Today's Meeting

[Bengals1181]

I'm sure I'll regret starting this thread, but we'll see how this goes.




Today at 4pm there was a team meeting (previously unscheduled). What do you think Marvin and the coaches said? What would YOU have said had you been in Marvin's shoes?





Let's try to keep this one on task and save all of the jokes, insults and other junk out. What would you have said to/done with the team if you were the head coach today?

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Bengals1181' post='562635' date='Oct 2 2007, 07:01 PM']I'm sure I'll regret starting this thread, but we'll see how this goes.
Today at 4pm there was a team meeting (previously unscheduled). What do you think Marvin and the coaches said? What would YOU have said had you been in Marvin's shoes?
Let's try to keep this one on task and save all of the jokes, insults and other junk out. What would you have said to/done with the team if you were the head coach today?[/quote]


likely a civilized rendition of last nights rant, ..hard to say really... lots to talk about there and lots to focus on, lukcily 2 weeks to do it.

[STRAYCAT]

I would play a video from last nights game and SHOW them what was said about them on national tv.
The rants the chest thumping when someone made a tackle like they are supposed to. Then ask them
to say whats on their mind and it the last time they get to do it. After that....STFU!

[oldschooler]

If i was Marvin I would have told them that they are my players.
I brought them here because of their talent and
intangibles. The talent is there. The focus and teamwork isn`t.
And until they come together and work as a team,
they`re just be a bunch of individuals that lose.


The questioning of and freelancing of plays needs to stop.
Do your job. If you do what`s asked of you, then you`re
doing what you`re supposed to do. If you`re doing what`s
asked of you, then there is no problem.
If you do what`s asked of you and we still lose,
then obviously you are not the problem.

The ranting to the media has to stop.
I don`t air dirty laundry about a player to the media.
I expect the same from my players. Keep it in house.
If you look like a house divided, the media will do
their best to bring it down.

Players like Willie not practicing, starting and playing less
than half a game is going to stop. If you`re not healthy enough
to practice, you can`t start.

Willie bitching about other players to the media has to stop.
They`re out there practicing and and busting their asses in
games, and you have the fucking audacity to say something
about how seriously THEY are taking football ?

The trash talking to the media has to stop.
Find a new schtick. You have made a name
for yourself. You are an Elite player. Let your
play talk for you. Because it always talked
the loudest anyway.


The softness and lack of intensity has to stop.
If you`re not dedicated enough to go all out for
3 hours a week while playing a game, making
milllions of dollars, and bedding hot women,
we`ll get players in here that will. Fans out of
the stands can play soft, miss tackles, and look
like shit. And they would play for less money.
You CAN and WILL be replaced.


Injuries have decimated some parts of this team.
But that is no excuse. The players we brought in
were drafted or played for other Pro teams.
The QB that just broke the NFL record for TD passes was traded,
and sitting on the bench. The starter got injured,
and he seized the opportunity. This is your opportunity. Seize it.

I believe in you all, that`s why you`re here.
We have the chance to be a great team.
You have to trust me, and each other.
I`ve been on teams that won. I know what
it takes to win. Follow me and let`s go win
some football games, and make this City
proud again. You deserve it, and so do they.


Or something like that . . .

[BengalBeotch]

Marvin:

"I'm done with this...WE are done with this. Each and every player and coach in this room should
be embarrassed that they get paid to be in the NFL and that includes myself...We have
every reason to believe we can compete with the best in the league because all of us have
talent but we choose to be slackers on any given day...
WE DO NOT EXECUTE OUR PLAYS, WE DON'T MAKE TACKLES and WE MAKE TOO MANY MISTAKES to be
a great team in the NFL. We are injured but great NFL teams don't walk away when they are injured. THEY RISE TO THE CHALLENGE. They put their
faith in the next guy and trust he is going to give you the same effort that he expects from you.. NFL teams should have courage, stamina and heart when it counts. NFL players
should feel comfortable knowing that the guy next to them has their back and is going to work
just as hard as they are. WE HAVE PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS WE WILL SOLVE. Our problems are that we put our tails between
our legs and run when we meet adversity. We point fingers instead of taking the heat. WE HAVE
NO ONE TO BLAME BUT OURSELVES. We lose games because WE QUIT. WE DO NOT PLAY AN
ENTIRE GAME OF FOOTBALL. In every game there is a player who plays well and a player who
QUITS. When you quit, you quit on each other, you quit on the city and organization we play for, YOU QUIT ON OUR FANS...

