Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

Transcription

1 Cincinnati Bengals One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio (513) administrative offices (513) administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE OCT. 5, 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) Kickoff: 1 p.m. EDT. Television: FOX broadcast with Thom Brennaman (playby-play) and Brian Billick (analyst). If the game is sold out by 1 p.m. on Oct. 7, it will be aired live on FOX affiliates WXIX-TV (Channel 19) in Cincinnati, WRGT-TV (Channel 45) in Dayton and WDKY-TV (Channel 56) in Lexington, Ky. Radio: Coverage on the 27-station Bengals Radio Network, including WCKY-AM (1530) Homer (all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Brad Johansen (play-byplay) and Dave Lapham (analyst). Setting the scene: Marvin Lewis called it back to square zero as the Bengals hit the quarter-pole of the 2010 season with a 2-2 record. But the head coach does not see any state of equilibrium holding through this week s home game against Tampa Bay, which will be followed by Cincinnati s bye week. This can be a defining moment for this team, Lewis said after a loss at Cleveland, a setback that ended an eightgame Bengals win streak in the AFC North Division. I mean how it will be handled, and how we will move forward. We let the other team (Browns) make more plays, and we lost a game we could have won. It hurts like hell. But we ve got to accept it, swallow hard and do better. And we know we can. The Bengals have played three of their first four games on the road, but will play three of the next four at home. Cincinnati enters the Tampa Bay contest just a game out of the division lead, as Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both 3-1. Cleveland, which has played all four of its games to the wire, is not to be discounted at 1-3 and two games out. It s early, and a lot of things are going to happen down the road, said LOT and team captain Andrew Whitworth. Right now it s just how we take it man up to it and get better. And you ll see that this week, I m confident. Ironically, the Bengals dropped from the ranks of teams with winning records while answering the most persistent criticism they had faced the previous week. They revived a sluggish passing game with 346 net yards, including 222 yards by WR Terrell Owens, who rose in grand style to No. 2 all-time in NFL receiving yards at 15,325. This one hurts, said QB Carson Palmer. It s one of those seasons where we play a lot of good teams, and it s hard not to get a W from teams you should get a W from. Give the Browns credit, take your hat off to them, but we ve got to find a way to dig deep. We ve got a team coming in (Tampa Bay) that s kind of been up and down, and then we have a bye, and then we have a really long stretch of really good teams we re going to be playing. Some big division games. Some big road games. So we have to suck it up and move past this game. Game information Week 5, Game 5 Sunday, Oct. 10 at Paul Brown Stadium Next up: Week 6, Bengals bye week The Bengals have not been known of late for middle-of-theroad starts. They are 2-2 for the first time since In Lewis seven previous seasons as head coach, the club started 4-0 once, 3-1 twice, 1-3 three times and 0-4 once. The Bengals reached the playoffs under Lewis in years when they started 4-0 (2005) and 3-1 ( 09). Tampa Bay is 2-1 and had a bye last week. The Bucs last played on Sept. 26, falling to Pittsburgh. The series: Tampa Bay has won five straight in its series with the Bengals to take an overall 6-3 lead. The most recent meeting was a Bucs win at Tampa in The Bucs lead 4-2 in games at Cincinnati. The Bengals have not beaten the Bucs since 1989, when they prevailed at Riverfront Stadium. The last Bengals-Bucs game at Cincinnati was a 35-7 Tampa Bay victory at Paul Brown Stadium in Team bests from the series: Bengals MOST POINTS: 56, in a win at Riverfront Stadium in LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 33, from the 1989 victory. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0, in a 21-0 victory in Buccaneers MOST POINTS: 35 (twice), most recently in a 35-7 win at Paul Brown Stadium in LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 35, in a 35-0 win at Cincinnati in FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0, in the 1998 game. The last meetings: Complete summaries of the last two Bengals-Buccaneers meetings in 2002 at Cincinnati and in 06 at Tampa Bay are on page 13 of this news release. Chad vs. Bucs: WR Chad Ochocinco is the only Bengals player who has appeared in more than one game for Cincinnati against Tampa Bay, and he has statistics against the Bucs only from the most recent meeting, in 2006, when he caught six passes for 99 yards. A statistical roundup of his and other Bengals performances in that game appears on page 13 of this release. Ochocinco also played against the Bucs in Game 4 of 2002, his second year, but he did not have a catch. Following that game, he was not shut out again until Game 16 of last season, when he played only briefly in a regular-season finale at the N.Y. Jets that saw Cincinnati rest most starters in preparation for the playoffs. In between the 2002 Bucs game and the 09 Jets game, Ochocinco set a Bengals record (120) for consecutive games played with at least one catch. T.O. vs. Bucs: WR Terrell Owens, in his first Bengals season, has played five previous games for other teams against Tampa Bay. In those contests he totaled 23 receptions for 356 yards, for averages of 15.5 yards per catch and 71.2 yards per Page 1

