!!!OFFICIAL 2009 MOCK GAME THREAD!!!

[Jamie_B]

Im so ready for another team, stuff like this doesnt tell me if Michael Johnson is going to be a beast or if the Oline sucks.

[ccartman2]

[quote name='Jamie_B' date='08 August 2009 - 07:05 PM' timestamp='1249769101' post='789256']
Im so ready for another team, stuff like this doesnt tell me if Michael Johnson is going to be a beast or if the Oline sucks.
[/quote]


6 Days til the 1st preseason game.

[oldschooler]

[b][size="5"]Heating up[/size][/b]
GEOFF HOBSON

Posted Aug 8, 2009
Updated: 6 p.m.

GEORGETOWN, Ky. _ As temperatures soared out of the unseasonable 70s Saturday afternpoon and approached 85, No. 85 heated up his game during Saturday's Mock Game here at Georgetown College before an estimated 6,100.

Wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/chad-ochocinco/09ddc7d1-e507-4a75-ab2b-f6f17723cbf8/"][color="#f04e23"]Chad Ochocinco[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/carson-palmer/b2e2fb04-af84-4af9-9491-5c1dd3354623/"][color="#f04e23"]Carson Palmer[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] and then vowed that his infamous checklist of weekly opponents will now consist of defensive coordinators instead of cornerbacks.

"It looked really good when we went down the field and hit a couple of passes in a row, it reminded me of '05. No matter what the defense was doing, we were throwing the ball at will and doing what we wanted to do," The Ocho said after he checked off a game-high seven catches for 78 yards. "I'm going to call them all and make sure they know it's not a disrespectful thing. 'It's a challenge thing for me and challenge to you. Now, you get your 11 to try and find a way to stop me."'

In the end, the white team of reserves did stop Ochocinco's black team of starters, 21-17.

Moments after dropping a wide open pass over the middle in the third quarter, wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jerome-simpson/6b6ae446-ba34-42a3-91aa-e7dda3c9255a/"][color="#f04e23"]Jerome Simpson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] baked cornerback [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jamar-fletcher/cc73a898-f24f-41d7-9112-97317aefedc8/"][color="#f04e23"]Jamar Fletcher[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] down the right sideline to corral backup quarterback [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jt-osullivan/228867a3-bdf4-4b3a-bce2-5f4f0baf29ef/"][color="#f04e23"]J.T. O'Sullivan[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url]'s 63-yard touchdown catch to give White a 21-7 lead for proved to be the winning score for the White.

Palmer, quarterbacking the Black team of starters, responded by staging a renunion with Ochocinco. The Ocho on the next series danced for three sideline catches of 22 yards before he ripped past cornerback Geoff Pope on third and eight from the White 12. Pope fell down at the line of scrimmage as he was called for holding and Ochocinco still ran away from him for an easy touchdown in the back of the end zone to cut the White's lead to 21-14.


No question play was August shoddy, but there were things that weren't even on the wish list in last year's Mock Game, a drill that emphasizes the passing game.

Palmer didn't get sacked, wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/chris-henry/96603ae9-bf37-425e-83af-e2b92581265d/"][color="#f04e23"]Chris Henry[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] came up with another big play (a leaping take-and-grab 20-yarder on the sideline), and wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/laveranues-coles/d3288fa0-e7a4-460f-af83-2f37f38ba398/"][color="#f04e23"]Laveranues Coles[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] was able to rest his aching back without a noticeable drop off in the passing game.


And, when they went no huddle three times, each time they pushed the ball down the field including on the Ochocinco touchdown drive.

"I wouldn't even call it hurry up," The Ocho said. "That's how we looked of old. We never huddle up (except on third down). Carson looks at the defense on his own. It's one of the first times we did it live together. It felt good."

There was something old and something new. There was Ocho popping up out of the no huddle for something old and for something new there was Palmer play-faking and doing a half roll out of the pocket, and getting enough time to make a completion even though the play broke down because the coverage didn't react as expected.

"We've got a little bit of that in there this year," Palmer said. "Just so the defense doesn't always expect me to be five yards straight in back of the center."

Last year at this time The Ocho wasn't even on the field yet and he would have to agree with offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski that his mind wasn't in it. But on Saturday he was over the middle, down the middle and on the sideline showing off his conditioning of a boxer.

