Greetings from Cincy Jungle

by Josh Kirkendall on Sep 15, 2009 8:59 PM CDT

Hey fellas. My name is Josh Kirkendall and I head the SB Nation site for the Cincinnati Bengals, Cincy Jungle. If you guys have any questions about the only team that gives up 87 yard deflection touchdowns (from apparently the world's most threatening quarterback Kyle Orton), the never-boring world of Chad "call me Ohcocinco, not" Johnson or anything else, we'll be around to answer them. The polar opposites of our respective first weeks are huge; the Pack wins on a late long touchdown pass and the Bengals lose on a late long touchdown pass. Are you guys expecting playoffs this year?

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Bad Luck

That was some bad luck your guys had last Sunday. Obviously not the most dominate performance in Bengal history, but you still should have gotten the win. Here are my questions:
1. Name that offensive line! I know Braham, Steinbach, Andrews, Anderson, and Jones are gone, but who do you have now? Is Smith starting?
2. Has everyone come back from their injuries? It seemed like half your team was knocked out last season.
3. How did Carson Palmer look in his first game back?
4. Do you miss Housh or is Coles a solid replacement?

by Brandon on Sep 15, 2009 11:46 PM CDT reply actions

RE:

1. Smith is hurt. So is new guard Nate Livings, he might miss the start too. Right now we go: Whitworth, Livings (or replacement Evan Mathis), Kyle Cook, Bobbie Williams, Anthony Collins.

Collins was responsible for 2 sacks last week.

2. The team is relatively healthy right now. All the big names are at 100%.

3. Carson was okay. He wasn’t excellent, but the go-ahead 11-play touchdown drive in the 4th was vintage Palmer. He threw with zip and accuracy. He didn’t really go over the top until the last play of the game, but showed decent arm strength on a failed Hail Mary. Some people are beginning to think he is a liability.. I’m not one of those people.

4. Coles had a pretty terrible debut if we’re honest with ourselves. He dropped 3 balls that Housh likely would not have, that could have turned the tide a little bit. Andre Caldwell is stepping up and performing admirably, however!

by jsl413 on Sep 16, 2009 12:52 AM CDT up reply actions

What about Chris Henry?

I’ve heard stories of him getting his off the field life straightened out and that he’ll hopefully be playing up to his potential.

by Charlie Kelly on Sep 16, 2009 6:18 AM CDT reply actions

Henry flahes big talent

Apparently he wasn’t the 3rd WR in 3-WR sets last week. Andre Caldwell was lining up at slot with Coles and Ocho outside. Carson Palmer said he was blanketed deep, and there is speculation that Champ Bailey was on him when he was in.

That said, Slim seems to have turned the corner off the field, and has a promising NFL career ahead of him.

by jsl413 on Sep 16, 2009 8:54 AM CDT up reply actions

Hopefully he eases his way into that slot position as the year progresses, and if I may add...

Obviously, only time will tell whether he has truly become a straight-laced professional, but so far so good. Off-the-field, we haven’t heard a thing about him—which is great. USA Today did a nice piece about him right before the season started, and those comments he made in it have been pretty consistent from when he was re-instated in the League.

When Bengals owner Mike Brown brought Henry back on the team last year, it was a polarizing move for fans and Bengals personnel alike. As expected, Brown got his way, and it seems to be the right move so far.

Henry had a tremendous preseason (14 catches, 224 yards, 16.0 yd/rec, 4 TD) so it’s apparent that he still has it. In the game against Denver, he had 1 catch over the middle for 18 yards as part of a nice drive. Bengal fans expected more out of him, but as jsl413 pointed out, it seemed that he saw some pretty tough coverage down the field. Having Henry as a deep threat is exactly what made our passing game click in 2005 as it opened up a ton of passing lanes for Carson Palmer. If he can do the same thing this year, I’d expect Palmer, Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles, and Andre Caldwell to put up some nice numbers, even if Henry does not.

by GrooveLeg on Sep 16, 2009 8:57 AM CDT up reply actions

he will never play the slot

For Henry to have big numbers this year, he will have to take the startiing position form Coles

"Ghiaciuc's play was a distraction"

by Joe Goodberry on Sep 16, 2009 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions

Might be true…as someone who bought into the Henry hype in the preseason, week one was disappointing. Honestly though, I owuld imagine he’d have more of a connection with Palmer than Coles has…they should get him out there. Coles stunk it up in the opener.

by TrevorR on Sep 17, 2009 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions

The Badger fan in me needs to ask...

Why did FB Chris Pressley get cut? And was he signed to the practice squad? I had heard that he was having a good camp. Was there just no room on the roster for him? From knowing him at UW, he is a very intelligent guy, and a class act. And he can be one hell of a lead blocker.

by texwestern on Sep 16, 2009 9:45 AM CDT reply actions

He's on the practice squad.

Current starting FB Jeremi Johnson has a special place in Mike Brown’s heart. That’s the most likely explanation.

by jsl413 on Sep 16, 2009 9:48 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm still baffled by that...

