Bengals-Jets: Big Decisions, Easy Decisions

Happy Holidays to all Cintucky fans out there! I hope you are all off work and enjoying sitting at home doing nothing. I know I am. And I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Years! To me one of the best ways to ring in a New Year is by seeing the dirtiest player in the game, Hines Ward, crying (see above). Hopefully Marvin enjoys seeing this also, and decides to make it happen yet again Sunday.

Listening to Marvin and the rest of the Bengals speak about their upcoming game against the Jets on Sunday night, they seem to be saying all the right things, not tipping anyone off to their approach and not pissing any team off they might play first round of the Playoffs. However, although on the outside they are saying the correct thing, I pray that in reality they know exactly how they are going to approach the game and just aren't telling anyone. There is only one smart way to approach this game: hire high school players and dress them up like the Bengals players.

In no way should the Bengals even attempt to win this game, and in no way should any Bengal starter play 1 minute unless the depth chart requires them to. Let me explain why:

1. Rex Ryan's defense, #1 total defense (yards), #1 passing defense, #9 rushing defense. This really isn't a reason why the Bengals should fold Sunday, the reason is that the entire Jets defense is going to be doing their best impression of Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward, or Kimo von Oelhoffen and trying to injure any Bengal they can. Now whether that Bengal is Carson, Chad, and Cedric or JT O'Sullivan, Jerome Simpson, and any RB but Cedric is a decision that is up to Marvin Lewis.
2. In addition to dressing high school players up and playing them, the Bengals should have a playbook that consists of nothing above peewee level plays. Assuming that the Bengals do the smart thing and lose Sunday, they will be playing the Jets again next week at Paul Brown in the wild card round of the playoffs. The Jets have to show at least part of their hand and their playbook since they must win this game. The Bengals have the luxury of showing the Jets nothing. If I were Marvin, Hotdogkowski, & Zimmer, I would create 3 new plays on both defense and offense and use only those 3 plays during this Sunday's game. After the game, burn those three plays. However since Bratkowski is not capable of creating new plays, I don't see this happening. Nevertheless, whatever gameplan the Bengals would want to have against the Jets in week 1 of the playoffs, they should do the opposite in week 17 against the Jets.
3. If the Bengals want to see the biggest reason for not showing up Sunday, they should look no further than their own division. For the Steelers to make the playoffs they need to win at Miami + Cincinnati beat NYJ + Houston beat Patriots. For the Ravens to make the playoffs they simply need to win at Oakland. However if Cincinnati decides to beat the Jets, and Baltimore does beat Oakland, then more than likely the Bengals would be facing the Ravens the following week. The worst possible combination would be both Steelers and Ravens making it. I'll be the first to admit it, yes the Bengals beat both those teams twice this year, but who wouldn't rather face Denver or NYJ than Pitt or Baltimore?

Steelers LB Lamaar Woodley, while saying it like biggest douchebag possible, makes the point that I hope Marvin agrees with by commenting, "Cincinnati is probably going to go into New York and lay down for the Jets and not play them hard just because they're not going to want to see Pittsburgh in it." Obviously trying to fire up the Bengals, Woodley continues, "We definitely wouldn't lay down because it's a pride thing with us, going out there winning ballgames and shutting teams down." He goes onto to remind everyone how the Steelers played their starters week 17 last year against the Browns in a meaningless game. What he apparently forgot is how Big Ben suffered a concussion while playing in that game. Brilliant folks, brilliant.

The only other good scenario for the Bengals besides playing the Jets first round would be trying to get revenge against the Broncos for the week 1 miracle/tragedy. The Bengals would play the Broncos if: Houston beats NE and Bengals beat Jets (and Broncos win). But if NE beats Houston and the Bengals beat the Jets, then the Bengals would get Baltimore round (if Balt wins). Personally I would rather play the Jets than the Broncos. A rookie QB whose been throwing tons of picks playing on the road and solid running game which the Bengals will be able to stop with Peko back. Plus, for the Bengals to play the Broncos, they would have to beat the Jets Sunday, which would probably require playing their starters, which I've already detailed why that would be a horrible idea.

The Bengals-Jets game has been flexed to the Sunday Night game on NBC so by the time the game kicks off, Marvin will know exactly who will and will not make it depending on what his team does. I'm sure both before and after the game, Marvin will make generic comments about how "he only focuses on the Bengals this week and not what other teams are doing and not what the Bengals will be doing next week." But seeing as that the Steelers won the Superbowl as the #6 seed in 2005, Marvin would be smart to decide to leave the Steelers and the Ravens out of the playoffs this year given the opportunity.

Greg "Play Jerome Simpson all game and maybe you can see if he'll give you anything in the playoffs!!!" Richter

No Bengals voted to Pro Bowl?

The Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North Division this year. The Ravens, Steelers, and Turds did not win the AFC North Division this year. Yet somehow, the Bengals were the only team in the AFC North to have exactly 0 players voted to play in the Pro Bowl. The struggling-to-make-the-playoffs Ravens had 5 Pro Bowlers: LB Ray Lewis, S Ed Reed, DT Haloti Ngata, FB Le'Ron Mcclain, & RB Ray Rice. The I-need-a-miracle-and-the-Bengals-to-win-Sunday Steelers had two players make the Pro Bowl including LB James Harrison and DT Casey Hampton. The nothing-even-semipositive-thing-to-say-about-the Browns also had two Pro Bowlers in OT Joe Thomas and KR Joshua Cribbs.

Thoughts:

• I know the person most excited about this fact is Mike Brown since come negotiation time I can already hear him and his daughter saying "well you weren't a Pro Bowler, I think that equates out to me offering half your asking price, Mr. Hall"
• Does it just point out the fact that the Bengals are a balanced team with no superstars or big egos who are all dedicated to winning at their own expense?
• Or does it highlight the inadequacies of the Offensive Coordinator when a team with Carson Palmer, Chad OC, and Cedric Benson can't get anyone voted to the Pro Bowl?
• CB's Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall deserve some serious love. Both are tied with Pro Bowler Darrelle Revis in interceptions with 6. If you look at what opposing teams number 1 receivers have done all year against Hall and Joseph, it's extremely impressive (aside from Andre Johnson and Vincent Jackson of course).
  
• Antwan Odom most likely would have been voted Pro Bowl had he not torn his Achilles tendon in week 6 while leading the NFL in sacks.
  
• Most importantly, there needs to be a Pro Bowl spot for the most badass player at getting third downs in crucial moments of the game. Without question: Brian Leonard.
  

In the end, as it turns out, nobody actually wants to be playing in the Pro Bowl (not that they really wanted to play a meaningless game in the most violent professional sport before) since the Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl this year. This means that no players from teams in the Super Bowl will be sending players to the Pro Bowl.

Here's to hoping the Pro Bowl roster on the AFC doesn't have to be adjusted at all a week before the Super Bowl...

Greg "Please lock up Joseph, Hall, and Zimmer to long long contracts now you mother-f***** Mike Brown" Richter

An Up and Down Football Day - Quick Summary

I'm pretty tired from sitting on my a$$ and watching football all day so this is going to be relatively brief. The Bengals delivered an... hmm whats the word... okay... f*cking ugly performance. Too many penalties. Too many broken plays. It was just an ugly overall game, but now that we've got that out of the way it's time to celebrate the win and AFC North Division Championship. Lets remember that the AFC Championship game last season was made up of two teams from the the division the Bengals just won. Say what you want about their recent performances, but securing a home playoff game (which we did today) is huge and should not be over-looked. Now we just have to let the Jets beat us next weekend so that Shitsburgh misses the playoffs. A huge Cintucky congrats to the Bengals players, coaching staff, front office, and fans. Except for Bratkowski and Mike Brown. You two can eat sh*t.

