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Bengals stunned at 8-8
By GEOFF HOBSON
January 1, 2007
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BENGALS GAMEDAY: Photos, analysis, video highlights, stats
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: 5:15 a.m.
Carson Palmer: "We're an average football team." (Bengals photo)
Of course, the playoff scenario that didn’t work out is their own.
That sick feeling in the pit of Bengaldom is Kansas City winning, Denver losing, and Shayne Graham missing his first kick inside 40 yards in 29 tries over two years with eight seconds left.
It seemed like the calendar stood still. Another meltdown loss to the more mature and professional Steelers that sent Cincinnati to Dr. Phil instead of to the Super Bowl.
But for Pro Bowl right tackle Willie Anderson, the retirement of center Rich Braham signaled the calendar is flipping all too quickly.
“I just want the changes to get fixed. Next year is going to be my 12th season and pretty soon I’ll be doing what Richie did today,” Anderson said. “Everybody tells me to be positive, be positive. I don’t have time to be positive. Next year could be my last year. Once you get into double digits, time runs out on you.”
Don’t look just at Graham. He blew only one of the ample chances the Bengals had to go to the Wild Card game next week.
(Remember all those playoff maybes that just didn't break the right way in the '70s and '80s? They may have used up their allotment for a decade.)
Two false starts from the Steelers 4. Or giving up 214 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. Or missing a safety in the end zone and averaging less than three yards per rush and giving away timeouts like they were candy.
Or, as Steelers rookie receiver Santonio Holmes said after he ran away with everything that mattered, “We gave those guys a lot of opportunities to beat us and they really didn’t want it as much as we did.”
All of it turned the postgame locker room into one long therapy session that sizzled and bubbled with aching frustration and the topic of selfishness.
“All the coaches know the problems. They don’t need me to hold a press conference about all the problems. They understand,” Anderson said.
But that’s just it. As there were no concrete answers how an 11-5 team division champion could go 8-8 and blow endless chances to get back to the playoffs, there were no specific solutions for next year even though the players said there must be changes.
Anderson
All they could do was call on certain players as examples. Anderson called on Braham, the 13-year offensive lineman honored before the game with a scoreboard video and a Bengals golf cart.
“If we can go out and some way find players with the heart and mindset of a Richie Braham, we’ll be a better football team,” Anderson said. “Right now I don’t know what we have. I do know is what the coaches constantly keep stressing. This guy is a pro’s pro. We need more guys with his heart and mindset. He’s a consummate pro. A team-player guy. A mentally and physically tough guy that can win football games.”
Left guard Eric Steinbach, who played next to Braham for three seasons, shook his head.
“We don’t play as a team; Coach will tell you that,” Steinbach said. “Teams that go to the Super Bowl, they play together as a team. We do it for a week and then don’t do it the next week.”
Meanwhile, quarterback Carson Palmer left this game with the Steelers battered but unbowed and with one of the greatest fourth quarters in team history. He doesn’t face rehab this offseason (and he said he’s facing no surgery) but he wants to take an active role in getting this team mentally healthier and mentioned the names of two other reliable veterans headed into free agency:
Tight end Reggie Kelly and running back/special teams ace Kenny Watson.
“”There are a number of things that need to happen here, and I’d like to stick around and make sure things happen,” Palmer said. “There are guys that need to be here next season. Guys like Kenny Watson and Reggie Kelly need to be on this team next year. I feel like Kenny Watson is a guy that every time he touches the ball he gets a first down. Reggie Kelly is the best teammate I’ve ever had — the best I’ve ever had on a team, and I know he’s that way for a number of guys on this team. So, I’m going to stick around.”
If the franchise quarterback saying he’s going to stick around a little while to make his input known doesn’t tell you it’s going to be an interesting offseason, then you could tell when head coach Marvin Lewis said it’s his fault and he’s got to get it fixed.
“To be honest with you, it’s the same fight that a 2-14 team fights,” Anderson said. “We have enough talent to win games. Marvin says it all the time. We as a team will never get over the hump with the selfishness.”
Lewis, now 7-9 in December and his game coaching are going to come under as much scrutiny as team chemistry.
Lewis
Even though Lewis has done yeoman work in making sure that an 8-8 season feels like hitting rock bottom instead of 2-14, the critics point out:
The Bengals blew one timeout in the first half because they had 12 men on defense. They had 10 men on the field for a punt before running a guy on late.
