Say Bye-Bye to Bengals High 2012 Draft Pick (Unless Da Raidas Tank)

Bengals Recap:

The Bengals showed up. There is almost no way they could have achieved defeat outside of not making it to the playing field and thereby forfeiting. (At this point I am supposed to say, “no, but seriously,” except that I was already being serious). OK, OK, seriously, the Bengals are simply not getting it done in some key areas, that if you want to be considered a serious contender for a top spot in the draft, you have to get done! The biggest I think to date is turnovers. This young team is simply not turning the ball over and they are also taking it away. How in the world are you going to compete with Indy and St. Louis if you aren’t losing the turnover battle. The Bengals are not serious about getting a high draft pick this year.

Not pretty and not ineffective

The other area that the Bengals are not getting it done (and the game against the Colts demonstrates this to perfection) is in not sticking with the run. They are waaaay too balanced. In my early Keys, I always said, it was key that Dalton throw the rock around the stadium 35-40 times, thus taking away some run opportunities. But the Bengals and Gruden are calling the opposite. They are running and sticking to it, no matter what. Again this will not get you the title “The Greatest Show on Turf” but it will prevent the Bengals from picking up L’s. Case in point, on Sunday they ran it 31 times for a paltry 3 yards per carry. For the novice, you may say, “well that is terrible,” but that type of commitment to the ground game ensures control of the ball and clock (the Bengals held the ball 34 mins vs. Indy’s 26 mins).

The Colts outplayed the Bengals in most areas on Sunday, and the Bengals even went a little old school by giving up a football field (over 100 yards) in penalties, but these guys are finding ways not to lose and that is not how Cincinnati football is played.

2008 Lions Getting Nervous:

I’m not going to say the Colts have mailed in the season (even though that may very well be the case), but they are flirting with smallness as they have a real shot at joining the 2008 Lions in the “Defeated” club.  Of course, the 2008 Lions are sitting by every week at this point with the finest Cubans and Champagne waiting to celebrate the last team grabbing a win, but they may have to wait a while for the Colts.

They are in the midst of a “perfect storm” of failure with injuries to key players or should I say thee player, Mr. Endorsement, combined with the fact that they are playing a division winning schedule (meaning they play the first place teams from the other divisions). They are 0-6 and on a virtual cruise control of defeat.

Sidenote: I am not sure what division the AFC South plays in 2012,  but if it is not the AFC East, this could be the first time in many moons that the Colts and Pats would not meet in the regular season (being they each have held down their divisions 1 spots for so long).

The Colts demise has also affected the quality of NFL product in the prime time slots. I mean the 2^nd half ratings for this Sunday night’s matchup of the Colts v Saints may drop below the Mendoza line (that’s below a 2 Nielsen rating for you non-baseball folks). This brings me to another point, and that is all NFL prime time matchups should be on a “flex" schedule. I am talking about giving teams 2 weeks notice that they are going prime time. If the NFL wants to put the best “product” on the field we should see some of these up and coming young whipper snapper teams…and in seasons like this with unforeseen circumstances, certain teams (with horse shoes for logos) should be banned.

Even a Blind Squirell Can Find a Nut Every Now and Then:

Mike Brown, makes a genius football move sort of, by getting 1^st round draft picks for a player who was not going to play another snap for him anyway. Lest we forget, Brown in his infinite stubbornness was going to hold on to Carson for nothing had it not been for some aligning of the stars with the injury to Raider starter, Jason Campbell, Raider head coach, Hue Jackson, having a good relationship with Brown, Big Red having a great rookie campaign. If not for these factors, Carson is still a Bengal, sort of. Great job, Mr. Brown, sort of!

Palmer Was Once Dalton:

I guess good guys can wear black

It seems like only a few short falls ago, a young man came into the league hungry for wins and in only his second full season led his team to the playoffs poised to ride one of the most potent Bengal offenses since the days of Boomer, Brooks, Brown, and Collinsworth…until the 60 yard bomb heard round the world and the name (or some version of it) of Chemo Von Offhimplease was forever etched in the deep subconscious of Bengals’ fans everywhere. Yep, and after that tragic downfall, well you know the rest of the story already.

