Bengals vs. Patriots on Monday Night
Despite their wealth of talent and loads of Jungle hype, the Cincinnati Bengals remain a mediocre team in the fourth year of the Marvin Lewis renaissance. Sure, they had a 10-6 season two years ago that earned them a reputation as winners. And they have a high-powered offense that can tick off 35 points most Sundays.
But they haven’t won that many games. The winning season was sandwiched between two 8-8 years. This year the Bengals’ record is one win to three losses. Despite the awe the team inspired from fans until recently, its record under Lewis is just 27-25.
Why has this team so underperformed? There are two reasons. The first is that coach Lewis is an uneven judge of character and an uneven leader. He has great players like Carson Palmer, but Palmer’s professionalism and maturity are overshadowed by the eight Bengals players who were arrested last season for everything from driving while intoxicated to gun possession. Cops picked up the team’s talented backup wide receiver, Chris Henry, three times. I was dumfounded when Lewis allowed Henry back on the field.
The second reason the Bengals have done so poorly is their defense sucks. This probably has much to do with a lack of depth and poor coaching by the defensive coordinators. But it’s hard for a coach to whip a group of 300-pound defensive players into line when he hasn’t earned their respect.
I bet there are a number of Bengals players that have issues with their coach. Those would be the players that make it on time to workouts, the guys who really want to win and want to feel proud of their team. Hard to feel that way when the leader of the pack makes it known that character isn’t important.
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What’s up with the New England Patriots? They’ve won their first four games without breaking a sweat, against some pretty good teams. Their offense and defense are both ranked number one in the league. A year ago word on the street was that the Patriots were past their prime, a dynasty on the wane. So, why are they so hot all of the sudden?
There are a few parts to this answer. First part is Tom Brady, the Patriot’s twice Super Bowl MVP quarterback who, at the age of 30, is in his prime. Brady is Bill Belichick’s trusted deputy, he carries out orders with precision.
Second part of the answer is Randy Moss. The talented but troubled journeyman receiver has meshed with his star quarterback and found inner peace through winning.
Part three is that the Patriots are just solid throughout and well coached.
The fourth part of the answer is most controversial, but probably most important. Unlike most teams well along in their dynasty, the Patriots truly have something left to prove. Coach Belichick got caught cheating, taping the secret play signals of his opponents. He surely used the gathered intelligence to give his team an unfair advantage. Maybe the Patriots won games that they shouldn’t have had they played fair. Maybe the team wouldn’t have won three Super Bowls this decade.
Now Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots players feel they have to prove that they’re good enough to win on the up and up. They feel they have to be so dominant, have to bludgeon their competitors so thoroughly, that they erase all questions regarding their deservedness to win in the past. This fire will burn inside the players all season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it drives them to the first perfect record since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. If the players manage this, all respect will be due to them.
Sadly, though, they can’t rewrite history and erase Belichik's unforgivable mistake. That’s too bad for the players, who deserve better.
But they haven’t won that many games. The winning season was sandwiched between two 8-8 years. This year the Bengals’ record is one win to three losses. Despite the awe the team inspired from fans until recently, its record under Lewis is just 27-25.
Why has this team so underperformed? There are two reasons. The first is that coach Lewis is an uneven judge of character and an uneven leader. He has great players like Carson Palmer, but Palmer’s professionalism and maturity are overshadowed by the eight Bengals players who were arrested last season for everything from driving while intoxicated to gun possession. Cops picked up the team’s talented backup wide receiver, Chris Henry, three times. I was dumfounded when Lewis allowed Henry back on the field.
The second reason the Bengals have done so poorly is their defense sucks. This probably has much to do with a lack of depth and poor coaching by the defensive coordinators. But it’s hard for a coach to whip a group of 300-pound defensive players into line when he hasn’t earned their respect.
I bet there are a number of Bengals players that have issues with their coach. Those would be the players that make it on time to workouts, the guys who really want to win and want to feel proud of their team. Hard to feel that way when the leader of the pack makes it known that character isn’t important.
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What’s up with the New England Patriots? They’ve won their first four games without breaking a sweat, against some pretty good teams. Their offense and defense are both ranked number one in the league. A year ago word on the street was that the Patriots were past their prime, a dynasty on the wane. So, why are they so hot all of the sudden?
There are a few parts to this answer. First part is Tom Brady, the Patriot’s twice Super Bowl MVP quarterback who, at the age of 30, is in his prime. Brady is Bill Belichick’s trusted deputy, he carries out orders with precision.
Second part of the answer is Randy Moss. The talented but troubled journeyman receiver has meshed with his star quarterback and found inner peace through winning.
Part three is that the Patriots are just solid throughout and well coached.
The fourth part of the answer is most controversial, but probably most important. Unlike most teams well along in their dynasty, the Patriots truly have something left to prove. Coach Belichick got caught cheating, taping the secret play signals of his opponents. He surely used the gathered intelligence to give his team an unfair advantage. Maybe the Patriots won games that they shouldn’t have had they played fair. Maybe the team wouldn’t have won three Super Bowls this decade.
Now Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots players feel they have to prove that they’re good enough to win on the up and up. They feel they have to be so dominant, have to bludgeon their competitors so thoroughly, that they erase all questions regarding their deservedness to win in the past. This fire will burn inside the players all season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it drives them to the first perfect record since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. If the players manage this, all respect will be due to them.
Sadly, though, they can’t rewrite history and erase Belichik's unforgivable mistake. That’s too bad for the players, who deserve better.
posted by CatZoo at 10:06 AM
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