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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > December > 06 > Entry
Bengals’ DBs under pressure, microscope
FREENEY CAN’T WAIT
TO TAKE ON COLLINS
AND PRESSURE ‘FITZ’
The Cincinnati Bengals’ unit under the most pressure and scrutiny at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 7, is the secondary.
Trigger-happy Colts QB Peyton Manning, who is coming off one of the worst games of his career in a 10-6 win over the Browns, figures to get healthy.
He’ll be aiming at an injury-riddled secondary that features one full-time starter in the lineup in RCB Leon Hall.
With three starters (FS Marvin White, SS Dexter Jackson and LCB Johnathan Joseph) on Injured Reserve, and a pair of backups in SS Chinedum Ndukwe (foot, doubtful) and CB David Jones (knee, questionable) hurting, the Bengals are forced to lean on FS Chris Crocker, SS Kyries Hebert and CB Jamar Fletcher to get the job done.
Hall needs a bounce-back performance after getting repeatedly burned by the Ravens’ Mark Clayton.
Hall has excellent speed and is smooth in and out of his cuts, but he’s having difficulty getting turned around in time to make plays on the ball in the air.
Without much of a pass rush, Hall has to cover his man for a longer period of time. If Manning gets time to go through his progressions, Hall will likely get hung out to dry again.
COLTS SCOUTING REPORT
(FROM THE DESK OF THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR)
www.indystar.com/section/SPORTS
• The Colts still aren’t running the ball very effectively. Blame the offensive line and the injuries that have forced them to mix and match.
C Jeff Saturday probably will miss a second straight game with a strained left calf and rookie Jamey Richard starts in place of him.
Rookie Mike Pollak is the starting right guard.
These guys are going to be good and they’ve done well in pass protection (3 sacks allowed in the past seven games, none in four of those games), but run blocking has been spotty. Don’t believe for a second that Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes have forgotten how to run.
• Thanks to the Bengals, Arizona and Detroit, the Colts no longer have the 32nd rushing game, but they still stink at No. 29.
• The offense had been pretty efficient until the game at Cleveland. No TDs for just the seventh time since Manning arrived in 1998, including playoffs. Nothing major, just a few screw-ups at critical times.
Dwight Freeney
• Cincy had better keep an eye on defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. They’ve combined for 17 sacks, 35 quarterback pressures and 8 forced fumbles.
• The Colts likely will be without MLB and leading tackler Gary Brackett (lower left leg injury) and will be without DT Keyunta Dawson (hamstring). But they might get SS Bob Sanders back. T.J. Houshmandzadeh calls him “Psycho Bob.” As long as Freeney and Mathis play, they can be pretty decent.
• The defense has been OK, but has had trouble getting off the field on third down. Cleveland converted 11-of-20 and the Colts are dead last in third-down defense. They take the bend-but-don’t-break philosophy to the limit.
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Comments
By sam
December 6, 2008 9:25 PM | Link to this
who cares?