— 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 OCT. 5, 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) Week 5, Game 5 Sunday, Oct. 10 at Paul Brown Stadium Next up: Week 6, Bengals bye week Game information Kickoff: 1 p.m. EDT. Television: FOX broadcast with Thom Brennaman (play- by-play) and Brian Billick (analyst). If the game is sold out by 1 p.m. on Oct. 7, it will be aired live on FOX affiliates WXIX-TV (Channel 19) in Cincinnati, WRGT-TV (Channel 45) in Dayton and WDKY-TV (Channel 56) in Lexington, Ky. Radio: Coverage on the 27-station Bengals Radio Network, including WCKY-AM (1530) “Homer” (all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Brad Johansen (play-by- play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). Setting the scene: Marvin Lewis called it “back to square zero” as the Bengals hit the quarter-pole of the 2010 season with a 2-2 record. But the head coach does not see any state of equilibrium holding through this week’s home game against Tampa Bay, which will be followed by Cincinnati’s bye week. “This can be a defining moment for this team,” Lewis said after a 23-20 loss at Cleveland, a setback that ended an eight- game Bengals win streak in the AFC North Division. “I mean how it will be handled, and how we will move forward. “We let the other team (Browns) make more plays, and we lost a game we could have won. It hurts like hell. But we’ve got to accept it, swallow hard and do better. And we know we can.” The Bengals have played three of their first four games on the road, but will play three of the next four at home. Cincinnati enters the Tampa Bay contest just a game out of the division lead, as Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both 3-1. Cleveland, which has played all four of its games to the wire, is not to be discounted at 1-3 and two games out. “It’s early, and a lot of things are going to happen down the road,” said LOT and team captain Andrew Whitworth. “Right now it’s just how we take it — man up to it and get better. And you’ll see that this week, I’m confident.” Ironically, the Bengals dropped from the ranks of teams with winning records while answering the most persistent criticism they had faced the previous week. They revived a sluggish passing game with 346 net yards, including 222 yards by WR Terrell Owens, who rose in grand style to No. 2 all-time in NFL receiving yards at 15,325. “This one hurts,” said QB Carson Palmer. “It’s one of those seasons where we play a lot of good teams, and it’s hard not to get a ‘W’ from teams you should get a ‘W’ from. Give the Browns credit, take your hat off to them, but we’ve got to find a way to dig deep. We’ve got a team coming in (Tampa Bay) that’s kind of been up and down, and then we have a bye, and then we have a really long stretch of really good teams we’re going to be playing. Some big division games. Some big road games. So we have to suck it up and move past this game.” The Bengals have not been known of late for middle-of-the- road starts. They are 2-2 for the first time since 2001. In Lewis’ seven previous seasons as head coach, the club started 4-0 once, 3-1 twice, 1-3 three times and 0-4 once. The Bengals reached the playoffs under Lewis in years when they started 4-0 (2005) and 3-1 (’09). Tampa Bay is 2-1 and had a bye last week. The Bucs last played on Sept. 26, falling 38-13 to Pittsburgh. The series: Tampa Bay has won five straight in its series with the Bengals to take an overall 6-3 lead. The most recent meeting was a 14-13 Bucs win at Tampa in 2006. The Bucs lead 4-2 in games at Cincinnati. The Bengals have not beaten the Bucs since 1989, when they prevailed 56-23 at Riverfront Stadium. The last Bengals-Bucs game at Cincinnati was a 35-7 Tampa Bay victory at Paul Brown Stadium in 2002. Team bests from the series: Bengals — MOST POINTS: 56, in a 56-23 win at Riverfront Stadium in 1989. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 33, from the 1989 victory. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0, in a 21-0 victory in 1976. Buccaneers — MOST POINTS: 35 (twice), most recently in a 35-7 win at Paul Brown Stadium in 2002. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 35, in a 35-0 win at Cincinnati in 1998. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0, in the 1998 game. The last meetings: Complete summaries of the last two Bengals-Buccaneers meetings — in 2002 at Cincinnati and in ’06 at Tampa Bay — are on page 13 of this news release. Chad vs. Bucs: WR Chad Ochocinco is the only Bengals player who has appeared in more than one game for Cincinnati against Tampa Bay, and he has statistics against the Bucs only from the most recent meeting, in 2006, when he caught six passes for 99 yards. A statistical roundup of his and other Bengals performances in that game appears on page 13 of this release. Ochocinco also played against the Bucs in Game 4 of 2002, his second year, but he did not have a catch. Following that game, he was not shut out again until Game 16 of last season, when he played only briefly in a regular-season finale at the N.Y. Jets that saw Cincinnati rest most starters in preparation for the playoffs. In between the 2002 Bucs game and the ’09 Jets game, Ochocinco set a Bengals record (120) for consecutive games played with at least one catch. T.O. vs. Bucs: WR Terrell Owens, in his first Bengals season, has played five previous games for other teams against Tampa Bay. In those contests he totaled 23 receptions for 356 yards, for averages of 15.5 yards per catch and 71.2 yards per
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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 OCT. 5, 2010
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)
Week 5, Game 5 Sunday, Oct. 10
at Paul Brown Stadium
Next up: Week 6, Bengals bye week
Game information Kickoff: 1 p.m. EDT. Television: FOX broadcast with Thom Brennaman (play-by-play) and Brian Billick (analyst). If the game is sold out by 1 p.m. on Oct. 7, it will be aired live on FOX affiliates WXIX-TV (Channel 19) in Cincinnati, WRGT-TV (Channel 45) in Dayton and WDKY-TV (Channel 56) in Lexington, Ky. Radio: Coverage on the 27-station Bengals Radio Network, including WCKY-AM (1530) “Homer” (all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Brad Johansen (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). Setting the scene: Marvin Lewis called it “back to square zero” as the Bengals hit the quarter-pole of the 2010 season with a 2-2 record. But the head coach does not see any state of equilibrium holding through this week’s home game against Tampa Bay, which will be followed by Cincinnati’s bye week. “This can be a defining moment for this team,” Lewis said after a 23-20 loss at Cleveland, a setback that ended an eight-game Bengals win streak in the AFC North Division. “I mean how it will be handled, and how we will move forward. “We let the other team (Browns) make more plays, and we lost a game we could have won. It hurts like hell. But we’ve got to accept it, swallow hard and do better. And we know we can.” The Bengals have played three of their first four games on the road, but will play three of the next four at home. Cincinnati enters the Tampa Bay contest just a game out of the division lead, as Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both 3-1. Cleveland, which has played all four of its games to the wire, is not to be discounted at 1-3 and two games out. “It’s early, and a lot of things are going to happen down the road,” said LOT and team captain Andrew Whitworth. “Right now it’s just how we take it — man up to it and get better. And you’ll see that this week, I’m confident.” Ironically, the Bengals dropped from the ranks of teams with winning records while answering the most persistent criticism they had faced the previous week. They revived a sluggish passing game with 346 net yards, including 222 yards by WR Terrell Owens, who rose in grand style to No. 2 all-time in NFL receiving yards at 15,325. “This one hurts,” said QB Carson Palmer. “It’s one of those seasons where we play a lot of good teams, and it’s hard not to get a ‘W’ from teams you should get a ‘W’ from. Give the Browns credit, take your hat off to them, but we’ve got to find a way to dig deep. We’ve got a team coming in (Tampa Bay) that’s kind of been up and down, and then we have a bye, and then we have a really long stretch of really good teams we’re going to be playing. Some big division games. Some big road games. So we have to suck it up and move past this game.”
The Bengals have not been known of late for middle-of-the-road starts. They are 2-2 for the first time since 2001. In Lewis’ seven previous seasons as head coach, the club started 4-0 once, 3-1 twice, 1-3 three times and 0-4 once. The Bengals reached the playoffs under Lewis in years when they started 4-0 (2005) and 3-1 (’09). Tampa Bay is 2-1 and had a bye last week. The Bucs last played on Sept. 26, falling 38-13 to Pittsburgh. The series: Tampa Bay has won five straight in its series with the Bengals to take an overall 6-3 lead. The most recent meeting was a 14-13 Bucs win at Tampa in 2006. The Bucs lead 4-2 in games at Cincinnati. The Bengals have not beaten the Bucs since 1989, when they prevailed 56-23 at Riverfront Stadium. The last Bengals-Bucs game at Cincinnati was a 35-7 Tampa Bay victory at Paul Brown Stadium in 2002. Team bests from the series: Bengals — MOST POINTS: 56, in a 56-23 win at Riverfront Stadium in 1989. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 33, from the 1989 victory. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0, in a 21-0 victory in 1976. Buccaneers — MOST POINTS: 35 (twice), most recently in a 35-7 win at Paul Brown Stadium in 2002. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 35, in a 35-0 win at Cincinnati in 1998. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0, in the 1998 game. The last meetings: Complete summaries of the last two Bengals-Buccaneers meetings — in 2002 at Cincinnati and in ’06 at Tampa Bay — are on page 13 of this news release. Chad vs. Bucs: WR Chad Ochocinco is the only Bengals player who has appeared in more than one game for Cincinnati against Tampa Bay, and he has statistics against the Bucs only from the most recent meeting, in 2006, when he caught six passes for 99 yards. A statistical roundup of his and other Bengals performances in that game appears on page 13 of this release. Ochocinco also played against the Bucs in Game 4 of 2002, his second year, but he did not have a catch. Following that game, he was not shut out again until Game 16 of last season, when he played only briefly in a regular-season finale at the N.Y. Jets that saw Cincinnati rest most starters in preparation for the playoffs. In between the 2002 Bucs game and the ’09 Jets game, Ochocinco set a Bengals record (120) for consecutive games played with at least one catch. T.O. vs. Bucs: WR Terrell Owens, in his first Bengals season, has played five previous games for other teams against Tampa Bay. In those contests he totaled 23 receptions for 356 yards, for averages of 15.5 yards per catch and 71.2 yards per
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(T.O. vs. Bucs, continued) game. He has scored three receiving TDs against the Bucs. Owens most recently faced the Bucs on Sept. 20 of last season for Buffalo. He caught three passes for 52 yards and a TD in a 33-20 Bills win vs. Tampa Bay. Owens played twice against the Bucs for San Francisco (1997 and 2003) and twice for Dallas (’06 and ’08). He had one big game against Tampa Bay for both of those clubs. He caught six-for-152 with a TD in a 24-7 win by the 49ers at San Francisco in 2003, and he caught eight-for-107 with a TD in a 38-10 win by the Cowboys at Dallas in ’06. NFC beware: The Bengals are 12-2-1 in their last 15 home games against NFC teams, for a winning percentage of .833. The last 14 of the 15 games have been played under head coach Marvin Lewis (11-2-1). The first game of the 15 was a home win over New Orleans on Dec. 22, 2002, under head coach Dick LeBeau. The Bengals have won their last three against NFC visitors and are unbeaten in the last five. Going back a bit farther, the Bengals are 23-9-1 (.712) at home against the NFC since 1993. Here’s a recap of the 12-2-1 run against NFC visitors:
DATE OPP. SCORE COMMENT
12-22-02 N.O. Cin., 20-13 Bengals are playoff spoilers 10-26-03 Sea. Cin., 27-24 Five turnovers doom 5-1 Seahawks 12-14-03 S.F. Cin., 41-38 Rudi Johnson rushes for 174 11-7-04 Dall. Cin., 26-3 First time since 2000 holding foe without TD 12-26-04 NYG Cin., 23-22 Chad Ochocinco’s 2nd TD caps comeback 9-18-05 Minn. Cin., 37-8 Plus-6 TO differential ties team mark 10-30-05 G.B. Cin., 21-14 Brett Favre burned for five INTs 10-22-06 Car. Cin., 17-14 Fourth-quarter rally with 86-yard TD drive 10-29-06 Atl. Atl., 29-27 Michael Vick passes for three TDs 11-18-07 Ariz. Ariz., 35-27 Carson Palmer’s only four-INT game 12-9-07 StL. Cin., 19-10 Bengals defense allows no TDs 11-16-08 Phil. Tie, 13-13 Only NFL tie since 2002 12-14-08 Wash. Cin., 20-13 Goal-line stand stops ’Skins comeback bid 10-25-09 Chi. Cin., 45-10 Benson burns ex-team for 189 rushing 12-6-09 Det. Cin., 23-13 Ochocinco 137 rec. yds.; Benson 110 rush Records vs. Bucs: The record book: The Bengals set several offensive team records — which stand to this day — in their last victory over Tampa Bay, a 56-23 verdict at Riverfront Stadium on Oct. 29, 1989. The list includes a tie for most passing touchdowns (six), most PATs (eight), and a tie for most total touchdowns (eight). Jim Breech was the kicker who set the PAT mark. An individual TD pass mark no longer stands from the game, as the six TDs included five by Boomer Esiason and one by Erik Wilhelm. Carson Palmer set the club individual mark with six of his own at Cleveland in 2007. The 56 points scored by Cincinnati stands as the most ever against an NFC opponent and the fourth-most in club history. Bengals-Buccaneers connections: Bengals K Mike Nugent was with Tampa Bay for a portion of the 2009 season ... Bengals OT Dennis Roland was on the Bucs practice
squad in 2006 and split time in ’07 between the practice squad and roster ... Bucs S Corey Lynch played for the Bengals in 2008 ... Bengals FB Chris Pressley opened 2009 on the Bengals practice squad and was signed to Tampa Bay’s roster on 10-28-09 ... Bucs LB Barrett Ruud is the son of Tom Ruud, who played LB for the Bengals in 1978-79 ... Bucs WR Dezmon Briscoe (practice squad) was a Bengals 2010 draft choice and was with Cincinnati in preseason ... Bucs OT Derek Hardman (practice squad) played at Eastern Kentucky ... Bengals LBs coach Jeff FitzGerald broke into the NFL on the Bucs coaching staff from 1990-93 ... Bucs strength and conditioning coach Kurtis Shultz was on the Bengals strength and conditioning staff in 2003.
SCORING (AVG. POINTS): Points scored ...................... T-14th (19.8) 25th (16.7) Points allowed ......................... 16th (19.5) 17th (19.7) NET OFFENSE (AVG. YARDS): Total ...................................... 10th (349.8) 26th (288.0) Rushing ................................... 23rd (92.0) 20th (96.3) Passing ................................... 6th (257.8) 23rd (191.7) NET DEFENSE (AVG. YARDS): Total .................................... T-6th (299.3) 20th (335.0) Rushing ................................. 15th (107.5) 28th (141.3) Passing ................................... 9th (191.8) 10th (193.7) TURNOVERS: Differential ........................... T-6th (plus-3) T-4th (plus-4) Red zone reports: The Bengals allowed only one touchdown on four Cleveland red-zone possessions last week, and for the season the Bengals have risen to tied for ninth in the NFL in defensive red-zone TD percentage (41.7). Cincinnati has allowed five TDs on 12 opponents’ drives that have included snaps inside the Bengals 20-yard line. Elsewhere in the red zone, both the Bengals and Tampa Bay are seeking improvement. Cincinnati ranks 22nd in offensive TD percentage (38.5) after getting just one TD in three tries last week. Tampa Bay ranks 28th at just 33.3 percent. And the Bucs on defense rank tied for 18th (50.0).
Bengals red-zone report OFFENSE DEFENSE
Inside-20 poss.: 13 Inside-20 poss.: 12 Total scores: 12 (92.3%) Total scores: 10 (83.3%) TDs: 5 (38.5%) TDs: 5 (41.7%) FGs: 7 (53.8%) FGs: 5 (41.7%) TD% rank: 22nd TD% rank: T-9th No scores: 1 (7.7%) No scores: 2 (16.7%)
Buccaneers red-zone report OFFENSE DEFENSE
Inside-20 poss.: 9 Inside-20 poss.: 6 Total scores: 6 (66.7%) Total scores: 4 (66.7%) TDs: 3 (33.3%) TDs: 3 (50.0%) FGs: 3 (33.3%) FGs: 1 (16.7%) TD% rank: 28th TD% rank: T-18th No scores: 3 (33.3%) No scores: 2 (33.3%)
The head coaches Marvin Lewis is in his eighth season as Bengals head coach, tying the longest tenure in franchise history, and he takes on the challenge of 2010 as the returning NFL Coach of the Year. Lewis led the Bengals to a 10-6 record and the AFC North Division championship in 2009. He earned the major share of Coach of the Year awards, winning the flagship Associated Press honor (given annually by a national media panel since 1957) while also getting nods from Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association. The Bengals were unbeaten in division play (6-0) for the first time in history.