Or as he said, "New name, same game."

"He had a lot of big catches. He continues to work extremely hard on the little things," Palmer said. "It paid off. He was in the right spot a lot. He was the right depths. He was running some crisp routes."

It did seem like the old days because not only did the Ocho make a couple of nostalgic leans and twists, but after it was over he also yapped about it underneath the stands.

"My bad is good," he said of last year. "A lot of receivers have never had 540 yards in a season. If you base what you saw last year on what I'm going to do this year, you're mistakenly wrong. I like to take the bulk of the blame on myself. If my grandmother was the quarterback, I should have had 1,000 yards. One of my mottos is I'm going to play two seasons in one as far as productivity. I owe us, the team, the city, and a lot it is based off last year."

Palmer and offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski were a little bit more subdued, although Palmer thought the protection was quite good for all three quarterbacks. Only end [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/antwan-odom/47c696ff-c517-43f4-abc2-54629cc183a4/"][color="#f04e23"]Antwan Odom[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] had a sack.

"We needed the work and we got it and that was good," Palmer said. "It's not live after a live practice so you're still sore and you get to see what we're made of. It was good. It will be good to get a night off and get some rest (tomorrow.)"

Bratkowski, who was looking at the small things on the not the numbers on the stat sheet, didn't think it was all that in sync.

"Today we weren't as sharp as we need to be," he said. "We missed some blitzes. We need to fix that."

He could have summed it up talking about Simpson, who dropped two balls and maybe could have had another. But he also had the big catch.

"We're looking for consistency from him," Bratkowski said.

He saw The Black team come out sluggish and not get a first down on its first three series to fall behind, 13-7 at halftime.

Palmer finally got it going in the last minute and a half of the second quarter with a no huddle set that took them as far as the White 4 when wide receiver Chris Henry outjumped Pope on a 20-yard catch. Earlier in the drive, Palmer hooked up twice with Ochocinco, but The Ocho was called for offensive pass interference working on rookie cornerback [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/rico-murray/7fa28860-2867-4dab-b3d3-b5ee0d2c77a9/"][color="#f04e23"]Rico Murray[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] as Palmer tried to hit him with a fade in the corner of the end zone.

With 10 seconds left on third down, Palmer had to get rid of the ball when no one was open, but rookie running back [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/bernard-scott/4743d5f6-4661-44c1-a6da-d2970031e393/"][color="#f04e23"]Bernard Scott[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] dropped it wide open in the flat.

Early in the game, Pope broke up a comeback to Ochocinco and on a third-and-three and Palmer's short swing pass to wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/andre-caldwell/60736524-1999-49db-b9d2-bb925291219b/"][color="#f04e23"]Andre Caldwell[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] netted nothing.

Then early in their third series they suffered a delay of game before Palmer uncorked an interception to Ochocinco down the middle of the field when rookie safety [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/tom-nelson/40c76f8e-8dbd-433e-8df6-ae8d095f8f56/"][color="#f04e23"]Tom Nelson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] jumped up to grab a floater.

The White converted the turnover into [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/shayne-graham/a0edc518-9147-4aea-950e-a7ac0d71710c/"][color="#f04e23"]Shayne Graham[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url]'s 45-yard field goal for an 11-8 lead.

It took [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jordan-palmer/22d3b409-4d6e-46b4-a13a-92ce0f773440/"][color="#f04e23"]Jordan Palmer[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] to quarterback the Black to its first first down, a 16-yard throw to wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/maurice-purify/78bc6ddc-3f2e-4cee-b408-6b6b9fd2f82b/"][color="#f04e23"]Maurice Purify[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] on third-and-10 and then Jordan Palmer followed it up with 15-yard pass to Henry. But the defense got a couple of nice plays from defensive end [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/chris-harrington/14337d5c-5480-4ebd-bfb9-8d98b692fb50/"][color="#f04e23"]Chris Harrington[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] against Scott on a run and Scott again on a screen pass as the stop gave the White a 13-6 lead.

But after a year it looked like they could only toss a salad, Saturday had to be welcome sight to offense-starved Bengals fans. And if you didn't think so, The Ocho told you.

