— Page 1 — Cincinnati Bengals One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 621-3550 administrative offices (513) 621-3570 administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office www.bengals.com WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE SEPT. 22, 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) Week 3, Game 3 Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 at Paul Brown Stadium Next up: Week 4, Game 4 Oct. 4 at Cleveland Game information Kickoff: 4:15 p.m. EDT. Television: CBS broadcast with Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (analyst). The game is a sellout and will be aired in the Cincinnati home market on CBS affiliates WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington, Ky. Radio: Live coverage on the 28-station Bengals Radio Network, including in Cincinnati on flagships WCKY-AM (1530) “Homer” (all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Brad Johansen (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). The game also will be aired to a national audience on the Westwood One network. Broadcasters are Kevin Kugler (play-by- play) and Mark Malone (analyst), with Scott Graham as the pregame and halftime show host. Setting the scene: The Bengals wanted reason to quickly forget a stunningly improbable loss in their season opener. Mission accomplished there. Now they know they must properly file a memorable and exhilarating win. “Is this as big as it gets? Only until next week,” said WR Chad Ochocinco, minutes after a double-comeback 31-24 win at Green Bay. “Who are we playing next week anyway?” Ochocinco’s smile indicated clearly that he knew quite well it’s the defending world champion Pittsburgh Steelers, headed for Paul Brown Stadium for this week’s nationally featured doubleheader game on CBS-TV. “It’s a great opportunity,” said QB Carson Palmer, “and I think we all know we’re going up against a great team. No offense to the Packers, but you are not going to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers making the mistakes we made in Green Bay. It was exciting and a great team win, but we made it more exciting than we needed to. I virtually gave them two touchdowns (on interceptions), and we had 100 yards in penalties. There are things we definitely need to clean up before the Steelers come to town.” Head coach Marvin Lewis, however, said that in coming back from 14-7 and 21-14 deficits at Green Bay, the Bengals had proven a point they tried to make all last week — that they wouldn’t be “hung over” from the deflected-pass TD play that stole an apparent win in the Sept. 13 season opener vs. Denver. “The bottom line was that we didn’t do enough to win against Denver, and the team understood that,” Lewis said. “That’s where you’re seeing a team with more maturity. Against the Packers, we didn’t flinch. We kept playing when we fell behind. We did extra things it takes to win. That’s how it needs to be all year.” Lewis said the best feeling he took from Green Bay was that “so many guys played key parts. The kind of contribution we had from the whole roster was big.” Including: ● DE Antwan Odom, on a rampage after a disappointing Bengals debut in 2008, tied a franchise record with five sacks. ● HB Cedric Benson pounded the Packers for 141 rushing yards. ● Palmer, despite the two interceptions he lamented, threw for three TDs and posted a passer rating of 93.3. ● Ochocinco’s 91 receiving yards included a tough 13-yard catch for what proved to be the winning TD. ● Rookie LB Rey Maualuga set up the game-turning TD drive with a signature hit and forced fumble that DT Pat Sims recovered for Cincinnati. ● Rookie punt returner Quan Cosby had a 60-yard return to set up a second-quarter TD and a 32-yarder to set up a field goal for a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. ● And rookie punter Kevin Huber made good on his immense promise, with a 46.3-yard average that included two key inside-20 punts in the second half. But the Bengals did have those 100 yards on penalties — the price for 13 flags — and they escaped with only the sixth win in their last 38 games with a minus-differential in turnovers (minus- one). Against the Steelers, who haven’t lost in Cincinnati since 2001, they’ll surely need a more error-free effort. This week’s game opens a three-game stretch for Cincinnati against AFC North Division opponents. Next up are road trips to Cleveland and Baltimore. The series: The Steelers lead, 48-30, including 1-0 in postseason. The Pittsburgh lead is smaller (22-17) in games played in Cincinnati, but Pittsburgh has won eight straight on Bengals turf, erasing what had been a 17-14 Bengals lead as the home team. The Steelers have won the last five meetings overall, including a 38-10 decision on Oct. 19 of last season at Paul Brown Stadium. The last Bengals victory in the series was a 28-20 win at Pittsburgh in 2006. The last Bengals victory at home over the Steelers was by 26-23 in overtime in 2001. The Steelers won the only postseason game on Jan. 8, 2006 (2005 season) at Paul Brown Stadium, prevailing 31-17. The Bengals have played more games against the Steelers (78) than any other opponent. Tennessee (formerly Houston Oilers) is second with 72 meetings, and Cleveland is third with 71. Team bests from the series: Bengals — MOST POINTS: 42, in a 42-7 win at Riverfront Stadium in 1988. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 35, from the 1988 home win. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 3, in a 27-3 win at Riverfront in 1990. Steelers — MOST POINTS: 49, in a 49-31 victory at Riverfront Stadium in 1995. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 28, in last season’s 38-10 win at Cincinnati. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (twice), most recently in a 15-0 win at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000.
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Cincinnati Bengals One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 621-3550 administrative offices (513) 621-3570 administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office www.bengals.com
WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE SEPT. 22, 2009
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)
Week 3, Game 3 Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 at Paul Brown Stadium
Next up:
Week 4, Game 4 Oct. 4 at Cleveland
Game information Kickoff: 4:15 p.m. EDT. Television: CBS broadcast with Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (analyst). The game is a sellout and will be aired in the Cincinnati home market on CBS affiliates WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington, Ky. Radio: Live coverage on the 28-station Bengals Radio Network, including in Cincinnati on flagships WCKY-AM (1530) “Homer” (all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Brad Johansen (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). The game also will be aired to a national audience on the Westwood One network. Broadcasters are Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Mark Malone (analyst), with Scott Graham as the pregame and halftime show host. Setting the scene: The Bengals wanted reason to quickly forget a stunningly improbable loss in their season opener. Mission accomplished there. Now they know they must properly file a memorable and exhilarating win. “Is this as big as it gets? Only until next week,” said WR Chad Ochocinco, minutes after a double-comeback 31-24 win at Green Bay. “Who are we playing next week anyway?” Ochocinco’s smile indicated clearly that he knew quite well it’s the defending world champion Pittsburgh Steelers, headed for Paul Brown Stadium for this week’s nationally featured doubleheader game on CBS-TV. “It’s a great opportunity,” said QB Carson Palmer, “and I think we all know we’re going up against a great team. No offense to the Packers, but you are not going to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers making the mistakes we made in Green Bay. It was exciting and a great team win, but we made it more exciting than we needed to. I virtually gave them two touchdowns (on interceptions), and we had 100 yards in penalties. There are things we definitely need to clean up before the Steelers come to town.” Head coach Marvin Lewis, however, said that in coming back from 14-7 and 21-14 deficits at Green Bay, the Bengals had proven a point they tried to make all last week — that they wouldn’t be “hung over” from the deflected-pass TD play that stole an apparent win in the Sept. 13 season opener vs. Denver. “The bottom line was that we didn’t do enough to win against Denver, and the team understood that,” Lewis said. “That’s where you’re seeing a team with more maturity. Against the Packers, we didn’t flinch. We kept playing when we fell behind. We did extra things it takes to win. That’s how it needs to be all year.” Lewis said the best feeling he took from Green Bay was that “so many guys played key parts. The kind of contribution we had from the whole roster was big.” Including: ● DE Antwan Odom, on a rampage after a disappointing
Bengals debut in 2008, tied a franchise record with five sacks. ● HB Cedric Benson pounded the Packers for 141 rushing yards. ● Palmer, despite the two interceptions he lamented, threw for three TDs and posted a passer rating of 93.3. ● Ochocinco’s 91 receiving yards included a tough 13-yard catch for what proved to be the winning TD. ● Rookie LB Rey Maualuga set up the game-turning TD drive with a signature hit and forced fumble that DT Pat Sims recovered for Cincinnati. ● Rookie punt returner Quan Cosby had a 60-yard return to set up a second-quarter TD and a 32-yarder to set up a field goal for a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. ● And rookie punter Kevin Huber made good on his immense promise, with a 46.3-yard average that included two key inside-20 punts in the second half. But the Bengals did have those 100 yards on penalties — the price for 13 flags — and they escaped with only the sixth win in their last 38 games with a minus-differential in turnovers (minus-one). Against the Steelers, who haven’t lost in Cincinnati since 2001, they’ll surely need a more error-free effort. This week’s game opens a three-game stretch for Cincinnati against AFC North Division opponents. Next up are road trips to Cleveland and Baltimore. The series: The Steelers lead, 48-30, including 1-0 in postseason. The Pittsburgh lead is smaller (22-17) in games played in Cincinnati, but Pittsburgh has won eight straight on Bengals turf, erasing what had been a 17-14 Bengals lead as the home team. The Steelers have won the last five meetings overall, including a 38-10 decision on Oct. 19 of last season at Paul Brown Stadium. The last Bengals victory in the series was a 28-20 win at Pittsburgh in 2006. The last Bengals victory at home over the Steelers was by 26-23 in overtime in 2001. The Steelers won the only postseason game on Jan. 8, 2006 (2005 season) at Paul Brown Stadium, prevailing 31-17. The Bengals have played more games against the Steelers (78) than any other opponent. Tennessee (formerly Houston Oilers) is second with 72 meetings, and Cleveland is third with 71. Team bests from the series: Bengals — MOST POINTS: 42, in a 42-7 win at Riverfront Stadium in 1988. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 35, from the 1988 home win. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 3, in a 27-3 win at Riverfront in 1990. Steelers — MOST POINTS: 49, in a 49-31 victory at Riverfront Stadium in 1995. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 28, in last season’s 38-10 win at Cincinnati. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (twice), most recently in a 15-0 win at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000.
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(Game information, continued) The last meeting: Complete summaries of last season’s Bengals-Steelers games are on page 15 of this release. Bengals’ 25th against champs: The Steelers game will mark the 25th time in Cincinnati franchise history that the Bengals have played a regular-season game against the defending Super Bowl champion. Cincinnati shows a 7-17 record in the previous 24 games. But after losing their first eight games against defending league champs, the Bengals have done better, posting a 7-9 mark over the last 16 instances, and Cincinnati’s last two losses to defending champs have come in overtime. Last season, the Bengals almost pulled their recent record to 8-8 in such games, but they fell 26-23 in overtime at the defending champion N.Y. Giants. Prior to last year, the Bengals’ most recent meetings against a defending champion were in 2006, when Cincinnati split its AFC North series against the defending champion Steelers. Here’s a recap of the last 16 Bengals games against defending Super Bowl winners:
DATE OPPONENT RESULT
Oct. 14, 1979 Pittsburgh ................................ Bengals, 34-10 Dec. 2, 1979 @Pittsburgh ............................ Steelers, 37-17 Sept. 21, 1980 Pittsburgh ................................ Bengals, 30-28 Oct. 12, 1980 @Pittsburgh ............................ Bengals, 17-16 Sept. 28, 1986 Chicago ......................................... Bears, 44-7 Dec. 17, 1988 Washington ..................... Bengals, 20-17 (OT) Dec. 9, 1990 San Francisco ..................... 49ers, 20-17 (OT) Dec. 1, 1991 NY Giants ................................ Bengals, 27-24 Oct. 30, 1994 Dallas .................................... Cowboys, 23-20 Nov. 1, 1998 Denver ..................................... Broncos, 33-26 Sept. 23, 2001 Baltimore ................................. Bengals, 21-10 Dec. 23, 2001 @Baltimore ................................ Ravens, 16-0 Dec. 12, 2004 @New England ........................ Patriots, 35-28 Sept. 24, 2006 @Pittsburgh ............................ Bengals, 28-20 Dec. 31, 2006 Pittsburgh ........................Steelers, 23-17 (OT) Sept. 21, 2008 @NY Giants ...................... Giants, 26-23 (OT) Sellout streak to hit 46: This week’s game is a sellout, and will extend to 46 the Bengals’ franchise-record streak for consecutive sellouts in regular and postseason play. The Bengals have not had a game blacked out on local television since Nov. 9, 2003. The sellout streak began with a game against Kansas City on Nov. 16, 2003. The second-longest sellout streak in franchise history was 43 games at Riverfront Stadium, running from the 1988 season opener through the conclusion of the 1992 season. Individually vs. Steelers: Bengals QB Carson Palmer returns to action against the Steelers this week for the first time since 2007. He missed both of last year’s games while rehabbing from an elbow injury he suffered in September. Palmer has a 2-6 record as a starter against Pittsburgh in regular-season play. He also started against Pittsburgh in the playoffs following the 2005 season, but he was sidelined on the offense’s second play with a knee injury. His nine-game totals against the Steelers are 155-for-276 passing (56.2 percent) for 1681 yards, with 13 TDs and seven INTs; passer rating of 79.4. Other Bengals’ past performances for Cincinnati against Pittsburgh (including postseason): ● HB Cedric Benson: Two games; 30 rushes for 87 yards (2.9); two receptions for 14 yards (7.0). ● FB Jeremi Johnson: 11 games; two rushes for two yards (1.0); five pass receptions for 23 yards (4.6) and one TD. ● WR Chad Ochocinco: 16 games; 77 catches for 1088 yards (14.1) with three TDs; average of 4.8 catches and 68 yards per game. ● WR Chris Henry: Seven games; 22 catches for 411 yards (18.7), three TDs. ● WR Andre Caldwell: Two games; Three catches for 26 yards (8.7). ● WR Antonio Chatman (Reserve/Injured): Three games; three catches for 14 yards (4.7).
● TE Daniel Coats: Four games; no offensive statistics. ● TE Reggie Kelly (Reserve/Injured): 13 games; 17 catches for 122 yards (7.2), one TD. ● TE Ben Utecht (Reserve/Injured): One game: Three catches for 36 yards (12.0). Tough to tie 13: Eleven years ago, in a victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 11, 1998 at Cinergy Field, Bengals WR Carl Pickens had a team-record 13 receptions (for 204 yards). He broke a mark of 12 that had been set twice (once by James Brooks and once by himself). And since he caught the 13, there have been five other instances of a Bengal catching 12 in a game. But Pickens’ 13-catch game still stands alone. Other Bengals records involving the Steelers include: ● On Oct. 19, 1995, the Bengals allowed the most yards in franchise history (468) without allowing a touchdown. They beat the Steelers 27-9 at Three Rivers Stadium. ● On Dec. 20, 1998 at Pittsburgh, HB Brandon Bennett set the Bengals record for most receiving yards in a game by a RB, with 119 on three catches. ● On Dec. 30, 2001, Bengals WRs accounted for 384 receiving yards vs. Pittsburgh, the most ever in a game by Bengals WRs. ● On Oct. 28, 1973, Pittsburgh S Mike Wagner became the first opponent to intercept three passes in a game against the Bengals. Four players have tied that mark since. ● On Oct. 15, 2000, Pittsburgh’s Josh Miller tied for the most punts ever against the Bengals with 12. Red-zone reports: The Bengals cashed touchdowns on all four of their possessions inside the Green Bay 20-yard line last week, moving to five-for-six on the season. The Bengals’ 83.3 percent TD conversion rate is tied with Dallas for third-best in the NFL. Defensively, the Bengals are in a multiple tie for fewest red-zone possessions allowed, at three. Pittsburgh led the NFL last season in defensive red-zone TD percentage (33.3 percent), allowing touchdowns on only 14 of 42 opponent chances. Through two games this year, however, the Steelers are at 60 percent, having allowed three TDs in five opponent penetrations.
Bengals red-zone report OFFENSE DEFENSE
Inside-20 poss.: 6 Inside-20 poss.: 3 Total scores: 5 (83.3%) Total scores: 2 (66.7%) TDs: 5 (83.3%) TDs: 2 (66.7%) FGs: 0 (0.0%) FGs: 0 (0.0%) TD% rank: T-3rd TD% rank: T-25th No scores: 1 (16.7%) No scores: 1 (33.3%) Lost on downs: 1 (0.0%) End of game: 1 (33.3%)
Steelers red-zone report OFFENSE DEFENSE
Inside-20 poss.: 5 Inside-20 poss.: 5 Total scores: 4 (80.0%) Total scores: 3 (60.0%) TDs: 2 (40.0%) TDs: 3 (60.0%) FGs: 2 (40.0%) FGs: 0 (0.0%) TD% rank: T-23rd TD% rank: T-19th No scores: 1 (20.0%) No scores: 2 (40.0%) Bengals-Steelers connections: Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis grew up in McDonald, Pa., near Pittsburgh. Lewis’ first NFL coaching job was with Steelers as LBs coach from 1992-95 under head coach Bill Cowher ... Steelers QBs coach Ken Anderson is a key player in Bengals history; his 16 Bengals seasons (’71-86) are most in franchise history, and he also was on Bengals coaching staff for 10 years (’93-2002) ... Steelers CB Keiwan Ratliff played for the Bengals from 2004-07 and attended Whitehall-Yearling HS in Columbus ... Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was on the University of Cincinnati staff in 1999-2000 ... Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was a Bengals assistant coach from ’80-91 and ’97-00, and was Bengals head coach from Game 4 of ’00 through ’02. LeBeau is from London,
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(Bengals-Steelers connections, continued) Ohio ... Bengals QB Carson Palmer and Steelers S Troy Polamalu were roommates during their college playing days at USC ... Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is from Findlay, Ohio and played in college at Miami (Ohio) ... Steelers WR Santonio Holmes played at Ohio State ... Steelers LB Andre Frazier was with the Bengals in ’06 and for the first two games of ’07; Frazier is a Cincinnati native (Hughes High School), played at the University of Cincinnati, and is the son of former Bengals LB Guy Frazier ... Bengals DL coach Jay Hayes and Bengals TEs coach Jonathan Hayes are brothers who grew up in South Fayette, Pa. ... Jonathan Hayes played TE for the Steelers from ’94-96, and Jay Hayes was on the Steelers coaching staff from ’99-01 ... Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski was Steelers receivers coach from ’99-00 ... Bengals assistant head coach/offensive line coach Paul Alexander coached at Penn State from ’83-84 ... Bengals strength and conditioning coach Chip Morton coached at Penn State from ’87-91 ... Bengals assistant strength and conditioning coach Ray Oliver coached at the University of Pittsburgh from ’85-88 ... Bengals RBs coach Jim Anderson and assistant OL coach Bob Surace are both from Harrisburg, Pa. ... Steelers defensive backs coach Ray Horton played for the Bengals from ’83-88 and was on their coaching staff from ’97-01
... Steelers CB William Gay played at Louisville ... Steelers offensive line coach Larry Zierlein coached at the University of Cincinnati from 1997-2000 ... Steelers assistant special teams coach Amos Jones was on the University of Cincinnati staff from ’99-02 ... Steelers special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky coached at Kent State from 1989-90 and at Bowling Green from 1991-99.