And in a season where the Bengals always seemed to be one timeout short at the end of a game, Lewis gave one away when he chose to freeze Steelers kicker Jeff Reed with 1:03 left before he made his tying field goal.
Lewis didn’t like the postgame question and snapped off a rebuttal that the Steelers also froze Graham before his ill-fated attempt. But if this was supposed to be a game of one upmanship with mentor Bill Cowher, it was a one-way street. The Steelers had nothing to lose with eight seconds left while the Bengals Chinese fire-drilled it to the 21 with only one timeout instead of two.
Would five or six or 10 yards meant the difference for Graham?
“I can only point the finger at myself,” said Graham, and he wasn’t the only one.
After the Bengals gave up 207 yards rushing marking the fourth time in the Lewis era the Steelers have rushed for at least 140 yards, defensive end Justin Smith said, “Giving up 200 yards rushing is unacceptable … it’s pathetic.”
Meanwhile, Palmer flogged himself for a brutal first three quarters in which he hit just 12 of 26 passes for a mere 98 yards.
Palmer
“We started clicking. That’s part of the thing that is frustrating,” Palmer said. “Last week when we needed to go down and score, we go down and score. When we need to get things going, it’s possible for us to. But you’re going to be 8-8 if you wait until the fourth quarter to do that. You’ve got to come out better than that. I’ve got to throw the ball better. We’ve got to run the ball better. In this league you can’t wait around until the fourth quarter to start moving the ball.”
Running back Rudi Johnson, held to 47 yards, chalked it up to season-long consistency.
“Today’s game was a reflection of that,” Johnson said. “It was never our game for the whole game. That’s the way it’s been for the whole season. Never in a million years did I believe with the players we have that we would be in this situation.
“If you don’t learn from this … something has to change. Obviously we have to play better as a team. I don’t think it's chemistry. We all like each other. I don’t know. I’m going to think about it in the offseason.”
Anderson used the word selfish because Lewis had used it earlier in the week. Chad Johnson asked, “Isn’t it good sometimes to be selfish?” in the sense that if the individual performs well, it’s good for the team.
“It’s not just selfishness, and it’s not just inconsistency,” Palmer said. “It’s a whole bunch of things. And a whole bunch of things need to change around here, or else we’re going to be 8-8 again.
“I don’t think much has to do with physical ability, because I feel that we’re as physical as a lot of teams. We’re as fast, as talented, as good of football players as a lot of teams, if not better. I don’t want to say we’re more talented than everybody else, because talent doesn’t win football games. Good teams win football games. That’s something that Marvin said after the game. But personnel-wise, we have guys that are capable of winning games and being a lot better than 8-8.”
Strong safety Dexter Jackson said it’s OK to be selfish at times, but stats can’t rule the day.
“It’s having that commitment. You’ve got to be in. If you’re not in, you’re out,” Jackson said. “You’ve got to go end to end. You have to play that way.”
Defensive end Justin Smith said it is what it is.
“Team chemistry can definitely be worked on, but those are things that get put under the microscope when you lose,” Smith said. “Things like that get swept under the couch when things are going good. I think that’s something you can work on win or lose. You've got to get the right mix of guys in here. It’s just something we need to work on.”
Certainly the topic of the eight arrests since late last season is going to be debated as a reason for the mediocrity, but Palmer won’t buy it.
“Personally, I don’t think so. It hurts when you lose key players to suspension,” Palmer said. “Losing a guy like Odell Thurman — one of our better players on defense — (and) not having Chris Henry the whole year, I think that’s the main thing. I feel like the media makes a bigger deal about how it affects the team than in reality (it does). It really doesn’t affect me much.”
But there’s no question the off-field problems contributed to the haggard look of this team.
“It’s been a tough year for us on and off the field,” said cornerback Tory James.
It all added up to 8-8 - .500. Mediocre. Half empty, half full.
“The last two weeks, when the clocks ticked down to zero, they were probably the weirdest feelings I’ve ever felt,” Palmer said. “They were bad feelings — feelings you don’t want to feel. It’s frustrating, depressing. It’s a number of things. But that’s what average teams do — you get a chance to win it, and you lose it in the end. You don’t win games like you should. Average teams go into Tampa and lose. Great teams go into Tampa and win by 21 points. And, so, that’s why we’re an average football team.”
