When the schedule was released, my gut instinct was that Cincinnati would probably lose the season opener in New England. Now, I’m not so sure. One of the reason for my optimism, is the inexperience in New England’s secondary. With Leigh Bodden out for the season, the Patriots will likely start rookie Devin McCourty and second-year man Darius Butler, who has only started five games. According to Tim Graham, it’s expected to be the least-experienced starting duo in the entire league. And with Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens staring at those corners across from them, Carson Palmer should be smiling. If the Bengals offensive line can give Palmer time to throw, Cincinnati should carve up the Patriots through the air, especially considering that they no longer have an elite pass rush. But Cincinnati’s best offense might be the run game with Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott that keeps Tom Brady and company off the field. Either way, Cincinnati has a good chance to win the game.

And that outcome is quite a bit better than my first instinct.

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It’s time for a few previews to get you ready for the NFL season, which is just over a week away. As always, things here are Bengals-centric.

The first preview comes from AOL’s Fanhouse, which gives the Bengals a “heat rating” of 31 out of 50. The site calls them a playoff contender, but says a slide back to five or six wins wouldn’t be shocking. I say the team only slides back to five or six wins if Carson Palmer gets hurt. The loss of any other player would be damaging, but not devastating. I think.

The second one comes from NFL.com.  All six experts predicted at least nine wins for the Bengals. To me, that mark seems about right. Given Cincinnati’s schedule, anything between eight and eleven wins seems possible. Anything more or less than that would take some extenuating circumstances. And frankly, if this team falls back to those Dave Shula-Dick Lebeau levels, I don’t want to watch. But I will. And you probably will too, because we’re Bengals fans (i.e. modern-day sadomasochists).

I’ll make my own prediction next week. But I’ll have a large glass of orange Kool-Aid first (i.e. orange optimism).  Ahhhh.

Drink up. Football season is almost here.

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Chad Ochocinco has hit the Twitter-waves and declared that he’s already planned his touchdown celebration for Week 1 in New England. As relayed by ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss, if Ochocinco scores in the season opener, he’s going to grab a rifle from New England’s Minuteman mascots and fire a shot. If that happens, fines will certainly follow.

I love Ocho’s enthusiasm for the game, but I’d much rather he spend his free time planning how he’s going to downfield block on a running play or catch a pass across the middle. So I guess I’m with Missy Elliott on this one (see video). I don’t want Chad Ochocinco the Minuteman. Give me Chad Ochocinco, the run-blocking maestro. Perhaps I’m asking too much.

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The Bengals may have released Antonio Bryant, but Marvin Lewis left the door wide open for a possible return in his Tuesday press conference. Consider these quotes from his meeting with the media:

“It provides him an opportunity to catch up with another team, give him a possible opportunity to come back here and whatever that may be. I love this guy, for whatever reason, since he got drafted and when I coached against him when I was with the Redskins. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work out, but we’ll see what happens in the future.”

Q: So there’s a chance (he could return)?
ML: “I love the kid, and he’s such a football player. All he wants to do is play football, which is a good thing.”

It sure sounds to me like Bryant could return and I suppose that’s a good thing. Bryant already knows the offense. He’s a seasoned veteran and he has excellent skills when he’s healthy. Plus, he’s already gotten a lot of money from the Bengals. So if his knee heals and he still needs a team later in the season, don’t be surprised if the Bengals give him a second look. With a single injury or a late-season quest for more offense, Bryant would become an attractive option.

So there was no point in closing the door now. Well played, Marvin. Well played.

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A few quick thoughts on Antonio Bryant’s release and the Bengals preseason game in Buffalo.

1. The penalties are getting ridiculous. And it’s equally ridiculous that Marvin Lewis has a rather flippant attitude about them. Penalties can ruin games. They need to be cleaned up. It’s one reflection of team discipline. And in the Bengals’ case, it’s not a good reflection.

2. Antonio Bryant shouldn’t have been released. According to Joe Reedy, Bryant was only due $1.55 million more this year, so they saved some chump change (in pro football’s cash-rich world at least) to free themselves from Bryant and in essence save Jerome Simpson. I still think the Bengals are built to win now. And if Bryant returns to full health this season, he gives them the best chance to do that.

3. Cincinnati’s medical team needs to be re-evaluated. For starters, how could Bryant pass his physical before he was signed? And secondly, why was he allowed to practice on his injured knee, ruining his place on the PUP list.

4. Quan Cosby better make the team. He makes plays every chance he gets and is exceptional on special teams. So what if he’s not 6-feet, 4-inches tall.