The Kentucky Football Wildcats took the field in Nashville tonight against a familiar foe, the Clemson Tigers. Unfortunatley, unlike 3 years ago, the Cats came up a bit short this year. Clemson was the better team tonight though, and deserved the win. CJ Spiller is a man, and although I think a healthy UK squad matches up quite well against the Tigers.. that just wasn't the case tonight. Big Congrats to Coach Brooks and his staff for an amazing job well done this year. This team was inches away from a couple more huge wins, and it is now easy to see that UK will be a factor in the SEC in years to come. Give us one more year Papa Brooks!!!!

In other football notes:
- The Colts lost their first game this season. The Jets took down the previous undefeated Peyton Mannings after Sir Manning left the game in the 3rd quarter up 15-10.
- Coach Strong appears to be safe at Louisville. There has been some rumblings and rumors about Florida coming after Strong given the recent Meyer activities. As for right now they are exactly that... rumors. No need to worry, Cards fans.

Thats all I have for now. Hopefully you guys enjoyed todays games as much as I did. Greg will by early this week to provide his always impressive insight on the weekend that happened. Assuming he makes it out of BumF*ck Kentucky safely that is. Run from the banjo music brother.

BENGALS vs. Chiefs GAMEDAY!!!!

(Carrie is out, Jessica is in!)

4th Quarter

- On 3rd down some douche I've never heard of makes the catch of his life for a KC touchdown. Rooting for the Bengals hurts. Tie game.

- After an Ocho catch, one of the announcers explains to us the difference between "an OK play and a pretty good play." Apparently that difference is 3 meaningless yards. How do these guys keep their jobs? Seriously.

- Another flat out drop by a Cincy tight end to end a drive. I'd say its about time to start drinking. Atleast I made it until the 4th quarter this week. KC ball at the 20.

- This just in... "6'7 with arms up and jumping is equivalent to a 12 foot barbed wire fence." Can't find the mute button fast enough. Apparently the Bengals didn't want the ball at the 20, so a hitting the kicker penalty will give KC another punt and yeah they down it at the 1.

- A nifty little shovel pass to Leonard picks up a first down at the 12. Not a huge fan of the call, but it worked so ya can't really bitch too much. A deep shot to Caldwell falls incomplete. Just good coverage by Flowers again. He's having a good day. 21 yard completion to Coles and it looks like Palmer is FINALLY finding his stride. 20 yard run by Benson and this has been an impressive drive that started all the way from the 2 yard line. That takes Cedric over 100 yards for the 6th time this season. PALMER TO OCHO TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!!!! WHAT A CATCH BY CHAD ON THAT ONE. That leaves 2:03 for the Chiefs to attempt to tie, and the Bengals are one defensive stop away from clinching their first trip to the playoffs since the 2005 season.

- We finally hit the 2 minute warning. Give the Chiefs credit for taking a TO when Cincy was driving, and not returning the kick. That was excellent clock management which is a skill that way too many NFL coaches lack. INTERCEPTION LEON HALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! KC gets the stop they needed and will get the ball back with 8 seconds left. Weird punt/fair catch thingy and somehow THE GAME IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!! BENGALS WIN THE DIVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will be on later this evening with some post game thoughts as well as info on UK's Music City showdown with the Clemson Tigers.

ENJOY THE WIN BENGALS FANS!! REGARDLESS OF HOW IT HAPPENED WE WON THE DIVISION!! CELEBRATE!

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3rd Quarter

- I think for all Bengals fans' sanity we'll just pretend that the first half never happened and that this game is only a half long becaue the NFL is trying some new fancy type of game. So just disregard everything below.

- Bengals start the game with the ball.

- Benson breaks a big run to start the half. That is the most exciting thing that has happened in this game and its not even close. I took a nap at halftime because the first half put me to sleep. True story.

- Palmer to Quan Cosby for a huge 3rd down pick up and the Bengals have a 1st down at the ten.

- After a busted play, PALMER TO COLES TOUCHDOWN BENGALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that looked like what we've been expecting all day! Perfect start to the second half.

- NOTE TO CBS: If you are going to show a closeup of a cheerleader before the commercial break could you pick a non leather skinned, white haired, geriatric that graces the sidelines? That made me want to throw up, but it'll have to wait as I'm currently gouging out my eyes with an ice cream scooper.

- Bengals take over at the 10. I expect a lot of Benson here. I am not alone. 1st two plays... Benson runs. First down Bengals.

- False start Cincy. I don't even f*cking care anymore. If these a$$holes want to continue to make the same bullsh*t mistakes week after motherf*cking week then f*ck them. AHHHHHHHHHH that felt good. I love having a spots blog.

- Horrible pass by Palmer on 3rd down. Bengals punt... someone got a hand on it and KC will start in Bengals territory. With that we have hit our 50th drive on the season ruined by a false start! Congratulations linemen! You know what is the worst part about that statement.... After rereading it I thought.. well thats clearly an exaggeration but it couldn't be that far off right?

-KC is knocking on the door at the end of the quarter, and will have a 3rd and 10 from the 20 when we return.

Cincy 10, KC 3

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2nd Quarter
Greg Richter reporting live from BDubs in Owensboro KY, once dubbed on ESPN as the "worst bdubs in the country to watch football in"

-I think I fell asleep in the first quarter, what happened?
-Before it happens, I had a dream that Quan Cosby returned a punt for a TD, so if it happens in this game, you can thank me.
-LJ is in the game, we'll see if he runs with some fire that he should run with. I'm sure Cedric is pleased.
-DEEP pass from Palmer, intercepted. GDam*t Caldwell sure does know how to break up an interception let me tell you.
-Chiefs take over with great field position, 3rd and 3 time to man up boys. Bengals dropped 7 and Dhani comes up with a nice play. Seems like the Defense has shown up today, now time for the offense to step up.

Bengals take over. Wait didn't the BROWNS put up like 40 points on the Chiefs last week? looks like we're headed for a 0-0 tie. impressive Bengals.
-AND HERE COME THE FALSE STARTS. F*CK. why do they insist on playing like 3rd graders? I can hear Reinhart cussing from here.
-3rd and long again for the Bengals, same ole same ole. Even Brian Leonard can't turn that into a first down. Receivers must be getting open today. Lovely. PUNT. this could be the most boring game ever played.

-Ndukwe pick! return it for a TD!!! PLEASE THATS THE ONLY WAY TO SCORE!!!
-Ok my buffalo chicken sandwich just came, this is gonna be messy. I'll be back in a minute.
-Ut oh Cedrics limping off. This is why they signed LJ though, time to step up. Alright disregard, Cedrics back on the field. Probably got pissed that LJ got a carry and magically healed. I tell you what I would not want to be handling that situation. Cedric could probably be a guest commentator on The View. But I digress.
-Wow Benson just got stood up a yard short of the 1st down. Holding called, why didn't Chiefs decline that? Guess they figured the bengals would go for it. LOVELY Sack on Palmer. RECEIVERS GET THE F*CK OPEN!!!

