The Ravens just signed Houshmanzadeh.  I have to agree with most of the pundits that I don't see where he fits in that offense.  He's essentially Anquan Boldin Jr.  Mason is a similar player too.  I mean, if Boldin gets hurt, it's a great move, but if not, i just don't see it.  We won't even have to keep a safety deep.  just put everyone over the middle.  

That being said, I still don't like the idea of facing him twice a year.

I was thinking about this as I was reading the article regarding Keith Rivers' MMA training.  The Bengals have always been ahead of the curve.  It comes in all aspects of football, but whether it be training, coaching schemes, labor views, player issues, etc. somehow the Bengals come out a few years ahead of the rest.  

-Paul Brown is known for his many offensive innovations and he and Bill Walsh were the first to implement the West Coast offense.  

-Sam Wyche brought in the No-Huddle and forced the NFL to make rules to even out its advantage.  

-Mike Brown was one of 2 owners against the current CBA that all NFL owners backed out of last season.  

-Ocho and Rivers have gone to alternative methods of training, Boxing and MMA respectively.  I feel like both are going to catch on majorly over the next few years.

-Mike Brown was one of the first owners to say no to a players trade demands, despite 85 being a terror the entire 08 season.  This paved the way for how the broncos dealt with Marshall and other teams as well.

-Last season, Ross Tucker of SI was praising how we use the practice squad and saying other teams could learn from the way the Bengals use it.

I just think, as much as that 20 year stint in the basement was horrible, that we deserve some credit for our historical contributions to the game, as well as our foresight in some instances.  Yes, we have many failures and yes I still hate Mike Brown, but I just thought it was interesting.

Lots of QB news of late an it got me to thinking about our backup QB situation.  If they were released, would you take either Quinn or Russell?  Quinn would be preferable, but I think Russell could be whipped into shape and taught (Our strength and conditioning coaches are used to dealing with weight issues).  JTO is horrid and Jordan is on the team because of Carson. I think we should have learned by now that when Palmer goes down, we need a solid backup.  In addition to the young guys, Garcia is still out there as an option.  What does everyone think?

And the steelers are all the way down there at 21, ravens at 12, and browns at 10.  This would matter if teams were ever the same 2 years in a row.  Most notable though are the superbowl champion saints down at 27.  really?

from espn.com

I will begin by saying that I actually like the Saints.  New Orleans is an old city rich in history and culture and is one of the few places in america that actually feels like another country.  It's great.  I'd also like to say this isn't about Who Dat.  I don't care which came first, and it seems like they developed independently of one another.  It's not their players, I like Brees, Bush, Thomas, sharper, etc.  No, the reason I hate the Saints is simply this: they are the 2005 Cincinnati Bengals reincarnated and in the superbowl.  I hate them because they are what we would have been if Carson Palmer had been able to play more than 1 play in that game.  Had he not been injured and replaced by Krazy Legz Kitna.  

Evidence:

Accurate QB with a crazy arm.

Puts up points on any D.

Opportunistic running game.

WR depth unparalleled by any team outside of the colts.

Very opportunistic defense led by wily veterans.  

A turnover differential that is unreal.

There's more, but mostly it's just that I can't watch the Saints without thinking of the 2005 cincinnati bengals and wanting to stab kimo von oelhoffen in the heart.

The bengals played the game last night like teams play in the final minute of the game.  It was basically the prevent defense as a metaphor for the entire gameplan.  They went out to see what NY would throw at them and to see what they could do.  It was obvious we can run up the gut on them, especially if you look at LJ's production.  They were quick to the edge, which leads me to believe we'll see less BScott this week.  But we did really well returning kicks and our receivers can get open, the drops obviously weren't planned, but I have a reasoning for those as well.  The receivers didn't want to get hit.  Plain and simple.  Yeah it's a little wimpy and not NFL football, but those catches will be made this week.  But when you're going across the middle against a team that has everything to lose, you know you're getting hit and it looked like no one wanted to take those shots last night.  Also, there was no unbalanced line usage until JTO was in the game and he couldn't get people lined up in an airport.  Horrible game manager.  

On d, they showed absolutely nothing as well and it was pretty apparent they didn't want to tackle anyone because of a fear of getting hurt.  Again, not the way to play the game, but I think they were looking ahead to this week.  You know who you're going to play, so why not get all you can out of them.  I see them bouncing back, especially with geathers, peko, and crocker back.  Nelson got owned, we all agree with that.

Last but not least, the bengals play well against 3-4 defenses and palmer has consistently owned rex ryan defenses for years.  There's a lot to be hopeful about.  I think this team can take it to the next level.  I just think they're horrible at tanking games.

I know the points have been laid out.  He's not going to usurp Ocho or Coles and Caldwell has been dependable underneath, but part of me wants to believe there's more.  I want to believe that they've been playing conservatively in the first 2 games to use something special on pittsburgh.  I know LeBeau is a defensive genius, but is it possible the bengals are setting him up to downplay Chris Henry.  This also would be giving Brat a ton of credit, and that's not something I really want to do, but maybe.  

I can't think of a bengals/steelers game without thinking of 05 and henry catching the 65 yard pass down the sideline as palmer got assassinated.  Marvin says his preseason success was just because of the preseason, but that's garbage.  We've seen him do it in the regular season against some great DBs.  Here's to hoping the Bengals have something up their sleeves and that Palmer has enough time to unleash.

With the impending first blackout and years of futility, which does everyone prefer: to have the bengals as they are (perpetually losing/disappointing) but with at least a little hope every season, or no team at all?

To clarify this, I don't mean they have to perpetually lose, I just mean to keep the status quo and let Mikey run it how he has been.  2005 showed that it could be positive on occasion, but so many other years showed otherwise.

It's kind of sparked by WDR and a comment that someone mentioned about losing the team.  Mike Brown doesn't have to field a winning team ever and people can do as WDR suggests and hit him in the pocketbook, but he could also apply to move the team if attendance fails for the next few years.