Hey, no one said all of the blog entries had to come after glorious wins, and today’s is the classic example of that. Raiders 20, Bengals 17, and my team of choice has no one to blame but themselves. Costly turnovers late, another bad snap on a field goal, and a very sloppy game are very simple things to blame. Yes, these all could have been overcome if Andre Caldwell holds onto the ball, but face it, he’s won us two games this year with his late game catches, and sadly, he didn’t come through today.
No panicking though, the 1988 Super Bowl team did lose to the Chiefs, a team that ended up 4-11-1. So, this does happen, the question is the resiliency, and making sure they bounce right back.
Other game thoughts:
* No one by the name of Bruce Gradkowski should ever look comfortable in the pocket, but the Bengals did not get any pressure on him today. No, he wasn’t great, but even bad QB’s not named Jamarcus Russell can play well when they get all day to throw.
* Bernard Scott had himself a very nice day, and I’m glad to see it. With all the Larry Johnson talk this week, even though we know he won’t play much, it’s good to get a 100 yard game out of this very promising rookie to make sure the conversation is put away. He’s a solid #2 back and kick returner now, and should get plenty of opportunity to showcase both, good for him!
* Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler are absolutely awesome kickers, but Lechler’s beard is horrible. Sorry, just stating it as I see it.
Other NFL thoughts:
* Not much sympathy for the Browns losing, but that is a tough way to do it. More importantly, Matt Stafford just elevated himself in my book for coming back out for that last throw. It was probably balsy and stupid, but if you make the play, you deserve the credit for toughing it out. Well done, Matt, consider the respect given.
* Thank goodness for the sake of the Bengals that the Steelers, the Browns, and the Ravens also lost, and all in close and sometimes devastating fashion. At 7-3, the Patriots and the Chargers are right there at the top of their divisions all vying for the #2 seed and the bye. The Bengals-Chargers game could well be an elimination game for that provided that they do not stumble, and the Pats need to win tough road games against the Saints and Dolphins or risk falling out of that race. Oh yeah, the Texans loom at the end, and they may well be fighting for a Wild Card.
Oh wait, it’s Week 12! Time to can this and move to next week!
