Penalties proved to be a problem for the Bengals in their 14-13 loss to the Buccaneers, and Robert Geathers had a hand in several of them, including a face-mask call while tackling Buccaneers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. 
 

TAMPA , Fla. — The roughing-the-passer penalty on Justin Smith had the Bengals steaming after the game, but that wasn’t the only call – or non-call – Cincinnati questioned yesterday after its 14-13 loss to Tampa Bay.

Robert Geathers was flagged for unnecessary roughness when he extended his arms to push Buccaneers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, helping Tampa Bay on its first touchdown drive.

Cincinnati manages just 52 yards rushing

Tampa Bay defensive end Dewayne White had little trouble breaking through Cincinnati’s patchwork offense line and sacking Carson Palmer during the second quarter. 
 

TAMPA, Fla. — Of all the things that went wrong for the Bengals yesterday in their 14-13 loss to Tampa Bay, one was most disturbing to coach Marvin Lewis.

The flashy Bengals receiver's numbers are down this season, so he has toned down his act.
Receiver Chad Johnson's statistics are down this season. So are his postage expenses.

Johnson, who once sent a care package of Pepto-Bismol to Cleveland defensive backs to soothe their upset stomachs, had no such special delivery for the Bucs this week. He even declined to talk trash to the defensive backs.

The Cincinnati Bengals spent their bye week searching for the answers that would put them among the NFL's elite.

They get their first chance to show those adjustments Sunday when they play the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

Though the Bengals (3-1) are only one-half game behind the division-leading Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, the swagger that accompanied last season's resurgence seems to be missing.

Their most recent game was a 38-13 home loss to New England on Oct. 1. Only one of Cincinnati's losses last season was by more than 14 points, and that came in a virtually meaningless regular-season finale because the team already had clinched a playoff berth.

Eric Ghiaciuc struggling to fill in for injured starter Rich Braham.  Now that Eric Ghiaciuc has been thrown into the fire, he wants to excel — not just survive — as the Bengals' center.

But the flames are licking his feet and he's trying to stiff-arm the pressure as he fills in for injured veteran Rich Braham, who is out indefinitely with a bone bruise in his left knee.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers web site (http://www.buccaneers.com/intro.aspx ) has an intro this week that really goes after the Bengals Quarterback Carson Palmer.  For a team that is considered to be one of the worst in the league, you would think they would try to keep a low profile this week.  Not the case for the Blunderneers.  They have opted to go with a cartoon of Carson Palmer getting beat up by one of their 0-4 players.  We would like to tell you who the Tampa Bay player is, but we don’t know any of their players.  At 0-4 we don’t think we will be getting to know any of them anytime soon.  As a matter of fact, the next Tampa Bay player anyone knows may be the first player chosen in the 2007 draft.  The team seems to be a lock to be one of the worst teams in the league which puts them in the running for the frist draft choice overall in 2007.