2 (T.O. vs. Bucs, continued) game. He has scored three receiving TDs against the Bucs. Owens most recently faced the Bucs on Sept. 20 of last season for Buffalo. He caught three passes for 52 yards and a TD in a Bills win vs. Tampa Bay. Owens played twice against the Bucs for San Francisco (1997 and 2003) and twice for Dallas ( 06 and 08). He had one big game against Tampa Bay for both of those clubs. He caught six-for-152 with a TD in a 24-7 win by the 49ers at San Francisco in 2003, and he caught eight-for-107 with a TD in a win by the Cowboys at Dallas in 06. NFC beware: The Bengals are in their last 15 home games against NFC teams, for a winning percentage of.833. The last 14 of the 15 games have been played under head coach Marvin Lewis (11-2-1). The first game of the 15 was a home win over New Orleans on Dec. 22, 2002, under head coach Dick LeBeau. The Bengals have won their last three against NFC visitors and are unbeaten in the last five. Going back a bit farther, the Bengals are (.712) at home against the NFC since Here s a recap of the run against NFC visitors: DATE OPP. SCORE COMMENT N.O. Cin., Bengals are playoff spoilers Sea. Cin., Five turnovers doom 5-1 Seahawks S.F. Cin., Rudi Johnson rushes for Dall. Cin., 26-3 First time since 2000 holding foe without TD NYG Cin., Chad Ochocinco s 2nd TD caps comeback Minn. Cin., 37-8 Plus-6 TO differential ties team mark G.B. Cin., Brett Favre burned for five INTs Car. Cin., Fourth-quarter rally with 86-yard TD drive Atl. Atl., Michael Vick passes for three TDs Ariz. Ariz., Carson Palmer s only four-int game StL. Cin., Bengals defense allows no TDs Phil. Tie, Only NFL tie since Wash. Cin., Goal-line stand stops Skins comeback bid Chi. Cin., Benson burns ex-team for 189 rushing Det. Cin., Ochocinco 137 rec. yds.; Benson 110 rush Records vs. Bucs: The record book: The Bengals set several offensive team records which stand to this day in their last victory over Tampa Bay, a verdict at Riverfront Stadium on Oct. 29, The list includes a tie for most passing touchdowns (six), most PATs (eight), and a tie for most total touchdowns (eight). Jim Breech was the kicker who set the PAT mark. An individual TD pass mark no longer stands from the game, as the six TDs included five by Boomer Esiason and one by Erik Wilhelm. Carson Palmer set the club individual mark with six of his own at Cleveland in The 56 points scored by Cincinnati stands as the most ever against an NFC opponent and the fourth-most in club history. Bengals-Buccaneers connections: Bengals K Mike Nugent was with Tampa Bay for a portion of the 2009 season... Bengals OT Dennis Roland was on the Bucs practice squad in 2006 and split time in 07 between the practice squad and roster... Bucs S Corey Lynch played for the Bengals in Bengals FB Chris Pressley opened 2009 on the Bengals practice squad and was signed to Tampa Bay s roster on Bucs LB Barrett Ruud is the son of Tom Ruud, who played LB for the Bengals in Bucs WR Dezmon Briscoe (practice squad) was a Bengals 2010 draft choice and was with Cincinnati in preseason... Bucs OT Derek Hardman (practice squad) played at Eastern Kentucky... Bengals LBs coach Jeff FitzGerald broke into the NFL on the Bucs coaching staff from Bucs strength and conditioning coach Kurtis Shultz was on the Bengals strength and conditioning staff in Bengals-Buccaneers NFL rankings BENGALS BUCCANEERS SCORING (AVG. POINTS): Points scored... T-14th (19.8) 25th (16.7) Points allowed... 16th (19.5) 17th (19.7) NET OFFENSE (AVG. YARDS): Total... 10th (349.8) 26th (288.0) Rushing... 23rd (92.0) 20th (96.3) Passing... 6th (257.8) 23rd (191.7) NET DEFENSE (AVG. YARDS): Total... T-6th (299.3) 20th (335.0) Rushing... 15th (107.5) 28th (141.3) Passing... 9th (191.8) 10th (193.7) TURNOVERS: Differential... T-6th (plus-3) T-4th (plus-4) Red zone reports: The Bengals allowed only one touchdown on four Cleveland red-zone possessions last week, and for the season the Bengals have risen to tied for ninth in the NFL in defensive red-zone TD percentage (41.7). Cincinnati has allowed five TDs on 12 opponents drives that have included snaps inside the Bengals 20-yard line. Elsewhere in the red zone, both the Bengals and Tampa Bay are seeking improvement. Cincinnati ranks 22nd in offensive TD percentage (38.5) after getting just one TD in three tries last week. Tampa Bay ranks 28th at just 33.3 percent. And the Bucs on defense rank tied for 18th (50.0). Bengals red-zone report OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 poss.: 13 Inside-20 poss.: 12 Total scores: 12 (92.3%) Total scores: 10 (83.3%) TDs: 5 (38.5%) TDs: 5 (41.7%) FGs: 7 (53.8%) FGs: 5 (41.7%) TD% rank: 22nd TD% rank: T-9th No scores: 1 (7.7%) No scores: 2 (16.7%) Buccaneers red-zone report OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 poss.: 9 Inside-20 poss.: 6 Total scores: 6 (66.7%) Total scores: 4 (66.7%) TDs: 3 (33.3%) TDs: 3 (50.0%) FGs: 3 (33.3%) FGs: 1 (16.7%) TD% rank: 28th TD% rank: T-18th No scores: 3 (33.3%) No scores: 2 (33.3%) Marvin Lewis is in his eighth season as Bengals head coach, tying the longest tenure in franchise history, and he takes on the challenge of 2010 as the returning NFL Coach of the Year. Lewis led the Bengals to a 10-6 record and the AFC North Division championship in He earned the major share of Coach of the Year awards, winning the flagship Associated Press honor (given annually by a national media panel since 1957) while also getting nods from Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association. The Bengals were unbeaten in division play (6-0) for the first time in history. The head coaches Lewis Bengals record is now in the regular season, 0-2 in postseason and overall. He was named the ninth Bengals head coach on Jan. 14, In 2002, he directed the NFL s fifth-ranked defense with Washington, serving as assistant head coach in addition to his role as defensive coordinator. Prior to his year with the Redskins, he was a record-setting defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. His six seasons ( ) with the Ravens included a Super Bowl victory following the 00 season. In the 2000 regular season, Lewis Baltimore defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game Page 2

3 (The head coaches, continued) campaign (165). Lewis entered the NFL as linebackers coach with Pittsburgh from , guiding the careers of Pro Bowl selections Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd. Born Sept. 23, 1958, in McDonald, Pa., near Pittsburgh, Lewis played linebacker at Idaho State and earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in each of his three seasons ( 78-80). He began his coaching career as an assistant at Idaho State University in Raheem Morris is in his second season as Tampa Bay head coach. His record is 5-14, including 2-1 this season. Prior to being named head coach, he worked as Bucs defensive backs coach in , as assistant DBs coach from 04-05, as defensive assistant in 03 and as defensive quality control coach in 02. In 2007, his first year as defensive backs coach, the Bucs improved from 19th to first in the NFL in pass defense, and they won the 07 NFC South title. In five of his seasons with Tampa Bay, the Bucs ranked in the NFL s top five in total defense, including first in 2002 and 05. In his 2002 season as defensive quality control coach, Tampa Bay won Super Bowl XXXVII over Oakland. Morris coached collegiately at Hofstra (1998, ), Cornell ( 99) and Kansas State ( 06). A native of Irvington, N.J., he played safety at Hofstra from Lewis vs. Bucs: Bucs lead, 