Still the Bungles

Nothing cures a team that's pretty much hopeless more than a game against Cincinnati. Yep, the Bengals are still the Bungles.

I said the other day that it's difficult to predict what kind of team the Bengals would be today. This is a team that seems to win games they shouldn't (Steelers, Packers) and lose games they shouldn't (Broncos).

Lucky for the Browns, it was the bungling Bengals who showed up in Cleveland today.

Congrats, Mangini. Way to get that monkey off your back and get a win. You truly are the Mangenius! Oops, not so fast ... Stupid overtime.

Go Browns!

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More Like the Bengals

Whoa, sorry about that folks. I totally went negative there, something I really try not to do so much. What can I say, it's difficult not to feel down when you're subjected to futility week after week.

And, speaking of Cincinnati, look who's not so Bengal-like this season. That's right, it's the 2-1 Bengals, fresh off their win over the Steelers.

If there's an NFL franchise, other than the Browns and the Lions, who've succumbed to its fair share of ridicule over the years, it's the Bengals. Our Ohio brethren have been stinking up their corner of the NFL for years.

Like a roller coaster ride, the Bengals are either a decent team or a downright awful team. It can change season to season, or even week to week.

This year -- and the past two weeks in particular -- looks to be a good turn for the Bengals. Perhaps they finally have their act together. It pains me to say this, but maybe the Browns could learn something from the Bengals. Maybe ...

Go Browns!

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It's Official ...

... the Browns are terrible.

Only 124 more days until the 2009 NFL Draft. Another high pick for the Browns.

Battling the Bengals

Well, it's Week 16 in the NFL and all hope was lost for the Browns a few weeks ago. Luckily for us, all hope was lost for the Bengals weeks before all hope was lost for the Browns.

Yep! Today pits the pitiful Browns against their cross-state rivals, the pathetic Bengals. It's a good ol' fashioned Battle of Ohio -- the fight to stay out of the AFC North Basement.

It's also the last home game of the season -- and it should be a cold one today. As bad as these two teams are, and as cold as it may be, the stadium should still be packed with die-hards. Yours truly, among them.

Let's hope the Browns can at least beat the hapless Bengals and finish this season with some dignity ... who knows, we may be in position next week to play spoiler to the Steelers home field advantage in the playoffs.

Go Browns!

AFC North - Win, Lose & Draw

The worst part about playing on Monday Night Football is not being able to watch the Browns on Sundays. It throws the whole week off. Because of these prime-time games, I've had two Sundays in a row without Browns football.

Of course, that give me a chance to focus on other things, such as the AFC North. I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the odd results of the three other AFC North games yesterday. There was good news, bad news and funny news.

First, the good news: The Ravens have played pretty well this season, but quoth the Giants, "nevermore." The world champs pounded the Ravens, 30-10, with more than 200 yards rushing. Take that, Ray Lewis! The Browns remain the only team this season to have beaten the Giants.

Now, the bad news: The Steelers managed to squeak out a close, 11-10 win over the Chargers. Roesthlisberger, who's faced criticism that his sore shoulder cost them the game last week against the Colts, was 31-of-41 passing for 308 yards, but they scored no touchdowns in the game.

And, the funny news: The Bengals didn't lose! Of course, they didn't win either. Ha! Perhaps a fate worse than losing, the Bengals tied the Eagles, 13-13. Ha! They tied! Could this season get any worse for Cincy? I doubt it. When I saw the final, I laughed like crazy. Hilarious. Too funny.

I'm sure I'll be hearing from my friend Zeeds, a big Bengals fan, after this post. Hey, at least they didn't lose again. Ha!

Sadly, They're Back

That's right, the pathetic Browns from the first four games of the season are back. The terrible coaching of Romeo from the first four games of the season is back. The inconsistent, poor play of Derek Anderson is back. The Browns who whipped the Giants on Monday night; they're gone.

Unfortunately, all is back to normal in Cleveland. I really hate being right when I said the win over the Giants was a fluke and that we'd see the real Browns against the Redskins.

Yesterday's game was similar with to the game against Cincy — for a little more than three quarters, the Browns played like a badly-coached high school team. Then, all of a sudden the offense woke up enough for DA to, unfortunately, keep his job. What's worse is, they lost this game (insult to injury).

There are absolutely no excuses for the way DA played for most of the game yesterday — Edwards, Winslow and Stallworth were all playing and Lewis was solid, so DA fans can't say he didn't have weapons. I'm not going to turn this into a big DA-bashing post, but let's face it already — he sucks! Sure, he plays well at times and has a big arm, but overall he's inconsistent and he sucks.

The defense, while they still struggle to stop the run, still played well enough for the Browns to win. It's that classic case of the offense not helping out the defense.

Dawson may have missed a 54-yard field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime, but that's not the story here. The story is, the offense — in particular, DA's inconsistency and Braylon's butter-fingers — showed it's true colors and the Browns never should have been in the position of needing a 54-yard field goal to tie.

Terrible, just plain terrible. How can a team go from playing so great on Monday Night Football against the defending Super Bowl champions, to playing so terribly the next week?

