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When: Sat. 12/24
1:00 pm EST
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Televised: Sat.12/24
1:00 pm EST (DirecTV Sunday Ticket Ch. 712)
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Satellite Radio: Sat. 12/24
1:00 pm EST (SIRIUS Radio - Ch. 139)
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Setup
Overview
Bengals' Last Game
Meet the Bengals
Cardinals Roster
Bengals vs. Cardinals Matchups
Setup:
The Bengals are fighting for a playoff spot.
So are the Cardinals (although our prospects fall considerably
south of "slim"). The Cardinals pulled out another come-from-behind
overtime squeaker vs. the Brownies last Sunday. The Bengals beat
the Rams by margin of a single touchdown. They are now 8
& 6; the Cards 7 & 7.
Overview
Cincinnati has led a Cinderella-like
existence for most of the season - refusing to re-sign its veteran
star QB (Carson Palmer) and opting instead to go with rookie
Andy Dalton out of TCU(highly thought of prior to the draft, but not
considered anywhere a lock to start as a
rookie). He's surprised just about everyone, and he Cincy FO
apparently made the right decision when they passed on a more high
profile QB and, instead , used their high #1
pick to draft impact rookie WR AJ Green (who's more than filled the
void left by the departed Chad Ochocinco). Cedric Benson
has been healthy and happy for most of the year, giving the Bengal
offense a potent running component (check the run-oriented
run/pass ratio in Cincy's most recent game against StL.
Most of the teams we've played this season
have either ranked very very high or very very low in most
categories - presenting both challenges and opportunities for
opposing coaches. Individual player strengths and weaknesses tend
to reflect this. Cincinnati is different. It ranks somewhere
between middle of the pack and the top quartile of the 32 NFL teams.
Their defense is 8th best overall, they have the 10th best rushing
attack and their pass blocking is ranked #3. You have to wonder
how much better their W & L record might be with fewer penalties
on offense (by contrast, their defense has the 2nd
-lowest number of penalties (go figure). And there are plenty of
peaks and valleys among the individual players on the Bengal
roster - presenting plenty of wriggle room for OC's and DC's to
exploit Cincy's weaknesses and figure out how to address their
strengths.
Bengals Last
Game
They came back from a 6 - 3 halftime deficit to score 10
unanswered 3Q points and went on to beat the Rams 20 to 13.
First Quarter
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Rams returned the opening KO to their own
20. They couldn't get past the Cincy 44 in 6 plays and punted
on the 7th. Touchback. A roughing the passer penalty and a
55-yard Dalton to Green completion moved the ball to the StL
2, but Cincy couldn't bang it in there and they settled for a
21-yard Nugent FG. Bengals 3 - Rams 0.
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Rams returned the ensuing KO to their own
15. The combination of short passes, running plays by Steven
Jackson and a roughing call helped move the ball to the Cincy
27 where Brown's 45-yard FG attempt was wide right. Cincy
took over on their own 35. A 30-yard Dalton-to-green
completion helped erase a 2nd & 16 and move Cincy to the Ram
25 as the quarter ended. 1st Quarter Score:
Bengals 3 - Rams 0.
Second Quarter
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Field position war of attrition:
2 plays after Cincy ( ) took an illegal use of the hands flag,
Dalton pass intended for Hawkins was picked
off and returned to the Bengal 48 but Fane's
sack of Clemens forced the Rams to go 3 & out,.
McQuaid's punt was fair caught by Cincy at their own 11. They
went 3 & out and punted from their 19. Punt was fair caught by
the Rams at their own 45. Cincy didn't let them move past
their own 49. Punt was fair caught by the Bengals at their 14.
A false start penalty helped Cincy go 3 & out. They punted
from their own 18. Punt was partially blocked & downed at the
Bengal 39. A face mask call helped the Rams advance to
the Cincy 8, where their drive stalled and they kicked a
26-yard FG. Bengals 3 - Rams3.