-For a defense that is soft as a snuggie, the Chiefs sure came to play today. Or Bob Bratkowski should be fired. One or the other. I'm thinking the latter.
-Chiefs get a PI called on the bengals. Has anyone else noticed this year the recievers calling for the PI and the refs throwing the flag late and actually getting the call? I've seen that in just about every NFL game I've watched this year.
-Steelers Ravens update: (Since it looks like the only way the Bengals will make the playoffs is if the Ravens lose): Sh*tsburgh: 13, Gayvens: 10
-Alright 3rd and 4 man up Bengals D!!!! nope can't do it, Morgan Trent beat across the middle for a first down Chiefs.
-Ok this game has been a snoozefest, I can't stand it anymore.

I think i'll stop doing play by play and just summarize the drives from now on:

Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt

Chiefs get a taste of the Bengals medicine and bad snap on punt!!!!!!!!!!! BENGALS MIGHT SCORE BENGALS MIGHT SCORE BENGALS MIGHT SCORE HELL JUST FROZE OVER!!!!!!!!
-HERE WE GO with run on first. Two minute warning. I'm sure they will run up the middle on 2nd, and 3rd, and then miss the field goal. GOD I HATE THIS TEAM.
-HOLY CRAP CHRISTMAS MIRACLE BENGALS GET A TD!!!! oh no did Chad step out of bounds therefore making the play illegal? Would be typical Bengals luck. Looks like it will be 2nd and goal from the 11. Might as well just send Shayne out now. God this is like gouging my eyes out.
-Ugly 2nd down attempted screen pass. Man this team is not even worth following anymore. And I wrote that before the 3rd down play. PUKE.
-Shayne Graham up and good, Bengals take the lead.
-Chiefs get the ball back with little over a minute in the half, and begin driving, and begin driving, and keep driving. JESUS PREVENT DEFENSE. be lucky to hold them to a field goal at this point.
-Field goal up and good.

Halftime, Bengals 3, Chiefs 3. Vomit. Dominating performance over a team that will have a top 5 draft pick. Super Bowl here we come baby...





1st Quarter

- A video tribute to Chris Henry brought tears to a lot of players and fans eyes. A lack of emotion should not be an issue today.

- Bengals kick off and Graham drills one straight through the endzone. Windy day in Cincy.

- A few decent runs by Jamaal Charles pick up a first down, but the Bengals make the stop and will take over on their own 20.

- The Bengals were doing great running the ball down their throat. What does Bratkowski do? Double Reverse. Yep ya read that right. Sure enough we lose 2 and it stalls the drive. It took him 6 plays to piss me off this week. Thats about the average. Bengals punt. Chiefs take over at the 20. 3 and out. Bengals get it at the 45.

- Excellent field position to start this drive for Cincy. KC has thrown 2 passes so far. One was a bad throw from Cassel and the other a check down for 4 yards. I like the way that sounds. Brandon Flowers 1, Ochocinco 0. Excellent break up by the KC cornerback and the Bengals will punt.

- This first quarter is F*CKING BORING! Somebody do something. Please.

- Awesome pass defended by Hall. Although he got absolutely sh*t on by Vincent Jackson last weekend, he and Joseph still are a top 5 CB duo. Maualuga is limping off the field, and the injuries to the Bengals defense continue to add up. Hopefully he is able to come back. Bengals bring the house on 3rd down and force the punt!! Awesome blitz dialed up by Zim on that one. That takes us to the end of the first quarter. Not too much to get excited about. Greg will be on to take care of the 2nd quarter for us. I'll be back later in the game.

Cincy 0, KC 0

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For the 5th year in a row the Bengals will take on the Kansas City Chiefs. This game has a bit more at stake than the previous ones, however, as it is the AFC North clincher that the Bengals should win.

Kansas City's story is simple: they suck. They have been injured all season, the players quit on the coaching staff around halftime of week 1, and their defense is softer than the Snuggie I am wrapped in now (Thanks Britt!).

The Bengals' story is slightly more complicated: They're solid, they're elite, they're okay, they've got a chance, they're looking at a 1st round playoff loss. My opinion on this team changes daily and frankly I'm still not sure where they are. After three sluggish games in a row they go into SD last week and take it to the hottest team in football (yes even more so than the Colts), nearly pulling out what would have been the best road win in the NFL this season. What I took away from last week's loss is the added dimension that may have been added: the vertical passing game. Fans everywhere can rejoice in knowing that Brat's playbook does have atleast 1 Go-Route in it. Please keep calling them.

As for today's game.. it really shouldn't be close. If we come out and play energized and hard-nosed football, KC doesn't stand a chance. I look for both lines to dominate the line of scrimmage and expect Benson to run for something in the neighborhood of 130 yards.

Prediction: Bengals 31, Chiefs 13

Check back in at gametime for the quater by quarter updates and analysis.

GO BENGALS!!!

Other notes in the sporting world today:

- Louisville's favorite son, Brian "I'm Brian Brohm" Brohm will get the start for the Bills today.

- The UK football Cats will take on Clemson in the Music City Bowl tonight at 8:30 on ESPN. We will have more on this around gametime.

- Shitsburgh plays Baltiwhore today and I think I speak for everyone when I say if they happen to kill each other in a game that results in a tie somehow elminating both of them.. well that'd be just fine with me. Watching this game would be like watching Hitler and Satan in a slap fight.

Urban Meyer Stepping Down at Florida??

According to the WorldWide Leader, Urban Meyer will be stepping down, and will no longer be the head coach of the Florida Gators. No specific details were given, but it has been confirmed by the UF Athletic Director.

What this means for Cintuckyians is that the Bearcats now may have a chance against UF in the Sugar Bowl. How strange would it be to see two of the top 5 teams in the nation who combined to only lose one game this year play in a bowl game without both head coaches?

More on this tomorrow as well as our Bengals gameday updates and recap. We'll be getting started around noon tomorrow so be sure to join us for the game!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

In honor of the holiday season, I thought it would be fun to put together a Christmas Wish List for all of our favorite teams.

All they want for Christmas is...

Cincinnati Bengals.... a win on Sunday! A SuperBowl would be great, but lets things one step at a time at this point. Handle 3-11 Kansas City on Sunday and we're in the playoffs!!!

Cincinnati Bearcats.... a win over Xavier... oh wait. Lets change that to a gridiron win over the hated Gators!! Yeah that one will do.

Xavier Musketeers.... see above.

Loiusville Cardinals.... Pitino to work his holiday magic like in years past and take this team to the next level.

Dayton Flyers.... more youtube videos of Chris Wright.

Cincinnati Reds.... Joey Votto to decide he wants to stay put in Cincy.

Kentucky Wildcats.... a Jan 2nd win over the Cards making it a 15-0 start to the season.

Myself.... a safe and happy holiday for all friends and family out there. And a Jan 2nd win over the Cards making it a 15-0 start to the season.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

This Guy????? REALLY????

The list of people that I hate grew 1 larger yesterday. Well, technically it grew about 12 larger, but the 11 people I encountered on the road that don't know how to drive don't make that important of a list.

Carrie Underwood has agreed (in principle) to wed Ottawa Senator center Mike Fisher (pictured right, THAT GUY??? seems suspiciously evil..). Thus, that is the connection to sports allowing me to write a story on it. And also the fact that she is Cintucky Zone's biggest cheerleader (I include cheerleading as a sport). In doing so, Carrie makes the biggest mistake of her life, and breaks many a man's heart (most importantly being mine).

I remember Carrie, so young and innocent, not yet looked upon by the polluted eyes of Hollywood, overflowing with natural beauty and pure talent. I remember seeing her in her first audition on American Idol (seen below, and really how can you not just love the girl after seeing that?).



