A worthy effort

I have to say that I'm proud of our Bengals. This weekend, they engaged in a wild shootout against the undefeated Colts. The end result was the Colts winning, 45-37, but this is a Bengals loss that I am not at all mad about. This was one of those games that would test the Jungle and see if it could hold up against the big boys. And even in loss, I'd say that they did well and yes, they held up. If you bleed orange and black, you should be proud of what our boys accomplished this past Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts came into Paul Brown Stadium (PBS) at 9-0, sporting, in my opinion, the most well-rounded offense in the league, lead by the sly tactician, Peyton Manning. If you look at the offensive weapons the Colts have, any defense should be very afraid of what they can do. Peyton Manning is evil, in the way he picks apart defenses and keeps 'em guessing. Edgerrin James is having another 1000+ rushing yard season and Marvin Harrison has some sort of sick telepathic communication with Manning. Top that with underrated tight end Dallas Clark and the other receiver Reggie Wayne. It's sick what they can accomplish on offense. Just look at how they play. No-huddle offense. Peyton's calling changes until the last few seconds of the play clock…it's a nigh-unstoppable offense. There was a drive in which the Colts went 3 and out, as the Bengal's D brought fast pressure on Manning and caused him to throw early. It's about the only thing you can do against him. Catch him off balance. As far as E. James goes…stop the run! One of the Colts' drives was all James, a testament to an offense that can switch it up any way they want.

Anyway, enough Colts praise. Let's take a look at our boys. One thing I'll say is that the Bengals exposed the much-hyped Colts defense. We held them to a single sack and racked up 37 points on the 4th best defense in the league. Product of the schedule? I'm starting to think so. Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry had good rushing games. Chad Johnson had a monster game, with 8 receptions, 189 yards, one TD, and a faux-marriage proposal…the celebration for the week. Yes, he's untouchable. He disregards single coverage. Double-coverage is beatable and he makes amazing grabs when they matter. Best receiver in the league? Overall, yeah. He backs up the tongue-and-cheek talk and people love him. He's no T.O. Dwight Freeney of the Colts was held in check all day, in mostly single coverage by big ol' Willie Anderson (I think). The O-line did an amazing job of protecting Palmer. The other thing you have to realize is that Cincy is a young team. Just look at the QBs. Manning has 8 years, compared to Palmer's 2. Yeah, yeah, Cincy still can't handle the big games, say some analysts. Well, look at the overall age of the team. It's young. It's learning. And most importantly, it's getting better. I do think we need a new defensive coordinator, or let Marvin call the shots. I don't like our guy. We'll have a winning season, and I think we'll make the playoffs. And we'll win those big games eventually.

Build up the run defense, let Carson and the offense learn, and cut the penalties…most of that comes from experience…it'll happen.

Bengals fans, be proud of your team. They have nowhere to go but up. Who-Dey!!