Lewis’ Bengals record is now 58-57-1 in the regular season, 0-2 in postseason and 58-59-1 overall. He 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 ’00 season. In the 2000 regular season, Lewis’ Baltimore defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game
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(The head coaches, continued) 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 (‘78-80). He began his coaching career as an assistant at Idaho State University in 1981. Raheem Morris is in his second season as Tampa Bay head coach. His record is 5-14, including 2-1 this season. Prior to being named head coach, he worked as Bucs defensive backs coach in 2007-08, as assistant DBs coach from ’04-05, as defensive assistant in ’03 and as defensive quality control coach in ’02. In 2007, his first year as defensive backs coach, the Bucs improved from 19th to first in the NFL in pass defense, and they won the ’07 NFC South title. In five of his seasons with Tampa Bay, the Bucs ranked in the NFL’s top five in total defense,
including first in 2002 and ’05. In his 2002 season as defensive quality control coach, Tampa Bay won Super Bowl XXXVII over Oakland. Morris coached collegiately at Hofstra (1998, 2000-01), Cornell (’99) and Kansas State (’06). A native of Irvington, N.J., he played safety at Hofstra from 1994-97. Lewis vs. Bucs: Bucs lead, 1-0, from a 14-13 win at Tampa in 2006. Lewis vs. Morris: No previous meetings. Morris vs. Bengals: No previous meetings. Lewis needs seven: Lewis’ Bengals win total of 58 ranks second in franchise history (regular season and postseason), behind Sam Wyche, who won 64 games during an eight-year tenure (1984-91). With seven more wins, Lewis can pass Wyche into first place. Last season, Lewis passed Paul Brown (55 wins) into second place.
Bengals information Searching for right combo: Bengals CB Adam Jones is a plainspoken guy, not one to endlessly analyze what others might think of his opinions. That includes the Cleveland Browns, after they just defeated the Bengals last week. “There’s no way we should have lost this game,” Jones said. “We had to find a way to win a game we should have won.” For certain, the Bengals had the stats, 413 yards to Cleveland’s 295. They had big jolts of momentum, twice charging from behind as if they would not be stopped the rest of the day. They had flair, with WR Terrell Owens at times seeming to toy with the Browns, and with QB Carson Palmer answering his passing critics to the tune of 371 yards and a 121.4 rating. Cincinnati also had an eight-game division win streak and a three-game streak over the Browns. But the formerly winless Browns had a 23-20 trophy at day’s end, and this week the Bengals look for some answers about producing a more integrated effort. Though the yardage numbers were big at Cleveland, the Bengals moved in spurts, with some dead spots in between. “As an offense we’re frustrated,” said Owens. “We didn’t run the ball effectively (67 yards on 18 carries at Cleveland), and we’ve got to mix it up. We know we have great offensive weapons, but we’re not moving the ball like we’re capable of moving it. It’s got to be a team effort, and I don’t set myself apart from that. I came here to be a part of something special, and that will only be accomplished by doing it as a team.” It’s becoming well established that huge passing numbers are not a sure sign that things are going well. The Bengals are 0-2 this season and 5-9 for Palmer’s career when he passes for 300 yards. And though HB Cedric Benson has been effective in spots, the sixth-year pro has gone all four games without a 100-yard day. Last season, Benson didn’t play more than two in a row without hitting 100. Defensively, the Bengals have held three straight foes under 300 yards. They rank tied for sixth in the NFL yardage rankings for the season. But the defense allowed its first 100-yard rusher last week, as Cleveland’s Peyton Hillis went 27-for-102 and led the way as Cleveland killed the clock to prevent an anticipated final Bengals possession. Also, the Bengals had more penalty yards (79-44), with a couple particularly costly ones. And Cincinnati was minus-one in turnover differential, and in the NFL, even minus-one is bad news. Since 2000, teams with a minus-one differential have only a .313 winning percentage, with a record 279-612-1. Head coach Marvin Lewis said the answer lies in the football axiom of focus. “There has to be attention to detail on every play,” Lewis said. “It’s as simple as that. We have to be alert for 60 minutes and make things happen. We can’t afford right now to make mistakes. Our margin of error is not great enough.”
300 passing yards not gold in ’10: It isn’t just Carson Palmer in the NFL this season. The Bengals’ 0-2 record in his games of 300 passing yards is reflective of a leaguewide trend. Palmer was one of five passers to hit 300 yards in Week 4, and three of the other four also lost. For the season, 300-yard passers as a group have a 6-15 record, a winning percentage of only .286. For the full 2009 season, however, teams were 67-37 (.644) with a 300-yard passer. Palmer rates with greats: Bengals QB Carson Palmer stands tall 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) Defense tied for sixth: The Bengals held their opponent under 300 yards net offense for the third straight week in the Cleveland game, as the Browns managed 295. With that effort, Cincinnati moved from ninth to tied for sixth in the NFL
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(Defense tied for sixth, continued) yardage rankings, with an average of 299.3 yards allowed. The Bengals were ranked fourth in yardage defense last season. For the first time since 1975-76, when the team’s records were 11-3 and 10-4, Cincinnati is looking at finishing in the top 10 two years in a row. “It’s been a long road; we’ve come a long way,” says left end Robert Geathers, who played his first four seasons (2004-07) on defenses that ranked 19th, 28th, 30th and 27th. “We’re not where we want to be, obviously, because we don’t have a winning record as a team, but we feel good about our guys and our coach (defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer). “It’s taken a lot of work. A lot of sacrifice. We’re accountable to one another. We don’t play for the coaches or for a check. We play not to let the guy down next to us.” Zimmer is in his third season as coordinator. His unit rose to 12th in the yardage rankings in 2008 before moving up to fourth last year. Last season, the defense had a stretch of six straight games (Games 7-12) holding opponents under 300 net yards. Hall tops AFC in INTs: Bengals CB Leon Hall had an INT for the third straight game last week at Cleveland, picking off a Seneca Wallace pass at the Browns Cleveland 37 in the second quarter. It’s the second straight year for a Bengals CB to turn this hat trick, as Johnathan Joseph did it in Games 3-5 of 2009. Hall leads the AFC with his three INTs, and he is in a three-way tie for the NFL lead. Also with three are NFC safeties Nate Allen of Philadelphia, Charles Godfrey of Carolina and Earl Thomas of Seattle. There are six players tied for second place in the AFC, with two. The only Bengal to claim a piece of the NFL interceptions title for a full season has been CB Deltha O’Neal, who tied for the league lead in 2005 with a Bengals-record of 10. O’Neal was the lone AFC leader that year. CB Ken Riley won one undisputed AFC crown (with nine in 1976) and tied for the AFC lead two other years (1982-83). Riley, who played from 1969-83, is far and away the Bengals’ career INT leader with 65. CB Louis Breeden is a distant second at 33. Hall now has 17 interceptions in 52 career Bengals games and is tied for sixth in franchise history with Tommy Casanova. Hall also leads the Bengals in total passes defensed (five) on the season. “Leon has a quiet confidence,” says Bengals DBs coach Kevin Coyle. “He’s a very self-assured guy that knows he’s a top level player, but he doesn’t take anything for granted. He is a tremendous technician of the game.” Hall and starting mate Joseph tied for the team lead last year with six INTs each, and though Joseph does not have an INT this season, Bengals coaches believe both players merit Pro Bowl recognition. This year, they are a major factor in the Bengals ranking seventh in the NFL in lowest opponents’ completion percentage (55.5), and they have done it with the four-man pass rush getting off to a slow start. Last year, in a season when the Bengals tied for 19th in sacks, the CBs led the unit to a No. 5 rank in completion percentage (58.5). “I thought they both played at a Pro Bowl level last year, and they’re off to another good start,” Coyle said. “They have played at the most consistent high level of any corners we’ve had here, and we’ve had Pro Bowl corners. Both of them are becoming the complete package. They’re not just run defenders and they don’t just make interceptions, or just play physical or just run. They can do it all.” T.O. claims No. 2 all-time: Bengals WR Terrell Owens needed a very good day — 106 receiving yards — to make last week his week for passing Isaac Bruce into second place all-time in NFL receiving yards. As matters turned out at Cleveland, he got more than twice what he needed. His 222-yard game, which included a 78-yard TD reception, pushed his career yardage total to 15,325. He passed Bruce’s total of 15,208 on a 25-yard second-quarter catch that pushed him at that moment to 15,231 yards.
On Sept. 12 at New England, Owens became the third player in NFL history to reach 15,000 career receiving yards. The all-time NFL leader, not to be challenged by anyone presently in sight, is 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Rice, with 22,895 yards. But here’s a look at the current all-time top five:
PLAYER SEASONS YEARS YARDS
Jerry Rice ........................................... 20 1985-2004 22,895 Terrell Owens .................................... 15* 1996-2010 15,325 Isaac Bruce ........................................ 16 1994-2009 15,208 Tim Brown .......................................... 17 1988-2004 14,934 Randy Moss ...................................... 13* 1998-2010 14,604 * — Active. T.O. makes top five in catches: WR Terrell Owens entered last week’s Cleveland game needing five catches to pass Isaac Bruce into fifth place all-time in NFL receptions. He doubled the order by getting 10. Owens will not overtake all-time catch leader Jerry Rice (1549), but he may have a chance at second place. With 1030 career catches, he is 72 behind No. 2 Marvin Harrison (1102). But Owens also must work to stay ahead of another still-active player, Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez, who currently has 1018 catches, just 12 behind Owens. Gonzalez had seven catches last week for Atlanta. Below are the NFL’s top seven all-time receivers:
PLAYER, POS. RECEPTIONS
Jerry Rice, WR ........................................................................ 1549 Marvin Harrison, WR ............................................................... 1102 Cris Carter, WR ....................................................................... 1101 Tim Brown, WR ....................................................................... 1094 Terrell Owens, WR* ................................................................ 1030 Isaac Bruce, WR ..................................................................... 1024 Tony Gonzalez, TE* ................................................................ 1018 * — Active. The only ‘200’: WR Terrell Owens’ 222 receiving yards at Cleveland last week is the most in a game by an NFL receiver this year, and the only one at 200 or above. The next-highest total has been 196 by Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne, also last week as the Colts played Jacksonville. In the previous two full seasons (2008-09), a total of 222 receiving yards was topped only once. Miles Austin of Dallas had a 250-yard game last year. The third-highest game total from 2008 through the present has been 213, posted twice, and Owens holds one of those, from a 213-yard game for Dallas in 2008. Owens’ total at Cleveland was the second-highest of his career. His all-time high has been 283 yards, in 2000 for San Francisco against Chicago. Through Week 4 play in 2010, Owens ranks fifth in the NFL, and fifth in the AFC, with 374 yards. The leader is Wayne of Indianapolis at 456. T.O. backs it up: WR Terrell Owens entered the 2010 season clearly a bit disturbed at NFL chatter to the effect he was slowing down at age 36. “You would never think that I’m 36,” he said during preseason. “I think that’s cost me money, the stigma that guys in their 30s are in their decline. We’ll see what they have to say at the end of this year. I attribute a lot of it to eating healthy. I don’t drink during the season. I have guys here asking how I do it. I attribute it to the way that I take care of my body. Look at what I’ve done over my career. It hasn’t been one year here or there.” And last week at Cleveland, Owens became the oldest player in league history to record a 200-yard receiving game. Here’s a list of the five oldest players to do it, and actually there are only four, because Owens now has two of the five:
PLAYER, TEAM YEAR YDS. AGE
Terrell Owens, Bengals 2010 222 36 years, 300 days James Lofton, Bills 1991 220 35 years, 108 days Terrell Owens, Cowboys 2008 213 34 years, 352 days Don Maynard, Jets 1969 212 34 years, 268 days Rod Smith, Broncos 1984 208 34 years, 169 days
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(Bengals information, continued) T.O.’s day second for Bengals: WR Terrell Owens’ 222-yard receiving game against Cleveland last week comes in second for the category in the Bengals’ 43-season history. Here’s the new top five:
PLAYER DATE OPPONENT YDS.