1-0, from a win at Tampa in Lewis vs. Morris: No previous meetings. Morris vs. Bengals: No previous meetings. Lewis needs seven: Lewis Bengals win total of 58 ranks second in franchise history (regular season and postseason), behind Sam Wyche, who won 64 games during an eight-year tenure ( ). With seven more wins, Lewis can pass Wyche into first place. Last season, Lewis passed Paul Brown (55 wins) into second place. Searching for right combo: Bengals CB Adam Jones is a plainspoken guy, not one to endlessly analyze what others might think of his opinions. That includes the Cleveland Browns, after they just defeated the Bengals last week. There s no way we should have lost this game, Jones said. We had to find a way to win a game we should have won. For certain, the Bengals had the stats, 413 yards to Cleveland s 295. They had big jolts of momentum, twice charging from behind as if they would not be stopped the rest of the day. They had flair, with WR Terrell Owens at times seeming to toy with the Browns, and with QB Carson Palmer answering his passing critics to the tune of 371 yards and a rating. Cincinnati also had an eight-game division win streak and a three-game streak over the Browns. But the formerly winless Browns had a trophy at day s end, and this week the Bengals look for some answers about producing a more integrated effort. Though the yardage numbers were big at Cleveland, the Bengals moved in spurts, with some dead spots in between. As an offense we re frustrated, said Owens. We didn t run the ball effectively (67 yards on 18 carries at Cleveland), and we ve got to mix it up. We know we have great offensive weapons, but we re not moving the ball like we re capable of moving it. It s got to be a team effort, and I don t set myself apart from that. I came here to be a part of something special, and that will only be accomplished by doing it as a team. It s becoming well established that huge passing numbers are not a sure sign that things are going well. The Bengals are 0-2 this season and 5-9 for Palmer s career when he passes for 300 yards. And though HB Cedric Benson has been effective in spots, the sixth-year pro has gone all four games without a 100-yard day. Last season, Benson didn t play more than two in a row without hitting 100. Defensively, the Bengals have held three straight foes under 300 yards. They rank tied for sixth in the NFL yardage rankings for the season. But the defense allowed its first 100-yard rusher last week, as Cleveland s Peyton Hillis went 27-for-102 and led the way as Cleveland killed the clock to prevent an anticipated final Bengals possession. Also, the Bengals had more penalty yards (79-44), with a couple particularly costly ones. And Cincinnati was minus-one in turnover differential, and in the NFL, even minus-one is bad news. Since 2000, teams with a minus-one differential have only a.313 winning percentage, with a record Head coach Marvin Lewis said the answer lies in the football axiom of focus. There has to be attention to detail on every play, Lewis said. It s as simple as that. We have to be alert for 60 minutes and make things happen. We can t afford right now to make mistakes. Our margin of error is not great enough. Bengals information 300 passing yards not gold in 10: It isn t just Carson Palmer in the NFL this season. The Bengals 0-2 record in his games of 300 passing yards is reflective of a leaguewide trend. Palmer was one of five passers to hit 300 yards in Week 4, and three of the other four also lost. For the season, 300-yard passers as a group have a 6-15 record, a winning percentage of only.286. For the full 2009 season, however, teams were (.644) with a 300-yard passer. Palmer rates with greats: Bengals QB Carson Palmer stands tall in team passing records against Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason, the Bengals two Super Bowl quarterbacks. Palmer owns the franchise s career records for passer rating and completion percentage, and he holds season marks for TD passes, rating, yards and completions. He also holds the game record for TD passes. Here s how Anderson, Esiason and Palmer compare, with a chart of team records held by each player: Career records (minimum 1000 passes) ANDERSON ESIASON PALMER Attempts (4475) Yds./att. (7.62) Comp. pct (63.0) Completions (2654) 300-yd. games (23) Rating (87.6) Yards (32,838) TD/INT ratio (1.6/1) TD passes (197) Season records (minimum 350 passes) ANDERSON ESIASON PALMER Comp. pct. (70.6) 300-yd. games (5)* Completions (373) TD/INT ratio (2.9/1) Yards (4131) TD passes (32) Rating (101.1) 300-yd. games (5)* * Esiason and Palmer share record. Game records ANDERSON ESIASON PALMER Completions (40) Yards (490) TD passes (6) Comp. pct. (90.9) Longest pass (94) Defense tied for sixth: The Bengals held their opponent under 300 yards net offense for the third straight week in the Cleveland game, as the Browns managed 295. With that effort, Cincinnati moved from ninth to tied for sixth in the NFL Page 3

4 (Defense tied for sixth, continued) yardage rankings, with an average of yards allowed. The Bengals were ranked fourth in yardage defense last season. For the first time since , when the team s records were 11-3 and 10-4, Cincinnati is looking at finishing in the top 10 two years in a row. It s been a long road; we ve come a long way, says left end Robert Geathers, who played his first four seasons ( ) on defenses that ranked 19th, 28th, 30th and 27th. We re not where we want to be, obviously, because we don t have a winning record as a team, but we feel good about our guys and our coach (defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer). It s taken a lot of work. A lot of sacrifice. We re accountable to one another. We don t play for the coaches or for a check. We play not to let the guy down next to us. Zimmer is in his third season as coordinator. His unit rose to 12th in the yardage rankings in 2008 before moving up to fourth last year. Last season, the defense had a stretch of six straight games (Games 7-12) holding opponents under 300 net yards. Hall tops AFC in INTs: Bengals CB Leon Hall had an INT for the third straight game last week at Cleveland, picking off a Seneca Wallace pass at the Browns Cleveland 37 in the second quarter. It s the second straight year for a Bengals CB to turn this hat trick, as Johnathan Joseph did it in Games 3-5 of Hall leads the AFC with his three INTs, and he is in a threeway tie for the NFL lead. Also with three are NFC safeties Nate Allen of Philadelphia, Charles Godfrey of Carolina and Earl Thomas of Seattle. There