Bengals are a fraud

I knew this was going to happen.

Every time the Bengals (the 'new' Marvin Lewis Bengals, which has become a painfully old cliché) string some wins together, typically against inferior opponents, a good team steps up and puts them in their place. And in rude fashion. The Monday Night game against the Colts was another lesson.

The story line all week was how bad the Colts defense performs against the run. Rudi Johnson was predicted to run over 150 yards. The Bengals, as mandated by the talking heads, designed their game plan around pounding the ball. Flow of the game be damned.

So the Bengals ran and ran and ran. The Colts knew it was coming. They contained it. The Bengals never adjusted.

The Bengals pass defense is a complete joke. It's an effort from all 11. Absolutely no pass rush. ZERO. It's embarrassing. When the Bengals blitz, it is telegraphed. The safeties/linebackers crowd the line in plain site of the QB and run directly at the extra blocker in the backfield. Signal callers see Cincy on the schedule and smile. They won't hit the ground all day.

The Bengals have 2 good players in the secondary: Jonathan Joseph and Madieu Williams. Average linebackers. Robert Geathers and Justin Smith are above average linemen.

Wholesale changes need to be made on defense. Tory James is a corpse. Deltha Oneal and Dexter Jackson suck. Sam Adams is washed up. There are a whole pile of other players that are not worth mentioning.

Problem is, Bengals have mortgaged their entire future on their offense. Big money on Carson, Rudi and Chad. Too much money on Willie Anderson, an aging offensive tackle. Big money on left tackle Levi Jones who has been hurt all year. The money is on the offense.

And let's talk about that offense. They rack up yards against weaker teams. They score some points. But against the good teams? In the big games? It fades. Against New England they scored 13. 16 against the Colts. Despicable.

The Bengals offense is fragile. The margin of error is tiny. They rely on balance. The pass opens up the run which in reverse opens the play-action pass. If the Bengals get off schedule, they fall apart. If the Bengals fall behind, they get desperate and impatient. Three-and-outs start coming in bunches.

The word fragile keeps spinning in my head. I saw Chris Henry take a couple more weak attempts at balls in his range. The offensive line could not contain the Colts pass rush - even when they only sent 4. And of course the 'handle with care' king, Chad Johnson.

Have you ever seen a player need more IVs during critical moments of football games? Why in all that is good does a world-class athlete need extra fluids delivered into his body through a needle? Last night's game was played in a climate-controlled building. The Bengals ran the ball for the majority of the game, so Chad rarely had to run routes. And when they did they were short to intermediate. Why was he dehydrated? WHY?

I do not feel good about this team, going forward.

The Bengals have built a miniature, poorer version of the 2002 Colts. The 'Junior Colts' or 'Colts Lite', whatever you prefer. They have a weak defense that does not hit people. They have an expensive offense which is average when made one-dimensional. They have a team that cannot play from behind. They have a team that will be bounced early from the playoffs (if they get there) every year. That is the Bengals.

And that is not the worst part. The worst part is that you cannot make massive changes to a NFL's team personnel without completely starting over and forfeiting a couple years. This is not baseball. The Bengals cannot go out and sign the 5-6 players on defense they need next year. They can plug a couple holes and hope for the best.

Look at the Colts. They have been trying to fix their defense for 5 years and they still can't do it. Their defense is average and they will lose in the playoffs. All their cap room is on the offense side of the ball. End of story.

And then you have the mini-Colts, the 2006 Cincinnati Bengals. Where is the defensive help going to come from? Heaven? The Bengals have no money. Chad Johnson has it and he is in the trainer’s room replenishing his fluids.

It is December again and the Bengals are getting exposed. I sense a trend. I sense doom.

This is not good. I fear the worst. I see 8-8.