Chad Ochocinco ..................... 11-12-06 San Diego 260 Terrell Owens ........................... 10-3-10 Cleveland 222 Eddie Brown ............................. 11-6-88 Pittsburgh 216 Chad Ochocinco ....................... 9-16-07 Cleveland 209 Cris Collinsworth ...................... 10-2-83 Baltimore 206 Nugent still perfect (almost): Bengals K Mike Nugent began last week’s game at Cleveland by making his ninth straight FG attempt without a miss. He entered the game with already the longest perfect streak to start a Bengals career, having broken a previous high of six by Shayne Graham in 2003. And though nine was as far as Nugent got, his second-quarter miss from 44 yards was simply not his fault. It was blocked, and coaches’ film review confirmed that it was solely the fault of a protection breakdown, not a low trajectory. Nugent, named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September, made another FG in the third quarter and is now 10-for-11 on the season. Two of his FGs have come from 50 or more yards. His accuracy percentage is 90.9. Only once has 90.9 been bettered for a full Bengals season, as Graham holds the record at 91.2 (31 of 34 in 2007). Nugent is perfect on PATs (seven-for-seven) and leads the AFC in scoring with 37 points. Houston kicker Neil Rackers (a former Bengal) and San Diego TE Antonio Gates are tied for second with 36 points. Nugent is second in the NFL, with Atlanta K Matt Bryant the leader at 39. Bryant, like Nugent, is 10-for-11 on FGs. His long has been 49. No Bengal has ever led the NFL in scoring for a season. The Bengals have claimed three AFC scoring crowns — Graham in 2005 and Jim Breech in both 1981 and ’87. Graham set the Bengals season scoring record in ’05, with 131 points, and though it’s still early, it’s worth noting that Nugent’s current pace of 9.3 points per game projects to 148 over 16 games. A two-time 100-point producer for the N.Y. Jets (2006-07), Nugent was injured for nearly all of 2008 and did not stick at either Tampa Bay or Arizona last season. But for the Bengals, he looks like his old self, actually better. “I really feel I’ve become a better kicker working with Darrin (special teams coach Darrin Simmons),” Nugent said. “I didn’t kick like I think I can last year, and I was open to some ideas, and Darrin and I have spent a lot of time working on things. You’d have to call it ball placement, or ball positioning. I used to have it the same way for kicks and kickoffs. Now I’ve changed how I do it for kicking (FGs and PATs), and it’s given me more consistency.” On Sept. 19, Nugent scored all of Cincinnati’s points in a 15-10 win over Baltimore, with five FGs. Fab from fifty: When it comes to kicking a field goal in the NFL, there is perhaps not such a great difference between preseason and regular-season play. Given that, Bengals K Mike Nugent deserves some unofficial credit for making a FG of 50 or more yards in four of his last six games. The last two have come in regular season, a 50-yarder on Sept. 26 at Carolina and a 54-yarder on Sept. 12 at New England. The 54-yarder tied his career-long and ranks tied for second in Bengals annals. Over the last two preseason games, Nugent connected from 54 and 52 yards. More on Nugent: Bengals K Mike Nugent is helping the team not only on the field, but with the Bengals Nation fan base. He’s from the Dayton suburb of Centerville, Ohio, and he had a stellar career at Ohio State, leaving with 22 school records. He was an unusually high draft choice for a kicker, going in the second round (47th overall) to the New York Jets in 2005. Nugent attended Bengals games regularly as a youth, as his family had season tickets. Shortly before his birth in 1982, his mother, Carolyn, was one of the hardy souls in attendance at the
famous Freezer Bowl AFC Championship game vs. San Diego. And Nugent recalls this from a very early trip to a Bengals game at Riverfront Stadium: “I was maybe four years old and I was in my (Bengals) uniform —shoulder pads, plastic helmet, everything. I snuck up on the (baseball) dugout holding a football, and my family got a picture of me.” The family still has the photo. Gresham keeps his hands busy: At the 2010 season’s quarter-pole, Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham is on an early pace for a franchise season record for receptions by a rookie, as well as for a TE. And as long as he stays healthy, he seems headed for certain to a record for a rookie TE. Gresham’s 18-catch total, including five last week at Cleveland, projects to 72 over 16 games. The Cincinnati rookie record is 67, by WR Cris Collinsworth in 1981. The second-place figure in that category is 53, by WR Eddie Brown in 1985. The season record for all Bengals TEs is 71 by Dan Ross in 1981, and Gresham already is within 26 catches of the season record by a Bengals rookie TE. Tony McGee set that mark in 1993, with 44 catches. Besides having excellent hands, Gresham has superior athleticism which allows him to remain a viable option in traffic. “The thing I have noticed about Jermaine is that he never falls down,” says OT Andrew Whitworth. “He may get knocked down sometimes, but a lot of guys, if they miss a block, for example, they’ll go down and be out of the play. Jermaine stays on his feet and either finds a way to get in another block somewhere or stays open as a possible receiver.” Gresham vies for NFL lead: Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham is tied for second in the NFL for receptions by a rookie (18). Also at 18 is New England TE Aaron Hernandez. The league leader is a running back, Jahvid Best of the Detroit Lions with 21. Gresham played in college at Oklahoma, and Hernandez is from Florida. Gresham grinds it: Bengals fans have likely not been surprised to see rookie TE Jermaine Gresham make his presence felt in the season’s first four games (18 catches for 134 yards and a TD). Cincinnati’s first-round choice in the 2010 draft showed encouraging flashes throughout the preseason, and it’s clear he is making the TE spot more of a weapon in the Cincinnati offense. But in other ways not as noticeable to viewers on the outside, Gresham has convinced coaches and teammates that the Bengals scored in selecting him with the 21st pick in the draft. “There is a learning curve for Jermaine in playing the position the way we need it played in the NFL,” says head coach Marvin Lewis, “but the most important thing at this point is how he works at it. He does not do everything exactly right at this point, but he does everything at full speed. His technique is going to suffer at times, but he’s shown us he does not lack one bit in ability or ‘want-to.’ ” Gresham displays a strong and intense personality at all times, and it’s the ‘want-to’ part that has most impressed QB Carson Palmer. “Some rookies might be a little content to have a learning year, to work into things, but that is not Jermaine,” Palmer says. “He is confident in his ability, and he wants to be the best right now. Maybe sometimes it would help him to slow down a little, to step back and soak it in, but he’s an impatient young guy, and I like that. It’s a sense of urgency that everybody on this team needs to have.” Chad needs 19 for Top 30: Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco ranks 31st in NFL annals with his 10,248 receiving yards. With 59 yards last week at Cleveland, he passed Andre Rison into the No. 31 spot. And with just 19 yards this week against Tampa Bay, Ochocinco would pass No. 30 Lance Alworth, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who logged 10,266 yards. Below is a list of the players ranked 25-31 in receiving yards. If Ochocinco this season would hit his career average through
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(Chad needs 19 for Top 30, continued) 2009 of 1106 yards — and his current pace is for 1184 — he would finish the year with 11,058 career yards. That could move him inside the top 25 all-time. With 1106 yards this season, Ochocinco would pass all of the players below except perhaps Joey Galloway (No. 25). Galloway is the only one in the group besides Ochocinco who is still active. Galloway has 93 yards (on four catches) for Washington this season.
RANK PLAYER REC. YARDS
No. 25 Joey Galloway .................................................... 10,870 No. 26 Gary Clark .......................................................... 10,856 No. 27 Stanley Morgan .................................................. 10,716 No. 28 Keyshawn Johnson ............................................ 10,571 No. 29 Harold Jackson ................................................... 10,372 No. 30 Lance Alworth ..................................................... 10,266 No. 31 Chad Ochocinco ................................................. 10,248
Ochocinco has a good lead over the active player who is closest behind him. Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne is the next-highest active player at 9849 yards, 399 behind Ochocinco. Behind Wayne, the next active player is Green Bay’s Donald Driver at 9268, trailing Ochocinco by 980. Chad can reach Top 25 in catches: WR Chad Ochocinco enters the Tampa Bay game with 707 career receptions. Looking to move up the charts, he finds Andre Rison in the spot ahead of him, with 743. For an idea of how far up the receptions list Ochocinco could go in 2010, consider that he has had five seasons in his career of 84 or more catches, and with 84 this season, he’d move to 768 and into 23rd place. And at this early point, his 23 catches in four games project to 92 for the year. Here’s the list of players Ochocinco would pass with an 84-catch season. All the players ahead of him are retired:
RANK PLAYER RECEPTIONS
No. 24 Marshall Faulk ......................................................... 767 No. 25 Eric Moulds .............................................................. 764 No. 25 James Lofton ........................................................... 764 No. 27 Michael Irvin ............................................................ 750 No. 27 Charlie Joiner .......................................................... 750 No. 29 Andre Rison ............................................................. 743 No. 30 Chad Ochocinco ...................................................... 707 Chad needs one to pass Pickens: WR Chad Ochocinco caught his 63rd career TD pass at New England on Sept. 12, tying him with Carl Pickens for most receiving TDs in Bengals history. He got the score on a 28-yard connection with Carson Palmer in the third quarter. Ochocinco needs eight more TDs to take over the franchise’s top spot in total six-pointers, and he needs only two to claim second place in that category. His total is 63 (he has no TDs rushing or returning). The record for total TDs is 70 by FB Pete Johnson, who had 64 rushing scores and six as a receiver. Second place in total TDs is shared by Pickens and RB James Brooks, both at 64. Pickens, in addition to his 63 receiving TDs, had one on a punt return. Brooks had 37 rushing TDs and 27 as a receiver. Ochocinco had a team-leading nine TDs (all receiving) last season, his most since 2005, when he also had nine. He fell one TD catch short of tying his career high of 10, posted in 2003. T.O. is tops: Bengals WR Terrell Owens is the NFL’s active leader in career receptions (1030) and receiving yards (15,325). Owens will need a good pace to stay in first place in receptions, as Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez is only 12 behind at 1018. Owens opened this season with a lead of seven over Gonzalez, and Owens has 24 catches thus far to Gonzalez’ 19. In receiving yards, Owens has more of a cushion. He’s 721 yards ahead of New England WR Randy Moss.
The NFL’s active top five in career receptions:
PLAYER POS. TEAM REC.
Terrell Owens .............................. WR Bengals 1030 Tony Gonzalez ............................. TE Falcons 1018 Randy Moss ................................ WR Patriots 935 Hines Ward ................................. WR Steelers 907 Derrick Mason ............................. WR Ravens 876
And the league’s active top five in career receiving yards:
PLAYER POS. TEAM REC. YDS.
Terrell Owens .............................. WR Bengals 15,325 Randy Moss ................................ WR Patriots 14,604 Tony Gonzalez ............................. TE Falcons 12,012 Derrick Mason ............................. WR Ravens 11,251 Hines Ward ................................. WR Steelers 11,112 Owens second in a two-man race: Bengals WR Terrell Owens ranks second among active NFL players in career TD receptions. He could make a run at first-place Randy Moss with a big scoring season in 2010, but thus far he has one TD catch on the season, while Moss has had three, extending his lead to six. For certain, Moss and Owens will not be challenged for the 1-2 spots. The next-closest player, Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez, is 62 TDs behind T.O. The NFL’s active top five in career TD receptions:
PLAYER POS. TEAM TD
Randy Moss ................................ WR Patriots 151 Terrell Owens .............................. WR Bengals 145 Tony Gonzalez ............................. TE Falcons 83 Hines Ward ................................. WR Steelers 79 Joey Galloway ............................. WR Redskins 77 Chad rules Bengals charts: Forever is a long time, but it’s fair to wonder if WR Chad Ochocinco will ever be caught in the categories of career receptions and receiving yards by a Bengal. As if to make the point, Ochocinco has opened 2010 with 23 catches in the first four games, raising his career total to 707. He’s on an early pace for 92 catches on the season. With 10,248 receiving yards, he is the Bengals career leader by more than 3000 over second-place Isaac Curtis (7101). And with his 707 catches, he is 177 ahead of second-place Carl Pickens (530). “By the time he’s through,” says QB Carson Palmer, “these records aren’t going to just be broken. They’ll be shattered.” The current top five for all-time Bengals receptions:
PLAYERS YEARS SEASONS REC.
Chad Ochocinco .......................... *10 2001-10 707 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 * — Four games into 10th season.
And the current top five for all-time Bengals receiving yards:
PLAYERS YEARS SEASONS REC. YDS.
Chad Ochocinco .......................... *10 2001-10 10,248 Isaac Curtis ................................... 12 1973-84 7101 Carl Pickens .................................... 8 1992-99 6887 Cris Collinsworth ............................. 8 1981-88 6698 Eddie Brown .................................... 7 1985-91 6134 * — Four games into 10th season. For the record: Here’s the current list of the Bengals records held by WR Chad Ochocinco: ● Receptions, career: 707. ● Receiving yards, career: 10,248. ● Receiving yards, season: 1440 in 2007. ● Receiving yards, game: 260 on 11-12-06 vs. San Diego.
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(For the record, continued) ● 100-yard games, career: 30. ● 100-yard games, season: Five (tied for record). ● Consecutive games with reception, career: 120. Competition — it’s good: When WR Terrell Owens was signed by the Bengals, speculation turned quickly to the possibility that the offense — run-oriented in 2009 — might not provide enough reception chances to satisfy both T.O. and Chad Ochocinco. But at least in part, the Bengals’ 2009 run-consciousness was a product of not having enough proven targets for QB Carson Palmer. And since preseason, signs have pointed to a positive effect on both Owens and Ochocinco. Owens, 36, has said that daily exposure to Ochocinco’s constant antics have made him feel young (see following item). And as for Ochocinco, key observers are noticing that Chad has noticed Terrell. “Chad has stepped his game up,” said QB Carson Palmer. “He looks as good now as he did in 2003, 2004, 2005, whenever he was leading the AFC (in yards). It makes sense. Chad is extremely competitive. He doesn’t want to be outshone. He doesn’t want to be second fiddle to anybody. Bringing Terrell in here has really catapulted his game to another level that not many receivers can get to. And that’s what is exciting about Chad, the potential of the year he can have.” Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is also pleased with the dynamic of the self-proclaimed “Dynamic Duo.” “It’s been good for both of them,” Bratkowski said. “The first part is the competitiveness. Neither one of them wants to be shown up by the other. They both push each other physically. They both want to make sure they both look good on film when we practice things.” Chad keeps him young: WR Terrell Owens remains an impressive physical specimen as he joins the Bengals this season, but he concedes he’s no youngster at age 36. A bonus to signing with Cincinnati, he says, is being around the ever-youthful example of Chad Ochocinco, who’s 32 but proud to say he often acts as if 22. “I can’t keep up with Chad, trust me,” Owens said. “This guy needs a leash. This guy is like a 12, 13 year-old kid. Honestly, it’s a joy to be around him. I don’t know where he gets the energy. I don’t know what he does before he gets up in the morning. All I know is this guy’s all over the field every day. It’s a joy to see somebody enjoy what he’s doing. I think that’s what I need to do more of.” Owens says anticipating a season packed with more fun than any he’s had in recent memory. “Chad has put it in perspective for me going into my last years of playing,” Owens said. “Just enjoy football. That’s what I intend to do. I’m going to enjoy this year as much as I can. That’s what being around Chad has really allowed me to do. Standing out there on the sidelines and seeing how charismatic and interactive he is with the fans. For me, it’s to enjoy the game. I’m not going to play forever. I know I have only a small window left.” Bengals unbeaten with Benson at 25: On Sept. 26 at Carolina, HB Cedric Benson logged his ninth Bengals game with 25 or more carries. And Cincinnati has a 9-0 record in those games. And it’s not just Benson, but rather a central team characteristic during the Marvin Lewis era (2003-present). The Bengals are 29-1 in Lewis’ tenure with a 25-carry rusher. Cincinnati was 18-1 under Lewis when Rudi Johnson had 25 or more carries (over 2003-07), and the Bengals were 2-0 when Kenny Watson had a pair of 25-plus games (both 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.” The Bengals controlled the clock for 36:22 in the win at Carolina.
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 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 an aborted PAT in the closing seconds that kept Cincinnati from forcing overtime. Benson’s ratio is best: Though he has not had a 100-yard rushing game this season, Bengals HB Cedric Benson has nine 100-yard rushing games in 27 total Cincinnati 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 3.4 starts. Rudi Johnson got his 19 games of 100 in 59 starts, one for every 3.1 starts. Benson’s nine-for-27 is for regular-season games only. He also had a 100-yard game in his only Cincinnati playoff appearance, last year against the N.Y. Jets. His 169 total for that game is a Bengals postseason record. Here’s a listing of the 22 players who have hit the 100-yard rushing mark in stripes, 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 — Cedric Benson (nine), Harold Green (eight), Paul Robinson (six), Essex Johnson (five), Ickey Woods (five). ● One-to-four games — 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), Larry Johnson (one), Marc Logan (one), Bernard Scott (one), Deacon Turner (one), Stanley Wilson (one). Only Chad predates Marvin: WR Chad Ochocinco is the only player on the Bengals roster whose Cincinnati tenure predates the 2003 arrival of Marvin Lewis as head coach. Ochocinco opened in 2001 under head coach Dick LeBeau, as a second-round draft choice (36th overall). Ochocinco became the lone player in this category on Oct. 13, 2009, when the Bengals released LS Brad St. Louis, a 10th-year vet. St. Louis had joined the Bengals in 2000, under head coach Bruce Coslet. It’s a tough one: Based on opponents’ aggregate 2009 records, the Bengals’ 2010 schedule ranks as the NFL’s fourth-toughest. Cincinnati’s foes played to a combined 138-118 record last season, for a winning percentage of .539. The only clubs whose foes did better are Houston (140-116), Tennessee (140-116) and Dallas (139-117). No team plays more 2010 foes who finished at .500 or better. Cincinnati’s total of 11 is tied for the league high. Pittsburgh (126-130) has the weakest opponents’ record of the AFC North Division teams. Cleveland’s foes played to a 132-124 mark last season, and Baltimore’s were 130-126. Uniform watch: The Bengals are scheduled to wear black jerseys and white pants against Tampa Bay. In 2004, when the Bengals’ uniforms were redesigned, a number of different color options became available. Below is the team record since 2004 (regular season and postseason) in the different combinations of jerseys and pants:
JERSEY PANTS W-L PCT.