are six players tied for second place in the AFC, with two. The only Bengal to claim a piece of the NFL interceptions title for a full season has been CB Deltha O Neal, who tied for the league lead in 2005 with a Bengals-record of 10. O Neal was the lone AFC leader that year. CB Ken Riley won one undisputed AFC crown (with nine in 1976) and tied for the AFC lead two other years ( ). Riley, who played from , is far and away the Bengals career INT leader with 65. CB Louis Breeden is a distant second at 33. Hall now has 17 interceptions in 52 career Bengals games and is tied for sixth in franchise history with Tommy Casanova. Hall also leads the Bengals in total passes defensed (five) on the season. Leon has a quiet confidence, says Bengals DBs coach Kevin Coyle. He s a very self-assured guy that knows he s a top level player, but he doesn t take anything for granted. He is a tremendous technician of the game. Hall and starting mate Joseph tied for the team lead last year with six INTs each, and though Joseph does not have an INT this season, Bengals coaches believe both players merit Pro Bowl recognition. This year, they are a major factor in the Bengals ranking seventh in the NFL in lowest opponents completion percentage (55.5), and they have done it with the four-man pass rush getting off to a slow start. Last year, in a season when the Bengals tied for 19th in sacks, the CBs led the unit to a No. 5 rank in completion percentage (58.5). I thought they both played at a Pro Bowl level last year, and they re off to another good start, Coyle said. They have played at the most consistent high level of any corners we ve had here, and we ve had Pro Bowl corners. Both of them are becoming the complete package. They re not just run defenders and they don t just make interceptions, or just play physical or just run. They can do it all. T.O. claims No. 2 all-time: Bengals WR Terrell Owens needed a very good day 106 receiving yards to make last week his week for passing Isaac Bruce into second place all-time in NFL receiving yards. As matters turned out at Cleveland, he got more than twice what he needed. His 222-yard game, which included a 78-yard TD reception, pushed his career yardage total to 15,325. He passed Bruce s total of 15,208 on a 25-yard second-quarter catch that pushed him at that moment to 15,231 yards. On Sept. 12 at New England, Owens became the third player in NFL history to reach 15,000 career receiving yards. The all-time NFL leader, not to be challenged by anyone presently in sight, is 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Rice, with 22,895 yards. But here s a look at the current all-time top five: PLAYER SEASONS YEARS YARDS Jerry Rice ,895 Terrell Owens... 15* ,325 Isaac Bruce ,208 Tim Brown ,934 Randy Moss... 13* ,604 * Active. T.O. makes top five in catches: WR Terrell Owens entered last week s Cleveland game needing five catches to pass Isaac Bruce into fifth place all-time in NFL receptions. He doubled the order by getting 10. Owens will not overtake all-time catch leader Jerry Rice (1549), but he may have a chance at second place. With 1030 career catches, he is 72 behind No. 2 Marvin Harrison (1102). But Owens also must work to stay ahead of another stillactive player, Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez, who currently has 1018 catches, just 12 behind Owens. Gonzalez had seven catches last week for Atlanta. Below are the NFL s top seven all-time receivers: PLAYER, POS. RECEPTIONS Jerry Rice, WR Marvin Harrison, WR Cris Carter, WR Tim Brown, WR Terrell Owens, WR* Isaac Bruce, WR Tony Gonzalez, TE* * Active. The only 200 : WR Terrell Owens 222 receiving yards at Cleveland last week is the most in a game by an NFL receiver this year, and the only one at 200 or above. The next-highest total has been 196 by Indianapolis Reggie Wayne, also last week as the Colts played Jacksonville. In the previous two full seasons ( ), a total of 222 receiving yards was topped only once. Miles Austin of Dallas had a 250-yard game last year. The third-highest game total from 2008 through the present has been 213, posted twice, and Owens holds one of those, from a 213-yard game for Dallas in Owens total at Cleveland was the second-highest of his career. His all-time high has been 283 yards, in 2000 for San Francisco against Chicago. Through Week 4 play in 2010, Owens ranks fifth in the NFL, and fifth in the AFC, with 374 yards. The leader is Wayne of Indianapolis at 456. T.O. backs it up: WR Terrell Owens entered the 2010 season clearly a bit disturbed at NFL chatter to the effect he was slowing down at age 36. You would never think that I m 36, he said during preseason. I think that s cost me money, the stigma that guys in their 30s are in their decline. We ll see what they have to say at the end of this year. I attribute a lot of it to eating healthy. I don t drink during the season. I have guys here asking how I do it. I attribute it to the way that I take care of my body. Look at what I ve done over my career. It hasn t been one year here or there. And last week at Cleveland, Owens became the oldest player in league history to record a 200-yard receiving game. Here s a list of the five oldest players to do it, and actually there are only four, because Owens now has two of the five: PLAYER, TEAM YEAR YDS. AGE Terrell Owens, Bengals years, 300 days James Lofton, Bills years, 108 days Terrell Owens, Cowboys years, 352 days Don Maynard, Jets years, 268 days Rod Smith, Broncos years, 169 days Page 4

5 (Bengals information, continued) T.O. s day second for Bengals: WR Terrell Owens 222-yard receiving game against Cleveland last week comes in second for the category in the Bengals 43-season history. Here s the new top five: PLAYER DATE OPPONENT YDS. Chad Ochocinco San Diego 260 Terrell Owens Cleveland 222 Eddie Brown Pittsburgh 216 Chad Ochocinco Cleveland 209 Cris Collinsworth Baltimore 206 Nugent still perfect (almost): Bengals K Mike Nugent began last week s game at Cleveland by making his ninth straight FG attempt without a miss. He entered the game with already the longest perfect streak to start a Bengals career, having broken a previous high of six by Shayne Graham in And though nine was as far as Nugent got, his secondquarter miss from 44 yards was simply not his fault. It was blocked, and coaches film review confirmed that it was solely the fault of a protection breakdown, not a low trajectory. Nugent, named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September, made another FG in the third quarter and is now 10- for-11 on the season. Two