It was this moment that I knew she would be a star, and that after a brief and confused period of engagement to aforementioned Mike Swisher, Carrie would stumble upon me via Cintuckyzone.blogspot.com and her life would be changed forever. After that first audition on American Idol, I could see the potential. You can even ask my roommates at the time (Coughcoughmyparentscoughcough). I predicted her to win from that very moment.

And now...now...what is there left to say?

If anyone hasn't seen the ring, then you haven't walked outside. I'm pretty sure we just lost a space station due to sun glare off the ring. You think he paid for that?


It really has been a crappy week. Chris Henry dies, Bengals lose, Steelers seem to find themselves right back in playoff contention, Carrie gets engaged...at this rate the Reds will have traded Joey Votto for a player to be named and John Wall will declare he's decided to play in Europe for the remainder of the year by the end of this week.

Alright well I better stop typing before my fiance starts reading this and she gets pissedhayapgya help agypa8yaghaal chokingapaiyay a**********...........*doghouse slamming*


-Greg "I love my fiance very much" Richter

UK Gets Win 2000!!

(When I think of UK basketball I envision this man, Mr. Wildcat Bill Keightley)

While tonight's win is ultimately just another W on the long trail to this season's ultimate goal, (a Final Four) to all UK fans, it is much more. Tonight's win is a landmark victory in the long running history of the greatest college basketball program in America, and is a symbol of a tradition of excellence that has been taking place at the University of Kentucky for over 100 years.

UK has certainly had its ups and downs. We fought through the Eddie Sutton era and NCAA sanctions that followed. We watched as Billy Gillispie made a mockery of our program. We've endured through the racial stabs at Rupp, and are constantly listening to the corruption jabs at Calipari. We've enjoyed the Comeback Cats, the Untouchables, and the Unforgetables. We've cheered for greats such as Dan Issle, Kenny Walker, Mike Pratt, Jake "Goose" Givens, Rex Chapman, Sam Bowie, Jamal Mashburn, Tony Delk, Tayshaun Prince, Keigh Bogans, and Patrick Patterson... among others. We've watched some of the best basketball minds to exist in Rupp, Hall, Pitino, and Smith lead us to championships. To sit here and attempt to summarize the history of the UK program would be an impossible task. One thing that is not impossible however is to recognize the constant factor that has been present from the beginning to the present: the fans.

A lot of terms are used when describing UK fans: Obsessive, Crazy, Passionate, Over-bearing, Knowledgeable, etc. Say what you want about us, but we are behind this program with a passion and heart that is unmatched. Constantly leading the nation in attendance the UK fans put the Jayhawk fans, the Cameron Crazies, and the wannabe's in Chapel Hill to shame. We travel across the nation to support the team and are constantly turning road games into home games. Madison Square Garden becoming Rupp Arena north a couple weeks ago is a perfect example that the Big Blue Nation truely is an amazing group of fans.

So while this win is a symbol of the history and tradition of the program, it should be looked as a compliment to the fans. Players will come and go. Coaches will come and go. Eras will come and go. The fans will always be here. The passion will always be here. And in forty years when we are celebrating win number 3,000 we will be able to look back at the history and smile. We can share stories with our friends and families about teams of the past. We can discuss and argue about the future, and we can appreciate the one constant and sure advantage that UK basketball will ALWAYS have over every other program in the nation.. the fans.

Big Blue Nation, this win is for you! Enjoy it!

Brian "proud member of the Big Blue Nation" Reinhart

Kentucky First to 2,000

The University of Kentucky Wildcats became the first NCAA basketball team to win 2,000 games with their 88-44 win over Drexel Monday night. John Wall scored 16 with 7 assists and Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins each donated 18 points with Cousins adding 13 rebounds.

Coach Cal commented after the game, "We weren't a part of many of those 2,000 wins and we had a job to do and that was drag us across the line before that other blue team got there, this is a special moment for this program and this state." That other team, UNC, is 8 behind at 1992 victories. Kansas is third at 1970, and the school that breeds blue pedophiles is 4th with 1876 wins.

We all knew the Wildcats would get to 2,000 this year, what is surprising is that they got there in 12 games after starting the season with 1988 wins. Kentucky is exceeding many peoples expectations early this year for what is a young team. If they are looking this dominating at this point in the year, I think it's safe to say that the Wildcats are hoping to make some serious noise come March.

Kentucky looks to improve it's record to 13-0 Wednesday against Long Beach State.

Congratulations to Kentucky and its fans!

-Greg "Looking for #8 this year" Richter

State of the Bengals; What Comes Next?

If I feel this down after the Bengals game, I can't imagine how the players must feel. Reinhart's already given you the details of the game, so there's no need for me to talk about the failures of the team this week. There's no need for me to talk about how Leon Hall got beat like a little f*cking red headed school girl all day long. There's no need for me to talk about how I've never witnessed a more embarrassing moment as a Bengals fan (even over drafting Akili Smith, or David Klingler, or having half the team arrested in the same year, or not having won a playoff game in 19 years, or losing 3 straight games in 2006 to miss the playoffs, or after sitting at 1-11-1 through 13 games last year, or knowing Mike Brown will be the owner of the Bengals until the day his will passes it on to his moron "I took persuasive speaking class in college so I know how to negotiate player's contracts" daughter, or I don't think this post has enough characters to continue the list) than when the Bengals, needing to respond after a Chargers TD, let the crowd get to them, committing a false start, and 2 delay of game penalties and then choosing to call a timeout on 1st and 25 from their own 5 yard line. Like they thought they could pick up those 25 yards. And then to top it off Palmer and Benson aren't on the same page and miss the handoff. I can honestly say sitting on my couch, I was beat red hoping that no one would see the Bengals shirt I had on. Just embarrassing. There's also no need for me to elaborate on Reinhart's suspicion that Benson is a f*cking pouting little v*gina who was cut from the Bears for good godd*am reason. Obviously he's pissed off that LJ is even dressed, why do you think he punched one of the Chargers players in the face and luckily got away with it? Why do you think he ran like a la'poose all game? The play on 2nd down where he went out of bounds a yard short of the first down, inexcusable. Don't want a guy like that on my team. End of story. I say cut him now, play LJ for the rest of the year, draft a RB who you can develop under LJ and take over in 2011. There's also no need for me to talk about: good god look what happens when you f*cking pass the ball Bratkowski: You score points. Unreal. There's also no need for me to talk about how playoff teams don't commit at least 8 penalties in a game for 5 weeks straight. There's also no need for me to talk about what a little f*cking piece of shit Phillip Rivers is. YOU THROW LIKE A GIRL!!!!! wow that guy makes you just want to jump through the screen and punch him straight in the face. He would probably just go cry to the referees though. Nor is there a need for me to talk about how much Nate Kaeding looks like Spencer Pratt (seriously anybody else notice that???). *

*For the record, my anger in the above comments comes from the fact that I just had to listen to probably the biggest moron that's ever walked the earth Phil Simms for the entire game. I have no worries about him reading my comments towards him because I have no doubt that he has zero ability to read. He's worse at his job than Matt Millen was.

OK, now that I've accidentally gone and discussed the game, back to the mental state of the team.

