Week 2 Steelers @ Bengals Preview

There not much that needed to be reviewed from last weeks games. As the Bengals single handilydid everything a football team could do to lose a football game. Everything from missed assignments, to dumb mental mistakes, also some turnovers sprinkled in there. No way with those three things are you going to win any football game, especially when you play a NFC power in the Chicago Bears. As for the Steelers, I think it's safe to say their football season pretty much ended last week. They lost one of the anchors, and vet of their Defense, also they best offensive of lineman off a line that wasn't great to start with. They played against a Tennessee Titans football team that's not great but getting better slowly but surely. Titans pretty much dominated the Steelers holding them to just 2 points all the way til the last 90 seconds of the game, with better performance on offense this game would've easily been a bigger margin then the 16-9 in which the Titans won with. Although the Steelers season look hopeless, they still must go out and play and complete the schedule. This week they take the trip to Cincinnati and play the Bengals in a Monday Night Football game, that I'm sure the league wish they could flex.

Steelers
I don't see how they can win this game at all, or even make it a game for that matter but have to sit her and come up with the Blueprint.

* Run Game:

Even though the Steelers backfield is not healthy, nor the offensive front, they MUST find a way to establish an effective run game. They couldn't even establish one first down via the run game last week. Only managing 32 yards on 15 team carries. That won't be good this week, they have to do better to keep the Bengals D honest, and take some pressure off Ben.

* Offensive Line:

This Offensive Line must step up and play better. Everybody know they're not at full strength, but that's no excuse, they must play better. Allowing 5 sack to the Titans can easily be double by this Bengals D that have the best front in the game. They are the vital piece to any success this Team will have.

* Super Ben:

Big Ben must transformed to super Ben if the Steelers going to have a chance to win, with no run game at all it's time to see what type of QB Ben is, should he be with the Elite as many will say, or is he just a system QB who legacy should be based off the Defenses he had playing on his team.... Time to show us Ben.

*DDDDDEFENSE:

Even though this D, is not one of the caliber we used to seeing in Pittsburgh, they are still the strength of this team, and they must show it. This unit have to find a way to slow down an offense that honestly stopped themselves last week against a better D then what the Steelers are.

Bengals
I think we all witnessed what happen last week, as the Cincinnati Bengals went to Chicago and lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. Although they are big favors in this game they can't come out and take this team for granted, I think they going to be pissed off, and fired up come Monday night, and show the prime time viewers they deserve all the hype they getting.

*Mentality Check:

As poorly as they actually played on the field it was mental mistake that really seal their fate last week. Two personal foul penalties at the end of each half of this football game, one that lead to that 3 point difference that was the game, and one that denied the offense an opportunity at the end of the game. Biggest play of the game, a guy missing an assignment didn't help.

*Defense Eat:

This Defense must feast on this battered Offensive. I'm sure Zim and his crew is salavating right now, they must show what everybody call them one the best D in the league

*Smash Mouth:
  

The Bengals approach need to be to break this D down in between the tackles. Pound away at these guy, hit them right in the heart of there unit and open up the pass that way. Although this team is having a hard time with health and confidence, the strength is the secondary and their secondary still consist of all-pro, pro bowlers back there. Don't be surprised if you see more running then expected, RUN THE BALL.

*PROTECT THIS HOUSE:

It's your home opener and your fans are not happy starting off 0-1, especially beating yourself the way y'all did. The quickest way to lose a football game, is to constantly give the ball to the other team when you have it. The Bengals MUST protect the football, don't allow this team to keep this game close, a lost this week, with this unstable fan base, can be Armageddon.

PREDICTION:
When Monday get here, and the jungle start to rock, what you should expect is a pure domination by the Bengals. Realistically there is no way I can see the Steelers beating the Bengals, but the game still has to be played and as we have seen a week ago, the Bengals can beat the Bengals. They say you never make the same mistake twice, and I don't think they will, I have Cincinnati winning this game 24-6.

John G. Dunn II
jgdunn.blogspot.com

Cincinnati Bengals @ Chicago Bears Preview

Week 1 matches up our Cincinnati Bengals with the Chicago Bears. This is one of the best week 1 match up, and also one of the hardest to evaluate and choose. As a fan, you want your team to beat everybody, as a realest and student/teacher of the game you have to evaluate each team weaknesses and strengths and visualize the game before it happen in order to pick a realistic winner. I would normal watch film on each team using NFL GAME REWIND COACHES FILM, to do my evaluation, but seeing that it's week 1 I don't have much to go off of.

CHICAGO BEARS
This Chicago Bears team is one with a lot of talent, we know the usual suspects that is, Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Matt Forte. However, coming into this week 1 match-up they have more questions then even these guys can answer.

