2006 Cincinnati Bengals season

The 2006 Cincinnati Bengals season began with the team trying to improve on their 11-5 record in 2005, defending their AFC North Division Championship title, and progress further through the playoffs than they made in the 2005 season having lost to Pittsburgh in the 1st round after losing star quarterback Carson Palmer to injury on the second play of the game.

Offseason

Theme

Each year the coaching staff develops a theme to focus the players and coaches attention on certain mental and discipline aspects of the game and team. The 2006-07 season used The Pyramid developed by successful former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. Some of the characteristics it highlights are:

• Industriousness
• Friendship
• Loyalty
• Cooperation
• Enthusiasm
• Self control
• Alertness
• Initiative
• Intentness
• Condition
• Skill
• Team Spirit
• Poise
• Confidence
• Competitive Greatness

Personnel Moves

The Bengals added Sam Adams and Dexter Jackson as free agents.

Draft picks

Their 1st round draft pick, cornerback John Joseph, started the season at CB.

Carson Palmer's rehab

Exceeding the expectations of typical recovery science Carson was able to play on his reconstructed ligaments in only 8 months.

SI interview

Carson's fame was boosted by a favorable interview with Sports Illustrated documenting his recovery progress.

Lewis/Carson conflict on perceived recovery time

There was a limited controversy where it appeared Lewis wanted Carson to play in the preseason earlier than Carson said. The controversy was dismissed by Lewis as miscommunication and sensationalism by the media.

Coaching/Management

The entire Marvin Lewis staff returns in 2006 intact.

Legal troubles

In spite of it having little to no effects on the team, during the 2006 offseason sports media wrote extensively on the legal woes and character questions of some of the Bengals players. The following is a list: [1]

• Chris Henry: marijuana charges, charged with pulling a gun on a group in Orlando, speeding and drunken driving, charged with providing alcohol to minors, over the course of several months in 4 different incidents over that time.

• Odell Thurman: suspended for the first four games of the 2006-2007 regular season due to a drug-test related suspension which Odell stated was due to him skipping a test, not failing one. He chalked it up to being immature. In addition to Thurmans's drug-related suspension, he was also arrested for drunk driving early monday morning after the Bengal's victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thurman is scheduled to be in court on Oct. 2, 2006.

• Frostee Rucker: charged with two counts of spousal abuse and vandalism

• A.J. Nicholson: charged with burglary; previously arrested twice on suspicion of alcohol-related offenses

• Matthias Askew: subdued by a taser after refusing to move his allegedly illegally parked car (Askew was cut from the team during the preason games. He is currently seeking legal action against the officers responsible for his being tasered in a lawsuit worth $50 million after the charges were proven unfounded).

• Eric Steinbach: charged with boating under the influence.

Lawsuit dropped

The lawsuit introduced by a city council member charging the Bengals' organization with making the deal in bad faith was dropped.

Regular season

Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	17	0	6	23
Chiefs	3	0	0	7	10

The Bengals opened the regular season on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 10. The Chiefs scored first on a 29-yard field goal by opposing kicker Lawrence Tynes. However, in the second quarter, the Bengals exploded with 17-straight points. Kicker Shayne Graham tied the game up with a 37-yard field goal, then RB Rudi Johnson ran 22 yards for a touchdown, and RB Kenny Watson ran 8 yards for a TD, making the score 17-3 at halftime. After both sides failed to score in the third quarter, a third quarter marked by Trent Green getting tackled so hard that he did not remember it (and subsequently resulted in his removal from the game), Bengals kicker Shayne Graham made the score 20-3 with a 42-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Chiefs tried to comeback with a 9-yard TD pass from opposing back-up QB Damon Huard to opposing TE Tony Gonzalez. Fortunately, a 36-yard field goal by Graham would put the game away in favor of the Bengals.