I'm hoping the Bengals didn't turn on the Steelers-Packers game to watch the Steelers pull some sh*t out of their a$$es. Just ruined my day even more. I don't really know how the Bengals can respond to this game. I can seem them just leaving their hearts on the field in San Diego for the rest of the year. The team hast to be completely emotionally drained at this point in the year. Whether it be the "cardiac cats" days earlier in the year against the division foes that had to be draining, or the death of Mike Zimmer's wife, or the death of Chris Henry, this team can't have much fuel left in the tank. Winning this game, clinching and ultimately getting a bye would've allowed the team a week off to recharge. Now, they have to really bring it next week against a Chiefs team that is not as bad as everyone thinks. And if they can't clinch the division next week, then they are forced to travel to play the final game in The Meadowlands in what is sure to be a fired up Jets team. At this point, the Ravens seem poised to run the table and finish 10-6. Could the Bengals top their 2006 team and lose the final 4 games to miss the playoffs? At this point, the Bengals just need to make sure they take their hearts back from San Diego.


-Greg "Phil Simms and Phillip Rivers jumped over Bob Bratkowski on my list of people I hate" Richter

GAMEDAY!!! Bengals vs. Chargers!!

(You're Welcome!)

RECAP
Well if everything below isn't enough for you let me just say that this one hurt. Badly. I can't remember being so invested in a Bengals game since the 2005 playoff game. I wanted this one bad and we came up just a bit short. Give the Bengals credit though. They had several chances to lay down and die, and they didn't do it. They fought till the very end and just came up short. I thought the coaches did a great job, and aside from the stupid penalties and a couple other dumb decisions, the players played a hell of a game. SD hasn't lost in December in 27 years.. or something, and they were at home. Great effort Bengals and I'm sure Henry would be proud. Hopefully we'll get another crack at them in the playoffs.

On another note: If you liked what we did today for the game let us know in the comments section. Too much? Let us know. And if you are enjoying the blog tell your family and friends!

- Brian "Cintucky sports are forcing me into a life of alcoholism. I think i like it." Reinhart

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4th Quarter

We need a miracle.
- Bengals have the ball and are looking at a 3rd and 6 after two going-through-the-motions Benson runs. Bad pass to the flats to Leonard. Bengals punt. I'll report this quarter, but don't expect much excitement.
- WOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!! Gates drops one right into LB Keith Rivers arms!!!! Bengals ball on the 33. Here is our chance!!!!!!!!!!!! MUST GET A TD!! BEAUTIFUL RUN BY OCHO DOWN TO THE 10!!!!! 1ST AND GOAL DOWN TO THE 2 TO THE FULLBACK JEREMY JOHNSON. COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 M*THER F*CKING TIME!!!!! TOUCHDOWN COLES!!!!!!!!!!! WERE BACK IN IT!!!!!! I will stop pouting now. We must go for 2 here. I know its early, but ya go for it in the 4th quarter here. RUN BY PALMER GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! BENGALS WITHIN 3!!! Eat that sh*t Norv!!!! Chargers 24, Bengals 21.
- So basically we gave them one w/ Palmer's pick, and they gave us one back w/ the Rivers to Rivers completion. Back to where we were at the beginning of the half. LETS GO D!!!!!!!!!!
- Chargers to start from the 20. Rivers to Jackson again.. for 15 this time. It's official. I hate Vincent Jackson. Illegal contact on Cincy after an 8 yard sack on 2nd and 18. We shoot ourselves over and over. Its hard to watch. Rivers to Floyd and they're into Cincy territory. DEFENSE WAKE UP! SD takes a time out w/ a HUGE 3rd and 6. Biggest down of the game so far for Cincy which is kind of a stupid comment since they only get bigger as the game goes on, but I'm going to say it anyway. So there. I need a shot. Ahhhh, thank you Mr. Jim Beam. Incomplete out of bounds. Huge stop for the Bengals. Chargers to punt. What else is new. God hates the Bengals and the ball bounces sideways out of bounds at the 5.

- We don't need to score here, but we must gain a few first downs to change the field position for the final drive. Although a score would be nice. Holding on first down. Shocking. GREAT CATCH BY FOSCHI TO MAKE UP FOR HIS HOLD!!! 1st down on the 24 and were out of jail. A couple of passes later and its 3rd and 4 from the 30 yard line. Brian Leonard anyone? Nope... over the middle to Cosby for the 1st!!!!! Keep it moving Bengals!!!! Palmer to Foschi and were out to the 50!!! Great job by Palmer stepping up and avoiding the rush on that completion. He looks relaxed. I do not. Completion to Benson for 12 more. Another beautiful job by Palmer moving out of the pocket. Completion to Benson and Palmer moves over 300 yards. Benson looks like he gives a sh*t now. 3:20 left in the game. BIG RUN BY BENSON FOR 12!!!! Looked like he was going to get stopped and BUSTED IT!! Down to the 20. False start on Cincy. It was almost going too well. Screen pass fumbled.. Palmer somehow recovered it but we lost 20. Back to the 45 yard line for 2nd and 35. 2 minute warning. Bengals need to worry about getting BACK into field goal range now. I can't take this sh*t. Time for another shot. 3rd and 30 coming up. Need about 10 for a realistic field goal try. CATCH BY COSBY TO THE 16!!! HUGE PLAY!!! Ok Graham, just make the field goal please. 34 yarder by Graham GOOD!!!

- We are all tied up with 54 seconds remaining. SD has no timeouts. I apologize for the length of that last paragraph but wow what an exciting drive! DO NOT KICK THE BALL TO SPROLES. Well they did, but it was deep enough for him to take a knee. SD at the 20. Here we go. Ut-oh. They completed a good one and got out of bounds with 8 seconds to go. 52 yarder from Kaeding, one of the best kickers in the league is...................................... perfect. Chargers lead 27-24.

Game over.

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3rd Quarter
- Bengals have the ball to start the half, and will do such from the 25. The Bengals have picked up a couple first downs, but one thing that looks off to me is Benson. I don't know if its the LJ presence, a lingering injury or what, but he appears hesitant and isn't running near as angry as he had been in the first half of the season. 10 yards worth of penalties stall the Bengals drive and force a punt. As usual they are stupid penalties: delay of game, illegal formation, etc.
- Huber puts it into the endzone, Rivers and company take over at the 20. A 3 and out here would be huge for the field position battle. 3rd and 11 for SD and the heat forces a bad Rivers throw. The crybaby is b*tching at the refs. Shocker. Does anyone whine and b*tch like a schoolgirl more than Rivers? There was the 3 and out I asked for. Great job by the D. As predicted the Bengals have GREAT field position and take over at midfield.
- Benson just ran out of bounds a yard short of the first down on 2nd down. Four weeks ago he takes the hit head on, gets the 1st down, pops up and does it again. Something isn't right with him. You heard it here first. Incomplete on 3rd. This one is on Benson's shoulders. As much as I would like to see us go for this we don't need to risk it. Keep winning the field position battle and try to pin them deep. SON OF A B*TCH. That should have been downed on the 1. Instead Johnson slips into the endzone for a touchback. Just pure bad luck.

- SD takes over on the 20. QB sneak on 3rd down that the Bengals stand up and it appears to be short. IT IS SHORT!!!! Chargers to punt. Big punt there, Cincy takes over around the 26.
- Jammer picks off Palmer on the first play of the drive. Could have been another 15 tacked on for a facemask. It felt like the Bengals were building some momentum and putting some things together and just like that TD to Vincent Jackson who is absolutely having his way with Leon Hall. Turnovers will kill you. End of story. SD has all the momentum in the world, and if the Bengals don't sustain a drive here they will be in serious trouble.
- Another false start. F*cking kill me now please. Delay of game. Seriously, kill me. Please? 1st and 25. Timeout Bengals. Ok screw you, I'll do it myself. Looking for rope. Palmer/Benson miscommunication and were looking at 3rd and 19. We have derailed. Just punt it now. Foschi for 9. Bengals punt. We needed a big one there and got a pretty good one. SD takes over at the 27.
- Tomlinson screen pass for a lot. Don't really care how many. 20 yards to Jackson who continues to sh*t on our secondary. Amazing break up by Leon Hall on the much taller Jackson on a perfect ball from Rivers. Chargers make the field goal. 24 - 13 SD.
- Cosby is a bad returner. He doesn't run hard. He doesn't hit the hole. He dances until he's tackled and it is f*cking infuriating. Bengals ball on the 25. End of the quarter.