THIS ENDS TODAY!!! We will have no quitters on this team. From this day forward, we are going back to the basics, we
are going to DO OUR JOBS, we will execute, we will tackle and we will practice till our knuckles bleed
and we no longer make stupid mistakes. We will spend more time off the field as a TEAM as well
as spend extra time on the practice field as a TEAM....During this extra time on the practice field we will impose new drills that will not be effective
unless YOU and YOUR TEAM MATES do your job and learn to trust one another...We will do them over and over till we get them right. We will team veterans with rookies, 1st stringers with 4th stringers till we learn that it doesn't matter where
you are on the depth chart because we all need to work together as a TEAM. We will do them over and over until you know
each individual on this team like a brother. WE WILL LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TEAM AND HOW
TO DEPEND ON ONE ANOTHER TO GET THE JOB DONE. WE WILL LEARN TO FINISH BECAUSE WE WILL NOT
ALLOW OURSELVES TO QUIT.

I made this team, I believe in this team, now it's time for you to believe in me and each other. It's time for all of
you to step up to the plate, every play, every game, till the clock clicks zero... From here on out,
life is going to SUCK until we get it right...If you don't have the balls to compete, pack your things. If you
think your better then the team, pack your things. From now on, we will not allow anyone to be bigger then
the team. If you can't handle what we are asking you to do, we will pack your things for you...If you any questions about what that means, come see me and we'll talk about it...Get some rest because tomorrow's practice starts
the first day of a WINNING SEASON and it's going to hurt."


sorry...just some crazy things that go through my head after a horrible loss....I needed to vent

[oldschooler]

I think I saw you during the game yesterday Beotch.

It was just a quick flash, they were actually showing some brown haired kid
standing up with his hands on his head, but it looked like you were sitting to
his right (left part of the TV screen) and you didn`t look happy.

Anyway, nice rant. I`m sure Marvin cracked the whip on some asses today.
As he should . . .

[BengalBeotch]

[quote name='oldschooler' post='562694' date='Oct 3 2007, 12:32 AM']I think I saw you during the game yesterday Beotch.

It was just a quick flash, they were actually showing some brown haired kid
standing up with his hands on his head, but it looked like you were sitting to
his right (left part of the TV screen) and you didn`t look happy.

Anyway, nice rant. I`m sure Marvin cracked the whip on some asses today.
As he should . . .[/quote]

nope.....wasn't me friend....they don't bring kids in the south end zone...
They only show skinny, cute girls on TV....

[oldschooler]

[quote name='BengalBeotch' post='562698' date='Oct 2 2007, 07:39 PM']nope.....wasn't me friend....they don't bring kids in the south end zone...
They only show skinny, cute girls on TV.... [/quote]



hahaha


Well he wasn`t actually a kid, more like a teenager (kid to me).

I`m almost positive it was you. Were you wearing a black
shirt ? I`ll download the torrent in the next couple of days
and see if I can`t get a snapshot.

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='oldschooler' post='562677' date='Oct 2 2007, 08:04 PM']If i was Marvin I would have told them that they are my players.
I brought them here because of their talent and
intangibles. The talent is there. The focus and teamwork isn`t.
And until they come together and work as a team,
they`re just be a bunch of individuals that lose.
The questioning of and freelancing of plays needs to stop.
Do your job. If you do what`s asked of you, then you`re
doing what you`re supposed to do. If you`re doing what`s
asked of you, then there is no problem.
If you do what`s asked of you and we still lose,
then obviously you are not the problem.

The ranting to the media has to stop.
I don`t air dirty laundry about a player to the media.
I expect the same from my players. Keep it in house.
If you look like a house divided, the media will do
their best to bring it down.

Players like Willie not practicing, starting and playing less
than half a game is going to stop. If you`re not healthy enough
to practice, you can`t start.

Willie bitching about other players to the media has to stop.
They`re out there practicing and and busting their asses in
games, and you have the fucking audacity to say something
about how seriously THEY are taking football ?