of his FGs have come from 50 or more yards. His accuracy percentage is Only once has 90.9 been bettered for a full Bengals season, as Graham holds the record at 91.2 (31 of 34 in 2007). Nugent is perfect on PATs (seven-for-seven) and leads the AFC in scoring with 37 points. Houston kicker Neil Rackers (a former Bengal) and San Diego TE Antonio Gates are tied for second with 36 points. Nugent is second in the NFL, with Atlanta K Matt Bryant the leader at 39. Bryant, like Nugent, is 10-for-11 on FGs. His long has been 49. No Bengal has ever led the NFL in scoring for a season. The Bengals have claimed three AFC scoring crowns Graham in 2005 and Jim Breech in both 1981 and 87. Graham set the Bengals season scoring record in 05, with 131 points, and though it s still early, it s worth noting that Nugent s current pace of 9.3 points per game projects to 148 over 16 games. A two-time 100-point producer for the N.Y. Jets ( ), Nugent was injured for nearly all of 2008 and did not stick at either Tampa Bay or Arizona last season. But for the Bengals, he looks like his old self, actually better. I really feel I ve become a better kicker working with Darrin (special teams coach Darrin Simmons), Nugent said. I didn t kick like I think I can last year, and I was open to some ideas, and Darrin and I have spent a lot of time working on things. You d have to call it ball placement, or ball positioning. I used to have it the same way for kicks and kickoffs. Now I ve changed how I do it for kicking (FGs and PATs), and it s given me more consistency. On Sept. 19, Nugent scored all of Cincinnati s points in a win over Baltimore, with five FGs. Fab from fifty: When it comes to kicking a field goal in the NFL, there is perhaps not such a great difference between preseason and regular-season play. Given that, Bengals K Mike Nugent deserves some unofficial credit for making a FG of 50 or more yards in four of his last six games. The last two have come in regular season, a 50-yarder on Sept. 26 at Carolina and a 54-yarder on Sept. 12 at New England. The 54-yarder tied his career-long and ranks tied for second in Bengals annals. Over the last two preseason games, Nugent connected from 54 and 52 yards. More on Nugent: Bengals K Mike Nugent is helping the team not only on the field, but with the Bengals Nation fan base. He s from the Dayton suburb of Centerville, Ohio, and he had a stellar career at Ohio State, leaving with 22 school records. He was an unusually high draft choice for a kicker, going in the second round (47th overall) to the New York Jets in Nugent attended Bengals games regularly as a youth, as his family had season tickets. Shortly before his birth in 1982, his mother, Carolyn, was one of the hardy souls in attendance at the famous Freezer Bowl AFC Championship game vs. San Diego. And Nugent recalls this from a very early trip to a Bengals game at Riverfront Stadium: I was maybe four years old and I was in my (Bengals) uniform shoulder pads, plastic helmet, everything. I snuck up on the (baseball) dugout holding a football, and my family got a picture of me. The family still has the photo. Gresham keeps his hands busy: At the 2010 season s quarter-pole, Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham is on an early pace for a franchise season record for receptions by a rookie, as well as for a TE. And as long as he stays healthy, he seems headed for certain to a record for a rookie TE. Gresham s 18-catch total, including five last week at Cleveland, projects to 72 over 16 games. The Cincinnati rookie record is 67, by WR Cris Collinsworth in The second-place figure in that category is 53, by WR Eddie Brown in The season record for all Bengals TEs is 71 by Dan Ross in 1981, and Gresham already is within 26 catches of the season record by a Bengals rookie TE. Tony McGee set that mark in 1993, with 44 catches. Besides having excellent hands, Gresham has superior athleticism which allows him to remain a viable option in traffic. The thing I have noticed about Jermaine is that he never falls down, says OT Andrew Whitworth. He may get knocked down sometimes, but a lot of guys, if they miss a block, for example, they ll go down and be out of the play. Jermaine stays on his feet and either finds a way to get in another block somewhere or stays open as a possible receiver. Gresham vies for NFL lead: Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham is tied for second in the NFL for receptions by a rookie (18). Also at 18 is New England TE Aaron Hernandez. The league leader is a running back, Jahvid Best of the Detroit Lions with 21. Gresham played in college at Oklahoma, and Hernandez is from Florida. Gresham grinds it: Bengals fans have likely not been surprised to see rookie TE Jermaine Gresham make his presence felt in the season s first four games (18 catches for 134 yards and a TD). Cincinnati s first-round choice in the 2010 draft showed encouraging flashes throughout the preseason, and it s clear he is making the TE spot more of a weapon in the Cincinnati offense. But in other ways not as noticeable to viewers on the outside, Gresham has convinced coaches and teammates that the Bengals scored in selecting him with the 21st pick in the draft. There is a learning curve for Jermaine in playing the position the way we need it played in the NFL, says head coach Marvin Lewis, but the most important thing at this point is how he works at it. He does not do everything exactly right at this point, but he does everything at full speed. His technique is going to suffer at times, but he s shown us he does not lack one bit in ability or want-to. Gresham displays a strong and intense personality at all times, and it s the want-to part that has most impressed QB Carson Palmer. Some rookies might be a little content to have a learning year, to work into things, but that is not Jermaine, Palmer says. He is confident in his ability, and he wants to be the best right now. Maybe sometimes it would help him to slow down a little, to step back and soak it in, but he s an impatient young guy, and I like that. It s a sense of urgency that everybody on this team needs to have. Chad needs 19 for Top 30: Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco ranks 31st in NFL annals with his 10,248 receiving yards. With 59 yards last week at Cleveland, he passed Andre Rison into the No. 31 spot. And with just 19 yards this week against Tampa Bay, Ochocinco would pass No. 30 Lance Alworth, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who logged 10,266 yards. Below is a list of the players ranked in receiving yards. If Ochocinco this season would hit his career average through Page 5

