These Young Cats Will Show Flashes of Greatness

          The reaction after the Cincinnati Bengals' first two preseason games was second to none. Local media, fans and national media scrutinized the Bengals. They were a young team that was mismanaged. Andy Dalton was just too young to play quarterback in the NFL. The Bengals lost both preseason games by a total score of 61-10. This team was not given a shot and rightfully so. The fans and local media members began looking ahead to the draft and even mentioned who they wanted to draft with the number one draft pick overall (Andrew Luck, # 1 prospect in 2011 draft).

          I didn’t react the same way a lot of media members and fans did. In fact, I was on the other side of the spectrum. I thought that some of the MAJOR mistakes the Bengals made the first two games would get corrected. I thought this was a young team, but for the first time in the Marvin Lewis era, I’m not expecting 8-8 or better, I don’t expect to compete for a playoff birth and I don’t expect this team to have many Pro Bowl players. I do have some expectations for this team. I expect them to improve, show flashes of how good they can be and really compete and be a spoiler down the stretch. What does it mean to be a spoiler down the stretch? Essentially, it means we’ll end up with 4-6 wins, which isn’t good. The team won’t be that good, but they will compete. At the end of the season if the Cincinnati Bengals are 4-12 it will feel so much better than last year when we finished 4-12. I think people should have a positive outlook this year. I may get frustrated on Sundays, but nowhere near how mad I and essentially all of Cincinnati was at the end of each Sunday in the fall of 2010.

          On my previous post, I mentioned how this team will show flashes of what it can do. It will show us that it can compete at this level, despite its age and lack of experience. Well, on Thursday night, the Bengals did just that. In the first home preseason game against the Carolina Panthers the Red Rifle (Andy Dalton) completed 11 out of 17 first half passes, threw his first touchdown in the NFL to AJ Green and out dueled rookie counterpart and number one overall pick Cam Newton. However, the run game definitely set the tone for the Bengals. Cedric Benson ran 16 times for 68 yards (all in the first half) and also had a touchdown run. Bernard Scott broke away from Panther defenders and ran for 63 yards and had a touchdown on only six carries. The Bengals were physical on both sides of the ball and it translated into a win. It seems they will have a beat em up, physical style that the AFC North takes pride in. For one night the Bengals showed us the potential they have. Dalton and Green showed flashes of how good they may become, Bernard Scott showed us how important a healthy change of pace back can be and that defense showed it could stop the run and get pressure on the quarterback. I am not saying this will be the case on most Sundays during the regular season, but for at least one summer night in August, Bengals fans had a reason to be optimistic. Not only about this season, but about the future of the franchise.

The Bengals were no doubt more physical in the trenches against
the Carolina Panthers. The Offensive-Line opened up
numerous holes against the Panthers defense.

It Was Just One Preseason Game!

On Friday it seemed like Who Dey Nation was very optimistic with the fresh, young, new-look Bengals.Then, before we knew it, these young cats were down by 14 and reality sunk in. The doubts started pouring in on Twitter, the news and throughout Cincinnati. It was the first preseason game after a lockout. We have a starting rookie Quarterback (Dalton) and Wide Receiver (A.J. Green). We have a lot of new pieces on the defense. What would everyone have said if we won 34-3? Look, there is going to be growing pains, but at the end of the day, it was a meaningless exhibition game that did NOT mean anything. In fact, I'm going to stop wasting my time addressing the doubters and people who took off their Bengals Jersey on Friday night. We might not be that good this year. Odds are we won't be, but we are going to be exciting in spurts. There WILL be flashes of greatness from AJ Green. Andy Dalton WILL show off his talent. The defense WILL, well, be a question mark. Is it likely we will have a winning record? No! But those who were expecting a winning team out of the Bengals this year have to be off their rockers. This is a rebuilding year. I am going to get just as pissed off as the next guy when the Bengals screw up. But, I sure as hell am not going to get mad about a meaningless preseason game. I think the Bengals will have a 4-12 record this season (notice I didn't include a prediction for their preseason record). Buckle your seatbelt, it could be a bumpy ride, just don't get off before the ride even starts.

Andy Dalton will need time to develop, but there is still hope for
 a solid rookie season from the young quarterback.

Bengals Trailer- Hopefully This is Good Luck!

Well, It Was Good While It Lasted

         The 2010 season for the Cincinnati Reds went about as good as anyone could have hoped for. There were plenty of one-run wins, clutch performances and a MVP season for the Reds' first baseman Joey Votto. Overall, this added up to the teams' first playoff birth since 1995. Scott Rolen drank from the fountain of youth and role players like Jonny Gomes and Layce Nix became a formidable tandem. After getting swept dismissed in the playoffs by the Philadelphia Phillies, it seemed as though the Reds were poised to win the division and make the playoffs in back to back years for the first time since 1975-1976. It seemed that young players like Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs would figure out what it takes to be an everyday player in the Major Leagues and really become consistent forces in the outfield. Joey Votto was just going to build on his MVP season and Brandon Phillips was going to be a human highlight reel. Scott Rolen was going to start and be the teams' anchor, providing veteran leadership to an overall young team. Edison Volquez was going to be our ace, followed by a solid rotation of pitchers like Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake and Travis Wood. With everything looking up for this organization at the start of the season, it is hard to believe that the Cincinnati Reds are 11 games out of first place and are struggling to stay in 3rd place in the National League Central. This is a division we won last year and now we aren't even close. With that said, how can the Reds return to the top of the division in 2012?


          Well, quite frankly I have no idea. Many players that I thought were good, just haven't been this season. The Reds just aren't a good team. This Scott Rolen looked like the 36 year old he is, Jonny Gomes never had the hot streak he had last season and that led to him being traded, the only consistent starting pitcher the Reds have is Johnny Cueto and he can only do so much. Joey Votto has played well, but he certainly is not having the season he had last year. Brandon Phillips has been great with his glove and decent with his bat. Hell, Dontrelle Willis has been our second best pitcher since he was promoted from the minors and he has yet to get a win. This team isn't scoring runs. They aren't getting hits with runners on base. They are missing the clutch factor that the Phillies, Red Sox, Rangers and any other World Series contender possess. Jay Bruce has been very inconsistent and I'm not really sure that he deserved to be an All Star. Drew Stubbs strikes out more than anyone and he still doesn't know how to bunt. During our most recent slide errors seem to be a problem, which shows a lack of concentration among the Reds. Travis Wood and Edison Volquez have been in, or flirted with the minors all season. Our opponent beats us in their last at bat, unlike last year when we were second best in last at bat wins. The Reds are 55-61 and have outscored their opponents by 31 total runs. The Milwaukee Brewers are 66-50 (11 games ahead) and they have only outscored their opponents by 28 total runs. The Reds seem to have the talent, but something is missing. Maybe they didn't click this year and next year will be more like 2010. But, I find it hard to be so optimistic. After the season there will have to be plenty of questions that need to be andwered. I hope they work out for the best as does all of Reds Nation. The 2011 Reds are done. So long 2011 Cincinnati Reds, so long playoffs.... See you in 2012? All we can do is hope at this point.

The Playoff Clincher: How long ago
does this seem?