A FEW MO' THINGS, 9/17/12

I've sat through too many Bengals losses that were as sickening as your average Chinese food buffet to not enjoy the wins, especially when they're meaningful wins against division opponents, and especially when they come against the Browns.

And I've sat through too many games lost by really bad, really unlikable Bengals teams to not like a lot of what I saw yesterday. 

I saw Andy Dalton hit a bunch of different receivers, many of whom were major contributors to a win the Bengals had to have.  We had a Brandon Tate sighting on something other than a touch-back, we had Andrew Hawkins with the early-season leader for Bengals offensive play of the year, we had five tough catches from Armon Binns, and AJ Green, while often overthrown, was still productive enough to catch eight balls and score a touchdown.

I saw Andy Dalton show some toughness, both mental and physical.

I saw Adam Jones set the tone with a punt return for a touchdown.  I saw why the Bengals should find ways to get one of the league's best overall athletes on the field more often.  I saw why there should be no debate about whom returns punts if #24 is healthy.

I saw some quality punting.  Gotta have quality punting.

I saw a guy wearing a Browns jersey while also wearing a real pumpkin on his head.  I saw a beer vendor refuse service to a very drunk woman.  I saw the Bengals score more points than the Browns, and I saw the Bengals win a game that they simply could not afford to lose.

All of that's good.  Well, except for the guy wearing the pumpkin.

Problem is, I saw a lot of other things too.  I saw a porous defense that missed tackles, blew assignments, and continued to look slow while failing to consistently pressure the QB.  I saw linebackers and defensive backs unable to either cover or make tackles. I saw Cleveland pile up well over 400 yards of offense.  I saw Rey Maualuga continue to remind me of the kid in class who blurts out the answers a half second after everyone else. I saw experienced defensive backs look like they'd never played the game.   I saw a pass rush that badly needs Carlos Dunlap to return. And I saw Browns two rookies who were awful in week one put up pretty gaudy numbers in week two.

I saw a quarterback that put up some nice stats but that held on to the ball too long, enabling six sacks, and who consistently overthrew downfield receivers. 

I saw a team that couldn't finish off what's supposed to be an inferior opponent.

I was hoping to see a Bengals win, which I did.  Perhaps more important though, I was hoping to see enough out of the Bengals to alleviate some of the pressing concerns I have for this team.  That unfortunately, did not.

-For years I've hammered the crappy food and lackluster fan experience at PBS.  Their hot dogs normally taste like they were boiled in Ohio River water.  But I had some Buffalo chicken tenders yesterday which were top-notch.  I've heard the new mac and cheese is better than edible.  The person choosing the music at PBS finally discovered some tunes made after 1999, which was refreshing.  There was more going on on the PBS video-board than usual.  The Bengals karaoke bit featuring Taylor Mays seemed to be a hit.  And I saw beer vendor refuse service to a drunk woman.  If you don't want drunk people ruining your fans' experience, don't serve them alcohol if they're intoxicated.  Maybe the Bengals are starting to get that.

It seems, and I may be wrong, that the Bengals have instructed stadium employees to smile more.  They thanked fans as they left.  There's a higher level of courtesy than existed a few years ago.  And they seem vigilant in making sure that customers are having a nice time.

They have a way to go, but they're trying.  They're not there yet, but at least the effort is.

-I hate to keep picking on the guy, I don't want to dwell on negatives that much after a win, and let's give Trent Richardson some credit for this play, but Rey Maualuga is embarrassing.

Other Perspectives
From Clark Judge of CBS Sports...
Marvin Lewis (is) 14-5 in the series, with his first victory as a head coach over the Browns. He also won seven of the last eight times they met. What's supposed to be "The Battle of Ohio" is more like a game of solitaire.

From Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports....
Nice win by Cincinnati against cross-state rival Cleveland , but there might be reason for concern. In two games, second-year quarterback Andy Dalton has been sacked 10 times. He was sacked only 24 times in 16 games as a rookie.

From CincyJungle comes a good look at some of the Bengals' defensive breakdowns....
If the Bengals are going to be worth a damn this year, this defense has to improve or the offense is going to be forced into a shootout every weekend. And while we like what most of the offensive players bring to the table, they're not designed as a unit to score 30 points every weekend. In fact the game dramatically changes if not for Adam Jones' punt return for touchdown. The offense will need help on defense. They'll need Rey Maualuga to step up and someone worthwhile at strong safety.

From ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley...
The stat sheet will say Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes. Take a closer look and you'll see how much Cincinnati's receivers delivered on those scores. There was a 10-yarder to A.J. Green, who ran through Dimitri Patterson's tackle; a 44-yarder to Brandon Tate, who got behind safety Eric Hagg; and a 50-yarder to Andrew Hawkins, who weaved through the Browns' defense after a short pass.

-Non-Bengals related, but still...

*Football coaches go on and on about playing through the final snap and never giving up.  One NFL coach actually does this and he gets crap for it.  I don't get it.  Greg Schiano's responsibility is to his team, not Tom Coughlin's.

*I like this from John Clayton on the replacement refs, which are becoming problematic and will continue to be as such...
Sunday morning started with ESPN's Chris Mortensen reporting the NFL pulled replacement side judge Brian Stropolo from the Saints-Panthers game because Stropolo's Facebook page made him look like a Saints fan. How that slipped past the league was embarrassing. It also slipped by the league that an official in the Arizona-Seattle game last week was paid by the Seahawks for three years to officiate Seahawks practices.

Although Week 1 was respectable for replacement officials, Week 2 created more controversies. St. Louis Rams fans booed on a play in which Rams running back Steven Jackson looked as though he had a touchdown, but Jackson was penalized 15 yards for spiking the football, turning a touchdown opportunity into a field goal. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen ripped officials for calling him for a personal foul on a play in which he barely made contact. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco blasted the officiating by saying players now have no idea what is holding and what isn't. The Dallas-Seattle crew blew a non-call in which Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate lit up Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee with a block that caused Lee to go to the sideline with an injury. It should have been an illegal blindside block. Bucs wide receiver Vincent Jackson had a no-call on a helmet hit to him.

Time of game is becoming a problem. The 13 Sunday afternoon games averaged 3 hours, 13 minutes, a little less than 10 minutes longer than in normal years. There was only one game played in less than three hours. Because I had such low expectations of the replacement officials, I gave them a C grade in Week 1. In Week 2, I had more questions and gave them a D. Now there's reason to wonder about their backgrounds.

-With two exceptions, I've been in attendance for every UC football win since 2000.  Saturday night's victory over Delaware State might have been the most forgettable. The Bearcats were not gonna lose the game, and it was never in doubt, but the offense played very poorly for the better part of three quarters.  Six turnovers, numerous blown chances, and a general look of a team that lacked focus all stood out more than anything.  I don't know what we can pull from that game that we can transfer to the Va. Tech game in 12 days (who had them losing to Pitt, BTW?), and I'm guessing there's part of Butch Jones that'll like having a game film's worth of slop to harp on for two weeks, but that win on Saturday was pretty uninspiring.

-I went to Chicago on Friday to see a Cubs/Pirates game simply because I thought it would be a good time on a nice, late-summer afternoon and there aren't many of those left.  I was at the UC game Saturday and I attended the Bengals game yesterday.  Thus, I saw almost no Reds baseball this weekend.

Judging by what I saw on Twitter Friday and Saturday, I think I'm okay with that.

The magic number is down to five, meaning the predicted clinch is still a possibility (get your #RedsTweetup tickets here), and when that goes down, a muted celebration, compared to the all hell that broke loose on clinch night two years ago, will ensue.

To-do item number one for Reds fans is to enjoy an NL Central title.

To-do item number one for the Reds is to get Johnny Cueto fixed.

I don't know if he's fatigued.  I don't know if he's hurt.  I don't know if he's simply going through a slump.

I do know that the Reds absolutely need the Johnny Cueto of the first five months of 2012 in order for them to have a championship final month of 2012.  I do know that he's been brutal recently and I do know that historically he's regressed down the stretch.

And I do know that there's no harm in skipping one of his starts.  I see no downside to Johnny Cueto sitting one out.

-I see no downside to you listening to ESPN1530 at 3:04.  Andrew Hawkins' brother and I talk Bengals/Browns and a ton more.  Be there.  This is hilarious.  I love cable TV news.  "I can't see your face right now, this is so weird."