Bucs get the Bengals by the tail

By Tre Hutcherson  |   Monday, October 16, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Cincinnati Bengals
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

This week the Cincinnati Bengals headed to Florida. Warm Sunshine. Soft, sandy Gulf Coast beaches. Tanned, beautiful women. Mickey Mouse and Disney World. And, oh yeah, a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

When this contest appeared on the schedule before the start of the season, it was set to be a matchup of the 2005 AFC North and NFC South Division Champions.

At a quarter way through this season the Bengals, off to a fast start, saw this game against the hapless Bucs as nothing more than a speed bump on the way to bigger and better things.

Scouting reports and game film exposed a Buccaneer team that had a lot of weaknesses to exploit. Among the most noticeable of the defects was the team's overall inexperience on the offensive side of the ball. Bengals defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan must have seen plenty of ways to shake up the Tampa Bay attack. But it turned out the Bengals' defense looked like the inexperienced unit.

For Tampa, rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski was starting only his second game. Rookie offensive linemen Davin Joseph and Jeremy Trueblood are also getting on-the-job training, both starting on the right side of the line, just months after Draft Day. Even go-to guys RB Cadillac Williams (second year) and WR Michael Clayton (third year) are still young.

The poised youngsters kept cool and played evenly with the Bengals all afternoon. Williams gained 94 yards on 19 carries and busted off a couple of long runs for 18 and 38 yards. Gradkowski scrambled, rushed and hit short passes all day, doing just enough to keep the Buccaneers close. After two solid games by the rookie out of Toledo, head coach Jon Gruden appears likely to fall in love with the scrappy competitor and forget all about the Bucs' regular starting QB, Chris Simms, who is out with a spleen injury.

The best testament to the quarterback's composure was the 54-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that put the Buccaneers ahead 14-13 and gave them their first win of the season.

With no help from the referees, the Bengals' defense was unable to keep the Bucs out of the end zone. A personal foul by DE Justin Smith for slamming Gradowski's head to the ground on a sack that kept the Bucs' hopes alive and improved their field position tremendously. Then came a controversial fourth-and-3 catch by Clayton that was initially ruled incomplete on the field was overturned by referee Mike Carey after video review.

The replay showed that Clayton controlled the ball with two hands, dove forward and made a "football move" by holding the ball over the goal line, before it was forced out of his hands by impact with the ground inside the end zone. He had possession, the ground can't cause a fumble -- touchdown.

After the Bucs went up by one, the Bengals only had a few seconds to get upfield and were only able to attempt a 62-yard field goal. Of course, that attempt ultimately scuttled off kicker Shayne Graham's foot to the right as time ran off the clock.

Although some of the refs' calls at the end of the game may have been questionable for Bengals fans, the eventual outcome over the final four minutes of the game magnified a much larger question: How were the Bucs able to keep it so close?

Yes, the Buccaneers' youngsters on offense held their own, but it was the oldsters on defense that really stepped up. After four games, the Bengals' offense had been averaging 25 points per game, so keeping their stars to a touchdown and two field goals was quite a feat.

Gruden had personally challenged the defensive line earlier in the week, calling several players out by name and remarking that he expected more from them. The unit responded to the challenge. QB Carson Palmer never really looked comfortable in a ho-hum performance, and the Bengals were held to just three yards rushing in the first half and 53 yards total on the ground for the entire game. Standout RB Rudi Johnson was never a factor, averaging just 3.1 yards on 17 carries.

The stellar defensive performance also contributed to the Bucs' winning the advantage in time of possession, with 35 minutes to 25.

Stout defense and a ball-control offense were the two factors that did the Bengals in against Tampa Bay. In four out of their five games this season, the Bengals have lost the time of possession battle. This could play out as a big problem for them as the season moves on. If the high-powered offense isn't on the field, it can't score points.

Both Rudi Johnson and WR Chad Johnson need to be more heavily concentrated on to move the sticks, and the Bengals must prove they can sustain a drive against teams that have a good defense. If not for a botched fumble on a punt by the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the season, this Bengals team could very easily be in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

The main problem right now is the offensive line. Already shuffled up more than a deck of cards at a Vegas poker table and missing its leader, center Rich Braham, injury was added to insult in the Bucs game as tackle Levi Jones went down with a hurt knee in the second quarter, leaving the already decimated group with another hole to fill.

While fans watched Johnson & Johnson celebrate in the end zone time and again in 2005, few realized that it was the O-line, considered by some to be the best in the NFL, which created so many opportunities for them to get there. This is a glaring shortcoming that, in truth, has no quick fix; the reserves need to play better or there will be difficulties all season long.

The Bengals' offense only looked sharp during a second-quarter touchdown drive in which it ran the no-huddle. In keeping the Bucs on their heels and limiting defensive substitutions, Cincy slightly resembled the offensive juggernaut that fans are used to seeing. It would be in the team's best interest to incorporate more of this into its game plan, because it was very effective for the brief time it was used.

Aside from the no-huddle, another bright spot for the Bengals was the play of their defensive rookies. CB Johnathan Joseph had a good outing, playing well despite dropping one or two interceptions. LB Ahmad Brooks led the team in tackles and DT Domata Peko was all over the field.

In fact, it was boneheaded personal fouls by veteran defensive ends Robert Geathers and Justin Smith that gave the Buccaneers extra offensive opportunities. Uncharacteristic mistakes that coach Marvin Lewis is sure to address this week in practice.

In all it was a subpar performance that you might be able to overlook, if not for the fact that the Carolina Panthers are on their way into Cincy. They play a similar but better version of football the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team just used to beat the Bengals.

Tough defense and ball-control offense.

A formula that the Cincinnati Bengals have not yet shown they can overcome in 2006.

Get more Cincinnati Bengals analysis at RealFootball365.com
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report