The trash talking to the media has to stop.
Find a new schtick. You have made a name
for yourself. You are an Elite player. Let your
play talk for you. Because it always talked
the loudest anyway.
The softness and lack of intensity has to stop.
If you`re not dedicated enough to go all out for
3 hours a week while playing a game, making
milllions of dollars, and bedding hot women,
we`ll get players in here that will. Fans out of
the stands can play soft, miss tackles, and look
like shit. And they would play for less money.
You CAN and WILL be replaced.
Injuries have decimated some parts of this team.
But that is no excuse. The players we brought in
were drafted or played for other Pro teams.
The QB that just broke the NFL record for TD passes was traded,
and sitting on the bench. The starter got injured,
and he seized the opportunity. This is your opportunity. Seize it.

I believe in you all, that`s why you`re here.
We have the chance to be a great team.
You have to trust me, and each other.
I`ve been on teams that won. I know what
it takes to win. Follow me and let`s go win
some football games, and make this City
proud again. You deserve it, and so do they.
Or something like that . . . [/quote]


well I was going to state one of my own, but this sums it up nicely.


I'd start off with that, and go through a revised schedule of the bye week schedule. Not sure what it was, but I'd have tomorrow be game film in the morning (can't chew their asses and then give them the next day off to forget it), and then give them off until Friday. Lift and condition on Friday, and maybe some light drills. Give them the weekend off.

Then I'd call every player into my office for 2-5 minutes and give them some personal instruction, with their position coach in there as well. A correction/motivation type meeting.

After that, I'd make them have a 30 minute meeting with their position coaches.

Wednesday after game film, I'd have a short meeting with the vets and get them straight as players, and as leaders. And hope that sometime during the bye they call a players only meeting.



May sound like much, but I'd rather do too much than too little, and we only have 12 days to get this shit fixed.

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='oldschooler' post='562700' date='Oct 2 2007, 08:43 PM']hahaha
Well he wasn`t actually a kid, more like a teenager (kid to me).

I`m almost positive it was you. Were you wearing a black
shirt ? I`ll download the torrent in the next couple of days
and see if I can`t get a snapshot.[/quote]



lol I remember the kid you are talking about. He had curly hair and was wearing a bengals hat and jersey.

[oldschooler]

M`eh. Not much info. But better than nothing I guess . . .


[quote][size=5][b]The 4 o'clock meeting [/b][/size]

I've been told that every Bengals player attended the 4 p.m. team meeting. It was called last night by coach Marvin Lewis, after the 34-13 loss to New England.

Players met with Lewis, their respective coordinators and position coaches. They watched film of the game. Players who needed medical treatment received it. Some players exercised to burn off muscle soreness from the game.

The point of the day was to move past the New England game and get onto the practices Wednesday and Thursday before the three-day bye weekend.[/quote]



[url="http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/"]http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/[/url]

[TheBeaverHunter]

I would have written them a poem and then read it to them.

[Jamie_B]

[quote name='TheBeaverHunter' post='562745' date='Oct 2 2007, 09:49 PM']I would have written them a poem and then read it to them.[/quote]


[img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/24.gif[/img]

even though we bang heads often, you have your moments of hilarousness

[Goodfella]

[quote name='TheBeaverHunter' post='562745' date='Oct 3 2007, 08:19 AM']I would have written them a poem and then read it to them.[/quote]

They just have low self-esteem. You would too if you looked like a giant tiger striped creamsickle on National television.

[unleashed]

I kinda thought the "meeting" would be either an ass chewing or giving someone the guillotine treatment. Shouldn't have gotten my hopes up I guess. I don't know why they'd try to do anything drastic after a terrible start to the season.

[Jungle1]

[quote name='oldschooler' post='562718' date='Oct 2 2007, 09:05 PM']M`eh. Not much info. But better than nothing I guess . . .
[url="http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/"]http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/[/url][/quote]

That meeting sounded pretty weak to me.

[big_dish]

[quote name='BengalBeotch' post='562698' date='Oct 2 2007, 08:39 PM']They only show skinny, cute girls on TV.... [/quote]


I wish that was true. They show beat ass Kentucky Hillbilly looking girls on TV nearly everytime. No offense meant Kentuckians, but, seriously, they show bumble fuck looking chicks.



BTW, you and Old had some good rants!