Week 2: vs. Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	3	0	0	14	17
Bengals	14	3	0	17	34

The Bengals began Round 1 of 2006's Battle of Ohio in the Week 2 home-opener against the Cleveland Browns. Cincinnati started off with QB Carson Palmer throwing a 22-yard TD pass to WR Kelley Washington. The Browns would respond with a 30-yard FG by opposing Kicker Phil Dawson. Fortunately, the Bengals would further their lead with Palmer throwing an 8-yard TD pass to WR Chad Johnson. In the second quarter, Kicker Shayne Graham kicked a 37-yard field goal as time ran out in the half to give Cincinnati a 17-3 halftime lead. There wouldn't be any scoring in the third quarter, but in the fourth, points were flying everywhere. Graham would give the Bengals a 37-yard field goal, but then, the Browns responded with a 1-yard TD run by opposing RB Reuben Droughns. Fortunately, two TD runs by RB Rudi Johnson (a 1-yarder and a 9-yarder) helped put the game out of reach. The Browns would get one more touchdown with opposing QB Charlie Frye scoring on a 2-yard run, but the game belonged to the Bengals.

There were several injuries to Bengal players in starting positions. David Pollack, a 2nd year linebacker, suffered a non-paralysis broken neck (fracture of the C6 vertabrae) and was out for the rest of the season. Offseason free agent veteran acquisition, Dexter Jackson, had a severe ankle sprain and the amount of time he would be lost was not clear. Long time Bengal center, Richie Braham also suffered a leg injury and is expected to be out for some weeks. Popular receiving star, Chad Johnson had a few incidents that appeared to hamper him. On his 8-yard touchdown pass his shoulder was injured (noticable by his unenthusiastic post-score celebratory dance) and, even though he continued to play, appeared to be in pain. Later in the game, during an intercepted pass by the Browns, he was blindsided hit by Brown's safety causing a concussion. A special team starter, Tab Perry, was also injured (hip) and appears to be out for a few games.

The loss of so many starting players and possible unavailability of other key players is a concern for the upcoming game at Pittsburgh.

Between Weeks 2 and 3

Odell Thurman was arrested for a DUI with teammates Chris Henry and Reggie McNeal in the vehicle. Odell had just entered the 3rd game of a 4 game suspension for violating the NFL's drug policy. The NFL has suspended him for the remainder of the season.

Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	14	0	14	28
Steelers	7	0	10	3	20

The Bengals maintained their shared lead in the AFC North (3-0, 2-0) by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-20 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game was marred by sloppy play by both teams, however Cincinnati benefitted greatly by creating 5 Steeler turnovers and blocking a Jeff Reed field goal attempt.

Pittsburgh appeared to be well on their way to a win, with Willie Parker scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Following a Deshea Townsend interception of Carson Palmer, the Steelers again drove into the redzone, however a Ben Roethlisberger pass was intercepted by Madieu Williams in the end zone and returned to the three-yard line.

The change in momentum was evident as the Bengals marched 97 yards capped by a 16 yard touchdown pass from Palmer to Chris Henry. Following a blocked field goal by John Thornton, Palmer and Henry would reconnect in the endzone late in the second quarter giving Cincinnati a 14-7 lead at the half.

In the third quarter Pittsburgh took back the momentum, scoring a field goal on their first drive followed by an Ike Taylor interception of Palmer on the Bengals' first drive of the half, setting up the Steelers on the Bengals' 7. Parker scored 4 plays later giving the Steelers a 17-14 lead.

After the touchdown, neither offense could get on track with the next seven drives ending in either punts or turnovers. With 8 minutes left in the game, the Bengals were forced to punt. A muffed return by Ricardo Colclough and subsequent recovery by the Bengals' Tony Stewart gave the Bengals the ball on the Steelers' 9. Palmer connect with T.J. Houshmanzadeh on the first play from scrimmage giving the Bengals a 21-17 lead. The Bengal defense responded by forcing a fumble on the next Steeler drive, giving the offense the ball on the Steeler 30-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Palmer again went to Houshmanzadeh in the end zone, connecting for a 30 yard touchdown and extending the lead to 28-17. The Steeler offense returned on the next possesion, driving to the Bengals' 18 and adding another Jeff Reed field goal. After forcing a Bengal 3-and-out, the Steelers received the ball on their own 11 with 2:42 to play in the game. Roethlisberger was able to drive the Steelers down to the Bengals' 16 yard line, however the game effectively ended when a pass intended for Nate Washington in the end zone was intercepted by Kevin Kaesviharn.