The head coaches Marvin Lewis is in his seventh season as Bengals head coach, one year from tying Paul Brown and Sam Wyche for the franchise’s longest tenure of eight seasons. In Bengals head coaching victories, he also ranks third (behind Wyche and Brown). Lewis’ Bengals record is 47-50-1 in the regular season, 0-1 in postseason and 47-51-1 overall. He needs eight victories to tie Paul Brown (55-59-1) in Bengals annals and is 17 wins behind Wyche (64-68). His Bengals log includes an AFC North Division championship in 2005, and he coached his first five years (2003-07) without experiencing a losing season, the club’s longest such streak since a six-year span from 1972-77. Lewis enters 2009 tied for fifth in the NFL for current consecutive seasons as a head coach (seven). He has also cracked the active top 10 for most total seasons as an NFL head coach, sharing ninth place at seven with Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio. Lewis was named the ninth Bengals head coach on Jan. 14, 2003. In 2002, he directed the NFL’s fifth-ranked defense with Washington, serving as assistant head coach in addition to his role as defensive coordinator. Prior to his year with the Redskins, he was a record-setting defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. His six seasons (1996-2001) with the Ravens included a Super Bowl victory following the 2000 season. In the 2000 regular season, Lewis’ Baltimore defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game campaign (165). Lewis entered the NFL as linebackers coach with Pittsburgh from 1993-95, guiding the careers of Pro Bowl selections Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd. Born Sept. 23, 1958, in McDonald, Pa., near Pittsburgh, Lewis played linebacker at Idaho State and earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in each of his three seasons (1978-80). He
began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Idaho State in 1981. Mike Tomlin is in his third year as Steelers head coach. Last season he became the youngest head coach (36 years, 323 days) to win a Super Bowl when his team defeated Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII. The only head coach in Steelers history to win a division title in each of his first two seasons, he has a 26-12 record, including 3-1 in postseason. In 2007, Tomlin led his first Steelers team to a 10-6 record and the AFC North championship before losing to Jacksonville in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. In 2006, Tomlin was defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, directing a unit that ranked eighth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed and first in fewest rushing yards. He spent the previous five seasons (2001-05) as defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His secondary recorded four interceptions in Tampa Bay’s victory over Oakland in Super Bowl XXXVII. Tomlin has a Cincinnati connection, having coached DBs for the University of Cincinnati in 1999-2000. A native of Hampton, Va., he played WR at William & Mary from 1990-94 and finished his career with a school-record 20 TD catches. Lewis vs. Steelers: Lewis is 3-10, including 0-1 in postseason. Lewis vs. Tomlin: Tomlin leads, 4-0. Tomlin vs. Bengals: Tomlin leads, 4-0.
Bengals information Odom’s start hottest on record: Elias Sports Bureau reports this week that since 1982, when individual sacks became an official NFL statistic, no player has matched Bengal DE Antwan Odom’s total of seven for the first two games of a season. The previous record for Games 1-2 of a season was 6.5, by Detroit DE William Gay in 1983 (Gay finished ’83 with 13.5). Odom leads by three in the NFL sacks race. He has more than twice as many sacks as every player except DE Elvis Dumervil of Denver, who has four. Odom started his year with two sacks vs. Denver on Sept. 13, and last week against Green Bay, he tied the Bengals record of five in a game. The Bengals had seen such a performance only once previously, when DE Eddie Edwards logged five vs.
Cleveland on Dec. 21, 1980 (the Bengals have compiled individual sack records since 1976). Odom and Edwards now share the Bengals record for most sacks over any two-game span, as Edwards had seven over the last two games of 1980. Odom’s five sacks against the Packers were the most by an NFL player in any game since Sept. 30, 2007, when N.Y. Giants DE Osi Umenyiora had six against Philadelphia. The NFL record for sacks in a game is seven, by Kansas City LB Derrick Thomas vs. Seattle in 1990, and the league record for sacks in a season is 22.5, by DE Michael Strahan of the N.Y. Giants in 2001. The Bengals’ official franchise single-season record is 22.0 by DE Coy Bacon in 1976 (when the full season was only 14 games). Eddie Edwards is the franchise’s all-time sacks leader at
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(Odom’s start hottest on record, continued) 83.5, well ahead of LB Reggie Williams, who is second at 62.5. The highest a Bengal has finished in the NFL sacks race (since 1982) has been tied for ninth, by Edwards with 13 in 1983. Odom, a sixth-year NFL player, now has 22.5 career sacks, and 18 of those have come in the 30 games he has played since 2007. He played for Tennessee from 2004-07 before joining the Bengals last year as an unrestricted free agent. Odom produced 31 yards in losses with his five sacks of Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers. Two of his first three sacks helped push the Packers out of field-goal range, forcing punting situations, and midway through the fourth quarter, he pushed the Packers into a third-and-15 situation at their 28, with a punt the result of that drive. Heck of a comeback: DE Antwan Odom is the first to admit he had disappointing results in 2008, his first year as a Bengal. The high-profile free agent signee was limited by injuries to 12 games and eight starts. He managed just three sacks and seven QB pressures after getting eight sacks and 29 pressures for Tennessee in 2007. But in 2009, Odom has posted the fastest two-game sacks start (seven) on record in the NFL (see previous item). “You think you’re dreaming,” he said. “But this isn’t a dream.” A sixth-year NFL veteran from Alabama, Odom does not have the high-glitz personality that often accompanies those who trade in one of the NFL’s most hyped statistics. He’s a country guy from Bayou La Batre, Ala., where he formerly worked long hours in the area’s seafood industry and became a fan of NASCAR racing and pro wrestling. He’s basically a quiet sort, and he is quietly frank about owning up to his unease over the numbers he posted for Cincinnati last season. “When you get paid at a high level, you want to produce results,” he says. “I felt very deeply about the Bengals not getting what they had paid for last year. I felt like I was stealing money. Injuries were a part of it, for sure, but that was no excuse in my mind. I really have set my mind this year on coming back and showing people that I’m not the type of guy who gets hurt and misses time.” A huge key for Odom, it appears, was offseason work that turned him from a 250 pounder in 2008 to a 280-pounder in ’09. “I felt like I was kind of pushed around last season,” he says, “and when you get pushed around, you get hurt. I didn’t want that to happen again. I don’t have to strain as much now to take on blocks, and I think my endurance and my speed are still just fine.” Another key, Odom says, was seeking treatment for a sleep apnea disorder he had struggled with for some time. He now is sleeping through each night and is fully rested heading into work each day. Agog about Antwan: DE Antwan Odom’s teammates — present and former — are raving about him. “He looks like a different player,” says DE Robert Geathers. “He’s bigger, stronger. He’s got different focus. To be the biggest free-agent signing (in Bengals history), he’s got a lot on his shoulders. He was hurt last year and it was a disappointment for him. We can all tell he has a little chip on his shoulder.” “He’s a whole different player,” agrees DT Domata Peko. “I remember at the bench (press) test last year at 225 pounds, he was struggling. But he had a hell of an offseason and he came in benching as much as D-tackles. He’s at 280 solid and he’s still got his quickness, but he’s got a lot more meat and a lot more muscle on him. I told him even before the Green Bay game, ‘You keep this stuff up and you’re going to have a helluva year.’ ” Former Bengals and Titans DT John Thornton, now working in the Cincinnati media, notes that Odom’s added weight is part of his successful transition from Tennessee to the Cincinnati system. “Antwan fits this (Bengals) style better now,” Thornton says. “In Tennessee, it’s all about speed and being on the edge. There’s a different philosophy here. Here he has had to play more technique, and last year he was in front of a tight end a lot. I think the added weight has helped him.” Odom praises the Bengals line depth, with young veterans Jonathan Fanene and Pat Sims able to see plenty of action and
give the starters some rest. “You get a blow,” Odom said, “and you get fresh in the fourth quarter, and you’re still able to rush.” Odom also likes moving inside to play a DT spot in some nickel situations, with rookie Michael Johnson putting his speed-rush talents to work at DE. “I like it inside; it’s good to mix it up,” Odom said. “We worked on pass rushing all offseason, and I think it’s paying off.” Team has sacks lead: The Bengals have nine sacks as a team — seven by DE Antwan Odom, one by DT Jonathan Fanene and one by LB Rey Maualuga — and they lead the NFL, with Arizona in second place with eight. Team sacks became an official statistic in 1963 in the NFL and in ’64 in the AFL. The Bengals’ highest finish for a full season was in 1973, when head coach Paul Brown and defensive coordinator Chuck Weber guided a unit that finished fourth with 43 sacks. In 2001, with Dick LeBeau as head coach and Mark Duffner as defensive coordinator, Cincinnati tied for fourth with 48. The 48 figure is the club record for sacks in a season. Four players in 2001 had six or more sacks — DE Reinard Wilson (9), DE Justin Smith (8.5), LB Brian Simmons (6.5) and LB Takeo Spikes (6). Bengals’ new breed: Head coach Marvin Lewis said it entering the season — “this is a really young team” — and the NFL’s annual analysis of Kickoff Weekend rosters confirms it. The Bengals entered the 2009 season with an average of 3.77 years of NFL experience per player, the lowest among the 32 teams. Green Bay was second-lowest at 3.81. Cincinnati’s average age of players on the 53-player roster was 26.13, third-lowest in the AFC and tied for fifth-lowest in the league. And the Bengals have gotten a bit younger since Kickoff Weekend. Following the opener vs. Denver, Cincinnati released fourth-year HB DeDe Dorsey and replaced him with rookie OT Andre Smith, the club’s first-round choice in the 2009 draft. Smith had been on a roster exemption for Denver. Pittsburgh’s average experience on Kickoff Weekend was 4.74 years, second-most in the AFC and ninth in the NFL. The Steelers’ average age was 27.10. “We’ve got athleticism and ability, but we have to set the goal of being the best-prepared team in the NFL,” Lewis has said. “We can’t afford lapses. We can’t leave a stone unturned. We have to make really good decisions all the time, and build a sharpness that’s going to snowball and get better and better every week. When Chad (Ochocinco) has one of our special parking places (reserved for players with the most NFL experience), that’s bad.” Lewis laughed, to indicate he didn’t literally mean “bad,” but he added: “It tells me this team has to play a little bit beyond its years.” Numbers good, but unit better? Bengals QB Carson Palmer, always quick to credit his teammates, doesn’t want anyone reading too much into the current rankings numbers of the Cincinnati defense. They’re not bad — 11th in yards allowed, 12th in scoring — but ... “You have to look at the way things have played out,” Palmer said. “Against Green Bay, I gave away 14 points myself (with two interceptions, one returned for a TD and the other returned to the Bengals 11). So the defense really only gave up one (touchdown). Against Denver, the only (touchdown) was on the crazy play at the end. So in my mind, our defense has given up one TD in two games that they’re really responsible for. They’re playing great, I give ’em all the credit in the world.” The Bengals allowed Green Bay to gain 311 net yards, but 99 of those came in the game’s final two minutes, when the Bengals, protecting the 31-21 lead they had established with 1:56 to play, were happy enough to give up some ground in exchange for time off the clock. The Packers had only 113 yards in the first half, when their 21 points included the two interception-related TDs. The Packers scored only three points after the teams entered halftime tied at 21. “We’ve got a long, long way to go in this season,” said defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, “but I’m confident in my guys. They come to play with all they’ve got, and that’s all you can ask.
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(Numbers good, but unit better?, continued) Dating back to the end of last year, through this preseason and up to now, they haven’t given me any reason to believe they’re not going to show up every week and give us a good performance.” A few more numbers regarding the Cincinnati defense: ● Led by DE Antwan Odom with seven, Cincinnati leads the NFL in sacks (nine). Arizona is second with eight. Zimmer has long been on record as saying improving the team’s pass pressure was Job One on the improvement list from 2008. ● Though it’s only two games, the Bengals’ average of 82.0 rushing yards allowed is better than the franchise has ever done for a full season. The club record is 93.7 yards in 1983. ● And though a yard is a yard, 43 of Green Bay’s 89 rushing yards last week came on scrambles by QB Aaron Rodgers. RB Ryan Grant was held to 14-for-46 (3.3). Three threats to QBs: DE Antwan Odom’s hot start for the Bengals can serve as inspiration for two other Cincinnati veterans who are motivated to make big contributions. Like Odom, DE Robert Geathers and DT Tank Johnson are NFL veterans in their prime — 27 years old. Geathers, whose 10.5 sacks in 2006 were the most by a Bengal since 1983, has had only six over the last two seasons. Last year, he missed five games with a knee injury. And Johnson, known for some years as one of the NFL’s better interior pass rushers with Chicago and Dallas, played every game for the Cowboys last year but had only one sack. “We all want the same thing,” says Geathers. “I think that’s going to make a difference. Antwan, Tank and I, we’ve all had years where we haven’t been as productive as we have been before. We want to get back to where our numbers were before and be respected among our peers. When I set foot on the field, I want offenses to have to account for me.” Head coach Marvin Lewis credited Geathers with a big assist to Odom’s performance at Green Bay. “Robert also played very well,” Lewis said. “He had a lot of pressures and was close to making a lot of sack plays. Like I’ve said, a lot of guys contribute to someone (like Odom) having that kind of day of sacking the quarterback. It’s the coverage, it’s the other rushers being in the right spots. We need to keep doing better at that.” Benson rolls on: HB Cedric Benson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, sat healthy but unwanted by any team for almost four months last year. When the Bengals, with an injury depleted RB corps, ended his exile by signing him as a free agent on Sept. 30, 2008, no one knew what, if anything, to expect. By now, of course, the entire NFL knows what a good decision that was. Benson had a fine finish with the Bengals in ’08, winding up as the team leader in rushing (747) and yards from scrimmage (932). And this season, with the benefit of a full offseason in the Cincinnati system, he just keeps looking better. He had 108 yards from scrimmage (76 rushing, 32 receiving) in the opener vs. Denver, and last week at Green Bay, he rushed for 141 yards on 29 carries, helping lead a 31-24 Bengals win. Benson’s longest rush at Green Bay was only 14 yards, but it was one of six gains he had on the day of 10 or more yards. He ranks third in the AFC and sixth in the NFL in rushing yards (217), and fitting the mold of the workhorse the team wants him to be, he is tied with Atlanta’s Michael Turner for the league lead in carries (50). He is on an early pace to finish the season with 400 carries, which would break the Bengals record of 361 set by Rudi Johnson in 2004. Benson has had three 100-yard rushing games in his last four, dating back to last season. He closed 2008 by rushing for a career-high 171 at Cleveland and 111 vs. Kansas City. “Cedric’s will and his drive is something we feed off offensively,” QB Carson Palmer said after the Green Bay game. “The group we have in front of him is creating holes, and when you combine their power and Cedric’s will, speed, explosiveness, that’s what we expect. We’re going to expect that all year long.” Twenty-five does the trick: The Bengals are 23-1 in 24 games under coach Marvin Lewis in which a rusher
carries 25 or more times. HB Cedric Benson has added to the list in three of the last four games, dating back to last season. Last week, Benson had 29 carries (for 141 yards) in Cincinnati’s 31-24 win at Green Bay. The Bengals are 3-0 when Benson has carried 25 or more times. Cincinnati was 18-1 when Rudi Johnson had 25 or more (his first such game came in 2003), and the Bengals were 2-0 when Kenny Watson had a pair of 25-plus games in 2007. “It’s not always the yardage total that’s most important,” says Lewis. “When your back is carrying 25 times, it means that even though the yardage will vary, you’re controlling the ball, controlling the clock, and keeping your defense off the field. As it shows for us, that is very likely going to be a winning combination.” Cincinnati’s only loss under Lewis with a 25-carry rusher was Dec. 24, 2006 at Denver, when the Broncos overcame a 30-for-129 day by Rudi Johnson in a 24-23 win. Factors that contributed to the game being the lone exception to the 25-carry formula included a minus-two turnover differential for the Bengals and a missed PAT in the closing seconds that kept Cincinnati from forcing an overtime. Benson’s ratio tops the leaders: Cedric Benson in 2008 became the 20th player in Bengals history to rush for 100 yards in a game, and his 141-yard effort at Green Bay last week upped his Cincinnati total to four 100-yarders in 12 starts. That’s an average of one 100-yarder for every 3.0 starts, better than the ratios posted by Corey Dillon and Rudi Johnson, the players who rank 1-2 in most 100-yard rushing games for Cincinnati. Dillon got his team-record 28 games of 100 rushing yards in 96 starts, an average of one every 3.43 starts. Johnson got his 19 games of 100 in 59 starts, one for every 3.11 starts.; Here’s a listing of the 20 Bengals players to rush for 100 yards in a game, with their number of 100-yarders in parentheses: ● Ten or more games — Corey Dillon (28), Rudi Johnson (19), James Brooks (17), Pete Johnson (14). ● Five-to-nine games — Harold Green (eight), Paul Robinson (six), Essex Johnson (five), Ickey Woods (five). ● One-to-four games — Cedric Benson (four), Larry Kinnebrew (four), Boobie Clark (three), Archie Griffin (three), Jess Phillips (three), Kenny Watson (two), Ki-Jana Carter (one), Virgil Carter (one), Doug Dressler (one), Marc Logan (one), Deacon Turner (one), Stanley Wilson (one). Benson has six 100-yard rushing games for his NFL career. He had two for Chicago, one in 2006 and one in ’07. More on Benson’s comeback: HB Cedric Benson and the Bengals have been on roughly parallel paths since 2005. In 2005, the Bengals won a division championship, and Benson joined the Chicago Bears with high hopes as the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft. But the Bengals have been out of the playoffs since, and Benson has been largely out of the spotlight. He was released by the Bears after 2007, carrying mediocre numbers and a reputation of not being a good team player. But things started picking up again in 2008. An injury-ridden Bengals team rallied from a disastrous start to post a 4-3-1 record over the season’s second half, and Benson was a big part of it. Rescued from the ranks of the NFL unemployed in late September, he went on to post three 100-yard rushing games, to lead the team in rushing yards (747) and yards from scrimmage (932), and to earn a new reputation as a valued teammate and friendly figure to media. “Ced has not taken a play off since he’s been here,” says QB Carson Palmer, “in a game or in practice. Even in T-shirts and shorts, he’s going 100 miles an hour. Maybe some people wondered about him personally when he first got here, but he put that to rest in a hurry and earned everyone’s respect.” Benson was completely exonerated from off-field charges which had contributed to Chicago’s decision to release him in June of 2008. But he concedes he did not always carry himself or his emotions well while with Chicago. He says the rough period after his release helped effect the changes his teammates and Bengals fans have seen. “I’m proud to have gone through what I did, and to have turned things around,” he says.