[claptonrocks]

[quote name='Goodfella' post='562759' date='Oct 2 2007, 10:03 PM']They just have low self-esteem. You would too if you looked like a giant tiger striped creamsickle on National television.[/quote]

God I hate that creamsicle reference..... [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/14.gif[/img]

[BengalBacker]

[quote name='oldschooler' post='562677' date='Oct 2 2007, 08:04 PM']If i was Marvin I would have told them that they are my players.
I brought them here because of their talent and
intangibles. The talent is there. The focus and teamwork isn`t.
And until they come together and work as a team,
they`re just be a bunch of individuals that lose.
The questioning of and freelancing of plays needs to stop.
Do your job. If you do what`s asked of you, then you`re
doing what you`re supposed to do. If you`re doing what`s
asked of you, then there is no problem.
If you do what`s asked of you and we still lose,
then obviously you are not the problem.

The ranting to the media has to stop.
I don`t air dirty laundry about a player to the media.
I expect the same from my players. Keep it in house.
If you look like a house divided, the media will do
their best to bring it down.

Players like Willie not practicing, starting and playing less
than half a game is going to stop. If you`re not healthy enough
to practice, you can`t start.

Willie bitching about other players to the media has to stop.
They`re out there practicing and and busting their asses in
games, and you have the fucking audacity to say something
about how seriously THEY are taking football ?

The trash talking to the media has to stop.
Find a new schtick. You have made a name
for yourself. You are an Elite player. Let your
play talk for you. Because it always talked
the loudest anyway.
The softness and lack of intensity has to stop.
If you`re not dedicated enough to go all out for
3 hours a week while playing a game, making
milllions of dollars, and bedding hot women,
we`ll get players in here that will. Fans out of
the stands can play soft, miss tackles, and look
like shit. And they would play for less money.
You CAN and WILL be replaced.
Injuries have decimated some parts of this team.
But that is no excuse. The players we brought in
were drafted or played for other Pro teams.
The QB that just broke the NFL record for TD passes was traded,
and sitting on the bench. The starter got injured,
and he seized the opportunity. This is your opportunity. Seize it.

I believe in you all, that`s why you`re here.
We have the chance to be a great team.
You have to trust me, and each other.
I`ve been on teams that won. I know what
it takes to win. Follow me and let`s go win
some football games, and make this City
proud again. You deserve it, and so do they.
Or something like that . . . [/quote]


God damn it Old. I work second shift, so most of the conversation has always ended by the time I get on here. I look for threads I might be able to contribute something to and almost every fucking time, you've already said what I wanted to say.

[Storm]

What really happened at the meeting


Marvin apologized to Chad, they hugged then they all held hands in a circle and sung Kumbaya

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]Trying to fix what's broken[/b]
Team meets after Monday meltdown[/size]
BY MARK CURNUTTE | MCURNUTTE@ENQUIRER.COM


In the wake of their team's crushing defeat to the Patriots Monday night, Bengals fans this week might feel the way they did after the playoff loss to pissburgh a couple of seasons ago.

The whole thing looks like it might be falling apart. The foundation could be crumbling.

Chad Johnson had another blowup, and Carson Palmer took the fall. T.J. Houshmandzadeh confronted coach Marvin Lewis on the sideline about play-calling. Helmets were thrown down in frustration. Lewis ripped his players in a locker-room tirade.

"If you don't want to be on the team, don't show up at 4 o'clock," Lewis yelled.

On Tuesday, the Bengals went back to work and everybody showed up at 4 p.m. for the team meeting Lewis called after the Patriots game.

Lewis declined an Enquirer interview request and players and coaches were not available to the media, so what was said at the meeting is unknown.

Lewis called it after Monday's game, which meant players did not have their usual Tuesday off. Instead, they watched game film with Lewis and then broke into smaller groups with their respective coordinators and position coaches.

With a bye week, the team will practice today and Thursday before getting three days off. The Bengals will resume normally scheduled preparations next week for the game at Kansas City.

But even looking ahead to Oct. 14, it's impossible not to dwell on Monday night's nationally televised debacle.

John Clayton of ESPN.com was at Paul Brown Stadium mainly to write about the 4-0 Patriots, but Clayton couldn't help but notice the 1-3 Bengals on the other end of the NFL spectrum.

"They were pretty bad," he said. "Obviously the linebacker injuries are killing the defense. It seems like the whole season could slip away real fast if they don't turn it around in a hurry. It's surprising."

