SportsNation Blog ArchivesSN Blog Archives Cincinnati Bengals

Brad Childress gets Brett Favre and quickly ends up with a hefty contract extension. Lovie Smith gets Jay Cutler and finds people wondering if he'll soon be unemployed. Some guys have all the luck. Nevertheless, the Bears enter Sunday's showdown against the Eagles just one game off the wild-card pace, despite losing their past two. And Cutler's old team in Denver has lost three in a row and may be without Kyle Orton against the Chargers this week. One SportsNation blogger thinks Cutler is still the right guy for the Bears, but does his new team or his old team need a win more this week?

Comment »

Cincinnati was getting so close to the top of the football world, you just knew the city's football karma would find a way to catch up with it.

The Cincinnati Bearcats beat West Virginia Friday to remain perfect on the season, and while Ohio State may be headed for the Rose Bowl, 64 percent of SportsNation thinks the state's best college team resides southwest of Columbus. Add to that the Bengals, who knocked off the Steelers Sunday to complete a season sweep against their AFC North rivals and leave coach Marvin Lewis with a season-best 92 percent approval rating.

So yeah, clearly the perfect guy to add to such gridiron harmony is Larry Johnson. The disgruntled former Chiefs running back is reportedly close to signing with the Bengals as insurance for Cedric Benson, who left the game against the Steelers with a hip injury.

cincinnatiboy23

all i care about this guy is..can he get 6 yards on 1st down. and can he convert a 3rd and 3. thats it. He has a chance to be the newest castoff among the Bengals. Like the rest of them, he'd be stupid not to make the best of it

-- cincinnatiboy23

Comment »

SportsNation would rather have Peyton Manning than Tom Brady dating their sister, but the roles are reversed if a wingman is called for. Maybe it's time to have the quarterback beauty contest settled on the field.

In the other big rivalry game of the week (no, not Chiefs-Raiders), Chad Ochocinco is winning the PR war (and food fight) for the Bengals, but fans favor the Steelers.

Comment »

The NFL regular season is already at the halfway point, but if you expected the first half to offer enough clues to give away the ending, you've been spending too much time reading Dan Brown novels. Even when it comes to the Saints, undefeated and scoring at will, SportsNation can't decide if their late bursts are evidence of a great closer or a vulnerable starter. A pair of bloggers took opposite sides in discussing their Power Rankings.

And you can see how SportsNation's Power Rankings have shifted from the start of the season through the quarter mark and now the halfway mark.

Scott (Reno, NV)

Saints or Colts. Who is the better better team right now?

Gary Horton
Gary Horton

I think the Saints are, not by a lot. I think they're solid on both sides of the ball. They can throw the ball and win. They can run the ball and win. They can play solid defense. Even when they don't have their A game, they're good enough to win and they're almost impossible to beat at home. The thing about the Colts is that even though they've played respectable defense, especially in the secondary, that they just don't have a big margin for error. I just worry about them wearing down and good offenses exploiting them at the end of the season. For them to win, Peyton Manning has to be perfect. Over the long haul over the second half of the season, I worry about the depth of Indy, especially at the end of the season. Full transcript

Comment »

It's been nearly two months, and if you listen closely, you can still hear Gus Johnson's call lingering in the air. Brandon Stokley's miracle catch and touchdown run handed the Broncos a Week 1 win against the Bengals. At the time, it seemed like it might be the last we heard from either team. Instead, it's the play that continues shaping the AFC race behind the unbeaten Colts.

But after the Broncos tumbled to a second consecutive defeat against one of the Bengals' AFC North rivals, this time the Steelers on Monday Night Football, there are four conference teams at 6-2. Are the recipients of that opening week miracle the weakest of the bunch?

Here's how SportsNation has called the AFC West race at various points this season.

steelerstylee

What surprised me so much last night was how TIRED the Broncos defense looked by the end of the third quarter. At that elevation, wasn't Pitt's D supposed to be tired. Any way, I think against really physical defenses you just have to be able to throw the ball deep once in a while. Once the Steeler D realized Orton wasn't going to go down field, LeBeau just started dialing up blitzes.

-- SteelerStylee
sonnydrysdale

Denver is 6-2 not 2-6, every team faces adversity it's how you respond. I am not a Bronco's fan but you people need a little faith. Your team lost to the roughest playing teams in the NFL. All is not lost, hang in there

-- SonnyDrysdale

Comment »

What does Tony Romo have to do to catch a break? Wait, poor choice of words. Romo should be breathing easy these days. Criticized heavily during the Cowboys' slow start -- he had slipped all the way to No. 17 in SportsNation's quarterback rankings as recently as Oct. 12 -- Romo bounced back with three great games in a row. By Monday, he was back up to the cusp of the top 10 at the position in SportsNation's eyes. Enter Roy Williams, who managed the seemingly impossible feat of handing a popularity contest to Terrell Owens.

SportsNation says Romo isn't a leader, but one blogger is ready to follow him to a win against the Eagles.