That and the fact that we’ve only ever carried one FB on the roster.

by GrooveLeg on Sep 16, 2009 9:52 AM CDT up reply actions

as baffled as we are

by carrying 3?

"Brandon Jennings needs a nickname before he gives himself one. Oh wait, Young Money, he already did."

by Mitchell Maurer on Sep 16, 2009 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions

Just please tell us that your Left Defensive End is not good.

Actually just tell us that you won’t line up anybody at that spot and I think Packer fans will be happy.

by grant76 on Sep 16, 2009 11:29 AM CDT reply actions

i know what your saying

Adawale was killing your RT last week. We would like to think our LE is good. Robert Geathers had 10.5 sacks just 2 years ago, but since then, the entire team has been allergic to the QB

"Ghiaciuc's play was a distraction"

by Joe Goodberry on Sep 16, 2009 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions

This season, the defensive line play has been much better already.

They’ve been using 3 DE sets on 3rd downs, moving Antwan Odom to defensive end, and using pass-rush DT ~~Pat Sims~~ Tank Johnson with Geathers and freak athlete Michael Johnson at the end positions.

Geathers can give guys fits on the edge, but he’s got some proving to do to establish himself as elite.

by jsl413 on Sep 16, 2009 2:15 PM CDT up reply actions

Expect the Bengals D-coordinator Zimmer to send blitzes from the other side and up the middle to free up one-on-ones with your RT. Geathers is a pass-rush specialist who, with the improved rotation, will be better than last year where he was tired in the 4th quarter (he was also always injured). If the Packers can establish a decent running game on early downs you should be alright.

However, we promise not to line anyone at the left DE spot if you promise to give Henry or Chad single coverage all-night

by Sheffieldbengal on Sep 17, 2009 8:48 AM CDT up reply actions

Ocho Says He'll Leap

I’ve been reading that Ocho Chad thinks we Packer fans will embrace him if he tries to leap into the stands if he scores. A word to the wise: it’s not gonna be pretty if he tries it… we’ll block his attempt and throw him back like a 2 inch trout.

badgervan

by badgervan on Sep 17, 2009 8:52 AM CDT reply actions

step one...

he needs to get into the end zone…I think Harris and Woodson will be our first line of defense in stopping him from Lambeau Leaping! Honestly I could care less if he tried…I just hate how much attention twittering players are getting from the press. Please go back to reporting actual stories!

by TrevorR on Sep 17, 2009 9:59 AM CDT up reply actions

the Browns fans said the same thing and ended up embracing him and patting him on the back. I would expect him to be embraced/showered with beer at the most. I mean, it’s only a bit of fun and Chad being silly is often just to try to remind people that NFL for all the intese emotion involved is entertainment (the Chad Vs Barnett twiter thing is also a big joke as they were friends and teammates in college who always competed with each other to be centres of interest.)

the best thing the fans could do would be to all at once to turn around and ignore Chad.

by Sheffieldbengal on Sep 17, 2009 12:56 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree

People take this all too serious. It’s all in good fun.

by Charlie Kelly on Sep 17, 2009 8:39 PM CDT up reply actions

I wouldn't say they were quite embracing him

They were clearly pissed and felt violated.

by jsl413 on Sep 17, 2009 10:33 PM CDT up reply actions

Sort of like the people who bought raffle tickets for a free car from Chad Johnson a few years ago...

… only to see him give the car to his girlfriend instead of drawing the winner like he said he would when they sold the tickets.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 18, 2009 8:30 PM CDT up reply actions

PLAYOFFS?!

Playoffs? You kiddin’ me? Don’t talk about.. Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game!

by vitaminx on Sep 17, 2009 3:01 PM CDT reply actions

Here's my question:

Why doesn’t everyone just ignore the fact that Chad Johnson changed his name and just keep calling him Chad Johnson?

That guy’s a tool and his mouth has been outplaying the rest of his body for 3 years. I don’t understand why everyone plays into his schtick.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 18, 2009 8:28 PM CDT reply actions

He was the best receiver in the AFC 2 and 3 years ago.

Last year he was bad.

He’s not malicious. He’s out to have fun and, we’ve learned, he really wants to win.

I think you’re in the minority when it comes to opinion of Chad Ochocinco.

by jsl413 on Sep 18, 2009 11:24 PM CDT up reply actions

I'll admit I occasionally find him entertaining...

… but his production fall off last year had as much to do with his attitude as it did anything else.

And yeah, he had good years in 2006 and 2007, but he wasn’t the best WR in the AFC. His YPC in both years were very, very good, but Moss and Wayne beat him in every other category in 2008, and statistically, he wasn’t even the best WR on his team in 2006, let alone the best in the AFC.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 19, 2009 8:00 AM CDT up reply actions

I could be wrong...

… but I think outside of the Bengal fanbase the perception of Johnson went from “strange but funny” to “what a moron” when he legally changed his name.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 19, 2009 8:01 AM CDT up reply actions