What can you say about that quarter. It sucked. Chargers 24, Bengals 13.

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2nd Quarter
- Leonard is huge on 3rd down. Every game. The Bengals' offense is controlled, relaxed, and are making the plays when they need to. BOMB TO CHAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 50 YARDER HITS OCHO IN STRIDE!!!!!!!!!! What do ya know? Throw it long. Good things happen.
- Chad Ochocinco looks pretty emotional on the sideline. Tears coming off the field. You can tell that he is truly hurting and this means a lot to him. That catch takes him over 1,000 yards on the season, his 7th time doing that. Congrats, sir.
- The D is doing great against the run. Unfortunately when Rivers has time in the pocket, we can't stop him. We will need to bring pressure all day and live with the results. Hall and Joseph are doing everything they can on these huge Charger WR's. 3rd and 9 and we bring 8 guys!!! 8!! Perfect dial up by Zimmer causing the Joseph INT, which brings him to 6 for 1246 on catches this season. Bengals take over at the 25.
- After moving 14 yards in the wrong direction the Bengals complete one to Cosby on 3rd down and punt.
- Every time Sproles touches the ball I hold my breath. You just never know when he is going to break one. Chargers take over at the 28. The Rivers/Gates connection is starting to heat up. On a huge 3rd and 5, Rivers dumps it to Sproles in the flats for the first down. I guess we didn't learn jack sh*t from the first drive. 22 yarder from Rivers to Jackson for the TD. Perfect ball by Rivers as Hall got beat on a post-corner route. Chargers take a 14-10 lead.
- Bengals pick up a first down on a couple LJ runs, and will look to their 2 minute offense to take the lead before halftime. Big 26 yard run by LJ after the initial hole was covered. He slips inbounds though keeping the clock going. Carson to Coles for 20 more and the Bengals take a time out. Great job by LJ picking up the blitz. The Bengals had to burn a TO early in the game to save a delay of game penalty. Lets hope that doesn't bite us in the a$$ on this drive. Cincy drives it to the 7 and spikes it. 22 seconds left, 1 TO. Carson gets away with one on 2nd down. Jammer should have picked that one. Incomplete on 3rd and the Bengals will have to settle for another FG. Looked like a pass interference on the Chargers to me. Graham makes the 25 yarder with 7 seconds left in the half.

Solid first half for both teams. The real difference is Cincy having to settle for two FG's in the red zone instead of TD's. This game could easily be 21-14 but after that first drive by San Diego, I'll take a 14-13 deficit at the half.

Halftime: Chargers 14, Bengals 13

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1st Quarter
- They had a moment of silence before the game... very classy act on the part of San Diego, and I think I can speak for all Bengals fans when I say thank you. Broncos' WR Brandon Marshall is paying tribute to his friend by wearing "Henry" on the back of his jersey in place of his name.
- Phil Simms is calling the game. I hate my life.

- Opening Kickoff: Bengals kick to Sproles for God knows what reason. He takes it to midfield and was one leg tackle from going the distance.
- Tom Nelson is getting the start at safety for the Bengals. He is an undrafted rookie out of Illinois St. and was the last player to make the roster in training camp. Needless to say, the injuries to the Bengals secondary are starting to have an impact.
- San Diego drives it straight down our throat pounding the flats w/ LT, and caps it off with a three yard touchdown pass from Rivers to Gates. The D looked flat, didn't blitz, and showed zero heart. All week we wondered if they would come out with insane intensity to honor Henry, or if they would lay down due to their loss. That drive gave us our answer. Confirming this... just got a text from Greg: "This games over." We better find our heart... and fast.
- Nice return from Quan Cosby out to the 40. First play on offense we take a shot deep. Palmer over threw Caldwell, but he had a step on the corner, and I love the shot. HUGE pickup on 3rd down from Palmer to Caldwell. A 3 and out there would have been disastrous. Bengals get a bullsh*t chop block called on first, but after a long completion to Caldwell and a 3rd down pass to Chad, they make up for it and pick up the first down after first and 25. Solid drive from Cincy stalls out on the 10, but it was huge to get some points on the board. The 26 yarder by Graham is good.
- Big boot sends the kickoff out of the endzone. Return that Sproles. B*tch. Chargers take over at the 20. Johnathan Joseph is hitting people. Hard. Ask Malcolm Floyd's teeth if you don't believe me. COVERAGE SACK ON 3rd and 5!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great job by the defense. There was the heart we were looking for (The blitzes helped too as Rivers had to rush his 2nd down pass. Please keep this up Zim). Cosby fair catches the punt. Bengals ball at the 22.
- 2nd and 3 becomes 3rd and 13 after Benson misses a block and Palmer takes the sack. Nice RAC from J.P. Foschi to pick up the first down.

End of the 1st Quarter. Bengals have the ball. Chargers 7, Bengals 3.

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Today at 4pm our beloved Bengals carry their heavy hearts into San Diego to battle the Chargers who are led by ProBowl QB, and number 1 jacka$$ Phillip "Poor Man's Eli Manning who still hasn't been able to lead one of the most talented group of players to a Super Bowl" Rivers. As of today the 10-3 Chargers own the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs, while we would have #3. This means we wouldn't get the BYE that I think everyone watching this team knows we DESPERATELY need. A win today changes all of that and allows us to control our own playoff destiny. To say this game is huge, is a gross understatement.

San Diego will come fully loaded with a stout D, the soon to be Hall of Famer LT, and lightning in a bottle Darren Sproles. Keeping these two under control will dictate whether the Bengals stand a chance or not. Also look for Antonio Gates, who in my opinion is the best pure athlete in the NFL, to see a lot of double coverage today.

As mentioned above the game starts at 4pm. I will be doing quarter by quarter updates to keep you informed on all of the action so be sure to check back in at kickoff and throughout the game!!

Bengals In for An Emotional Battle

It will be a long flight to San Diego for the Cincinnati Bengals following the tragic death of WR Chris Henry. Although Henry was placed on season ending Injury Reserve following a dislocated forearm in the win over Baltimore, his presence on the team will be missed both on the field and in the locker room. By all accounts, it appeared as though Chris had finally gotten his life straightened out after multiple arrests and being cut by the Bengals. A tragic end to a life full of potential.

One thing has been clear since the Nov 8th game when Henry broke his arm: the Bengals offense greatly under-estimated it's ability to function without Chris Henry in the lineup. Even though Henry had only caught 12 balls on the year, his ability to stretch the field must have had a large impact on the way opposing defenses gameplan for the Bengals. Last week against Minnesota, the Bengals looked like a pee-wee team, only throwing the ball a maximum of 12 yards (give or take) not because they chose to, but because it appeared they physically couldn't get it any further than that. With word on the street that Jerome Simpson will be active and playing for the first time in a meaningful game, the Bengals seem ready to open up the downfield passing playbook again. Simpson should be plenty excited after having to wait his turn for almost 2 full seasons of busting his backside during practice and having nothing to show for it come Sunday.