Orange Black ...................................................... 3-0-0 1.000 Orange White ..................................................... 7-2-0 .778 Black Black ...................................................... 8-5-1 .607 White Black .................................................. 11-13-0 .458 Black White ................................................. 14-18-0 .438 White White ................................................... 7-13-0 .350 Silver anniversary for “Lap”: In 2010, former Bengals offensive lineman Dave Lapham is in his 25th year as the
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(Silver anniversary for “Lap”, continued) analyst on the Bengals Radio Network. Colorful, conversational and above all knowledgeable, Lapham stepped into the analyst role in 1986. He has worked alongside all five of the radio play-by-play voices in Bengals history — Phil Samp, Ken Broo, Paul Keels, Pete Arbogast and current voice Brad Johansen. “This job has been a great way for me to stay involved with the Bengals all these years, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity,” Lapham said. “I really can’t think of any assignment I would rather have had. Mike Brown (now Bengals president) was the one who first tipped me off that the job might be open. I went to the radio flagship (then WKRC-AM in Cincinnati), and pretty shortly after that I was hired.” Lapham also claims membership in the Bengals’ “Double Digit Club,” comprised of 23 players who have played 10 or more seasons for Cincinnati. He was a third-round Bengals draft choice out of Syracuse in 1974 and played until 1983. He was the Bengals’ starting LG in Super Bowl XVI. TV streak should hit 89: In each of the last 88 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 is likely to reach 89 when Cincinnati rankings are available for the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 3, as the streak of 88 does not include last week’s Bengals-Cleveland game. But the Cleveland game drew the second-largest Bengals rating this year — 32.1 — and that’s a number that few other programs have matched in recent memory. The streak began on Dec. 5, 2004, when a wild Bengals win at Baltimore outpolled all other programs. 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. 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. Turnover tables turned under Lewis: Over Marvin Lewis’ tenure as Bengals head coach (2003-present), the Bengals rank fourth in the NFL in turnover differential at plus-43. This season, the Bengals are tied for fifth, at plus-3. Prior to Lewis’ tenure, 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 ...................... 218 ................... 139 ........................ +79 New England .................... 219 ................... 164 ........................ +55 San Diego......................... 209 ................... 163 ........................ +46 Cincinnati.......................... 228 ................... 185 ........................ +43 Carolina ............................ 228 ................... 202 ........................ +26
Since 2003, the Bengals rank tied for third in the NFL in takeaways (228). Baltimore leads with 232 and Chicago is second at 231.
In points off turnovers since 2003, Elias Sports Bureau reports that the Ravens lead the NFL with 750, and the Bengals are fifth at 670. A stat that matters: Under head coach Marvin Lewis, the Bengals show a 39-6-1 record when posting a plus in turnover differential. That’s a winning percentage of .859. The Bengals were plus-two in last week’s win over Carolina, with four takeaways (three INT; one FR) and two giveaways (both INTs). With a minus differential, however, the record under Lewis has been almost a mirror image. The club’s mark in such games is 7-37 (.159). When the differential has been even, the results have been about even, with the Bengals at 12-14 (.462) under Lewis. The Bengals’ experience with turnovers under Lewis is backed up by overall league numbers. Since the start of the 2000 season, here are the 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 .795 since 2000. The combined W-L record is 1685-432-2. Last week, teams with a plus posted a 10-3 record, a winning percentage of .769. The best weekly winning percentage has been .917 in Week 3, when plus teams went 11-1. The lowest weekly wining percentage has been .750 in Week 1 (9-3). For the full 2010 season, teams with a plus are 42-9 (.824). Bengal bites: Carson Palmer’s 371-yard total at Cleveland was the most by an NFL passer in Week 4 ... Last week’s loss at Cleveland ended an eight-game win streak in AFC North Division play for the Bengals. The streak stands as the longest division win streak in club history and is tied for the longest such streak for any North team since the division’s 2002 birth. It was the NFL’s longest active division win streak ... On Sept. 26 at Carolina, HB Cedric Benson became the first Bengal in a span of 140 games to score both a receiving and a rushing TD in a game. On Oct. 28, 2001 in a win at Detroit, HB Corey Dillon scored two rushing TDs and one receiving TD ... The Bengals’ three fumble recoveries at Carolina were their most in a span of 42 games, dating back to Game 9 of 2007, when they recovered four in a win at Baltimore ... The Bengals have gone two straight regular seasons, plus four games this season, without allowing a two-point conversion. Cincinnati foes were zero-for-three in 2008, zero-for-two in 2009, and have not attempted a two-pointer this season ... Since 1994, when the two-point conversion was added to the NFL rule book, the Bengals are 15-for-41 (36.6 percent) and opponents are 16-for-39 (41.0 percent) ... Five players have been voted by the team as permanent team captains for 2010: QB Carson Palmer and G Bobbie Williams on offense, LB Dhani Jones and DT Domata Peko on defense and LB Brandon Johnson on special teams.
Bengals quotes Head coach Marvin Lewis, on bouncing back for Tampa Bay from the loss at Cleveland: “We’re four games into the season. We are where we are, and we have an opportunity for a new coming-out party here this Sunday against Tampa, in our stadium, in front of our fans. It’ll be a new Sunday. The previous four Sundays go behind us, and we move forward. So it’s a big week for us.” Lewis, on the improved passing game at Cleveland: “Last week, everybody was screaming about us needing to throw the ball more, and I kept saying we’d be fine, which
obviously we are. But we have to do what it takes to win the game. I don’t care if a guy throws for seven zillion yards. If we don’t win the game, it doesn’t count for anything. We want to win football games. It doesn’t matter about yardage.” Lewis, on special teams play at Cleveland: “We need to continue to improve and do a better job in our return game. We didn’t do a very good job of reacting to a couple of short kicks or getting an opportunity to get our punt returner started in the game. We didn’t create any field position advantage whatsoever with that part of the game.”
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(Bengals quotes, continued) Lewis, on the pass rush at Cleveland: “We’ve got to create more pressure with our four-man rush. We allowed the quarterback to escape from us a couple of times, and he converted a couple of throws that made big first downs and kept their chains moving.” OT Andrew Whitworth, on the offense: “When you try to label a team one certain way, that’s when you’re not going to be successful. We don’t have to run the football. We can throw it. And we can run it. We can do whatever we want. We just have to be efficient. When we get out of the mindset that we have to be one way, we’ll be better.” Special teams coach Darrin Simmons, on K Mike Nugent’s strong performance: “It’s what he’s supposed to do. That’s what we pay him to do. That’s what I expect. The guy is very solid. Very good to work with. He’s a sharp guy, a high school quarterback. He was a good kicker before or else he wouldn’t be here. The foundation is already there, and he’s had a good career since college. We’ve refined some of his fundamentals and some of the smaller details, to make him more consistent.” Whitworth, on K Mike Nugent: “ ‘Nuge’ is quiet. He does his job. Great guy. Works his tail off. Somebody we believe in.” LB Rey Maualuga, looking to 2010 after a good but not great rookie year: “I’m the same person. Same guy. But a different attitude. My mind is a lot sharper. I’m a football player. It’s a business. I don’t want to make excuses. Last year, I went out (partying) all the time. It’s just excuses. I’m just a lot more focused.” Maualuga, on fulfilling the big-play reputation he brought from his college days: “Turnovers are key. I didn’t do anything last year. Study your opponent. Know the places where they like to run. Be at the spot before they get there. I studied somewhat (last season). But mostly it was, ‘See the ball, get the ball.’ I knew what I was doing out there. If I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t have been playing. But this year I’ll be a lot quicker to the ball. I’ll be a lot smarter.” CB Johnathan Joseph, on the CBs’ role in run defense: “Zim (coordinator Mike Zimmer) talks all the time about the corners being physical. Guys have bought into what he says. They understand exactly what he’s saying. Team defense needs 11 guys to tackle. There’s nobody telling us in a meeting, ‘You just cover your guys and we’ll have the other nine guys tackling.’ It’s all 11 guys running to the ball.” DT Tank Johnson, on the defense’s philosophy: “Play hard. Play fast. Play reckless. We’ve got to play well, but we have to be reckless and fast to the ball. If you make mistakes, make them going full speed and trying to get to the ball with a nasty attitude.” G Bobbie Williams, on the AFC North Division: “The AFC North is one of the most physical, brutal divisions in the game of football today. I think I can say that, having played in the NFC East against Dallas, the Redskins, Giants. This is pretty brutal over here. You know, you’ve got to have that bully mentality over here.” QB Carson Palmer, on the no-huddle offense: “We’ve got some good stuff in the no-huddle, but we’ve also got good stuff in our schemes. But it’s a good change of pace. It makes the defense prepare a little bit more. It puts more pressure on the defense and gets them tired. It gets us tired, too, but it’s a good asset to have. We’ll use it some weeks, and some weeks we won’t.”
WR Chad Ochocinco, on having made boxing a part of his off-season regimen the last two years: “The hits I take in the boxing ring allow me to have more of an edge when I play; it’s not as big a deal to be constantly getting hit. It sort of gives me an ‘I don’t care’ type feeling during the game. The footwork (in boxing) coincides with football also. No false steps. It all goes hand-in-hand with everything I’m doing. It all works together once the season starts.” Ochocinco, on the football benefit of his offseason appearance on “Dancing With the Stars”: “It was a very disciplining experience. It’s a ‘You-can’t-mess-up, you have one shot’ type of deal. When you’re live in front of 20 million, you’ve got to be on point. I think it can help the discipline in the things I do. Route-running. Just being on point in that one shot I you have. It’s just being on point every time that ball snaps.” LB Keith Rivers, on his goal of making more impact plays in 2010: “Hopefully I’ll get that chance to turn the corner this year and make the plays that I’ve always envisioned making. It’s about being more relentless and non-stop on a more consistent basis. I’m keeping my focus on that. You don’t have to play outside yourself to make plays. You just have to do what the coaches ask. They’re going to put you in position to make plays, so you have to make them when they come.” HB Cedric Benson, on his relationship with Bengals management after a troubled NFL start with Chicago: “Mike Brown has shown me he’s got my back. The Bengals have taken the time to look into the facts of situations. They’ve showed they’re invested in me as a person, not just a football player. You can’t ask for more than that. It makes you feel at home. It makes you feel good about what you’re doing here, working in this town, working for an owner like Mike. It brings out the best in you, truly.” Lewis, on Michael Johnson’s switch from DE to LB: “We’ve been very pleased with what we’ve seen, but I knew he could play linebacker when I switched him there (during offseason workouts). We saw glimpses of it in practice last year. He’s the most talented guy I’ve had as far as making that switch.” S Chris Crocker, on CB Leon Hall: “People know Leon is a great player, but I think he’s sometimes underestimated as an athlete. When we played softball (as part of June team outing), I made him my first pick in the draft. I was the captain of that team, and we rode Leon to the finals. He was everywhere. He was our shortstop, outfield. Everything.” Lewis, on team restrictions regarding players’ use of social media: “Our restrictions go beyond the league’s restrictions. But I think the social part for them is different now. Things have changed. It’s what they like to do, it is how they communicate. I don’t think you can sit there and act like it doesn’t go on, because it does. Again, it is how they communicate. But, no, when they are here to do work in the meetings and so forth, that is our time here. You have time when you are not here to do what you need to do, and obviously their day here has some free time as well.” Palmer, on facing the Bengals defense in practice: “If we get to the end of the season and we’ve been going against the No. 1 defense in the league all year, I won’t be surprised. They’ve got a chance to be. Why not? We don’t look a mess out there, but they make it difficult for us. We have to work hard for every yard and first down we get. It’s good for us. We play in a very tough defensive division.” Palmer, on CB Adam Jones’ NFL return after missing 2009: “He’s all over the field and he’s a competitive guy. He’s fast. Extremely quick. He reminds me of Troy Polamalu. He can be in a
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(Bengals quotes, continued) back pedal, come out of his back pedal and in his first three steps he’s running his full speed, 4.2 or 4.3. He’s really great on comebacks and digs and if someone tries to run by him on a (fly pattern) he can go from a back pedal to opening up and sprinting as fast as anyone I’ve seen. I haven’t noticed any rust.”
Palmer, on first-round draft pick Jermaine Gresham: “There’s nothing any tight end in this league does that he can’t potentially do. Not that he’s mastered everything. But I don’t see a weakness. If he had to play in Pittsburgh’s offense and block a guy every single time and run little quick seam routes, out routes, he could do that. If he played in Denver’s offense and got to run a lot of routes, he could do that.”
