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Bengals fall prey to Brady's bunch
Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is sacked by a wave of Patriots defenders in the first half. The New England Patriots put on display last night everything the Bengals are not. The Patriots are seasoned and smart. They seldom make mistakes. They play as a team. The Bengals do none of those things right now. Cincinnati's failings were put on display in front of the nation in a 34-13 loss in Paul Brown Stadium. "I'm just as upset, obviously, as I could be," said coach Marvin Lewis, who from the media room could be heard screaming at his team. With the season one-fourth completed, the Bengals (1-3) find themselves alone in last place in the AFC North and bordering on disarray.
"We have to regroup and take a look at ourselves," Lewis said. "We're not where we want to be, but we have a lot of football left to play. We have to see who's going to fight with us." It's clear that Lewis doesn't believe everyone is on board. Asked what the players would see if they examined themselves, he replied, "Some selfishness." That's what the Bengals said at the end of last year's disappointing 8-8 season. It evidently has not been eradicated. "You can't be a bunch of little boys playing against grown men," offensive right tackle Willie Anderson said. "(The Patriots) take football seriously. For six, seven months, it shows on the field. Nothing else matters to them. You can't play against them and be a Generation-X team. They know and love football and they love understanding football to the point it's going to embarrass you." The Patriots scored 38 points in each of their previous three victories, so the Bengals knew their task would be difficult. New England quarterback Tom Brady continued his sizzling start. Coolly sidestepping Bengals pass rushers, he completed 25 of 32 pass attempts for 231 yards and three touchdowns. What he did much of the time was hand off, a no-brainer considering Cincinnati's linebackers unit is decimated with injuries. Linebackers Lemar Marshall (ruptured Achilles tendon) and Landon Johnson (eye) were lost in the first half. Journeyman Sammy Morris finished with 117 yards rushing in 21 carries, including eight straight carries on New England's second touchdown drive. The Bengals offense didn't come close to matching that of the Patriots. Cincinnati's only touchdown came after Brady's only major mistake. Leon Hall intercepted an ill-advised pass, and the Bengals drove 35 yards for the score. Cincinnati had a chance to go into halftime with a manageable deficit. Trailing by 10, the Bengals had second down at the Patriots' 20-yard line when Carson Palmer threw near the goal line to Chad Johnson. But Johnson wasn't where Palmer expected him to be, and Asante Samuel intercepted the ball. Palmer gestured angrily toward Johnson before heading to the sideline. Palmer and Johnson talked on the bench, and Johnson continued chirping as they walked into the locker room at halftime. The Bengals mustered little offense in the second half, and they continued to make foolish mistakes. After committing no penalties in the first half, they committed eight for 65 yards in the final two quarters. Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2007/10/02/bengals1002.ART_ART_10-02-07_C1_LK82URS.html?sid=101 |
