It Wasn't That Ugly, but a Loss Is a Loss

NFL Week 2 Thoughts:

The Bengals so far have been very very disappointing. I mean, a 1-1 record (and 1 big play short of sitting atop the AFC Norse). The Bengals had to overcome some key injuries that Denver was faced with, but the Broncs were not expecting the brawl they got. Luckily the Bengals followed one of my big keys to grab the loss:

-Dalton passed 41 times, and Ced rushed only 16 times. This was key because Ced averaged 3.7 yards per carry, and although that is not blistering, it is good enough to keep control of the ball more, eat more clock, and keep the Bengals secondary off the field. Give the Bengals a little more of that time of possession and they would have blown that loss.

-Again, the Bengals can not expect to stack up losses winning the turnover battle and minimizing mistakes, esp. on the road!

The Bengals not only are not the worst team in the NFL, not only do they have serious competition for the #1 pick, they are not even front runners any longer. Somehow this scrappy bunch of youngsters do not know what it means to be a Bengal. They are not supposed to be out there hustling and busting their hump in the 4th qtr, or winning turnover battles, or even competing in hostile environments. It's still too early to check the standings, but there are several teams looking like they want that pick worse than the Bengals right now.

The Bengals have a lot of work to do to get back into the lower echelon of this league. This just goes to show you how beautiful NFL parody is, even a dog's hind parts catches a glimpse of sunshine now and again!

============================

Hey, wait a minute experts, I'm a freaking winner!

Cam, week 1 you could call it a fluke or whatever you want, week 2 throwing against defending SB champs the Lombardis for 400 plus yds...Wait, wait, wait, wait! Wasn't all the prognostication concerning Cam was how he was not ready to compete on this level, that he lacked accuracy, he lacked the inability to run a "pro-style" offense, that he relied on his legs too much...and on and on and on ad nauseum.  Here's the problem, success has just as much to do with mindset and heart as it does with any technical tools. It also speaks volumes as to how little prognosticators know. Remember guys, as we watch NFL Net and ESPN and Fox Sports, these guys are paid to give their OPINIONS. Although they are presumed experts and they do dedicate a lot of time to film study, and do know what they are talking about, to a degree, they still don't know much. Cam will have his hiccups as a rookie (like the 3 interceptions that probably cost his team a chance to upset GB), but my goodness can he throw the cripes out of a football!

Is Buffalo foreal?

I will reiterate, NFL secondaries simply do not want to see Brady right now. This is peeved off Tom Brady that is upset his Pats haven't won the Big Dance in a few years. He is throwing the ball around like at the school yard and just for kicks likes to hit all his receivers and get them in the stat column. The Pats for some reason, even with all their success, know how to rally together and get mad at the world, and just start crushing opponents for no apparent reason. This is a developing story, but keep an eye on records for points scored and passing yards.

NFL Math? So week 1 Chicago stomps Atlanta, The Lombardis defeat the Saints, Baltimore pan-seared Pitt...go to week 2 and the Saints kick the stew out of Chicago, but Atlanta beats a strong contender in Philly, Baltimore gets crushed by Tennessee...as an aside GB is feeling blessed to have escaped North Cackalack with a victory.

Tune back in Friday as we take a look at what the Bengals need to do to drop their home opener against an improved 49ers bunch. Also, next Tuesday, I will begin my Powerless Rankings where I rank the 5 worst NFL teams weekly...Let's see if the Bengals can have a terrible week and pull back in the hunt...until then...God bless us, everyone!

Thanks for reading the