Tag: Cincinnati Bengals (Page 41 of 47)

Top 10 Active NFL Punching Bags (Most Times Sacked)

Usually sacks are kept track of statistically by the guys who are the sacker, not the sack-ee. In today’s NFL, that means guys like Aaron Kampman, John Abraham and Justin Tuck. But when you think about it, that’s a lot of punishment on the guys who are being brought down to the ground, usually with 300 pounds or more on top of them. Ouch. Here is a list of the active leaders in the “sacked” department:

1. Brett Favre, New York Jets (451)—Well, if you play the game long enough, this is sure to happen, right? Still, Favre paid the price in 1996, the year he led the Packers to a Super Bowl title, hitting the ground a career high 40 times.

2. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles (309)—In a full season, McNabb is typically brought down 35-40 times, and mainly because he’s mobile, meaning he’s being chased. Still, I bet he’s still seeing stars from that game last season in which the Giants sacked him 12 times.

3. Kerry Collins, Tennessee Titans (306)—At 36, this is another example of longevity. But when you hang in the pocket for as long as Collins does sometimes, this is bound to happen.

4. Jon Kitna, Detroit Lions (302)—Kitna played a few years in Seattle and a few years in Cincinnati before signing with Detroit before the 2006 season. He was welcomed with a sieve for an offensive line, taking 63 sacks in 2006 and 51 in 2007. Again, ouch.

5. David Carr, New York Giants (262)—Here is where this gets a little painful even to write about. David Carr has only been in the NFL since 2002, the first year of the expansion Houston Texans. That year, Carr broke an NFL record by being sacked 76 times. With 249 total sacks in 5 seasons, Carr has enjoyed the view from the sidelines in Carolina and now in New York (Giants), as a backup.

6. Trent Green, St. Louis Rams (255)—And we wonder why the guy has struggled to get on the field due to concussions. This is one of those sad truths about playing in the NFL.

7. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks (237)—Chunky Soup sure doesn’t help Hasselbeck or McNabb get away from a pass rush.

8. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals (223)—Fantasy owners don’t care about this number. They only care about the Arena League type numbers Warner keeps putting up, even now at the age of 37.

9. Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams (215)—It’s a sure sign that the mighty Rams have fallen when a guy like Bulger hits the ground 49 times, as he did in 2006.

10. Tom Brady, New England Patriots (203)—The only one that New England fans remember is number 203, the one that knocked Mr. Brady out for the 2008 season in the opener last month.

Source: Pro Football Reference

Athlete Profile: Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson

Chad JohnsonThere are few athletes whose trash talking can be a pleasure to listen to. Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson has one of those tireless big mouths that will tackle any subject anytime and anywhere. Thankfully, his diatribes are usually injected with a touch of humor and his words always reflect a genuine passion for the game of football. He publicly calls out players and instantly defends himself when criticism comes his way. When his own cousin, Keyshawn Johnson, expressed disappointment with Chad’s persona when the two sat down for an interview, Ocho Cinco stood his ground. In short, he’s never been known for mincing words, but he has talent to back them up.

If a career in football hadn’t panned out, Ocho Cinco could have found himself some easy work in public relations. He’s successfully turned himself into a business, marketing his flamboyant character in creative ways. During the 2005 season, Ocho Cinco created a checklist, entitled Who Covered 85 in ’05, which acclaimed the defensive backs that successfully covered him. As a result, in 2007, Degree and Yahoo! created an online version of the checklist, available for viewing at TrashTalk85.com.

Love him or hate him, it’s virtually impossible to ignore this five-time pro bowler. Now in his eighth season, Ocho Cinco has sported a gilded grill, diamond earrings, a bleached blonde mohawk, and just recently, a Bengals jersey with “Ocho Cinco” on the nameplate. (For this latest stunt, the League fined him $5K.)

However, none of these actions have sparked more ire than Ocho Cinco’s elaborate touchdown celebrations, for which he has also been fined.