Will Dalton sport a empty gaze in a few years?

Point is, will that happen to Dalton? (Not the injuries just the beat down delivered year in and year out of being a Bengal). The short answer, yes. It is only a question of how long Big Red can hold out. Wait until outdoor practice this winter, or a lousy waste of a draft pick, or the inexplicable trading away of a fine player other than to save a buck (or 5 million), or the countless other things I don’t even know about happening that are below the standards of other average NFL franchises.

I, for one, still admire Carson for always being the bigger guy, a classy guy, hardly letting his frustrations with the organization go public, even in this latest and final battle where he could have chatted up a hungry media and named names and all type of nonsense. Instead it was the Carson of quiet dignity (that I think was detrimental to him at times), that we all have come to like and even love. And now since this has turned into a Carson tribute, I’ll miss you good buddy…God bless you in your reunion with Hue! Big Red, enjoy the spring of your youth as a Bengal because there are some long cold winters ahead.

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid (Except in the Case of Rex Ryan):

In Rexy’s latest verbal meanderings, he claims that had he coached up those Rivers/Gates/Tomlinson Bolts, he would have brought home a couple rings…The sheer audacity of it leaves no doubt that Rex is trying to take the focus/pressure off of his football team who much is expected from after having made it to 2 AFC championship games in a row, right? WRONG! I am so over this genius ploy of Rex bit. Plain fact of the matter is Rex says whatever is on his mind for better or for worse (and a lot of times for the worse). That’s it, enough of this he is taking the lens off his team, who according to Joe Namath is a coddled bunch of divas who are mediocre at best.

So while Ryan tries to allegedly take the focus off his team, Broadway Joe continues to try to shine his mammoth NYC light on them by lambasting them and Ryan every opportunity he gets. This is the squabble I want to see…I am done with all Rex’s comments/suggestions/video scandals and whatever else until he and Namath start to go full tilt at each other. (This is much like my swearing off boxing until Floyd and Manny fight).

Powerless Rankings:

The rankings remain fairly stable this week, but the boys are really starting to separate themselves from the men…Here are the NFL’s 5 most Powerless teams heading into Week 7:

At the top again

1. St. Louis (Bradford, Jackson, the only way this could get better-by which I mean worse-is if Jackson starts to publically ask to be traded)

2. Indy (They are hot on the heels of the Rams as they jockey for position in the final 2/3 of the season)

3. Miami (As bad as they are they can not pick up any ground on our #1 and 2 Powerless squads)

4. Denver (On a Bye, still moves up a notch mainly by Jax not playing like the 4^th most Powerless team in Pittsburgh on Sunday)

5. Jax (I said they didn’t play like the 4^th most Powerless team, but they did look more like the 5^th most Powerless team)

Dishonorable mention:

KC (the worst 2-3 team in the NFL and possibly ever, they just keep hovering around the Powerless Rankings waiting for their opportunity to bust back in the top 5)

Also, this week we have a key match up with tremendous Powerless Ranking implications when #4 Denver (under the leadership of Tim Tebow) travels to take on the #3 ranked Dolphins. This should be a lousy one.

Famous Last Words:

Minnesota has been competing hard for the #1 draft pick all season long, however they have stepped it up a notch by inserting rookie Christian Ponder behind a banged up O line for their game against the Pack. One thing is for certain, the kid has more mobility than McNabb and who knows, with all these rookies playing lights out this year, maybe this kid can join them. But I doubt it. Minnesota has clearly tossed their hat into the ring for the #1 draft pick so NFL cellar dwellers, you have been warned. In a related tidbit, the Viking lease on the Metrodome is up after this year…hmmm, is this Déjà vu? Another Minnesota team to LA perhaps? 

Join me next Thursday, where we will get back to the Keys and find out if the Bengals can finally achieve defeat in the Volunteer state.

Thanks for reading the:

God Bless Yous!