Cincy Jungle: An SB Nation Cincinnati Bengals Blog

The day before game day we were able to snag a quick interview with Josh over from Cincy Jungle. I highly suggest you go check it out. His answers are in bold.

NYLS: 1. Is there one problem on this Bengals team that you can put your finger on?

CJ: Even if I used all my fingers on both hands, I still couldn't detail all the problems this team is dealing with.

Injury would be first and foremost. Four starting offensive linemen have gone down this year and several have played out of position. We have two good running backs drafted in the first two rounds in their respective drafts that are either injury prone (Chris Perry) or walking around with torn ligaments in the knee (Kenny Irons) while our starting running back is slowly recovering from a hamstring injury in week 3. We've lost our temporary #3 wide receiver (Tab Perry) for the season while our #5 receiver (Antonio Chatman) is the biggest waste of a roster spot because of his inability to recover from injury. Chatman will also be out Sunday.

Speaking of defense, more specifically linebacker, the following players are down: David Pollack, Lemar Marshall, Rashad Jeanty, Caleb Miller and Ahmad Brooks - all of whom have either started or were expect to start. Most of our healthy linebackers likely to suit up Sunday are retreads that other teams didn't want - like Anthony Schlegel.

Unquestionably, the league imposed suspensions have hurt. Chris Henry, serving an eight-game suspension, is the best #3 wide receiver in the NFL. If he comes back, with the way T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson are playing, the passing offense will be nearly unstoppable. Odell Thurman's 32-game suspension hurt big time. Labeled as the "next Ray Lewis", Thurman was nominated for three NFL Rookie of the Week awards winning one in 2005 and one of five nominations in the impressive class for NFL rookie of the year. The other 2005 NFL rookie of the year nominations were Shawne Merriman, DeMarcus Ware, Lofa Tatupu and Carnell Williams. The guy can play. Well, not until 2008. the others being)

NYLS: 2. What does the future hold for Marvin Lewis, and do you think he will be with the team at the start of the 2008 season?

CJ: Your guess is as good as ours. Knowing how loyal the Brown family is, I'd very surprised if they force him to leave. But this team is a tale of two. If they remain somewhat healthy, I have no doubt they'll compete with the better teams in the league. We have the talent. If they are nipped by the injury bug, then I wouldn't expect more than what we're seeing this year.

NYLS: 3. What is the exact injury with Rudi Johnson, and when will he be 100%?

CJ: He's dealing with a bum hamstring right now. After carrying the ball four times against Kansas City last week, he was benched because he tweaked it again. The team starts practicing again Wednesday, so we'll have a better understanding of his role against the Jets as the week progresses.

NYLS4. If you could have one player from the Jets, who would it be and why?

CJ: Oh, Jonathan Vilma without a doubt. As depleted as we are at linebacker, both injury and the level of talent playing, it would be nice to have some stability on this defense. NYLS; 5. Prediction time! Who is going to win this game and why?

CJ: I believe the key, for a Bengals win Sunday, is the Bengals passing offense against the Jets passing defense. The Jets pass defense is ranked 27th ( 243.3 yards/game) while the Bengals passing offense is 2nd (284.8 yards/game). On the other hand, if the Jets contain the Bengals passing offense, then you'll win. Easily.

Again I would like to thank Josh for having the time to do the interview. He has one hell of a Bengals site, so go check him out he works hard at it. Ocho Cinco!