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Tate returned the KO to the Cincy 26. A
minus-6 yard sack was followed by a 25-yard pass interference
flag. Cincy made it to the Ram 42, where Benson failed to
convert a 4th & 1. Rams took over at their own 43. The clock
showed 1:17 remaining til halftime,. First Half Score: 49ers
9 - Rams 0.Short passes from the shotgun helped move StL to
the Cincy 25, where Brown booted home a 43-yard FG.
Rams 6 - Bengals 3
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With 0:26 left on the clock, Cincy started
from its own 34 and ran out of time 2 plays later.
Halftime Score: Rams 6 - Bengals 3
Third Quarter
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Tate returned the 2H kickoff to his own
26, and Cincy mounted an 11 play drive featuring Benson's
running and Dalton's short passing. They had to settle for a
FG on 4th & 1 at the StL 23. Rams 6 - Bengals 6
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StL returned the KO to
their own 15. An 18-yard run by Jackson helped StL reach
midfield, where their punt was fair caught at the Cincy 11.
Three Cincy penalties on their next possession forced
the Bengs to punt from their own 26. it was fair caught by StL
at the Ram 31. K Clemens was sacked by Nate Clements, forcing
StL to go three & out. Tate returned the StL punt 53 yards
with a roughness penalty tacked-on to give Cincy the ball at
the StL 12. An illegal use of the hands penalty on StL helped
put the ball at the Ram 1, where Scott motored in over RT for
the score. Cincy 13 - Rams 6.
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Touchback on the KO. StL gained 3 yards on
one play to end the quarter. Third Quarter Score:
Cincy 13 - Rams 6.
Fourth Quarter
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After picking up one 1st down, the Rams
incurred a double-penalty (Holding and Unecessary roughness)
which forced them to punt from their own 28. A Cincy penalty
on the punt moved them back from their own 30 to the 20. After
a short completion to Green and an 11 yard run by Benson, two
roughness calls on StL (Chamberlain) helped move Cincy to the
StL 4, where Benson circled left end for a touchdown.
Cincy 20 - Rams 6.
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KO was returned to the StL 20. Rams went 3
& out and punted from their own 25. O-O-B at the Cincy 42.
Bengals also went 3 & out. They punted from their own 44 and
fair caught at the StL 21. Clemens (operating from the
shotgun) threw 11 consecutive times and, although helped by a
pass interference call on Howard, suffered a drive-ending sack
(for minus-5) by Atkins followed by an intentional-grounding
penalty on 4th & 6. Bengal ball on their own 35 with 2:33 left
to play. Rams used all three time outs. A false start call on
Gresham contributed to a Cincy 3 & out. Punt was fair
caught at the StL 30 with 2:08 left. Clemens completed 4 of 5
passes on the StL drive, capping it with a 25-yard TD
completion deep to Alexander. Cincy 20 - Rams
13.
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1:08 left. The KO was covered by the
bengals at their own 32. Two knees later, the game was
over. Final Score: Cincy 20 - Rams 13.
Meaningful Game Stats
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Cincy ran 34 times and threw just 26.
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Dalton was 15 for 26 & 229 yards, no
interceptions and one TD. He was sacked just once.
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Cincy sacked Clemons 3 times and held Steven
Jackson & Co. to 95 yards on the ground.
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Atkins, Clement and Fanene were credited
with 1 sack apiece.
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AJ Green caught 6 passes for 115 yards. Only
Green, Graham (3) and Simpson (2) caught more than one pass.
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Cincy had no takeaways (Dalton had one pass
picked off)
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Howard led the Bengals with 10 tackles
followed by Clements (7), Johnson (5) Jones (5) Maualuga (5)
and Atkins (5).
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Bengals were penalized 11 times (Rams 10.
(For the record, the Referree was Boger).