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(Bengals information, continued) One tough test: After rushing for 141 yards at Green Bay last week, and after averaging 124.8 yards over his last four games as a Bengal, HB Cedric Benson faces a semester exam this week against Pittsburgh. The Steelers, traditionally one of the NFL’s toughest teams against the run, have allowed an average of only 64.5 rushing yards in two games this season. Last season, they ranked second in the NFL at 80.3 yards allowed per game. O-Line supports some gains: Though the Bengals offense has had its share of turnover and penalty problems over the first two games, the good news compared to 2008 is that opportunities have been there. Cincinnati has averaged a respectable 313 net yards over the first two games, after averaging only 245.4 yards last season with QB Carson Palmer missing 12 games. HB Cedric Benson ranks third in the AFC and sixth in the NFL in rushing (217 yards), and Benson ranks fifth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage at 249. WR Chad Ochocinco is off to a solid start on his promised comeback year, ranking fourth in the AFC and sixth in the NFL with 180 receiving yards. Ochocinco’s 20.0-yard average per catch is the highest of the top 10 receiving yards leaders in the AFC. The bottom line is that the Bengals’ revamped offensive line continues to show promise after a good preseason. RG Bobbie Williams is the only offensive lineman starting in the same spot where he played at least half the season last year. LOT Andrew Whitworth was also a regular starter last year, but he spent most of the season at guard. Whitworth and Williams are the veteran leaders of the group. Elsewhere on the starting five: ● Anthony Collins, a fourth-round 2008 draft pick, is at ROT. He started the last six games at LOT last season, as a replacement for injured Levi Jones. Also seeing action at ROT at Green Bay, spelling Collins, was second-year pro Dennis Roland. ROT had been the designated destination for first-round draft pick Andre Smith of Alabama, but Smith did not sign until Aug. 30, and he suffered a foot injury in his second practice, on Sept. 1. ● Second-year pro Nate Livings opened the season as the starting LG, but he suffered a knee injury vs. Denver and has been replaced by fifth-year pro Evan Mathis. Livings saw his first NFL regular-season action in ’08, starting the final six games as an injury replacement, and he helped the club average 167.0 rushing yards over last season’s final three games. Mathis is a fifth-year NFL player, with 33 games of experience for Carolina and Miami prior to joining the Bengals. ● The center position is held by second-year pro Kyle Cook, who has added a more physical presence. Cook delivered a strong performance in ’09 offseason work, and the 312-pounder promises to bring more power to the spot. “Kyle is a big, strong guy,” says Lewis, “and he has shown us that he’s smart and understands the game, able to make the calls and get people in the right spots.” On the line as a whole, Whitworth says: “I really believe we have talent and great chemistry, and that’s going to show. We came into this season with a lot to prove, but history shows that more often than not, the team that has something to prove is more successful than a team that doesn’t think it has a lot to prove. I like the mixture of guys we have. I’ll take it.” Big-play Rey: The second-round selection of LB Rey Maualuga “made” the Bengals 2009 draft in the eyes of many fans. With his wild hair, animated personality and reckless abandon on the field, the USC linebacker was a highly recognizable player. Many considered him a first-round talent, and the Bengals were lauded for a “steal” in getting him with the 38th overall pick. All of the above is still the case through the Bengals’ first two games. Maualuga is only rookie in the Cincinnati starting lineup on either side of the ball in 2009, having moved ahead of a tough veteran — Rashad Jeanty — into the No. 1 SLB spot. And last week at Green Bay, he delivered the first of what
Bengals coaches hope will be a long list of game-changing plays. With the score tied at 21 in the third quarter, the Packers had the tide turning their way. After a Bengals punt on the first possession of the period, Green Bay had driven from its four-yard line to a first down at the Cincinnati 40. But on that first-down play, Maualuga popped Packers RB Ryan Grant after a five-yard reception, and the collision sent ball and ball carrier heading different ways. DT Pat Sims recovered the loose ball for Cincinnati, and the Bengals offense responded with a 62-yard TD drive, Cincinnati taking the lead for good at 28-21. Maualuga also had a sack and forced fumble of Aaron Rodgers in the first half at Green Bay (Packers recovered the fumble), and he totaled six tackles on the day. He has 11 tackles on the season. Maualuga reports that he has worked hard to turn his unexpectedly late draft selection into a motivational positive. “Hopefully — no, not hopefully, somewhere down the line — people are going to say, ‘OK, he’s a football player. We made a mistake, this guy can play,’ ” he said. “And so I’m going to show that. I’m just working my butt off to get out there as fast as possible.” Head coach Marvin Lewis says: “With Rey, you knew from the start that the game was not going to be too big for him. He loves the challenge, he does everything at full speed, and he does it with an impact.” Corner-stones: At the crucial position of cornerback, the Bengals are fortunate to have two young players, hitting their prime years, who have shown every indication of living up to their billing as first-round draft choices. Johnathan Joseph of South Carolina was the 24th overall pick in the 2006 draft, and Leon Hall of Michigan joined the Bengals as the 18th pick in the ’07 draft. And in 2009, says defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, it’s time for them to punch their tickets at a Pro Bowl level. “Those two cornerbacks, they’ve got to play good for us to be good,” Zimmer says. “If they don’t, we’re probably not going to be very good.” Hall has played in every game since joining the Bengals, and his 27 starts at RCB include the last 25 in a row. He leads the team in INTs (eight) and passes defensed (40) over Bengals tenure. Last week against Denver, he had a team-high three passes defensed and three tackles. “There’s still room for improvement, but I think everything has carried over from last year,” Hall says. “We’ve been contesting balls and make sure there are no catches. The potential and expectations are very high.” Joseph has had a bit rockier a road as the LCB. The last two seasons, he has missed nine games — and played at less than 100 percent in some others — due to foot injuries. He enters 2009 feeling fully healed for the first time since his rookie year of 2006, and in the Denver game, he had four tackles with a pass defensed. “I’ve shown flashes, but I’m going to put it all together now and stay healthy for 16 full games,” he says. Zimmer is counting on Hall and Joseph to handle top receivers with minimal help, allowing the defense to focus on improving the pass rush. “It’s like always man-to-man,” Joseph says. “We have to stay on point all the time. Pressure is a big thing in this league, and there’s pressure on us.” Adjustments at TE: Though it’s not likely to be a headline-grabber, the contribution from the tight end position figures as a key factor for the Bengals’ overall offensive performance this season. The club entered the preseason with proven veterans Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht atop the depth chart, but both were lost in preseason to the Reserve/Injured list. The key blocking role that Kelly filled is now primarily the responsibility of third-year pro Dan Coats. The 6-3, 264-pound Coats joined the Bengals as an undrafted rookie in 2007 but clawed his way in to playing 31 games with seven starts over his first two seasons. He played TE as a rookie, was switched to FB last year, and has returned to TE this year as the Bengals’ depth at FB improved. He has started the first two games and has contributed three catches for 42 yards
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(Adjustments at TE, continued) in addition to his blocking work. “He’s versatile,” said head coach Marvin Lewis, “and he has gained a lot of experience. That should pay off for him this year.” Also seeing action in the first two games — and with a start at Green Bay in a two-TE formation — was third-year NFL player J.P. Foschi. The former Raider and Chief made the roster after joining the team in training camp, following his release by Oakland. Foschi had a 12-yard reception at Green Bay and is two-for-15 receiving on the season. Utecht’s anticipated contribution as a consistent receiving threat could be covered later in the season by rookie Chase Coffman of Missouri, who finished his college career ranked first in NCAA history in receptions by a TE (247) and second in receiving yards by a TE (2659). But Coffman was not asked in college to do much of the offensive grunt work that often falls to NFL tight ends, so he is still a work in progress. He was a game-day inactive last week. “He’s got a long way to go,” says offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, “but as was the case on draft day, we are very excited about his long-term potential.” Third-down threat? The Bengals have lacked a great situational pass rusher on the defensive line for several seasons, but hopes are that they are grooming one in 6-7, 265-pound Michael Johnson, a rookie third-round selection from Georgia Tech. Though he’s clearly seen as a starting quality player down the road, passing downs are where Johnson could make his impact early in his rookie season. He has played DE in Bengals nickel fronts the first two games, with starting DE Antwan Odom moving inside to a tackle spot. “Mike has exceeded my expectations, and my expectations were high,” head coach Marvin Lewis said of Johnson early in training camp. “Of all the rookie players that I’ve been around in the NFL, he’s played as fast and as physical and has made as many football plays early in camp as any of them. I have been really pleased with Mike.” It’s unusual, to say the least, for Lewis to speak so plainly in touting a rookie. But the Bengals have noted since draft day that Johnson came with exceedingly high potential for a player who lasted until the third round. An imposing player physically, he inspires best-scenario hopes of a career like the one enjoyed by Hall of Famer Ted “The Stork” Hendricks, but he weighs 30 pounds more than Hendricks did. At his best in college, he clearly played like a first-round NFL draft pick, but he came out of Georgia Tech with a reputation for not getting the most of himself on an every-play basis. Hence, he had to wait until the draft’s second day, selected with the No. 70 overall pick. “When you watched him on tape,” said Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, “there were plays that made you say, ‘Oh wow, I can’t believe he could do that. On other plays, you said, ‘Heck, he didn’t do very good there.’ But he’s a first-class kid — top notch, 100 percent — and it’s our job as coaches to get the best out of him on every play.” Johnson has vowed he will listen to all critiques “from people who have my best interests at heart.” Return of Jeremi: When the Bengals released FB Jeremi Johnson in November of last season, it appeared his once-promising Cincinnati career had reached its end. Though Johnson had finished his rehab from a September knee injury, his prospects had faded due to two seasons which saw him get off to very slow starts due to weight and conditioning issues. It seemed he would be unable to regain the level of play that earned him first-alternate status for the Pro Bowl after the 2006 season. But Johnson, who held the team’s No. 1 FB job from his rookie season of 2003 through 2007, did not give up the quest. He convinced the Bengals to re-sign him as a free agent this past April, and on Aug. 10, with his weight not far from a goal of 265 pounds, he was moved to the No. 1 spot on the team’s depth chart. He was the only FB to make the team’s 53-player roster out
of preseason. “I’m very pleased with what we’ve seen from Jeremi,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “He has re-dedicated himself, almost become a different person. I know he feels really good about it, too.” Of his several months as an unsigned player, Johnson said: “I knew I still had a love for football, and that the Bengals still needed me. They called and stayed in touch the whole time. I wasn’t going anywhere. You all just thought I was gone. I was never gone.” The Louisville, Ky., native says he was spurred to a more dedicated lifestyle by the birth last October of a daughter, Jai. “It helped a lot, a whole lot, I’m not going to lie,” Johnson said. “It makes you grow up. Even if you don’t want to.” Palmer rates with greats: The Bengals have looked with much anticipation to QB Carson Palmer’s full return in 2009, and a comparison of top Cincinnati QBs shows why. Despite not playing as a rookie in 2004, as well as playing only four games in 2008, Palmer already holds his own in team passing records against Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason, the Bengals’ two Super Bowl quarterbacks. Palmer owns the franchise’s career records for passer rating and completion percentage, and he holds season marks for TD passes, rating, yards and completions. He also holds the game record for TD passes. Here’s how Anderson, Esiason and Palmer compare, with a chart of team records held by each player:
Comp. pct. (70.6) 300-yd. games (5)* Completions (373) TD/INT ratio (2.9/1) Yards (4131) TD passes (32) Rating (101.1) 300-yd. games (5)* * — Esiason and Palmer share record.
Game records ANDERSON ESIASON PALMER
Completions (40) Yards (490) TD passes (6) Comp. pct. (90.9) Longest pass (94) Chad passes 9000: WR Chad Ochocinco’s 91 receiving yards at Green Bay pushed his career total (all with Cincinnati) to 9085 yards. Though Ochocinco experienced the first down year of his career last season, set back by a chronic sore shoulder and the absence of QB Carson Palmer from the lineup, he has started 2009 in full health and is bent on further extending his already wide leads in Bengals all-time receptions and receiving yards. He will bid this year for his sixth selection for the Pro Bowl, which he missed last year after making the game the previous five seasons. Over the five seasons 2003-07, he posted the five highest receiving yards totals in Bengals history, topped by a record 1440 yards in ’07. Ochocinco’s four catches at Green Bay raised his career receptions total to 621 (all with Cincinnati). He is the only Bengal to reach the 600 mark for a Cincinnati career and is now 91 catches ahead of second-place Carl Pickens. In receiving yards, his 9085 total is nearly 2000 yards ahead of second-place Isaac Curtis (7101). And Ochocinco is just 31 years old, presumably with many
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(Chad passes 9000, continued) more opportunities to fatten his leads. The current top five for all-time Bengals receptions:
PLAYERS YEARS SEASONS RECEPTIONS
Chad Ochocinco *9 2001-09 621 Carl Pickens 8 1992-99 530 T.J. Houshmandzadeh 8 2001-08 507 Cris Collinsworth 8 1981-88 417 Isaac Curtis 12 1973-84 416 * — Two games into ninth season.
And the current top five for all-time Bengals receiving yards:
PLAYERS YEARS SEASONS REC. YARDS
Chad Ochocinco *9 2001-09 9085 Isaac Curtis 12 1973-84 7101 Carl Pickens 8 1992-99 6887 Cris Collinsworth 8 1981-88 6698 Eddie Brown 7 1985-91 6134 * — Two games into ninth season. Chad passes Curtis: WR Chad Ochocinco’s 13-yard TD catch at Green Bay last week not only put the Bengals ahead to stay at 28-21, it put Ochocinco into sole possession of second place all-time in Bengals receiving TDs (54). He snapped a tie with Isaac Curtis, who played 12 seasons (1973-84). Ochocinco is two games into his ninth season. Ochocinco is now within nine of the all-time Bengals leader in receiving TDs, Carl Pickens with 63. Pickens played eight seasons for Cincinnati (1992-99). Ochocinco also now has sole possession of fourth place in total Bengals TDs (54). The record is 70 by FB Pete Johnson, while Pickens shares second place with RB James Brooks at 64. Chad at 107 straight: WR Chad Ochocinco has caught at least one pass in 107 consecutive games, a Bengals record. Ochocinco first established a new Bengals mark at 94 on Sept. 14 of last season vs. Tennessee, breaking a tie at 93 with Carl Pickens. Ochocinco has played in 123 total Bengals games and has had a catch in all but four of them. His last game played without a catch was Game 4 of his second season, in 2002 vs. Tampa Bay. Irvin boosts Henry: Michael Irvin, a supremely talented wide receiver who battled his share of off-field problems to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is lending his support to a similar path for Bengals WR Chris Henry. “I reached out to him, and he was receptive,” said Irvin, now an analyst for NFL Network. “He was a nice young man, and he listened. It told me a lot of things. It told me he didn’t want to be in the situation he was in and that it does matter to him. That his career does matter, football does matter. He wants to play the game. He wants to do the right things. He wants to stay on the football field, because he did listen and we have had conversations about that. So I’m wishing him the best.” Henry is a 24/7 project for Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, who has made it no secret that Henry’s overall game — blocking, grasp of the offense, hustle — still has a long way to go. But it is not a stretch to say that in his best moments as a pure receiver, the 6-4, 200-pound Henry evokes an image of Randy Moss. “Used to be,” says Irvin, “you’d get the big receiver, and got the other receiver that was the fast guy. Now, the big guys are the fast guys. That’s what (Henry) is. He’s the big guy that gets up the field and can still make the plays. It’s hard to press him on the line of scrimmage, because he’s such a big, strong guy.” Henry led the NFL in touchdowns in the 2009 preseason, scoring one in all four Bengals games. He has two catches for 23 yards and one TD this season. Punt return punch: “It’s just two games,” cautions head coach Marvin Lewis, but rookie WR Quan Cosby has had a very good two games as the Bengals’ punt returner. After averaging a solid 9.8 yards on five returns in the season opener, Cosby sparkled last week at Green Bay. He had a 60-
yarder to the Packers six that set up a second-quarter TD, and his 32-yarder in the fourth quarter carried to the Green Bay 29, setting up a field goal for a two-score Bengals lead at 31-21. He finished the day with a 22.8-yard average on five returns. Cosby has a 16.3-yard average over the two games, and enters Week 3 ranking second in the AFC behind Cleveland standout Josh Cribbs (18.2). Cosby ranks fifth in the NFL, with the lead held by Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson at 27.8. But Jackson has only four returns and Cribbs has only five, so Cosby’s average, based on 10 returns, will be slightly less subject to fluctuation in the next couple weeks. Cosby leads the NFL in total returns and in total punt return yardage (163). Cosby’s 60-yard return at Green Bay was the longest by a Bengal since Nov. 16, 2003, when WR Peter Warrick took one 68 yards for a TD vs. Kansas City. The Bengals have not averaged 10 or more yards on punt returns for a full season since 2003, when Warrick (10.9) and Jeff Burris (11.6) combined for an 11.0 average. Cosby won the punt return job with an 11.9-yard average in preseason, including a 49-yarder for a TD. Huber pins ’em: Bengals rookie punter Kevin Huber, a recipient of consistent high praise from head coach Marvin Lewis, is living up to the head man’s words. Over his first two NFL games, Huber leads the NFL in inside-20 punts (seven). He has had only one touchback — that on a 61-yard punt at Green Bay — and he also leads the NFL in differential between inside-20s and touchbacks (plus-six). The 2009 fifth-round draft choice showed his promise in the Green Bay game, averaging 46.3 yards on four punts with a strong 41.3 net. He had two key punts in the second half, a 48-yarder that went out of bounds at the Green Bay four and a 56-yarder to the Packers 26 that backed Green Bay up to its 16 when a holding penalty was tacked on. Huber’s two game punting average is 42.1 yards, with a 38.7 net. As a team, the Bengals have not averaged as high as 38.7 net yards since 1988, when net yardage began being included in punting statistics. Graham a close fourth: Bengals K Shayne Graham ranks fourth in NFL history for career field goal percentage (85.71), and he is less than one percentage point off the lead in a very close race. Sixth-year San Diego kicker Nate Kaeding went four-for-four last week vs. Baltimore and took over the top all-time spot from Matt Vanderjagt, who is no longer active. Kaeding now leads at 86.62 percent. Graham has had only one FG attempt in this season’s first two games, a 41-yarder that he made in the fourth quarter last week at Green Bay. Here’s the all-time top five through Week 2 play of 2009:
PLAYER FG FGA PCT.