Position-by-position roundup Quarterbacks: Carson Palmer played every offensive snap for the fourth straight game in the Cleveland contest and finished with a season-high 371 passing yards, completing 25 of 36 (69.4 percent) with two TDs and no INTs. His passer rating was a season-best 121.4. He threw the longest pass of his pro career — a 78-yard TD to WR Terrell Owens in the second quarter — and he got a three-yard TD on a shovel pass to HB Brian Leonard in the fourth quarter. For the season, Palmer is 94-for-158 passing (59.5 percent) for 1078 yards with five TDs and three INTs. Third-year pro Jordan Palmer is in the No. 2 QB role. He has been active but has not played in the first four games. For the preseason, he was 29-of-52 passing (55.8 percent) for 345 yards with three TDs and three INTs. Palmer was in uniform for every game last season as the designated third QB, but did not see regular-season game action. Rookie Dan LeFevour, obtained Sept. 5 on waivers from Chicago, has been in uniform for the first three games as the designated third QB on the inactive list. He has not played. LeFevour, from Central Michigan, was a sixth-round choice by the Bears in the 2010 draft. He played in all four Bears preseason games (19-41 for 204-1-1). A prodigious passer and rusher in the Mid-American Conference, LeFevour started 51 career games and is the only player in NCAA major school (FBS) history with more than 12,000 career passing yards and more than 2500 career rushing yards. Running backs: HB Cedric Benson posted a season-high 4.0-yard rushing average at Cleveland, but he had only 15 carries, tying his season-low, and totaled 60 yards. He leads the team for the season with 262 rushing yards on 80 carries (3.3), and he also has 20 yards on three receptions. He leads the team in TDs with three, two rushing and one receiving. No other Bengal has more than one TD. On Sept. 26 at Carolina, Benson became the first Bengal to score a TD both rushing and receiving since Corey Dillon in 2001. Though he played fully in only 12 games last season, Benson rushed for 1251 yards and tacked on a club postseason record of 169 yards in the playoff game against the N.Y. Jets. He set a club record for 100-yard games (six). No. 2 HB Bernard Scott rushed two-for-seven at Cleveland. Scott is averaging 4.9 yards per carry on the season (15-for-74) , and he also has three receptions for 15 yards. He also has been the team’s primary kickoff returner, averaging 20.2 yards on six returns. A bargain from the sixth round of the 2009 draft, Scott rushed for 321 yards last season with a 4.3 average. Fourth-year HB Brian Leonard played in his second game this season in the Cleveland contest and was two-for-11 receiving, including a three-yard fourth-quarter TD on a shovel pass from Carson Palmer. For the season, Leonard is three-for-17 receiving and three-for-16 rushing. Leonard has shown himself to be a player with the knack of converting third-down and fourth-down opportunities. Leonard led the RBs in receptions (30) last season. First-year HB Cedric Peerman has been inactive for Games 3-4, after seeing action on special teams in the first two games. Peerman is tied for second on the team for the season in special teams tackles (three). Peerman had an impressive preseason on offense, leading the team in rushing, including a 93-yard TD run at Indianapolis. The Bengals have opened 2010 without a player listed exclusively at the FB spot. Leonard will see some FB time, and LB Dan Skuta has seen spot action at FB in the first three games. DT Domata Peko has been used at FB in goal-line situations this season. Wide receivers: After averaging just over 50 receiving yards per game in his first three Bengals contests, 15th-year NFL veteran Terrell Owens broke out in a big way at Cleveland, catching 10-for-222 and vaulting into second-place all-time in the NFL in receiving yards (15,325). He got more than twice the 106 he needed to pass Isaac Bruce. The 222 yards were the second-most in a game in Owens’ career, and they included his first Bengals TD, on a 78-yard connection with QB Carson Palmer in the second quarter. It was the longest completion of Palmer’s career. Also in the Cleveland game, Owens passed Bruce into fifth-place in all-time NFL receptions, his total now at 1030. Owens’ TD catch was the 145th of his career; third all-time in the NFL. Owens leads the Bengals for the season in catches (24) and receiving yards (374). Chad Ochocinco continued padding his all-time Bengals leads in catches and receiving yards in the Cleveland game, catching three-for-59, including a personal season-long gain of 42 yards. He now has 707 catches for his career and 10,248 yards. His 63 career TD receptions tie him with Carl Pickens for the all-time Bengals lead. For
this season, Ochocinco has 23 catches for 296 yards. with one TD. Jordan Shipley of Texas, a third-round 2010 draft choice, had two catches for 29 yards at Cleveland but was sidelined in the fourth quarter with a concussion, on which the Browns drew a personal foul for the hit. He has an early listing of doubtful for Tampa Bay. He has 15 catches for 190 yards on the season. Shipley left Texas as the school’s all-time receptions leader (248), and he ranks second in receiving yards (3191) and TD catches (33). Andre Caldwell, who ranked second on the team last year in receptions (51), played in his third game this season in the Cleveland contest and had three catches for 15 yards. He is four-for-23 on the season. He missed the season opener due to a groin strain. Caldwell’s three TD catches last year included two game-winners with less than a minute to play. Second-year pro Quan Cosby has played in every game on special teams, with spot action on offense (no receptions). Cosby has handled nine of the Bengals’ 10 punt returns this season, with a 6.0 avg. A former college teammate of Shipley, Cosby handled all 40 Bengals punt returns last season, ranking third in the AFC with an 11.9-yard average. Third-year pro Jerome Simpson, who played in the season opener (no statistics), was inactive for the third straight week in the Cleveland game. He played in every preseason game and had 12 catches for a team-leading 149 receiving yards. Tight ends: The Bengals looked for a big upgrade at TE entering 2010, and they’re getting it. The club used its top 2010 draft pick (21st overall) on tough and talented Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma, and the former first-team All-American has responded with powerful blocking plus 18 catches (third on the team) for 134 yards and a TD. Gresham scored 25 TDs in his last 28 college games. Another big plus compared to last season is the return of Reggie Kelly, a punishing blocker and a team leader who missed all 2009 due to a training camp Achilles tendon rupture. Kelly has seen extensive action in each of the first four games and now has 156 career NFL games with 136 starts. He has one catch for nine yards. Daniel Coats is back for his fourth NFL season (all with Cincinnati). He has played in the first four games and has missed only one game in his career. Clark Harris works with the tight end group, but his primary role is as a long snapper. Offensive linemen: The line aided a season-high output of 413 net yards in the Cleveland game. All five of last year’s primary starters have been starters in the first four games. C Kyle Cook started every game in 2009 and brought improved power to the center of the line, and he was praised for his command of line calls. LOT Andrew Whitworth is in his fifth Bengals season and has been a key player on the line since his rookie campaign. His 58 career starts include 32 at OT and 26 at G. He started every game last season, and so did RG Bobbie Williams, who is now in his 11th season. Williams was voted by the team as one of the club’s two permanent offensive captains for 2010. Since joining the Bengals in 2004 as an unrestricted free agent, Williams has not missed a start for any football-related injury. His only missed time was caused by an emergency appendectomy in 2006, and he returned from the operation after missing just three games. The LG position has been claimed by third-year pro Nate Livings, who started nine games at the spot last season. Livings is a 332-pounder with good agility, and has progressed considerably since joining the Bengals as a college free agent in 2006. Dennis Roland, a third-year player in 2010, returns in the ROT spot after starting the last 11 games and the Wild Card playoff there last year. At 6-9 and 320 pounds, Roland has great reach and arm strength. OT Andre Smith has played in Games 1-2 and 4, seeing spot action on offense at ROT. He was inactive (coaches’ decision) for Game 3. Sixth-year vet Evan Mathis started seven games at LG last season and is the swing reserve on the interior line. He has played in the first four games on special teams. He started a preseason game at center as an injury replacement. OT Anthony Collins, who started five games last season, has played in Games 2-3 on special teams, and he also played in the goal-line package in Game 3. He was active-DNP in the season opener and was inactive at Cleveland. Rookie Reggie Stephens of Iowa State, a seventh-round draft choice, can play C or G but has been inactive for the first four games. Defensive linemen: Domata Peko has started every game at NT and leads the line in tackles (17). He led the line with seven tackles (third on the team) at Cleveland and also was credited with a QB pressure. Peko figures to contribute more in 2010 than in 2009, as he
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(Position-by-position roundup, continued) weathered the first injury problems of his career last season, missing five games and less than 100 percent for several others. He led the line with 108 tackles in 2008. Tank Johnson has started every game at the DT spot and has six tackles. He had three tackles at Cleveland. Johnson brought a veteran brand of toughness and competitiveness to the line when he signed as an unrestricted free agent for 2009, and he re-signed with Cincinnati as a UFA this past offseason. Robert Geathers has started all four games at LDE and has 12 tackles, second on the line. He also has a fumble recovery. Geathers had four tackles at Cleveland. Geathers also ranks tied for second in QB pressures (three). Last season, Geathers led the line in tackles (56) and led the team in QB pressures (13). Antwan Odom has started Games 1-2 and 4 at RDE. He missed Game 3 with a wrist injury. Odom has made a comeback from an Achilles tendon rupture that prematurely ended his 2009 campaign. He had three tackles at Cleveland and has seven stops with a pass defensed on the year. The No. 3 DE spot on the depth chart is held by sixth-year pro Jonathan Fanene, but Fanene has missed the last three games after aggravating a hamstring strain in the season opener. He had two tackles in the opener. Fanene’s status for the Tampa Bay game is uncertain. Fanene proved himself a starting-quality player while stepping in for the injured Odom last year. DE Frostee Rucker has played in all four games, with five tackles, a sack and a pass defensed. He also is tied for second in QB pressures (three). Rucker had two tackles at Cleveland. Rookie DT Geno Atkins has played in all four games and has four tackles, a shared sack, and a team-best five QB pressures. Atkins, a fourth-round draft choice considered by some scouts to be undersized (6-1, 290), has been an overproducer since the early days of preseason. He had two tackles at Cleveland. Atkins led the NFL in preseason sacks (4.5) and led Cincinnati in preseason tackles (21). Third-year DT Pat Sims, who played in every game last year and made eight starts as an injury replacement, has played in Games 2-4 after being inactive for Game 1. Sims had three tackles at Cleveland and has four stops with a pass defensed on the season. His pass defensed, in the Baltimore game, led to an interception by LB Brandon Johnson. Adding to the club’s high potential at DE is second-round draft choice Carlos Dunlap, a top playmaker the last two seasons in the elite Florida program. Dunlap opened the season nursing a knee strain and was not active for the Bengals’ first two games. He made his pro debut in the Carolina contest and was credited with one QB pressure, but was inactive last week. Linebackers: MLB Dhani Jones is at it again. The Bengals’ tackling leader by wide margins in each of the last two seasons, Jones has 44 tackles this season and already leads the team by 21. He also has a forced fumble. He tied for the team lead at Cleveland with 14 stops and led the team in solos (nine). His 14 tackles tied for the team high this season. Jones is in his 11th NFL season and his fourth with the Bengals. He has been voted a team captain in each of his four Cincinnati seasons. Starting WLB Keith Rivers tied Jones for the tackles lead at Cleveland with 14, tied for the team high this season. Rivers’ total included Cincinnati’s only sack, a five-yard drop of Seneca Wallace in the second quarter, and he also had an end-zone pass defensed against Joshua Cribbs in the first quarter that forced the Browns to settle for a field goal. Rivers’ nine tackles were second on the team in the season opener, but he suffered a foot injury in the opener. He was inactive for Game 2, due to missed practice time during the week, and he started at Carolina but had no statistics. He still is second on the team in tackles for the season, with 23, and he has two passes defensed. Though he missed three games last season with a calf injury, Rivers finished second on the team in tackles (101). Starting SLB Rey Maualuga had four tackles at Cleveland and has 16 stops on the year. As a rookie second-round draft choice last season, Maualuga ranked fifth on the team in tackles (80) and led the club with three forced fumbles. Fifth-year pro Brandon Johnson had three tackles at Cleveland and ranks third on the team for the season in tackles at 21. Johnson was called on to replace Rivers in the Baltimore game, and he embellished his reputation as a reserve who plays like a starter when called upon, leading the team in tackles (12) and getting his third career interception. Second-year pro Michael Johnson had one tackle at Cleveland. He has played in every game and has seven tackles with a shared sack. Johnson also plays some snaps at DE, and in Game 3 at Carolina, he started at DE in place of injured Antwan Odom. OLB Dan Skuta is a second-year pro who showed promise last year as a college free agent. He has played on special teams in the first four games and has two special teams tackles. Skuta has also seen spot action in a FB role on offense. MLB Roddrick Muckelroy, a Cincinnati fourth-round draft pick in 2010, has played in Games 2-4 on special teams and has two special teams tackles. Defensive backs: Starting RCB Leon Hall had an INT for the third straight game in the Cleveland contest, picking off a Seneca Wallace pass at the Cleveland 37 in the second quarter. Hall leads the AFC in INTs and is in a three-way tie for the NFL lead. He now has 17
interceptions in 52 career Bengals games and is tied for sixth in franchise history with Tommy Casanova. Hall leads the Bengals in total passes defensed (five) on the season, and he has 14 tackles after getting two at Cleveland. Hall and starting LCB Johnathan Joseph tied for the team lead last year with six INTs each. They both were Bengals first-round draft picks, Joseph in 2006 and Hall in 2007. Joseph started his fourth straight game at LCB in the Cleveland contest, but was sidelined in the second quarter with a forearm bruise and did not return. His status for the Tampa Bay game is uncertain. He had four tackles in his abbreviated action against the Browns and for the season ranks fourth on the team with 20 tackles (leads the secondary). He has two passes defensed. Adam Jones has been in the No. 3 CB role, and he came back to play at Cleveland after missing Carolina with a shoulder strain. He had two tackles and an end-zone pass defensed against the Browns. For the season, Jones has six tackles, one INT and two total passes defensed. The sixth overall pick (by Tennessee) in the 2005 NFL draft, Jones joined the Bengals this season as a free agent. He has also returned three kickoffs and one punt. Second-year CB Morgan Trent has played in every game and had three tackles at Cleveland. For the season, he has seven tackles and a fumble recovery, and he is tied for second on the team in passes defensed (three). He also has two special teams tackles and has downed a punt inside the opponent five-yard line. Rookie CB Brandon Ghee, a third-round draft pick, is looking for his first action of the season. He was inactive for the first two games, due to a hit to the head he sustained in the Aug. 28 preseason game at Buffalo, and though he was active for the Carolina game, he did not play. He was inactive last week at Cleveland. The Bengals’ safety corps is headed by starters Roy Williams (SS) and Chris Crocker (FS), but Williams suffered a knee injury at Cleveland and his status for the Tampa Bay game is uncertain. A five-time Pro Bowl selection with Dallas, Williams had four tackles before leaving the game at Cleveland, including one for a two-yard loss against RB Peyton Hillis. For the season he has 16 tackles with a fumble recovery. Williams is looking for a full season of production in 2010. He opened his first Bengals season as the starter last year, but wound up being limited to four games due to a forearm injury. Crocker had six tackles at Cleveland and also had a forced fumble against WR Chansi Stuckey, but the Browns recovered. Crocker has 18 tackles for the season, fifth on the team, and he has two passes defensed. Challenging for playing time at both safety spots is fourth-year pro Chinedum Ndukwe. Ndukwe had six tackles at Cleveland, plus an end-zone pass defensed against TE Ben Watson that helped force the Browns to settle for a field goal in the third quarter. Ndukwe has played in all four games and has 15 tackles with one INT, and he is tied for second in total passes defensed with three. Ndukwe also tied at Cleveland for the special teams tackles lead (two), and he leads the special teams in tackles for the season (four). A late seventh-round Bengals draft selection in 2007, Ndukwe took over as starter for the injured Williams last season and led the secondary (third on the team) with 91 tackles. New to the safety mix is fourth-year pro Reggie Nelson, obtained Sept. 4 in a trade with Jacksonville for CB David Jones and a conditional draft choice. Nelson has played on special teams in each of the first four games and has three tackles, tied for second on the unit. He tied for the special teams tackles lead at Cleveland, with two. He was a Jaguars first-round draft choice in 2007 (Florida), and he started 42 games over the 2007-09 seasons, with seven INTs. Special teams: Second-year P Kevin Huber averaged 38.7 yards on three kicks at Cleveland and also had a 38.7 net average, as none of his kicks were returned. All three were downed by the Bengals inside the Cleveland 20. On the season, Huber is averaging 42.9 yards on 20 punts, with a 38.1 net. He has had eight inside-20 kicks against just three touchbacks. Huber played in every game last season, and his 43.2-yard average tied the Bengals’ second-best figure since 1999. Sixth-year K Mike Nugent had his first unsuccessful FG try of the season in the Cleveland game, but it was a block from 44 yards as the Browns penetrated Cincinnati’s protection. Nugent made field goals of 24 and 25 yards against the Browns and is now 10-for-11 on FGs for the season while going seven-for-seven on PATs. He has made two FGs of 50 or more yards and was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. He made five FGs in five attempts and scored all of Cincinnati’s points in the 15-10 victory on Sept. 19 vs. Baltimore, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Nugent also handles kickoffs, and on the season, he has reached the end zone on nine of 21 kickoffs, with five touchbacks. He is tied for sixth in the NFL in touchbacks. Nugent is an Ohio State product and native of the Dayton suburb of Centerville. He is a sixth-year NFL player with two 100-point seasons on his resume (as a New York Jet). Second-year HB Bernard Scott had three of Cincinnati’s five kickoff returns at Cleveland, but was held to an average of 10.0 yards as the Browns kicked short most of the day. On Sept. 19 vs. Baltimore, Scott’s 60-yard KOR in the fourth quarter set up the FG drive that put the Bengals ahead to stay. He is averaging 20.2 yards on six KOR for the season Second-year WR Quan Cosby handled two of Cincinnati’s three punt returns at Cleveland but was held
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(Position-by-position roundup, continued) to a 3.0-yard average. When Adam Jones had a punt return in the Cleveland game (for minus-four yards), it marked the first time since the 2008 season that anyone other than Cosby had returned a punt for Cincinnati. Last season, Cosby finished third in the AFC on PR with an
11.9-yard avg. Second-year pro Clark Harris is the team’s long snapper. He handled the duty for the last 11 games of 2009, without an unplayable snap, and he has had no unplayable snaps over the first four games this season. Safeties Chinedum Ndukwe and Reggie Nelson tied for the special teams tackles lead at Cleveland, with two each, and Ndukwe leads the special teams for the season with four tackles.
