Man, what a month to be a Bengals fan.I'm not going in order here -- just gonna start anywhere:
Chad Johnson: After a spring and summer of him mouthing off, he gets into camp with an ankle problem. After finally getting that taken care of (and calling out Michael Phelps ... oh, and wanting to change his name to "Ocho Cinco"), he dislocates his shoulder that puts his season in jeopardy.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh: All this while T.J. Hows-ya-mamma is nursing his hamstring. The injury has been highly criticized around Cincinnati as T.J. just milking it so he doesn't have to practice or play in the preseason (judging by what's happening around the league, it isn't a bad move). Housh is in the final year of his deal, which points more fingers at what he's doing.
Chris Henry: With their receivers banged up, the Bengals signed Chris Henry for help. This has really pissed off Bengals fans to the point that ... well, if they haven't given up their tickets by now, they never will. Henry has yet to practice and will be suspended for the first four games on the season.
Carson Palmer: When he isn't making locals mad by dumping on Ohio State, he's spending time on his butt. It isn't his fault; that highly paid offensive line (featuring their "franchise" player) can't block anybody. That came to a head on Saturday when Palmer was hit and broke his nose. Palmer is a well liked guy around town, but many feel that he's the one person that can put this franchise on notice ... and he won't. He needs to do to the team what he did to Chad Johnson during last season's game with New England: call him out. Well, that didn't work either.
Rudi Johnson: To steal from a friend: "as I so boldly predicted". Last summer, I wrote that Rudi was in danger of losing his starting job ... and people though I was nuts. One bad season and a training camp full of injury may see him traded. That's quite an interesting thought, considering Marvin Lewis has been loyal to Rudi to a fault. With Chris Perry finally showing us what he was drafted for (what seems like a long time ago), Rudi is expendable.
Marvin Lewis: Has anyone had their credibility smashed like this before? Well, yeah, but it is a surprise that Mike Brown did this to his favorite coach. The fact that Brown went behind his back and re-signed Chris Henry just shows where his place is with the franchise. I had some respect for Lewis for standing up to Chad Johnson this offseason, but it now seems like it wouldn't matter what Lewis wanted to do or say -- Brown wanted to keep Ocho Cinco. There's nothing worse than a coach who isn't respected ... and it seems as if that's the case here.
Sports Illustrated: Bad timing, eh? SI did a piece on Marvin Lewis and how he has fought to get control of the team back. The issue came out last week. Oops! And they wonder why no one reads magazines or newspapers anymore!
Antwan Odom: Did you forget? On the first day of practice, Odom injured his foot and hasn't been back since. He was only the franchise's biggest free-agent signing in history. Yes, really.
Keith Rivers: Rivers was the second-to-last first round draft pick to sign with his team. And Rivers is supposed to be the "team guy" on the roster. I will say that he stayed prepared while unsigned and began his NFL career nicely.
Matthais Askew: He isn't a Bengal anymore, but he won a $500,000 settlement from the city for excessive force and wrongful arrest. The Cincinnati Police Department didn't really need any more PR hits ... but it got a nice one here. Because
Kenny Irons: Irons was supposed to be the guy that replaced Rudi. However, he blew out his knee in the first pre-season game on '07 and never made it back. He was cut by the team ... the re-signed ... the cut again. But he does think Hooters is a cool place to eat.
Lions and Saints: All these two did was come in and embarrass the Bengals. Their highly touted defenses (okay, that's not true) shut the Bengals down as if this was 1994.
Odell Thurman: Word came out that Thurman punched a man, breaking his jaw, and that was the reason the team cut him this spring. He should be expecting a phone call from the Bengals to return.
Mike Brown: He just wanted to remind everyone that he was still Mike Brown. People are going into their attics and dusting off their anti-Mike Brown signs, shirts and whatever. In a magical world where unicorns play in gumdrop fields in the lollipop forest, Brown could be held accountable for his mismanagement of his franchise.
This team is a joke, which isn't surprising to anyone reading this. The fans deserve better than this (and that trainwreck that plays up the river called the Reds)
