I still think this can be a dangerous team and more so than the Rams. They still have a ton of talent on offense. That being said, the Giants should win. This team is in too much turmoil.

I agree, very interesting comments on Palmer. But maybe he doesn’t make people around him better because he’s fed up with all the BS. I mean he’s surrounded by criminals and plays for an organization that is completely clueless. It has to bring him down some.

over at Cincy Jungle’s preview of the week, the Bengals fans don’t sound optimistic. This is my favorite one:

Bengals explode on O:
45-17 Giants

It feels pretty good to be one of the feared teams in the league again, doesn’t it? Hopefully they don’t blow this thing against a very beatable opponent. I feel bad for Bengals fans though: they really looked like they made a breakthrough 3 years ago, then Palmer gets his knee shattered, they get knocked out of the playoffs, half their roster gets convicted of something, and there goes that.

On a personal bias level, I’m hoping the Giants blow them out, and Ocho Cinco catches a few meaningless TDs in the 4th quarter to help my fantasy team :)

that is a team that seems to genuinely dislike each other. they have talent all over the place, but as Josh said, they care more about what’s best for themselves as to what’s best for the team.

that being said, i’m glad this game isn’t being played in late October/early November (aka the annual Giants’ “home game letdown day” – i.e. Minnesota last year and in ‘05). if the Bengals have any dignity left, they’ll put up a fight in this game. i don’t think it’ll get as out of hand as St. Louis last week. but if the Giants get up early, i fully expect Cincy to wave the white flag.

as for the D, Nedu (Ndukwe) was a kid that i loved at ND – hard-nosed and a ball hawk. i also think Rivers is going to be a beast ala Patrick Willis.

I just checked over at Cincy Jungle. They haven’t posted Ed’s answers yet but,apparently the mood over there is not conducive to any sort of ambitious behavior anyway. Some of the fan posts: “Marvin Lewis has gone insane”’ , “Ochostinko”, “I’m Done” ….. WOW …….Theres also a general attitude that their offensive line couldn’t block a girl scout troop……..This game has potential…..for us anyway!

WHY ARE YOU SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT TO MY FANTASY TEAM YOU JERK.

awful awful 4th round pick.

That when I read this article, the little ad banner on the page was for “Obituary Archive”?

I feel bad for Bengal fans, longing for the days of Siete’ Esiason and Sam Wyche

and I think he still could be one. He has great instincts, can lay it out there with the best of them, throws a great lng ball,and isn’t afraid to stand tall in the pocket. I think this year is the aberation and he will show us that before the end of the season. He just can’t do it by himself.

A couple points.

Palmer is a stud- or at least he was. I’m not so sure anymore. Add to that infamous knee from late ‘05, the pasting he took in the pre-season this year, mix in the frustration of running an offense scripted by the most predictable playcaller(OC Bob Bratkowski) since Woody freaking Hayes, factor in his two favorite targets(Chad/TJ) not being available- for whatever reason- for offseason workouts and his third favorite(Henry) being suspended, back, arrested, cut, acquitted, and resigned, and you’ve kind of got the perfect storm set up against him realizing that potential. At this point, he may actually be suffering from PTSD back there in the pocket. Seriously though, Josh is dead on about his failure to assert himself as this team’s leader. By this point, I’d expect Bratkowski to be out of the loop, with Carson calling his own plays like Manning.

For some reason- comfort? cowardice? insanity?, Marvin Lewis and the aforementioned Bratkowski began chanting the mantra “we are( or have to get back to being) a power running team” after the essential disappointment of last season. If, and it’s debatable, we ever were a power running team, it was before Lewis’ tenure, back in the days of Corey Dillon running wild led by Rich Braham©, Eric Steinbach(G), and Willie Anderson in his prime. None of those folks are still here- and the recently cut Rudi Johnson was never anything but serviceable. So, what we had was; A) a phenomenally talented, pure dropback passer B) Two All-Pro wide receivers C) an offensive line built to pass protect(17 sacks all of last year) and seemingly incapable of dominating a line of scrimmage and D) a crop of running backs that didn’t cause anyone to lose sleep. Yep, that spells power running game right there.

Okay, so, what are the stepd we could have taken to become that power rushing team?
Could’ve traded Chad to the Skins for 2 first round picks and then used those picks to bring in a stud guard like Branden Albert or a hard running back like Mendenhall. Nope, we got two athletic wideouts and a pass blocking specialist(OT Anthony Collins) in the draft.
Could have went shopping in free agency for either a good blocking tight end or another lineman skilled in the craft. Nope, we picked up receiving TE- and would be gospel singer, Ben Utecht.
Hmm, could have given the injured much of ‘07 Rudi a shot to see if he’d regained his form and could knock some people over. Nope, cut him and opted to go with the fleet Chris Perry, who’s more of a threat in- you guessed it- the passing game.

We’re all assuming, after watching the preseason and the first two games this year, that our coaching staff went with the Stuart Smalley/Daily Affirmation approach- the “We’re big enough. We’re strong enough. And, doggone it, we’re a power running team”- to achieve their stated goal. Because they certainly didn’t do anything else to make it happen.

This offense, right now, is like a bunch of thoroughbreds that have been slapped into yokes and set to plowing a field. It’s both a waste of horses and an inefficient way to get the crops planted. We should be wide open, no huddle, going deep early and often…

I think it’s pretty remarkable how your D has taken the hits of losing Strahan and Umenyora without seemingly missing a beat. Sunday, for us, should be pretty damn ugly but, given the sheer contrarian nature of this team, keep on your toes.

Damned good job “over there” Valentine!

So, could we, like, make an arrangement, a sister cities type deal with Cincinnati and, say, Hoboken, NJ, where we could feel- once removed, pride by proxy, if you will, in our indirect status as step-defending world champions? We could hold a meet and greet, a cyber get together at, assuming it’s still there/open, Maxwell’s, where we’d pass around Lord Lombardi’s Cup and gulp Brooklyn Lager from it….what?…it’s not a cup?…hmm, okay, then, a game of politically correct Smear the Same-Sex Inclined Sterling Silver Ballcarrier? I’m sure we could come up with a care package of Skyline Chili and a genuine Pete Rose autograph- and bobblehead. What do you say?