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The last two Bengals-Buccaneers meetings 2002 SEASON
WEEK 4, GAME 4 Buccaneers 35, Bengals 7
Sunday, Sept. 29, at Paul Brown Stadium The Bengals grabbed a 7-0 first-quarter lead on LB Brian Simmons’ 51-yard INT return for a TD late in the first quarter, but Tampa Bay scored three second-quarter TDs and coasted to victory. The struggling Cincinnati offense failed to produce a TD for the third time in four games. Akili Smith made his only start of the season at QB for the Bengals, and he was limited to 12 pass completions in 33 attempts, with an INT that was returned 25 yards for a TD by LB Shelton Quarles. Tampa Bay QB Brad Johnson threw for three TDs, completing 19 of 30 for 277 yards. The Bengals picked up their first three defensive takeaways of the season, as DT Oliver Gibson joined Simmons on the INT list and CB Artrell Hawkins recovered a Bucs fumble. Bengals HB Corey Dillon rushed for 59 yards on 21 carries, becoming Cincinnati’s career rushing leader with 6452 yards. He broke James Brooks’ record of 6447. The Bengals fell to 0-4 on the season, while Tampa Bay improved to 3-1.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Tampa Bay ................................................. 0 21 7 7 — 35 Cincinnati .................................................... 7 0 0 0 — 7
Buccaneers 14, Bengals 13 Sunday, Oct. 15, at Raymond James Stadium
Aided by a controversial roughing-the-passer call against Bengals DE Justin Smith, the previously winless Bucs drove 54 yards in nine plays in the fourth quarter to score the winning TD with 35 seconds left on an eight-yard pass from rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski to WR Michael Clayton. The Bengals moved into position to attempt a 62-yard FG at the final gun, but K Shayne Graham’s attempt fell short. The Bengals held leads of 7-0 at halftime and 10-7 through three quarters, and lost for only the third time in 27 games with a third-quarter lead under head coach Marvin Lewis. Tampa Bay’s defense was tough in the clutch all day, holding the Bengals to three third-down conversions in 14 attempts and stopping the Bengals’ only fourth-down try. Cincinnati’s offensive possession time was only 24:53. The Bengals dropped to a 3-2 record on the year, and Tampa Bay improved to 1-4.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Cincinnati .................................................... 0 7 3 3 — 13 Tampa Bay .................................................. 0 0 7 7 — 14
TEAM — SCORING PLAY QTR.-LEFT Cin. — T.Houshmandzadeh 33 pass from C.Palmer (S.Graham kick) .... 2-9:08 T.B. — A.Smith 2 pass from B.Gradkowski (M.Bryant kick) .................... 3-6:37 Cin. — S.Graham 37 field goal ................................................................ 3-2:29 Cin. — S.Graham 47 field goal .............................................................. 4-10:34 T.B. — M.Clayton 8 pass from B.Gradkowski (M.Bryant kick) ................. 4-0:35
Patriots 38, Bengals 24 Sunday, Sept. 12, at Gillette Stadium
The Bengals rolled for 428 net offensive yards, outgaining New England by more than 50 yards, but most of them came too late to affect the decision. The Patriots rolled to a 24-3 halftime lead and made it 31-3 on WR Brandon Tate’s 97-yard kickoff return to open the second half. Bengals QB Carson Palmer passed for 345 yards, his most since Game 2 of 2007, but his TD passes to TE Jermaine Gresham and WR Chad Ochocinco were offset by a 59-yard INT return for a TD by New England LB Gary Guyton. With 53 receiving yards, Bengals WR Terrell Owens became the third receiver in NFL history to pass 15,000 yards. And with 159 yards, Ochocinco became the first Bengal to pass the 10,000 mark in receiving yards.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Cincinnati .................................................... 0 3 14 7 — 24 New England ............................................ 10 14 7 7 — 38
Sunday, Sept. 19, at Paul Brown Stadium For the fifth time in franchise history, the Bengals won a game without scoring a TD. K Mike Nugent, a sixth-year NFL vet playing just his second contest with Cincinnati, was five-for-five on field goals. He connected from 36 and 30 yards in the second quarter, from 46 yards in the third quarter, and from 38 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter. His third field goal erased a 7-6 Ravens lead, and his fourth field goal wiped out a 10-9 Ravens advantage. The Bengals held Baltimore to 259 net yards and had four INTs, their most since getting four on Dec. 23, 2007 vs. Cleveland. WR Chad Ochocinco’s four receptions put him at 700 for his NFL career, as he became the 30th player to reach that mark. Nugent’s performance earned him the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. The Bengals won their franchise-record eighth straight division game, with the streak dating back to the final division contest of 2008. The Bengals improved to 1-1 on the season while Baltimore fell to 1-1.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Baltimore ..................................................... 0 0 7 3 — 10 Cincinnati .................................................... 0 6 3 6 — 15
TEAM — SCORING PLAY QTR.-LEFT Cin. — M. Nugent 36 field goal .............................................................. 2-14:52 Cin. — M. Nugent 30 field goal ................................................................ 2-9:46 Balt. — D.Mason 31 pass from J.Flacco (B.Cundiff kick) ....................... 3-11:46 Cin. — M. Nugent 46 field goal ................................................................ 3-0:14 Balt. — B.Cundiff 38 field goal .................................................................. 4-5:46 Cin. — M. Nugent 38 field goal ................................................................ 4-4:34 Cin. — M. Nugent 25 field goal ................................................................ 4-2:48
Missed FGs: None. Attendance: 64,071. Time: 3:07.
TEAM STATISTICS BALT. CIN. First downs ......................................................................................... 14 14 Third down conversions-attempts ................................................... 4-15 3-18 Total net yards ................................................................................. 259 253 Net yards rushing ............................................................................. 109 94 Net yards passing ............................................................................ 150 159 Pass attempts-completions-interceptions .................................. 39-17-4 35-16-0 Sacks against-yards lost ................................................................... 1-4 1-8 Punts-average.............................................................................. 7-36.7 8-44.1 Punt returns-yards .......................................................................... 5-31 2-6 Kickoff returns-yards ....................................................................... 3-92 1-60 Penalties-yards ............................................................................... 5-45 9-56 Fumbles-lost ..................................................................................... 1-0 1-0 Time of possession ....................................................................... 25:44 34:16
Sunday, Sept. 26, at Bank of America Stadium The Bengals recovered three fumbles, their most in a span of 42 games, and also had a interception by CB Leon Hall as they held off winless Carolina to win their second straight game. On a rainy day, Cincinnati’s pass offense struggled for much of the game, including two first-half INTs, but QB Carson Palmer hit three consecutive completions on a fourth-quarter drive, including a seven-yard TD to HB Cedric Benson, to essentially ice the game at 20-7. Benson had scored the first Bengals TD on a one-yard run in the first quarter, and with the TD catch, he became the first Bengal to score a rushing and a receiving TD in the same game since HB Corey Dillon in 2001. The TD reception was the first of Benson’s NFL career. The Bengals improved to 2-1 on the season, and Carolina fell to 0-3.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Cincinnati .................................................... 7 3 0 10 — 20 Carolina ...................................................... 0 0 7 0 — 7
TEAM — SCORING PLAY QTR.-LEFT Cin. — C.Benson 1 run (M.Nugent kick) .................................................. 1-4:21 Cin. — M.Nugent 33 field goal ................................................................. 2-1:10 Car. — J.Stewart 1 run (J.Kasay kick) ..................................................... 3-8:16 Cin. — M.Nugent 50 field goal ............................................................... 4-14:53 Cin. — C.Benson 7 pass from C.Palmer (M.Nugent kick) ....................... 4-8:11
Missed FGs: None. Attendance: 72,887. Time: 3:03.
TEAM STATISTICS CIN. CAR. First downs ......................................................................................... 21 17 Third down conversions-attempts ................................................... 5-17 2-11 Total net yards .................................................................................. 305 267 Net yards rushing.............................................................................. 120 87 Net yards passing ............................................................................. 185 180 Pass attempts-completions-interceptions .................................. 37-19-2 33-16-1 Sacks against-yards lost ................................................................. 1-10 1-8 Punts-average ............................................................................. 6-41.5 6-44.5 Punt returns-yards .......................................................................... 5-42 0-0 Kickoff returns-yards ....................................................................... 1-16 3-68 Penalties-yards ............................................................................... 8-74 6-45 Fumbles-lost ..................................................................................... 1-0 4-3 Time of possession ........................................................................ 36:22 23:38
Sunday, Oct. 3, at Cleveland Browns Stadium The Bengals rolled for a season-high 413 net yards on offense but could not overcome a minus-one turnover differential and a subpar performance in the red zone. Cincinnati had to settle for FGs on two of three drives which penetrated the Browns 20-yard line, scoring just one red-zone TD. The Bengals made up an early 10-0 deficit, tying the score at 10-10 with 3:30 left in the second quarter, but the Browns counterpunched for a 23-10 lead before Cincinnati launched a comeback that fell short. Trailing 23-20, the Bengals reached the Cleveland 31 with 5:20 to play, but an offensive pass interference penalty against WR Chad Ochocinco and a sack of QB Carson Palmer pushed the Bengals out of FG range, and the Browns ran out the clock after a Bengals punt. WR Terrell Owens caught 10 passes for 222 yards for the Bengals and moved past Isaac Bruce into second place all-time in NFL receiving yards (15,325). Owens’ 78-yard TD connection with Palmer in the second quarter was the longest completion of Palmer’s career, and the 222 yards were the second-most in a game in Owens’ 15-season career. The Bengals fell to 2-2 on the season and the Browns improved to 1-3.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. Cincinnati .................................................... 0 10 3 7 — 20 Cleveland .................................................... 3 10 10 0 — 23
TEAM — SCORING PLAY QTR.-LEFT Cle. — P.Dawson 30 field goal ................................................................ 1-2:28 Cle. — E.Moore 24 pass from S.Wallace (P.Dawson kick) ................... 2-11:04 Cin. — M.Nugent 24 field goal ................................................................. 2-7:16 Cin. — T.Owens 78 pass from C.Palmer (M.Nugent kick) ....................... 2-3:30 Cle. — P.Dawson 31 field goal ................................................................ 2-0:00 Cle. — P.Hillis 1 run (P.Dawson kick) ...................................................... 3-8:54 Cle. — P.Dawson 22 field goal ................................................................ 3-6:32 Cin. — M.Nugent 25 field goal ................................................................. 3-1:14 Cin. — B.Leonard 3 pass from C.Palmer (M.Nugent kick) .................... 4-10:44
In 2010, the Bengals are: 1-0 at home 1-2 on the road 2-0 when scoring first 0-2 when opponent scores first 0-1 in games decided by three points or fewer 1-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer 2-0 when leading at halftime 0-0 when tied at halftime 0-2 when trailing at halftime 2-0 when leading after three quarters 0-0 when tied after three quarters 0-2 when trailing after three quarters 1-0 when rushing for 100 net yards
1-0 when opponent rushes for less than 100 net yards 2-0 with plus turnover differential 0-0 with even turnover differential 0-2 with minus turnover differential 0-2 when passing for 250 net yards 0-1 when opponent passes for 250 net yards 1-2 when scoring 20 points or more 0-2 when opponent scores 20 points or more 2-2 when game is outdoors (open-air/open retractable roof) 0-0 when game is inside (dome/closed retractable roof) 1-1 on natural grass 1-1 on synthetic surface 0-1 with fewer penalty yards
Under Marvin Lewis,
the Bengals are: 34-22-1 at home 24-35-0 on the road 38-19-1 when scoring first 20-38-0 when opponent scores first 11-11-1 in games decided by three points or fewer 29-24-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer 42-13-1 when leading at halftime 6-1-0 when tied at halftime 10-43-0 when trailing at halftime 48-7-1 when leading after three quarters 3-2-0 when tied after three quarters 7-48-0 when trailing after three quarters 40-20-0 when rushing for 100 net yards
34-12-1 when opponent rushes for less than 100 net yards 39-6-1 with plus turnover differential 12-14-0 with even turnover differential 7-37-0 with minus turnover differential 17-19-0 when passing for 250 net yards 16-19-1 when opponent passes for 250 net yards 43-21-0 when scoring 20 points or more 20-51-0 when opponent scores 20 points or more 56-53-1 when game is outdoors (open-air/open retractable roof) 2-4-0 when game is inside (dome/closed retractable roof) 23-22-0 on natural grass 35-35-1 on synthetic surface 33-28-1 with fewer penalty yards
— Page 17 —
Best performances Rushing yards 81 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 26 at Carolina 78 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 19 vs. Baltimore 60 — Cedric Benson, Oct. 3 at Cleveland Rushing attempts 27 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 26 at Carolina 23 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 19 vs. Baltimore 15 — (two times) Longest rushes 13 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 19 vs. Baltimore 12 — (three times) Receptions 12 — Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 12 at New England 10 — Terrell Owens, Oct. 3 at Cleveland 7 — Terrell Owens, Sept. 12 at New England Receiving yards 222 — Terrell Owens, Oct. 3 at Cleveland 159 — Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 12 at New England 82 — Jordan Shipley, Sept. 12 at New England Passing yards 371 — Carson Palmer, Oct. 3 at Cleveland 345 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 12 at New England 195 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 26 at Carolina Pass attempts 50 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 12 at New England 37 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 26 at Carolina 36 — Carson Palmer, Oct. 3 at Cleveland
Pass completions 34 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 12 at New England 25 — Carson Palmer, Oct. 3 at Cleveland 19 — Carson Palmer, Sept. 26 at Carolina Longest passes 78 — Carson Palmer to Terrell Owens, Oct. 3 at Cleveland (TD) 51 — Carson Palmer to Jordan Shipley, Sept. 12 at New England 42 — Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco, Oct. 3 at Cleveland Yards from scrimmage 222 — Terrell Owens, Oct. 3 at Cleveland 159 — Chad Ochocinco, Sept. 12 at New England 90 — Cedric Benson, Sept. 26 at Carolina Longest kickoff return 60 — Bernard Scott, Sept. 19 vs. Baltimore 19 — Adam Jones, Sept. 12 at New England 18 — (twice) Longest punt return 10 — Quan Cosby, Sept. 26 at Carolina 10 — Quan Cosby, Sept. 26 at Carolina 9 — Quan Cosby, Sept. 26 at Carolina Total tackles (coaches’ statistics based on film review) 14 — Dhani Jones, Oct. 3 at Cleveland 14 — Keith Rivers, Oct. 3 at Cleveland 13 — Dhani Jones, Sept. 12 at New England Solo tackles (coaches’ statistics based on film review) 9 — Dhani Jones, Oct. 3 at Cleveland 8 — Dhani Jones, Sept. 12 at New England 8 — Dhani Jones, Sept. 19 vs. Baltimore
— Page 18 —
Transactions (Transactions prior to June 25 can be found on pages 144-145 of the Bengals’ 2010 media guide.)
June 25 — Signed WR Dezmon Briscoe (D6). July 7 — Signed G Otis Hudson (D5). July 16 — Signed DT Geno Atkins (D4a). July 20 — Waived G Jason Shirley (non-football injury). July 21 — Signed C Reggie Stephens (D7); G Jason Shirley cleared waivers and reverted to the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list. July 22 — Waived C Dan Santucci. July 23 — Signed CB Brandon Ghee (D3b). July 27 — Signed LB Roddrick Muckelroy (D4b). July 28 — Signed DE Carlos Dunlap (D2) and WR Jordan Shipley (D3a). July 29 — Signed WR Terrell Owens (UFA’10); Waived WR Freddie Brown. Aug. 3 — Signed TE Jermaine Gresham (D1); Waived DE Rahim Alem. Aug. 10 — Waived HB Cordera Eason (injured); Signed HB James Johnson (FA). Aug. 11 — HB Cordera Eason cleared waivers and reverted to the Reserve/Injured list. Aug. 17 — Waived C Jonathan Luigs. Aug. 23 — Signed S Marvin White (FA); Signed G/T Chris Rodgers (CFA); Waived OT Andrew Mitchell (injured). Aug. 24 — OT Andrew Mitchell cleared waivers and reverted to the Reserve/Injured list. Aug. 29 — Terminated the contract of WR Antonio Bryant; Placed S Gibril Wilson on the Reserve/Injured list; Waived LS Mike Windt. Aug. 30 — Placed S Tom Nelson on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list; Terminated the contract of LB Rashad Jeanty (failed physical).