Given his already productive career, Ocho Cinco is lucky to even be playing football. Growing up, he repeatedly fared poorly in school. His biggest role model was his grandmother, Bessie Flowers, and she urged Johnson to pursue football as an outlet. Unfortunately, due to his academic performance, Johnson was not qualified for Division One schools. He attempted to play for Langston University in Oklahoma, but was immediately expelled for fighting. Shortly after, he was charged for domestic violence in a dispute with his then-girlfriend. Thankfully, he found refuge in the football program at Santa Monica Community College. It was there that he met coach Charles Collins. For two seasons, Collins mentored Johnson, employing a “no tolerance” policy against any of Chad’s future transgressions. Collins’ strategy worked, and Johnson was later recruited by Oregon State University, where he continued to improve his game.

Preferring not to play his senior season, in 2001, Chad Johnson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2nd round (36th overall). Since then, Johnson has become quite the star, breaking a few NFL and Bengals’ franchise records along the way. In 2006, he became the only NFL player ever to win a fourth consecutive conference receiving yards title. During the next year, Ocho Cinco moved into the all-time Bengals receiving yards lead, ahead of Isaac Curtis (7,101). He finished that year with 8,365 career total yards.

Undoubtedly, Ocho Cinco has become a significant asset, one that could help any team win a Super Bowl. After a tedious offseason dispute, that team will continue to be the Bengals—at least through 2011. Either way, regardless of what team he’s on or what the name is on the back of his uniform, Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson is someone you’ll be hearing about.

“Ocho Cinco” on the Web

Johnson’s Official Site
His own website with a bio, photos, and his blog.

Cincinnati Bengals: Official player page for Johnson
Team’s official page; contains short bio, stats, and links to recent video highlights.

Chad Johnson’s Touchdown Celebration Showdown
Site where fans can submit their own touchdown dances.

Latest on “Ocho Cinco”

After legally changing his surname to “Ocho Cinco,” Chad and the Bengals have gotten off to a rough start this season. But he’s poised to have another great year, looking forward to his sixth straight Pro Bowl appearance.

News and Commentary

SportsIllustrated.com: Bengals’ Chad legally adopts ‘Ocho Cinco’ as last name
The final step in becoming “Ocho Cinco.”

ESPN.com: Chad Johnson to cough up 5K for ‘Ocho Cinco’ Stunt
Wearing “Ocho Cinco” on the back of his jersey has its consequences.

FanIQ.com: Chad Johnson’s next end zone dance to have corporate sponsorship
How his celebrations will help a charity.

FOXsport.com: Johnson may have learned a painful lesson
“Ocho Cinco” gets serious about his injuries and his team’s poor play.

“Ocho Cinco” Says

On the media

“I was labeled selfish and a cancer, and it hurt. Fingers were pointed at me this year. If the team and the organization wants to further itself, I think you need to get rid of the problem. It hurt me. To do me that way and not to have my back. Things were said, and nobody came to my defense.”

On the 2008 Season

“Of course, I’m going to have fun. I’m going to do things within the rules. I’m not going to be a distraction to my team or my teammates. You know, I’m going to make the game interesting, week in and week out.”

On Michael Phelps

“Where I’m from, Liberty City, I know a couple people that can beat Michael Phelps right now. Seriously, I’m telling you, and I’m one of them.”

Same old question: Is Jerry Jones too involved?

Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News writes that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shouldn’t be the one pumping up his team on the sidelines during games. That job should fall on Wade Phillips and the rest of the Dallas coaching staff.

Terrell OwensJerry shouldn’t be delivering pep talks to an overly sensitive Terrell Owens with 5:14 left in the third quarter because Owens needs a hug while sulking on the bench. Nor should Jerry be exhorting the first-team defense between series.

The same goes for handing out high-fives to Courtney Brown and patting Zach Thomas on the back after Anthony Spencer’s fourth-quarter fumble recovery or congratulating each member of the extra-point unit following T.O.’s key touchdown in the fourth quarter.

After the game, the sweat rapidly rolled down Jerry’s flushed cheeks, staining his snazzy navy and black tie and making his shirt damp.

Jerry crosses a fine line when he’s that involved with the players during the game, because it goes way beyond his duties as owner or general manager.

Blame Wade Phillips. Obviously, the owner thought he was giving the team something it needed.

“It was my emotion,” Jerry said of heading to the field in the third quarter. “In my own way, I was reminding everyone how important – not that they needed reminding – this game was. I added an additional impetus to it. This game was every bit as big as it was against Washington last week.”