He even, politely, said they'd be pretty good even without T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

"The mindsets are different. We're physically in better shape," Ochocinco said. "I love T.J. to death.. T.J. is one hell of a receiver, but Vern (Coles) and T.J. are two different types of players. I'm glad to have Vern here."

The Ocho is already looking at the schedule and sees three AFC North games in the first five games of the season.

"For us, our success comes starting early and staying healthy," he said.

For starters, Saturday wasn't a bad catch.

[b]LINEUP: [/b]The Black team in Saturday's Mock Game could have been re-christened the Palmers because the quarterback brothers headed the roster of starters.

Also working with the Black were guys emerging as key backups, such as fullback [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jeremi-johnson/6bbbac2d-4e35-4f00-9e43-d0e9f3fa2b76/"][color="#f04e23"]Jeremi Johnson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], cornerback [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/morgan-trent/7ad33623-a4fd-4584-9e90-cab2c6ca5876/"][color="#f04e23"]Morgan Trent[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], wide receiver Chris Henry, safety [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/chinedum-ndukwe/5e47f154-3a71-4768-9c15-de01e8af8547/"][color="#f04e23"]Chinedum Ndukwe[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] and defensive linemen [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/tank-johnson/56c60130-f938-45cf-aba0-62dece1c4fde/"][color="#f04e23"]Tank Johnson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] and [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/michael-johnson/b56aa7d9-808e-4cf2-a28c-ba03f25ef902/"][color="#f04e23"]Michael Johnson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url].

Rookie running back Bernard Scott, who missed Friday night's intrasquad scrimmage with a shoulder problem, got the nod with the Black team behind [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/cedric-benson/4b42e3bf-7831-490c-97e2-523f8d4d2291/"][color="#f04e23"]Cedric Benson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] and with [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/james-johnson/a6326e08-90b6-40b6-a365-687c56b76621/"][color="#f04e23"]James Johnson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url]. Running back [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/kenny-watson/f7d6a60c-21a7-421e-80bb-fd18fa7acf9c/"][color="#f04e23"]Kenny Watson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], who missed Friday because of illness, was in the white backfield with DeDe Dorssey and [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/marlon-lucky/605555a5-51c2-4ae8-b3af-d570df2ce5ad/"][color="#f04e23"]Marlon Lucky[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url].

Not playing for the second straight day were linebackers [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/keith-rivers/dceb19f7-d3f4-4c9f-a0b2-07286f398461/"][color="#f04e23"]Keith Rivers[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/rey-maualuga/72e4f750-08d1-4fa5-abee-a5cfebe1389b/"][color="#f04e23"]Rey Maualuga[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], and [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/brandon-johnson/f5c0cc4a-90a3-4bd7-9b79-810ad074c30c/"][color="#f04e23"]Brandon Johnson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], as well as safety [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/corey-lynch/daeab84c-178d-43d1-bf30-cedca2caeb2e/"][color="#f04e23"]Corey Lynch[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], offensive linemen [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/dan-santucci/632d699e-7439-4f17-b578-8100acada3e0/"][color="#f04e23"]Dan Santucci[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] and [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/evan-mathis/5441042d-508f-441b-beb7-1fc18c8a62ca/"][color="#f04e23"]Evan Mathis[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], tight ends [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/ben-utecht/b4839b21-66a4-4f5d-a9c9-92fffac87306/"][color="#f04e23"]Ben Utecht[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url] and [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/daniel-coats/9b7ad197-fd8f-43a1-9b7b-561a6f853664/"][color="#f04e23"]Daniel Coats[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], and defensive linemen [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/frostee-rucker/241cca42-8cb0-4b49-95a6-913e8bd765ba/"][color="#f04e23"]Frostee Rucker[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url].

Wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/antonio-chatman/491957f7-0783-436c-b099-f777845f1c6a/"][color="#f04e23"]Antonio Chatman[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/color][/url], who hurt his lower leg Friday, was out. So was cornerback Johnathan Joseph (thigh bruise).


