Also, now that the schedule has been released, it is time to discuss game trips.  First one that stares out at me in November 8th vs. the Steelers.  Monday Night Football should be a hell of a time.  Other candidates might be Sept. 19 vs. Ravens, Dec. 19th vs. the Brown-Browns (my birthday wink-wink), and day after Christmas vs. Chargers.  Thoughts?

Let’s also discuss possible game watching locations.  Brother’s has been pretty good to us, but someone needs to get Sunday Ticket.  If not, where else?

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We all know the biggest concern is the offense. We need help in a few areas. Mainly keeping Carson upright long enough to throw downfield, as well as, having people that can spread it out and actually CATCH! Thank God Coles is gone (“Don’t throw it to stone-hands!”). Unfortunately, we got Coats back. I am not one to give up on Coffman yet. I still think he will be a good receiver for us. What we need more than a receiving TE is one the can block. That is why I don’t think we should go TE in the first round. We don’t need another Coffman. With the signing of Antonio Bryant we don’t really need to go WR either. That leaves a couple of options:

1. Draft a OL if they are slotted at 21 (Mike Iupati maybe)
2. Draft the best available defensive player (Someone like Taylor Mays)

If for some crazy reason someone like Dez Bryant drops to us at 21, I am not against taking him either.

After the first round we have some picks that can get quality minutes.  We have a 2nd and two 3rd rounders.  This is where we need to draft a quality blocking TE and more defense (can never have too much).  Maybe spend one of the two 3rd rounders on a WR like Golden Tate or Marty Gilyard.

The rest of the draft can be used for more lineman and defense.  There isn’t really a good kicker in the draft to waste a pick on.  I am also not one of those people who think we need to draft another QB either.  Maybe if there was a ton of depth this year, but I don’t believe there is.  Wait another year or two before finding Carson 2.0.  For the record I am a #9 believer.  He is not done.  He had neither time nor any wideouts other than The Ocho.  Because of that we turned into a running team.  It is hard to have rhythm with your receivers when all you practice is running and they drop everything thrown their way.  But I digress.

So after going 6-0 in the division and making the playoffs the Bengals are in prime position to add more depth and get better fast.  The schedule doesn’t help the cause, but it should make for an exciting year.

We will be having an Open Thread for the draft this year.  Please join in the conversation.  We will discuss what we like/hate about picks, those witty ESPN personalities, and of course poke fun of the rest of the AFC North.  Of course this includes Big Ben “Rape”lisberger and the classy Steelers.

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.

I plan to keep this short because this post just seems unnecessary to me. As unnecessary as Rothelissberger getting plastic surgery to restore his face after that motorcycle crash. Why not just dress up your turds in little costumes before you flush too? But I digress…

This is definitely the single biggest week in the regular season for our Who Dey Tigers. And if you didn’t know that already then you need to get out of your parent’s basement, stop watching Grey’s Anatomy re-runs and surfing TMZ for the latest Hills cast member news. Oh yeah, and while your at it, please down a bottle of Drain-O because you are ruining America with those mindless obsessions. But, again, I digress…

This is it. Beat the Steelers and move into the top 3 of the NFL Power Rankings with the AFC North pretty much all locked up. If we lose this game the season’s not over, but we would definitely give all of the critics a bigger microphone with which to hate the Bengals.

To flip Dennis Green on his head, “We ARE who they thought we weren’t.” Meaning, as underdogs week in and week out, we have the burden of proof. No one, I mean NO ONE, thinks the Bengals are legit. Time to prove them all wrong again.

“An offensive brute. Run, pass, or boot. And defensively they’re rough, tough.” Sounds about right, doesn’t it?

As always, IWDC Members and friends meet at Brother’s Bar & Grille in Broad Ripple to cheer on the Cardiac Cats. “I will see you there or I will see you at another time.” – Peter Klaven

Who Dey.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6pKIj87CYA

now the Steelers…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd_62tLlpZU

Can Chad have one of these same games against the Ravens? A game that is in no way about revenge or retribution towards Ray Lewis? Likely not. The Ravens defense is still very good, maybe a little old, but still very good. I wouldn’t bet my Kevin Kaesviharn XFL jersey on a Bengals blowout over the Ravens this time around. Nor should you forsake your “He Hate Me” jersey. Even after the pure domination against the Bears’ 8th-ranked Rush Defense, something inside of me still thinks the Ravens are the favorite. And that is because the Bengals haven’t truly established a solid identity yet.

Underdog? Fighter? or just plain Inconsistent? Is that what comes to mind when we think of our Bengals? Here is an easy one. What is the first thing that comes to mind when the Ravens are mentioned? Ferociousness, Power, Defense,  Attitude, Scary? The black and deep purple jerseys say it alone. You could slap one of those on Sanjaya and even he would seem formidable under a blacked out helmet visor. Now, put someone with a resume and a mouth like Ray Lewis in that jersey and all of sudden they can elevate themselves to God status on a football field.

Up until week 7, the only consistent image that the Bengals have broadcasted is inconsistent play. One week they are the Offensive Juggernaut and Hawkish Defense, while the next week they struggle to put up 14 points and allow 350+ yards passing. In a division where every other team has a true tangible identity, the Bengals are a confusing mess of contradictions.

The Steelers are Arrogant

The Ravens are Tough

The Browns are Miserable

The Bengals are… Underachieving? Inconsistent? Too many different identities under one roof?

Chad is one part Class Clown, one part Star Athlete. Carson is the snarky leader with all of the tools, but meager intensity. Tank and Roy are two bad dudes. Cedric carries a chip on his shoulder. And Rey? Well, Rey is simply a fiery blaze.

Now, if only everyone could buy into what Rey is selling. That’s an identity we could all hitch onto. Until everyone can drop their egos and buy into a system, really any system, it will continue to be a roller coaster ride on an unfinished track. Hey, even though Cleveland’s identity sucks, their track is finished… finished with the end of the regular season. Where does our track end?