The Good, the Bad, and the Noticed

 

The Good:

Giovanni Bernard – I love this guys speed, quickness and hands. He had a nice catch coming out of the backfield, which he took for 22 yards. Bernard will add a dynamic this offense has not had since Chris Perry’s one healthy season.

Sanu – Great TD catch on a perfectly thrown ball by Dalton and a nice catch over the middle followed with 2 big-time stiff arms that helped pave the way for a 24 yard gain.

Nugent – Great kickoffs.

Tate – Rarely will you hear this come from me, but Brandon Tate actually had a nice game. He had a nice 20 yard kick return, but, he also had a good game as a WR with a beautiful catch on a pass from Skelton.

YAC – Yards after catch are big in the NFL and the Bengals got some nice YAC on Saturday night from Gio, Sanu, Tate and Hamilton.

Dalton had a picture perfect fade to the back of the end zone for a TD to Sanu. Good to see, as this is a throw Dalton has seemed to struggle with in the pass. With AJ, Gresham and Eifert, this can be a huge staple in the Bengals goal line offense.

Eifert Sighting – Nice to see the rookie in week 2. He looked good with 3 catches for 32 yards.

John Skelton – Skelton looked good. I still think the job is Johnson’s to lose, but the competition is good for both.

Fitzpatrick’s Beard – I know he plays for the Titans, but he is an ex-Bengal, and anytime a man sports a beard that awesome, it has to be recognized. It looked like a mix of lumberjack and homelessness all grown into one chin-strap defying display of face lettuce!

Shawn Williams – Williams took advantage of the opportunity with Iloka out. It seemed like every time I looked up Williams was in on the play…and the stat sheet agreed with me – leading the teams with 11 tackles.

Jayson DiManche – Speaking of guys that seemed to be everywhere, the rookie from Southern Illinois is having a great preseason and making a case for the 53 man roster. 2^nd on the team with 8 tackles this preseason and 1 sack.

J.K. Schaffer – Another rookie LB (technically) that is making cut down day at the LB position very interesting. The undersized LB from UC is 4^th on the team in tackles, and like DiManche and Williams, seems to always be around the ball.

Ryan Whalen – He only had 1 catch, but what a diving catch! I love Whalen’s reliability and special teams contributions, and therefore think he will be a tough cut.

Cobi Hamilton – A guy Whalen may be fighting with for the last WR position, Hamilton, had a nice catch and run after the catch.

Josh Johnson – The clubhouse leader for the backup QB position simply based off what he can give this team with his legs. I love his speed and have not seen the accuracy issues Marvin mentioned in Hard Knocks. He did have a potentially costly fumble on the final drive, but I still have him as the backup QB. Plus, how about the lead block he had for Boom’s TD run?

Boom Herron – I love what Boom gives this team on special teams and was my top guy for the practice squad. Unfortunately for the Bengals, with his performance on Saturday night (9 carries 91 yards), Boom may have earned himself a job on a 53 man roster. Good for him. Unfortunately, I still believe that spot will be with another team as I still have Burkhead in front of him.

Rex Burkhead – Another solid game (6 carries for 31 yards; 1 catch for 7 yards). I still think Rex makes it over Boom because like Boom, Rex can be a big special teams contributor and I believe Rex gives them more out of the backfield because of his catching ability.

58 Points in 2 Games – It is preseason, but points are points. The offense looks good and deep. I look forward to game 3 where the starters will play a bunch.

Dane Sanzenbacher – Another tough guy to cut at the WR position. He just produces. Only 1 catch for 12 yards, but it was a nice 3^rd down catch which resulted in a 1^st down. He also had another nice punt return (16 yards).

Devon Still – Nice to see the 2^nd round pick from 2012 getting some time out there. He played well on Saturday with 3 tackles (2 for losses) and 1 near sack (should have been called in the grasp).

Terrence Stephens – The man can play football as well as sing! Along with Still, he had the near sack. With the depth at D-Line, he won’t make the roster, but I like him as a practice squad player.

Onterio McCalebb – The man is fast. 1 kick return for 34 yards. However, unless he can contribute at CB (0 tackles in 2 games), I don’t see how he makes the team. Another good practice squad player.

Dontay Moch Sighting – I would love to see what Moch could do in the regular season. Because of injuries, we have never seen it, but the guy can fly and he can get to the QB. He got his 1^st sack of the 2013 preseason on Saturday and lead the team with 3.5 sacks in the 2012 preseason.

 

 

The Bad:

1^st String Defense started 0-2 on 3^rd downs before forcing a FG.

Protection of Dalton – Whit wasn’t in there, but Dalton was facing a lot of pressure. Not a good sign for a line that gave up the 3^rd most sacks in 2012 (46).

Giovanni Bernard Blocking – I love his play-making ability. I don’t like his ability to pick up blockers yet. Hopefully he can work on this because the Bengals need him out there on 3^rd downs.

Kyle Cook – Another penalty. He has likely played 2 full quarters and he now has 4 penalties for 30 yards (2 false starts, 1 hold, 1 illegal use of hands)!

Orson Charles Blocking – In theory, I like what Charles can provide as a FB. In reality, I see a guy that is uncomfortable and not very effective blocking from the FB position.

Aaron Maybin – I thought he had located (and worn) Harry Potter’s invisible cloak! Apparently the coaches must have thought the same as Maybin was cut yesterday.

Chris Lewis-Harris – He was burned bad on Preston’s 46 yard TD.

Josh Johnson Fumble – He could have iced the game by simply securing the football. He needs to be more aware of the game situation and just go down, kick the FG, and end the game.

The Cheerleader Outfits – Come on Bengals! These outfits are terrible! How about some jungle themed outfits? I can think of many things better than what this squad passes off as an outfit from year to year. The outfits look like a homemade 5^th grade Halloween costume. Weak.

 

 

The Noticed:

Boom Herron will likely not make it through waivers in order to make it to the practice squad.

Barring something huge (or injury), Josh Johnson is the backup – and may see a few scripted plays each week.

Aaron Maybin looked very unenthused to be playing football. Apparently the coaches agreed.

John Conner has to make this team…

…So does Orson Charles

Sean Porter Should be Put on IR – A torn labrum is a bad injury, especially for a LB. Given the young talent the Bengals have at LB, why keep an injured rookie? Put him on IR and open a spot for a healthy player.

LB, RB, WR, FB and S will be some interesting cuts.

Blacking Out Preseason Games is a Joke – Dear NFL, the reason preseason games do not sell out is because you charge regular-price for less than “regular” entertainment. Let’s see: Pay regular price for a regular season Monday Night Bengals-Steelers tilt? Or regular price for a Bengals-Titans fake football game? Not a tough decision. 

This Quinn Sharp cat needs to be cut simply based off his nasty ponytail. I don’t care if he can kick it a country mile, that sorry attempt at a ponytail has to go.