Bengals
Linebacker Brandon Joiner today was reinstated to the Bengals’ roster from the Reserve/Did Not Report list.
Joiner originally signed as a college free agent out of Arkansas State last year. Due to off-field issues, he was placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list when training camp opened on July 27 and missed the entire 2012 season. He now may resume normal team activities.
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Join the discussion
The debate is on, about the game, the commercials, halftime and the power outage.
What did you think?
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Bengals
2013 NFL Mock Draft
USA Today
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
Starter Michael Johnson and his 11½ sacks are gearing up for free agency; he might not be back. Okafor would be a fine replacement on the field and in the locker room.
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College basketball
NCAA bracket projections
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports
1-Indiana
3-Butler
4-Ohio State, Louisville
5-Cincinnati
11-Kentucky
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Show preview
6:05, Sports Talk
Guest
Joe Reedy, back from Super Bowl, 7:05
Topics
Super Bowl: Game, power outage, halftime, commercials
UC basketball
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Super Bowl
(AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez)
Power outage stops Super Bowl for 34 minutes
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Super Bowl turned into Blackout Sunday.
The biggest game of the year was halted for 34 minutes because of a power outage, plunging parts of the Superdome into darkness and leaving TV viewers with no football and no explanation why.
Some opening observations
*Twitter was made for the power outage. The twitter conversation was more entertaining than the first half or the commercials.
*Kelly is a 49ers fan. My biggest fear was that should would lose focus on snack preparations and distribution if the game was close. We had no worries for the first half (Chips, salsa, dip, potato skins, wings). When the comeback was on, we heard, "you guys are on your own".
*Line of night from Kelly, at halftime: "The game stinks, the commercials stink, this night stinks."
*That's what you get for $3.8 million for a 30-second commercial?
*The power outage did not change the momentum, see explanation below.
*Go back and watch Joe Flacco's pass on 3rd and inches at Baltimore's 46-yard line with 7:00 left in the game. Leading 31-29, he checked out of the play and threw to Boldin's back shoulder in a beauty of a completion. That led to a huge field goal.
*Flacco's postseason: 11 TD, 0 INT, 1,140 yards? Wow.
*How about a game saving goal line stand of four plays inside the 10-yard line? Reminded me of Bengals-49ers in '81.
*I still don't get the SF play calling on their final drive. They went from the shotgun and didn't throw to the end zone until 4th down?
*John Harbaugh called a fake FG needing nine yards?
*I was fine with the non-call on 4th down, both Crabtree and Smith were fighting and tugging. Thought Crabtree took himself out of the play with his route and thought pass was poor.
*Give Kaepernick credit, back to back games he showed he can bound back from deficits. And what a 15-yard run for TD around the corner.
*Both QB's have guns for arms. As Phil Simms said, "think arm strength doesn't matter in the NFL?".
*How about the 1996 draft for the Ravens?: Ogden and Lewis...two Hall of Famers and two Super Bowl titles for franchise.
*CBS stat of game: Kaepernick's interception was the first in 170 Super Bowl pass attempts by SF QB's.
*CBS couldn't get anyone to talk on camera and explain the outage?
*OJ Brigance pregame story was amazing.
*CBS missed a chance for a greater exchange when Boomer Esiason and Shannon Sharpe could not debate Ray Lewis coming out of Sharpe's one on one.
*Peyton kept asking why Beyonce wasn't signing more, I did not notice what she wasn't doing during halftime.
*I'm very happy for former Bengal Bobbie Williams.
*Can you imagine the beating Bud Selig and MLB would be taking for power outage at World Series?
*9 postseason picks for Ed Reed. Guy is amazing.
*I'm glad I don't have to hear about the Harbaugh's or Ray Lewis for a while.
*Am I the only one that saw Cary Williams of the Ravens, shove an official?
*Where were Randy Moss and Justin Smith?
Momentum change?
Many seem to be working hard to cram the power outage into a momentum changing narravite. The Ravens led 28-6 with 13:28 left in the 3rd quarter when the power went out. After the power returned, the 49ers then scored 17 unanswered to pull with in 28-23. Power outage momentum? Make it stop. The 49ers returned from the outage facing a 3rd and 13. After 34 extra minutes to come up with a play, Kaepernick threw a six yard pass, short of the first down. San Francisco then punted. On first down, Joe Flacco completed a 15-yard pass for a Ravens first down. That started a five play drive before Baltimore punted, facing 4th and 1.
So, the power outage momentum waited to shift until after each team had the ball? It couldn't have simply been: a poor Ravens punt, a big Ginn return, Brooks registering a 3rd down sack, Rice fumbling, and the Ravens running into the kicker? Don't forget Haloti Ngata getting hurt. Forced narrative.
Here is the play-by-play from the play prior to the outage to the next three drives after the power returned.
View Super Bowl commercials here
Here are the commercials I liked:
Paul Harvey farmer
Budweiser Clydsdales "Brotherhood"
Leon Sandcastle: Deion Sanders
Tide: Montana stain
Speed Stick: Guy folds girl's panties
Car: Kid gets black eye kissing girl at prom
NFL players thank fans
USA Today Ad Meter results
Halftime
9 unbelievable moments
NFL.com
1.Power Outage
Taking a step back, the 30-plus minute delay because of a power outage has to be the strangest, most embarrassing, surreal thing to happen during a Super Bowl. There's just no precedent for it. Cheerleaders cheered in the dim light. The press box lost internet and power. We had less information at the game than the fans at home.