*The biggest question of them all is how will the Two rookie offensive lineman, Kyle Long and Jordan Mills hold up against the best front in the NFL. Although Long and Mills had good camps, and played well in the preseason, they have never faced the forces they will face come Sunday afternoon

* How ready is Marshall? Brandon Marshall has been nagged by a hip injury. He has missed practically most of the preseason and even worst he hasn't been a full participant in practice lately. There is NO question he's going to play, but how effective can he be?

* Which Jay Cutler will we see? Jay Cutler is, in my opinion, one the most inconsistent QB in the league. He shows signs of elite ability, but also has showed signs of what holds this team back. Which will we see Sunday? His favorite target is not 100% and he's not an idiot he knows what he's facing on the other side of him, will he be poised and pick the weak secondary apart or panic when he see Geno closing in?

*Rookie Coach: Will Marc Trestman be able to handle this football club throughout the duration of this season? He has already been tested by Marshall in his little preseason rant and frustrations, we all know how much of a Hot head Jay Cutler can be, will Trestman be able to handle these guys as they go through what I think will be a tough, up and down season for the Bear.

CINCINNATI BENGALS
The Cincinnati Bengals although I believe have more advantages then these Bears, they have questions of their own.

* #2 Receiver? Who will step up as that #2 guy? This Chicago secondary is really good. Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman are both all-pro DB's Somebody has to step up and take pressure off of Green, so he can try to get some one-on-one coverage and a opportunity to bust the game open.

* Tight Ends- How will the two 1st round draft picks perform? Will they demand respect? Can they control the middle of the field and be the force they are expected to be? They to, like the receivers, can take some pressure off of Green.

* Offensive Tackles- Is Big Whit knee healthy enough to not only play, but take the forces of Briggs and Peppers off the edge? I believe the Bears D will challenge him and Andre Smith who struggles in pass pro.

*Secondary- Can this secondary contain All-pro Brandon Marshall? In my opinion we haven't had a #1 guy in our secondary since Jonathan Joesph, I don't think Leon Hall is that guy that can shut down a teams #1 Wide out. This secondary will be tested, the Bears won't be able to run the football effectively, and we all know the weakness of this D, why wouldn't you test it.

GAME OVERVIEW
When you measure up these two football team based off strength and weaknesses the Bengals are the better football team. On paper, the Bengals are better, but the game has to be played on the field, and I have provided you with things to watch, as you watch the game. All things taking into consideration I see this being a low scoring game, because of the strength of both of these Defensive units. At the end of the day the Bengals D is stronger overall, and I have them coming out on top of this one 17-14.

2013 Cincinnati Bengals Preview

  So here we are about a day away from the 2013 Kickoff of NFL football. I think I speak for most, when I say THANK YOU GOD!!!! Sunday tailgating, frying of the wings and grubbing on the pizza. Cold beers cracking and popping, cheering and jumping slapping hands til the mirrors fall off the wall. Sitting in the stadium with a portion of your fan nation, or as the fan to the opposing team, picking on and smack talking to any fan near with different colors on then you, yeah I will take a handful of months of that!
   So how about them Bengals!?!?!?!?!?!? Well it should be another good one for us, only problem is when you have consecutive years of success, each year expectations become higher and higher and for the Bengals I feel the expectations are higher than they ever been. Problem with having really high expectation, you almost set yourself up for disappointment, the higher the expectation the higher the chance for disappointment. What is realistic expectation for this football team? It's hard, we all know the ultimate goal, but for those of us that can be realistic, we also know that this football team is not the best in the NFL or the AFC for that matter, yes they can play, and compete with every team but can they win? Many writers and experts have the Bengals representing the AFC in the big dance some even have them winning it all, and that's a tall leap for a team who has made back to back playoff appearances, but has failed to win in either appearance.
   2013  bring upon a new year, a team that don't look much different from the last two years, but they are older, more experienced and know how to win. Not to mention the additions that will have an impact on the week to week performance. 10-6 with one the hardest schedules last year, was very impressive and unexpected by most. With a weaken division which is the north, and a slightly easier but still hard schedule, Expectations sit a lot higher for this team. So let me break this football team down as I see it;

                                                         OFFENSE 

Strengths:  When you look at this Offense there is an abundance amount of talent all over the place. Only thing is, talent don't always perform. We all know this offense and team for that matter is whatever A.J. Green is. As long as he remains, arguably the best Wide Receiver in the NFL, this offense will remain one the most dangerous. When you speak about strengths, as far as proven players on this offense, outside of Green the only other consistently proven successful player is Andrew Whitworth, who also quietly carries leadership on this team and in that locker room. Green, and big Whit, Strengths? These two is it.