[b]MOCK GAME STATS[/b]

[b]FINAL INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS — WHITE JERSEY TEAM
[/b][b]RUSHING (attempts-yards) [/b]— J.O'Sullivan 2-10 (10 long), D.Dorsey 2-6 (5 long), B.Leonard 1-0, K.Watson 1-0.
[b]RECEIVING (receptions-yards) [/b]— J.Simpson 2-68 (63 long, 1 TD), K.Watson 1-9, Q.Cosby 1-7, D.Dorsey 1-4.
[b]PASSING [/b]([b]attempts-completions-yards-TDs-INTs) [/b]— O'Sullivan 14-5-88-1-0, J.Palmer* 0-1-0-0-0.
[b]DEFENSE (solos-assists-total) [/b]— J.Maxwell 6-2-8, G.Pope 4-1-5 (2 passes defensed), K.Hebert 4-0-4, T.Nelson 3-1-4 (1 INT for 25 yards, 1 pass defensed), J.Fletcher 2-0-2, R.Murray 1-1-2, D.Skuta 1-1-2, D.Blackstock 1-0-1 (1 sack for 2 yards), C.Harrington 1-0-1 (1 pass defensed), C.McDonald 0-1-1, J.Shirley 0-1-1.
[b]PUNTING [/b](no.-yards) — K.Huber* 4-155 (38.8 avg., 49 long, 2 inside-20s, 0 touchbacks).
F[b]IELD GOALS [/b](made-attempts) — S.Graham* 1-1 (45G).
[b]TEAM FIRST DOWNS (no.) [/b]— 2 (1 rushing, 1 passing, 0 penalty).
[b]THIRD-DOWNS [/b](conversions-attempts) — 2 of 6.
[b]FOURTH-DOWNS [/b](conversions-attempts) — 0-0.
[b]TEAM PENALTIES [/b](no.-yards) — 1-0 (holding?; yards not assessed).

[b]FINAL INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS — BLACK JERSEY TEAM[/b]
[b]RUSHING (attempts-yards) [/b]— Ja.Johnson 3-14 (12 long), C.Benson 1-5, B.Scott 3-(-1) (2 long).
[b]RECEIVING (receptions-yards) [/b]— C.Ochocinco 7-78 (19 long, 1 TD), M.Purify 3-63 (41 long), C.Henry 3-42 (20 long), A.Caldwell 3-21 (12 long), C.Coffman 4-20 (7 long), B.Scott 2-0 (3 long), Ja.Johnson 1-10.
[b]PASSING (attempts-completions-yards-TDs-INTs) [/b]— C.Palmer 17-12-131-1-1, J.Palmer* 14-10-103-0-0.
[b]DEFENSE[/b] [b](solos-assists-total)[/b] — L.Hall 2-0-2 (1 pass defensed), A.Hodge 2-0-2, A.Odom 2-0-2 (1 sack for 0 yards), M.Trent 1-0-1 (1 pass defensed), C.Ndukwe 1-0-1, Dh.Jones 0-1-1, D.Peko 0-1-1, M.Johnson 0-0-0 (1 pass defensed).
[b]PUNTING (no.-yards) [/b]— K.Huber* 2-103 (51.5 avg., 52 long, 1 inside-20s, 0 touchbacks).
[b]FIELD GOALS (made-attempts) [/b]— None.
[b]TEAM FIRST DOWNS (no.)[/b] — 12 (1 rushing, 11 passing, 0 penalty).
[b]THIRD-DOWNS (conversions-attempts)[/b] — 3 of 7.
[b]FOURTH-DOWNS (conversions-attempts) [/b]— 0-1.
[b]TEAM PENALTIES (no.-yards) [/b]— 2-15 (delay of game, defensive holding).

* NOTE: An asterisk denotes a player who had statistics for both the white and black jersey teams, and thus has two different totals for each team.




[url="http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/heating-up/877bbfce-aa07-440f-a464-cc940ee732b9"]http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/heating-up/877bbfce-aa07-440f-a464-cc940ee732b9[/url]

[oldschooler]

[b][size="5"]Mock notes: MJ armed[/size][/b]
GEOFF HOBSON

Posted Aug 8, 2009

SLANTS AND SCREENS: After watching the tape of the scrimmage, Zimmer wasn't as nearly as upset as he was after it was immediately over. The shortage of linebackers forced him to use safeties in some packages, but he still said, "We're not a very good tackling team right now and we have to work on that.