I’ve always had mixed emotions regarding this topic. On one hand, it’s the owner’s team. If he wants to be on the sidelines at the end of games and slap high-fives with the players he’s paying millions of dollars to, than he should be able to do that. But where do you draw the line? The owners higher coaches to run the team and should rely on them to keep the players motivated. And besides, if the coaches can’t fire up the players, what makes the owner think he will?

But in the specific case of Jerry Jones, I don’t think there’s anything new here. He’s always been on the sidelines and to me, he doesn’t seem to be a distraction. Do I think it’s ridiculous that he’s giving pep talks to T.O. during a game? Yeah. But that reflects more poorly on T.O. than Owens in my opinion.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 5: Sunday’s Games

Everything you need to know (and some stuff you don’t) about the fantasy implications of Week 5 NFL action.

Steelers 26 @ Jaguars 21
Ben Roethlisberger (309 yards, 3 TD, INT) was questionable all week, but he played well, hooking up with Hines Ward (7-90-1), Nate Washington (6-94-1), Heath Miller (5-45-1) and Santonio Holmes (4-65) with regularity…Mewelde Moore (20 touches, 116 yards) filled in admirably for Willie Parker, but failed to score. He looks like a starter caliber fantasy back as long as Parker is out…The Steelers defense was a bit of a disappointment, registering just three sacks and a forced fumble while allowing 21 points to the Jags…David Garrard (200 yards, TD) played pretty well and it looks like he’s starting to develop a rapport with second-year WR Mike Walker, who followed up last week’s five-catch, 46-yard effort against Houston with a six-catch, 107-yard performance tonight. He might be taking over the WR1 role from Matt Jones (2-25) who had a disappointing game just as fantasy owners were starting to trust him in their lineups…Fred Taylor (12 touches, 25 yards) was a non-factor, while Maurice Jones-Drew (11 touches, 30 yards, TD) caught six passes and scored a TD on the ground.

Buccaneers 13 @ Broncos 16
Jay Cutler (227 yards, TD) had an efficient, if unspectacular game…Eddie Royal (3-23) and Brandon Marshall (3-25) were quiet, so Tony Scheffler (4-65) and Brandon Stokley (6-52-1) picked up the slack…Royal may miss the next two games with a bad ankle, and Scheffler will likely miss some time with a strained groin…Denver’s running game was once again split up between Selvin Young (11 touches, 39 yards), Michael Pittman (8 touches, 61 yards) and Andre Hall (7 touches, 30 yards). None of these guys are worth starting on a regular basis, though Pittman is worth a look since he’s getting a vast majority of the goal line carries…Brian Griese (88 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT) was knocked out of the game, so Jeff Garcia (93 yards, TD, INT) came in in relief…Antonio Bryant (7-58) and Ike Hilliard (4-29-1) were the main receiving threats…Warrick Dunn (14 touches, 87 yards) and Earnest Graham (15 touches, 80 yards) once again split running back duties.

Bills 17 @ Cardinals 41
Kurt Warner (250 yards, 2 TD) continues to post good fantasy numbers…Larry Fitzgerald (7-52-2) was the star in the passing game, but Steve Breaston (7-77) and Early Doucet (6-42) are proving that the Cardinals have a deep receiving corps…Edgerrin James (23 touches, 78 yards, TD) had a pretty good game but saw two more TD vultured by Tim Hightower (nine touches, 45 yards, 2 TD)…Trent Edwards was knocked out of the game and J.P. Losman (220 yards, TD, INT) had an Edwards-like day in relief. He hooked up with Lee Evans (2-100-1) for an 87-yard TD…Josh Reed (4-45) and James Hardy (3-35) made some short catches…Marshawn Lynch (16 touches, 65 yards) failed to score…The Bills failed to register a sack or force a turnover which is unbelievable considering Warner’s propensity to give the ball to the other team.