Sept. 4 — Traded CB David Jones and a conditional draft choice to Jacksonville for S Reggie Nelson; Terminated the contracts of LB Abdul Hodge and WR Matt Jones; Waived the following 18 players: WR Dezmon Briscoe, TE Chase Coffman, DT Orien Harris, S Kyries Hebert, TE Darius Hill, G Otis Hudson, HB James Johnson, OT Gabriel Manns, DT Clinton McDonald, S Jeromy Miles, S Rico Murray, K David Rayner, LB Vincent Rey, OT Chris Rodgers, CB Johnny Sears, G Isaac Sowells, FB Joe Tronzo, S Marvin White; Waived WR Maurice Purify and HB Cordera Eason (Reserve/Injured list) with injury settlements; Waived FB Fui Vakapuna (injured). Sept. 5 — Acquired QB Dan LeFevour on waivers from Chicago; Terminated the contract of QB J.T. O’Sullivan; FB Fui Vakapuna cleared waivers and reverted to the Reserve/Injured list; Signed the following seven players to the practice squad: TE Chase Coffman, G Otis Hudson, DT Clinton McDonald, S Jeromy Miles, S Rico Murray, FB Joe Tronzo and LB Vincent Rey. Sept. 8 — Signed WR Shay Hodge to the practice squad. * 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 RI — reserve/injured list RPUP — reserve/physically unable to perform list
RNFI — reserve/non-football injury list RSBC — reserve/suspended by commissioner list REX — roster exemption NWT — not with team
Atkins, Geno .................... 4-0 P P P P Benson, Cedric ................ 4-4 HB HB HB HB Caldwell, Andre ................ 4-0 IL P P P Coats, Daniel ................... 4-0 P P P P Coffman, Chase ............... 0-0 PS PS PS PS Collins, Anthony ............... 2-0 DNP P P IL Cook, Kyle ....................... 4-4 C C C C Cosby, Quan .................... 4-0 P P P P Crocker, Chris .................. 4-4 FS FS FS FS Dunlap, Carlos ................. 1-0 IL IL P IL Fanene, Jonathan ............ 1-0 P IL IL IL Geathers, Robert ............. 4-4 LDE LDE LDE LDE Ghee, Brandon ................ 0-0 IL IL DNP IL Gresham, Jermaine ......... 4-2 P P TE TE Hall, Leon ......................... 4-4 RCB RCB RCB RCB Harris, Clark ..................... 4-0 P P P P Hodge, Shay .................... 0-0 PS PS PS PS Huber, Kevin .................... 4-0 P P P P Hudson, Otis .................... 0-0 PS PS PS PS Johnson, Brandon............ 4-1 P WLB P P Johnson, Michael ............. 4-1 P P RDE P Johnson, Tank ................. 4-4 DT DT DT DT Jones, Adam .................... 3-0 P P IL P Jones, Dhani .................... 4-4 MLB MLB MLB MLB Joseph, Johnathan .......... 4-4 LCB LCB LCB LCB Kelly, Reggie .................... 4-3 TE P TE TE LeFevour, Dan ................. 0-0 IL* IL* IL* IL* Leonard, Brian ................. 2-0 IL IL P P Livings, Nate .................... 4-4 LG LG LG LG Mathis, Evan .................... 4-0 P P P P Maualuga, Rey ................. 4-4 SLB SLB SLB SLB McDonald, Clinton ........... 0-0 PS PS PS PS Miles, Jeromy ................... 0-0 PS PS PS PS Mitchell, Andrew .............. 0-0 RI RI RI RI Muckelroy, Roddrick ........ 3-0 IL P P P Murray, Rico .................... 0-0 PS PS PS PS Ndukwe, Chinedum ......... 4-0 P P P P Nelson, Reggie ................ 4-0 P P P P Nelson, Tom .................... 0-0 RPUP RPUP RPUP RPUP Nugent, Mike .................... 4-0 P P P P Ochocinco, Chad ............. 4-4 WR WR WR WR Odom, Antwan ................. 3-3 RDE RDE IL RDE Owens, Terrell ................. 4-4 WR WR WR WR Palmer, Carson ................ 4-4 QB QB QB QB Palmer, Jordan ................ 0-0 DNP DNP DNP DNP Peerman, Cedric .............. 2-0 P P IL IL Peko, Domata .................. 4-4 NT NT NT NT Rey, Vincent .................... 0-0 PS PS PS PS Rivers, Keith .................... 3-3 WLB IL WLB WLB Roland, Dennis ................ 4-4 ROT TE ROT ROT Rucker, Frostee ............... 4-0 P P P P Scott, Bernard .................. 4-0 P P P P Shipley, Jordan ................ 4-2 3rdWR 3rdWR P P Shirley, Jason .................. 0-0 RNFI RNFI RNFI RNFI Simpson, Jerome ............. 1-0 P IL IL IL Sims, Pat ......................... 3-0 IL P P P Skuta, Dan ....................... 4-0 P P P P Smith, Andre .................... 3-1 P ROT IL P Stephens, Reggie ............ 0-0 IL IL IL IL Trent, Morgan .................. 4-0 P P P P Tronzo, Joe ...................... 0-0 PS PS PS PS Vakapuna, Fui .................. 0-0 RI RI RI RI Whitworth, Andrew........... 4-4 LOT LOT LOT LOT Williams, Bobbie .............. 4-4 RG RG RG RG Williams, Roy ................... 4-4 SS SS SS SS Wilson, Gibril .................... 0-0 RI RI RI RI
— Page 20 —
Starting lineups Offense
GAME WR LOT LG C RG ROT TE TE WR QB HB 9-12 @N.E. Ochocinco Whitworth Livings Cook B.Williams Roland Shipley(3rdWR) Kelly Owens C.Palmer Benson 9-19 BALT. Ochocinco Whitworth Livings Cook B.Williams Smith Roland Shipley(3rdWR) Owens C.Palmer Benson 9-26 @Car. Ochocinco Whitworth Livings Cook B.Williams Roland Gresham Kelly Owens C.Palmer Benson 10-3 @Cle. Ochocinco Whitworth Livings Cook B.Williams Roland Gresham Kelly Owens C.Palmer Benson 10-10 T.B. 10-17 (BYE) 10-24 @Atl. 10-31 MIA. 11-8 PITT. 11-14 @Ind. 11-21 BUFF. 11-25 @NYJ 12-5 N.O. 12-12 @Pitt. 12-19 CLE. 12-26 S.D. 1-2 @Balt.
Defense GAME LDE NT DT RDE SLB MLB WLB LCB RCB SS FS 9-12 @N.E. Geathers Peko T.Johnson Odom Maualuga D.Jones Rivers Joseph Hall R.Williams Crocker 9-19 BALT. Geathers Peko T.Johnson Odom Maualuga D.Jones B.Johnson Joseph Hall R.Williams Crocker 9-26 @Car. Geathers Peko T.Johnson M.Johnson Maualuga D.Jones Rivers Joseph Hall R.Williams Crocker 10-3 @Cle. Geathers Peko T.Johnson Odom Maualuga D.Jones Rivers Joseph Hall R.Williams Crocker 10-10 T.B. 10-17 (BYE) 10-24 @Atl. 10-31 MIA. 11-8 PITT. 11-14 @Ind. 11-21 BUFF. 11-25 @NYJ 12-5 N.O. 12-12 @Pitt. 12-19 CLE. 12-26 S.D. 1-2 @Balt.
— Page 21 —
Depth chart Oct. 5, 2010
OFFENSE WR 85 CHAD OCHOCINCO 89 Jerome Simpson 12 Quan Cosby LOT 77 ANDREW WHITWORTH 73 Anthony Collins LG 62 NATE LIVINGS 66 Evan Mathis C 64 KYLE COOK 61 Reggie Stephens RG 63 BOBBIE WILLIAMS 71 Andre Smith ROT 74 DENNIS ROLAND 71 Andre Smith TE 84 JERMAINE GRESHAM 86 Daniel Coats 46 Clark Harris TE 82 REGGIE KELLY 86 Daniel Coats WR 81 TERRELL OWENS 87 Andre Caldwell 11 Jordan Shipley QB 9 CARSON PALMER 5 Jordan Palmer 8 Dan LeFevour HB 32 CEDRIC BENSON 28 Bernard Scott 40 Brian Leonard 30 Cedric Peerman
DEFENSE LDE 91 ROBERT GEATHERS 68 Jonathan Fanene NT 94 DOMATA PEKO 97 Geno Atkins DT 99 TANK JOHNSON 90 Pat Sims RDE 98 ANTWAN ODOM 92 Frostee Rucker 96 Carlos Dunlap SLB 58 REY MAUALUGA 93 Michael Johnson 51 Dan Skuta MLB 57 DHANI JONES 56 Roddrick Muckelroy WLB 55 KEITH RIVERS 59 Brandon Johnson LCB 22 JOHNATHAN JOSEPH 24 Adam Jones 21 Brandon Ghee RCB 29 LEON HALL 25 Morgan Trent SS 31 ROY WILLIAMS 41 Chinedum Ndukwe FS 42 CHRIS CROCKER 20 Reggie Nelson
SPECIAL TEAMS P 10 Kevin Huber K 2 Mike Nugent KO 2 Mike Nugent H 10 Kevin Huber 11 Jordan Shipley LS 46 Clark Harris 51 Dan Skuta PR 24 Adam Jones 12 Quan Cosby 11 Jordan Shipley KOR 28 Bernard Scott 24 Adam Jones 87 Andre Caldwell 12 Quan Cosby NOTE: Players whose names are CAPITALIZED are anticipated starters. Rookies and first-year players are underlined.
Pronunciation guide Geno Atkins .................................................................................... JEE-no Bob Bratkowski (offensive coordinator) ............................. brat-COW-skee Louie Cioffi (assistant defensive backs coach) ............................ CHO-fee Quan Cosby .................................................................................. KWAHN Jonathan Fanene ................................................................... fuh-NAY-nay Robert Geathers ............................................... (pronounced as “gathers”) Brandon Ghee ..................................................................................... JEE Jermaine Gresham .................................................. jer-MAIN GRESH-em Paul Guenther (asst. special teams/asst. LBs coach) ................ GUN-thur Dhani Jones .......................................................................... duh-HAH-nee Dan LeFevour ........................................................................... le-FEE-ver
Rey Maualuga ....................... RAY mow(rhymes with “now”)-uh-LOO-guh Chinedum Ndukwe ..................................... CHIN-uh-doom en-DUKE-way Chad Ochocinco................................................................ o-cho-SEEN-ko Antwan Odom .............................................................. AN-twahn O-duhm Terrell Owens ............................................ TAIR-el (rhymes with “Darrell”) Domata Peko ......................................................... DOE-mah-tah PECK-o Vincent Rey (practice squad) .............................................................. RAY Dan Skuta .................................................................................. SKOO-tuh Fui Vakapuna (Reserve/Injured list) ................ FOO-ee vah-kuh-POO-nuh Gibril Wilson (Reserve/Injured list) .............................................. jih-BRILL Ken Zampese (quarterbacks coach) .................................... zam-PEE-zee
— Page 22 —
Alphabetical roster Oct. 5, 2010
NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 97 Atkins, Geno ........................................ DT 6-1 290 3-28-88 R Georgia Pembroke Pines, Fla. D4a’10 32 Benson, Cedric .................................... HB 5-11 227 12-28-82 6 Texas Midland, Texas FA’08 87 Caldwell, Andre................................... WR 6-0 195 4-15-85 3 Florida Tampa, Fla. D3b’08 86 Coats, Daniel ........................................ TE 6-3 264 4-16-84 4 Brigham Young Layton, Utah CFA’07 73 Collins, Anthony ................................... OT 6-5 324 11-2-85 3 Kansas Beaumont, Texas D4’08 64 Cook, Kyle .............................................. C 6-3 316 7-25-83 3 Michigan State Macomb, Mich. FA’07 12 Cosby, Quan ....................................... WR 5-9 190 12-23-82 2 Texas Mart, Texas CFA’09 42 Crocker, Chris ......................................... S 5-11 202 3-9-80 8 Marshall Chesapeake, Va. FA’08 96 Dunlap, Carlos ..................................... DE 6-6 285 2-28-89 R Florida North Charleston, S.C. D2’10 68 Fanene, Jonathan ................................ DE 6-4 292 3-19-82 6 Utah Pago Pago (American Samoa) D7’05 91 Geathers, Robert ................................. DE 6-3 280 8-11-83 7 Georgia Georgetown, S.C. D4b’04 21 Ghee, Brandon .................................... CB 6-0 190 6-6-87 R Wake Forest Fayetteville, N.C. D3b’10 84 Gresham, Jermaine .............................. TE 6-5 260 6-16-88 R Oklahoma Ardmore, Okla. D1’10 29 Hall, Leon ............................................. CB 5-11 195 12-9-84 4 Michigan Vista, Calif. D1’07 46 Harris, Clark .................................... LS/TE 6-5 260 7-10-84 2 Rutgers Manahawkin, N.J. FA’09 10 Huber, Kevin ........................................... P 6-1 210 7-16-85 2 Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio D5’09 59 Johnson, Brandon ................................ LB 6-5 240 4-5-83 5 Louisville Birmingham, Ala. FA’08 93 Johnson, Michael .................................. LB 6-7 268 2-7-87 2 Georgia Tech Selma, Ala. D3a’09 99 Johnson, Tank ..................................... DT 6-3 315 12-7-81 7 Washington Tempe, Ariz. UFA(Dall.)’09 24 Jones, Adam ........................................ CB 5-10 188 9-30-83 4 West Virginia Atlanta, Ga. FA’10 57 Jones, Dhani ......................................... LB 6-1 236 2-22-78 11 Michigan Potomac, Md. FA’07 22 Joseph, Johnathan .............................. CB 5-11 190 4-16-84 5 South Carolina Rock Hill, S.C. D1’06 82 Kelly, Reggie......................................... TE 6-4 257 2-22-77 12 Mississippi State Aberdeen, Miss. UFA(Atl.)’03 8 LeFevour, Dan ..................................... QB 6-3 230 3-19-87 R Central Michigan Downers Grove, Ill. W(Chi.)’10 40 Leonard, Brian ..................................... HB 6-1 225 2-3-84 4 Rutgers Gouverneur, N.Y. T(StL.)’09 62 Livings, Nate .......................................... G 6-5 332 3-16-82 3 Louisiana State Lake Charles, La. CFA’06 66 Mathis, Evan .......................................... G 6-5 302 11-1-81 6 Alabama Homewood, Ala. FA’08 58 Maualuga, Rey...................................... LB 6-2 255 1-20-87 2 Southern California Eureka, Calif. D2’09 56 Muckelroy, Roddrick ............................. LB 6-2 240 10-27-86 R Texas Hallsville, Texas D4b’10 41 Ndukwe, Chinedum ................................ S 6-2 224 3-4-85 4 Notre Dame Powell, Ohio D7b’07 20 Nelson, Reggie ....................................... S 5-11 206 9-21-83 4 Florida Melbourne, Fla. T(Jax.)’10 2 Nugent, Mike........................................... K 5-10 186 3-2-82 6 Ohio State Centerville, Ohio FA’10 85 Ochocinco, Chad ................................ WR 6-1 192 1-9-78 10 Oregon State Miami, Fla. D2’01 98 Odom, Antwan ..................................... DE 6-5 275 9-24-81 7 Alabama Bayou La Batre, Ala. UFA(Tenn.)’08 81 Owens, Terrell .................................... WR 6-3 224 12-7-73 15 Tennessee-Chattanooga Alexander City, Ala. UFA(Buff.)’10 9 Palmer, Carson .................................... QB 6-5 236 12-27-79 8 Southern California Mission Viejo, Calif. D1’03 5 Palmer, Jordan .................................... QB 6-5 232 5-30-84 3 Texas-El Paso Mission Viejo, Calif. FA’08 30 Peerman, Cedric .................................. HB 5-10 212 10-10-86 1 Virginia Gladys, Va. W(Det.)’10 94 Peko, Domata ...................................... DT 6-3 320 11-27-84 5 Michigan State Pago Pago (American Samoa) D4’06 55 Rivers, Keith ......................................... LB 6-2 242 5-5-86 3 Southern California Lake Mary, Fla. D1’08 74 Roland, Dennis .................................... OT 6-9 320 3-10-83 3 Georgia Bolivar, Mo. FA’08 92 Rucker, Frostee ................................... DE 6-3 280 9-14-83 5 Southern California Tustin, Calif. D3’06 28 Scott, Bernard ...................................... HB 5-10 197 2-10-84 2 Abilene Christian Vernon, Texas D6b’09 11 Shipley, Jordan ................................... WR 6-0 190 12-23-85 R Texas Burnet, Texas D3a’10 89 Simpson, Jerome ................................ WR 6-2 195 2-4-86 3 Coastal Carolina Reidsville, N.C. D2’08 90 Sims, Pat ............................................. DT 6-2 325 11-29-85 3 Auburn Fort Lauderdale, Fla. D3a’08 51 Skuta, Dan ............................................ LB 6-2 252 4-21-86 2 Grand Valley State Flint, Mich. CFA’09 71 Smith, Andre .................................... OT/G 6-4 345 1-25-87 2 Alabama Birmingham, Ala. D1’09 61 Stephens, Reggie ................................... C 6-3 320 8-28-87 R Iowa State Rowlett, Texas D7’10 25 Trent, Morgan ...................................... CB 6-1 193 12-14-85 2 Michigan San Diego, Calif. D6a’09 77 Whitworth, Andrew .............................. OT 6-7 335 12-12-81 5 Louisiana State West Monroe, La. D2’06 63 Williams, Bobbie .................................... G 6-4 345 9-25-76 11 Arkansas Jefferson, Texas UFA(Phil.)’04 31 Williams, Roy .......................................... S 6-0 222 8-14-80 9 Oklahoma Union City, Calif. FA’09
Practice Squad NO. NAME (DATE) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 80 Coffman, Chase (Sept. 5) ..................... TE 6-6 250 11-10-86 2 Missouri Peculiar, Mo. D3b’09 17 Hodge, Shay (Sept. 8) ........................ WR 6-2 218 10-18-87 R Mississippi Morton, Miss. FA’10 60 Hudson, Otis (Sept. 5) ........................... G 6-5 320 7-19-86 R Eastern Illinois Barrington, Ill. D5’10 69 McDonald, Clinton (Sept. 5) ................ DT 6-2 297 1-6-87 1 Memphis Jacksonville, Ark. D7b’09 45 Miles, Jeromy (Sept. 5) ........................... S 6-2 215 7-20-87 R Massachusetts Sicklerville, N.J. CFA’10 44 Murray, Rico (Sept. 5) ............................ S 5-11 200 8-21-87 1 Kent State Cincinnati, Ohio CFA’09 53 Rey, Vincent (Sept. 5) .......................... LB 6-2 244 9-6-87 R Duke Far Rockaway, N.Y. CFA’10 38 Tronzo, Joe (Sept. 5) ............................ FB 5-11 240 6-10-87 R Louisville Louisville, Ky. CFA’10
Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform NO. NAME (DATE; INJURY) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 43 Nelson, Tom (Aug. 30; knee) .................. S 5-11 200 12-4-86 2 Illinois State Arlington Heights, Ill. CFA’09
Reserve/Injured NO. NAME (DATE; INJURY) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 76 Mitchell, Andrew (Aug. 24; knee) ......... OT 6-5 311 6-12-85 R Oklahoma State Choctaw, Okla. CFA’10 37 Vakapuna, Fui (Sept. 5; shoulder) ........ FB 6-0 257 3-9-84 2 Brigham Young Glendale, Utah PS(Ariz.)’09 27 Wilson, Gibril (Aug. 29; knee) ................. S 6-0 210 11-12-81 7 Tennessee San Jose, Calif. FA’10
Reserve/Non-Football Injury NO. NAME (DATE; INJURY) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 70 Shirley, Jason (July 21; Achilles) ........... G 6-5 345 9-30-85 2 Fresno State Fontana, Calif. D5’08
COACHING STAFF: Head coach: Marvin Lewis. Assistants: Paul Alexander (assistant head coach/offensive line), Jim Anderson (running backs), Bob Bratkowski (offensive coordinator), Kyle Caskey (offensive quality control), Louie Cioffi (assistant defensive backs), Kevin Coyle (defensive backs), Jeff FitzGerald (linebackers), Jeff Friday (assistant strength and conditioning), Paul Guenther (assistant special teams/assistant linebackers), Jay Hayes (defensive line), Jonathan Hayes (tight ends), Chip Morton (strength and conditioning), Mike Sheppard (wide receivers), Darrin Simmons (special teams), Ken Zampese (quarterbacks), Mike Zimmer (defensive coordinator).
