Author: Jamey Codding (Page 12 of 25)

Well, not fully, I guess, because my Browns failed to make the playoffs (and just stumbled through one of the ugliest front-office fiascos in sports history, but that’s old news, I guess), but I know how painful Sunday’s loss to the Steelers must have been.

Going into that game as a Bengals fan, you figure, worst case scenario, the team’s inexperience bites them in the tail and they get stomped by the Steelers. Sucks, but for once, the crutch “there’s always next year” actually means something. This team can score against anybody: Rudi Johnson running the ball; Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Perry catching the ball; and of course, Carson Palmer running the entire show.

I live about three hours north of Cincinnati, and I’m pretty certain that, had I stood in my driveway during the opening stages of the first quarter, I would’ve heard a faint but very distinct cry of “NOOOOOO!!!” echo from the south. That was when the world stopped for every Bengals fan in the country. Carson Palmer, on his back, a blow to the knee. A couple quarters later, the obvious is confirmed: a torn ACL. Later, various reports say he also tore the MCL.

But then Jon Kitna comes in and leads the team to a 17-14 halftime lead. Kitna, the TV announcers tell us, gets more reps than just about any other backup QB in the league each week, and it shows. Well, early on, it did. In the second half, Kitna was lost, scrambling like mad to buy extra time, pump faking every other time he dropped back to pass, seemingly unable to make a decision. The end result: a scoreless second half, and a devastating 31-17 loss.

But there is good news, as I told a despressed buddy of mine, a BIG Bengals fan, a few hours after the game: Palmer’s not a running back or a receiver, which means the injury shouldn’t really affect his long-term outlook. You can’t count on him for much of anything next year (recovery time could be as long as nine to 12 months), but it’s not like he tore his rotator cuff or damaged his elbow. Plus, we’re not talking about Michael Vick here. Whatever loss in mobility Palmer may experience will likely be negligible since he’s not a very mobile QB to begin with.

The future is still bright in Cincinnati, but all the “WHO DEY!” chants should probably be put on hold for a year. Unless Jon Kitna remembers how to play quarterback during the off season.

The numbers were in his favor, but I still didn’t think Shaun Alexander would win the MVP over Peyton Manning. Guess I was wrong.

Looking back, it was probably kind of foolish to doubt Alexander’s chances. The Seahawks classed the NFC at 13-3 while Alexander broke the single-season TD record with 28 and led the NFL in rushing. Sounds like an MVP to me. Sure, Peyton was great and the Colts made a legitimate run at undefeated history, but he only tossed 28 touchdowns, 21 fewer than last year, and six QBs threw for more yards, including Kerry Collins. Granted, he’s not going to throw 49 TDs a year, but Manning didn’t set himself apart in any one category. Alexander did it in two.

Now, if Seattle had only won nine or 10 games, then Peyton would’ve been the better choice. And please don’t say Matt Hasselbeck’s career season (3,459 yards, 24 TD) made it easier for Alexander to shine; it’s the other way around. Everyone played the run against Seattle, which opened things up for Hasselbeck, and yet Alexander still blew up. Besides, don’t forget that Peyton had Edgerrin James (1,506 yards, 13 TD) in his backfield.

All of that said, there certainly is a strong case to be made for Manning and even Tom Brady, who finished third in the voting. But Alexander’s record-setting performance during a dominant team season makes him the logical choice. At least, I would’ve voted that way.

The Ultimate Survival Pool is back for the playoffs! For each round during the NFL playoffs, you pick one winner against the spread. But unlike the regular season contest, you can pick the same team more than once — you can pick the same team every week, if you want. Just win, baby! Because there are just seven rounds (two for the wild cards, Saturday and Sunday, two for the divisional games, Saturday and Sunday, a round for each conference championship, and then the Super Bowl round), they are limiting the contest to 250 people (subject to increase) to increase the likelihood of a single winner. Enter today! The week-one deadline is Saturday, January 7 at 4:00 EST.

It had to happen. Didn’t it?

The Chargers beat the Colts Sunday, ending Indy’s run at history while also proving that the Colts aren’t invincible. In hindsight, it’s easy to say “it had to happen,” but most of us became believers during this remarkable run. I can’t say I’m surprised they lost, but I am surprised they lost at home, though the Chargers have been playing very well on the road all season and, when you looked at their remaining schedule, this game and next week’s match-up against the Seahawks looked the most dangerous.

Some argue that this loss may actually help the Colts in their quest to win a Super Bowl, and I’d tend to agree with that. Now the pressure is off. No more questions about if they want the record (of course they wanted it), or if Tony Dungy is going to rest any of his starters. Now he can do what he has to do to get his team ready, and despite the loss they still look like heavy Super Bowl favorites. The Patriots are playing much better (and clinched another division title this weekend), so certainly they loom as a real threat in the AFC, but with the Colts playing at home throughout the playoffs, the advantage clearly belongs to Peyton Manning & Company.

So first, I read the GOAT was involved in a paternity suit for a child he fathered out of wedlock three years ago.

Tonight, I saw that Jerry Rice will be on “Dancing With the Stars” in January. Good God.

My opinion of someone has never fallen so far, so fast.