Choice to bring Henry back was owner’s, not coach’s

by | Aug 20, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said twice in the last month he was not interested in bringing wide receiver/jailbait Chris Henry back to the team but owner Mike Brown overruled Lewis, signing Henry to a two-year deal announced Tuesday.

“At the end of the day the owner has the final say-so whether or not he wants to give a guy an opportunity,” Lewis is quoted as saying in the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Mike has wanted to give Chris this opportunity, and asked we do the best job we can do to prepare him …”

So Marvin Lewis is now stuck with a guy he doesn’t want on a team he apparently doesn’t have the authority to run as he sees fit. It’s being speculated in various media accounts throughout the Web that this might be the issue that ultimately splits Lewis and the Bengals. It’d be hard to blame the coach, who already reportedly was on the hot seat, for leaving the team, which he appeared a few years ago to be pulling out of  decades of dysfunction.

But since drafting David Pollack, whose career ended due to a neck injury, Henry, and Odell Thurman, a stud linebacker who was cut this offseason after having almost as many run-ins with the law as Henry, in 2005, this team has slowly spiraled downhill again.

It’s the guess here that the Bengals tumble further this season and Lewis takes a walk at the end of the season – if he makes it that far – and that this team heads back into the abyss for another extended period of bad, losing football.

Why the Bengals are the Bengals: Henry about to re-sign

by | Aug 19, 2008 | NFL News, NFL Random Thoughts

Four months ago it looked as though the Cincinnati Bengals might be ready to make a point. After five arrests, the last one coming when he allegedly pummeled a University of Cincinnati student, breaking his car window with a beer bottle.

A jury couldn’t come to a decision on that case but the Bengals did. Enough was enough. They were moving on, releasing the thug and selecting three wide receivers in the April draft.

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48,434? Toronto should be thrilled

by | Aug 15, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

The Buffalo Bills preseason game in Toronto against Pittsburgh drew an announced crowd of 48,434 at Rogers Centre Thursday night, roughly 20,000 more fans than the Toronto Argonauts‘ last home game drew.

Reports indicate that many of those seats were discounted and as many as 15,000 might have been given away for free. And some fans were chanting “the Bills belong in Buffalo” and “Argos” as fans tailgated and then headed to the game.

But overall organizers disappointed by the turnout need to remember that this was a meaningless preseason game played primarily between two teams that featured players who will be backups at best and grocery baggers in most cases by the time the regular season starts in less than a month.

If there were really 48,434 fans on hand to watch the game – even if many were there to watch the Steelers, who played in the NFL last game in Canada nearly 50 years ago – they should be thrilled. It’s still the NFL in Canada, it’s not the main sport north of the border and it’s still drawing fans for a game that doesn’t mean squat.

The December game featuring the Bills and Miami Dolphins will be a far better measurement of fan interest in the NFL. I think it’s still questionable whether or not Toronto will ever end up being a legitimate candidate for NFL expansion or relocation. But the same could be said for Los Angeles. I think under the circumstances the city represented itself well in this first foray.

More good than bad from Rodgers starting debut

by | Aug 11, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

Green Bay Packers fans appeared to cheer Aaron Rodgers as he entered the Monday Night preseason game as a starter (was watching with the sound off, so I can’t say for certain). He proceeded to have more ups than downs during the first quarter of his first start.

The first drive got off to a rough start with a false start on first down. He followed up with a six yard pass and then was sacked on a blitz. On third down he hit a receiver in the hands (again, not sure who because the sound was off and I didn’t get a number written down fast enough) but the ball was dropped, bringing up fourth down.

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Commissioner flexing his muscle again

by | Aug 10, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

A few days ago my Zoneblitz colleague wrote a post questioning why NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was getting directly involved in the Green Bay Packers’ efforts to end the Brett Favre saga. Now that Favre is a New York Jet Goodell has found another issue on which to opine and I question his motives on this topic even more.

Goodell sent a memo, according to ESPN’s John Clayton, to all NFL teams telling them to quit complaining about the 80-man roster, a move instituted before this season. Thing is, Clayton has visited 14 camps since they opened and other football media have been reporting on the negative impact this has had on teams since as long ago as May.

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