The biggest question for Sunday is obviously the mental mindset that the Bengals will be in after Henry's passing. They will either come out 1 of 2 ways: 1) focused, angry, superhuman - the way they did after D-coordinator Mike Zimmer's wife suddenly passed prior to an important Raven's game., or 2) still caught up in the Henry tragedy and not fully focused and ready to get back to playing a game. You can't really blame them if they do come out downhearted. But seeing as they were preparing mentally for Henry's passing on Wednesday, I think it gives them a few days to cope, grieve, and bond together as a team. Had the accident happened Friday or Saturday before a Sunday game, in no way can I see a team being ready to go on Sunday. The team has since devoted the remaining season to both Henry and Zimmer's wife, thus leading to a very emotional ending to the season in the next few weeks. Personally, I think the Bengals will come out strong and united and ready to play for their fallen comrade.

No matter the Bengal's mindset, they are in for a tough Sunday against a team that hasn't lost a game in December since New Years Eve 2005. That is quite an impressive streak and shows they are a team that clearly knows how to finish the season strong. No one needs to be reminded of the importance of this game: 2nd seed in the playoffs and first round bye (Chargers will clinch if they win Sunday, Bengals will most likely still need to beat Chiefs and Jets). With the way the Bengals have been playing of late, the first round bye could be more important for the Bengals than any other team in the NFL right now.

Plain and simple, this game IS the Bengal's season. Can you imagine the mindset of this team if they lose to the Chargers? Coming off an embarrassing loss to Minnesota, having been hearing concerns from Bengaldom since the Raiders loss, losing a teammate mid-week to tragedy, and then losing their most important game of the season to the Chargers? If that happens, they will be lucky to wimper into the playoffs, with zero expectations following.

Here's to hoping the team comes out united Sunday

-Greg "Jerome Simpson go-route" Richter

Chris Henry in Serious Car Accident

Cincinnati Bengals WR Chris Henry has been in what is being called "an awful car accident" and is currently listed as having "very serious injuries." Henry has always been a top talent at WR, and finally appeared to get his act together this season before suffering a broken arm against the Ravens in week 9 ending. The Cintucky Zone's prayers and thoughts are with Henry and his family.

UPDATE: Word has came in that Chris Henry has passed away at roughly 9:30 AM this morning. His talent will be missed on the field, but what should be noted were his strides he took toward straightening out his life. Over the past 18 months he had stayed out of trouble, surrounded himself with caring and decent people, and appeared to be making an honest effort to prove to everyone that his past was behind him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Henry's family and friends, as well as the Bengals organization.

R.I.P Chris Henry (May 17, 1983 - December 17, 2009)

9 Questions From the Week That Was

Last week was one of the more exciting sports weeks in recent Cintucky memory. There were big games, big names, and plenty of action for all of the teams in the area. Whether you watched it all or missed a few things, we've got it all covered in our first installment of "Questions From the Week That Was."

No sense in keeping you waiting....

What do the three wins over UNC, UConn, and IU really mean?

In terms of this season, the three wins really don’t mean that much to me. They will help with our RPI come selection Sunday, they will provide a confidence boost to the team (which they would have either way), and they will allow us UK fans to talk more smack than before (which we would have done either way). They essentially proved what we already knew. The talent level is insanely high.

The true importance in the wins is that is proves that UK is back as one of the nation’s premier programs. Although Indiana is down, these are still 3 of the marquee programs in the NCAA, and in Tubby’s last years and during the Gillispie sh*tshow, we would have had no chance of running the table against such competition. Calipari has brought a sense of comfort to the UK fan base in that we feel we have a chance of winning every game we play. I couldn’t say that the previous 4 years.

Where is the love for Patrick Patterson?

Look, no one loves John Wall more than I do. I talk/think/write/argue about him every day, and can often be found perfecting my John Wall Dance in front of the mirror. He is the best player in college basketball, but PPatt is not very far behind. If I got to vote for National Player of the Year right now, it would go John Wall, Luke Harangody, and Patrick Patterson. (Note: Evan Turner from Ohio State would have been ahead of PPatt and Harangody had he not gotten hurt.)

Not only does he put up 17 and 10 a night (rounded to my preference), but he does so with minimal looks in the post. Most of his points have come off of transition finishes and that beautiful 15 footer he has developed. He is the defensive centerpiece and his leadership, behavior, and constant professional demeanor on and off the court can not be overlooked. Wall may be the face of the team, but Patterson is the heart. If this team were the TV show Seinfeld, Wall would be George, and PPatt would be Jerry. Big Cuz would obviously be Kramer.

How does Bob Bratkowski still have a job?

In hopes that someday Bratkowski will stumble upon this site after googling himself and want to take a read I’ll address this towards him. You, sir, are terrible at your job. Every week, you do at least 3 or 4 things that make absolutely no sense. You refuse to throw the ball deep, and insist that a power running game will be enough to win. Well, it wasn’t enough to win against the Raiders, it was barely enough to beat Cleveland and Detroit, and sure as h*ll wasn’t going to cut it against the Vikings. Listen up you over-the-hill, game has passed you by, trainwreck of an offensive coordinator: YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO PASS AND RUN TO BEAT GOOD TEAMS!

Is that concept really that hard to understand? It is painfully fascinating how for years the passing game was the heart of our team and now that we have a defense to go with it, we insist on playing this clock controlled slugfest of a game that, yes, will win against crappy teams with no heart, but doesn’t stand a chance against complete teams.

If our QB was David Garrard or Jake Delhomme, or someone equally as sh*tty, then I could understand our methods. In case you haven’t noticed Bratkowski, we have Carson Palmer.. a Pro-Bowler who throws one of the best deep balls in the league. Let him air it out every now and then. If nothing else it will keep defenses honest. I am tired of seeing opposing safeties jump our 15-20 yard routes because they know there is NO threat of a deep pass. Get your head out of your a$$ Bratkowski.

Will a draft error ultimately be the undoing of this Bengals team?

To expand upon the previous statements, it would be a whole lot easier to throw a bomb every now and then if we had a legitimate deep threat. This in no way excuses Bratkowski’s game managing, but is a point that should be made nonetheless. Who recognizes the name Jerome Simpson? Who recognizes the name DeSean Jackson?

Jackson would be the speedy receiver/return man, that is leading Philly’s offensive this season. Jackson is having a Pro-Bowl season with 947 receiving yards, and 7 TD’s with three games to go. He will easily eclipse the 1,000 yard mark in only his second year. Just for fun lets compare careers. DeSean Jackson has 1859 receiving yards, 9 receiving TD’s, and 3 return TD’s. In that same amount of time, Jerome Simpson, the guy that Mike Brown selected ahead of Jackson has 1 catch for 2 yards. I swear, you can’t make this sh*t up.

So what’s the big deal? Teams miss on players all the time. Especially the Bengals. The big deal is that Jackson was the clear 100% number 1 receiver in the 2008 draft. Simpson was a no name player from a no name college that just happened to be a physical specimen. This pick was not nearly as publicized as the Heyward-Bey over Crabtree pick from Oakland this season, but may end up actually being worse. Thank you, Mike Brown. Your horrible decision (one of many) has officially come back to bite us in the a$$. I’ve said it many times, and will say it again, any success this team has deserves to go to Lewis and Zimmer (the DC), and regardless of what happens, this franchise will be better without Brown.

Will the XU/Cincy Crosstown Shootout go down as one of the most exciting games this season?

Hell yeah it will! Most people probably missed it because it was shown on ESPNU, and that is unfortunate. This rivalry may not be as well known as UNC/Puke or UK/UofL, but it is just as heated, and just as exciting. Between the two near brawls, the constant barking between players and coaches, the two overtimes, and big play after big play, this game will go down as one of the year’s best.