Weakness: *Just as Green is the heart of this offense, Andy Dalton is the brain, and if that brain don't tell the heart to beat you die, and so will this offense. I only have strengths and weaknesses, i'm not hear to call Andy a weakness, but he has to be better than what he has been in order for this football team to reach it's full potential, I have faith and I believe he will, but we'll just have to see, I really hope he has improved his deep ball accuracy.
*#2 receiver spot, who will play across from Green and how effective will that person be? No one has taken that spot as the #2 guys, there is a couple guys, in Sanu and Jones, that you can put there. What Gruden and Lewis wanted was for some one to take the spot, and I don't think that happen this preseason. The spot will have to be given to a guy, Sanu is charted as the #2 right now.How effective can he be? Nobody knows, we have saw a lot of good in the little bit he gave early last year, before he went out for the year, can he stay health? When teams are not afraid of your #2 guy, it takes away from your #1.
*Jermaine Gresham, this is what I believe is his last chance to be the 1st round pick he was drafted to be. With the addition of Tyler Eifert, another 1st round pick, Gresham have to be the guy to command the middle of the field and demand respect from defenses.
*Last but not least is the offensive of line. Outside of big Whit, everybody else on this line is a question mark, It will be interesting to see if we can get some consistent adequate play out of Boling, and Cook. Andre Smith is probably the biggest question mark on this unit, with his new deal will he play the way he played last year, which was a contract year? Will he even stay healthy enough to play the whole or majority of the season?

                                                               Defense 

Strengths:  *The strongest part of this D is hands down the front line. You have arguably the best interior lineman in Geno "sacks" Atkins, Peko who's a run stuffer next to Atkins, and some of the most athletic ends in the league with Mike Johnson and Carlos Dunlap. Them are just the starters, they have depth there to with Robert "oldman" Gathers who is still a quality force. Wallace Gilberry who's a guy with a rising stock and don't forget the Big, super talented, strong Margus Hunt he just need to get tougher and find some nasty.
*This Linebacker core went from a weakness last year to a strength with the addition of James Harrison. He will have a much different role from what he had in Shitsburgh, but I don't see any reason he won't adjust well. Who can forget about Vontaze Burfict, lead this team in tackles as a rookie and is the leader of this defense in just his second year.

Weakness:  *Rey Mauluga is a question mark for the Defense. You just don't know what your going to get from Rey, will we see the Rey we saw in the first couple years that was hungry, all over the field and looking like a household name? That's what the coaching staff is hoping for since they moved him back to that spot he shined in. Going by what he has done lately, whiffing on tackles, blowing assignments, and shying away from contact, will only find him a seat on the bench as the depth is quickly catching up to him. With all the talent in front and on the side of Rey I think he has no choice but be successful, what scares me more then his failure, is what's behind Rey and the rest the D.......
*The weakest part of the Defense has to be the secondary. Reggie Nelson has been a consistent success, and I guess you can say Leon Hall as well, even though I don't think he's the guy who will shut down opponents #1, but outside them two everybody else gives me concern. Adam Jones is at a point in his career where he can't play every day, which is why he's charted as the #3/nickle corner, Dre Kirkpatrick hasn't been the guy we expect since being took in the 1st round, he still struggling to get Zimms D in his head, so he won't see much field, Newman has a lot of miles on his body, no longer an every down guy and Ghee is strictly on this team in my opinion for special teams. Another guy that I don't really understand why he still here, is Taylor Mays. I guess Coach Lewis love this guy so much he can't cut him loose, or maybe it his locker room presences??? I don't know, what I do know is he'll be strictly a special teams guy, even though he's on the Depth Chart in front of Rookie Shawn Williams. Williams had a disappointing summer, I expected more out of him, and he was just non existent the last four week, I think he'll develop as the season goes on, not enough to take the starting spot of George Iloka. I really love this Iloka guy, he's the guy to watch in the secondary, first time starter, he's mighty aggressive and have no problem sticking his nose in the mix in the run game, but he's weak in coverage, definitely the best guy out of the 3 and deserve the starting job.
    So there it is, this is the 2013 Cincinnati Bengals. Offensively, as you can see there are a lot more weaknesses then strengths, for the sake of this offense these guys are young, and they have a lot of room for improvement and the last 2 years they have found a way to put together back to back playoff appearances, but in 2013 appearance won't be enough! The team will only go as far as the defense decide it will go. Yes the best player on the team is on the offensive side of the ball, but this unit is the Cincinnati Bengals, and if this team is going to make a push in the AFC and in the playoffs it's going to be the D that's going to be the driven force! I have this team finishing 12-4, a top seed and yes winning they first playoff game, but falling one came short of the Super Bowl, which is a successful season for the Bengals........ WHO DEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See you at PBS

                                                                                                                              John G. Dunn