Meet the Bengals
Since we seldom play them, all I have to go
with are the stats and top-line impressions. In the past, I always
viewed the Bengals as an offensive juggernaut with defensive
flaws, despite their being coached by defensive-minded Marvin
Lewis. This year's version (partly due to the emergance of Dalton
and return to health of Benson) appears to be more conservative
and run-oriented on offense and relatively conservative and risk
adverse on defense. I also get the impression that, while
Cincy's first-line players, are by and large top-line, they're not
very deep in backup talent and have gotten chopped up a bit
recently , especially on their O-line and at CB.
Quarterbacks
04
Dalton, Andy
QB 6-2 220 24 R Texas Christian
07
Gradkowski, Bruce
QB 6-1 220 28 6 Toledo
Evaluation
Dalton has a passer rating of 81.0
(20th best in the NFL) completing 59% of his passes for 18
TD's and 13 interceptions. He ranks 25th out of 39 rated QB's
overall; 25th as a passer; 19th as a runner and a surprising
unrookie-like 4th in avoiding penalties. Gradkowski is his only
backup.
Running Backs
32
Benson, Cedric
RB 5-11 227 28 7 Texas
28
Scott, Bernard RB 5-10 198 27 3
Abilene Christian
40
Leonard, Brian RB 6-1 225 27 5
Rutgers
30
Peerman, Cedric RB 5-10 211 25 2
Virginia
36
Pressley, Chris
FB 5-11 256 25 3 Wisconsin
Evaluation
Benson and Leonard get
most of the snaps, but Scott is pretty good and Peerman's a tough
bowling ball of a runner. Benson ranks #27 (of 66) RB's overall;
15th as a runner, 11th as a blocker & 4th-to-last catching out of
the backfield (his main weakness). He's 4th highest RB in fewest penalties. Opponents have chalked up 19 missed tackles. (By
contrast, Beanie has racked up 24). Leonard ranks #36 overall;
#47 as a runner, a surprisingly weak 39th as a blocker but 12th as a
receiver. He ranks 33rd at avoiding penalties. Pressley - the
lead-blocker - is rated 6th best fullback overall (out of 31). He
has zero rushing attemptsbut is in the top 1- 15 in just about every
other aspect of play.
Wide Receivers
89
Simpson, Jerome
WR 6-2 190 25 4 Coastal Carolina
87
Caldwell, Andre
WR 6-0 190 26 4 Florida
88
Whalen, Ryan
WR 6-1 202 22 R Stanford
18
Green, A.J. WR 6-4 207 23 R
Georgia
19
Tate, Brandon WR 6-1 195 24 3
North Carolina
16
Hawkins, Andrew WR 5-7 175 25 R
Toledo
Evaluation
Green and Simpson are the main honchos (Caldwell is the #3). Green
ranks 48 (of 115 WR's) overall (Caldwell ranks 4th to last and
Simpson 6th to last). Where Green excels is as a receiver (ranking
#15). Where he falls down is as a blocker (ranking 104th)
and in being penalized (2nd to last). But he averages 16.5 yards
per reception (#18th best WR), has caught 63.5% of balls thrown to him (#41)
and has racked up 7 TD's (14th best). You might say "stop Green
and you stop the Bengal passing attack, but there's still a matter
of Gresham at TE.
Tight
Ends
84
Gresham, Jermaine
TE 6-5 260 23 2 Oklahoma
81
Cochart, Colin
TE 6-4 254 24 R
South Dakota State
86
Lee, Donald
TE 6-4 248 31 9 Mississippi State
Evaluation
Gresham is the main dude; He ranks
37th of 60 TE's overall. 27th as a receiver. and 46th as a
run-blocker. He's a strong force when asked to stay in to block
for Dalton (ranking 10th as a pass blocker).He ranks 10th among TE's
in TD's with 5. He's been thrown-to 74
times (17th most in the NFL for tight ends). (Note - Gresham also
ranks 5th in dropped passes). Cochart is in there for about
one-third as many snaps (He ranks #50 overall, 45th as a pass
blocker and #44 as a run blocker.). Both TE's are mid-pack taking
penalties.
