thought about Cincinnati in the past, you always thought about Carson and Ocho -- the offense," defensive tackle Domata Peko said last week. "But now we're building a name for ourselves, too. Everyone on our defense has just been building chemistry since last year, learning Zimmer's schemes and just buying into it. You know the person next to you is going to be in their gap, doing their job. You learn to count on each other."

This was challenged quite severely Sunday, with the injuries to Peko and Odom. The Bengals made some good defensive plays to finish out the first half, but they collapsed in the second, when the team's offensive struggles kept the defense on the field for 22:06.

"That's our fault as an offense," Ochocinco said. "We need to do better. We need to keep our defense off the field. I've been saying all along, the way we've been playing the last four weeks is not going to last the entire season. At some point, we've got to put together four good quarters."

Being a Bengal in 2009 means not accepting losing. The group that lost Sunday's game had an angry, determined look about it as it dressed and left the building.

"This league is about bouncing back," defensive tackle Tank Johnson said. "We've got great leadership with our coaches and our players, and this is a time when I look forward to fighting back. Injuries are never good, but you've got to shake them off. Now I've got to know Peko's job. Now somebody's got to know Antwan's job. You take a minute and you figure it out and you keep on moving."

Really, that does kind of sum up what it means to be a Bengal. To be a Bengal, you have to be able to take a punch. The difference this year, these Bengals believe, is in what they do after they're punched. This was a downer of a day, but it was not, as losses always used to be around here, the end of the world. The Bengals are still in first place. They're still 3-0 against the AFC North. The baggage that always seemed to define this franchise feels banished into the past, and they all seem determined to keep it there.

"Guys are tired of losing around here," Peko said last week. "That's what's pushing a lot of us. I mean, we were horrible last year. Laughingstock of the league. And you never want to be that."

That's what it used to me mean to be a Bengal. This year's team is on a mission to change that.

It's a 'Hard Knock' Life, But This Year's Bengals Can Take It originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL Sacks Co-Leader Antwan Odom Carted Off in Cincinnati

Chris Burke — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:50:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, NFL Injuries

Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom -- who is tied for the NFL lead in sacks with Elvis Dumervil at eight -- was carted off the field during Sunday's game against Houston with a right Achilles' injury. Odom did not return to the game.

Odom crumpled after being blocked and trainers quickly called for a cart to come onto the field -- Houston scored on the play on a Matt Schaub-to-Owen Daniels touchdown pass. Earlier, Odom blocked a Houston field goal attempt.

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"It's an Achilles injury," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said in his postgame press conference, "and I think it's probably pretty severe."

Odom left the stadium on crutches. The Bengals announced Sunday night that Odom had torn his Achilles, a likely season-ending diagnosis.

Cincinnati also lost defensive lineman Domata Peko in the first quarter when his ankle was rolled during a run play. Peko has started every game this season for the Bengals.

The absences of Odom and Peko came back to haunt Cincinnati on Sunday -- Houston put up 472 total yards in a 28-17 win.

NFL Sacks Co-Leader Antwan Odom Carted Off in Cincinnati originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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