6 (Chad needs 19 for Top 30, continued) 2009 of 1106 yards and his current pace is for 1184 he would finish the year with 11,058 career yards. That could move him inside the top 25 all-time. With 1106 yards this season, Ochocinco would pass all of the players below except perhaps Joey Galloway (No. 25). Galloway is the only one in the group besides Ochocinco who is still active. Galloway has 93 yards (on four catches) for Washington this season. RANK PLAYER REC. YARDS No. 25 Joey Galloway... 10,870 No. 26 Gary Clark... 10,856 No. 27 Stanley Morgan... 10,716 No. 28 Keyshawn Johnson... 10,571 No. 29 Harold Jackson... 10,372 No. 30 Lance Alworth... 10,266 No. 31 Chad Ochocinco... 10,248 Ochocinco has a good lead over the active player who is closest behind him. Indianapolis Reggie Wayne is the nexthighest active player at 9849 yards, 399 behind Ochocinco. Behind Wayne, the next active player is Green Bay s Donald Driver at 9268, trailing Ochocinco by 980. Chad can reach Top 25 in catches: WR Chad Ochocinco enters the Tampa Bay game with 707 career receptions. Looking to move up the charts, he finds Andre Rison in the spot ahead of him, with 743. For an idea of how far up the receptions list Ochocinco could go in 2010, consider that he has had five seasons in his career of 84 or more catches, and with 84 this season, he d move to 768 and into 23rd place. And at this early point, his 23 catches in four games project to 92 for the year. Here s the list of players Ochocinco would pass with an 84- catch season. All the players ahead of him are retired: RANK PLAYER RECEPTIONS No. 24 Marshall Faulk No. 25 Eric Moulds No. 25 James Lofton No. 27 Michael Irvin No. 27 Charlie Joiner No. 29 Andre Rison No. 30 Chad Ochocinco Chad needs one to pass Pickens: WR Chad Ochocinco caught his 63rd career TD pass at New England on Sept. 12, tying him with Carl Pickens for most receiving TDs in Bengals history. He got the score on a 28-yard connection with Carson Palmer in the third quarter. Ochocinco needs eight more TDs to take over the franchise s top spot in total six-pointers, and he needs only two to claim second place in that category. His total is 63 (he has no TDs rushing or returning). The record for total TDs is 70 by FB Pete Johnson, who had 64 rushing scores and six as a receiver. Second place in total TDs is shared by Pickens and RB James Brooks, both at 64. Pickens, in addition to his 63 receiving TDs, had one on a punt return. Brooks had 37 rushing TDs and 27 as a receiver. Ochocinco had a team-leading nine TDs (all receiving) last season, his most since 2005, when he also had nine. He fell one TD catch short of tying his career high of 10, posted in T.O. is tops: Bengals WR Terrell Owens is the NFL s active leader in career receptions (1030) and receiving yards (15,325). Owens will need a good pace to stay in first place in receptions, as Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez is only 12 behind at Owens opened this season with a lead of seven over Gonzalez, and Owens has 24 catches thus far to Gonzalez 19. In receiving yards, Owens has more of a cushion. He s 721 yards ahead of New England WR Randy Moss. The NFL s active top five in career receptions: PLAYER POS. TEAM REC. Terrell Owens... WR Bengals 1030 Tony Gonzalez... TE Falcons 1018 Randy Moss... WR Patriots 935 Hines Ward... WR Steelers 907 Derrick Mason... WR Ravens 876 And the league s active top five in career receiving yards: PLAYER POS. TEAM REC. YDS. Terrell Owens... WR Bengals 15,325 Randy Moss... WR Patriots 14,604 Tony Gonzalez... TE Falcons 12,012 Derrick Mason... WR Ravens 11,251 Hines Ward... WR Steelers 11,112 Owens second in a two-man race: Bengals WR Terrell Owens ranks second among active NFL players in career TD receptions. He could make a run at first-place Randy Moss with a big scoring season in 2010, but thus far he has one TD catch on the season, while Moss has had three, extending his lead to six. For certain, Moss and Owens will not be challenged for the 1-2 spots. The next-closest player, Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez, is 62 TDs behind T.O. The NFL s active top five in career TD receptions: PLAYER POS. TEAM TD Randy Moss... WR Patriots 151 Terrell Owens... WR Bengals 145 Tony Gonzalez... TE Falcons 83 Hines Ward... WR Steelers 79 Joey Galloway... WR Redskins 77 Chad rules Bengals charts: Forever is a long time, but it s fair to wonder if WR Chad Ochocinco will ever be caught in the categories of career receptions and receiving yards by a Bengal. As if to make the point, Ochocinco has opened 2010 with 23 catches in the first four games, raising his career total to 707. He s on an early pace for 92 catches on the season. With 10,248 receiving yards, he is the Bengals career leader by more than 3000 over second-place Isaac Curtis (7101). And with his 707 catches, he is 177 ahead of second-place Carl Pickens (530). By the time he s through, says QB Carson Palmer, these records aren t going to just be broken. They ll be shattered. The current top five for all-time Bengals receptions: PLAYERS YEARS SEASONS REC. Chad Ochocinco... * Carl Pickens T.J. Houshmandzadeh Cris Collinsworth Isaac Curtis * Four games into 10th season. And the current top five for all-time Bengals receiving yards: PLAYERS YEARS SEASONS REC. YDS. Chad Ochocinco... * ,248 Isaac Curtis Carl Pickens Cris Collinsworth Eddie Brown * Four games into 10th season. For the record: Here s the current list of the Bengals records held by WR Chad Ochocinco: Receptions, career: 707. Receiving yards, career: 10,248. Receiving yards, season: 1440 in Receiving yards, game: 260 on vs. San Diego. Page 6

