WhoDeyRevolution

I Never Thought It Would Come To This.

It was a sad day in my fantasy league yesterday, as I regretfully announce that my team had to part ways with Carson Palmer. To add insult to injury he was dropped to make room for the crazy bad Bobby Wade. You might be asking who Bobby Wade is? Well I don't know who he is either so don't look to me for an answer. I haven't even assigned him a locker yet. I thought it might be too soon, since Palmer hasn't officially cleared out his stuff. I'm not Mike Brown though, so he won't have to pay for the cleaning of his locker. 

Caption: Palmer and I had our ups and downs over the years but today was by far the hardest to get through. We laughed, we cried, we said our goodbyes. 

So Help Me God Carson, I Will Bench You If This Keeps Up

In what has been an unmitigated catastrophy so far, the Bengals, and more importantly, Carson Palmer's numbers, have been painfully bad in the first two games. So much so that I am publicly declaring that I will absolutely bench Palmer indefinitely on my fantasy team if this keeps up just one more game. I don't care if there was a level 15 tornado inside the stadium last sunday or if Justin Tuck repeatedly sacks him before he even gets the ball from Ghiaciuc this Sunday (Fuck you Levi). Palmer has been put on notice.

(Photo Caption: Carson and I talking about his 0 touchdowns in the first two games.)

Bengals Excuse Generator

We here at La Revolucion want to prepare you for the excuses that the Bengals are going to use for when they suck this season. The sad part is, you don't need to be a psychic to see each and every one of these coming and you know they're coming! Picture Marvin Lewis saying these in a press conference.

Why the Bengals are losing in the pre-season: "It's pre-season. Pre-season games don't count."

Why the Bengals are 1-2 in their first three games: "It's early in the season, and we're trying to get healthy."  This would work if a baseball team started 1-2. 

Why the Bengals are 3-5 in their first eight games: "We had a rough first half schedule (Baltimore, Dallas, Tennessee, Giants, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Jets, Jacksonville), and we're still not healthy.  Injuries are killing us."

WDR Note to Self: Start Gambling More

For those who missed the now prescient article we posted the other day, "There Will Be Blood," we hope the stark image to the left will knock the optimism out of you: it is going to be a LONG, LONG season. In fact, we have been so money in our predictions of how things would go this offseason (see this article on the proposed tinkering with the O-line, a full 5 months before it happened; see this article about how the Henry debacle would unfold before it happened) that we should open up our own sports betting operation. Any of the yahoos out there who still think we're going to be good--who think that bringing back Chris Henry does anything other than confirm our status of as the laughing stock of the NFL--feast your eyes on the crap sandwich that was the Bengals-Saints game.

There Will Be Blood

No, I'm not referencing an Oscar-winning movie with Daniel Day-Lewis; nor am I talking about an upcoming Bengals-Steelers grudge match.  No, nothing as cool as that.  I'm talking about the Bengals' upcoming season, one that--in my opinion--will likely be marked by inefficiency, poor decision-making, and all of the general bumbling that tend to make us Bengals' fans bleed from the ears.  Here are my top 5 reasons the Bengals will NOT make the playoffs--not even close.

1. We did nothing to improve the pass rush.

OK, so we went out and got Antwan Odom.  He's really been a beast yet to play in a preseason game, so it's admittedly impossible to say how he will affect our ability to get to the QB. As a reminder, an oft-reported stat here on WDR: the Bengals finished DEAD LAST in QB sacks last year (26), while the Giants (53) and Patriots (47) finished first and second, respectively. But hey, they only went to the Super Bowl.

One thing is certain: we will not get the pass rush from our interior lineman. Peko and Thorton are simply not dynamic pass-rushing DTs, and Sims (currently injured) and Jason Shirley are nowhere near ready for prime time. As we've seen on several plays in the preseason, we're giving QBs way too much time, and they will pick our man-o-man D apart if we do that. J-Jo and Leon Hall just aren't that good.

Better Late Than Never...

We here at WDR would like to extend a warm welcome to Keith Rivers.  Geoff Hobson just reported the Bengals have reached a deal with the first round holdout.  Though, we must admit, in the past WDR has expressed concerns that perhaps the Bengals are rushing a little too fast to get this kid into camp and in the process may give up too much of the precious family fortune.  But no matter, they did what they thought was best, so we'd also like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to the Brown Family for working hard to get this deal done quickly.

And since it's midnight and I have nothing else to add, how high are your expectations for Keith Rivers?  I think the word that comes closest to describing my expectations would be:  astronomical.  And he better live up to them.  Cause everytime I see his name I think of what he could be:  Sedrick Ellis.

