Preseason Fever: Catch it!
Preseason Bengals games typically have all the relevance of “last call” in a dry county or “I’ll start my diet when I get to Georgetown” to a fat lazy #1 ’09 Bengals draft pick. Typically they don’t mean squat.
But with all the changes in the Bengals passing game this year, these preseason games might be meaningful. Maybe. Kinda sorta.
Or at least there is a greater probability that when Carson drops back to pass this preseason, there is a lot to be learned about the guys in stripes on the field with him– particularly the new faces in the receiving corps. Even though they’re getting their timing and their reps in Georgetown, whoever is on the other end of #9′s passes is advised to make an impression during the exhibition games–all 5 of them.
As improbable as it seems, the Bengals open the 2010 NFL exhibition season against the annoyingly smug Dallas Cowboys Sunday night. While it might be too early to villify the hated Cowboys, let’s not forget that the nation will be watching this game closely. Maybe. Kinda sorta.
In case you need a non-football reason to tune in Sunday....
Why? There will be a lot of people who will tune in specifically to see the Chad & T.O. dual, becasue they just can’t get enough narcicism from their respective reality TV shows. Some people will be watching because it’s Sunday night and they have to get up early and face their boss the next morning. And nothing delays that reality better than beer, NFL football and unknown draftees– even in early August. Maybe. Kinda sorta.
Of course, the drama doesn’t stop with the Bengals passing game. As Hard Knocks showed us last year, there is a lot more going on in August than just making the plays in practice and performing during the preseason games. It often comes down to numbers by position.
For example, look at the Bengals wide receivers. With the addition of TO the Bengals have 10 wideouts on the roster; they will likely keep 6. Which of the four will get axed? Will we still have our favorite Oddbounces whipping boy, Jerome “I Don’t Live In Springfield” Simpson around for another season while he “gets comfortable with the speed of the game and learns the offense.” Child Please!
Will Jerome Simpson even get the chance to pad his career stats in 2010?
Buh-bye Jerome. Nighty night, gimpy Matt Jones. We’ll know how healthy Antonio Bryant is sooner than later, and we’ll likely lose a couple of Bengals from the ”All Name Team, like Maurice Purify, Dezmon Briscoe and Quan Cosby.
And don’t think that Mike Brown’s squeaky wallet is not a factor too. Hypothetically speaking, they would not cut a fat, lazy and unprepared first-round pick that they’ve already sunk 7-figures into in signing bonus and salary until they were certain that he’s a turd in their punch bowl.
So even though there are five Bengals preseason games this year (pinch me!), there’s enough drama to fit into an entire season. Catch it all here at Oddbounces.com!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Nuff, for once, I’m glad there are more preseason games (there, I said it!). I just think it’ll take a bit longer than usual to figure out the corp of receivers who’ll make this team. There are so many new WR possibilities…more than I can remember in ages…and no one knows for sure exactly what Brat’s air strategy is this year. Maybe not even him.
Yeah Houdino, as meaningless as is the actual score of preseason games, they give the coaches game situations in which to eveluate the talent. You are right on target that having five games is an advantage to help Brat figure out the WR possibilities. And YES, I agree that it will take him awhile to solidify his air strategy. (I expect that even if they keep 6 WR’s, one or more of those cut could spend time on the active roster during the ’10 season.)
Based on last night’s sink hole of a start to the season, I say you’re correct O’mister Nuff … the Bengals will need all 5 preseason games to correct some major problems with this offense. I’m not saying they can’t be corrected … just saying it isn’t as easy as just throwing some good players together and hollering, “okay guys, go win us some games!”