7 (For the record, continued) 100-yard games, career: yard games, season: Five (tied for record). Consecutive games with reception, career: 120. Competition it s good: When WR Terrell Owens was signed by the Bengals, speculation turned quickly to the possibility that the offense run-oriented in 2009 might not provide enough reception chances to satisfy both T.O. and Chad Ochocinco. But at least in part, the Bengals 2009 run-consciousness was a product of not having enough proven targets for QB Carson Palmer. And since preseason, signs have pointed to a positive effect on both Owens and Ochocinco. Owens, 36, has said that daily exposure to Ochocinco s constant antics have made him feel young (see following item). And as for Ochocinco, key observers are noticing that Chad has noticed Terrell. Chad has stepped his game up, said QB Carson Palmer. He looks as good now as he did in 2003, 2004, 2005, whenever he was leading the AFC (in yards). It makes sense. Chad is extremely competitive. He doesn t want to be outshone. He doesn t want to be second fiddle to anybody. Bringing Terrell in here has really catapulted his game to another level that not many receivers can get to. And that s what is exciting about Chad, the potential of the year he can have. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is also pleased with the dynamic of the self-proclaimed Dynamic Duo. It s been good for both of them, Bratkowski said. The first part is the competitiveness. Neither one of them wants to be shown up by the other. They both push each other physically. They both want to make sure they both look good on film when we practice things. Chad keeps him young: WR Terrell Owens remains an impressive physical specimen as he joins the Bengals this season, but he concedes he s no youngster at age 36. A bonus to signing with Cincinnati, he says, is being around the ever-youthful example of Chad Ochocinco, who s 32 but proud to say he often acts as if 22. I can t keep up with Chad, trust me, Owens said. This guy needs a leash. This guy is like a 12, 13 year-old kid. Honestly, it s a joy to be around him. I don t know where he gets the energy. I don t know what he does before he gets up in the morning. All I know is this guy s all over the field every day. It s a joy to see somebody enjoy what he s doing. I think that s what I need to do more of. Owens says anticipating a season packed with more fun than any he s had in recent memory. Chad has put it in perspective for me going into my last years of playing, Owens said. Just enjoy football. That s what I intend to do. I m going to enjoy this year as much as I can. That s what being around Chad has really allowed me to do. Standing out there on the sidelines and seeing how charismatic and interactive he is with the fans. For me, it s to enjoy the game. I m not going to play forever. I know I have only a small window left. Bengals unbeaten with Benson at 25: On Sept. 26 at Carolina, HB Cedric Benson logged his ninth Bengals game with 25 or more carries. And Cincinnati has a 9-0 record in those games. And it s not just Benson, but rather a central team characteristic during the Marvin Lewis era (2003-present). The Bengals are 29-1 in Lewis tenure with a 25-carry rusher. Cincinnati was 18-1 under Lewis when Rudi Johnson had 25 or more carries (over ), and the Bengals were 2-0 when Kenny Watson had a pair of 25-plus games (both in 2007). It s not always the yardage total that s most important, says Lewis. When your back is carrying 25 times, it means that even though the yardage will vary, you re controlling the ball, controlling the clock, and keeping your defense off the field. As it shows for us, that is very likely going to be a winning combination. The Bengals controlled the clock for 36:22 in the win at Carolina. Cincinnati s only loss under Lewis with a 25-carry rusher was Dec. 24, 2006 at Denver, when the Broncos overcame a 30-for- 129 day by Johnson in a win. Factors that contributed to the game being the lone exception to the 25-carry formula included a minus-two turnover differential for the Bengals and an aborted PAT in the closing seconds that kept Cincinnati from forcing overtime. Benson s ratio is best: Though he has not had a 100-yard rushing game this season, Bengals HB Cedric Benson has nine 100-yard rushing games in 27 total Cincinnati starts. That s an average of one 100-yarder for every 3.0 starts, better than the ratios posted by Corey Dillon and Rudi Johnson, the players who rank 1-2 in most 100-yard rushing games for Cincinnati. Dillon got his team-record 28 games of 100 rushing yards in 96 starts, an average of one every 3.4 starts. Rudi Johnson got his 19 games of 100 in 59 starts, one for every 3.1 starts. Benson s nine-for-27 is for regular-season games only. He also had a 100-yard game in his only Cincinnati playoff appearance, last year against the N.Y. Jets. His 169 total for that game is a Bengals postseason record. Here s a listing of the 22 players who have hit the 100-yard rushing mark in stripes, with their number of 100-yarders in parentheses: Ten or more games Corey Dillon (28), Rudi Johnson (19), James Brooks (17), Pete Johnson (14). Five-to-nine games Cedric Benson (nine), Harold Green (eight), Paul Robinson (six), Essex Johnson (five), Ickey Woods (five). One-to-four games Larry Kinnebrew (four), Boobie Clark (three), Archie Griffin (three), Jess Phillips (three), Kenny Watson (two), Ki-Jana Carter (one), Virgil Carter (one), Doug Dressler (one), Larry Johnson (one), Marc Logan (one), Bernard Scott (one), Deacon Turner (one), Stanley Wilson (one). Only Chad predates Marvin: WR Chad Ochocinco is the only player on the Bengals roster whose Cincinnati tenure predates the 2003 arrival of Marvin Lewis as head coach. Ochocinco opened in 2001 under head coach Dick LeBeau, as a second-round draft choice (36th overall). Ochocinco became the lone player in this category on Oct. 13, 2009, when the Bengals released LS Brad St. Louis, a 10thyear vet. St. Louis had joined the Bengals in 2000, under head coach Bruce Coslet. It s a tough one: Based on opponents aggregate 2009 records, the Bengals 2010 schedule ranks as the NFL s fourth-toughest. Cincinnati s foes played to a combined record last season, for a winning percentage of.539. The only clubs whose foes did better are Houston ( ), Tennessee ( ) and Dallas ( ). No team plays more 2010 foes who finished at.500 or better. Cincinnati s total of 11 is tied for the league high. Pittsburgh ( ) has the weakest opponents record of the AFC North Division teams. Cleveland s foes played to a mark last season, and Baltimore s were Uniform watch: The Bengals are scheduled to wear black jerseys and white pants against Tampa Bay. In 2004, when the Bengals uniforms were redesigned, a number of different color options became available. Below is the team record since 2004 (regular season and postseason) in the different combinations of jerseys and pants: JERSEY PANTS W-L PCT. Orange Black Orange White Black Black White Black Black White White White Silver anniversary for Lap : In 2010, former Bengals offensive lineman Dave Lapham is in his 25th year as the Page 7