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5820
By GEOFF HOBSON
January 1, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BENGALS GAMEDAY: Photos, analysis, video highlights, stats
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: 5:15 a.m.
Carson Palmer: "We're an average football team." (Bengals photo)
Of course, the playoff scenario that didn’t work out is their own.
That sick feeling in the pit of Bengaldom is Kansas City winning, Denver losing, and Shayne Graham missing his first kick inside 40 yards in 29 tries over two years with eight seconds left.
It seemed like the calendar stood still. Another meltdown loss to the more mature and professional Steelers that sent Cincinnati to Dr. Phil instead of to the Super Bowl.
But for Pro Bowl right tackle Willie Anderson, the retirement of center Rich Braham signaled the calendar is flipping all too quickly.
“I just want the changes to get fixed. Next year is going to be my 12th season and pretty soon I’ll be doing what Richie did today,” Anderson said. “Everybody tells me to be positive, be positive. I don’t have time to be positive. Next year could be my last year. Once you get into double digits, time runs out on you.”
Don’t look just at Graham. He blew only one of the ample chances the Bengals had to go to the Wild Card game next week.
(Remember all those playoff maybes that just didn't break the right way in the '70s and '80s? They may have used up their allotment for a decade.)
Two false starts from the Steelers 4. Or giving up 214 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. Or missing a safety in the end zone and averaging less than three yards per rush and giving away timeouts like they were candy.
Or, as Steelers rookie receiver Santonio Holmes said after he ran away with everything that mattered, “We gave those guys a lot of opportunities to beat us and they really didn’t want it as much as we did.”
All of it turned the postgame locker room into one long therapy session that sizzled and bubbled with aching frustration and the topic of selfishness.
“All the coaches know the problems. They don’t need me to hold a press conference about all the problems. They understand,” Anderson said.
But that’s just it. As there were no concrete answers how an 11-5 team division champion could go 8-8 and blow endless chances to get back to the playoffs, there were no specific solutions for next year even though the players said there must be changes.
Anderson
All they could do was call on certain players as examples. Anderson called on Braham, the 13-year offensive lineman honored before the game with a scoreboard video and a Bengals golf cart.
“If we can go out and some way find players with the heart and mindset of a Richie Braham, we’ll be a better football team,” Anderson said. “Right now I don’t know what we have. I do know is what the coaches constantly keep stressing. This guy is a pro’s pro. We need more guys with his heart and mindset. He’s a consummate pro. A team-player guy. A mentally and physically tough guy that can win football games.”
Left guard Eric Steinbach, who played next to Braham for three seasons, shook his head.
“We don’t play as a team; Coach will tell you that,” Steinbach said. “Teams that go to the Super Bowl, they play together as a team. We do it for a week and then don’t do it the next week.”
Meanwhile, quarterback Carson Palmer left this game with the Steelers battered but unbowed and with one of the greatest fourth quarters in team history. He doesn’t face rehab this offseason (and he said he’s facing no surgery) but he wants to take an active role in getting this team mentally healthier and mentioned the names of two other reliable veterans headed into free agency:
Tight end Reggie Kelly and running back/special teams ace Kenny Watson.
“”There are a number of things that need to happen here, and I’d like to stick around and make sure things happen,” Palmer said. “There are guys that need to be here next season. Guys like Kenny Watson and Reggie Kelly need to be on this team next year. I feel like Kenny Watson is a guy that every time he touches the ball he gets a first down. Reggie Kelly is the best teammate I’ve ever had — the best I’ve ever had on a team, and I know he’s that way for a number of guys on this team. So, I’m going to stick around.”
If the franchise quarterback saying he’s going to stick around a little while to make his input known doesn’t tell you it’s going to be an interesting offseason, then you could tell when head coach Marvin Lewis said it’s his fault and he’s got to get it fixed.
“To be honest with you, it’s the same fight that a 2-14 team fights,” Anderson said. “We have enough talent to win games. Marvin says it all the time. We as a team will never get over the hump with the selfishness.”
Lewis, now 7-9 in December and his game coaching are going to come under as much scrutiny as team chemistry.
Lewis
Even though Lewis has done yeoman work in making sure that an 8-8 season feels like hitting rock bottom instead of 2-14, the critics point out:
The Bengals blew one timeout in the first half because they had 12 men on defense. They had 10 men on the field for a punt before running a guy on late.
