You’re a Bengals fan, right?

Come on, I can’t be so sure after how well this year has been going. What I mean is, would you have been reading this site last season? If your answer is, “no,” I can’t really blame you. Primarily because it didn’t exist. But the fact of the matter is, the Bengals are great this year and worth following even for the most fair weather of fans.

So what’s all of this fan worthiness screening have to do with Tom Nelson? Well, everything of course.

During the summer Who Dey hype series as known as “Hard Knocks” on HBO, Tom Nelson represented a beacon of hope for the much weathered Bengals fans. Let’s be honest, this team had never really been a picture of hard work or guts in the last 20 or so years. Then, all of a sudden it seems, HBO gave the nation a glimpse into what goes on behind the curtain of the off-season.

Enter Tom Nelson into the hearts and hopes of the Bengal Nation.

Here’s the truth. Most Bengals fans that have stuck around through the dismal 20 year dark ages, haven’t had the opportunity to see a player with a set of guts like Nelson’s. Hard Knocks introduced us to an undersized speed ball of energy, humility, and hard work. I can’t put a number to the amount of people that said in passing, “Who’s that Tom guy? I really hope he makes the team.” Rightly so. We all thought we needed a player like this to help set a better example to the higher paid veterans that haven’t been doing much more than just showing up to practice and games.

Who would have thought that, with or without Nelson, that this years Bengals squad would be the perfect representation of what we had been waiting for as fans, but first saw in Tom Nelson during Hard Knocks?

Alright, enough gushing about dreamy Tom. Whether or not he is responsible for the change in attitude (likely not solely responsible, but part of the puzzle at least), he is someone that everyone can root for alongside this seemingly reborn team. Other newcomers, like Nelson, have stepped in and challenged the veterans for their jobs. Through this competitive process, everyone has gotten better and adopted the new blue collar attitude the Bengals proudly rock today. Show up, Do work, Go home with a win.

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Notes:

- Benson appears to be out, expect Larry Johnson to show up at least through a cameo appearance. This means many more hurdles from Leonard on Sunday.

- Chris Crocker may or may not be hurt. Not practicing, but still won’t give up his job [you have like his toughness]. Kyries Hebert and Nelson are expected to see time. But you won’t be able to see Nelson because he runs a 3.6s 40yd back peddling into coverage.

- We all know Al Davis drafts for speed and that “the vertical game” is of the utmost importance. It should be interesting to see what happens when speed meets punishment this Sunday.

- Lastly, Chad is once again hosting movie night at AMC Newport on the Levee [Kentucky]. Tonight’s movie: Precious. First 100 get in free + free food.

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As always, see you at Brothers Bar & Grille in Broad Ripple for the 4:15 game against the Oakland Raiders.

Who Dey.

I’ve got to think, regardless of Mike Brown’s past indiscretions, that Marvin is telling the truth and Larry is just an insurance policy at this point. This makes complete sense to me, especially after Cedric left the Steelers game early this past weekend. Thankfully, Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard are quite serviceable as RB options, otherwise this game could have been lost. But let’s take a look at this past weekend’s game from the opposing vantage point and I still think the Larry Johnson signing holds up.

Consider this: Benson comes off of the field, decides he feels fine and comes back out to play just like he had over the weekend. But for the sake of this hypothetical, he actually IS healthy enough to play at full strength. Ced then grabs that pitch out from Carson, turns the corner, runs over William Gay (a la AP) and scores a touchdown. A completely different game. It’s apparent that the Bengals recognize the drop off from Ced to BScott against a defensive like the Steelers, so they picked up a similar run style back as an insurance policy. Now, that is by no means an attack on Scott or Leonard, it just shows how important a big, bruising running back can be against a fast and big defense like the Steelers, Ravens, and certainly the Bears. By the way, Scott and Leonard are two of my favorite players… behind Tom Nelson, of course.

I like this move. I don’t think he can have the affect on the Bengals locker room morale at a league minimum salary. Basically, this is a win-win for the Jungle Cats and for Larry Johnson. Best of luck to him. Maybe now we can get that Super Bowl ring…

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On another topic, we have been tearing up the tweetersphere with Tom Nelson love recently. To be completely honest, there isn’t much need for TNels right now with the defense playing as well as it has been. Still, can’t we dream of the IWDC’s favorite player to get some time on the field with opportunity to make an impact? Hey, Bratowski! Maybe you can give the Wildcat one more shot? If so, bring in TNels under center. Just a thought…

Who Dey.