8 (Silver anniversary for Lap, continued) analyst on the Bengals Radio Network. Colorful, conversational and above all knowledgeable, Lapham stepped into the analyst role in He has worked alongside all five of the radio play-byplay voices in Bengals history Phil Samp, Ken Broo, Paul Keels, Pete Arbogast and current voice Brad Johansen. This job has been a great way for me to stay involved with the Bengals all these years, and I m grateful to have had the opportunity, Lapham said. I really can t think of any assignment I would rather have had. Mike Brown (now Bengals president) was the one who first tipped me off that the job might be open. I went to the radio flagship (then WKRC-AM in Cincinnati), and pretty shortly after that I was hired. Lapham also claims membership in the Bengals Double Digit Club, comprised of 23 players who have played 10 or more seasons for Cincinnati. He was a third-round Bengals draft choice out of Syracuse in 1974 and played until He was the Bengals starting LG in Super Bowl XVI. TV streak should hit 89: In each of the last 88 TV ratings weeks that have included a Bengals regular-season or postseason game a period dating back to 2004 the Bengals have ruled the Cincinnati airwaves. They have been the top-rated show among all programming in the Cincinnati market, and usually by a wide margin. The streak is likely to reach 89 when Cincinnati rankings are available for the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 3, as the streak of 88 does not include last week s Bengals-Cleveland game. But the Cleveland game drew the second-largest Bengals rating this year 32.1 and that s a number that few other programs have matched in recent memory. The streak began on Dec. 5, 2004, when a wild Bengals win at Baltimore outpolled all other programs. The rating number indicates the percentage of market households tuned to the game including those not watching TV at the time. The highest Bengals rating during the streak has been 45.5 for the Pittsburgh playoff game on Jan. 8, The high rating of Bengals games has occurred despite the fact most games are played in the afternoon, when overall TV viewership is not as high as it is during the evening. Turnover tables turned under Lewis: Over Marvin Lewis tenure as Bengals head coach (2003-present), the Bengals rank fourth in the NFL in turnover differential at plus-43. This season, the Bengals are tied for fifth, at plus-3. Prior to Lewis tenure, Cincinnati had posted a minus differential for five straight years ( ). Here are the top five teams in differential since 2003: TEAM TAKEAWAYS GIVEAWAYS DIFFERENTIAL Indianapolis New England San Diego Cincinnati Carolina Since 2003, the Bengals rank tied for third in the NFL in takeaways (228). Baltimore leads with 232 and Chicago is second at 231. In points off turnovers since 2003, Elias Sports Bureau reports that the Ravens lead the NFL with 750, and the Bengals are fifth at 670. A stat that matters: Under head coach Marvin Lewis, the Bengals show a record when posting a plus in turnover differential. That s a winning percentage of.859. The Bengals were plus-two in last week s win over Carolina, with four takeaways (three INT; one FR) and two giveaways (both INTs). With a minus differential, however, the record under Lewis has been almost a mirror image. The club s mark in such games is 7-37 (.159). When the differential has been even, the results have been about even, with the Bengals at (.462) under Lewis. The Bengals experience with turnovers under Lewis is backed up by overall league numbers. Since the start of the 2000 season, here are the records of NFL teams with varying turnover differentials (minus differentials are not included because they are the exact reverse of the plus figure for the same numbers): DIFFERENTIAL W-L PCT. Plus Plus Plus Plus Plus-5 or more Overall, combining the five differential levels listed above, NFL teams with any plus have a winning percentage of.795 since The combined W-L record is Last week, teams with a plus posted a 10-3 record, a winning percentage of.769. The best weekly winning percentage has been.917 in Week 3, when plus teams went The lowest weekly wining percentage has been.750 in Week 1 (9-3). For the full 2010 season, teams with a plus are 42-9 (.824). Bengal bites: Carson Palmer s 371-yard total at Cleveland was the most by an NFL passer in Week 4... Last week s loss at Cleveland ended an eight-game win streak in AFC North Division play for the Bengals. The streak stands as the longest division win streak in club history and is tied for the longest such streak for any North team since the division s 2002 birth. It was the NFL s longest active division win streak... On Sept. 26 at Carolina, HB Cedric Benson became the first Bengal in a span of 140 games to score both a receiving and a rushing TD in a game. On Oct. 28, 2001 in a win at Detroit, HB Corey Dillon scored two rushing TDs and one receiving TD... The Bengals three fumble recoveries at Carolina were their most in a span of 42 games, dating back to Game 9 of 2007, when they recovered four in a win at Baltimore... The Bengals have gone two straight regular seasons, plus four games this season, without allowing a two-point conversion. Cincinnati foes were zero-forthree in 2008, zero-for-two in 2009, and have not attempted a twopointer this season... Since 1994, when the two-point conversion was added to the NFL rule book, the Bengals are 15-for-41 (36.6 percent) and opponents are 16-for-39 (41.0 percent)... Five players have been voted by the team as permanent team captains for 2010: QB Carson Palmer and G Bobbie Williams on offense, LB Dhani Jones and DT Domata Peko on defense and LB Brandon Johnson on special teams. Head coach Marvin Lewis, on bouncing back for Tampa Bay from the loss at Cleveland: We re four games into the season. We are where we are, and we have an opportunity for a new coming-out party here this Sunday against Tampa, in our stadium, in front of our fans. It ll be a new Sunday. The previous four Sundays go behind us, and we move forward. So it s a big week for us. Lewis, on the improved passing game at Cleveland: Last week, everybody was screaming about us needing to throw the ball more, and I kept saying we d be fine, which Bengals quotes obviously we are. But we have to do what it takes to win the game. I don t care if a guy throws for seven zillion yards. If we don t win the game, it doesn t count for anything. We want to win football games. It doesn t matter about yardage. Lewis, on special teams play at Cleveland: We need to continue to improve and do a better job in our return game. We didn t do a very good job of reacting to a couple of short kicks or getting an opportunity to get our punt returner started in the game. We didn t create any field position advantage whatsoever with that part of the game. Page 8