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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Johnson receives a dressing down for uniform gag
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
How do you say 5,000 in Spanish? Chad Johnson was fined $5,000 for messing with his jersey last Sunday.
Ocho Cinco will cost Bengals receiver Chad Johnson mucho dinero. The NFL confirmed yesterday that it fined him $5,000 for wearing his uniform number in Spanish ? ocho for eight and cinco for five ? on the back of his jersey during warm-ups before a game last week against Atlanta. Johnson had the Spanish numbers placed over the "C. Johnson" until Carson Palmer ripped it off before the game.
Former Bengals safety David Fulcher, who serves as the NFL uniform-conformity officer for games, warned Johnson to remove the "Ocho Cinco" before the game or face league discipline. Apparently, the damage had already been done.
NFL spokesman Steve Alic said Johnson violated the rule that prohibits players from displaying personal messages on their jerseys.
Johnson wouldn?t talk about the potential fine with local reporters, but in a conference call with Baltimore Ravens media, he said he was surprised by it.
"I don?t understand why there was a fine when I didn?t play in the game with it," he said. "It was just for pregame entertainment only. I felt it was a classic. That will go down in history as one of the best ever. I don?t see how you get fined for something like that."
After staying subdued by his standards, Johnson adopted the "Ocho Cinco" persona last week in anticipation of his matchup with Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall.
This week, Johnson has been back to his lower-key self for a game Sunday in Baltimore, although he threw a jab at Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, a fellow Miami native.
"The agenda?" Johnson said. "Hit him in the mouth."
Simmons downgraded
The neck injury that has nagged middle linebacker Brian Simmons for three weeks is apparently not getting better. The veteran was downgraded from questionable to doubtful for a game Sunday.
Simmons unexpectedly missed the Tampa Bay game Oct. 15 and saw limited action against Carolina and Atlanta.
Rookie Ahmad Brooks has played well as Simmons? replacement. Brooks, a talented player who was kicked off the Virginia team for numerous indiscretions, joined the Bengals as a supplemental draft pick. The team intended to groom him slowly, and he didn?t play in the first two games.
But he has drawn the praise of coach Marvin Lewis. Brooks was credited with 14 tackles in making his starting debut and totaled 17 the past two weeks.
More injury news
Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph (ankle/probable) participated in team drills yesterday for the first time this week.
Ravens tight end Todd Heap (thigh) was upgraded from questionable to probable.
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sandgk
Watson, Crick & A Twist
Yet they are back in this game after a Henry completion takes them down to 1st and goal, from which Johnson converts on good powerful running. If the Bengals pull this one out I'll take it (as would you I know) - but, it is, no question, an ugly effort.tibor75;653472; said:
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Bengals dig a deep hole
Baltimore jumps on Cincinnati in opening minutes, takes 14-0 lead
Monday, November 06, 2006
Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG> CHRIS GARDNER ASSOCIATED PRESS Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, left, watches the final moments of a frustrating 26-20 loss to the Ravens.
BALTIMORE ? The Bengals dug themselves too big a hole yesterday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Now the question is whether Cincinnati has buried itself too deep to save its season.
The Bengals lost 26-20 in M &T Stadium, their fourth loss in five games. The defeat dropped Cincinnati (4-4) two games behind the Ravens in the AFC North.
"I always think of the quote, ?Until you?ve been at the lowest valley, you can?t be at the highest peak,? " Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said. "We?re at a low valley right now, and we understand from last year what it takes to get to that peak, and we?re going to fight our butts off to get there."
The Bengals seem closer to coming apart than they do regrouping. Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh slammed his helmet to the ground after not getting a pass-interference call on a late fourth-down pass. Palmer was livid with Chris Henry after the receiver failed to make an effort to catch a Hail Mary that resulted in a game-sealing interception.
"We do need to grow up in a number of areas," Palmer said. "We do need to mature and become professionals, and that?s something that can happen from where we are. Obviously, the way we?ve been doing it, the way we?ve gone about our business, has got us 4-4. We?re not a .500 football team."
