Behind Enemy Lines – Bears vs Bengals
It’s old home week as the Bears prepare to face a couple of familiar faces in Bengals‘ Cedric (The Complainer) Benson and Tank (Guns ‘n Ammo) Johnson. I had the chance to go behind enemy lines and lob some questions and answers back and forth with Bengals blogger Mickey from Who Dey Fans this week. Be sure to check out my answers to his questions by clicking here. Here are my questions and his answers:
Bears fans remember Cedric Benson as a bust in Chicago. Is he for real? If so, what have the Bengals done to get the most out of him?
– After last season and the Chris Perry experiment gone wrong the Bengals were searching for an answer at running back. When they picked up Cedric Benson I was very optimistic. After all he is a very talented runner and was the 4th overall pick for a reason. I do remember from his days in Chicago running into the pile and falling on first contact. However, the Cedric in Cincinnati is a guy that runs hard, gets a bunch of yards after contact and finishes runs strong. He is definitely for real in Cincinnati and I think his time away from the game allowed him to focus a little more on his motivation and work ethic.
We’ve heard all of Chad Ocho-tweeto’s pre-game chatter. Does he do this every week or is this something special for the Bears? Does his act get old?
– Chad does talk smack every week but he does it out of having fun rather than to try and show people up. This is the same guy that buys fans game tickets and takes 40 random people to the movies, he just like to have fun. I for one encourage Chad to have fun with the game. He is one of the best receivers in the NFL and when he is having fun he puts up great numbers. Opposing players respect him and know he is only kidding when he talks smack I think it is the fans that do not understand it is just joking around.
The Bears big off season acquisition was Jay Cutler. Does he change how the Bengals prepare for the Bears? Does the Bears offense concern you at all?
– The Bears having a quarterback is a big change. Cutler brings a big arm and a proven track record to a team that has not had much at the quarterback position in quite some time. I think Cutler is a confident QB that will force the ball sometimes. Knowing the ability of Cutler does make me nervous after the amount of yards the Bengals gave up last week against the Texans through the air. However, I don’t think the Bears have the same caliber of weapons that the Texans did receiving the throws. I think the Bengals need to play the Bears similar to the game they had against the Ravens. Don’t let big plays dictate the game and keep pressure on Cutler.
The Bengals fall into the “surprise team” category this season and boast an impressive 3-0 record in the always tough AFC North. Do you think they hang on and make the playoffs?
– The loss to the Texans was tough. This Sunday we get to see how the Bengals respond to a tough loss at home. They also need to play a full 4 quarters. This team has looked awesome in short bursts. If the Bengals are able to work out their struggles on offense and pair that with the way the defense has been playing, I think they have playoff potential. It won’t hurt to have the NFC north beat up on the division for us also.
Prediction and Score for Sunday?
– I expect this to be a sort of statement game for Benson. I don’t think he is going to be putting up Adrian Peterson type numbers but I do think he will be getting some tough yards at the end of the game to seal the victory. I think fighting for first downs then would be just as satisfying. I think the Bengals take it 27 – 24.
BEAR DOWN!!!
Through the month of October, my usual BEAR DOWN signoff will be in pink to raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness month.