Offensive Line
77
Whitworth, Andrew
LT 6-7 335 30 6 Louisiana State
73
Collins, Anthony T 6-5 315 26 4
Kansas
62
Livings, Nate
LG 6-5 332 29 4 Louisiana State
60
Hudson, Otis G 6-5 311 25 1
Eastern Illinois
64
Cook, Kyle
C 6-3 316 28 4 Michigan State
66
McGlynn, Mike
C/RG 6-4 320 26 4 Pittsburgh
65
Boling, Clint
G 6-5 311 22 R Georgia
71
Smith, Andre
RT 6-4 335 24 3 Alabama
74
Roland, Dennis T 6-9 322 28 4
Georgia
Evaluation:
Whitworth ranks 15th of 75 tackles overall and is rated
3rd best pass blocker in the NFL but only 63rd as a run blocker.
He ranks 6th blocking for screens. He's pretty much middle of the
pack penalty-wise. Smith ranks 30th overall 18th as a pass blocker
and 39th as a run blocker. He ranks 14th blocking for screens.
He's the 65th most penalized tackle.
Livings and Bobbie Williams took the most snaps at guard, but
Williams is no longer listed on the roster (I'm assuming he was
injured) which means McGlynn has probably been forced to step up.
Livings ranks 61st overall of 76 guards. He ranks 40th as a pass
blocker but 63rd as a run blocker and dead last as a
screen-blocker. (Note - Williams had been rated 10th best screen
blocker among NFL guards).
Cook ranks #19 (right below the Pouncey brothers) of 35 centers
overall (27th pass blocking, 5th as a run blocker and 21st
blocking for screens). He's 3rd-to-last in picking up penalties.
Defensive Line
91
Geathers, Robert
LDE 6-3 280 28 8 Georgia
96
Dunlap, Carlos DE 6-6 289 22 2
Florida
94
Peko, Domata
NT 6-3 322 27 6 Michigan State
98
Hayden, Nick DT 6-4 292 25 3
Wisconsin
97
Atkins, Geno
DT 6-1 300 23 2 Georgia
68
Fanene, Jonathan DE/DT 6-4 285
29 7 Utah
92
Rucker, Frostee
DE 6-3 280 28 6 Southern California
93
Johnson, Michael DE 6-7 267 24 3
Georgia Tech
Evaluation
:
Cincy's D-Line is the strength of their defense, Although Johnson is listed behind Rucker on the depth
chart, he's been in for more snaps than any other Cincy TE.
Geathers is next highest, but it seems as if Marv Lewis and Zimmer
have a nice rotation going.
Interestingly, Dunlap (listed as a backup to Geathers) is 6th
highest rated DE in the NFL overall. Rucker is ranked #29 overall,
Geathers #52; Fanene #55 and Johnson #43 (out of 67 DE's
listed who play the 4-3). Dunlap is 6th highest-ranked pass
rusher and 32nd vs. the run; Geathers 46th best pass rusher;
Rucker and Johnson tied for 50th best pass rusher, but Rucker is
11th vs. the run (Johnson 34th). Fanene #61 rushing the passer but
23rd vs. the run. All 5 Cincy DE's rank in the upper 50% in
penalty-discipline.
Inside, Atkins is a one-man wrecking ball - the
highest rated NFL defensive tackle overalland
#1 at rushing the passer. He's 20th against the run
. (Peko ranks #54overall and
vs. the run).
Atkins leads all NFL defensive tackles with 9 sacks. (He also has
13 hits and 21 pressures. Peko is the stay-at-home dude (#77th of 84
at rushing the passer). Penalties are not a problem among Cincy
DT's.