Nate Kaeding .......................................... 123 142 86.62 Mike Vanderjagt ...................................... 230 266 86.47 Robbie Gould .......................................... 113 131 86.26 Shayne Graham ...................................... 174 203 85.71 Matt Stover .............................................. 462 552 83.70 Better than the best? As far as Bengals coaches are concerned, K Shayne Graham is the true No. 1 in all-time field goal accuracy. Though Graham (85.71) ranks fourth in career NFL percentage, his career totals (174-for-203) include a 19-for-26 performance in previous NFL stops at Buffalo and Carolina. As a Bengal, Graham is 155-for-177, an 87.57 percent accuracy rate which is Cincinnati’s all-time best and also tops NFL leader Nate Kaeding’s career mark of 86.62. Graham’s record case: K Shayne Graham is in his seventh Bengals season in 2009. He currently holds the following club records: ● Points in a season: 131 in 2005. ● Field goals in a season: 31 in 2007 ● Field goals in a game: Seven (in seven attempts), on Nov.
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(Graham’s record case, continued) 11, 2007 at Baltimore. ● Consecutive FGs made: 21, from Games 1-10 of 2007. ● Career FG percentage: 87.6, on 155 of 177. ● Season FG percentage: 91.2 (made 31 of 34 in 2007). ● Consecutive PATs made: 158, compiled from Game 1 of 2003 through Game 11 of 2006. ● Career PAT percentage: 99.1, on 225 of 227. ● Season PAT percentage: 100.0 (shares percentage record with other kickers, but his 47-for-47 in 2005 is the most attempts in a season by a Bengal without a miss). Team captains: Bengals players have voted five of their number as 2009 team captains. The captains are QB Carson Palmer and OT Andrew Whitworth on offense, LB Dhani Jones and DT Domata Peko on defense and S Kyries Hebert on special teams. “I congratulate these guys on earning the respect of their teammates for this leadership position,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “They will play an important role as the season goes on.” Turnover tables are turned: Though the Bengals have started the 2009 season with a minus-three turnover differential, they rank tied for third-best in the NFL in differential during the tenure of head coach Marvin Lewis (2003-present). The Bengals are plus-37 under Lewis. Prior to 2003, Cincinnati had posted a minus differential for five straight years (1998-2002). Here are the top five teams in differential since 2003:
TEAM TAKEAWAYS GIVEAWAYS DIFFERENTIAL
Indianapolis ...................... 187 ................... 113 ........................ +74 New England .................... 185 ................... 140 ........................ +45 Cincinnati.......................... 195 ................... 158 ........................ +37 San Diego......................... 177 ................... 140 ........................ +37 Tennessee........................ 180 ................... 159 ........................ +21
Since 2003, when Lewis took over, Cincinnati has logged 195 takeaways, second in the league during that span to Baltimore (200). The Bengals have reached their 195 total with 115 interceptions and 80 fumble recoveries. In points off turnovers since 2003, Elias Sports Bureau reports that the Bengals rank third at 586. Baltimore leads the NFL during that span with 636, and Indianapolis is second at 594. A stat that (usually) matters: The Bengals beat the actuarial tables last week in Green Bay, overcoming a minus-one turnover differential to defeat the Packers. The Bengals had one takeaway (a fumble recovery) and two giveaways (two interceptions). It was only the sixth win against 32 losses for the Bengals under head coach Marvin Lewis with a minus in the category. Conversely under Lewis, the Bengals are 32-5-1 in regular-season play when logging a plus in turnover differential. That’s an .855 winning percentage. The Bengals are 9-13 under Lewis (.409) when the differential has been even. More extensive league-wide numbers bear out the Bengals’ experience. Since the start of the 2000 season, here are the aggregate records of NFL teams with varying turnover differentials (minus differentials are not included because they are the exact reverse of the plus figure for the same numbers):
Overall, combining the five differential levels listed above, NFL teams with any plus have a winning percentage of .797 since 2000. The combined W-L record is 1497-381-2.
The only one: Across the NFL in Week 2, the Bengals were the only team with a minus-differential in turnovers to escape with a win. In 11 other games in which the turnover totals were not even, the team with the minus lost. Over the first two weeks combined, teams with a plus-differential have posted a 19-5 record, a winning percentage of .792. Uniform watch: The Bengals will wear black jerseys and white pants in the Pittsburgh game. In 2004, when the Bengals’ uniforms were redesigned, a number of different color options became available. Below is the team record since 2004 in the different combinations of jerseys and pants:
JERSEY PANTS W-L PCT.
Orange Black ...................................................... 3-0-0 1.000 Orange White ..................................................... 6-1-0 .833 Black Black ...................................................... 6-5-1 .542 White Black .................................................... 8-10-0 .412 Black White .................................................... 10-15 .400 White White ................................................... 6-11-0 .353 It’s a first: For the first time in the Marvin Lewis era (2003-09), two of the club’s originally signed college free agents have made the 53-player roster to open the season. In the previous six seasons under Lewis, it was either one or none. WR Quan Cosby of Texas and S Tom Nelson of Illinois State are the long-shot roster bid winners, after being passed over through 256 selections in the 2009 draft. Cosby did not have a reception in preseason, but he won the opening nod as the team’s punt returner, with an 11.9-yard average that included a 49-yarder for a TD. Nelson’s preseason contributions included seven tackles, including a sack, and a forced fumble that was a key play in Cincinnati’s win at New England. Nelson also showed potential as a punt returner, with a 10.8-yard average on six returns. Bengals best ever on “Hard Knocks:” Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, says that “ratings-wise, and from critical acclaim,” the Bengals were the biggest hit ever on “Hard Knocks,” the reality-based football series that has aired during five summers on the HBO television network. “We attribute it to the Bengals’ unprecedented access and honesty,” said Sabol, whose troops produce the series for HBO. Compared to 2008, when the Dallas Cowboys were featured, national household ratings for the five-show series were are up 57 percent in ratings and 66 percent in household impressions. The series — originally aired on Wednesday nights from Aug. 12 through Sept. 9 — was stronger than the 2008 version in all demographic groups, but especially so among males ages 18-34. It delivered a 1.82 coverage rating and 193,000 average impressions per episode, which was up 116 percent in rating and 121 percent in impressions compared to 2008. The numbers above do not include replays of the show, which aired eight-to-10 times per week. TV streak should hit 70: In each of the last 69 TV ratings weeks that have included a Bengals regular-season or postseason game — a period dating back to 2004 — the Bengals have ruled the Cincinnati airwaves. They have been the top-rated show among all programming in the Cincinnati market, and usually by a wide margin. The streak does not include last week’s game at Green Bay, as Cincinnati rankings for the week (Sept. 14-20) were not available in time for this release. But the Packers game drew a rating of 30.8, which based on recent results should be good enough to win the week by a comfortable margin. The streak began on Dec. 5, 2004, when a wild Bengals win at Baltimore outpolled all other programs for the week. It hit 69 when the 2009 season opener vs. Denver was an easy weekly winner (more detail in the following item). The rating number indicates the percentage of market households tuned to the game — including those not watching TV at the time. The highest Bengals rating during the streak has been 45.5 for the Pittsburgh playoff game on Jan. 8, 2006.
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(TV streak should hit 70, continued) The high rating of Bengals games has occurred despite the fact most games are played in the afternoon, when overall TV viewership is not as high as it is during the evening. Football rules, and Bengals rule roost: Football was by far the favorite television fare in the Cincinnati market for the week of Sept. 7-13. And the NFL was by far the favored form of football. And the Bengals were by far the favored NFL choice. The Bengals-Denver game on Sept. 13 drew a 27.7 rating in Cincinnati, tops for the week (Sept. 7-13) by a wide margin. The second-highest rated show was the Thursday night NFL season opener, Tennessee at Pittsburgh, with a 16.5 rating. The Sunday night national broadcast, Chicago at Green Bay, came in third in Cincinnati at 13.3. College football also had a show that topped all other programming for the week. But the Ohio State-USC battle in Columbus on Sept. 12 was no match for the NFL, finishing fourth overall for the week at 12.0. The Bengals-Broncos game had nearly three times the rating of the top-rated non-sports program in Cincinnati. That program was “Two and a Half Men,” which ranked fifth overall for the week at 10.4. Almost a half-century: For more than four decades, according to the highly respected Harris Poll, the NFL has been the most popular sport in America. In its most recent survey, released in January of this year, Harris reported that pro football is the favorite sport of more people (31 percent) than the combined total of the next three pro
sports — baseball (16 percent), auto racing (eight percent) and men’s pro basketball (six percent). Pro football moved ahead of baseball as fans’ favorite in 1965 and has held the top spot ever since. Also, pro football has gained in popularity more than any other sport since 1985, with a seven percent increase (from 24 to 31 percent). The third-favorite sport in the January 2009 survey was college football at 12 percent, meaning that football is the favorite sport of 43 percent of America’s fans. Bengal bites: The Bengals have not allowed an opponent to block a field goal in almost nine years. The last to do it was Tennessee DT John Thornton, on 10-8-00 against K Neil Rackers ... Thornton, who later joined the Bengals as a free agent, holds the unusual distinction of also being the last Bengal to block an opponent’s field goal. He authored Cincinnati’s last two such blocks — against Seattle’s Josh Brown on 10-26-03 and against Pittsburgh’s Jeff Reed on 9-24-06 ... WR Chad Ochocinco and LS/TE Brad St. Louis are the only players on the Bengals roster whose Cincinnati tenure predates the 2003 arrival of Marvin Lewis as head coach; St. Louis began his career in 2000 under head coach Bruce Coslet, and Ochocinco opened in ’01 under Dick LeBeau ... Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis led the NFL last season in percentage of successful coaches’ replay challenges, upheld on six of seven tries (85.7 percent). He tied for third in most total plays reversed with six, just one off the league lead. Lewis has not made a replay challenge in either of the first two games this season ... Neither the Bengals nor their opponents have made a two-point conversion try since the 2007 season; the 2008 season saw the Bengals go zero-for-two and opponents go zero-for-three, and in the 2009 regular-season opener, Denver failed on a try while the Bengals did not have an attempt.
Bengals quotes Head coach Marvin Lewis, looking ahead to Pittsburgh: “After looking at the tape (from Green Bay), there’s a lot of correction to be made, and a lot of improvement to be done as we move forward. I think the guys all understand that. We did some good things, but it’s difficult to overcome 10 penalties in the first half. The two turnovers we had make it very difficult as well. We’ve got to just keep chopping wood defensively and create some turnovers. Right now we’re just not getting them. We’ve just got to keep chopping wood in order to make those things happen and come away with some on our side. All-in-all, we’re glad to win, but again, there’s obviously a lot of correction to be made.” Lewis, on the Bengals pass rush against QB Ben Roethlisberger: “We left some sacks out there at Green Bay that we should have had, so we’ve got to be more disciplined and stay aware of the quarterback. Obviously we’re going to play a quarterback that can move and run this week in Ben (Roethlisberger). So it’s very, very important that we continue to stay aware of the quarterback and anticipate and have vision on his movement.” HB Cedric Benson, on winning at Green Bay after losing in improbable fashion vs. Denver: “I think we made a statement. I think we let everyone know we’re not going to be content to stay on the back burner. We came out determined to execute better, to not let ourselves be in the position where what happened to us the week before could happen again. The Denver game was a rude awakening. We had a little taste of victory, and then it was snatched away from us. Nobody wanted to have the chance of having that feeling again.” QB Carson Palmer, on the overall performance at Green Bay by WR Laveranues Coles: “He blocked his butt off all day long. He got the touchdown early to put us up. And he got a big fumble recovery because he’s always hustling. He’s a pure professional and a guy a lot of guys can learn from because of the way he plays and the way he prepares.”