"We'll be OK," he said. "I was kind of glad last night we didn't play as well as we normally play. Maybe we've had only two bad practices the whole camp so. I was kind of glad that happened because we're going to get hit in the mouth some time this year and it's going to how do we respond to that. Anybody can be a frontrunner." ….

Wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/antonio-chatman/491957f7-0783-436c-b099-f777845f1c6a/"]Antonio Chatman[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url] (lower leg) could be out awhile, which really opens things up at receiver. Bratkowski did say that [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/maurice-purify/78bc6ddc-3f2e-4cee-b408-6b6b9fd2f82b/"]Maurice Purify[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url] is making a run.

He had a good week. He had big hit on [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/roy-williams/5edf1671-f82a-40f1-9320-63e0ca1be6e4/"]Roy Williams[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url] in the Oklahoma drill and came up with a 16-yard catch Saturday from [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jordan-palmer/22d3b409-4d6e-46b4-a13a-92ce0f773440/"]Jordan Palmer[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url]. But Bratkowski said the reason he's got a shot is that he's doing well on special teams. "And if we can find a role for him on offense, he's got a chance to be a contributor."…

Wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jerome-simpson/6b6ae446-ba34-42a3-91aa-e7dda3c9255a/"]Jerome Simpson[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url]'s trouble is that he doesn't excel on special teams, but he also teases with inconsistent play. Yet he had to get a lift from Saturday. After dropping one of the balls he's supposed to reach (a high ball over the middle) and one when he was more wide open down the middle, he ran a great route down the right sideline past cornerback [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jamar-fletcher/cc73a898-f24f-41d7-9112-97317aefedc8/"]Jamar Fletcher[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url] for a 63-yard touchdown pass from [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/jt-osullivan/228867a3-bdf4-4b3a-bce2-5f4f0baf29ef/"]J.T. O'Sullivan[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url].

"He didn't get down on himself. That's what you want to see from young guys," [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/carson-palmer/b2e2fb04-af84-4af9-9491-5c1dd3354623/"]Carson Palmer[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/img/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url] said. "They get down in the dumps and lose confidence and you don't see them the rest of the game. But he stood up and made a big play in a one-on-one situation."






[url="http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/mock-notes-mj-armed/371ca30c-f171-488b-b38b-b5ff184e5213"]http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/mock-notes-mj-armed/371ca30c-f171-488b-b38b-b5ff184e5213[/url]

[oldschooler]

[url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2009/08/08/mock-game-recap/"][b][size="5"]Mock game recap[/size][/b][/url][b][size="5"]
[/size][/b]Posted by [email="jreedy@enquirer.com"]Joe Reedy[/email] August 8th, 2009, 7:06 pm



With the passing game getting its moment during Saturday's mock game at Georgetown College, Chad Ochocinco seized the spotlight for the first time during training camp.

After a slow start, Ochocinco, Carson Palmer and the rest of the black team offense was able to put things in gear. Even though the white team of reserves enjoyed a 21-17 win over the black team mostly made up of starters, the ninth-year receiver showed what he has been saying for all of the offseason - that it wouldn't take long for him and Palmer to find a rhythm.

"The first two series we started out kind've slow, but during the third series we got things rolling," said Ochocinco, who had seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. "Of course you want to be better than that. Obviously with the schedule we have this year it's very important to start off fast and I think once we do that we'll be fine."

Ochocinco and Palmer did not start connecting until the black's fourth series, when he had three receptions for 44 yards.

On the next series, Ochocinco had four receptions for 34 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown where he got separation from Geoffey Pope and then was wide open in the back of the end zone after Pope fell down.

"It looked really good. When we went down the field and hit a couple pass plays it reminded me of '05," Ochocinco said. "It didn't matter what the defense was doing we were throwing the ball at will and doing what we wanted to do."

It was also vintage Chad in terms of quotes, which included "my bad is good" and "it's the 85 of old. New name, same game."

He said after the mock game that the checklist will be back up during the regular season, but this time it will have defensive coordinators. He also unveiled his motto for this year of "two seasons in one as far as productivity and us as a team."

