Lions cornerback Keith Smith intercepts a pass intended for Bengals receiver Chris Henry during the second quarter.
DETROIT -- Plenty to provide confidence. Enough that must improve. So it went for the Bengals last night in a 27-26 exhibition loss to the Detroit Lions in Ford Field. As expected, Bengals first-teamers didn't play long. Most of the offensive and defensive starters played only two possessions. Both units did more good than bad. Bengals starters outscored the Lions 6-0 and outgained them 126-63. But the offense couldn't get in the end zone, settling for 23- and 48-yard field goals by Shayne Graham, who missed a 48-yard try as time expired.
"We expect to score touchdowns every time we get the ball," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "We'll have to look at the film and figure out why we didn't." Palmer was sharp, completing 7 of 10 passes for 93 yards. The running game was productive behind a line missing tackles Willie Anderson and Levi Jones. Rudi Johnson's first carry went for 20 yards, and he finished with 32 yards on five carries.
Detroit scores 17 points in last seven minutes; Graham misses last-second field goal.
The Cincinnati Bengals were good, bad and ugly in their preseason opener, which translated into a sloppy, stunning 27-26 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Thursday night. Shayne Graham hit four field goals, but the one he wanted most — a 48-yarder as time expired — missed wide left. The Bengals figured they had the game won when backup defensive tackle Matt Toeaina rumbled 81 yards with an interception at 10:16 of the fourth quarter as linebacker Matt Muncy delivered the final block on Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky.
They figured wrong because the Lions scored 17 unanswered points down the stretch. Orlovsky threw touchdown passes of five yards to Ron Bellamy at 6:53 and seven yards to Kevin Kasper at 1:55, with Kenny Byrd's 25-yard field goal sandwiched in between. After Byrd's field goal, the Lions recovered an onside kick to set up the winning TD. The Bengals' No. 1 offense played the first quarter, working two series that yielded 121 yards on 18 plays and two field goals.
Quarterback Carson Palmer completed 7 of 10 passes for 93 yards and a 99.2 passer rating, but came away disappointed because his unit got shut out of the end zone. Graham field goals from 23, 48 and 47 yards gave the Bengals a 9-0 lead.
Backups have yet to match the proficiency of the Lions' current starting quarterback.
Jon Kitna, in his second season with the Lions, was considered a team leader for the Bengals as a starter in 2004 and a backup in 2005. The Cincinnati Bengals will reunite with a friend tonight when they open their exhibition season at the Detroit Lions. Jon Kitna, who helped lift the Bengals out of their long doldrums, is in his second season as Lions quarterback. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis couldn't say enough nice things about Kitna this week. "He was, no question, the leader of this football team," Lewis said, "both on the field and subtly behind the scenes. We wouldn't have all these people out here (watching camp) every day if it weren't for Jon Kitna and his leadership, frankly."
Kitna played well as a starter in 2004, then graciously accepted a backup role behind Carson Palmer the following year. Although the Bengals gush about Kitna's effect, he will serve as a reminder tonight that the void he left might not have been filled. Anthony Wright, last year's top backup at quarterback, signed as a free agent with the New York Giants. That has left Doug Johnson, the third-stringer in 2006, as Palmer's backup. Jeff Rowe, a fifth-round draft pick from Nevada, is No. 3. Johnson and Rowe have not exactly lit it up in camp. So for those who have observed Bengals training camp, there would be no more catastrophic injury than one to Palmer. "I would say he's done OK," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said of Johnson. "I've seen him at times play a little better. And there are some circumstances involved in it. We're still early in camp."
'I admire him. I look up to him. I love him like a brother,' Carson Palmer says of his former mentor.
Before Carson Palmer began his reign as Cincinnati's starting quarterback in 2004, there was Jon Kitna. "Kit" was the key ingredient in the Bengals' turnaround from a miserable 2-14 team in 2002 to a respectable 8-8 squad in 2003 — Marvin Lewis' first season as head coach. Now Kitna, an 11-year veteran, is charged with resurrecting the 3-13 Detroit Lions.
Best friends Palmer and Kitna will face one another on Thursday night when the Bengals visit Detroit in the preseason opener for both teams. "I admire him. I respect him. I look up to him. I love him like a brother, and I'm excited for him," Palmer said about Kitna. "Everybody knows what a heck of a guy he is." Palmer was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2003 draft, but Lewis anointed Kitna the starter. He earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors, stayed on two more years as Palmer's mentor, then bolted to Detroit in free agency.
Carson Palmer is a firm believer in center Eric Ghiaciuc's ability to play in the NFL.
Rich Braham posters cover Eric Ghiaciuc's locker. Ghiaciuc doesn't know who put them there, but he suspects his fellow offensive linemen. "They put, like, 50 in my locker," Ghiaciuc said, his laughter a testament to his confidence in replacing the longtime center. So the ghost of Braham lives among the Bengals. Braham was the rock upon which Bengals linemen and quarterback Carson Palmer relied for years. When Braham injured a knee in the second game last season, they were pining for his return. But the injury ended his career. Like his teammates, Ghiaciuc (pronounced GUY-check) has immense respect and affection for Braham. But Ghiaciuc doesn't want to feel like a fill-in any longer. He wants to make the job his own. As he grinds through training camp, Ghiaciuc can look himself in the mirror and know he has done everything in his power to make that happen. Bengals coaches say Ghiaciuc spent more time in the team's facility this offseason than any other player.