The Bengals showed maturity and patience in an important win against the Steelers. However, the Bengals allowed 6 sacks, gave up 3 turnovers and were unable to involve either of the "Johnsons" as a significant part of the offense. The Bengals look to improve in week 4 at home against the Patriots.

Week 4: vs. New England Patriots

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	14	7	17	38
Bengals	6	0	7	0	13

The Bengals quarterback protection issues seemed to continue as Palmer was sacked an additional four times during this game. This is a major change to last year's success in that area where Palmer was sacked only 21 times for the entire year. Already, this year, he's been sacked 16 times. For the offense and defense the running game proved problematic. Rudi Johnson failed to gain 50 yards on the ground while the Patriots' running backs, former Bengal Corey Dillon and rookie RB Laurence Maroney, combined for 192 rushing yards. Even Patriots QB Tom Brady uncharacteristically got into the act with a 22-yard scamper, even though he's usually considered a run-shy player. Caleb Miller started in the right linebacker position and lead the Bengals in tackles during this game.

The passing offense for the Bengals appeared largely unsuccessful. Although WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh gained 94 yards, his starting counterpart, WR Chad Johnson, did not gain more than 70. WR Chris Henry was deactivated for the game for what is believed to be a disciplinary measure by Head Coach Marvin Lewis for his involvement in Odell Thurman's DUI incident.

This was the 1st game that Corey Dillon played at Paul Brown Stadium as a non-Bengal during a regular season game. His controversial behavior in his latter years with the Bengals made him a target for anger for many Bengals' fans. According to post-game reports, Dillon waved the rookie running back off the field when the Patriots were close to scoring a touchdown so Dillon could run it in himself. When he did he threw the football into the stands and proceeded to celebrate with such length and production, he drew a flag for a personal foul from the referees. Typically an NFL ball that made it to stands is considered a rare souvenier, but because of Dillon's reputation within the Bengals' fan base, the ball was rejected by the fans and tossed back onto the field instead.

The Cincinnati Bengals fell to second place in the AFC North (3-1) after a disappointing loss to the New England Patriots 38-13. Going into the bye-week, there is an expectation of the extra weekend will give some injured Bengals the time they need to return and play. Historically speaking, Lewis has done a great job with the 1st game after a bye having won the majority of those games but as coach for the Bengals his record to this point was 1-2.

Between week 4 & 6 games

The NFL determined Chris Henry would be suspended for the next 2 NFL games due to his involvement with the DUI incident involving Odell Thurman.

Week 6: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	7	3	3	13
Buccaneers	0	0	7	7	14

Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Patriots, the Bengals flew to Raymond James Stadium for a Week 6 fight with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a scoreless first quarter, Cincinnati took an early lead, as QB Carson Palmer completed a 33-yard TD pass to WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh for the only score of the half. In the third quarter, the Bucs would tie the game, as QB Bruce Gradkowski completed a 2-yard TD pass to TE Alex Smith), but the Bengals would regain the lead as kicker Shayne Graham kicked a 37-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Graham would help Cincinnati increase the lead with a 47-yard field goal. During the last drive for the Buccaneers, on 1st down after penetrating the Bengals' 20 yard line close to scoring, DE Justin Smith apparently made the first sack of Gradkowski for the game during a solo tackle, however, the officiating crew felt Smith tackled the QB in such a way as to have driven the QB's head into the ground and penalized the Bengals for roughing the passer. The call is currently being reviewed by the league but a public statement will probably never be made by the NFL officiating committee if the call was errant or not. During the apparent sack, Smith caused a fumble which was recovered by the Bengals, with less than 2 minutes left on the clock and the Bucs with no time outs. When the play was overturned due to the controversial call, Tampa Bay managed to win on an 8-yard TD pass from Gradkowski to WR Michael Clayton later in the drive. Originally, it was ruled incomplete, but replay reviews managed to see that Clayton managed to break the plane of the goal line before losing the ball. With less than 1:30 minutes left in the game the Bengals drove from their 30 to the Bucs' side of the field and tried an extremely long 62-yeard field goal against the prevailing winds and missed. With the loss, Cincinnati hold a 3-2 record. Lewis' win/loss ratio after the bye with the Bengals fell to 1-3.