"People are basing things off of last season," Ochocinco said. "We're completely different than last season. The attitude is different, the mindsets are different, physically we're in better shape. We have a couple injuries but nothing we can't overcome."

Said Palmer of Ochocinco: "He's continued to work extremely hard on the little things and fundamentals of his game. He'll look at the film and see he was at the right spots and right depths. He was running his routes crisply and he'll continue to perfect his game and work on it."

While Ochocinco was pleased, Palmer and offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski were focusing on things that went wrong. Bratkowski didn't think the offense was as sharp as it needed to be while Palmer, who was 12 of 17 for 131 yards with a touchdown and interception, was happy to get more work in.

Ochocinco though was not the only receiver to have a good game. Chris Henry showed his athleticism on a couple of catches while Jerome Simpson, who dropped two passes earlier in the game, came up big when he blew past cornerback Jamar Fletcher and hauled in a J.T. O'Sullivan bomb down the near sideline for a 63-yard touchdown.

"We got in some good snaps and it's a good way to evaluate some of the players," coach Marvin Lewis said.

After nine straight days of practices, the team has today off before having two practices on Monday.


[b]Injury report[/b]
[list][*]LB Brandon Johnson (hamstring), CB David Jones (foot), TE Daniel Coats (ankle), TE Ben Utecht (concussion), C Dan Santucci (foot), LB Keith Rivers (leg), S Corey Lynch (leg) LB Rey Maualuga (leg), DE Frostee Rucker (hip), OG Evan Mathis (leg), WR Antonio Chatman (leg), CB Johnathan Joseph (thigh bruise).[/list]
[b]Quote of the day[/b]
[indent]"There are a lot of people who never have 540 yards in a season. If you would base what you saw last year off what I'm going to do this year you're mistakenly wrong," Chad Ochocinco

[/indent]
[b]Four downs[/b]
[list][*]Making his case: WR Maurice Purify continued to come up big in the most-watched situations. He had three catches for 63 yards, including a long of 41.[*]Nice pick: Tom Nelson, who is part of the logjam at punt returner, showed off his skill at safety by picking off a Carson Palmer pass.[*]Not as bad as it seemed: After defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer got a chance to look at film of Friday's scrimmage, all wasn't as dire as he thought it was. Zimmer harped on some missed tackles but did like the unit's aggressiveness.[*]Fitting in Scott: Besides getting some carries, Bernard Scott will also be looked at as a kick and punt returner during Friday's game at New Orleans.[/list]
[b]White team stats[/b]
[list][*]RUSHING (attempts-yards) - J.O'Sullivan 2-10 (10 long), D.Dorsey 2-6 (5 long), B.Leonard 1-0, K.Watson 1-0.[*]RECEIVING (receptions-yards) - J.Simpson 2-68 (63 long, 1 TD), K.Watson 1-9, Q.Cosby 1-7, D.Dorsey 1-4.[*]PASSING (attempts-completions-yards-TDs-INTs) - O'Sullivan 14-5-88-1-0, J.Palmer* 0-1-0-0-0.[*]DEFENSE (solos-assists-total) - J.Maxwell 6-2-8, G.Pope 4-1-5 (2 passes defensed), K.Hebert 4-0-4, T.Nelson 3-1-4 (1 INT for 25 yards, 1 pass defensed), J.Fletcher 2-0-2, R.Murray 1-1-2, D.Skuta 1-1-2, D.Blackstock 1-0-1 (1 sack for 2 yards), C.Harrington 1-0-1 (1 pass defensed), C.McDonald 0-1-1, J.Shirley 0-1-1.[*]PUNTING (no.-yards) - K.Huber* 4-155 (38.8 avg., 49 long, 2 inside-20s, 0 touchbacks).[*]FIELD GOALS (made-attempts) - S.Graham* 1-1 (45G).[*]TEAM FIRST DOWNS (no.) - 2 (1 rushing, 1 passing, 0 penalty).[*]THIRD-DOWNS (conversions-attempts) - 2 of 6.[*]FOURTH-DOWNS (conversions-attempts) - 0-0.[*]TEAM PENALTIES (no.-yards) - 1-0 (holding?; yards not assessed).[/list]
[b]Black team stats[/b]
[list][*]RUSHING (attempts-yards) - Ja.Johnson 3-14 (12 long), C.Benson 1-5, B.Scott 3-(-1) (2 long).[*]RECEIVING (receptions-yards) - C.Ochocinco 7-78 (19 long, 1 TD), M.Purify 3-63 (41 long), C.Henry 3-42 (20 long), A.Caldwell 3-21 (12 long), C.Coffman 4-20 (7 long), B.Scott 2-0 (3 long), Ja.Johnson 1-10.[*]PASSING (attempts-completions-yards-TDs-INTs) - C.Palmer 17-12-131-1-1, J.Palmer* 14-10-103-0-0.[*]DEFENSE (solos-assists-total) - L.Hall 2-0-2 (1 pass defensed), A.Hodge 2-0-2, A.Odom 2-0-2 (1 sack for 0 yards), M.Trent 1-0-1 (1 pass defensed), C.Ndukwe 1-0-1, Dh.Jones 0-1-1, D.Peko 0-1-1, M.Johnson 0-0-0 (1 pass defensed).[*]PUNTING (no.-yards) - K.Huber* 2-103 (51.5 avg., 52 long, 1 inside-20s, 0 touchbacks).[*]FIELD GOALS (made-attempts) - None.[*]TEAM FIRST DOWNS (no.) - 12 (1 rushing, 11 passing, 0 penalty).[*]THIRD-DOWNS (conversions-attempts) - 3 of 7.[*]FOURTH-DOWNS (conversions-attempts) - 0-1.[*]TEAM PENALTIES (no.-yards) - 2-15 (delay of game, defensive holding).[/list]