That?s exactly what they are. The 2005 divisional championship seems a long time ago. The last time the Bengals played the Ravens, Cincinnati rolled up a 34-0 lead.
Yesterday, Cincinnati fell behind 14-0 less than five minutes into the game. Chris Perry fumbled the opening kickoff and the Ravens (6-2) converted that into a touchdown.
On Cincinnati?s ensuing possession, Palmer?s thirdand-12 pass to Chad Johnson was high. The ball deflected off Johnson?s hands as safety Ed Reed drilled him, and cornerback Samari Rolle made the interception. As Rolle was being tackled at the 25, he handed the ball to Reed, who followed blockers into the end zone.
"Those 14 points were huge," Bengals left guard Eric Steinbach said. "You don?t need a rocket scientist to see that. It?s tough to come back from that, especially when it?s so quick and early. The crowd is into it and the defense is revved up."
The Ravens under coach Brian Billick had lost only once in 43 games ? to the Bengals in 2004 ? when leading by 14 points.
After Baltimore extended the lead to 17-0 on a Matt Stover field goal with 5:39 left before halftime, Cincinnati looked doomed.
But the Bengals clawed back. Houshmandzadeh caught a 26-yard touchdown pass with a minute left in the second quarter, and Rudi Johnson?s 4-yard touchdown run pulled the Bengals to 23-17 early in the fourth quarter.
That the Bengals were even close was stunning considering their inability to convert third downs and Baltimore?s first-half success in that situation. Cincinnati was 1 of 10 on third down. The Ravens converted six of their first eight in the first 30 minutes as quarterback Steve McNair repeatedly found soft spots in the Bengals? pass coverage.
After Johnson?s touchdown, Cincinnati needed a defensive stop. Instead, Baltimore got first downs on four of its first five plays to set up a field goal that increased the Ravens? lead to nine.
After a Bengals field goal pared the lead to 26-20, Cincinnati forced a three-and-out, though safety Dexter Jackson let an interception go through his hands on third down.
Still, with more than three minutes left, Cincinnati had a chance. Needing to go 76 yards, the Bengals got only 6. The fourth-down pass to Houshmandzadeh fell incomplete, and there was no call on what probably should have been pass interference on cornerback Ronnie Prude.
"We did show fight and come back," right tackle Willie Anderson said. "Those are encouraging things, but the bottom line is we didn?t win."
It has become a familiar refrain.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Bengals receivers have few highlights
Monday, November 06, 2006
Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG> Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh throws his helmet to the ground after pass interference wasn?t called on Ravens cornerback Ronnie Prude in the closing minutes.
BALTIMORE ? Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry are the most explosive players in the Bengals offense.
Yesterday, they were explosive in the wrong ways.
Sure, Houshmandzadeh had a 26-yard touchdown catch. Henry caught a 71-yard pass to set up a touchdown. And Johnson drew a 34-yard pass-interference penalty against Ed Reed that preceded a field goal.
Those were the few highlights.
Houshmandzadeh, normally the headiest of Bengals receivers, lost his cool when pass interference wasn?t called on a fourthdown incompletion just after the twominute warning. He had reason to be miffed. Cornerback Ronnie Prude made contact from behind before the ball arrived.
But Houshmandzadeh protested to the refs and then threw his helmet to the ground, drawing a 15-yard penalty.
"My emotions got the best of me," said Houshmandzadeh, who complained last week about officials? reluctance to call defenders for interfering with him. "I made a mistake."
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was upset that Houshmandzadeh cost his team 15 yards when Cincinnati had little margin for error.
"We don?t need those kind of penalties," Lewis said. "It shows a lack of class and right at that point, we don?t need it."