Linebacker
99
Lawson, Manny
SLB 6-5 240 27 6 North Carolina State
52
Moch, Dontay
LB 6-2 241 23 R Nevada
58
Maualuga, Rey
MLB 6-2 260 24 3 Southern California
51
Skuta, Dan LB 6-2 248 25 3 Grand
Valley State
53
Howard, Thomas
WLB 6-3 240 28 6 Texas-El Paso
59
Johnson, Brandon LB 6-5 245 28 6
Louisville
57
Rey, Vincent LB 6-2 247 24 1
Duke
Evaluation
Not a
particularly impressive group compared to other Bengal units.
Lawson 11th of 44 in overall ratings. Howard 26th. Neither OLB is
a sackmaster (Lawson has 2, Howard has one). I guess Lewis relies
on his Front Three and blitzing safeties to provide the pressure. Both OLB's are good in
coverage, with Howard rankjed #11 and Lawson #23. Lawson ranks #14
and Howard #32 vs. the run. Neither OLB has penalty issues.
Maualuga ranks #35 of 52 4-3 MLB's overall; #37 as a pass rusher,
#24 vs. the run and 43rd in coverage. But he's 5th to last in
penalties-taken
Secondary
22
Clements, Nate
LCB 6-0 200 32 11 Ohio State
21
Ghee, Brandon
CB 6-0 193 24 2 Wake Forest
24
Jones, Adam
CB 5-10 185 28 5 West Virginia
23
Jennings, Kelly
RCB 5-11 180 29 6 Miami (Fla.)
20
Nelson, Reggie FS 5-11 206 28 5
Florida
27
Wilson, Gibril S 6-0 206 30 8
Tennessee
31
Sands, Robert S 6-4 209 22 R
West Virginia
42
Crocker, Chris
SS 5-11 197 31 9 Marshall
26
Mays, Taylor S 6-3 230 23 2
Southern California
45
Miles, Jeromy S 6-2 210 24 2
Massachusetts
Evaluation:
Number-wise, this group is not as good as I had envisioned.
Clements (a Cardinal killer when he was a Niner), Jones, Leon Hall
and Jennings got most of the snaps. Hall (injury?) is no longer
listed as part of the active roster. Of 108 cornerbacks rated by
PFF - Jones and Clements rank #44 overall. Jennings ranks
#76. Opposing QB's have an 80.6 rating vs.Clements, 90.8 vs. Jones
and a119.5 rating vs. Jennings. None of the three Cincy
corners has been credited with an interception. None of them rank
higher than mid-pack in coverage but Clements ranks 4th vs. the
run (whereas Jones and Jennings rank somewhere in the 60's). All
three corners are pretty good at not taking penalties.
At safety, Nelson and Crocker are the only two Cincy safeties
listed. Of 85 safeties, Nelson ranks 14th overall but Crocker
ranks 53rd. Nelson is 38th vs. the run; Crocker ranks #71. Nelson
is 10th ranked in coverage. Crocker ranks 71st. 98.9
Opposing QB's who throw at Nelson have an average QB Rating of
68.7. But against Crocker, the number increases to 98.9. Crocker
has 4 sacks to his credit. Nelson has 3 picks.
Special Teams
02
Nugent, Mike
K 5-10 183 29 7 Ohio State
10
Huber, Kevin
P 6-1 208 26 3 Cincinnati
46
Harris, Clark
LS 6-5 252 27 3 Rutgers
19
Tate, Brandon
KR/PR/WR 6-1 195 24 3 North Carolina
Evaluation:
Nugent ranks 9th among 61 rated kickers and very good in field
goal reliability as well as on kickoffs. But he's had no FG
attempts from 50+ out. Huber ranks 29th out of 44 punters, (23rd
in average net yardage). Tate is good on punt returns but rates
negatively returning kickoffs. He ranks #17 in punt return average
(10.9 yards) with his longest gainer for 56. He's scored one TD
returning punts/0 returning KO's.
