The Cincinnati Post
December 3, 2007
KEITH SRAKOCIC/Associated Press
Bengals receiver Chad Johnson closes his eyes on the sideline in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's 24-10 victory over the Bengals on Sunday.
PITTSBURGH - Refresh my memory, if you would. Why is it that they play the games?
The Bengals really need to come up with a reason. At this point, which is 4-8, which is the 16th non-winning season in the last 17, they sorely need to give their loyal constituency a little something different to latch onto. They deeply need to demonstrate that any given Sunday can distinguish itself, somehow, from the bad one before.
Well, yeah, there was the licking last week of Tennessee, which was surprising and swell and, apparently, of no particular significance. Sunday night, it was back to the same old.
Sunday was Steelers night, and you know what that means. It was Ben Roethlisberger shaking off tackles. It was Hines Ward making third-down catches and touchdown catches whenever necessary. It was Pittsburgh 24, Cincinnati 10.
Five weeks ago, when the uneven rivals played at Paul Brown Stadium, it was 24-13. And the Bengals, as in previous years, couldn't bring down Roethlisberger when they had to. That day, Ward scored two touchdowns among his eight catches for 88 yards. Sunday night, he scored two touchdowns among his 11 catches for 90 yards. Same old.
"Whatever it is that they're doing to beat us," said offensive tackle Levi Jones, "we're definitely tired of it. Me, personally, I'm sick of things not coming out in our favor when we play them."
There's much to be sick of, actually, whether it involves the Steelers or not. Losing is, of course, a distasteful thing in its own right. Losing the same way, over and over, is disgraceful to those responsible and dispiriting to those who remarkably still care, in spite of it all.
The Enquirer / Jeff Swinger
Carson Palmer argues with T.J. Houshmandzadeh after the receiver missed a third-quarter pass.
As a case in point, take the end of the first half.
Sunday night, the Bengals scored on their initial possession, looking sharp, and dominated field position for the entire first quarter. But they failed to take further advantage of that, which, for them, is a very ominous thing. Because, for them, the first half always winds down in wicked ways.
On this occasion, the Steelers scored a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining before the break - a little pass to Ward did the deed - to pull ahead 17-7. You think it was a coincidence?
In 12 games this season, the Bengals have given up five touchdowns and five field goals in the last two minutes of the first half. That's 50 points in 24 minutes. (And it's not counting the TD the Seahawks scored at 2:06 of the second quarter.)
They've scored only 13 points themselves in that time. The touchdown came on a kickoff return.
It has all become quite monotonous and annoyingly predictable. Like the Cincinnati running game.
Week upon week, the Bengals persist in handing the ball to Rudi Johnson. This was a good strategy three years ago, and two years ago, and even last year. Not in 2007. Not at all in 2007.
In 2007, Rudi, a valiant guy with an improving hamstring, has run 140 times for 389 yards, a mere 2.8 a pop. His backups, Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey, have run 130 times - 10 carries fewer - for 604 yards, an average of 4.6.
Sunday, while Watson was five for 23 and Dorsey one for 15, Johnson got the call 14 times for 34 mostly insignificant yards.
Why?
When Rudi isn't making plays, the other Johnson has to. Sunday night, wet and desperate, Carson Palmer threw and threw in Chad's general direction. He buzzed the ball over his star receiver's head quite a few times, because Palmer's feet weren't getting properly planted on the sloppy sod. He also led Johnson too far a few times, because Ocho Cinco couldn't get to passes he'd normally devour.
"I failed to make the adjustments of putting more air under the ball and realizing that every route is a little slower," the quarterback said. "That hurt us on some critical third downs."
The Enquirer / Jeff Swinger
T.J. Houshmandzadeh sits out the Bengals' last drive of the game.
As the evening schlepped ahead and the field gurgled increasingly, Palmer's accuracy slipped under the surface. After completing six of seven passes on Cincinnati's first drive, he succeeded on only 11 of the next 37.
Roethlisberger did a bit better, and he also tied the score in the second quarter, peeling away from Justin Smith, evading Jonathan Fanene and hurdling Leon Hall at the goal line. It was the very sort of thing that Marvin Lewis lectures about every time his team plays Pittsburgh.
And yet, the Bengals never sacked the indomitable Miami grad. Once, they appeared to. Early in the fourth quarter, Robert Geathers dumped him hard in the end zone for what looked very much like a safety. But a flag dropped upfield, where Hall had stuck out a hand as a receiver raced by, with no chance of receiving a pass from his fallen quarterback. The Cincinnati rookie was called for defensive holding.
New players, old stuff.
Of that, sadly, the memory needs no refreshing.
Contact Lonnie Wheeler at lwheeler@cincypost.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment