2008 Cincinnati Bengals season

Infobox NFL_season
logo =
team = Cincinnati Bengals
year = 2008
record = 0-5
division_place = 4th AFC North
coach = Marvin Lewis
Offensive Coordinator = Bob Bratkowski
Defensive Coordinator = Mike Zimmer
stadium = Paul Brown Stadium
playoffs = TBD
next = 2009The 2008 Cincinnati Bengals season is the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and their 41st overall season. The team attempted to improve upon their 7-9 record in 2007.

Offseason

Coaching changes

This season marked head coach Marvin Lewis's sixth year with the Bengals. His offensive coordinator, Bob Bratkowski remained with the team, but his defensive coordinator from 2007-08, Chuck Bresnahan, was not retained. He was replaced by Mike Zimmer and Jeff FitzGerald replaced Ricky Hunley as linebacker coach.

eason theme

Typically Lewis has had a theme for the upcoming season for the team to rally around. For the 2008 season it was "Now" ["Now" by Geoff Hobson on May 21, 2008]

Departures

*Madieu Williams, Safety signed with the Minnesota Vikings.

*Justin Smith, Defensive end signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

*Landon Johnson, Linebacker signed with the Carolina Panthers.

*Willie Anderson, the long time Offensive Lineman was released and signed by the division rivals the Baltimore Ravens.

*Rudi Johnson was released and signed by the Detroit Lions.

*Amad Brooks, Linebacker, who was allegedly involved in an assault for punching a woman in the face late April, was released before the season began.

David Pollack, who was injured during his second season in the NFL with the Bengals and suffered paralysis, declined to return to football and officially retired.

Chris Henry was released from the team on the same day a press release in the local paper announced his alleged involvement in an assault occurring within Cincinnati. A few weeks after Marvin Lewis made the public declaration that Henry would never play for the Bengals again he was re-signed. He is ineligible to play the first 4 regular season games as punishment for his involvement with criminal charges against him which were dropped before his reinstatement.

Odell Thurman, a linebacker suspended for two consequetive years, was declared eligible to return to the NFL. He was then waived in May when Lewis cited that they had not seen enough of Odell to evaluate him properly. Less than a month later Odell was indefinitely suspended from the NFL for violating their substance abuse policy.

Chad Johnson

After a year where he caught more passes and gained more yards than the previous season, it was reported that Chad Johnson felt members of the staff were blaming him for the team's failures and that he was not performing at his best. He changed agents to Drew Rosenhaus, an agent famous for being involved with Terrell Owens disruptive behavior in his efforts to get a trade. Chad later refused to participate in training camp with the Bengals and threatened to sit out the upcoming season if he was not traded. He made several conflicting statements about whether or not he would play for the Bengals this year and made several disparaging comments about fellow Bengals and the staff. A few weeks before the Bengal's training camp, he finally declared he would stay with the Bengals and honor his contract. Before the season began he legally changed his last name in his hometown to Ocho Cinco. Chad's last new name will not appear on the back of his jersey for the 2008 season as the league said he would be financially responsible for all the jerseys Reebok manufactured with his former last name.

ignings

*Ben Utecht, a tight end previously with the Indianapolis Colts
*Antwan Odom, a defensive end previously with the Tennessee Titans
*There is speculation that the team could sign former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander before the May 13 deadline. Alexander grew up across the river from Cincinnati and wants to finish his career in his "hometown" (He is from Florence, Kentucky, a city in northern Kentucky that is close to Cincinnati)
*Doug Gabriel, a wide receiver previously with the Oakland Raiders. He was released from the Bengals on May 29, 2008.

2008 NFL Draft

The Bengals gained an additional 4 picks for compensation of losing certain players. The Bengals are expected to draft a defensive tackle high in the draft, specifically

:note label|ike|a|a The Bengals-Texans game was moved from Week 10 to Week 8 to accommmodate schedule changes needed as a result of damage to Reliant Stadium as a result of Hurricane Ike. [cite web |url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80ac4273&template=without-video&confirm=true |title= Ravens-Texans game postponed; Bengals also affected|accessdate=2009-09-14 |work=NFL.com|publisher= |date=2009-09-13 ]

Regular Season Results

Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Bengals
R1=0
R2=3
R3=0
R4=7
RT=10
Home=Ravens
H1=7
H2=3
H3=7
H4=0
HT=17"at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland"
* Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
* Game weather: 78°F (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 70,978
* Referee: Scott Green
* TV announcers: (CBS) Kevin Harlan & Rich Gannon

Starter, Dexter Jackson, was inactive due to injury.

The Bengals began their 2008 campaign on the road against their AFC North foe, the Baltimore Ravens. In the first quarter, Cinncinnati trailed early as Ravens WR Mark Clayton turned a double reverse play into a 42-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Bengals continued to struggle as kicker Matt Stover gave Baltimore a 21-yard field goal. Cincinnati would reply as kicker Shayne Graham nailed a 43-yard field goal. However, in the third quarter, the Bengals continued to show their dismal defense as Ravens QB Joe Flacco got a 38-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals tried to rally as CB Johnathan Joseph returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown. However, Baltimore's defense stiffened and held on for the win.

With the loss, Cincinnati began their season at 0-1.

Week 2: vs. Tennessee Titans

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Titans
R1=0
R2=14
R3=3
R4=7
RT=24
Home=Bengals
H1=0
H2=7
H3=0
H4=0
HT=7"at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio"
* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather: 88°F (Partly Cloudy & Very Windy)
* Game attendance: 64,540
* Referee: Alberto Riveron
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui & Dan Fouts

Starter Dexter Jackson was inactive for the game due to injury.

Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Ravens, the Bengals played their Week 2 home opener against the Tennessee Titans. At the beginning of the game the winds were marked at 20 mph and picked up intensity as the game continued, with gusts to hurricane force at times due to the passage of the remnants of Hurricane Ike. After a scoreless first quarter, Cincinnati trailed as Titans RB LenDale White got a 1-yard TD run. The Bengals would respond with RB Chris Perry getting his first career TD on a 13-yard run. However, Tennessee would begin its domination with QB Kerry Collins completing an 11-yard TD pass to WR Justin Gage. In the third quarter, Cincinnati continued to struggle as kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 34-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Titans sealed the win with LB Keith Bulluck blocking and recovering a punt within Cincy's endzone for a touchdown.

During the game, the wind was such a factor that it aided the Titan's punter who, with a quick 1-step drop, kicked a punt travelling 70 yards past scrimmage before hitting the ground. It appeared to contribute to difficulties with short passes and long snaps.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 0-2.

Week 3: at New York Giants

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Bengals
R1=3
R2=10
R3=0
R4=10
R5=0
RT=23
Home=Giants
H1=0
H2=10
H3=3
H4=10
H5=3
HT=26"at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey"
* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather: 76°F (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 79,276
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel & Dan Dierdorf

Starters Ben Utecht, Johnathan Joseph, & Dexter Jackson, were inactive for the game due to injuries.

Trying to snap their two-game losing skid, the Bengals flew to Giants Stadium for a Week 3 interconference duel with the defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants. In the first quarter, Cincinnati scratched first with kicker Shayne Graham getting a 22-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Giants responded with RB Brandon Jacobs getting a 1-yard TD run. The Bengals would strike back with RB Chris Perry getting a 25-yard TD run. New York tied the game with kicker John Carney getting a 24-yard field goal, yet Cincinnati would close out the half with Graham's 30-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the Giants would tie the game with Carney kicking a 46-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, New York would take the lead with Carney's 26-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals reclaimed its lead with QB Carson Palmer completing a 17-yard TD pass to WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Giants responded with QB Eli Manning completing a 4-yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss, yet Cincinnati tied the game with Graham's 21-yard field goal. However, in overtime, New York came out on top as Carney nailing the game-winning 22-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 0-3 as they prepared to face the Cleveland Browns the next game who were also 0-3.

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Browns
R1=3
R2=0
R3=0
R4=17
RT=20
Home=Bengals
H1=0
H2=6
H3=0
H4=6
HT=12"at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio"
* Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
* Game weather: 74°F (Mostly Sunny)
* Game attendance: 65,541
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers: (CBS) Kevin Harlan & Rich Gannon

Still searching for their first win, the Bengals went home for a Week 4 AFC North duel with the Cleveland Browns in Round 1 of 2008's Battle of Ohio. With QB Carson Palmer out with a sore right elbow, back-up QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was named the starter.

In the first quarter, Cincinnati trailed early as Browns kicker Phil Dawson got a 25-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Bengals took the lead with kicker Shayne Graham getting a 42-yard and a 45-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, Cleveland regained the lead in the fourth quarter with QB Derek Anderson completing a 4-yard TD pass to WR Braylon Edwards, along with RB Jamal Lewis getting a 1-yard TD run. Cincinnati would respond with Fitzpatrick completing a 4-yard TD pass to WR Chad Ocho Cinco, yet the Browns pulled away with Dawson nailing a 29-yard field goal.

With yet another loss, the Bengals fell to 0-4.

Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Bengals
R1=0
R2=6
R3=7
R4=9
RT=22
Home=Cowboys
H1=10
H2=7
H3=0
H4=14
HT=31"at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas"
* Game time: 4:15 PM EDT
* Game weather: 87°F (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 62,655
* Referee: Bill Leavy
* TV announcers: (CBS) Jim Nantz & Phil Simms

Still searching for their first win, the Bengals flew to Texas Stadium for a Week 5 interconference duel with the Dallas Cowboys. In the first quarter, Cincinnati trailed early as Cowboys kicker Nick Folk got a 30-yard field goal, along with RB Felix Jones getting a 33-yard TD run. In the second quarter, Dallas increased its lead as QB Tony Romo completed a 4-yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten. The Bengals would end the half with kicker Shayne Graham getting a 41-yard and a 31-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Cincinnati tried to rally as QB Carson Palmer completed an 18-yard TD pass to WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals got closer as Graham got a 40-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys answered with Romo completing a 57-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens. Cincinnati tried to comeback as Palmer completed a 10-yard TD pass to Houshmandzadeh (with a failed 2-point conversion), but Dallas pulled away with Romo completing a 15-yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 0-5.

Week 6: at New York Jets

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Bengals
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
RT=0
Home=Jets
H1=0
H2=0
H3=0
H4=0
HT=0"at The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey"
* Game time: 1:00 PM EST
* Game weather:
* Game attendance:
* Referee:
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg & Randy Cross

Division standings

References

* [http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6803 ""Now" by Geoff Hobson on May 21, 2008"]