The Bengals got the ball back at their own 28, needing a miracle with 18 seconds left. Quarterback Carson Palmer threw a deep pass toward Henry, who was in the midst of several Ravens defenders. But instead of using his lanky 6-foot-4 frame to jump for the ball, Henry pulled up, allowing Chris McAlister to make an interception. Palmer charged at Henry on the field and berated him for the lack of effort.
Henry declined comment after the game, and Palmer said the exchange would remain private.
"We talked," Palmer said. "We handled it. My policy is I don?t want to talk about what happens between two players on the field. It?s nobody?s business but those two players."
Johnson was distressed by yet another quiet game. He had four catches for 32 yards.
Most of his comments were unprintable in a family newspaper.
"Four for 32? That?s (bleeping) ridiculous," Johnson said. "You?ve got to be (bleeping) kidding me. When Christmas comes around, I might as well be a hood ornament. Because all I?ve been so far is a decoration ? a decoration sitting out there all pretty, ready for people to jump on."
He said he hasn?t lobbied for more passes.
"I?m not going to complain," he said. "What is No. 85, some kind of secret now? They know what I can do."
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Takeaways taken away
Bengals defense not forcing turnovers like it did last season
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG> Bengals defensive end Justin Smith tries to strip the ball from Ravens running back Jamal Lewis. Cincinnati?s defense hasn?t forced a turnover in two games.
The Bengals defense intercepted five passes in practice Wednesday without any drops.
No big deal, you might think. It?s only practice.
To defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan, it was a big deal. Last week, Bresnahan said, Cincinnati?s defenders dropped several potential interceptions in practice. The Bengals? subsequent loss to Baltimore resulted in part from a case of butterfingers by their defensive players.
For the second straight week, Cincinnati?s defense forced no turnovers. The Bengals forced only one turnover in each of their previous three games. Not coincidentally, Cincinnati has lost four of its past five.
If the Bengals (4-4) are to beat the San Diego Chargers (6-2) today in Paul Brown Stadium, that?s likely to have to change.
An opportunistic defense was critical to the drive to the AFC North championship last season. At this point last year, the Bengals had 20 interceptions. This year, they have nine. Deltha O?Neal had 10 interceptions a year ago on his way to the Pro Bowl. In 2006, he has only one, though that?s largely because teams aren?t throwing in his direction as much.
The problem is, no one else is taking up the slack. Tory James has only one pickoff and rookie Johnathan Joseph is looking for his first. Joseph almost had one last week that could have been returned for a touchdown, but Ravens receiver Derrick Mason made a nice recovery to strip the ball.
Safety Dexter Jackson had two potential interceptions. One was tipped away by O?Neal. The other went through his hands.
"I have to make that play," Jackson said.
By Bresnahan?s count, the Bengals have blown nine chances for "fairly easy" turnovers in the past three games.
"It?s concentration and finish," Bresnahan said. "It?s finishing your job. It?s not going through it 90 percent and then not being able to take home the cheese. You don?t want to just get the caused fumble. Get the recovery."
When Bresnahan hears people ripping the offense for not scoring as much as it did last year, he has a simple response.
"Baloney," he said. "If we give them the ball, they?ll put points on the board. We need more turnovers, plain and simple. The emphasis point was put there (this week)."
Last year, the Bengals benefited from facing struggling teams. They intercepted Minnesota?s Daunte Culpepper five times after taking a big lead. They also picked off Chicago Bears rookie Kyle Orton five times.
"This year, I think we?re playing teams that, if you look at it over the years, don?t turn the ball over quite as much," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "These are a little stronger running teams, and chances are they?re not going to get the ball on the ground as much as you do when you play passing football teams."
Today?s opponent fits that category. Chargers quarterback Philips Rivers has thrown only three interceptions and San Diego has lost only three fumbles. The Chargers? turnover differential of plus-8 ranks third in the NFL.
Turnovers tend to come in bunches, and the Bengals are hoping their luck will turn.
"When it rains it, it pours," Jackson said. "When it starts raining, I hope I get soaking wet."
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