Posted by ESPN.com James Walker
Thanks again for all the reader mail. Sorry I can't get to everyone.
Send all of your questions and comments here.
Jessica from Columbus writes: How likely is it that Quinn would start against the Giants this Monday?
James Walker: There's no chance of Brady Quinn starting Monday, Jessica. Derek Anderson is the starter, but that doesn't guarantee he will finish. Anderson is in the "hot seat," if you will. The Browns sat through four subpar games and now that the team is rested and healthy, Anderson really needs to perform well enough every week to keep his job. The Giants provide a tall task to accomplish that goal, as we've pointed out before.
Derick Young from Casper, WY writes: Mr. Walker, in the next Pittsburgh game @ Cincinnati do you think the Bengals have a chance? The Steelers defense is playing very well and the Bengals #31 offense against the #2 defense. That is a land slide meeting. Parker should be back by then and Parker has ran for 126+ yards in 5 of 7 games vs the Bengals. How can they win if they can not stop Parker what so ever? Thanks JW
James Walker: Thank you, Derick. I've noticed you're one of the more vocal people in our AFC North community. I like your style. I don't think there's much of a chance the Steelers lose to the Bengals coming off a bye. The way Pittsburgh pressures the quarterback and runs the football offensively is simply an awful matchup for Cincinnati. Plus the Steelers should be a much healthier team two weeks from now. There could be a "look ahead" factor in play for Pittsburgh, with the New York Giants upcoming on Oct. 26. But I've gathered that this is a very mature group in spending a lot of time around the Steelers since training camp.
Matthew from Baltimore writes: James, in your opinion did Terrell Suggs rough Kerry Collins in the 4th quarter or did referee Bill Carollo blow this call?
James Walker: Matt, the only opinions that matter are those of the officiating crew. But to answer your question, there is a difference between a "bad call" and a "blown call." I believe the flag called on Suggs was definitely a bad call. But to say it was a blown call indicates the referee saw something that absolutely never took place. There was minimal contact involved, especially compared to most personal foul penalties. The referee should have held the flag but those situations are very subjective. The most unfortunate part is it came at a crucial point of the game. It would have much less noticeable in the first half.
Ryan from Columbus, OH writes: James, I think you do a great job covering the entire AFC north division, always enjoy the column. I was wondering if you could shed some light on how the Bengals pass protection has gotten so bad all of the sudden? It seems that they have pretty much the same line back from last year that did a great job of protecting palmer. How so bad so fast?
James Walker: Thanks, Ryan. It was a combination of age and scheme that signified the drop off in Cincinnati. When Carson Palmer was still developing in first few years as a starter, the Bengals were a power running team with Rudi Johnson. The passing game provided the offense great balance and Cincinnati developed into a playoff contender. Then at some point in the past two years, age started catching up to key players such as Johnson, and tackles Levi Jones and Willie Anderson and they were no longer able to run the ball with the same consistency. The loss of Eric Steinbach was a big blow, also. The passing game was still very good because of Palmer and the receivers. But the Bengals have become predictable and one dimensional the past two seasons, which allows opponents to tee off on the quarterback.
Alex from Burlington VT writes: Do you think the Brown's have proved anything? It seems all they've really shown is the ability to beat the weak Bengals WITHOUT Carson Palmer? Is there any hope?
James Walker: There's always hope, Alex. But the odds are against the Cleveland Browns turning things around. They have a tough schedule overall and play the hottest team in the league this week in the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants (4-0). A 1-4 start would all but end any postseason hopes the Browns had coming into the season.
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