False Hope

The Browns beat the Bengals, 20-12, yesterday, and yet I still feel as though we lost.

Say what you will about me being a Brady Quinn fan, but the fact is the Browns barely beat the Bengals yesterday — the Bengals! — and they're celebrating like it was the Super Bowl. What's sad is, by sticking with DA throughout the entire game, even after a typical DA first half, Romeo believes he was justified in his non-decision about the future of the Browns.

No changes were made yesterday, but the Browns were able to squeak out a win. Big deal. It was the 0-4 Bengals, after all. A Bengals team without Carson Palmer! I would hope we could beat them. That we didn't totally dominate that game tells me we're in for another rude-awakening when we return for Monday Night Football against the Giants.

DA didn't show me anything at all yesterday to convince me he's starting QB material. And, apparently his leash was a lot longer than everyone made it out to seem leading into the game. If Romeo had any intention whatsoever of going to Quinn if Anderson struggled, we'd have seen Brady start in the second half.

This just proves that Romeo had no intention of ever going to Quinn, he only said what the media and the fans wanted to hear. He's a stubborn, stubborn man.

What's sad is, now the Browns will go into the Giants game in two weeks with the false sense of hope that we've turned this season around. Unfortunately, they haven't. I for one am not looking forward to seeing the Giants come in to Cleveland Browns Stadium to give us a reality check. I've already seen the Cowboys do that this year.

My Week 4 grades will be forthcoming either this evening or tomorrow. But don't expect high marks just because they won. After all, it was the Bengals.

Good News -- No Palmer

Watching Tailgate 19 just now, they reported that Carson Palmer will not start today for the Bengals. What does this mean for the Browns? Good news. Our offense can't score, so we may have a chance to win since now their offense won't be able to score.

Battle of O H I 0-4

When the Browns and the Bengals get together, you can throw the records out the window. And this year, both teams would love nothing more than to forget about their 0-3 starts.

It's the Battle of Ohio and we're used to this game being one in which the loser stays in the basement of the AFC North.

This year, it's also the battle to see who can get their first win and not start the season 0-4.

Last year, the series with the Bengals was bittersweet.

The first game was a high-flying shootout at Cleveland Browns Stadium -- Derek Anderson's first game as a starter -- in which the two teams combined for 12 touchdowns and the Browns won, 51-45. It was, we thought, the beginning of the turnaround in Cleveland.

The second meeting, however, was a different story. At Paul Browns Stadium -- the sight of today's game -- Derek Anderson three four interceptions and the Browns lost, 19-14, and were essentially eliminated from the playoffs.

Three Things I'm Looking Forward to in Today's Game:

1. Changes -- After the loss to Baltimore, we were promised changes. Every position was up for evaluation, or so Romeo said. Sure, DA is still the starter, but Romeo says Brady will be ready. Yes, I believe it is a mistake to put that pressure on DA. Either name Brady the starter, or show some confidence in DA. In any case, I'm anxious to see what, if any, changes there are today.
2. Jerome Harrison -- Last week's lone Browns TD was scored on a 19-yard pass to Harrison. Then, we never saw him again in the game. Why? As thin as we are at receiver, I think we'll see more of Harrison coming out of the backfield to catch passes.
3. Jamal Lewis -- The Bengals run defense isn't the greatest. If the Browns offense is going to get back on track, they'll need to hand the ball off more to Lewis than they have so far this season. If Lewis is going to get back on track, perhaps a porous Bengals defense is just what he needs.
   

Three Things I'm NOT Looking Forward to in Today's Game:

1. Resurgent Bengals -- They may be 0-3, but they looked pretty good against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants last week losing by a field goal in overtime. I hope that wasn't the beginning of the Bengals resurgence.
2. Bengals in Hi-Def -- With perhaps the ugliest uniforms in all of professional sports, the Bengals could possibly ruin my new HDTV with their bright, construction worker-orange jerseys.
3. Praise of DA -- If Anderson plays just decently, or if the Browns play just a little bit better, I'm sure the announcers will go over-board with DA compliments. He needs to be held to the same scrutiny as he has all season. Even if the Browns win with a mediocre DA, the media needs to keep off the DA blinders.
   

Today, the season is on the line -- for both teams. I'm hoping, of course, that the Browns can turn it around and use a win against Cincinnati as catalyst to turn this abysmal season around.
Pete's Prediction: Browns, 28-17.

Blogging with the Enemy: Bengals

Not that I need to remind anyone, but the Browns are 0-3. Who could possibly relate to our suffering as Browns fans? Perhaps the fans of this week's opponent, our rivals down-state in Cincinnati. The Bengals are also 0-3.

This week, I traded questions with Bengals blogger Adam Kiefaber from BengalStripes.com. The questions, and his answers, are below. Enjoy.

1). What is the worst thing about being 0-3?

The constant shame! As a life-long Bengals fan, I remember the days where the team wouldn't win its first game until November. Recently, it has hard for fans to accept that the team has just been mediocre. Now, 0-3 stings a little harder than the 0-10 start in 1993 after having Super Bowl aspirations in 2005.

