This week former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback and return specialist Adam “Pacman” Jones kindly joined Matt’s Take.

Pacman is a former West Virginia Mountaineer, sixth overall NFL draft pick, All-Pro cornerback, and former Bengal, Titan, Cowboy and Bronco. Jones retired in 2019 and has been successful in his life after football including owning multiple businesses and diving into boxing and wrestling. When I think of Pacman Jones and his time with the Bengals, I think of his speed along with the gritty and mean defense that was a nightmare for opposing offenses on a weekly basis.

Following are Pacman’s answers to a few questions:

Q: What is your favorite memory as a Cincinnati Bengal?

A: “The day my son was born we played Cleveland and I had a punt return for a touchdown, but they called it back.”

Q: Where did the Pacman nickname originate from?

A: “Pacman name, my mama gave me that name because when I was a baby I used to do my mouth like that when I was hungry.”

Q: What do you think the Bengals need to improve on to be playing in the Super Bowl again this season?

A: “I think we must improve on our run game.”

Q: Who would you consider the top three cornerbacks currently in the NFL?

A: “Jalen Ramsey, Xavier Howard and Patrick Surtain II.”

Q: How much time do you spend in Cincinnati now?

A: “I live in Cincinnati. This is home!”

Q: Do you still keep in touch with Marvin Lewis or any former teammates?

A: “Yes, I talk to ‘ML’ all the time and I talk to Tez, Dennard and Leon.”

Q: Do you ever return to Morgantown to take in a WVU game?

A: “I love WVU. I’m there all the time.”

Q: What does life look like for you since hanging up the cleats?

A: “Busy, business booming, and working harder.”

Hip donations

By now you have heard the devastating news regarding Ja’Marr Chase. He has a hip injury and I think the Google searches regarding hairline hip fractures and torn labrums have increased around the Cincinnati area. All of the sudden, the amount of hip specialists on my Twitter feed has increased (Lol), and I won’t even pretend that I know anything about hips, but with the limited information the Bengals have provided we can only sit and wait for the return of Uno.

Bleacher Report and Adam Schefter have reported a possible 4-6 week return for our best receiver. While this information is horrible news, if he was going to have an injury, now is the best time to have it as we play the Browns (loss), Panthers, and have a bye the following week. Zac Taylor decided not to place Chase on the injured reserve list, which keeps us all optimistic on an earlier return than expected.

Serious trouble

Monday Night Football in Halloween was scarier than any Stephen King book for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals were atrocious from start to finish on both sides of the football. At 4-4 and 0-3 in the AFC North, this team is in serious trouble and without a huge turnaround or adding some talent before the deadline, this season might just be a wash for the Queen City. While we are still second in the division, being .500 with our remaining schedule against teams like the Bills and Chiefs is not a good place to be. The Panthers game on Sunday is a must-win game and without a victory on Sunday, I believe the Bengals season might just be over before heading into the bye week.

Positives

· Vonn Bell was phenomenal yet again and is putting up Pro Bowl-like numbers. He reeled in another interception and is truly having an All-Pro season.

· The only other positive I can come up with is that I forgot to record the game on DVR, which means I can’t go back and watch the game like I typically do. This will save me from being put through another few hours of whatever we all were forced to watch on Monday.

Negatives

· It is time for Huber to hang up the cleats. He had another punt under 25 yards and it is honestly time for him to retire. He had an amazing career, but it is time for him to say farewell. Shanking punts and giving up field advantage week after week is becoming a major issue.

· Mike Thomas is not capable of being a No. 3 WR for this offense with Chase being injured. Thomas had a huge drop early in the game and he simply isn’t a viable option. If Chase is going to be out for more than four weeks, Cincinnati better continue to work out some wide receivers, as they will need another option outside of what is on the current roster.

· Cincinnati was dominated at the line of scrimmage yet again. Myles Garrett was bruising Jonah Williams and company for all four quarters. On the other side of the football, this offensive line did not look like they have the past couple weeks.

· Injuries are beginning to pile up and cornerback depth is now a problem as well. In football, injuries will obviously happen, but this team is desperate for the bye week, as we have many injuries to key players such as Apple, Awuzie, Chase, Reader and Flowers.

· Even Evan McPherson joined in on the horrible night of football. Evan missed an extra point, along with a field goal. When “Money Mac” isn’t being “Money Mac,” you know it was truly a scary Halloween.

· Cincinnati is now 0-13 in their last 13 primetime games on the road. Cincinnati has struggled to beat Cleveland the last few years and being 0-3 in the division is a very hard task to come back from. Let’s just hope Cincinnati was pranking us and decided to dress up as the 2019 Bengals for Halloween for one last time.

· The run game — I have added this every week and I don’t think an explanation isn needed.

Matthew McAdow is a Peebles resident. He works in human resources in the nuclear industry and has been an avid Cincinnati fan his entire life. He is an Ohio Christian University graduate and has always enjoyed giving an honest opinion on multiple topics regarding Cincinnati sports.