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Numerical roster Oct. 5, 2010
NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 2 Mike Nugent............................................ K 5-10 186 3-2-82 6 Ohio State Centerville, Ohio FA’10 5 Jordan Palmer ..................................... QB 6-5 232 5-30-84 3 Texas-El Paso Mission Viejo, Calif. FA’08 8 Dan LeFevour ...................................... QB 6-3 230 3-19-87 R Central Michigan Downers Grove, Ill. W(Chi.)’10 9 Carson Palmer ..................................... QB 6-5 236 12-27-79 8 Southern California Mission Viejo, Calif. D1’03 10 Kevin Huber ............................................ P 6-1 210 7-16-85 2 Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio D5’09 11 Jordan Shipley .................................... WR 6-0 190 12-23-85 R Texas Burnet, Texas D3a’10 12 Quan Cosby ........................................ WR 5-9 190 12-23-82 2 Texas Mart, Texas CFA’09 20 Reggie Nelson ........................................ S 5-11 206 9-21-83 4 Florida Melbourne, Fla. T(Jax.)’10 21 Brandon Ghee ..................................... CB 6-0 190 6-6-87 R Wake Forest Fayetteville, N.C. D3b’10 22 Johnathan Joseph ............................... CB 5-11 190 4-16-84 5 South Carolina Rock Hill, S.C. D1’06 24 Adam Jones ......................................... CB 5-10 188 9-30-83 4 West Virginia Atlanta, Ga. FA’10 25 Morgan Trent ....................................... CB 6-1 193 12-14-85 2 Michigan San Diego, Calif. D6a’09 28 Bernard Scott ....................................... HB 5-10 197 2-10-84 2 Abilene Christian Vernon, Texas D6b’09 29 Leon Hall .............................................. CB 5-11 195 12-9-84 4 Michigan Vista, Calif. D1’07 30 Cedric Peerman ................................... HB 5-10 212 10-10-86 1 Virginia Gladys, Va. W(Det.)’10 31 Roy Williams ........................................... S 6-0 222 8-14-80 9 Oklahoma Union City, Calif. FA’09 32 Cedric Benson ..................................... HB 5-11 227 12-28-82 6 Texas Midland, Texas FA’08 40 Brian Leonard ...................................... HB 6-1 225 2-3-84 4 Rutgers Gouverneur, N.Y. T(StL.)’09 41 Chinedum Ndukwe ................................. S 6-2 224 3-4-85 4 Notre Dame Powell, Ohio D7b’07 42 Chris Crocker .......................................... S 5-11 202 3-9-80 8 Marshall Chesapeake, Va. FA’08 46 Clark Harris ..................................... LS/TE 6-5 260 7-10-84 2 Rutgers Manahawkin, N.J. FA’09 51 Dan Skuta ............................................. LB 6-2 252 4-21-86 2 Grand Valley State Flint, Mich. CFA’09 55 Keith Rivers .......................................... LB 6-2 242 5-5-86 3 Southern California Lake Mary, Fla. D1’08 56 Roddrick Muckelroy .............................. LB 6-2 240 10-27-86 R Texas Hallsville, Texas D4b’10 57 Dhani Jones .......................................... LB 6-1 236 2-22-78 11 Michigan Potomac, Md. FA’07 58 Rey Maualuga....................................... LB 6-2 255 1-20-87 2 Southern California Eureka, Calif. D2’09 59 Brandon Johnson ................................. LB 6-5 240 4-5-83 5 Louisville Birmingham, Ala. FA’08 61 Reggie Stephens .................................... C 6-3 320 8-28-87 R Iowa State Rowlett, Texas D7’10 62 Nate Livings ........................................... G 6-5 332 3-16-82 3 Louisiana State Lake Charles, La. CFA’06 63 Bobbie Williams ..................................... G 6-4 345 9-25-76 11 Arkansas Jefferson, Texas UFA(Phil.)’04 64 Kyle Cook ............................................... C 6-3 316 7-25-83 3 Michigan State Macomb, Mich. FA’07 66 Evan Mathis ........................................... G 6-5 302 11-1-81 6 Alabama Homewood, Ala. FA’08 68 Jonathan Fanene ................................. DE 6-4 292 3-19-82 6 Utah Pago Pago (American Samoa) D7’05 71 Andre Smith ..................................... OT/G 6-4 345 1-25-87 2 Alabama Birmingham, Ala. D1’09 73 Anthony Collins .................................... OT 6-5 324 11-2-85 3 Kansas Beaumont, Texas D4’08 74 Dennis Roland ..................................... OT 6-9 320 3-10-83 3 Georgia Bolivar, Mo. FA’08 77 Andrew Whitworth ............................... OT 6-7 335 12-12-81 5 Louisiana State West Monroe, La. D2’06 81 Terrell Owens ..................................... WR 6-3 224 12-7-73 15 Tennessee-Chattanooga Alexander City, Ala. UFA(Buff.)’10 82 Reggie Kelly.......................................... TE 6-4 257 2-22-77 12 Mississippi State Aberdeen, Miss. UFA(Atl.)’03 84 Jermaine Gresham ............................... TE 6-5 260 6-16-88 R Oklahoma Ardmore, Okla. D1’10 85 Chad Ochocinco ................................. WR 6-1 192 1-9-78 10 Oregon State Miami, Fla. D2’01 86 Daniel Coats ......................................... TE 6-3 264 4-16-84 4 Brigham Young Layton, Utah CFA’07 87 Andre Caldwell.................................... WR 6-0 195 4-15-85 3 Florida Tampa, Fla. D3b’08 89 Jerome Simpson ................................. WR 6-2 195 2-4-86 3 Coastal Carolina Reidsville, N.C. D2’08 90 Pat Sims .............................................. DT 6-2 325 11-29-85 3 Auburn Fort Lauderdale, Fla. D3a’08 91 Robert Geathers .................................. DE 6-3 280 8-11-83 7 Georgia Georgetown, S.C. D4b’04 92 Frostee Rucker .................................... DE 6-3 280 9-14-83 5 Southern California Tustin, Calif. D3’06 93 Michael Johnson ................................... LB 6-7 268 2-7-87 2 Georgia Tech Selma, Ala. D3a’09 94 Domata Peko ....................................... DT 6-3 320 11-27-84 5 Michigan State Pago Pago (American Samoa) D4’06 96 Carlos Dunlap ...................................... DE 6-6 285 2-28-89 R Florida North Charleston, S.C. D2’10 97 Geno Atkins ......................................... DT 6-1 290 3-28-88 R Georgia Pembroke Pines, Fla. D4a’10 98 Antwan Odom ...................................... DE 6-5 275 9-24-81 7 Alabama Bayou La Batre, Ala. UFA(Tenn.)’08 99 Tank Johnson ...................................... DT 6-3 315 12-7-81 7 Washington Tempe, Ariz. UFA(Dall.)’09
Practice Squad NO. NAME (DATE) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 17 Shay Hodge (Sept. 8) ......................... WR 6-2 218 10-18-87 R Mississippi Morton, Miss. FA’10 38 Joe Tronzo (Sept. 5) ............................. FB 5-11 240 6-10-87 R Louisville Louisville, Ky. CFA’10 44 Rico Murray (Sept. 5) ............................. S 5-11 200 8-21-87 1 Kent State Cincinnati, Ohio CFA’09 45 Jeromy Miles (Sept. 5) ............................ S 6-2 215 7-20-87 R Massachusetts Sicklerville, N.J. CFA’10 53 Vincent Rey (Sept. 5) ........................... LB 6-2 244 9-6-87 R Duke Far Rockaway, N.Y. CFA’10 60 Otis Hudson (Sept. 5) ............................ G 6-5 320 7-19-86 R Eastern Illinois Barrington, Ill. D5’10 69 Clinton McDonald (Sept. 5) ................. DT 6-2 297 1-6-87 1 Memphis Jacksonville, Ark. D7b’09 80 Chase Coffman (Sept. 5) ...................... TE 6-6 250 11-10-86 2 Missouri Peculiar, Mo. D3b’09
Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform NO. NAME (DATE; INJURY) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 43 Tom Nelson (Aug. 30; knee) ................... S 5-11 200 12-4-86 2 Illinois State Arlington Heights, Ill. CFA’09
Reserve/Injured NO. NAME (DATE; INJURY) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 27 Gibril Wilson (Aug. 29; knee) .................. S 6-0 210 11-12-81 7 Tennessee San Jose, Calif. FA’10 37 Fui Vakapuna (Sept. 5; shoulder) ......... FB 6-0 257 3-9-84 2 Brigham Young Glendale, Utah PS(Ariz.)’09 76 Andrew Mitchell (Aug. 24; knee) .......... OT 6-5 311 6-12-85 R Oklahoma State Choctaw, Okla. CFA’10
Reserve/Non-Football Injury NO. NAME (DATE; INJURY) POS. HT. WT. BORN EXP. COLLEGE HOMETOWN HOW ACQ. 70 Jason Shirley (July 21; Achilles) ............ G 6-5 345 9-30-85 2 Fresno State Fontana, Calif. D5’08
COACHING STAFF: Head coach: Marvin Lewis. Assistants: Paul Alexander (assistant head coach/offensive line), Jim Anderson (running backs), Bob Bratkowski (offensive coordinator), Kyle Caskey (offensive quality control), Louie Cioffi (assistant defensive backs), Kevin Coyle (defensive backs), Jeff FitzGerald (linebackers), Jeff Friday (assistant strength and conditioning), Paul Guenther (assistant special teams/assistant linebackers), Jay Hayes (defensive line), Jonathan Hayes (tight ends), Chip Morton (strength and conditioning), Mike Sheppard (wide receivers), Darrin Simmons (special teams), Ken Zampese (quarterbacks), Mike Zimmer (defensive coordinator).
DATE W-L SCORE OPPONENT ATTENDANCE 9-12 L 24-38 at New England 68,756 9-19 W 15-10 BALTIMORE 64,071 9-26 W 20-7 at Carolina 72,887 10-3 L 20-23 at Cleveland 66,731 10-10 TAMPA BAY 10-17 — BYE — 10-24 at Atlanta 10-31 MIAMI 11-8 PITTSBURGH 11-14 at Indianapolis 11-21 BUFFALO 11-25 at N.Y. Jets 12-5 NEW ORLEANS 12-12 at Pittsburgh 12-19 CLEVELAND 12-26 SAN DIEGO 1-2 at Baltimore
TEAM STATISTICS CIN. OPP. TOTAL FIRST DOWNS ................................................................. 82 72 Rushing ................................................................................. 20 25 Passing ................................................................................. 57 39 Penalty .................................................................................... 5 8 3rd Down: Made-Att. ........................................................ 21-61 21-53 3rd Down Pct. .................................................................... 34.4 39.6 4th Down: Made-Att. ............................................................ 5-5 0-4 4th Down Pct.................................................................... 100.0 0.0 POSSESSION AVG. ................................................................ 32:55 27:05 TOTAL NET YARDS ................................................................. 1399 1197 Avg. Per Game ................................................................ 349.8 299.3 Total Plays .......................................................................... 276 245 Avg. Per Play ....................................................................... 5.1 4.9 NET YARDS RUSHING .............................................................. 368 430 Avg. Per Game .................................................................. 92.0 107.5 Total Rushes ....................................................................... 111 105 NET YARDS PASSING ............................................................. 1031 767 Avg. Per Game ................................................................ 257.8 191.8 Sacked-Yards Lost ............................................................ 7-47 3-17 Gross Yards ...................................................................... 1078 784 Att.-Completions ............................................................ 158-94 137-76 Completion Pct................................................................... 59.5 55.5 Had Intercepted ...................................................................... 3 6 PUNTS-AVG. ......................................................................... 20-42.9 18-41.9 Net Punting Avg. ........................................................... 20-38.1 18-36.9 PENALTIES-YARDS .............................................................. 27-214 24-164 FUMBLES-BALLS LOST .............................................................. 6-3 6-3 TOUCHDOWNS .............................................................................. 7 9 Rushing ................................................................................... 2 2 Passing ................................................................................... 5 5 Returns ................................................................................... 0 2
SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 OT PTS. BENGALS ................................................... 7 22 20 30 0 79 OPPONENTS ........................................... 13 24 31 10 0 78
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