Ghiaciuc watched every snap from 2006, analyzed every line call and studied his technique. "He basically replayed an entire season in his mind," offensive line coach Paul Alexander said. Ghiaciuc studied with Alexander and then with his fellow linemen. He estimates he spent 80 to 100 hours analyzing game tape. "I watched myself," Ghiaciuc said. "Then I watched the guys around me -- the guards and tackles -- to see how we worked together. If Richie was in there, I'd watch him. "We all joke that it was boring and we didn't like it, but it was great. We needed that."
Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to Growlzone.com’s 2007 NFL preview. The most anticipated piece of writing of the summer this side of Harold James Potter (Harry Potter to anyone that was born in the last two weeks). Over the next four weeks, we will delve into a 2007 season that should be more exciting than a night involving duct tape, a stripper and Pacman Jones. If you have a bookie in Las Vegas, call him now, then tell him you’ll call him back in five weeks when I give you my Super Bowl picks. The 2007 preview will begin this week with the AFC and NFC West divisions. It will culminate on August 26 with a preview of the AFC and NFC North divisions. Then on September 5, I will provide Growlzone readers with a game by game breakdown of the Bengals season. Finally, when the NFL season kicks off on September 6, I will tell everyone who is going to make the playoffs and eventually the Super Bowl. With former NBA referee Tom Donaghy supplying my picks, I don’t know how I could be wrong. As for September through December, the only team I’ll be positively writing about are the Bengals, Bengals, Bengals. Anyway let’s get to the preview:
NFC West
For years this has been the weakest division in football, in college football, this would be the Sun Belt conference. Yes, I know the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl recently, but they lost, and that’s what this division is good at. When I read NFL previews on other websites, I generally skip the NFC west, because everyone in this division is going nowhere faster than you can say David Klingler. But I digress, lets get to the picks...
The Cincinnati Bengals announced Monday night they'll break training camp a day early and hold two practices with the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 16 at Paul Brown Stadium. The practices are closed to the public. The Bengals host the Saints in a preseason game on Aug. 18. The final practice at Georgetown College will be 9 to 11 a.m. on Aug. 15. It was originally scheduled from 3-5 p.m. "We're happy for the chance to add these practices," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "This is not a contact scrimmage, since we play the Saints two days later, but we're looking forward to some good, full-speed competitive work."
Fresh legs: Rookie tailback Curtis Brown, who signed a contract Monday morning, showed off his fresh legs with several impressive runs. The college free agent from BYU was released by Oakland on July 13. "I'm honored that the coaching staff has faith to bring me in," Brown said. "I'm going to be in the playbook non-stop. I don't do one thing great. I just do a lot of things well and try to be an all-around player." To make room for Brown, the club waived rookie tailback Dan Burks, who suffered an elbow injury in the scrimmage. Burks will revert to the Bengals' Injured Reserve list if he clears waivers.
Cornerback Leon Hall is scheduled to be the 'nickel' for Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Bengals' trio of cornerback Leon Hall and safeties Marvin White and Chinedum Ndukwe arrived at the beginning, middle and end of the 2007 NFL draft. As first-, fourth- and seventh-round picks, they represent the future of the Bengals' secondary, but don't tell them that. The young and restless rookies want to make an impact right away. If not in the base defense, then on special teams. "They brought us all in here for a purpose," Ndukwe said. "We're all physical guys. That's something the defense needed last year. I can only hope to contribute to that this year. "I'm trying to be physical and finish every play. That's what I pride myself on. I'm going to keep on doing it until they tell me to slow down."
Updated: 6:50 p.m.
The agent for running back Cedric Benson says his client's work ethic is a classic Midwestern approach and is a good fit for a Cincinnati team in desperate need of backfield depth.
"If you look at his history before the Bears,...
Posted: 6:10 a.m.
If Ryan Fitzpatrick gets another shot to start Sunday in Dallas, the Bengals only have to look at their last 19 games to see the road map for getting a victory with a backup quarterback.
In that stretch they've played eight...
Opening comments: ML: My thoughts didn't change much after watching the three phases of the game on video. Sometimes the execution of the offense was not where we needed it to be, and we played pretty well for most of the day on special...
This is THE podcast for all Cincinnati Bengals fans.Twice a week, legendary Cincinnati sportscaster, Ken Broo, is joined by the editors, writers and publisher of the popular bi-weekly publication, Bengals ReportIn this up to the minute podcast, the discussion is all Bengals featuring interviews with your favorite Bengals players.Get the inside scoop on the Bengals and their upcoming games by placing Bengals Report on your list of favorites!
In this episode, Ken Broo and Bengals Report executive editor, Mark Hardin preview the Bengals vs Browns game coming up Sunday 92808. You'll hear comments from Carson Palmer, Chris Perry and Marvin Lewis. For the best in sports, visit Ken Broo's web site www.kenbroo.com
In this episode, Ken Broo and Bengals Report executive editor, Mark Hardin preview the Bengals upcoming game at the New York Giants. You'll hear comments from Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis and quarterback Carson Palmer. For the best in sports, visit Ken Broo's web site www.kenbroo.com
In this episode, Ken Broo and Bengals Report executive editor, Mark Hardin review the Bengals loss to the Tennessee Titans in week #2 of the 2008 NFL season. You'll hear comments from head coach Marvin Lewis, running back Chris Perry and wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh. For the best in sports visit Ken's web site www.kenbroo.com.