Coaches
Marv Lewis
Head Coach
Jay Gruden Offensive Coordinator
Mike Zimmer Defensive Coordinator
Darrin Simmons Special Teams Coordinator
Evaluation:
Cincy has been a bridesmaid for all these years (raising questions
annually about Marv Lewis' job security). Meanwhile, all he does
is put a competitive team on the field and be good at evaluating, teaching, organizing and motivating his charges
- to put a Bengal team on the field that opposing teams have to
reckon with. Zimmer (formerly with Dallas) and Gruden are highly
respected. Don't know much about Simmons.
Cardinal Roster
Overall
After a disasterous start, the
Cards have made winning the close ones a hallmark and have
won 6 of their last 7 (four straight). Their only loss came at
the hands of the Niners in SF (& the Cardinals won the rematch). If Patrick Peterson's last minute
heroics don't win the close ones, a blocked kick by Calais
Campbell or a sack by Schofield is likely to do the job instead. Most important is that
the entire team is getting used to the feeling that they can pull
any game out. (You can't teach this - only experience
can do that. Each player has to "feel it").
QB - 19 Skelton, 4 Kolb, 02 Bartel
It remains unclear whether Skelton or Kolb will start vs.
Cincinnati. Kolb's concussion symptoms have subsided to a point
where he's participated in limited practices, but his backup (Skelton)
continues to win football games. I'm speculating that Wiz will play it safe
with Kolb's health and stick with the hot hand of Skelton. Both QB's follow
the MO of starting slowly in the 1H but regaining their mojo later
in the game. When both QB's were healthy, I
gave the edge to Kolb because he seemed to better sense under
pressure where to find the open man. Much of this had to do with Kevin's
edge in midweek reps and game-snaps. Some of this has
changed - Skelton has gained additional weeks of game
experience and (his grasp better grasp of the offense has caught
up with (& possibly surpassed that of Kolb. (Funny Note: Kolb seems to
connect better with Doucet & not Roberts, whereas Skelton
seems more comfortable with Roberts than he does Doucet).
RB -
26, Wells,
36
Stephens-Howling (KR/PR),
29 C Taylor, 46 A. Smith
Beanie has been able to gut it out and play
(& play well), but there are certain moves (& plays) he
has trouble making
due to his game knee. Right now, he's at his best running with power downhill
and not so hot when he has to cut.. Stephens-Howling (aka "The
Howler") continues to make big plays at key times. RB
Alfonso Smith and Chester Taylor provide much needed depth, with
Taylor occasionally picking up surprising yardage.
FB - 35 Sherman
Everyone loves Sherman - a throwback FB who,
while primarily a lead-blocker, can also run a little and catch a
little. But frankly, I've seen plays where he's been engulfed or
stoned.
But he's still a youngster with many good years ahead of him, (& for
now still a rook).
WR -
12 Roberts, 85 Doucet
, 17 Stuckey, xx J Johnson
WR -11 Fitzgerald, 14 S Williams,
89 Sampson
Sometimes Fitz catches a lot of passes; sometimes he
catches only a few; but it seems as though every one of them has a huge impact on the outcome of each game.
And he's "full-service" - name me any
other NFL receiver whose block has made an ESPN or NFLN
highlight reel. Early Doucet has made his share of important
catches this season, but he's been far from
consistent; losing most close battles for the ball. Roberts has
been more consistent than Doucet, but he's still far from perfectl.
TE -
86
Heap, 87 King,
84 Housler,
81 Dray,
Heap is back and finally fairly healthy. He
led the team in catches vs. Cleveland and also has high PFF ratings as
a run-blocker. KIng has been less spectacular than he was
earlier, but is a better-than-solid #2 TE. Housler's been backed
up. Dray has filled in competantly, but isn't money in the bank
(something you have to expect from your TE).
LT- 75 L Brown, 73 Bridges
LG-
71 Colledge,
OC- 63Sendlein
RG-
70 Hadnot (C), 76
Lutui
RT
72 Keith,
74 Batiste
Still a major Cardinal weakness (especially
at tackle), yet they consistently seem to give their QB enough
time in the second half to make enough plays to win. Brown, Keith and Bridges
have ranked
dead-last (or close to it) among OT's throughout the season .