Judgements, CBS Sports 2. San Francisco has only itself to blame for falling short at the end. I mean, Colin Kaepernick is on fire, the Ravens defense is exhausted and you don't call No. 7's number on the most important series of the game? Dumb, dumb, dumb. "[I] was a little surprised," San Francisco safety Donte Whitner said, "but it's Coach's call. If it works you're a genius, and if it doesn't you messed it up." Trust me, Donte. They messed it up.
Media circus
SI.com
Where CBS needed to do a better job of was identifying for viewers what they were seeing during the power outage. For example, CBS never told viewers who John Harbaugh's wrath (a delight for lip readers) was directed at during the outage. (ESPN analyst Andrew Brandt on Twitter identified the man as Mike Kensil, the league vice president of football operations.) There was also no NFL official on the set to explain what had happened, which would have been invaluable information. McManus said CBS passed all information it received from the NFL moments after it got it and that we "were trying to get information aggressively." Brown reported on air that a league spokesman (he gave no name) had said the power was returning and the league "was pleased with how the power was being ramped up."
2014 Super Bowl Odds
RJ Bell of Pregame.com
New England Patriots: 7 to 1
San Francisco 49ers: 8 to 1
Denver Broncos: 8 to 1
Green Bay Packers: 10 to 1
Houston Texans: 14 to 1
Baltimore Ravens: 14 to 1
Seattle Seahawks: 16 to 1
Atlanta Falcons: 18 to 1
New Orleans Saints: 18 to 1
Pittsburgh Steelers: 18 to 1
New York Giants: 20 to 1
Washington Redskins: 30 to 1
Dallas Cowboys: 30 to 1
Chicago Bears: 30 to 1
Cincinnati Bengals: 35 to 1
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College basketball
(From Lawrence's Tumblr page)
Bearcats land Lawrence
ZagsBlog
“My family and I would like to thank all the schools that showed interest,” he wrote. “I’m humble[d] to have had the experience of being recruited.
“After a long discussion with my parents, I’ve decided I’ll be attending the University of Cincinnati!!!!!
I’m excited to be apart of #BearcatNation
“I appreciate and thank those in New York who have supported me. It was a tough decision, however I do believe UC is a better fit for me.”
DeCourcy on Lawrence: Lawrence chose Cincinnati over St. John’s and UNLV. He will be expected to immediately compete for a starting position in the Bearcats’ frontcourt. He is considered an excellent athlete with a solid shooting touch and the ability to put the ball on the floor.
Bearcats fend off Pirates, get Big East road win
Musketeers fall, despite shooting 60-percent from field
Wildcats get wild road win in overtime
IU beats Michigan: No 1 ranking awaits Hoosiers, college basketball's most entertaining team.
(SI cover, December 3, 1979)
Yahoo Sports: Sean and Archie Miller have dad to thank for their relentless work ethic
The NKU Norse do it again. NKU beat South Carolina Upsate to extend their win streak to four games. NKU is now 8-11/6-5, after starting their first Division 1 season 0-6.
Congrats to the Miami Redhawks. The Redhawks beat Central Michigan 70-61 Saturday night and picked up the school's 600th MAC win, the most by any MAC school.
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Book review
The New York Times reviews 'Outside Shot', the story of the 2009 Scott County basketball season and the community. I had author Keith O'Brien in-studio last month.
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Reds
It's getting closer....just imagine...it will warm you up
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More national award for a local products
How about this impressive list:
Steve Specht, St X, selected National HS Coach of Year by NFL
Kyle Rudolph, Elder, NFL Pro Bowl MVP
Former St X LB Luke Kuechly was selected as NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Saturday night.
Middletown and OSU's Chris Carter was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Guy trip
We were in Indianapolis Friday night for Pacers vs Heat.
Dwyane Wade is Casey's favorite player. If you have not been to Bankers Life Fieldhouse it is a Bucket List venue. Hands down, the best NBA venue I've been in.
They do it right there. The venue is a classic old style fieldhouse. The in-game entertainment is excellent. The overhead videoboard is stunning. I bought tickets on-line and we sat in Section 105, the second level, behind the Heat bench. Tickets were $125 a piece. That price is worth it for our once a year trip. Great sightlines.
Last year we saw Jeremy Lin and the Knicks play the Pacers. We parked two blocks from the arena and paid $4 Friday night. We had a fantastic pregame meal at Scotty's Brewhouse. Casey's Heat got drilled by the Pacers, 103-89. That game comes on the heels of him watching his Giants get hammered by the Bengals earlier this year.
That is a fun Pacers team to watch. They get after it on defense. They can be lacking on offense at times, but have guards that can handle the ball and score in George Hill and Lance Stephenson, a really nice small forward in Paul George, a shotblocker with Roy Hibbert, a tenacious/awkward Tyler Hansbrough and the savy veteran leader in David West. They are 28-19, tied for 4th in the East, and are doing it all without fomer All-Star Danny Granger.
Section 105 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
A sellout crowd of 18,165 waiting to get into Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The crowd included the likes of Deion Branch, Robert Mathis, Drew Storen, Carl Erskine, David Cook.
The Bearct and Musketeer connection: Lance Stephenson (15 points) and David West (30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) had big games.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse entrance
Pregame warm-ups
LeBron in action
Pregame meal at Scotty's Brewhouse
Video
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