The performance was punctuated by the bad behavior on the sideline. In his postgame remarks, Lewis said too many players are still too selfish.

ESPN NFL analysts Emmitt Smith and Steve Young jumped on Lewis' words in the network's post-game show.

"I would love to hear Marvin Lewis come into the locker room on Wednesday and say, 'We have guys out here who are playing selfish football. We need you to do what we are teaching you to do. If you do those things, you will put us in a position to win games. This is a team sport, so let's act like it's a team sport and let's start playing like a team,' " Smith said.

Young said the Bengals need to have more leadership among the players.

"There's a big difference between the pros and colleges. It's not the coach that leads the way. In college, that's the truth, but in the pros it's the locker room," he said. "Those are the guys that police each other, and if you have the head coach after a big ballgame and a loss talking about selfishness, then it's too late for a team. They've got to get the guys in the locker room bought off again with each other to go in and make the plays that have to happen. That's a sign to me - when the coach does that - it has gone too far, and it's going to take awhile to get it back."

The bye comes at a good time for the Bengals.

They are hoping to get several injured players - safety Ethan Kilmer, linebackers Rashad Jeanty, Ahmad Brooks and Caleb Miller, tailback Rudi Johnson and wide receiver Tab Perry - back for the Chiefs. The defense and special teams would benefit most.

Later, by midseason, more firepower could arrive if tailback Chris Perry (ankle) is healthy and suspended wide receiver Chris Henry's application for re-instatement is approved by the NFL.

The Bengals will hope to replicate the post-bye success they have enjoyed under Lewis.

Lewis' first two Bengals teams, in 2003 and 2004, were 1-4 to open the season. The 2003 team went into the final weekend at 8-7 with a chance to make the playoffs, but lost.

This season, after their bye, the Bengals will go to 2-2 Kansas City, entertain the 1-3 Jets and 3-1 pissburgh, then travel to 1-3 Buffalo.

And though the Bengals are 1-3, they are 1-1 in the AFC North and have two games remaining with the Steelers and rematches with the Browns and Ravens.[/quote]




[url="http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071003/SPT02/710030387/1066/SPT"]Enquirer.com[/url]

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]What the media are saying about the Bengals [/b][/size]


(Chad) Johnson placing his own stardom above the team's success has defined the Bengals during (Marvin) Lewis' tenure, much more so than the string of arrests that made them a national punchline. ... Around Cincinnati, they so love Chad Johnson. They wear his No. 85 jersey as though it is the Shroud of Turin. They believe he is an incredibly gifted wide receiver. (They're right). They believe he is extremely funny. (They're wrong).

Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News


Asked what his players would see if they looked in the mirror, Lewis answered, "selfishness." Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh wondered if his head coach was talking about him and suggested that he go ahead and name names.

T.J., as former Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders once said, "If you think I'm talking about you, then I'm talking about you."

Matt Mosley, ESPN.com


Against the Patriots, (the Bengals) were helpless. The only time they stopped (running back Sammy) Morris was on a third-and-2 play at the beginning of the fourth quarter, holding him to 1 yard. As it turned out, the Bengals had 12 men on the field, resulting in a penalty. It was the only time the Bengals had a personnel advantage on the field Monday night.

John Clayton, ESPN.com


(The Bengals) have to be one of the biggest flops so far. With that defense, even the offense can't bail it out. They're in for a long season.

Pete Prisco, CBSsports.com


The old spymaster on the sideline - who, as is his custom, had the demeanor in his post-victory press conference of a dental patient on Novocain - is pretty good at keeping his troops in line and on task. No foolishness in Bill Belichick's world. Not like the Bengals, who seem a disunited basket case.

Mike Lopresti, USA Today


They were the hot team in 2005, but the Bengals look like they are running on fumes just two years later. ... The Bengals have some defensive talent with Justin Smith, John Thornton, Johnathan Joseph and Madieu Williams, but they have no defensive identity. If the Bengals can't force turnovers - and a lot of them - they simply can't stop anyone.

Steve Silverman, MSNBC.com


The Bengals' prideful and professional right tackle, Willie Anderson, said of the Patriots, "They're grown men who take football seriously." Clearly Anderson feels his teammates don't. The Patriots beat the good teams and embarrass knucklehead teams like the Bengals.

