A FEW MO' THINGS, 8/24/12

Programming Notes:  I'm on ESPN1530 next Monday through Wednesday, if I can remember how to actually do a talk show. (I'll make the "You never did" joke for you)

-I'll start with the game that I saw, or at least the one I tried to watch.  I'm going to dispense with the usual bagging on preseason football.  We all know it's unwatchable.  We all know it's uninteresting, unentertaining, and 180 degrees unlike the real NFL product we all know and love.  Instead, I'll get to what I saw, in order....

*I saw a woman throwing up into a garbage can outside the stadium while her boyfriend yelled at her.  This was ten minutes before kickoff. 

*I saw the first-team offense play very, very, poorly.  Andy Dalton was off.  The offensive line was porous.  They failed to score after sitting on a first and goal on the one.  The running game lacked both the top two backs on the depth chart and, minus a nice 12-yard run from Brian Leonard, anything really productive. 

*I saw Kevin Huber punt too often, but I saw him punt well.  Three balls inside the 20, a net of over 42 yards a boot. 

*I saw Marvin Jones catch a touchdown pass.  I like Marvin Jones.  He's had a good camp, some impressive grabs, and he's a very, very, good kid.  I think we overstate the need for a number two receiver because ultimately the balls that aren't thrown to Gresham and Green will probably be divided pretty evenly, but as much as I like Marvin, I'm not sure I feel so good about this offense if he's the two in two weeks.

*I saw Geno Atkins.  So did the Packers.  They couldn't block him.  Not many teams can.

*And I saw Terrence Newman make a really nice veteran play on his interception, then run the ball back 30 yards. 

*I saw the game from my seat in section 306 and I took a picture.  Then I put it on Instagram.  If you're on Instagram (In other words, if you're a 15 year-old girl), follow me at moegger.

*Atkins and Newman aside, I saw the first-team defense struggle.  "Struggle" is putting it kindly.  They weren't very good.  They couldn't contain Aaron Rodgers when he ran, they missed tackles (Leon Hall the primary suspect), they covered poorly, looked lethargic, and played poorly against the run.

*I saw Cedric Benson and I saw him play well.  I also heard people boo him.  I was ready for the Bengals to move on from Ced, but I don't understand the booing.  Benson was a part of the solution much more than he was part of the problem, he was among the most valuable players in the league in 2009, put up three 1000-yard seasons, and was the featured back on two playoff teams.  He did some things I didn't like, and he fumbled a few more times than I would've liked, but he was a good player here.  I have no reason to root for him to not be one in Green Bay.

*I saw Vontaze Burfict knock down a pass on a third down play, forcing a punt. It was the kind of play I'm not sure many of the other linebackers make.

*I saw a secondary that, as a unit, looked slow.  They looked old.  Aaron Rodgers' presence on the field couldn't have helped matters.  Neither could the fact that Leon Hall is playing himself back into shape.  But a lot of these guys are closer to my age than they should be.  Last night they played like it.

*I saw Taylor Mays make another big hit.  The good news is that this time it was on an opposing player. The bad news is despite it being very, very, clean, the replacement refs threw a flag on the play.  These guys can't officiate real games. They just can't.

*I saw a lot of Bengals on the sideline wearing team-issued t-shirts instead of uniforms.  I saw far too many of these guys for my comfort.  The Bengals have some nice depth, especially on defense (the backups played very well), but the amount of injuries this team is dealing with is concerning.

*I didn't see the game while waiting in line for a beer because the TVs weren't working.  Of course, given that the TV might be older than me, I shouldn't be shocked.

*I saw Jeromy Miles play very well.  He defended a couple of passes and looked good in coverage.  We know he's valuable to special teams.  Maybe he's earning some time on defense.

*What I saw left a lot to be desired.  I was happy with the first two games and made no sweeping judgments about how great the Bengals are going to be, so after last night I'm not going to rush to conclude that they'll be awful.  It didn't help that they played arguably the best team in the NFL, and that has to be taken into consideration.  So do the injuries.  The truth is, I still struggle to put my finger on how good or bad these guys will be.  I like this team, I'm not yet in love with it.  I certainly didn't like much of what I saw last night.

-I didn't see much of the Reds game.  I followed along enough to know they had chances and blew them, letting Philly hang around.  And I followed long enough to know that Johnny Cueto chucked too many pitches in too few innings.  I saw the extra innings, saw the Phillies win it, I shrugged my shoulders, remembered that they're 26 games over .500 and leading the division by seven games, and went to bed.

This takes us to Reds v. Cards.  This is going to be a fun weekend at and around the ballpark, with the added juice of the Larkin number retirement ceremony tomorrow.  Simply avoid a sweep and the Reds will be able to breathe easy on Sunday night.  This series is clearly critical to the Cardinals, but I'd like to see the Reds put them out to pasture.  Don't give 'em any chance to make that final series mean anything.  There are times when fans and teams should get greedy.

This would be one of those weekends.  Enjoy it.  Here's One Mo' Thing.....