Random Thoughts after W @ CIN

-All substitutes stepped up: Dwyer, Rainey, Legs, Adams, Allen/Mundy
-Should we give a Mulligan to Batch for that dropped TD Pass? Great playcall, excellent pass from Brown
-Do we have a RB controversy now? Try to order them as if it was a Depth Chart: Mendy, Redman, Dwyer, Rainey, Batch.
-Trickery is finally back. Who missed those plays? (A Brown pass, Ben punting)
-If only Ike Taylor can play all season like he played yesterday (scheme helped, but give credit to him)...
-And that CB spot is K Lewis' job to lose. This guy has potential.
-We keep having great kick/punt returns... And we keep hurting ourselves with useless holding penalties on them. This has to stop.
-This game had a 10-14 point loop: We missed a TD or FG (thrown int), and gave them a TD with the fumble on consecutive offensive plays.
-Wallace probably leads the league in dropped balls. He needs to do something about it, soon. Most of them have been on 3rd down or in the Red Zone, and that doubles the pain of this drops
-J Harrison and Woodley need to play better. They're just not making plays (sacks, tackles for a loss, etc.)
-Hood was a beast all day. I liked his attitude (was that 2 blocked/ deflected passes?) Hampton made a couple of nice tackles and Kiesel helped too.
-Mundy / Allen got the job done. Did you even hear them on pass coverage? Dalton never looked their way
-A Brown, Cotchery and Sanders had nice receptions. ES & JC need a couple more throws their way per game.
-Miller keeps making plays. This guy alone deseves a lot of credit: run blocks, pass blocks, catches almost everything, runs great patterns, gets yards after the catch, blocks downfield... Is Miller becoming our biggest O playmaker?
-Big Ben's ability to bounce back still impresses me. Many QBs after an int or too many dropped balls, kind of downgrade their own level during that game. Ben knows how to deal with that without losing confidence in himself or his WRs
-Our D stopped them 3 consecutive times at the end of the game. That's what we were all looking for! but...
-Our O had 2 chances to put the game away and wasn't able to do so until the last drive. And...
-That final drive was the one missing @TEN and @OAK. Two drives like that on those games and we'd be talking about a 5-1 record
-We got 3 instead of 7 after long drives, twice. A missed catch, a missed block... 1 play away from getting 7. Hope we can fix this, 'cause in closer games we can't afford this (we've been there)
-Coach T is still confident on Suisham. This guy delivered today. Hope Coach T has learned something about Suisham's leg strength
-I liked the overall O Playcalling. Coach Haley understood well what was our O Line capable of doing and did exactly that. This guy seems to get the most out of each player on this roster... so far.
-Give Coach LeBeau credit for Ike's performance: besides probably talking straight and plain to him, he helped his cause with help from the safeties

-We're still on the driver's seat, believe it or not. We need to get out of the next 4 games (WASH, @NYG, KC, BAL) with a 4-0 or 3-1 record. And that will put us in position to make plans for January.

For sure, I'm missing a lot of things, but this are my random thoughts after yesterday's game. What are yours?

 

Finally Finally Finally! A game ending drive, running the ball up the middle for big gains and first downs. Dwyer is a beast!! Cincin KNEW we were gonna run the ball and STILL couldn't stop it.

Shades of Bettis!!

Also, a big shout out to Wallace for all those dropped passes, because of them I won my FF game. (Guy I played had Wallace on his team, he scored 5 big pts for him, I won by 10)

 

Hood was a beast? He was repeatedly abused on that opening drive and got pancaked on that 4th and 1 conversion. Mendy is still our #1rb by a large margin and while Rainey is good for some splash plays he won't supplant any of the other four.

 

I would agree with these sentiments more than the OP when it comes to Hood. He was thrown around like a ragdoll on that first drive. If Cincy would have continued to stuff the run down our throats (which for some reason they went away from) it could have been a different result. Ziggy made some decent plays later in the game, but if that game last night was him being a beast and at his best, then he's officially a first round bust.