Colledge, Hadnot and Sendlein rank somewhat better, though
Colledge takes more penalties than you'd like. The most I see of
Deuce is cheering his teammates from the sideline. What's the
deal? While he did have a few technique issues to overcome, he was
close enough to Hadnot in talent to share more playing time.
DE - 93 Campbell,
96 Talley
NT -
98
Eason, 79 Carter
DT - 90 Dockett,
91 Holliday
Campbell continues to play at a dominating
level with Dockett right behind him. Both Carter and
Eason (especially Carter) are doing unexpectedly well, especially
against the run. The D-line does have the tendency of late to
start slowly I thought Cleveland's opening runnng attack would
leave tread-marks on the chests of Cardinal defensive linemen. But then they get it together and have
consistently stoned opposing offenses - especially in the second
half of games. Holiday
continues to provide veteran leadership and backup stability.
WLB - 53
Haggans,
50 Schofield
ILB
51
Lenon,
52 Bradley
ILB-
558 D Washington,
56 Walker,
SLB
-
94 Acho,
55 Porter,
The more Schofield plays, the more plays he
(& we) make. Washington and Acho are already making their mark.. Some onlookers feel
Washington is our best defensive player.
He is usually our #1 tackler from game to
game and arguably out best defensive player. We're seeing
more and more of Bradley of late (especially in coverage)but
aare still waiting for him to come up bigger.
Lenon has made some impressive plays of late, but will
occasionally lose focus and give up a big one.
RCB -
21 Peterson,
27 Adams,
LCB-
31
Marshall, 20 Jefferson,
32 Lindsay
SS- 24 Wilson,
41 Abdullah,
40
Tillman
FS-49
Rash Johnson,
37 Celestine,
25 Rhodes,
While Peterson
is wowing everyone in the return game, he is quietly learning his
craft and becoming a better, more reliable corner. Marshall is
sharing the other CB spot with Jefferson and, while not as fast,
has proved to be an extremely reliable tackler who has made a few
game-saving stops. Plus - he's proved to play faster than he
seemed to have had earlier in the season. Jefferson continues to be
close to the lead in tackles each week.
A-Dub is beginning to play asthough he was never injured. Rhodes
has returned, with Johnson growing into a more than capable backup. Adams continues to make key stops both
in the secondary and on special teams.
K-04
Feely
P- 09 Zastudil
H -
09
Zastudil
LS-
82 Leach
KR -
37Stephens-Howling, 20 Jefferson
PR -
21
Peterson
Feely and Zastudil are
quietly getting the job done. Zastudil's long distance punting
has helped us avoid "field position hell" more than once . Peterson (4 TD's on punt returns) has now reached a
point where opposing ST coordinators have to account for him every
time their team is forced to punt. And don't forget about the
Howler - he could break one at any time.
Bengals - Cards Matchups
Facing the Bengals should be a fun time for most OC's because
Cincinnati's roster appears to represent a mixture of the
exceptional and the ordinary. Cherrypicking and exploiting Cincy's weaknesses while
containing their areas of strength figures to be a fun time for
Wiz, the Millers and Ray Horton.
When you review the following individual matchups, you're
left with a nice feeling in the pit of your stomach . Yet the
Bengals, as a team, outranks the Cardinals in just about every
category. (Possibly due to bad
numbers rung up by the Cardinals earier in the season negatively
influencing their overall average)?
Bengal Passing Attack
vs. Cardinal
Pass Defense
Cincy opponent should
underestimatie Andy Dalton at their own peril. There are various
ways a young QB can make it big in the NFL - through (1) a
great arm, (2) accuracy, (3) athleticism, (4) brains, discipline and
decision-making or (5) "all of the above."
