SportsStreet Ohio

Only the Cincinnati Bengals seemed to the avoid the post-turkey sluggishness this holiday weekend. The Cavaliers struggled through two tough losses, the Browns looked more clueless than a Vikings ship lost at sea, and the Blue Jackets, while managing a road win, continued to play out a lost season.

Bengals offense stays in groove
It’s a good thing the Bengals know how to find the endzone, because giving up 29 points to the anemic Ravens offense doesn’t bode well for January when the temperature drops and the pressure rises. Simply put, the Bengals defense needs to find a way to keep opponents off the scoreboard. Next week in Pittsburgh would be a good place to start since the drivers seat in the AFC North will be at stake, but for now, a 42-29 win over division-rival Baltimore will have to do.

Forget all the discussion about Eli Manning or Chris Simms. There is not a better young quarterback than Carson Palmer in the NFL. Playing in relative obscurity for the Bengals, Palmer is out-throwing everyone, including Manning’s older brother. Palmer has 2,992 yards compared to Peyton Manning’s 2,534 (and unless Manning throws for 458 yards against the Steelers, Palmer will finish Week 12 with more yards.) Palmer has the same number of interceptions as Manning - 7 - but has three more TD passes (Manning may throw three against the Steelers) with one game in hand.

Browns watch veteran show Dilfer how its done
Everyone knows Brad Johnson is not the future in Minnesota — the team belongs to Daunte Culpepper. But watching Johnson dissect the Browns defense enroute to a three-TD performance and a 24-12 win, you have to wonder if the Browns are really getting from Dilfer what they singed on for at the beginning of the season.

Dilfer doesn’t protect the football. He’s not holding down the fort until Frye is ready. Dilfer throws picks. Dilfer fumbles. In that funny way that sports has a way of balancing itself out - Dilfer gets intercepted when he throws great passes, like the one to Edwards in the first quarter, and doesn’t get intercepted when he throws a ball into double coverage. He fumbles when the protection breaks down after he should have thrown the football. Lineman have internal clocks too, and can’t hold a block for five second for fear of a holding penalty.

The comedy of errors at the end of the first half may have started on the sideline, but it should have ended with Dilfer. Taking control of a game situation is the sole responsibility of the quarterback and it didn’t happen. Especially one signed to “manage a game.”

No need to read much into Cavs recent losses
Great teams lose basketball games. Good teams lose more. With that said, the Cavs are a good team trying to become great, and losing to two strong basketball teams shouldn’t be cause for concern. Mike Brown wants the Cavaliers to improve their defense. The first 11 games of the season gave him no just cause to explain to his team why defense is so important to winning in the NBA. The last two losses to Indiana and Minnesota do. 9-4 is still a good, if not great, start.

Blue Jackets pick up road win
After nine consecutive losses away from Nationwide Arena, the Columbus Blue Jackets finally navigated the road puzzle on Saturday night, besting the St. Louis Blues 4-3. And while the win is an encouraging sign, not finishing last is no way to measure success. The Jackets have earned only 12 points in 24 games and are already 17 points out of a playoff spot only a quarter of the way into the season.

Popularity: 18% [?]

NHL Hockey is a forgotten sport to the common fan — low ratings, little interest outside local markets, cryptic rules, and anonymous stars. I think its time Ohio sports fans got a clue and tuned into the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last night’s 2-1 win over Minnesota was perhaps as an exciting game any Ohio team has played in any sport since the Ohio State championship in 2002. Yes, that’s a lofty statement for a regular season game in an unknown sport — but the game had every bit of drama that makes a great sporting event: a late goal, furious action, and sudden death drama to determine a winner.

At some point, the Blue Jackets will capture the attention of fans. Last night was a perfect opportunity — too bad many missed it.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Watching Columbus earn a hard-fought 3-2 OT victory over the previously undefeated Nashville Predators, one had to come away from the game thinking the while the season couldn’t have started any worse for the Blue Jackets, better days may be around the corner.

Sure, the Jackets march into the penalty box like ants to a pinic basket. Injuries have taken ice time from superstar Rick Nash, Rostislav Klesla, and Dan Fritsche. The team has only managed three wins in their first 10 games - scoring a league-low 20 goals and accumulating the lowest point total in the NHL.

But, with Nash, Klesla, and Fritsche slated to return later within a week, the Jackets should finally be able to put their team on the ice. Mixing the young talent with the veteran grit on display in full effect Wednesday night could turn the season around.

Popularity: 9% [?]