Bengals out-coached in loss to Oakland

The loss to Oakland yesterday was a tough one to swallow for a lot of different reasons. The offensive line couldn't block, the secondary was a disaster, ball-security was a concern and we managed to muff yet ANOTHER field goal....but in my opinion, coaching was to blame in the 20-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Although running back Bernard Scott, who managed 119 yards on 21 carries, had a decent day...much of those yards came on a 61 yard run. Marvin has made it perfectly clear, the Bengals plan to stick with the run...which is fine, to a certain extent. However, when is it time to abandon the run and start throwing? The Bengals attempted 43 rushes during the game, surely the passing attack had been set up and ready to roll....apparently not in offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski's mind.

A successful running game is vital to the success of a team in the NFL...you cannot be one-dimensional. However, anyone that's ever played some level of football could point out that the Raiders defense came out in the second half primed to defend it. For much of the second half, the Raiders had everyone except the two corners and safeties in the box...but we kept trying! Why did the Bengals coaching staff completely abandon the pass? I'm thankful for our MUCH improved rushing attack, but it's still not our bread and butter.

In my opinion, Palmer should have been dropped back in the shotgun, not under center as the Raiders blitz was penetrating our line with little resistance, and threw a couple quick slants...like the one completed to Chad OchoCinco in the 4th quarter. You have to keep the defense honest...we played right into their strength.

While it's hard to really come out and bash Bob Bratkowski considering we're 7-3....let us not forget how inconsistent this offense has been all season. The guy running the offense is still the same guy who everyone wanted fired last off-season. It's hard to imagine what we could be if someone calling the plays knew what he was doing.

That's enough of that...

Earlier in the week before the Pittsburgh game on "Bengals Weekly," Bengals special-teams coach Darrin Simmons said that one disappointment was Andre Caldwell's return game....so why is he out there in a critical moment when ball-security is key? I like Andre Caldwell and hope to see him in stripes for a long time, but the guy is NOT a return man. He needs to realize that he isn't Reggie Bush or Devin Hester with great quickness that can change direction on a dime...he just isn't! There was absolutely nothing wrong with his return up until the point where he stopped and tried to change direction. Bengal returners: NORTH AND SOUTH! Where was Bernard Scott? Quan Cosby? Cosby has one role on this team...return punts! To warrant a roster spot I think he has to be used more on kickoffs. Caldwell should never be seen again returning kicks.

As for the offensive line....they had a difficult time blocking the blitzing Raiders defense, but we should have called more plays to keep them off-balance. They need to play better!

Overall, it was an ugly game. Entirely too many mistakes! The only saving grace was that the entire AFC North lost too. The Bengals play the Browns on Sunday, and if you watched the game on Sunday you'll know that the Browns came out firing against the Lions. The secondary is going to have a big red bullseye on their backs from here on out....Trent, Ndukwe and Crocker are on notice!

Oh yeah...as for Morgan Trent, the guy was a 6th round pick and has played pretty well up to this point for us...he deserves a pass. As an Ohio State fan it's easy to hate on Trent who looked extremely lost on Sunday, but give the guy another chance...it's not like David Jones would have been much better! If one play determines a players career then Caldwell and Graham should be on their way out today!

We lost, plain and simple....lets move on and focus on the Browns.