Odom Injured

The Bengals season started off with a bang this morning, as free-agent defensive end Antwan Odom went down with an ankle injury in the first practice of training camp.  Many observers, Bengals.com Geoff Hobson included, said the injury looked 'major'. 

Here at WDR, we hope the Bengals (and Bengals fans) do not use the Odom injury as an excuse.  EVERY team goes through injuries, and while Odom is the highest paid free agent in club history...if the Bengals were counting on him alone to take this team from 7-9 to a Super Bowl...we are in trouble.

It's time for other players to step up.  If the injury is serious, Mr. Frostee Rucker, come on down.  Jonathan Fanene and Eric Henderson could see time at end as well.  Last year in the playoffs, the Chargers lost both their starting quarterback, and starting running back...on the road in Indy...and still found a way to win.  That's what the Bengals need to do, find a way. 

2008 vs. 2007 - Personnel Comparison: Defensive Tackles

WDR brings home the 2008 vs. 2007 personnel comparison in analyzing the defensive line.  Because there is much to say about the unit, we'll break the articles up between defensive tackles and defensive ends.  A solid defensive line can make an entire defensive unit excel.  Exhibit A: The Super Bowl champion New York Football Giants.  While the Giants had adequate linebackers, they were by no means dominant.  They also had a young secondary that was fairly shaky throughout the year.  But the Giants' defensive line, led by Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, led the league in sacks, stuffed the run and consistently pressured and downright punished opposing quarterbacks.  The strong play from the D-line takes pressure off the rest of the defense and makes their jobs easier.  The linebackers have cleaner shots at running backs and cleaner lanes to get to the quarterback when the D-line takes up blockers.  The secondary and linebackers also don't have to cover as long when the D-line doesn't give the quarterback tons of time to throw.  And a solid D-line can force poor throws from the best of them (even Tom Brady as seen in the Super Bowl). 

Unfortunately, the Bengals haven't had a solid defensive line in quite some time.  Last year, the Bengals ranked dead last in the NFL in sacks with a paltry 22 (this compared with the NY Giants 53 sacks).  The previous year, they tied for 15th with 35 and in 2005, we tied for 28th with 28 sacks.  While a D-line shouldn't just be measured by sacks, it's not like we've been regularly stuffing the run (rush defense ranked 21st, 15th and 20th the last three years) or getting in the QB's face enough to disrupt the opponents' passing attack (Pass defense ranked 26th, tied for last and 26th the last three years).  Given the importance of a solid defensive line and what it can do to the other team's offense, our ability to improve at defensive tackle and defensive end will be crucial to our 2008 success.

Chad Johnson: A Summary of His Value as a Bengal in 2008 (UPDATED)

On June 3rd, WDR noted that there were likely two potential versions of Chad Johnson that would take the field this year.  In summary, these versions were:

1. A Chad who is no longer as committed to the Bengals who sandbags his effort this year and is a distraction in general.

2. A Chad who is still committed to performance on the field (won't sabotage his future earnings potential) and is a distraction in general.

In recent interviews and chats, Chad has said the offseason stunts were all business and that he loves his fans and Cincinnati and is ready to put on a show again this year.

This confirms that we are probably dealing with version number 2 of Chad.  Not the worst thing in the world, but not what we had in the past, sadly.  However, it's important to elaborate even further with a few more possible outcomes.

Rudi Can't Fail?

Although I've made it pretty clear that I think Rudi is a sub-par RB at this stage of his career, ESPN's John Clayton (the only ESPN football analyst I respect at all) is predicting big things from Rudi J after a rigorous offseason workout.  Personally, I think the flabby, possibly asthmatic Clayton is simply stunned by the NFL physique (he said the same thing about Jamaal Lewis last year), but here's hoping I am wrong and that Rudi has something left.  Here's the excerpt from Clayton's Mailbag (full article is here):

Q: Do you think Bengals RB Rudi Johnson has enough left in the tank to regain the form he had when he rushed for more than 1,400 yards?

Rashad, Cincinnati

Seeing Johnson in minicamp was a revelation. He has worked out so hard this offseason -- he's a ball of muscles. It was amazing how quickly he was hitting the holes. He has the ability to get to the 1,400-yard level, but I'm not sure he will have enough carries for that number. The days of the 350-carry back are over, and the Bengals will try to get Chris Perry involved a little. From what I see, though, Johnson has a chance to have a Pro Bowl season. He looks awesome.