So, to quote Bob Uecker, "let me hear you Cleveland!" The battle of Ohio, the battle for the smallest bit of respectably.

2). At what moment did you begin to lose hope?

For most Cincinnati fans, we all lost complete hope in the preseason. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it couldn't be more true. In Ohio, we take our preseason seriously. The majority of fans liked the team's chances this season even after all the Chad Ocho Cinco drama. However, after Jon "Baby Hands" Kitna lit the Bengals up in the team's second preseason game, all hope was gone. No one expected much, but we all expected to beat Baltimore the opening week.

3). At what moment did you regain hope just to have to crushed moments later?

Opening week, I started to buy all the talk about how the Bengals were not going to have any trouble with a rookie quarterback from Delaware. I threw out the fact that Carson Palmer hadn't thrown a single pass to T.J. or Chad in the preseason. I also forgot the fact that the defense couldn't stop (preseason) Delaware's current offense if their lives' depended on it. It was opening day, I had hope, but then Joe Flacco stumbled 38 yards for a touchdown to give the Ravens a 17-3 lead with 15 seconds left in the third quarter. Hope was lost. Then in a windstorm at Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals were tied 7-7 and calling timeouts in order to get the ball back before halftime. In order to beat the halftime bathroom rush and to catch the Bengals with the ball to end the half, I went to the restroom at PBS. I come back to find out that Titans running back Chris Johnson took a draw play 55 yards on a obvious rushing play. Game over. Hope lost again. After the OT loss to the Giants, there is some hope left.

4). Who has been your most disappointing player?

Levi Jones has been the worst left tackle in the league. Honestly I don't know if I could make that claim since I haven't watched every team play in every game, but it is hard to imagine anyone playing worse. If I don't hear, "false start, number 76," at least five times a game, I am shocked. Also, I have to add that he can't block anyone. Carson Palmer struggled the first two weeks, but was back on track against New York despite being sacked six times. Chad Ocho Cinco has struggled, but he isn't bitching. Personally, I don't think he is 100 percent. For once in his career, he is acting like professional, too bad he is playing his worst football of his career.

5). How many wins do you think the Bengals can achieve? (Please include best- and worst-case scenarios)

The best the Bengals can do is obviously 13-3, but realistically the best this team can do is probably 7-9. The worst is 3-13.

Even if Cincinnati can beat the Brownies at home, their confidence will likely be crushed the following week when they travel to Dallas.

I do like the Bengals chances at Houston (Oct. 26), vs. Baltimore (Nov. 30) and vs. Kansas City (Dec. 28).

6). If the Bengals were to make the playoffs this season, how would you celebrate?

I remember once in college I had to jump into a frozen pond after I lost a bet to some Cleveland Browns fans. If the Bengals make the playoffs, I will travel to wherever that game is, use an early vacation day and party like a rockstar. Honestly, it might be better if the team doesn't make it that far because I might not be able to afford that journey.

7). What is your prediction for Sunday? What do Browns fans need to look out for that they might not already know about the Bengals?

Watch out for Antonio Chatman, last week no one expected a thing out of the UC product, but he had a great game against the Giants. I also believe that the Bengals will try to utilize running back DeDe Dorsey more often. Linebacker Rashad Jeanty is the most under rated player on this team.

Enough about that, I will take the Bengals in a shootout 42-38. Only reason being that Cincinnati is at home, but this one can go either way.

Hmm, another shootout ... not going to happen with the way our offense has been playing. Then again, maybe playing the Bengals is just what the Browns need — it worked last season.

To read my answers to these questions, visit BengalStripes.com.

Anticipation Builds, Bengals Lose

Browns! Steelers! Prime time! Sunday Night Football! Less than four hours away! Finally!

Call me a traditionalist, but I like it when the Browns play at 1 p.m. - I miss it, actually. Sure, it's nice for Cleveland to get some national media attention (provided they don't embarrass us). All I'm saying is, I don't know what to do with myself on Sundays when the Browns don't play at 1 p.m.

Of course I'm watching the other games, that goes without saying. But, the anticipation of the Browns game builds up so much between when I wake up and when the game actually comes on, and watching the other games only makes it worse. That's why I like it when the Browns play at 1 p.m.

Oh well, at least I'm able to watch the other football games on this afternoon. I just finished watching the Bengals-Titans game. Two things I liked about that game: 1) The Bengals lost and 2) Dan Fouts.

Yes, I love seeing the other AFC North teams lose. I couldn't resist texting my buddy Zeeds, a rabid Bengals fan, to ask him what was wrong with the Bengals this year. Believe it or not, I didn't get a response.

Now, as for Dan Fouts ... I mentioned before that him and Keith Jackson are two of my favorite announcers. It's nice to see Dan back in the pro broadcast booth. I hope he gets some Browns games this year (I even don't mind his broadcast partner, Don Crique, all that much).

Since the Browns lost last week, I'm re-evaluating my Sunday routine. So, I haven't read the paper yet. Gonna do that now while I watch the Patriots-Jets game, then I'll post my Browns-Steelers preview.