Bengals 22 @ Cowboys 31
Tony Romo (176 yards, 3 TD, INT) continues to post great fantasy numbers…Jason Wiitten (8-79-1) and Terrell Owens (2-67-1) were his favorite targets, though Patrick Crayton (1-15-1) also scored on a tipped ball…Marion Barber (25 touches, 92 yards) had a rather quiet fantasy day, while Felix Jones (10 touches, 103 yards, TD) scored on a 33-yard run…Carson Palmer (217 yards, 2 TD, INT) returned to post some good numbers…T.J. Houshmandzadeh (7-85-2) had a huge day, while Chad Johnson (3-43) was rather quiet…Antonio Chatman (7-55) caught a bunch of underneath stuff…Chris Perry (16 touches, 50 yards) fumbled for the fifth time in as many games, and could be in danger of losing his job to Cedric Benson (10 carries, 30 yards).

Patriots 30 @ 49ers 21
Randy Moss (5-111-1) busted out with a big day after struggling for much of the time that Matt Cassel (259 yards, TD, 2 INT) has been under center…Wes Welker (8-73) continues to thrive in PPR leagues with all of the underneath stuff…Once again, Laurence Maroney (10 carries, 26 yards) was a non-factor. Kevin Faulk (11 touches, 61 yards, 2 TD) and Sammy Morris (16 carries, 63 yards) both had more touches…J.T. O’Sullivan (130 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT) continues to post good fantasy numbers despite three picks…Isaac Bruce (3-49-2) continues to surge and is a regular target at the goal line. He has a knack for finding an opening in the back of the end zone…Bryant Johnson (3-27) was the next best 49er WR…Frank Gore (16 touches, 78 yards, TD) had a solid game. He didn’t rush for a score, but he caught a TD.

Chiefs 0 @ Panthers 34
The Carolina defense was my DTBWW pick and they didn’t disappoint, posting zero points allowed, three sacks, two INT and two fumble recoveries…DeAngelo Williams had a huge day (21 touches, 148 yards, 3 TD) but he probably wasn’t in too many starting lineups this week…Jonathan Stewart turned 20 touches into 80 yards…Jake Delhomme (236 yards, 2 TD, INT) had a nice day throwing to Steve Smith (6-96) and Muhsin Muhammad (3-71-1)…Dante Rosario didn’t have a catch…The Chiefs offense was brutal…Damon Huard (86 yards, 2 INT) and Tyler Thigpen (37 yards) struggled all day…Larry Johnson had seven carries for two yards…Dwayne Bowe (5-57) and Tony Gonzalez (3-17) had quiet days.

Ravens 10 @ Titans 13
There wasn’t a whole lot of offense in this game…Kerry Collins (163 yards, TD, 2 INT) posted decent numbers throwing mainly to Bo Scaife (7-72). Scaife is starting to look like a starter-caliber fantasy TE, as long as Collins is under center, anyway…Chris Johnson (20 touches, 48 yards) struggled against a good Ravens defense…LenDale White (4 touches, 4 yards) was a non-factor…Brandon Jones (3-54) seems like the main guy (after Scaife) when Gage is out…Joe Flacco (153 yards, 2 INT) had a predictably rough game against a good defense, but he did finally target Todd Heap (4-41) a few times…Derrick Mason (5-38) and Mark Clayton (4-37) had quiet days…Willis McGahee (23 touches, 65 yards) played, but had a TD run vultured by Le’Ron McClain (13 touches, 63 yards).

Bears 34 @ Lions 0
Kyle Orton was a sneaky good start this week and he didn’t disappoint (334 yards, 2 TD)…Matt Forte (19 touches, 61 yards, 2 TD) had a big day and is a must-start week to week…Rashied Davis (6-97) led the Bears in receiving, but Greg Olsen (3-87) had a big yardage day as well…Devin Hester (5-66-1) might be worth a pickup if you need help at WR…In addition to the shutout, the Bears defense posted four sacks, an INT return for a TD and a fumble recovery…Jon Kitna (74 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT) had a rough day, and might be in danger of losing his job…Roy Williams (7-96) got a ton of looks, and the Lions may have been trying to showcase him for a possible trade…Calvin Johnson (2-16) struggled…Kevin Smith turned 12 touches into 56 yards and a D, while Rudi Johnson posted 32 yards on eight touches.