A few thoughts on the teams and players: Lance Stephenson is one of the 5 best freshmen in the country. He is also one of the 5 dumbest. Just shut your mouth, play the game, and learn how to pass the ball. Jordan Crawford is a gun. He may get his points, but he’s going to need volume to do so. 16 points on 16 shots isn’t going to get it done. Jason Love and Yancy Gates are two absolute beasts. Terrell Holloway won that game for Xavier, and his 26 points, including 11-11 from the FT line should go down as one of the better games this season. Congrats to XU and their fans for a huge win against a very tough opponent.

What is wrong with the UofL basketball team?

Pitino teams are notorious for starting slow, but this year has taken it to a whole new level. It is easy to blame Pitino’s off-season on the team’s struggles but I don’t think that’s the problem. The problem as I see it is simple: There is a lack of talent on the team. Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of solid players, but up and down the line up there isn’t one guy who can create his own shot, minus the freshman Siva.

The center, Samuels is undersized for his position, and does not have a go to post move. It’s easy to score when you are getting open dunks/layups because other teams were double teaming Clark and T-Will. His lack of any real post skill has been evident this year. He is also extremely soft. Need proof? Look at his rebounding numbers. Rebounding is all about toughness and effort, two things Samuels thinks he can do without.

Jerry Smith looks slow, Knowles looks solid but not unstoppable, and Swopshire, Jennings, and Delk are nothing more than role players. The freshmen look promising but aren’t close to being there yet. Finally that leaves Edgar Sosa. Anyone that knows me knows that my hate for Sosa is.. extent.. to say the least. Putting that hate aside, it is simply time for UofL fans and anyone else who hasn’t noticed yet to realize that he is not a top level talent. Sosa has game, but to think that a team can win with Edgar “I’ve been ridiculously over rated my whole career” Sosa as your best player, is ridiculous.

Pitino is a great coach, and should have this team playing competitive basketball by the end of the season, but judging on talent alone this is a Sweet 16 team at best, and a possible NIT team if they don’t shape up soon.

Is Brian Kelly a piece of sh*t?

Yes. Next question.

Who will replace Kelly at UC?

There have been a lot of rumblings that Mike Zimmer, current Defensive Coordinator for the Bengals, may be interested in the job. All Bengals fans really need to pray that Zimmer stays. Seriously, go do it now. I’ll wait.

Ok now that we’ve all joined together to keep the best DC the Bengals have had in 20 years where he belongs lets move on to the other candidates. UC has kept it pretty quiet, but speculation would lead toward Butch Jones out of Central Michigan, Skip Holtz (son of now insane Lou Holtz) from East Carolina, Al Golden from Temple, or they could stay in house and go with assistant coach Kerry Coombs, or OC Jeff Quinn. My money is on Holtz or Combs. If they decide to go outside the team, Holtz is an obvious choice with clear pedigree. If they want to stay inside the team I think Coombs gets the nod over Quinn, despite the fact that he was coaching high school football at local powerhouse Colerain only 2 years ago.

Could this week possibly be as exciting as last week in the world of Cintucky sports?

Doubtful. Last week was nuts for Cintuckians, and was a great example of why we all love sports so much. While this may be a slower week there should still be plenty of action to wet your appetite as UC has a match up with UAB and UL plays Oral Roberts on Wednesday. On Saturday we have the intrastate match up between WKU and Louisville. Also on Saturday, Xavier takes on the #17 Butler Bulldogs, and the UK Wildcats play Austin Peay in an attempt to move within 1 game of 2,000 all time wins. All of this leads us up to the Bengals HUGE match up against the Chargers that could go along way towards determining playoff seeding. Be sure to check back in daily for all of your Cintucky previews, recaps, and everything in between.


Brian “seriously.. Kelly is a d!ck” Reinhart

Report Card: F-

It has now been approximately 30 hours (to the minute ,approximately) since I knew the Bengals did not show up in Minneapolis planning to win. After being penalized on the first 2 plays of the game, it left me wondering how exactly the Bengals are not in 4th place in the AFC North, let alone plan to make the playoffs, let alone plan to win a playoff game for the first time in 19 years.

No need to give the details of the game, it started ugly, it looked ugly in the middle, and it ended even uglier. Much of the speculation in the last 30 hours of panic in Bengaldom has been about 3 things: Is Carson's arm alright?, are the wide receivers really that bad at getting open?, and is there really such a person as Bob Bratkowski or is it just a mannequin sitting in a booth upstairs?

Trying to address all of these:
If there is actually something wrong with Carson's arm, we would know about it. It would leak somehow. Someone would open their big mouth and decide to break the news to the Cintucky Zone writers. But really, they practice throwing the ball deep, so we know he can physically do it. To me, a lot of the problem deals with the O-line. I'm so tired of hearing how great this line is and how Whitworth is having a probowl year (the same people would say "well he blanked Jared Allen on Sunday"). Yes they havent given up a ton of sacks, but that's due to holding penalties and Carson dumping it to Daniel Coats 10 times a game hoping ole brick hands can magically transform into an athletic TE.

Another problem is the 2 wide set. Anybody remember the last time the Bengals went 4 wide? I don't even think they do it on Hail Mary's. Lets make it a simple math problem (that I think even a mannequin would be able to do): 2 wide recievers vs 2 cb's + 2 safeties + 2 LB's dropping back = 6 vs 2. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET OPEN OFTEN WHEN BOTH WIDE RECEIVERS ARE TRIPLE COVERED. Pretty simple stuff folks. I would love to see the numbers on how much more successful they are at passing in a 3 wide set vs 2 wide. (Would LOVE to see the same numbers for Peyton & Brees).

Question: did Coles even play yesterday? I don't remember hearing his name once, seeing the ball thrown to him once, or seeing him make any sort of play (I'm sure Marvin would say he is a great leader on and off the field and is worth 7 million dollars a year to simply block well). Get used to that for the next 3 years folks.

If anyone didn't hear what Boomer Esiason said about the state of the Bengals (through ripping Chad, which I don't completely agree with), as Geoff Hobson reports, "“As a wide receiver he’s the number one fined wide receiver in football, but he's 19th in receptions,” said Esiason as he ripped The Ocho on the CBS pregame show. “This guy is no longer a Pro Bowl player. He's an absolute sideshow. He's an embarrassment to the franchise. The other aspect to all of this, you would think Marvin Lewis would have enough of it, sit him down and deactivate him. But Marvin Lewis can't. Any coach who has ever coached in Cincinnati, any player who has ever played in Cincinnati, knows who runs the franchise. It's Mike Brown. Mike Brown will never allow Marvin Lewis to sit down the sideshow that is Chad Ochocinco. It's a shame, because they're having a great season ... but in this particular situation, just an absolute reminder of what a sideshow Chad Ochocinco has become.”

Just another sad reminder of the state that we Bengals fans perpetually live in. Like Mike Brown's little puppets...

But alas, enough about the failures of yesterday, this week against the Chargers is shaping up to be as important a game the Bengals have played this year.

Its good to see that the Bengals think this weeks game is important, because as one Bengal said Sunday, "“Today wasn’t going to help you all that much because it was against an NFC team, It still comes down to next week no matter what happened.”

It was clear from early on yesterday, this sentiment was shared throughout the team.


Greg "I can pick plays from Super Tecmo Bowl and they would be better calls that what comes from Bob Bratkowski" Richter