Lewis, on the crucial aspect of limiting long gains on defense and posting them on offense: “It’s when they strike up that band, you know? When that big bird drops the bomb on you (as a defense), you know it’s over, and they’re striking up the fight song. It’s a bad day, it’s a bad deal. Those are the things that are important as an offense. Otherwise, you don’t put any fear in the defense. When I was coaching defense, if I didn’t think the other team could go over our heads, well, we’d just keep doing what we do and pressing them up front.” Lewis, on the “learning curve” facing first-round draft pick Andre Smith, due to his late signing and missed time due to a foot injury: “I don’t think it’s that big. He was here for every OTA, every coaching session and minicamp. He’s a smart guy, and he’s playing the position he’s played his whole life. His learning curve is just going to be on what happens with NFL defenses and the changes and so forth. He played at a very good school, very well coached there. It’s just a matter of repetition.” Lewis, on the development of second-year WR Andre Caldwell: “He’s done a good job vertically for us, which is what we’re looking to get from that position. Andre has been able to do that, and then get the tough catches and the tough yards, as well as getting dirty blocking in some situations. I really think Andre continues to get better and better in a lot of areas. So we’re getting a lot of quality snaps out of that position, maybe more than we were last year.” Palmer, on WR Chad Ochocinco: “You have to be impressed with the way he works, the way he runs every single route in practice. In my seven years, we’ve had a lot of receivers come in that are in good shape, but I’ve never seen a receiver be able to take every rep. He just doesn’t get tired. He can run all day. And when he comes in with that focus and that determination to work that hard, his game consistently gets better each day. And just when you think he
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(Bengals quotes, continued) can’t run a route any better, he goes back and looks at it on film and finds a way to sink his hips a little bit more or to get his head around out of the top of the break. So when he comes in with that right focus and that work ethic, he’s got a good shot to take over that No. 1 spot (among wide receivers).” Palmer, with more on Chad Ochocinco “Chad does not age. He acts like he’s 19, and he plays like his body’s 20. He may be 31, but he doesn’t look it at all. He doesn’t act it, either. But the guy just doesn’t get tired, and he doesn’t get hurt.” Palmer, on the offensive options provided by HB Brian Leonard: “He’s really special. In those two-minute situations and third-down situations, he can pick up anybody in the pass protection because he’s a big, physical guy. But he has really good hands, surprisingly good hands. So it’s a good combination, being able to put him in there and pick up a 260-pound D-end or a big linebacker with a bull-rush, and then put him in with some screens because he can catch the ball and help you on check-downs. You’re so confident that he’ll catch the ball, and then you combine that with he’s got some speed and moves. He’s a big threat for us on third down.” Palmer, on occasionally using rollout passes this year: “It just changes up where the quarterback’s setup point is. You get a chance to get a little bit of a run action with some bite on the defense, and moving the hit point that the defense is setting up for sacks and getting pressure on the quarterbacks. WR Chad Ochocinco, on the Bengals defense: “They’re good. They finished 12th last year (in fewest yards allowed)? It can only get better. Especially with the draft we had, and some of the offseason acquisitions.” Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, on himself and his players: “Nobody wanted any of us. OK, Leon (Hall) and J-Joe (Johnathan Joseph) were first-round picks. (Keith) Rivers, too. And (Antwan) Odom was a free agent. Teams wanted him. But that’s it. Nobody wanted the rest of us.” G Bobbie Williams, on the 2009 season: “OK, we lost a tough one to Denver. But I still think 2009 is a new era. What pushes us over that threshold is hard work. Guys have busted their butts. Veterans have paved the way for young guys. Guys have really worked. Nobody came in with a sense of entitlement. They came in to honor their spot. That’s what the coaches talked about. Guys had to earn their spots.” OT Andrew Whitworth, on 2009: “The attitude is totally different. The thirst to be good, the hunger to be good, is dramatically different to me. Guys are staying after (hours). Guys are working out more. When you see guys at the facility every day, every hour, we’re here. The work being put in is dramatically different to me. What the result is, we don’t know yet, but we’ll see.” WR Laveranues Coles, on his role: “I’m here to be on the other side of this guy (nodding at Chad Ochocinco). And Chris (Henry). When teams start trying to lean towards them, I’ll just try to take away some of the attention from them. Balance the field back up so Chad he can get back to what he does best, and that’s scoring touchdowns and making plays. I believe they all can score. I asked them, ‘I don’t know what y’all need me for.’ ” Lewis, on the importance of blocking by wide receivers: “We’ve stressed it quite a bit. It’s going to be difficult to play much on Sundays if you don’t get in there and get dirty. That’s going to be important, and it becomes evident when you spend a
lot of time standing beside me, or when you don’t even suit up. At the end of the day, I’ve got to count on who I can count on.” Lewis, on eliminating errors that plagued the Bengals in 2008: “Every team can be as good as any team. That’s why it’s called a football ‘team.’ The differences in talent are not that great. It’s a matter of making plays in critical moments. Don’t make critical errors. That’s how teams win.” Palmer, on premise that on a team with much to prove in ’09, he and Chad Ochocinco have “the most to prove:” “That’s fair. With me having been out with an injury and Chad having had a down year, we have a lot to work on.” HB Brian Leonard, on moving away from the part time work as a FB that he did with St. Louis: “They (Rams) really didn’t know how to use me. A lot of guys are first- and second-down backs, or third-down backs. At my size (6-1, 230), I’m kind of a hybrid. But from the very first day I came over here, they (Bengals) said, ‘We want you as a running back, a guy who’s going to be versatile catching the ball out of the backfield and running it, too.’ I think those are my best attributes.” Lewis, on rookie P Kevin Huber: “On a bad day, we’re going to be a better punting team than we’ve been in the last seven years. Kevin is doing a great job, and that will continue to help us as he becomes more and more confident in his abilities to keep doing it in that way.” Palmer, on goal of 1500 yards rushing for HB Cedric Benson: “It’s easily doable if he stays healthy. He’s the type of guy that always falls forward, always lunges forward. There may not be a big hole, but he’ll get two or three yards out of it. If there is a big hole, he’s the type of guy that can go 80 yards and no one’s going to catch him from behind. That’s something we haven’t had in the past. He’s exciting to watch.” Lewis, on Kyle Cook taking the No. 1 center spot with just five career games played: “Kyle has been with us for a while, so we have watched him and understand him. He’s a big, strong guy, he’s smart and understands the game, and he’s able to make the calls and get people put in the right situations all of the time. He’s also athletic enough to block guys. Can he block the big guys on the nose that we play in this division? We need a special guy to do that, and so now it’s a matter of making the transition to playing real football. He was at a point last year where he was close to getting a shot, and he broke his foot in kind of a freak deal in warmups (at Dallas). So it was an opportunity which was lost, and he gets a chance now to prove that he can do the job. I think everyone who has been around Kyle has a lot of confidence in him, because they have seen him work.” Lewis, on the defensive line: “There’s no doubt we should be better. Robert (Geathers) and Antwan (Odom) weren’t on the field at the same time hardly ever last year. I think one or two games. Tank (Johnson) will help upgrade the interior, Domata (Peko) has been a solid player, and Pat Sims got his nose wet at tackle last year. He understands what it’s all about. He had a really good offseason. He’s excited about the opportunity to show he can be an every down player.” Lewis, on second-year DT Pat Sims: “Pat came into training camp a more mature player, and I think he’s really going to help us down the line this year. He has a lot of ability, and he can’t get lost in the fact that we brought in another player (veteran Tank Johnson) ahead of him. We need to have all of those guys all the time. We need Pat to keep stepping up and keep playing. He’s a big, strong and physical guy, and he’s a guy who understands football.” DT Pat Sims, on learning/competing with DT Tank Johnson: “He’s like my big brother. We’re just gelling together. It doesn’t matter who starts. Sometimes I’m going to play first and
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(Bengals information, continued) second downs and he’ll play third, and sometimes it will be the other way around. There are also going to be times when we’re going to be on the field at the same time. I’m just ready to play ball. It’s great, I love contact. It’s a physical game.” Lewis, on reserve DT Jonathan Fanene: “He has had a great summer. He has really come into his own, especially with his ability to play all defensive line spots. It’s been fun to watch Jon. He hadn’t played a lot of football when we drafted him a few years ago. He’s probably played more football here than he had in high school and college combined, and he should have a lot of good years ahead of him.” Lewis, on SS Roy Williams: “He’s been the player I expected. It was in ’02 when I was in
Washington, and Roy came out (of college). He’s that guy. And I think he’ll be a good influence on this football team, which also will help. As we’re going right now, teamed up back there with Chris (Crocker), they’re a very good pair. An excellent pair, actually.” Zimmer, on core of ’08 defense which returns this season: “I’ve coached some really good defenses, but none that I respect more than these guys. I told them that the night before the last game. They came to work every single day, they listened to me, and they didn’t complain. I was on them pretty good, so I respect all of those guys.” S Roy Williams, on HB Cedric Benson: “He has deceiving speed. He hits that hole, and you think he’s jogging, and then he’s in another gear. He’s a great back. He’s got great vision. He has a nice punch. He has lot of (tough) dog in him. He doesn’t want to back down.”
Position-by-position roundup Quarterbacks: Two-time Pro Bowl selection Carson Palmer posted a 93.3 passer rating in the win over Green Bay, completing 15-of-23 for 185 yards with three TDs and two INTs. For Palmer, who missed 12 games last season with an elbow injury, it was the first game with three TD passes since he threw four vs. Arizona on Nov. 18, 2007. Palmer’s scoring throws against the Packers went for five yards to WR Laveranues Coles in the first quarter, five yards to WR Chris Henry in the second quarter and 13 yards to WR Chad Ochocinco in the third quarter. Palmer led a 12-play, 62-yard third-quarter drive for what proved to be the winning TD. He also scored his third career TD — and his first since 2005 — when he found the end zone on a one-yard sneak in the third quarter. Palmer has a 75.9 passer rating over the season’s first two games, with 36 completions in 56 attempts (64.3 percent) for 432 yards with three TDs and four INTs. Seventh-year pro J.T. O’Sullivan is in the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, and he played in all four preseason games while starting the last three in place of Palmer. He has not played in the first two games. He finished preseason with a 125.8 passer rating. O’Sullivan was signed by the Bengals in March as an unrestricted free agent. He had his busiest pro season in ’08, starting eight games for San Francisco. At Green Bay, for the second straight game, Jordan Palmer was in uniform as the designated third QB on the inactive list. Jordan Palmer played in all four preseason games, with a passer rating of 70.9. Jordan Palmer is Carson Palmer’s younger brother. Running backs: At Green Bay, fifth-year pro Cedric Benson posted his fourth 100-yard rushing game in 14 contests as a Bengal, gaining 141 yards on 29 carries (4.9 avg.). He helped Cincinnati post a significant edge in time of possession, at 33:48 compared to Green Bay’s 26:12. Benson has 217 rushing yards on 50 carries for the season, an average of 4.3 yards per carry. The Bengals have said they want to rely on Benson as a ball-control runner, and his average of 25 carries per game projects at this early point to 400 carries on the season. The team record is 361 by Rudi Johnson. Benson did not have a reception at Green Bay, but he caught four for 32 yards in the season opener vs. Denver. He has been over 100 yards from scrimmage in both games, as he had 108 from scrimmage against Denver. He has one rushing TD on the year, in the Denver game. Seventh-year pro Jeremi Johnson is the No. 1 FB, and his lead blocking aided Benson’s 141-yard game at Green Bay. He also helped the offense allow only two sacks, including none in the second half. Johnson had a nine-yard reception at Green Bay, his first touch of the season. Johnson did not play last season, released after rehabbing from a preseason knee injury, but he was re-signed in April after showing hard work in losing weight, and has reclaimed the No. 1 Bengals FB job that he held from 2003-07. HB Brian Leonard, obtained by the Bengals in a May trade with St. Louis, had two receptions for 17 yards at Green Bay. For the season Leonard is four-for-41 receiving and two-for-six rushing. Sixth-round draft choice Bernard Scott had two rushes for seven yards at Green Bay and has played in both games this season. Scott has had a special teams tackle in both games and is tied for the team lead. Wide receivers: Five-time Bengals Pro Bowler Chad Ochocinco has pledged a big comeback in 2009 after posting uncharacteristically low numbers in 2008, and he had his second straight good outing in the Green Bay game, leading the team in catches (four) and receiving yards. He had a 44-yard gain to the Packers 11 in the second quarter, setting up a TD that tied the game at 21, and in the third quarter, he scored what proved to be the game-winning points, giving the Bengals a 28-21 lead with a tough 13-yard catch over the middle. It was his first TD this season. He leads the team through two games in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (180). In the five seasons from
2003-07, Ochocinco posted the five highest season receiving yards totals in Bengals history, making the Pro Bowl each year. By wide margins, he is the Bengals’ all-time leader in receptions (621) and receiving yards (9085), having passed the 9000 mark in the Packers game. Running first-team with Ochocinco is unrestricted free agent signee Laveranues Coles, a consistently productive NFL player over nine previous seasons. Coles had a modest two catches for nine yards at Green Bay, but one was for a five-yard TD that gave the Bengals an early 7-0 lead. Also, Coles recovered a fumble by Bengals TE Dan Coats in the second quarter, preserving possession on the drive that tied the score at 21 at halftime. Coles is three-for-20 receiving on the year, and against the Packers, he also had a two-yard rush on a reverse. Coles caught 70-for-850 with a team-high seven TD catches for the N.Y. Jets last season, and he has six career seasons of 70 or more catches. He now has 45 career TDs, and he has started 16 games in seven of the last eight seasons. Fifth-year pro Chris Henry had just one catch for five yards at Green Bay, but it was for a TD that tied the score at 21 just before halftime. Henry is two-for-23 receiving on the year, with promise for much better numbers in weeks to come. He is a rangy (6-4, 200) and abundantly talented player who looks to fulfill his immense potential after being held back by off-field problems earlier in his career. Rapidly developing second-year pro Andre Caldwell had two catches for 16 yards at Green Bay after leading the team with six catches vs. Denver. Caldwell has eight catches for 70 yards through two games and is also the team’s No. 1 kickoff returner, with a 23.0-yard average. Caldwell has impressed coaches with his blocking and all-around command of the offense. Rookie Quan Cosby played on special teams at Green Bay and averaged 22.8 yards on five returns, including a 60-yarder that set up a touchdown. Second-year pro Jerome Simpson was inactive for the second straight week in the Green Bay game. Tight ends: Third-year pro Daniel Coats was in the starting lineup for the second straight week in the Green Bay game, and third-year pro J.P. Foschi also got credit for a start as the Bengals opened in a two-TE formation. Coats and Foschi both played blocking roles as HB Cedric Benson rushed for 141 yards, and Coats had two catches for 26 yards while Foschi had a 12-yard catch. Coats, who also has played FB for Cincinnati, has played in 33 of a possible 34 games since making the roster as a college free agent in 2007. Coats is three-for-42 receiving on the season. Foschi, signed Aug. 17 as a free agent, is two-for-15 receiving over the first two games. He has previous NFL game experience for Oakland and Kansas City. Rookie Chase Coffman, a fourth-round Bengals draft choice, was inactive for the second straight week in the Green Bay game. Coffman closed his Missouri career as the all-time NCAA receptions leader (247) among tight ends, and he won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best at his position. Veteran Brad St. Louis works in practice with the tight ends, but his primary job is as the team’s long snapper. The Bengals had significant injury losses in preseason at TE, as veterans Reggie Kelly (Achilles) and Ben Utecht (concussion) were forced to the Reserve/Injured list. Offensive linemen: At Green Bay, the line supported a 141-yard rushing game by HB Cedric Benson and contributed to a significant time of possession advantage for Cincinnati (33:48 to 26:12). The Bengals topped 300 yards in net offense for the second straight game, and QB Carson Palmer was sacked only twice, including no sacks in the second half. The starting line features a new look this season at the tackle positions. Opening at the key LOT spot is fourth-year pro Andrew Whitworth. Whitworth started Games 1-10 at LG last season, missing the last six games due to an ankle injury, but he is fully recovered and has experience at LOT from both 2006 and ’07. A
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(Position-by-position roundup, continued) second-round Bengals draft choice in ’06, he had not missed a game and had started 38 of 42 contests before being injured last season. Second-year pro Anthony Collins holds the No. 1 ROT spot. Collins earned good reviews as a rookie last season, called on to start the last six games at LOT as an injury replacement. Also seeing action at ROT in the Green Bay game was second-year pro Dennis Roland, who was used as an extra blocker in short-yardage situations and later spelled Collins for some snaps with the base offense. The veteran mainstay of the Bengals line is RG Bobbie Williams, who has started 80 of a possible 83 games since joining the Bengals in 2004. His only missed games were due to an emergency appendectomy in 2006. Nate Livings opened the season as the starting LG but suffered a knee injury against Denver and was inactive at Green Bay. He has an early listing of questionable for Pittsburgh. A second-year NFL player, Livings started the last six games of 2008 as an injury replacement. Livings was replaced in the Denver game and in the starting lineup at Green Bay by Evan Mathis, a fifth-year pro who joined the Bengals as a free agent last November. He has 35 games of NFL experience. Second-year pro Kyle Cook has started the first two games at center. The 312-pounder promises to bring more power to the spot in 2009. Scott Kooistra, a valuable and versatile line member, is listed as the No. 2 ROT, but the seventh-year pro has seen action at both guard and tackle during his Bengals career. Kooistra suffered a knee injury in the preseason finale and was inactive for Denver, but he returned to action on special teams in the Green Bay game. A new prospect at center is fourth-round draft pick Jonathan Luigs, a three-time finalist for college football’s Rimington Award (top center), and the winner of the award in 2007. Luigs has been active but has not played for the first two games. OT Andre Smith of Alabama, the Bengals’ top pick in the 2009 draft (sixth overall), signed and reported to the team on Aug. 30, but on Aug. 31 in practice, he suffered a small fracture in his left foot. It’s estimated he will be sidelined for a total of at least a few weeks. Defensive linemen: RDE Antwan Odom made leaguewide headlines in the Green Bay game, with five sacks against the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers. His sack total tied a Bengals record, set by Eddie Edwards in 1980, and Odom’s seven sacks on the season are the most by an NFL player in a season’s first two games since 1982, when individual sacks became an official league statistic (the Bengals have recorded sack records since 1976). Odom dropped Rodgers for 31 yards in net losses, and two of his sacks pushed Green Bay out of range for field goal attempts. Odom had six total tackles at Green Bay with one pass defensed, and on the season, he has a line-leading 13 tackles while leading the front seven in passes defensed (two). Odom came to the Bengals last season as an unrestricted free agent, following a 2006 season with Tennessee in which he had a career-high eight sacks and a team-high 29 QB hurries. LDE Robert Geathers had one tackle and two QB pressures at Green Bay and has five stops on the season. Geathers missed five games with a knee injury last year but has 23 career sacks, and he looks to replicate his 2006 performance of 10.5 sacks, most by a Bengal since 1983. The starting tackles are fourth-year pro Domata Peko, an original Bengals draftee, and seventh-year player Tank Johnson, an unrestricted free agent signee from Dallas. Peko, voted by players as a team captain, had one tackle at Green Bay, a stop for no gain against Ryan Grant that forced a Packers punt in the second quarter. Peko started every game at LDT for the second straight year in 2008, and he led the line in tackles (108), ranked third on the team. Johnson had three tackles at Green Bay and his six on the season. He has an NFL track record of providing pressure up the middle. He started in Super Bowl XLI (2006 season) for Chicago, played in every game for Dallas last season and has 12 career regular-season sacks, plus 2.5 more in postseason play. Also solid in the DT rotation is Pat Sims, who started six of the last seven games as a rookie last season. Sims had two tackles at Green Bay, and his recovery of a Ryan Grant fumble at the Bengals 38 in the third quarter stopped a Green Bay drive while setting up a Cincinnati march for a go-ahead TD. Fifth-year pro Jonathan Fanene is listed as a DT to open this season but can also play DE. Fanene had three tackles at Green Bay, and for the season he has seven tackles, including a sack. Fanene had his first 16-game season last year and posted a career-best 50 tackles. Rookie DE Michael Johnson has played in the first two games and has had one tackle on defense and one on special teams in each contest. The Bengals are looking for bigger things down the road from Johnson, a 6-7, 265-pounder who was an impressive player in preseason work and figures as a potential force as a situational pass rusher while he develops into a larger role. Fourth-year DE Frostee Rucker has been inactive for the first two games. Rucker has battled injury problems in his pro career, but the former third-round draft pick has been a playmaker when healthy in past regular-season action. He has five fumble plays (three forced, two recovered) in just 16 career games. Linebackers: MLB Dhani Jones, the Bengals’ tackling leader