Falcons 27 @ Packers 24
Matt Ryan (194 yards, 2 TD, INT) played pretty well and would have had a third TD (and no INT) if he hadn’t severely underthrown a wide-open receiver in the second half…Roddy White (8-132-1) caught all of his passes in the first half…Justin Peele (2-15-1) caught the other Ryan TD…Michael Turner (26 carries, 121 yards, TD) had a very nice day…Aaron Rodgers (313 yards, 3 TD, INT) was bothered by a sore shoulder, but managed to post good fantasy numbers…Ryan Grant (18 carries, 83 yards) looked good running the ball…Greg Jennings (4-87-1) and Donald Driver (3-68-1) had solid days, while Donald Lee (4-25-1) and Tory Humphrey (4-67) gave the Packers a good one-two punch at TE.

Colts 31 @ Texans 27
Peyton Manning (247 yards, 2 TD, INT) and the Colts were able to capitalize on Sage Rosenfels’ mistakes…Reggie Wayne (7-97-1), Dallas Clark (5-81), Marvin Harrison (4-32) and Tom Santi (4-27-1) were the main receivers in the Colts’ passing game. Manning and Harrison don’t seem like they’re on the same page right now…Joseph Addai (17 carries, 71 yards, TD) had a solid game, but he’s not very involved in the passing game (1 catch, 3 yards)…Anthony Gonzalez (1-3) had a very quiet day…Rosenfels (246 yards, TD) played pretty well until the final quarter, when two fumbles and an interception allowed the Colts to steal the win…Andre Johnson (9-131-1) had a huge game and Owen Daniels (5-47) had another solid outing…Steve Slaton (16 carries, 93 yards, 2 TD) had a big day against a very bad Colts rush defense…Ahman Green (12 carries, 47 yards) returned from injury and played pretty well…Kevin Walter (2-36) had a quiet game.

Chargers 10 @ Dolphins 17
Chad Pennington was solid (228 yards, TD) throwing mainly to Greg Camarillo (6-68-1) and Ted Ginn (7-55). Camarillo is turning into a good spot starter in PPR leagues and Ginn is starting to show some life…Anthony Fasano (3-47) hada prety good game at TE…Ronnie Brown (24 carries, 125 yards, TD) had another big day…Ricky Williams (14 touches, 39 yards) is taking a back seat in the running game…The Chargers offense was disappointing, starting with Phillip Rivers (156 yards, TD), continuing with Antonio Gates (1-12), and ending with LaDainian Tomlinson (17 touches, 57 yards)…Vincent Jackson (2-56) and Chris Chambers (3-30-1) had decent games.

Seahawks 6 @ Giants 44
Eli Manning (267 yards, 2 TD) continues his strong play…Domenik Hixon (4-102-1) took advantage of the absence of Plaxico Burress to have his coming out party…Amani Toomer (4-64) had a disappointing day, all things considered…Sinorice Moss (4-45-2) scored twice…Brandon Jacobs (16 touches 145 yards, 2 TD) had a monster day, while Ahmad Bradshaw (11 carries, 65 yards) and Derrick Ward (9 touches, 50 yards) spelled Jacobs…Kevin Boss (2-9) was a big disappointment after talk that he’d be getting extra looks with Burress out…Bobby Engram (8-61) had a nice first game back and looks like a WR3-type in PPR leagues…Deion Branch’s return (3-31) was less encouraging, especially considering the score…Matt Hasselbeck (105 yards, INT) had a bad day, and his stock is probably as low as it has been all season…Julius Jones (18 touches, 74 yards) had a quiet game considering how strong he’s been the last few weeks…T.J. Duckett (4 carries, 14 yards) wasn’t much of a factor…The Seahawks defense should only be started when the matchup is favorable.

Redskins 23 @ Eagles 17
Clinton Portis (31 touches, 158 yards, TD) had a huge game against a good Eagles defense…Jason Campbell (176 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT) had a quiet day, but he did connect with Chris Cooley (8-109-1) several times…Santana Moss didn’t have a catch…Antwaan Randle El (3-34) threw the TD to Portis…Shaun Suisham is starting to look like one of the steadier K plays in the league…The Eagles offense didn’t look too good, and it started with Donovan McNabb (196 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT)…DeSean Jackson returned a punt for a TD, but otherwise had a very quiet game (3 touches, 21 yards)…Reggie Brown (4-84) looks like a solid play in most PPR leagues…Brian Westbrook (18 touches, 84 yards, TD) had his normally productive day…L.J. Smith (3-26) is still a TE2 at this point.

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