[url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2009/08/08/mock-game-recap/"]http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2009/08/08/mock-game-recap/[/url]

[oldschooler]

RapidReports
By Josh Katzowitz [email="RR-Bengals@cbssports.com"]Email a question to Josh Katzowitz[/email]



3:32:17 pm QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Carson Palmer[/url] on why the mock game, a day after the team scrimmage, was important: "Everybody was pretty beat up and pretty tired and lethargic. It was a good day to fight through all that stuff to see what we're we made of. We did a nice job of competing."



3:28:07 pm When QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Carson Palmer[/url] started finding a rhythm with [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/235222"]Chad Ochocinco[/url], the WR had a flashback: "It really reminded me of '05. It didn't matter what the defense was doing. We were throwing the ball and doing what we wanted to do."




3:22:34 pm Defensive coordinator [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/tag/Mike%20Zimmer"]Mike Zimmer[/url] on rookie DE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/584099"]Michael Johnson[/url]: "His number of really good plays are going up and his bad plays are going down. (But) sometimes, he's just not as urgent as you want him to be."



3:18:13 pm LB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/494148"]Jim Maxwell[/url] continues to impress with his defensive presence. A day after leading the team in tackles, he accomplished the same Saturday with eight. With LB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/413825"]Brandon Johnson[/url] out for most of the past week with a hamstring injury, Maxwell has raised his stock.



3:12:57 pm With Bengals coaching focusing mostly on the passing game, WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/235222"]Chad Ochocinco[/url] led all receivers with seven catches for 78 yards and a TD. [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1123584"]Maurice Purify[/url] had three catches for 63 yards, while [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/412641"]Chris Henry[/url] recorded three for 42.





3:11:32 pm In the mock game, QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Carson Palmer[/url] completed 12 of 17 passes for 131 yards, a TD and an INT. Backup QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302099"]J.T. O'Sullivan[/url] was 5 of 14 for 88 yards and a score, while third-string QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/418207"]Jordan Palmer[/url] was 10 of 15 for 103 yards.



3:07:44 pm A woman in the crowd has been successful the last two days coaxing players to pose for pictures with a giant Kermit the Frog (who sports a Chad Ochocinco jersey). She said today that RB Cedric Benson, QB Carson Palmer, DT Domato Peko and WR Laveranues Coles posed.



2:22:14 pm An hour after the Bengals mock game began, it is now officially complete.


2:16:51 pm Nice effort from the defensive line there. DE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/492944"]Robert Geathers[/url] is quick off the edge to pressure QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302099"]J.T. O'Sullivan[/url] (and probably would have had the sack in a game) and then DE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/584099"]Michael Johnson[/url] bats down the pass at the line of scrimmage.



