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The good — stats, youth, no 2-14s 1. Goal oriented: The Bengals had a 4,000-yard passer in Carson Palmer (4,035), a 1,000-yard rusher in Rudi Johnson (1,309) and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Chad Johnson (1,369) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (1,081). Robert Geathers (10.5) became the team's first double-digit sack man since Alfred Williams in 1992.
2. Young studs: The emergence of four rookies — cornerback Johnathan Joseph, left tackle Andrew Whitworth, defensive tackle Domata Peko and free safety Ethan Kilmer — was a positive.
3. Record run: The Bengals are 9-3 in the AFC North the past two years and haven't had a losing season since '02. Fans upset about 8-8 have forgotten the club was 2-14 the season before Marvin Lewis arrived.
The bad — injuries, no 'D', no flash
1. Turning point: It wasn't Tampa Bay, Atlanta or San Diego. It was the Sept. 17 home victory over Cleveland in which the Bengals lost outside linebacker David Pollack (neck), center Rich Braham (knee) and wide receiver/kickoff returner Tab Perry (hip) for the season with crippling injuries. 2. The defense: The inconsistent offense must shoulder some blame, but the bottom line is the defense finished the season ranked 30th. It's the third time in four years the defense was 28th or lower. 3. The play-calling: You're fighting for your playoff lives. Empty the playbook! Instead, the Bengals were unimaginative and too predictable.
The ugly — cops, chokes and the clock
1. Eight arrests: The "Cincinnati Eight" — Chris Henry, A.J. Nicholson, Frostee Rucker, Matthias Askew, Eric Steinbach, Odell Thurman, Reggie McNeal and Deltha O'Neal — caused disruption and distraction, and soiled the club's image. 2. Late meltdown: The Bengals were 8-5 and controlled their destiny. All they needed to reach the playoffs for a second straight season was one victory in their last three games. Didn't happen. 3. Game management: Lewis' clock management on the team's final drive against Pittsburgh was horrible. The Bengals could've used the timeout they spent trying to ice Steelers kicker Jeff Reed, which didn't work. Dayton Daily News http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/bengals/2007/01/06/ddn010707benglance1.html?UrAuth=`N`NUOcN\UbTTUWUXUVUZTZUaUWU^U^UZU\UbUcTYWVVZV |