by a wide margin in 2008, had a team-high 12 tackles at Green Bay and now leads the team for the season, with 19. Jones also led the team in solo stops (seven) at Green Bay. The 10th-year vet has been an impact player since jump-starting his career as a Bengals free agent signee during the 2007 season. He led the Bengals with 165 tackles last year, and his margin of 53 over the second place player was the largest during Marvin Lewis’ tenure as head coach. Second-round draft pick Rey Maualuga was also a key force in the win at Green Bay. His six tackles included an eight-yard sack, and he had two forced fumbles. His second forced fumble, against RB Ryan Grant, was a game-changer. The Bengals recovered at their 38 to stop a Denver drive, and the offense responded with a 62-yard drive for a TD that put Cincinnati ahead to stay at 28-21. Maualuga, who also is tied for the special teams tackles lead (two), was rated by many analysts as a first-round talent, boasting great speed and a reputation as a devastating hitter. WLB Keith Rivers had six tackles at Green Bay and is tied for third on the team for the season with 13 stops. Rivers also has a pass defensed. He was Cincinnati’s top pick in the 2008 draft, and he looks for his first full season of action in 2009. He was able to play in only seven games last season, due to a broken jaw suffered in Game 7 vs. Pittsburgh. No. 2 WLB Brandon Johnson, who sees action in nickel situations, had two tackles at Green Bay and has five tackles with a pass defensed on the season. Johnson replaced the injured Rivers in the base defense last season, and over the nine games he started (Games 8-16), his tackle total of 90 was tops on the team. Fourth-year vet Rashad Jeanty, last season’s SLB starter, saw brief action on defense at Green Bay and led the special teams with two tackles. Jeanty shares the special teams tackles lead for the season at two. Jeanty started 15 games last season and ranked fourth on the team with 97 tackles. The No. 2 MLB is Abdul Hodge, a fourth-year pro in his first full Bengals campaign. Hodge has played on special teams (no statistics) in the first two games. Defensive backs: Five-time Pro Bowl selection Roy Williams signed with Cincinnati in May as a free agent, after seven seasons with Dallas, and as the starting SS, he ranks second on the team in tackles (17). He also is tied for the team lead in passes defensed after getting one PD at Green Bay. He ranked second on the team in tackles (eight) at Green Bay. In the fourth quarter against the Packers, he forced a punt with a third-down pass break-up. Williams was limited by injuries to three games for Dallas last season, but has earned recognition as one of the NFL’s most powerful hitters among secondary players. The No. 1 FS is seventh-year vet Chris Crocker, who had four tackles and a pass defensed at Green Bay. Crocker, who has seven tackles and two passes defensed on the season, also has seen some action as a nickel CB. Crocker had had a highly productive second half of the ’08 season for Cincinnati after signing as a free agent. Two recent Bengals first-round draft picks — Leon Hall (2007) and Johnathan Joseph (2006) — are in their NFL prime and back to man the starting CB positions in 2009. RCB Hall, in his third season, leads the team in INTs (eight) and passes defensed (40) over his tenure. He had four tackles at Green Bay, and though he had no passes defensed against the Packers, he is tied for the team season lead in PDs (three). Joseph looks to increase his contribution this season after being slowed by injuries each of the last two years. He had six tackles at Green Bay, and for the season, he has 10 tackles and a pass defensed. Despite Joseph’s missed time last year, he finished second on the team in passes defensed (14), and he has scored a TD in each of the past two seasons. Third-year S Chinedum Ndukwe had one tackle at Green Bay and has three stops on the season. Ndukwe missed five games due to injuries last year, but the 2007 seventh-round draft choice had 25 games with 13 starts over his first two seasons, and his five sacks over 2007-08 ranked second on the team for that period. Rookie Morgan Trent of Michigan, a fifth-round draft pick, saw brief action on defense for the second straight week and had one tackle at Green Bay. He has also played on special teams. Trent led the CBs in preseason with 13 tackles and also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Second-year CB Geoffrey Pope played on special teams for the second straight game in the Green Bay contest (no statistics). Pope is in his first full Bengals campaign after joining Cincinnati just before the ’08 regular season. The former N.Y. Giant played in eight Cincinnati games last year. Third-year CB David Jones opened preseason in the nickel CB position, but he suffered a foot injury in an early training camp practice and missed all four preseason games. He has been inactive for the first two games and has an early listing of questionable for Green Bay. S Kyries Hebert played on special teams for the second straight week in the Green Bay game and had one tackles. Hebert led the 2008 Bengals in special teams tackles (23).Rookie S Tom Nelson, who made the roster as a college free agent, has been inactive in each of the first two games. Special teams: Rookie P Kevin Huber, the Bengals’ fifth-round draft choice, showed his promise in the Green Bay game, averaging 46.3 yards on four punts with a strong 41.3 net. He had two key punts in the second half, a 48-yarder that went out of bounds at the Green Bay four and a 56-yarder to the Packers 26 that backed Green
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(Position-by-position roundup, continued) Bay up to its 16 when a holding penalty was tacked on. Over his first two NFL games, Huber has averaged 42.1 yards with a 38.7 net, and he has had seven inside-20 kicks with just one touchback. The Bengals have not averaged as high as 38.7 net yards since 1988, when net yardage began being included in punting statistics. Huber, a Cincinnati native who played at the University of Cincinnati, was the Bengals’ fifth-round draft pick. He led the nation in net punting in each of his last two college seasons and also led the nation in gross punting average (46.9) in 2007. Huber is also the holder on place kicks. Record-setting K Shayne Graham had his first FG attempt of the season in the Green Bay game, and he connected from 40 yards with 1:56 to play, giving the Bengals a two-score lead at 34-24. Graham also handles kickoffs. Graham is in his seventh Bengals season in 2009. He ranks fourth all-time in the NFL in career field goal accuracy (85.64 percent), and his Bengals-only percentage is even better at 87.6, by far the best in franchise history. His
list of club records also includes points in a season (131), consecutive FGs made (21) and most FGs in a game (seven). Rookie WR Quan Cosby continued his smashing debut as the Bengals punt returner in the Green Bay game. His 22.8-yard average on five returns included a 60-yarder to the Packers six in the second quarter, setting up a TD, and a 32-yarder to the Packers 29 in the second quarter that set up Graham’s field goal for a two-score lead. On the season, Cosby is averaging 16.3 yards on 10 returns. Cosby had a 49-yard return for a TD in preseason. WR Andre Caldwell opens the season as the No. 1 kickoff returner after finishing his 2008 rookie season in that role. Caldwell averaged 22.3 yards on three returns at Green Bay and is averaging 23.0 yards on five returns for the season. Cincinnati’s kickoff and punt coverage teams both yielded averages in the NFL’s top half last season, and four of last season’s top six special teams tacklers are back, led by S Kyries Hebert (23 tackles in ’08). At Green Bay, LB Rashad Jeanty led the special teams with two tackles, and Jeanty is among four players tied for the special teams tackles lead (two) for the season.
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2008 Bengals-Steelers meetings WEEK 7, GAME 7
Steelers 38, Bengals 10 Sunday, Oct. 19, at Paul Brown Stadium
The Bengals trailed the division-leading Steelers by only 17-10 entering the fourth quarter, and with 12:28 remaining in the final period they were driving for a potential tying TD, with a first down at the Pittsburgh 37. But the Steelers turned Cincinnati away, forcing a punt, and Pittsburgh scored TDs on its final three possessions to win by a four-TD margin. It was Pittsburgh’s eighth straight win at Paul Brown Stadium, including a 2005 season playoff game. Ben Roethlisberger threw a pair of TD passes for Pittsburgh and finished the day with a 108.6 passer rating, and RB Mewelde Moore rushed for 120 yards with a pair of scores. LB Keith Rivers, the Bengals’ first-round 2008 draft pick, suffered a broken jaw early in the first quarter and was lost for the remainder of the season. The Bengals fell to 0-7 on the year while Pittsburgh improved to 5-1.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Pittsburgh .................................................. 10 0 7 21 — 38 Cincinnati .................................................... 0 7 3 0 — 10
TEAM — SCORING PLAY QTR.-LEFT Pitt. — M.Moore 2 pass from B.Roethlisberger (Je.Reed kick) ............... 1-9:56 Pitt. — Je.Reed 21 field goal ................................................................... 1-0:42 Cin. — C.Ochocinco 5 pass from R.Fitzpatrick (D.Rayner kick) .............. 2-0:36 Pitt. — M.Moore 13 run (Je.Reed kick) .................................................... 3-8:29 Cin. — D.Rayner 26 field goal ................................................................. 3-2:38 Pitt. — N.Washington 50 pass from B.Roethlisberger (Je.Reed kick) .... 4-8:17 Pitt. — M.Moore 2 run (Je.Reed kick) ...................................................... 4-5:17 Pitt. — H.Ward 16 pass from B.Leftwich (Je.Reed kick) ......................... 4-1:54
Missed FGs: None. Attendance: 65,860. Time: 3:00.
TEAM STATISTICS PITT. CIN. First downs ......................................................................................... 20 16 Third down conversions-attempts ................................................... 6-12 4-16 Total net yards .................................................................................. 375 212 Net yards rushing.............................................................................. 125 84 Net yards passing ............................................................................. 250 128 Pass attempts-completions-interceptions .................................. 31-20-0 39-24-0 Sacks against-yards lost ................................................................... 0-0 7-47 Punts-average ............................................................................. 5-40.8 8-37.9 Punt returns-yards .......................................................................... 3-21 3-6 Kickoff returns-yards ....................................................................... 3-70 6-129 Penalties-yards ............................................................................... 3-15 4-55 Fumbles-lost ..................................................................................... 2-0 2-1 Time of possession ........................................................................ 30:35 29:25
Thursday night, Nov. 20, at Heinz Field Playing with a lineup severely depleted by injuries, the Bengals hung with the Steelers for nearly three quarters before being worn down. Cincinnati took a 7-0 first-quarter lead on a 10-yard pass from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to WR Glenn Holt, and the Bengals trailed by only 13-7 until late in the third quarter, when the Steelers completed a 64-yard drive for a 20-7 lead. While struggling early on offense, the Steelers kept the Bengals at bay with a strong rushing defense. Cincinnati finished the game with just 43 rushing yards on 20 carries. Pittsburgh outgained Cincinnati 364-208, as the struggling Cincinnati offense finished under 225 net yards for the sixth time in 11 games. The Steelers maintained the AFC North Division lead by improving to 8-3, and the Bengals fell to 1-9-1 on the year.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Cincinnati .................................................... 7 0 0 3 — 10 Pittsburgh .................................................... 0 10 10 7 — 27
TEAM — SCORING PLAY QTR.-LEFT Cin. — G.Holt 10 pass from R.Fitzpatrick (S.Graham kick) ..................... 1-3:08 Pitt. — H.Miller 3 pass from B.Roethlisberger (J.Reed kick) ................. 2-10:16 Pitt. — J.Reed 37 field goal ..................................................................... 2-1:52 Pitt. — J.Reed 38 field goal ..................................................................... 3-8:18 Pitt. — G.Russell 2 run (J.Reed kick) ...................................................... 3-0:16 Cin. — S.Graham 26 field goal ................................................................ 4-6:47 Pitt. — B.Roethlisberger 8 run (J.Reed kick) ........................................... 4-2:15
Missed FGs: None. Attendance: 59,854. Time: 3:04.
TEAM STATISTICS CIN. PITT. First downs ......................................................................................... 11 20 Third down conversions-attempts ................................................... 4-15 6-14 Total net yards ................................................................................. 208 364 Net yards rushing ............................................................................... 43 121 Net yards passing ............................................................................ 165 243 Pass attempts-completions-interceptions .................................. 37-20-1 30-17-0 Sacks against-yards lost ................................................................... 1-3 0-0 Punts-average.............................................................................. 8-36.6 5-28.4 Punt returns-yards ............................................................................ 0-0 4-9 Kickoff returns-yards ..................................................................... 6-106 3-80 Penalties-yards ............................................................................... 2-15 4-40 Fumbles-lost ..................................................................................... 0-0 1-1 Time of possession ....................................................................... 24:40 35:20
Broncos 12, Bengals 7 Sunday, Sept. 13, at Paul Brown Stadium
The Bengals suffered one of the most stunning losses in franchise history, as the Broncos scored an 87-yard game-winning touchdown with 11 seconds to play on a pass that was deflected by the Cincinnati defense to WR Brandon Stokley, who was not the intended receiver. It was the longest game-winning touchdown play from scrimmage in the final minute of the fourth quarter in NFL history. The Bengals had taken a 7-6 lead with 38 seconds remaining on a Cedric Benson one-yard TD run that completed a 91-yard drive. The Bengals had held the Broncos to 215 net yards and nine first downs until the game-winning pass to Stokley.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Denver ........................................................ 0 3 3 6 — 12 Cincinnati .................................................... 0 0 0 7 — 7
TEAM — SCORING PLAY QTR.-LEFT Den. — M.Prater 48 field goal ................................................................... 2-0:00 Den. — M.Prater 50 field goal ................................................................... 3-0:14 Cin. — C.Benson 1 run (S.Graham kick) ................................................. 4-0:38 Den. — B.Stokley 87 pass from K.Orton (pass failed) .............................. 4-0:11
Missed FGs: None. Attendance: 62,831. Time: 3:02.
TEAM STATISTICS DEN. CIN. First downs ......................................................................................... 10 16 Third down conversions-attempts ................................................... 3-12 5-15 Total net yards .................................................................................. 302 307 Net yards rushing................................................................................ 75 86 Net yards passing ............................................................................. 227 221 Pass attempts-completions-interceptions .................................. 28-17-0 33-21-2 Sacks against-yards lost ................................................................. 3-16 3-26 Punts-average ............................................................................. 8-42.5 7-39.7 Punt returns-yards .......................................................................... 3-17 5-49 Kickoff returns-yards ....................................................................... 2-17 2-48 Penalties-yards ............................................................................... 6-39 4-27 Fumbles-lost ..................................................................................... 1-0 1-0 Time of possession ........................................................................ 26:33 33:27
WEEK 2, GAME 2 Bengals 31, Packers 24 Sunday, Sept. 20, at Lambeau Field
The Bengals overcame deficits of 14-7 and 21-14 in securing the franchise’s first-ever win at Lambeau Field, and Cincinnati took a 6-5 lead in its overall series with the Packers. The Cincinnati defense played more effectively than Green Bay’s 24 points would indicate, as the Packers returned one Bengals INT for a TD and returned a second pass theft to the Bengals’ 11, setting up another TD. The leader of Cincinnati’s defensive charge was DE Antwan Odom, who tied the Bengals single-game record with five sacks. Odom raised his season sacks total to seven, most in the NFL in the first two games of a season since 1982, when individual sacks became an official statistic. The Bengals took the lead for good at 28-21 late in the third quarter, on the third of Carson Palmer’s three TD passes, a 13-yarder to WR Chad Ochocinco. The Packers used an onside kickoff recovery to keep things interesting until the final gun, but time expired after a 25-yard pass to the Bengals’ 10. The result left both teams with 1-1 records.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Cincinnati .................................................... 7 14 7 3 — 31 Green Bay ................................................. 14 7 0 3 — 24
TEAM — SCORING PLAY QTR.-LEFT Cin. — L.Coles 5 pass from C.Palmer (S.Graham kick) .......................... 1-8:31 G.B. — D.Driver 3 pass from A.Rodgers (M.Crosby kick) ........................ 1-3:23 G.B. — R.Grant 4 run (M.Crosby kick) ..................................................... 1-2:22 Cin. — C.Palmer 1 run (S.Graham kick) ................................................ 2-10:21 G.B. — C.Woodson 37 interception return (M.Crosby kick) ..................... 2-7:46 Cin. — C.Henry 5 pass from C.Palmer (S.Graham kick) ......................... 2-1:24 Cin. — C.Ochocinco 13 pass from C.Palmer (S.Graham kick) ................ 3-1:09 Cin. — S.Graham 40 field goal ................................................................ 4:1:56 G.B. — M.Crosby 45 field goal ................................................................. 4-0:45
In 2009, the Bengals are: 0-1 at home 1-0 on the road 1-0 when scoring first 0-1 when opponent scores first 0-0 in games decided by three points or fewer 1-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer 0-0 when leading at halftime 1-0 when tied at halftime 0-1 when trailing at halftime 1-0 when leading after three quarters 0-0 when tied after three quarters 0-1 when trailing after three quarters 1-0 when rushing for 100 net yards
1-1 when opponent rushes for less than 100 net yards 0-0 with plus turnover differential 0-0 with even turnover differential 1-1 with minus turnover differential 0-0 when passing for 250 net yards 0-0 when opponent passes for 250 net yards 1-0 when scoring 20 points or more 1-0 when opponent scores 20 points or more 1-1 when game is outdoors (open-air/open retractable roof) 0-0 when game is inside (dome/closed retractable roof) 1-0 on natural grass 0-1 on synthetic surface 0-1 with fewer penalty yards
Under Marvin Lewis,
the Bengals are: 27-21-1 at home 20-29-0 on the road 31-18-1 when scoring first 16-32-0 when opponent scores first 8-8-1 in games decided by three points or fewer 23-21-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer 35-11-1 when leading at halftime 5-1-0 when tied at halftime 7-38-0 when trailing at halftime 39-6-1 when leading after three quarters 2-2-0 when tied after three quarters 6-42-0 when trailing after three quarters 31-17-0 when rushing for 100 net yards
27-9-1 when opponent rushes for less than 100 net yards 32-5-1 with plus turnover differential 9-13-0 with even turnover differential 6-32-0 with minus turnover differential 16-15-0 when passing for 250 net yards 15-16-1 when opponent passes for 250 net yards 38-18-0 when scoring 20 points or more 18-44-0 when opponent scores 20 points or more 45-47-1 when game is outdoors (open-air/open retractable roof) 2-3-0 when game is inside (dome/closed retractable roof) 20-19-0 on natural grass 27-31-1 on synthetic surface 28-26-1 with fewer penalty yards
Best performances
Rushing yards 141 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 76 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 8 — Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 13 vs. Denver Rushing attempts 29 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 21 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 2 — (three times) Longest rushes 20 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 14 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 13 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 20 at Green Bay Receptions 6 — Andre Caldwell, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 5 — Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 4 — (two times) Receiving yards 91 — Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 89 — Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 54 — Andre Caldwell, Sept. 13 vs. Denver Passing yards 247 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 185 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 20 at Green Bay Pass attempts 33 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 23 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 20 at Green Bay
Pass completions 21 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 15 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 20 at Green Bay Longest passes 44 — Carson Palmer-to-Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 34 — Carson Palmer-to-Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 23 — (three times) Yards from scrimmage 141 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 108 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 97 — Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 13 vs. Denver Longest kickoff return 29 — Andre Caldwell, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 29 — Andre Caldwell, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 19 — (three times) Longest punt return 60 — Quan Cosby, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 32 — Quan Cosby, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 14 — Quan Cosby, Sept. 13 vs. Denver Total tackles (coaches’ statistics based on film review) 12 — Dhani Jones, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 9 — Roy Williams, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 8 — Roy Williams, Sept. 20 at Green Bay Solo tackles (coaches’ statistics based on film review) 7 — Roy Williams, Sept. 13 vs. Denver 7 — Dhani Jones, Sept. 20 at Green Bay 6 — (three times)
— Page 18 —
Transactions (Transactions prior to June 22 can be found on pages 138-139 of the Bengals’ 2009 media guide.)
