Here it is everyone, the Growlzone.com 2008 NFL preview. It’s sure to be more exciting then Michael Phelps’s win in the 100m butterfly, more fun then a party involving Chris Henry, a college sorority and a keg of tequila and more messed up then Shawn Merriman’s knee (if that’s possible).
With the Bengals, silence can sometimes provide as much information as a monologue. Certainly that's the case with injuries. Coach Marvin Lewis has hammered it into his players' heads that injured players should say as little as possible to reporters. The less said, the greater the odds are that a player won't play.
So when the usually cooperative Rudi Johnson declined comment about his injured hamstring yesterday, it was an ominous sign regarding the running back's chances to play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Johnson did not practice as the Bengals returned from their bye week. Lewis declined to provide a status report on Johnson and the other rehabilitating players, saying he wasn't obligated to until later in the week.
1) I am one of nine Bengals who played at the University of Southern California. 2) I was drafted in the 11th round in 1975. 3) I played safety in uniform number 24 for Cincinnati. 4) I played in the secondary with Lemar Parrish, Ken Riley and Tommy Casanova. 5) I'm currently on the board of the Trojan Football Alumni Club.
Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer feels the fans' agony and wrath, and he wants to ease their pain. The only way to accomplish the feat? Win - starting Sunday at Kansas City. The Chiefs (2-3) have scored only 63 points in five games, and 30 came in a 30-16 victory at San Diego on Sept. 30. The Bengals (1-3) have played one less game than K.C., but they've out-scored the Chiefs, 106-63. Palmer addressed the fans during the club's bye week:
"Our fans...they've been through so much in this city, and so many losing seasons. You love your fans to expect you to win. Our fans expect us to win. They're unhappy when we don't and they should be unhappy when we don't win. We want to do nothing but please them and make them scream on third down when the opposing offense is on the field and root for us when we score. They'll continue to do so and they'll stick by us. "Since I've been here (2005), they've done nothing but stick by us and I don't think anything's going to change. Our fans understand football. It's important to them. This game, this team, they take pride in it. We want to give them something to be proud of. "All we're worried about is getting back to 2-3 and we'll work from there."
The Cincinnati Bengals depleted linebacker corps could receive a much needed jolt with the soon expected return of starting strong-side LB Rashad Jeanty, who has been sidelined with a leg injury. Jeanty is on the mend from a shin injury which required doctors to insert a rod into the leg to stabilize it and help with the healing process. Jeanty's agent, David Canter, said he is cautiously optimistic that his client will get clearance to play next week when the Bengals travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs.
"Rashad is dying to get back out there and play," Canter said. "He didn't want to miss a game and gave great consideration to playing with the pain. But obviously I couldn't allow that to happen. It was too much of a risk to play considering the type of injury and especially playing the linebacker position." Canter said that Jeanty is running now and starting to get his wind back working his way toward 100 percent. Although he is making good progress the injury is not one you can rush back from.
The Bengals are down, but they're not out. They still have time to make a postseason push.
History shows eight teams that started 1-3 since 2000 made the playoffs. The odds of making the postseason for 1-4 teams? Not good. Since the current playoff format was instituted in 1990, five of 83 teams (6 percent) made the playoffs from that crippling start — the Chargers (1992), Oilers (1993), Jets and Titans (2002) and Packers (2004).
Here are five things the Bengals can do to turn around their 1-3 record:
Heal, baby, heal: The bye week must be used for more than just soul searching. It's a time for the injury-riddled roster to heal, study film and work on fundamentals. Tackling, anyone?
Updated: 7:05 p.m.
If the Bengals repeat history, they'll come out of the Under Armour Senior Bowl later this month with some pretty good players.
Marvin Lewis' second trip in five years to staff the Mobile, Ala., all-star game became official...
Posted: 8:30 p.m.
One of the things the Bengals have going into 2009 is pulling rank on 2008.
The Bengals are playing four of the six worst defenses from this past season, as well as three of the four worst offenses against a schedule of foes that...
Posted: 4:55 p.m.
The Bengals ended the year silently Wednesday as the team took stock with players dispersing for the offseason and the coaches heading for a break.
The silence is an indication that head coach Marvin Lewis' staff is going to...
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, Bengals Report executive editor, Mark Hardin and Ken Broo review the Bengals win over the Browns and preview the 2008 season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. You'll hear comments from Bengals quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Ryan Fitzpatrick, cornerback Leon Hall and Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis. For the best in sports, visit Ken's web site www.kenbroo.com
In this episode, Ken Broo and Bengals Report executive editor, Mark Hardin preview the upcoming Bengals vs Browns game in week #16 of the 2008 NFL season. For the best in sports, visit Ken's web site www.kenbroo.com
In this episode, Ken Broo and Bengals Report executive editor, Mark Hardin review the Bengals win over the Redskins in week #15 of the 2008 NFL season. Chad Johnson, Cedric Benson and Cory Mays all comment on the game. For the best in sports, visit Ken's web site www.kenbroo.com.
The Team 