Michael Wilbon, The Washington Post[/quote]




[url="http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071003/SPT02/710030387/1066/SPT"]Enquirer.com[/url]

[Bengals1181]

[quote]They are hoping to get several injured players - safety Ethan Kilmer, linebackers Rashad Jeanty, Ahmad Brooks and Caleb Miller, tailback Rudi Johnson and wide receiver Tab Perry - back for the Chiefs. The defense and special teams would benefit most.

Later, by midseason, more firepower could arrive if tailback Chris Perry (ankle) is healthy and suspended wide receiver Chris Henry's application for re-instatement is approved by the NFL.[/quote]


That right there is the key, getting everybody back healthy, and it doesn't even mention our o-line health.


And you'd think Curnutte would be educated enough as a beat writer to know that Henry doesn't have to reapply for reinstatement.

[oldschooler]

[quote][size=5][b]Bengals put up a fight, just not against Patriots[/b][/size]
[size=3][b]Lewis calls team 'selfish;' Palmer's exchange with Johnson draws criticism from national media.[/b][/size]
By Chick Ludwig

Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

CINCINNATI — — One word describes the scene in the Bengals locker room following their 34-13 loss to New England on Monday night: ugly.

Head coach Marvin Lewis ripped his team in a profanity-laced tirade, then the national media piled on.

Lewis called his players "selfish" after their mistake-filled performance, which was marked by a heated sideline exchange between quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chad Johnson over a miscommunication on a pass play just before halftime.

"Nowhere in the NFL do guys act like this!" Lewis screamed. "If you don't want to be on this football team, don't show up tomorrow."

ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury criticized the Bengals' behavior, as did many talk-show hosts.

"This is an immature team," Salisbury said. "Marvin Lewis needs to take his players out to the woodshed and knock some guys around because they're not knocking anybody around on the field."

An example of that immaturity came at the 1:14 mark of the second quarter when Palmer's pass toward Johnson on second-and-nine at the Patriots' 20-yard line was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel at the 2.

Palmer called out Johnson on the field. The two were involved in an animated exchange on the sideline that was captured by ESPN cameras, and their heated debate continued as they walked off the field at halftime.

The play represented the game's turning point. The Bengals trailed 17-7 at the time, and a touchdown would've pulled them within three. They never threatened in the second half.

"I don't have a problem with you going off on each other," Salisbury said. "Just don't sit there and do it (on national TV). It was almost as if they wanted the cameras to see them do it."

The bye week comes at a perfect time for the Bengals' injury-riddled team. Lewis hinted that some personnel changes are coming. On Tuesday, the Bengals placed injured linebacker Lemar Marshall on injured reserve and claimed linebacker Corey Mays off waivers from the Patriots.

"I'm obviously as upset as you can be," Lewis said late Monday night. "We're down some guys, but that is no excuse. The bye week gives us a chance to look at ourselves. We have guys that want to win. We just have to channel it in the right direction.

"We will head to Kansas City a healthier team, and a better one. We have 12 important games after the bye."


[b]Low marks[/b]

The Cincinnati Bengals are 1-3. The last time they lost three of their first four was in 2004. Last year, the Bengals started 3-1. But, hey, they finished 8-8 in both of those seasons.

Grading the Bengals at the quarter break:

[b]Offense: C+[/b]

The struggling running game needs to improve and take some pressure off the passing attack.

[b]Defense: D[/b]

This unit is too inconsistent. It's generating turnovers, but yielding too many explosive plays.

[b]Special teams: F[/b]

Poor kicking, coverage and returns have caused the squad to lose the field-position battle.

[b]Coaching: D[/b]

The team is on the verge of imploding. Marvin Lewis is facing his biggest challenge since arriving in 2003.

— Dayton Daily News[/quote]

[mongo]

[quote name='Bengals1181' post='562957' date='Oct 3 2007, 09:18 AM']And you'd think Curnutte would be educated enough as a beat writer to know that Henry doesn't have to reapply for reinstatement.[/quote]


There are enough conflicting reports on that subject to make that understandable. Truth to tell, I've read a bunch of posts on the subject and am still not sure if he'll have to apply. It's a New World Order in the NFL, Goodell gets to rule with an iron first, and the NFLPA is still afraid to reign him in. Until he really steps too far over the line and gets called on it, anything is possible.