June 22 — Signed DT Clinton McDonald (D7b). July 9 — Signed FB Fui Vakapuna (D7a). July 16 — Signed P Kevin Huber (D5). July 21 — Signed C Jonathan Luigs (D4); Waived CB Simeon Castille. July 28 — Signed TE Chase Coffman (D3b). July 29 — Signed LB Rey Maualuga (D2) and DE Michael Johnson (D3a). July 31 — Waived G Colin Dow. Aug. 2 — Signed CB Jamar Fletcher (FA). Aug. 3 — Signed OT Augustus Parrish (FA). Aug. 5 — Placed TE Reggie Kelly on the Reserve/Injured list. Aug. 6 — Signed TE Matt Sherry (FA). Aug. 10 — Terminated the contract of HB Kenny Watson; Waived FB J.D. Runnels Jr. Aug. 17 — Signed TE J.P. Foschi (FA) and TE Kolomona Kapanui (FA). Aug. 18 — Waived C Dan Santucci (injured). Aug. 19 — C Dan Santucci cleared waivers and reverted to the Reserve/Injured list. Aug. 22 — Waived HB Marlon Lucky and WR David Richmond. Aug. 23 — Signed K Sam Swank (FA). Aug. 24 — Signed DT Langston Moore (FA). Aug. 25 — Signed DT Ventrell Jenkins (FA). Aug. 29 — Terminated the contract of CB Jamar Fletcher; Waived WR Greg Orton and DT Pernell Phillips. Aug. 30 — Signed OT Andre Smith (D1) (roster exemption applied).
Aug. 31 — Placed TE Ben Utecht on the Reserve/Injured list; Waived TE Matt Sherry (injured). Sept. 1 — TE Matt Sherry cleared waivers and reverted to the Reserve/Injured list. Sept. 5 — Placed WR Antonio Chatman on the Reserve/Injured list; Terminated the contracts of LB Darryl Blackstock, LB Jim Maxwell and DT Langston Moore; Waived WR Freddie Brown, G Andrew Crummey, DE Chris Harrington, TE Darius Hill, DT Ventrell Jenkins, HB James Johnson, TE Kolomona Kapanui, S Corey Lynch, DT Clinton McDonald, CB Rico Murray, OT Augustus Parrish, FB Chris Pressley, WR Maurice Purify, G Jason Shirley, LB Dan Skuta, K Sam Swank, FB Fui Vakapuna, S Marvin White. Sept. 6 — Signed eight players to the practice squad: TE Darius Hill, HB James Johnson, S Corey Lynch, DT Clinton McDonald, FB Chris Pressley, WR Maurice Purify, G Jason Shirley, LB Dan Skuta. Sept. 14 — Activated OT Andre Smith to the 53-player roster (exemption expired); Waived HB DeDe Dorsey. * NOTE: Signed a new contract before finishing the final season(s) of existing contract.
— Page 19 —
Participation chart Legend
(position abbreviation indicates start)
P — played as a substitute DNP — did not play IL — inactive list * — designated third quarterback PS — practice squad
PSI — practice squad/injured list IPSP — international practice squad player RPUP — reserve/physically unable to perform list RI — reserve/injured list RSBC — reserve/suspended by commissioner list
RNFI — reserve/non-football injury list REX — roster exemption NWT — not with team
Benson, Cedric ................ 2-2 HB HB Caldwell, Andre ................ 2-0 P P Chatman, Antonio ............ 0-0 RI RI Coats, Daniel ................... 2-2 TE TE Coffman, Chase ............... 0-0 IL IL Coles, Laveranues ........... 2-2 WR WR Collins, Anthony ............... 2-2 ROT ROT Cook, Kyle ....................... 2-2 C C Cosby, Quan .................... 2-0 P P Crocker, Chris .................. 2-2 FS FS Dorsey, DeDe .................. 0-0 IL NWT Fanene, Jonathan ............ 2-0 P P Foschi, J.P. ...................... 2-1 P 2ndTE Geathers, Robert ............. 2-2 LDE LDE Graham, Shayne.............. 2-0 P P Hall, Leon ......................... 2-2 RCB RCB Hebert, Kyries .................. 2-0 P P Henry, Chris ..................... 2-0 P P Hill, Darius ....................... 0-0 PS PS Hodge, Abdul ................... 2-0 P P Huber, Kevin .................... 2-0 P P Jeanty, Rashad ................ 2-0 P P Johnson, Brandon............ 2-0 P P Johnson, James............... 0-0 PS PS Johnson, Jeremi .............. 2-1 FB P Johnson, Michael ............. 2-0 P P Johnson, Tank ................. 2-2 RDT RDT Jones, David .................... 0-0 IL IL Jones, Dhani .................... 2-2 MLB MLB Joseph, Johnathan .......... 2-2 LCB LCB Kelly, Reggie .................... 0-0 RI RI Kooistra, Scott ................. 1-0 IL P Leonard, Brian ................. 2-0 P P Livings, Nate .................... 1-1 LG IL Luigs, Jonathan ............... 0-0 DNP DNP Lynch, Corey .................... 0-0 PS PS Mathis, Evan .................... 2-1 P LG Maualuga, Rey ................. 2-2 SLB SLB McDonald, Clinton ........... 0-0 PS PS Ndukwe, Chinedum ......... 2-0 P P Nelson, Tom .................... 0-0 IL IL Ochocinco, Chad ............. 2-2 WR WR Odom, Antwan ................. 2-2 RDE RDE O’Sullivan, J.T. ................. 0-0 DNP DNP Palmer, Carson ................ 2-2 QB QB Palmer, Jordan ................ 0-0 IL* IL* Peko, Domata .................. 2-2 LDT LDT Pope, Geoffrey ................. 2-0 P P Pressley, Chris ................. 0-0 PS PS Purify, Maurice ................. 0-0 PS PS Rivers, Keith .................... 2-2 WLB WLB Roland, Dennis ................ 2-0 P P Rucker, Frostee ............... 0-0 IL IL St. Louis, Brad ................. 2-0 P P Santucci, Dan .................. 0-0 RI RI Scott, Bernard .................. 2-0 P P Sherry, Matt ..................... 0-0 RI RI Shirley, Jason .................. 0-0 PS PS Simpson, Jerome ............. 0-0 IL IL Sims, Pat ......................... 2-0 P P Skuta, Dan ....................... 0-0 PS PS Smith, Andre .................... 0-0 REX IL Trent, Morgan .................. 2-0 P P Utecht, Ben ...................... 0-0 RI RI Whitworth, Andrew........... 2-2 LOT LOT Williams, Bobbie .............. 2-2 RG RG Williams, Roy ................... 2-2 SS SS
— Page 20 —
Starting lineups Offense
GAME WR LOT LG C RG ROT TE WR QB HB FB 9-13 DEN. Ochocinco Whitworth Livings Cook B.Williams Collins Coats Coles C.Palmer Benson Je.Johnson 9-20 @G.B. Ochocinco Whitworth Mathis Cook B.Williams Collins Coats Coles C.Palmer Benson Foschi(2ndTE) 9-27 PITT. 10-4 @Cle. 10-11 @Balt. 10-18 HOU. 10-25 CHI. 11-1 (BYE) 11-8 BALT. 11-15 @Pitt. 11-22 @Oak. 11-29 CLE. 12-6 DET. 12-13 @Minn. 12-20 @S.D. 12-27 K.C. 1-3 @NYJ
Defense GAME LDE LDT RDT RDE SLB MLB WLB LCB RCB SS FS 9-13 DEN. Geathers Peko T.Johnson Odom Maualuga Dh.Jones Rivers Joseph Hall R.Williams Crocker 9-20 @G.B. Geathers Peko T.Johnson Odom Maualuga Dh.Jones Rivers Joseph Hall R.Williams Crocker 9-27 PITT. 10-4 @Cle. 10-11 @Balt. 10-18 HOU. 10-25 CHI. 11-1 (BYE) 11-8 BALT. 11-15 @Pitt. 11-22 @Oak. 11-29 CLE. 12-6 DET. 12-13 @Minn. 12-20 @S.D. 12-27 K.C. 1-3 @NYJ
— Page 21 —
Depth chart Sept. 22, 2009
OFFENSE WR 85 CHAD OCHOCINCO 15 Chris Henry 89 Jerome Simpson LOT 77 ANDREW WHITWORTH 74 Dennis Roland LG 62 NATE LIVINGS 66 Evan Mathis C 64 KYLE COOK 50 Jonathan Luigs RG 63 BOBBIE WILLIAMS ROT 73 ANTHONY COLLINS 75 Scott Kooistra 71 Andre Smith TE 86 DANIEL COATS 88 J.P. Foschi 80 Chase Coffman 48 Brad St. Louis WR 11 LAVERANUES COLES 87 Andre Caldwell 12 Quan Cosby QB 9 CARSON PALMER 4 J.T. O’Sullivan 5 Jordan Palmer HB 32 CEDRIC BENSON 28 Bernard Scott 40 Brian Leonard FB 23 JEREMI JOHNSON
DEFENSE LDE 91 ROBERT GEATHERS 92 Frostee Rucker LDT 94 DOMATA PEKO 68 Jonathan Fanene RDT 99 TANK JOHNSON 90 Pat Sims RDE 98 ANTWAN ODOM 93 Michael Johnson SLB 58 REY MAUALUGA 53 Rashad Jeanty MLB 57 DHANI JONES 52 Abdul Hodge WLB 55 KEITH RIVERS 59 Brandon Johnson LCB 22 JOHNATHAN JOSEPH 24 Geoffrey Pope 20 David Jones RCB 29 LEON HALL 25 Morgan Trent SS 31 ROY WILLIAMS 41 Chinedum Ndukwe 34 Kyries Hebert FS 42 CHRIS CROCKER 43 Tom Nelson
SPECIAL TEAMS P 10 Kevin Huber K 17 Shayne Graham KO 17 Shayne Graham PR 12 Quan Cosby 29 Leon Hall 43 Tom Nelson KOR 87 Andre Caldwell 28 Bernard Scott 12 Quan Cosby LS 48 Brad St. Louis 64 Kyle Cook H 10 Kevin Huber NOTE: Players whose names are CAPITALIZED are anticipated starters. Rookies and first-year players are underlined.
Pronunciation guide Bob Bratkowski (offensive coordinator) ............................. brat-COW-skee Louie Cioffi (assistant defensive backs coach) ............................ CHO-fee Laveranues Coles ............................................................. luh-VER-nee-us Quan Cosby .................................................................................. KWAHN Jonathan Fanene ................................................................... fuh-NAY-nay J.P. Foschi ................................................................................. FAH-shee Robert Geathers ............................................... (pronounced as “gathers”) Paul Guenther (asst. special teams/asst. LBs coach) ................ GUN-thur Kyries Hebert ................................................................. KYE-riss AY-bear Rashad Jeanty ............................................................ ruh-SHAHD JENN-tee Jeremi Johnson ................................................ (pronounced as “Jeremy”) Dhani Jones .......................................................................... duh-HAH-nee
Scott Kooistra ............................................................................ KOO-struh Jonathan Luigs .............................................................................. LOO-igs Rey Maualuga .......................... RAY mow(rhymes w/ “now”)-uh-LOO-guh Chinedum Ndukwe ..................................... CHIN-uh-doom en-DUKE-way Chad Ochocinco................................................................ o-cho-SEEN-ko Antwan Odom .............................................................. AN-twahn O-duhm Domata Peko ......................................................... DOE-mah-tah PECK-o Brad St. Louis ............................................ (pronounced as “Saint Lewis”) Dan Santucci (Reserve/Injured list).................................... san-TOO-chee Bob Surace (assistant offensive line coach) ............................. suh-RACE Ben Utecht (Reserve/Injured list) ................................................. YEW-tek Ken Zampese (quarterbacks coach) .................................... zam-PEE-zee
— Page 22 —
Alphabetical roster Sept. 22, 2009
NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 32 Benson, Cedric .................................... HB 5-11 225 12-28-82 5 Texas Midland, Texas FA’08 87 Caldwell, Andre................................... WR 6-0 200 4-15-85 2 Florida Tampa, Fla. D3b’08 86 Coats, Daniel ........................................ TE 6-3 264 4-16-84 3 Brigham Young Layton, Utah CFA’07 80 Coffman, Chase .................................... TE 6-6 257 11-10-86 R Missouri Peculiar, Mo. D3b’09 11 Coles, Laveranues .............................. WR 5-11 200 12-29-77 10 Florida State Jacksonville, Fla. UFA(NYJ)’09 73 Collins, Anthony ................................... OT 6-5 315 11-2-85 2 Kansas Beaumont, Texas D4’08 64 Cook, Kyle .............................................. C 6-3 312 7-25-83 2 Michigan State Macomb, Mich. FA’07 12 Cosby, Quan ....................................... WR 5-9 196 12-23-82 R Texas Mart, Texas CFA’09 42 Crocker, Chris ......................................... S 5-11 200 3-9-80 7 Marshall Chesapeake, Va. FA’08 68 Fanene, Jonathan ................................ DT 6-4 292 3-19-82 5 Utah Pago Pago (American Samoa) D7’05 88 Foschi, J.P. ........................................... TE 6-3 265 5-19-82 3 Georgia Tech Queens, N.Y. FA’09 91 Geathers, Robert ................................. DE 6-3 280 8-11-83 6 Georgia Georgetown, S.C. D4b’04 17 Graham, Shayne .................................... K 6-0 205 12-9-77 9 Virginia Tech Dublin, Va. W(Car.)’03 29 Hall, Leon ............................................. CB 5-11 199 12-9-84 3 Michigan Vista, Calif. D1’07 34 Hebert, Kyries ......................................... S 6-3 220 10-9-80 2 Louisiana-Lafayette Lafayette, La. FA’08 15 Henry, Chris ........................................ WR 6-4 200 5-17-83 5 West Virginia Belle Chasse, La. FA’08 52 Hodge, Abdul ........................................ LB 6-0 240 9-9-82 4 Iowa Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. FA’08 10 Huber, Kevin ........................................... P 6-1 210 7-16-85 R Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio D5’09 53 Jeanty, Rashad ..................................... LB 6-2 247 4-17-83 4 Central Florida Miami, Fla. FA’06 59 Johnson, Brandon ................................ LB 6-5 243 4-5-83 4 Louisville Birmingham, Ala. FA’08 23 Johnson, Jeremi ................................... FB 5-11 275 9-4-80 7 Western Kentucky Louisville, Ky. FA’09 93 Johnson, Michael ................................. DE 6-7 260 2-7-87 R Georgia Tech Selma, Ala. D3a’09 99 Johnson, Tank ..................................... DT 6-3 305 12-7-81 6 Washington Tempe, Ariz. UFA(Dall.)’09 20 Jones, David ........................................ CB 6-0 196 9-19-85 3 Wingate Greenville, S.C. W(N.O.)’07 57 Jones, Dhani ......................................... LB 6-1 240 2-22-78 10 Michigan Potomac, Md. FA’07 22 Joseph, Johnathan .............................. CB 5-11 193 4-16-84 4 South Carolina Rock Hill, S.C. D1’06 75 Kooistra, Scott ..................................... OT 6-6 335 10-14-80 7 North Carolina State Cary, N.C. D7a’03 40 Leonard, Brian ..................................... HB 6-1 230 2-3-84 3 Rutgers Gouverneur, N.Y. T(StL.)’09 62 Livings, Nate .......................................... G 6-5 330 3-16-82 2 Louisiana State Lake Charles, La. CFA’06 50 Luigs, Jonathan ...................................... C 6-4 315 8-11-86 R Arkansas Little Rock, Ark. D4’09 66 Mathis, Evan .......................................... G 6-5 295 11-1-81 5 Alabama Homewood, Ala. FA’08 58 Maualuga, Rey...................................... LB 6-2 255 1-20-87 R Southern California Eureka, Calif. D2’09 41 Ndukwe, Chinedum ................................ S 6-2 224 3-4-85 3 Notre Dame Powell, Ohio D7b’07 43 Nelson, Tom ........................................... S 5-11 203 12-4-86 R Illinois State Arlington Heights, Ill. CFA’09 85 Ochocinco, Chad ................................ WR 6-1 192 1-9-78 9 Oregon State Miami, Fla. D2’01 98 Odom, Antwan ..................................... DE 6-5 280 9-24-81 6 Alabama Bayou La Batre, Ala. UFA(Tenn.)’08 4 O’Sullivan, J.T...................................... QB 6-2 230 8-25-79 7 California, Davis Burbank, Calif. UFA(S.F.)’09 9 Palmer, Carson .................................... QB 6-5 235 12-27-79 7 Southern California Mission Viejo, Calif. D1’03 5 Palmer, Jordan .................................... QB 6-5 235 5-30-84 2 Texas-El Paso Mission Viejo, Calif. FA’08 94 Peko, Domata ...................................... DT 6-3 318 11-27-84 4 Michigan State Pago Pago (American Samoa) D4’06 24 Pope, Geoffrey..................................... CB 6-0 186 6-21-84 2 Howard Detroit, Mich. FA’08 55 Rivers, Keith ......................................... LB 6-2 240 5-5-86 2 Southern California Lake Mary, Fla. D1’08 74 Roland, Dennis .................................... OT 6-9 325 3-10-83 2 Georgia Bolivar, Mo. FA’08 92 Rucker, Frostee ................................... DE 6-3 285 9-14-83 4 Southern California Tustin, Calif. D3’06 48 St. Louis, Brad ................................ LS/TE 6-3 243 8-19-76 10 Southwest Missouri State Belton, Mo. D7’00 28 Scott, Bernard ...................................... HB 5-10 200 2-10-84 R Abilene Christian Vernon, Texas D6b’09 89 Simpson, Jerome ................................ WR 6-2 195 2-4-86 2 Coastal Carolina Reidsville, N.C. D2’08 90 Sims, Pat ............................................. DT 6-2 325 11-29-85 2 Auburn Fort Lauderdale, Fla. D3a’08 71 Smith, Andre ........................................ OT 6-4 335 1-25-87 R Alabama Birmingham, Ala. D1’09 25 Trent, Morgan ...................................... CB 6-1 195 12-14-85 R Michigan San Diego, Calif. D6a’09 77 Whitworth, Andrew .............................. OT 6-7 335 12-12-81 4 Louisiana State West Monroe, La. D2’06 63 Williams, Bobbie .................................... G 6-4 345 9-25-76 10 Arkansas Jefferson, Texas UFA(Phil.)’04 31 Williams, Roy .......................................... S 6-0 222 8-14-80 8 Oklahoma Union City, Calif. FA’09
Practice Squad NO. NAME (DATE) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 49 Hill, Darius (Sept. 6) ............................. TE 6-7 245 8-26-85 R Ball State Blue Springs, Mo. CFA’09 39 Johnson, James (Sept. 6) .................... HB 5-11 205 9-6-84 1 Kansas State Port Arthur, Texas CFA’08 47 Lynch, Corey (Sept. 6) ............................ S 6-0 206 5-7-85 2 Appalachian State Cape Coral, Fla. D6a’08 69 McDonald, Clinton (Sept. 6) ................ DT 6-2 290 1-6-87 R Memphis Jacksonville, Ark. D7b’09 36 Pressley, Chris (Sept. 6) ....................... FB 5-11 260 8-8-86 R Wisconsin Woodbury, N.J. CFA’09 14 Purify, Maurice (Sept. 6) ..................... WR 6-3 226 1-17-86 1 Nebraska Eureka, Calif. CFA’08 70 Shirley, Jason (Sept. 6) ......................... G 6-5 338 9-30-85 2 Fresno State Fontana, Calif. D5’08 46 Skuta, Dan (Sept. 6) ............................. LB 6-2 251 4-21-86 R Grand Valley State Flint, Mich. CFA’09
Reserve/Injured NO. NAME (DATE; INJURY) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 83 Chatman, Antonio (Sept. 5; ankle) ..... WR 5-8 185 2-12-79 7 Cincinnati Los Angeles, Calif. FA’06 82 Kelly, Reggie (Aug. 5; Achilles) ............ TE 6-4 256 2-22-77 11 Mississippi State Aberdeen, Miss. UFA(Atl.)’03 65 Santucci, Dan (Aug. 19; foot) ................. C 6-4 304 9-6-83 3 Notre Dame Harwood Heights, Ill. PS(Ind.)’07 45 Sherry, Matt (Sept. 1; shoulder) ........... TE 6-4 250 12-11-84 2 Villanova Rumford, R.I. FA’09 81 Utecht, Ben (Aug. 31; concussion) ....... TE 6-6 245 6-30-81 5 Minnesota Hastings, Minn. RFA(Ind.)’08
COACHING STAFF: Head coach: Marvin Lewis. Assistants: Paul Alexander (assistant head coach/offensive line), Jim Anderson (running backs), Bob Bratkowski (offensive coordinator), Louie Cioffi (assistant defensive backs), Kevin Coyle (defensive backs), Jeff FitzGerald (linebackers), Paul Guenther (assistant special teams/assistant linebackers), Jay Hayes (defensive line), Jonathan Hayes (tight ends), Chip Morton (strength and conditioning), Ray Oliver (associate strength and conditioning), Mike Sheppard (wide receivers), Darrin Simmons (special teams), Bob Surace (assistant offensive line), Ken Zampese (quarterbacks), Mike Zimmer (defensive coordinator).