Comment »

Hidden beneath the layers of Shakespearean drama involved in Brett Favre's return to Lambeau Field to face the boos and settle scores with Ted Thompson, there's a reasonably important division game on tap Sunday in Green Bay. With the Bears skidding and the Lions, well, still the Lions, the Vikings could put the kind of distance normally reserved for month-old Limburger between themselves and the Cheeseheads. SportsNation is picking the visitors to get it done, and one blogger thinks this could be the beginning of the end.

Comment »

You know that old adage about "The bigger they are, the harder they fall"? In our athletic experience, it's usually been "the bigger they are, the more it hurts when they tackle you", but sometimes, the old sayings actually hold true. Defensive stars Kris Jenkins (of the Jets) and Antwan Odom (of the Bengals) are out for the season, which can't be good news for either of their squads. It's already been a tough week for the Jets; not only did they fall to the lowly Bills, but 60 percent of SportsNation thinks they're frauds. Cincinnati isn't faring much better. Most of SportsNation sees the 4-2 team playing golf once playoff time comes around.

In happier news, the Broncos remain undefeated, and can rest on their 6-0 (!) record happily during their bye week. Or, they can steam over the following bulletin board material: out of all the unbeaten teams, they're the ones that get no respect.

Comment »

It only took a couple of wins for fans like MSJC36 to accept Josh McDaniels. The other fan bloggers (if you ignore the Broncos' true rivals) are grudgingly coming around, too.

On the spectrum opposite the undefeated, 0-5 despair translated to draft dreams.

Rush Limbaugh's role in a bid for the Rams drew spirited response (click through below if you think there's still something to add to this debate), Terrell Owens trade rumors involved multiple teams and the UFL even got a cursory look from fans.

These are the best NFL fan blogs posted on ESPN.com this week. Click through to respond to win-starved fans or a post about your favorite team.

Week 6 predictions: Jbreaux2 | Feldman9000

Broncos

Break up the Broncos. Who would have thought that Josh McDaniels would have the Denver Broncos with a 5-0 record? With all the offseason and preseason drama, it seemed at first that McDaniels was doing a good job at alienating his team.

-- Goldbrick4
Raiders

Don't come in here with your 'we're 5-0, WHHEEEEE, WHHHHOOOOO" record trying to impress. You're 5-0. Good job. The season is still early.

-- Jack London220
Vince Young

I understand that Tennessee is 0-5, but putting in Vince Young at this point is more than just hitting the panic button; it's the equivalent of initiating a self-destruct sequence.

-- afjumpman23
Colts

Of all the undefeated teams, if the Bears were forced to play one of them, I'd hate for them to play the Colts right now. That team is almost impossible to stop.

-- The Mini Ditkas

Team Blogs
Bengals: sharar09 | Browns: Carmentrout56 | Enochdawg | Chiefs: WarrioroftheChiefsGridiron | Sports Page Network | Cowboys: MoAz2213 | Dolphins: I am Ron Burgandy | Giants: Aquaman8888 | Jets: Goldbrick4 | Patriots: llittlewoz81 | Raiders: JaRader Hater2 | Redskins: Aquaman8888 | Steelers: JoeRevs300 | Titans: ChrisLo26

More
Apology to Brett Favre: 6burghsteelers1 | Fantasy: Dargo7777 | Hall of Fame: partofwhatswrong | October the best month: owenjs33 | Rush Limbaugh: adam_keefe_fan | jschreier18 | benrey23 | Eyvonne1953 | Terrell Owens trade rumors: mikeywhtsox1 | JCorreia08 | Trash talk: Goldbrick4 | Twitter: gweitz11 | UFL: mikeywhtsox1 | Willie Parker: JoeRevs300

Week 5 reaction
Tomahawk27488 | orionben666 | cjmeares

Comment »

SportsNation TV: Wednesday

October 14, 2009
Oct
14

Neither Michelle Beadle nor Colin Cowherd will be traded by the "SportsNation" TV producers before next week's deadline.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).

Adrian Peterson Is there any downside to Adrian Peterson saying he wants "all the records"?
It's not like defenses don't have his number circled. The Vikings RB already has 481 yards and seven TDs this season (3,582 and 29 for his career).

Jimmy Clausen Is Jimmy Clausen a legitimate Heisman candidate?
The Notre Dame quarterback has thrown for more than 300 yards in all but one game this season and 12 TDs to only two interceptions.

Tony Dungy If all were interested, which coach would you most want to hire?
Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan all have rings. Would one of them turn around your woeful franchise or take your team to a title?

Georges Laraque Are you offended by ads featuring scantily clad women?
Montreal Canadiens enforcer Georges Laraque has apologized for an alcohol ad in which he appears playing street hockey.

Bears Should the Bears have gotten more out of Kyle Orton and Cedric Benson?
The ex-Bears quarterback is 5-0 in Denver. The ex-Bears RB leads the league in rushing. Does their success reflect poorly on their former team?

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Comment »