Is A Win A Win?

Is a win a win? Sure it looks good on paper. It moves your team to the top of charts. They are celebrated by sports writers and announcers. The fans cheer their heroes. But is a win always a win? In the case of yesterdays Bengals home opener against the Browns, that answer is no. The Bengals came away with a victory of 34-27. They held the lead the entire game. It was their first win of the season, but it was not a win for the whole team. I have heard people split down the middle. For those fans that follow their team, but not football as a skill sport, the win is great. They were dancing in the streets. In fact, my fellow Bengal fan that joined me at Paul Brown Stadium last Sunday was ecstatic about the team's victory. On the other side of the split, are fans like me and maybe you. I left the game disappointed, concerned, and frustrated out of my mind. Which side are you on? Are you satisfied with the win because it is a win or do you want more from your team?

After an inconsistent start to the season last Monday night in Baltimore, the offense really stepped it up this week. Andy Dalton made more precise throws. You could tell that was something he and the receiving corp worked on last week in practice. He did still overthrow his receivers a few times on the long balls, but overall it was a drastic improvement. Now if we can get him to improve week after week and stay consistent with his throwing habits, we will be in good shape for the season. For Dalton to throw those tough on-target passes, though, the line is going to have to continue to get better at protecting him. This week, they were a little less together against the defensive line of the Browns, allowing the quarterback to be sacked a total of 6 times. If that is happening against the Browns, wait until we play the Steelers. The schedule is not an easy one this season and that includes our own AFC North opponents. So this line is going to have to get better. The inexperience combined with the youth on the Offensive Line for the Bengals is bound to improve with more playing time together in game situations. They aren't horrible, but they need to step it up. On that same note, Green-Ellis had another great game. No fumbles and 75 hard fought running yards. In my opinion, he could have gotten to triple digit numbers on the ground if the line could have held their blocks better. If he is already doing that well on his legs, imagine what he can do behind an improved line. He joined the receiving corps this week with 3 receptions for 30 yards. Speaking of the receiving crew...they came to play on Sunday. Dalton spread the ball around and the fans were finally able to see what everyone was raving about with Tate and Binns in training camp. Tate came up big with 71 yards and a touchdown, Binns had 66 yards,  and Green got in the mix with 58 yards and a touchdown. No wide receiver was more mesmerizing than Andrew Hawkins, though. The young receiver had 2 receptions for 56 yards and his first NFL touchdown of his career. He had an impressive 51 yard catch and run that still has fans talking. He is really stepping up since Shipley's departure and looks to be the new safety net for Dalton. He has good field vision and is quite possibly the best current receiver for yards gained after the catch on the team. Gresham also got in the mix with 37 yards. If it needs to be noted that Baby Hawk is great after the catch, then I think it needs to be noted that Gresham is not so great after the catch. When he actually does catch the ball, he looks like a big, awkward kid going through a growth spurt that doesn't know how to use his body yet. He just sort of dangles for a moment like a big oaf and then falls. This is a large, strong man. Why can't he push through one guy for even one extra yard? What's Eating Jermaine Gresham? In a league where TE's are starting to rule the air, he is going to need to learn to run, catch, and be more confident with the pigskin. Currently, he has been a disappointment. I know a lot of you will hate me for saying that. He has a ton of fans. Please note, that this is the NFL and a guy is only as good as his last play. And Jermaine's last play looked like a 12 year old 6 footer that still can't use his legs or arms. In the spirit of our friends at ESPN, "C'mon Man"!

While the offense improved drastically, the defense remained the same. They somehow managed to allow even more yards this week than the disturbing game in Baltimore where they deteriorated before all of our eyes on national television. They gave Baltimore 430 yards and Cleveland 439. This cannot continue throughout the season. If the offense wouldn't have played the way they did and if PacMan didn't "nom, nom, nom" his way to a punt return for a score, then this game would have been a lot different. This is not a defense we can lean on. Hell, this is not a defense we can win with. They were the sole reason this win was not a win. Instead it was a scary reminder of how this season is going to end up if this defense isn't better. Unfortunately, I don't see a bright spot for them either. The Bengals Defense was spoken highly of all over sports before the season started. I was at camp, I saw the preseason games, they looked good. People said they were going to silently make their way to the top of the NFL rankings. Instead, they are very loudly making their way to the bottom of that list. The line allows run after run after run. They got no pressure on Weeden, who looked like crap last week against the Eagles and had a stellar rating with no interceptions in the Jungle. They couldn't hold them on a third down and they allowed them to score 27 points. The backfield, wait, do we even have a backfield? Mays sat out and Miles took over his spot and was pretty much a non factor the whole game. Nelson, the teams interception leader from last season, was barely even mentioned. Newman led the team in tackles, but you would never know, Clements was barely there, and does anyone know what is going on with Leon Hall. These guys blew coverage, they tackled poorly, and guys just weren't where they were supposed to be. Hall just really sticks out to me. He has got to go. We need to upgrade him immediately. Even his post game interviews anger me. I know we are waiting for Kirkpatrick to heal, but even when he does, he isn't going to be up to game speed. He is a rookie, has barely practiced, and certainly hasn't played in any kind of game situation since college. There has to be a better option and it has to be now. If not, we can all say goodbye to a winning season, the playoffs, and our dignity. The ship is sinking and the defense forgot the raft.

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