AGRI Biz

Just like every sportswriter in the nation, I made some predictions back in September about who was going to the playoffs. Unlike the rest of those guys, IÆll own up to my calls. Here they are: AFC Playoff Teams:New England PatriotsIndianapolis ColtsPittsburgh SteelersSan Diego ChargersMiami DolphinsTennessee Titans Dark Horses:Jacksonville JaguarsCincinnati Bengalsá NFC Playoff Teams:New York GiantsNew Orleans SaintsChicago BearsSeattle SeahawksPhiladelphia EaglesCarolina Panthersá Dark Horses:Arizona CardinalsGreen Bay Packers Amazingly, I got four out of six right ...

ItÆs easy to look at the RaidersÆ stunning 20-17 upset of the Bengals Sunday and say Cincinnati choked. It was a trap game, and the Bengals fell into it hard. á After all, go the arguments, they lost three fumbles. They missed a field goal. They gave up three sacks. They only scored 17 points on a two-win team. They had an emotional let-down after a big win in Pittsburgh. á But before anyone ...

A lot has been made of the Cincinnati BengalsÆ decision to sign troubled ex-Chiefs running back Larry Johnson. Monday, Bengals.com columnist Geoff Hobson correctly predicted it will be "debated hotly through the hills and valleys of Bengaldom." á Some see it as a great move, gaining insurance for the playoffs, especially since feature back Cedric Benson is nursing a hip injury. á Others think Cincinnati is introducing a locker-room cancer into a close-knit team, ...

It wasnÆt that long ago. The Cincinnati Bengals invaded Heinz Field tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They left victorious with a lock on the division. á Sound familiar? It is a little. A 94-yard kick return by Tab Perry set up a Rudi Johnson touchdown that effectively sealed the game. A gritty performance by the Bengals kept them in it, even when it looked like the Steelers were rallying. á But something was very ...

It just doesnÆt get any easier for the Cincinnati Bengals, does it? A week after passing a big test against the Baltimore Ravens, here come the Pittsburgh Steelers. á For the second week in a row, the Denver Broncos, which beat the Bengals on a miracle play, failed to offer any help. After getting crushed by the Ravens a week before Cincinnati faced Baltimore in a rematch, the Broncos gave a similar ...

This is what the fans have been waiting for. This is what the coaches have been asking for. This is what everyone associated with the Cincinnati Bengals, from owner Mike Brown to the water boys, has been praying for. á It wasnÆt the blowout victory, although that was nice. It wasnÆt the no-turnover performance by the offense, although that was helpful. It wasnÆt even the Bengals' bouncing back from a tough loss ...

If the Cincinnati Bengals needed a wakeup call, they got it loudly at Paul Brown Stadium this past Sunday. For five weeks, the Bengals have been flirting with disaster. Sunday, they found it. There was no fourth-quarter miracle. There were no Cardiac Cats. á And itÆs easy to see why. á Àááááááá The leagueÆs leading rusher (Cedric Benson) only managed 44 yards against the leagueÆs sixth-worst run defense. Àááááááá Both tight ends fumbled the ball ...

Give the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals credit: TheyÆve got grit. For the third week in a row, the Bengals scratched, clawed, and held on until they could put together a game-winning drive in the final minutes to pull out a victory. If not for Brandon StokelyÆs freak touchdown catch in Week One, it would have been four weeks in a row. But before we all break our arms patting the Bengals on ...

On a breezy afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium, every Bengals fan could feel it slipping away. A promising 1-1 start was morphing into what promising starts in Cincinnati nearly always doùanother disappointing season. Hines Ward, a guy not exactly renowned for being respectful of other teams in their parks, was saying on the field what everyone in the sports world was thinking: ôSame old Bengals.ö The defense, which had been so brilliant ...

Ever since Carson Palmer’s knee was blown in the 2005 playoff loss to the Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals have been missing one key ingredient to a formula for success: poise.   They can draft all the top 10 linebackers and tackles they want and recast the playbook over and over, but until someone at Paul Brown Stadium figures out how to get these guys to stand tall in the face of adversity, ...