 

But after that drive...just like the rest of the team did soon after...he turned it up and played well (Hood that is).

 

I am just glad their OC didn't stick with Green-Ellis running to their right side the rest of the game. He was very effective going that way behind their line. That entire first drive I kept thinking how a few years ago with a healthy Aaron Smith you just could not do that. I wonder if their starting center stays healthy if they would have run more?

 

to me Wallace has been the biggest dissapointment on the team this year. i know hes had some decent games, but he has dropped a ton of passes. i know he has the speed, but i wouldnt break the bank for him. i would still take my chances with Brown (who is a much better all around wr than Wallace is) and Sanders.

use that money on a stud CB in free agency next year.

 

Heath was amazing and dependable as we expect him to be. Brown, Colon, Legs all had great games. Dwyer is looking very good and he never gives up. Like his work ethic..

Honorable mention to Suisham who is looking like our next Mr Dependable

 

Memo to LovEmBig and Busman - there's just something about your posts that always gets my undivided attention. Can't quite put my finger on it (not for a lack of trying mind you). Please - post early and often - and it really doesn't matter what you say - I'm still a big fan.

Thanks for the m....m.....m......memories!

 

Fixed it for you.

 

Dear ScottChab - I was trying to be subtle. Reminds me of the sign in my dorm room many years ago at college: "We play music to soothe the savage breast!" Interesting results.

 

After watching the way we played from the moment ol' Ginger threw the ball into the back of one of his own players, I couldn't help but get some of the old feeling again. You know, the one that, despite being up by one score late in the game, you actually EXPECT to not give up the play at the critical moment? Great team effort yesterday. It's nice to see so many potential candidates for MVP....

That being said, after watching the return special teams on both sides, I can't help but wonder....did we re-hire Bob Ligashesky?

 

Being subtle is overrated.

 

the o-line stepped up big time today............ the first two sacks and forced fumble were ben's fault for holding on too long
the secondary stepped up big time with minimal support from the pass rush
if mendy or redman don't perform when they return, then we will have a big time rb controversy on our hands
antonio brown was the man.......... mike wallace was not (not the way to play for larry fitzgerald money..... or vincent jackson money either)
it's quite agonizing wathching casey hampton play.......... he made one splash play all game and was basically controlled by the bengals' 3rd string c
the game wasn't as close as the score would indicate.......... we need to stop leaving points on the field
offensively and defensively, the decrease in penalties was great........... special teams still need work
i was very nervous about suisham this season........... my fears are slowly going away. the guy's been money

 

I am happy with a road win but there were still a lot of face palm moments that have me concerned about every single game on the schedule. We won't be winning too many more games playing those kind of first halves. And Baron Batch needs to go. What does he bring to the team? He's not good enough to be a primary back and he can't catch easy touchdowns out of the backfield (exaggerating but c'mon). How does he not even get one finger on that pop fly? Drop it? Ok. Whiff? Rainey needs to get all his snaps.

 

It was truely a team win and a lot of credit goes out to the secondary, the o-line, the RBs and WRs not including Wallace. I still think unless we score on every drive against teams that can run the ball we will lose as the right side is bad and my man Ziggy is a bust. I'm with everyone else, Gree-Ellis to the right was killer and we couldn't stop it, I'm wondering if Green-Ellis isn't used to getting many carries as he seemed unstoppable in the first qtr but nothing after. Another thing that is happening to frequently is starting out in the hole, almost every game the opposing team marches right down the field and scores on their first possession and they make it look easy, the Eagles did it and didn't score because of Vick but that still doesn't take away the fact that the defense is really shaky or they aren't prepared. After watching the game I've come to the conclusion that the coaches are doing the job, the players just can't execute, Wallace's middle name should be DK, Drive Killer, and Baron Batch??? But the secondary really stepped it up, and that makes me think that they may be taking games lightly, they played tough against the Eagles but got torched by the raiders and Titans.