— Page 23 —
Numerical roster Sept. 22, 2009
NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 4 J.T. O’Sullivan...................................... QB 6-2 230 8-25-79 7 California, Davis Burbank, Calif. UFA(S.F.)’09 5 Jordan Palmer ..................................... QB 6-5 235 5-30-84 2 Texas-El Paso Mission Viejo, Calif. FA’08 9 Carson Palmer ..................................... QB 6-5 235 12-27-79 7 Southern California Mission Viejo, Calif. D1’03 10 Kevin Huber ............................................ P 6-1 210 7-16-85 R Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio D5’09 11 Laveranues Coles ............................... WR 5-11 200 12-29-77 10 Florida State Jacksonville, Fla. UFA(NYJ)’09 12 Quan Cosby ........................................ WR 5-9 196 12-23-82 R Texas Mart, Texas CFA’09 15 Chris Henry ......................................... WR 6-4 200 5-17-83 5 West Virginia Belle Chasse, La. FA’08 17 Shayne Graham ..................................... K 6-0 205 12-9-77 9 Virginia Tech Dublin, Va. W(Car.)’03 20 David Jones ......................................... CB 6-0 196 9-19-85 3 Wingate Greenville, S.C. W(N.O.)’07 22 Johnathan Joseph ............................... CB 5-11 193 4-16-84 4 South Carolina Rock Hill, S.C. D1’06 23 Jeremi Johnson .................................... FB 5-11 275 9-4-80 7 Western Kentucky Louisville, Ky. FA’09 24 Geoffrey Pope...................................... CB 6-0 186 6-21-84 2 Howard Detroit, Mich. FA’08 25 Morgan Trent ....................................... CB 6-1 195 12-14-85 R Michigan San Diego, Calif. D6a’09 28 Bernard Scott ....................................... HB 5-10 200 2-10-84 R Abilene Christian Vernon, Texas D6b’09 29 Leon Hall .............................................. CB 5-11 199 12-9-84 3 Michigan Vista, Calif. D1’07 31 Roy Williams ........................................... S 6-0 222 8-14-80 8 Oklahoma Union City, Calif. FA’09 32 Cedric Benson ..................................... HB 5-11 225 12-28-82 5 Texas Midland, Texas FA’08 34 Kyries Hebert .......................................... S 6-3 220 10-9-80 2 Louisiana-Lafayette Lafayette, La. FA’08 40 Brian Leonard ...................................... HB 6-1 230 2-3-84 3 Rutgers Gouverneur, N.Y. T(StL.)’09 41 Chinedum Ndukwe ................................. S 6-2 224 3-4-85 3 Notre Dame Powell, Ohio D7b’07 42 Chris Crocker .......................................... S 5-11 200 3-9-80 7 Marshall Chesapeake, Va. FA’08 43 Tom Nelson ............................................ S 5-11 203 12-4-86 R Illinois State Arlington Heights, Ill. CFA’09 48 Brad St. Louis ................................. LS/TE 6-3 243 8-19-76 10 Southwest Missouri State Belton, Mo. D7’00 50 Jonathan Luigs ....................................... C 6-4 315 8-11-86 R Arkansas Little Rock, Ark. D4’09 52 Abdul Hodge ......................................... LB 6-0 240 9-9-82 4 Iowa Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. FA’08 53 Rashad Jeanty ...................................... LB 6-2 247 4-17-83 4 Central Florida Miami, Fla. FA’06 55 Keith Rivers .......................................... LB 6-2 240 5-5-86 2 Southern California Lake Mary, Fla. D1’08 57 Dhani Jones .......................................... LB 6-1 240 2-22-78 10 Michigan Potomac, Md. FA’07 58 Rey Maualuga....................................... LB 6-2 255 1-20-87 R Southern California Eureka, Calif. D2’09 59 Brandon Johnson ................................. LB 6-5 243 4-5-83 4 Louisville Birmingham, Ala. FA’08 62 Nate Livings ........................................... G 6-5 330 3-16-82 2 Louisiana State Lake Charles, La. CFA’06 63 Bobbie Williams ..................................... G 6-4 345 9-25-76 10 Arkansas Jefferson, Texas UFA(Phil.)’04 64 Kyle Cook ............................................... C 6-3 312 7-25-83 2 Michigan State Macomb, Mich. FA’07 66 Evan Mathis ........................................... G 6-5 295 11-1-81 5 Alabama Homewood, Ala. FA’08 68 Jonathan Fanene ................................. DT 6-4 292 3-19-82 5 Utah Pago Pago (American Samoa) D7’05 71 Andre Smith ......................................... OT 6-4 335 1-25-87 R Alabama Birmingham, Ala. D1’09 73 Anthony Collins .................................... OT 6-5 315 11-2-85 2 Kansas Beaumont, Texas D4’08 74 Dennis Roland ..................................... OT 6-9 325 3-10-83 2 Georgia Bolivar, Mo. FA’08 75 Scott Kooistra ...................................... OT 6-6 335 10-14-80 7 North Carolina State Cary, N.C. D7a’03 77 Andrew Whitworth ............................... OT 6-7 335 12-12-81 4 Louisiana State West Monroe, La. D2’06 80 Chase Coffman ..................................... TE 6-6 257 11-10-86 R Missouri Peculiar, Mo. D3b’09 85 Chad Ochocinco ................................. WR 6-1 192 1-9-78 9 Oregon State Miami, Fla. D2’01 86 Daniel Coats ......................................... TE 6-3 264 4-16-84 3 Brigham Young Layton, Utah CFA’07 87 Andre Caldwell.................................... WR 6-0 200 4-15-85 2 Florida Tampa, Fla. D3b’08 88 J.P. Foschi ............................................ TE 6-3 265 5-19-82 3 Georgia Tech Queens, N.Y. FA’09 89 Jerome Simpson ................................. WR 6-2 195 2-4-86 2 Coastal Carolina Reidsville, N.C. D2’08 90 Pat Sims .............................................. DT 6-2 325 11-29-85 2 Auburn Fort Lauderdale, Fla. D3a’08 91 Robert Geathers .................................. DE 6-3 280 8-11-83 6 Georgia Georgetown, S.C. D4b’04 92 Frostee Rucker .................................... DE 6-3 285 9-14-83 4 Southern California Tustin, Calif. D3’06 93 Michael Johnson .................................. DE 6-7 260 2-7-87 R Georgia Tech Selma, Ala. D3a’09 94 Domata Peko ....................................... DT 6-3 318 11-27-84 4 Michigan State Pago Pago (American Samoa) D4’06 98 Antwan Odom ...................................... DE 6-5 280 9-24-81 6 Alabama Bayou La Batre, Ala. UFA(Tenn.)’08 99 Tank Johnson ...................................... DT 6-3 305 12-7-81 6 Washington Tempe, Ariz. UFA(Dall.)’09
Practice Squad NO. NAME (DATE) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 14 Maurice Purify (Sept. 6) ...................... WR 6-3 226 1-17-86 1 Nebraska Eureka, Calif. CFA’08 36 Chris Pressley (Sept. 6) ........................ FB 5-11 260 8-8-86 R Wisconsin Woodbury, N.J. CFA’09 39 James Johnson (Sept. 6) ..................... HB 5-11 205 9-6-84 1 Kansas State Port Arthur, Texas CFA’08 46 Dan Skuta (Sept. 6) .............................. LB 6-2 251 4-21-86 R Grand Valley State Flint, Mich. CFA’09 47 Corey Lynch (Sept. 6) ............................. S 6-0 206 5-7-85 2 Appalachian State Cape Coral, Fla. D6a’08 49 Darius Hill (Sept. 6) .............................. TE 6-7 245 8-26-85 R Ball State Blue Springs, Mo. CFA’09 69 Clinton McDonald (Sept. 6) ................. DT 6-2 290 1-6-87 R Memphis Jacksonville, Ark. D7b’09 70 Jason Shirley (Sept. 6) .......................... G 6-5 338 9-30-85 2 Fresno State Fontana, Calif. D5’08
Reserve/Injured NO. NAME (DATE; INJURY) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 65 Dan Santucci (Aug. 19; foot) .................. C 6-4 304 9-6-83 3 Notre Dame Harwood Heights, Ill. PS(Ind.)’07 81 Ben Utecht (Aug. 31; concussion) ........ TE 6-6 245 6-30-81 5 Minnesota Hastings, Minn. RFA(Ind.)’08 82 Reggie Kelly (Aug. 5; Achilles) ............. TE 6-4 256 2-22-77 11 Mississippi State Aberdeen, Miss. UFA(Atl.)’03 83 Antonio Chatman (Sept. 5; ankle) ...... WR 5-8 185 2-12-79 7 Cincinnati Los Angeles, Calif. FA’06 45 Matt Sherry (Sept. 1; shoulder) ............ TE 6-4 250 12-11-84 2 Villanova Rumford, R.I. FA’09
COACHING STAFF: Head coach: Marvin Lewis. Assistants: Paul Alexander (assistant head coach/offensive line), Jim Anderson (running backs), Bob Bratkowski (offensive coordinator), Louie Cioffi (assistant defensive backs), Kevin Coyle (defensive backs), Jeff FitzGerald (linebackers), Paul Guenther (assistant special teams/assistant linebackers), Jay Hayes (defensive line), Jonathan Hayes (tight ends), Chip Morton (strength and conditioning), Ray Oliver (associate strength and conditioning), Mike Sheppard (wide receivers), Darrin Simmons (special teams), Bob Surace (assistant offensive line), Ken Zampese (quarterbacks), Mike Zimmer (defensive coordinator).
Special teams RANK BY TT/PLAYER ST AT TT FF FR-YDS BP BFG BXP
1. Rashad Jeanty ..................................... 2 0 2 0 0-0 0 0 0 Michael Johnson .................................. 2 0 2 0 0-0 0 0 0 Rey Maualuga ...................................... 2 0 2 0 0-0 0 0 0 Bernard Scott ....................................... 2 0 2 0 0-0 0 0 0 5. Brad St. Louis ....................................... 1 0 1 0 0-0 0 0 0 Roy Williams ......................................... 1 0 1 0 0-0 0 0 0 Kyries Hebert ........................................ 0 1 1 0 0-0 0 0 0
— Page 26 —
Team statistics Record: 1-1
DATE W-L SCORE OPPONENT ATTENDANCE 9-13 L 7-12 DENVER 62,831 9-20 W 31-24 at Green Bay 70,678 9-27 PITTSBURGH 10-4 at Cleveland 10-11 at Baltimore 10-18 HOUSTON 10-25 CHICAGO 11-1 — BYE — 11-8 BALTIMORE 11-15 at Pittsburgh 11-22 at Oakland 11-29 CLEVELAND 12-6 DETROIT 12-13 at Minnesota 12-20 at San Diego 12-27 KANSAS CITY 1-3 at N.Y. Jets
TEAM STATISTICS CIN. OPP. TOTAL FIRST DOWNS ................................................................. 35 32 Rushing ................................................................................. 11 8 Passing ................................................................................. 22 20 Penalty .................................................................................... 2 4 3rd Down: Made-Att. ........................................................ 14-29 9-25 3rd Down Pct. .................................................................... 48.3 36.0 4th Down: Made-Att. ............................................................ 1-2 0-0 4th Down Pct...................................................................... 50.0 0.0 POSSESSION AVG. ................................................................ 33:37 26:23 TOTAL NET YARDS ................................................................... 626 613 Avg. Per Game ................................................................ 313.0 306.5 Total Plays .......................................................................... 122 114 Avg. Per Play ....................................................................... 5.1 5.4 NET YARDS RUSHING .............................................................. 237 164 Avg. Per Game ................................................................ 118.5 82.0 Total Rushes ......................................................................... 61 38 NET YARDS PASSING ............................................................... 389 449 Avg. Per Game ................................................................ 194.5 224.5 Sacked-Yards Lost ............................................................ 5-43 9-55 Gross Yards ........................................................................ 432 504 Att.-Completions .............................................................. 56-36 67-38 Completion Pct................................................................... 64.3 56.7 Had Intercepted ...................................................................... 4 0 PUNTS-AVG. ......................................................................... 11-42.1 14-42.8 Net Punting Avg. ........................................................... 11-38.7 14-31.1 PENALTIES-YARDS .............................................................. 17-127 17-115 FUMBLES-BALL LOST ................................................................ 3-0 3-1 TOUCHDOWNS .............................................................................. 5 4 Rushing ................................................................................... 2 1 Passing ................................................................................... 3 2 Returns ................................................................................... 0 1
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. BENGALS ................................................... 7 14 7 10 0 38 OPPONENTS ........................................... 14 10 3 9 0 36