Between Week 6 and 7 games

Penalty Controversy
In a post-game interview when Marvin Lewis was asked how Justin Smith might have avoided drawing the controversial roughing the passer penalty during the attempted sack, he responded "I don’t know. I guess you have to cuddle him to the ground."

Other comments
Justin Smith said "I've never seen anything like that in my six years in the NFL." The official who made the call "must have season tickets down here." He further explained ""The dude (QB) ducked", suggesting it wasn't the force of Smith tackling but the QB's effort to double-over and protect the ball that made it appear he was being forced into the ground head first.

Houshmanzadeh said "You might as well put a red jersey on (Gradkowski) and play two-hand touch."

Week 7: vs. Carolina Panthers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	7	7	0	0	14
Bengals	0	7	3	7	17

Hoping to rebound from their embarrasing loss to the Bucs, the Bengals went home for a showdown with the Carolina Panthers. In the first quarter, things didn't start out good for Cincinnati as Panthers QB Jake Delhomme completed a 7-yard TD pass to TE Kris Mangum for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Bengals manged to get on the board with QB Carson Palmer completing a 16-yard TD pass to TE Reggie Kelly. However, Carolina would respond with Delhomme completing a 20-yard TD pass to RB Nick Goings. Fortunately, in the second half of the game, it was all Cincinnati, with kicker Shayne Graham nailing a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter and Palmer completing a 1-yard TD pass to WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh. The drive which led to Housh's (a nickname used by local radio commentators for Houshmandzadeh) was kept alive by an uncharacteristically risky play. On 4th and 1 instead of the expected, and typically successfull quarterback push in the middle or a short-yardage dive play involving a running back, the Bengals ran a "play action pass". Carson tossed a high arching pass down the sideline where a sprinting Chad Johnson caught up to it and made a tumbling catch just out of the reach of the defender for a 32-yard gain. The Panthers' last scoring opportunity was thwarted by Delhomme's first interception ever thrown as a Panther when in the opponent's 20 yard line. Kevin Kaesviharn made the interception to end the threat, much like the pass he intercepted during the Steeler's game earlier this year. This game saw the return of 3rd down running back specialist Chris Perry and safety Dexter Jackson. With the victory, the Bengals improved to 4-2, tying the Ravens for the lead in the AFC North.

Between weeks 7 and 8

There has been some speculation that the Panthers game may prove to be a pivotal moment in the Bengals' season. Specifically a focus on the daring 4th and 1 play that went for 32 yards. The somewhat downtrodden Bengals' offense is expected to have gained some confidence after their showing.

During this time period the Bengals' held a work out for former Bengal Peter Warrick. This appears to be in response to their thinning receiving corps.

After being relatively silent for most of the season Chad Johnson spoke out boastfully before the Atlanta game predicting he would score multiple touchdowns and damage the defensive back rival, DeAngelo Hall, into being cut from Atlanta's team. Chad stated he was using this opportunity for the offense to regain some of it's confidence and swagger.

Week 8 Vs. Atlanta Falcons

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	6	7	13	3	29
Bengals	7	10	3	7	27

External Links

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5517 Information about The Pyramid theme