And in a season where the Bengals always seemed to be one timeout short at the end of a game, Lewis gave one away when he chose to freeze Steelers kicker Jeff Reed with 1:03 left before he made his tying field goal.
Lewis didn’t like the postgame question and snapped off a rebuttal that the Steelers also froze Graham before his ill-fated attempt. But if this was supposed to be a game of one upmanship with mentor Bill Cowher, it was a one-way street. The Steelers had nothing to lose with eight seconds left while the Bengals Chinese fire-drilled it to the 21 with only one timeout instead of two.
Would five or six or 10 yards meant the difference for Graham?
“I can only point the finger at myself,” said Graham, and he wasn’t the only one.
After the Bengals gave up 207 yards rushing marking the fourth time in the Lewis era the Steelers have rushed for at least 140 yards, defensive end Justin Smith said, “Giving up 200 yards rushing is unacceptable … it’s pathetic.”
Meanwhile, Palmer flogged himself for a brutal first three quarters in which he hit just 12 of 26 passes for a mere 98 yards.
Palmer
“We started clicking. That’s part of the thing that is frustrating,” Palmer said. “Last week when we needed to go down and score, we go down and score. When we need to get things going, it’s possible for us to. But you’re going to be 8-8 if you wait until the fourth quarter to do that. You’ve got to come out better than that. I’ve got to throw the ball better. We’ve got to run the ball better. In this league you can’t wait around until the fourth quarter to start moving the ball.”
Running back Rudi Johnson, held to 47 yards, chalked it up to season-long consistency.
“Today’s game was a reflection of that,” Johnson said. “It was never our game for the whole game. That’s the way it’s been for the whole season. Never in a million years did I believe with the players we have that we would be in this situation.
“If you don’t learn from this … something has to change. Obviously we have to play better as a team. I don’t think it's chemistry. We all like each other. I don’t know. I’m going to think about it in the offseason.”
Anderson used the word selfish because Lewis had used it earlier in the week. Chad Johnson asked, “Isn’t it good sometimes to be selfish?” in the sense that if the individual performs well, it’s good for the team.
“It’s not just selfishness, and it’s not just inconsistency,” Palmer said. “It’s a whole bunch of things. And a whole bunch of things need to change around here, or else we’re going to be 8-8 again.
“I don’t think much has to do with physical ability, because I feel that we’re as physical as a lot of teams. We’re as fast, as talented, as good of football players as a lot of teams, if not better. I don’t want to say we’re more talented than everybody else, because talent doesn’t win football games. Good teams win football games. That’s something that Marvin said after the game. But personnel-wise, we have guys that are capable of winning games and being a lot better than 8-8.”
Strong safety Dexter Jackson said it’s OK to be selfish at times, but stats can’t rule the day.
“It’s having that commitment. You’ve got to be in. If you’re not in, you’re out,” Jackson said. “You’ve got to go end to end. You have to play that way.”
Defensive end Justin Smith said it is what it is.
“Team chemistry can definitely be worked on, but those are things that get put under the microscope when you lose,” Smith said. “Things like that get swept under the couch when things are going good. I think that’s something you can work on win or lose. You've got to get the right mix of guys in here. It’s just something we need to work on.”
Certainly the topic of the eight arrests since late last season is going to be debated as a reason for the mediocrity, but Palmer won’t buy it.
“Personally, I don’t think so. It hurts when you lose key players to suspension,” Palmer said. “Losing a guy like Odell Thurman — one of our better players on defense — (and) not having Chris Henry the whole year, I think that’s the main thing. I feel like the media makes a bigger deal about how it affects the team than in reality (it does). It really doesn’t affect me much.”
But there’s no question the off-field problems contributed to the haggard look of this team.
“It’s been a tough year for us on and off the field,” said cornerback Tory James.
It all added up to 8-8 - .500. Mediocre. Half empty, half full.
“The last two weeks, when the clocks ticked down to zero, they were probably the weirdest feelings I’ve ever felt,” Palmer said. “They were bad feelings — feelings you don’t want to feel. It’s frustrating, depressing. It’s a number of things. But that’s what average teams do — you get a chance to win it, and you lose it in the end. You don’t win games like you should. Average teams go into Tampa and lose. Great teams go into Tampa and win by 21 points. And, so, that’s why we’re an average football team.”
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5820