1:49:53 pm CB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1226306"]Geoffrey Pope[/url] falls down while covering WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/235222"]Chad Ochocinco[/url] , and QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Carson Palmer[/url] finds him on a corner route for the 12-yard TD.



1:48:03 pm The first really big offensive play of the day when QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302099"]J.T. O'Sullivan[/url] hits WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1272073"]Jerome Simpson[/url] in stride for the 63-yard TD. Just a pretty pass from O'Sullivan, who beat CB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/235211"]Jamar Fletcher[/url]



1:45:17 pm QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Carson Palmer[/url] is heating up his arm. Two nice passes from Palmer to WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/235222"]Chad Ochocinco[/url] and then another to WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/412641"]Chris Henry[/url] to bring the ball to the 4-yard line. The drive ends without a score, though, after RB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1674146"]Bernard Scott[/url] drops a sure-fire TD pass in the flat.


1:43:29 pm Now, that looks familiar. QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Carson Palmer[/url] finds WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/235222"]Chad Ochocinco[/url] on the sideline for a nice gain and a first down.



1:42:27 pm If SS [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302238"]Roy Williams[/url] would have been playing in a real, live game, he would have absolutely smashed QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302099"]J.T. O'Sullivan[/url] from the blind side.


1:41:17 pm So far, third-string QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Jordan Palmer[/url] is out-performing his brother, [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/418207"]Carson[/url] , and backup QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302099"]J.T. O'Sullivan[/url]. None of the three, though, have gotten their team into the red zone.



1:39:58 pm DE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/493020"]Antwan Odom[/url] is credited with a sack of QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302099"]J.T. O'Sullivan[/url]. It's evident that there's a big dropoff between the first-team OL and the second-team.



1:36:46 pm FS Tom Nelson makes a leaping interception of QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Carson Palmer[/url], who's still battling to find his accuracy.



1:35:27 pm WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1272073"]Jerome Simpson[/url] uses his speed to blow by FS [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395940"]Chris Crocker[/url], but QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302099"]J.T. O'Sullivan[/url] overthrows him on what surely would have been an impressive long TD.



1:32:53 pm RB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1674146"]Bernard Scott[/url] takes the field for the Black team. He missed the scrimmage Friday night with a shoulder injury. The organization is interested to see what the 2008 Harlon Hill award (basically, the Division II Heisman) winner can accomplish.



1:29:38 pm The first-team offense, led by QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396173"]Carson Palmer[/url], goes three-and-out on the first series and has to punt. DE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/516594"]Chris Harrington[/url] gets a hand up and bats down one of Palmer's passes.


1:28:21 pm The two teams took the field five minutes early. Bad news for the radio broadcast team, who had to scramble to get it on the air.


1:27:25 pm The OL started slow during Friday's scrimmage, but as play continued, the first-team linemen started finding their stride. "For one day, for one small moment in time, I was fairly satisfied," said OL coach Paul Alexander.




1:24:51 pm FS [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395940"]Chris Crocker[/url] wants to see the Bengals defense improve during today's mock game: "I think we made a lot of mistakes as far as over-running the gap and missing open tacklers (during Friday's scrimmage), things that are just so easy."





1:23:31 pm First-round pick OT Andre Smith and the Bengals are nowhere close to completing a contract that would bring him into camp. Today will be the 13th practice he's missed.



1:22:38 pm These players are not expected to play in today's mock game: CB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1221727"]David Jones[/url], FS [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1249521"]Corey Lynch[/url], LB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1369410"]Keith Rivers[/url], LB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/559367"]Rey Maualuga[/url], LB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/413825"]Brandon Johnson[/url], C [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/420271"]Dan Santucci,[/url], OG [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/416099"]Evan Mathis[/url], TE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/493797"]Ben Utecht[/url] , TE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/408464"]Daniel Coats[/url] and DE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/419996"]Frostee Rucker[/url]. WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/236931"]Antonio Chatman[/url], who limped off the field during Friday's scrimmage, is not expected to participate.




[url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/team/CIN"]http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/team/CIN[/url]