Dalton doesn't appear to have Cam Newton's athleticism or big
cannon, but he comes across as smart, calm, resourceful and
disciplined. (As most Joe Montana followers will attest
to) this can be enough to win the day.
Dalton's key target is rookie AJ Green but
little else His other receivers aren't exactly lighting things
up, Benson isn't a good receiver out of the backfield and Dalton's
TE (Gresham) while OK, isn't living up to his hype. Dalton's best
friends (other than Green) appear to be the 2 Cincy tackles (Whitworth and
Smith). Cincy is hurting at guard (& those guys appear to be
better run blockers than QB protectors).
With fewer receiving threats to worry about,
Cards can focus on loading the box against the run, doubling on AJ
Green, letting A-Dub freelance or shooting a LB or DB on one of Horton's exotic blitzes
from time to time. One way (other than blitzing a lot) to rattle a
rookie QB like Dalton is to get your hands up in his face to block
his visibility and blocking lanes - a Campbell and Dockett forte.
Bengal
Running Attack vs.
Cardinal Run Defense
Benson is a beast in the
tradition of Frank Gore and Steven Jackson. While containing Green
is a major Cardinal defensive priority. you could argue that,
if you contain both Green and Benson, you've pretty much shut down
the Cincy offense.
A number of Cincy linemen are deadly screen blockers, so it would
behoove Horton and his charges to spend extra time this week on defending
against the screen. (That's where Benson could kill us). Gap
discipline and outside contain should once again be the watchwords
of the Cardinal "D." Interesting matchup might prove to be
Peterson and Rhodes vs. Green and our LB's and A-Dub vs. Benson.
Cardinal Passing Attack
vs.
Bengal
Pass Defense
We're guessing we'll go with Skelton but who knows? Cincy has less
than outstanding DB's - though Clements and Nelson are better than
average. Their LB's appear to be well-disciplined but just
so-so.But where they get you is up the middle on the pass rush -
where their DT (Atkins) has already piled up 9 sacks and is the #1
rated DT in pro football.
The Cardinal QB (if he can remain upright) will
have three wideouts (Fitz, Doucet & Roberts) a TE (Heap) and a
back out of the backfield (The Howler) to stretch and challenge
the Cincy defense. Fortunately our pass blocking strength is
inside at guard and center (where Cincy is strongest). It will be
up to Sendlein, Colledge and Hadnot (& either a FB, 2nd TE or RB) to hold the fort up the
middle.
Cardinal
Running Attack vs.
Bengal
Run Defense
It depends on how Beanie feels and how the Bengals scheme
against the run. If the knee feels good and Cincy only
rushes 6 or 7, Beanie could gain another 228. If not, it could be
another 50 - 70 yard day. Either way, it's important the Cards run
the ball (preferably as often as they pass) in order to keep the
defense honest and protect Skelton (or Kolb).
Given Cincy's strength against the run up the
middle, this may be a week where we attack the perimeter with
sweeps and screens - especially to our right (vs. Geathers and
Lawson).
Special Teams
Cincy's kicking game is solid (both on FG's and KO's). Their
punting game is kind of "average" (which may provide some
opportunities for PP21). Feely and Zastudil have been good
enough to contribute to Cardinal wins - but they haven't been
especially sparkling. Peterson and LSH are threats
to go all the way on every touch. Effectiveness of our coverage
teams figures to be a function of attitude and "want-to" on the
part of both teams. (See how each team looks on the opening KO).
Coaching
Marvin Lewis has been around for quite awhile and, in my
opinion, is a solid HC who knows what he's doing. Yet for
various reasons (injuries, contract disputes etc.) the Bengals seldom
get anywhere close to the promised land. If the Cards can
win their final 2 games to win 6-straight (and complete their
season going 8 for 9), the case could be made that Coach Wiz will
have turned in the best coaching job in Cardinal history.
Final Word
We don't know how this is going to turn out.
Cincy needs this game badly. Arizona is on a roll and would like
to go out on a positive note. It could go either way - just play the game .
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