5. The no-huddle worked for Boomer Esiason during his golden years in Cincinnati. I think it would work for Carson Palmer too. It’s worth keeping in the playbook, especially considering Palmer’s strengths as a rhythm passer.

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Put simply, the Antonio Bryant situation is a mess. The team’s $7 million a year receiver is on the sidelines and its unclear when he might return. Today, the NFL Network reported that Bryant’s agent said the Bengals are not close to cutting Bryant. That’s good news I think.

As laid out by Joe Reedy, the team essentially has three options with Bryant. One, they can release him and eat the signing bonus and money they already paid him. Two, they can put him on injured reserve and save a roster spot for someone else (which is pretty valuable considering the depth at wide receiver). Or three, the team can keep him, pay his base salary for this season (only $1.55 million according to Reedy. The other cash Bryant received was in signing and roster bonuses).

According to a poll on Reedy’s blog, 31-percent think Bryant should stay on the 53-man roster, 40-percent think he belongs on injured reserve, and 29-percent think he should just be cut. Here’s what I think:

The team should keep Bryant around. Yes, keeping Bryant means someone like Jerome Simpson might have to get cut. But the Bengals are built to win now. And who gives the Bengals the best chance to make it to the Super Bowl? It’s not Simpson. So even if Bryant has to start the season inactive on Sundays, it makes sense to keep him around. The remainder of his salary isn’t that expensive so that shouldn’t be a deterrent. And if he can return to the field later in the season, the Bengals three-receiver sets will be dynamite.

The mistakes have already been made with Antonio. The medical staff should have looked at him more closely. The team shouldn’t have given him so much money. And Bryant sure as heck shouldn’t have practiced the first day, eliminating the option of the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list.

But there’s no need to get rid of him. Keep him around and hope he returns in time for a Super Bowl run. It’s the only option left that makes sense.

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It’s another day with a good bit of Bengals ink in cyberspace, so I’ll post the news and let you hit the links.

James Walker says Cedric Benson is the most indispensable Bengals player who is not a quarterback. He might be right, but I’d put Leon Hall right there with him. I think Bernard Scott would be extremely productive if Benson were to go down, I just don’t know if Scott could handle the same workload. And even though the Bengals have good depth at cornerback, Hall’s the best one. His coverage skills and tackling – even though he’s had some hiccups this preseason – would be sorely missed if he were gone.

Steve Wyche of NFL.com talks with Andrew Whitworth about T.O. and the rest of the Bengals’ offense. Whitworth says T.O. has been a model citizen since his arrival. Quite frankly, T.O. isn’t the one I’m worried about. I think Chad Ochocinco could be a bigger distraction if he doesn’t get the ball. Let’s hope there’s enough offense to go around.

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Quick, who’s the favorite in the AFC North? I’d hope most of you said the Cincinnati Bengals. After all, this is a Bengals site. But just to be fair, here’s the debate from the analysts at the NFL Network. Brian Baldinger likes our team. Trent Green likes the Baltimore Ravens. As I’ve written before, I think the Bengals have made significant upgrades to a team that swept the division last year. So I’m going with them. Let’s hope I’m right.

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On the heels of their riveting overtime tie from two years ago, the Bengals and Eagles take the field again tonight in a preseason contest that should at least surpass that previous game in “watchability.” (Is that a word? No. O.K, let’s move on). Here are a few things to look for in tonight’s contest:

1) Starters vs. Starters – Both teams should play their starters about a half, so fans should get about two quarters of semi-real football. Both teams also have talent on both sides of the ball so it should be a pretty good matchup as far as preseason games go.

2) Cincinnati’s offensive line vs. Eagles pass rush – Philadelphia’s Trent Cole and company are pretty good at rushing the passer and the Bengals have had some trouble protecting Carson Palmer in their first two preseason games. It should be interesting to see who prevails in tonight’s game.

3) Andre the Giant – Bengals second-year offensive tackle Andre Smith should play a lot of snaps tonight after missing time with conditioning and injury issues. Since he’s a first-round draft pick, he should do pretty well against the second-teamers he is likely to face. But Andre has been full of trouble (and perhaps other things) since he was drafted last year. Let’s see if there’s some promise beneath that no-so shiny packaging.

4) T.O. – Even though it’s just a preseason game, expect Terrell Owens to play hard against the team that once suspended him. Elaborate celebrations on routine catches are not out of the question.

5) Defensive core versus Kolb – Cincinnati’s defense struggled a bit against the Denver Broncos and Kyle Orton. They are hoping to put on a better performance against Philadelphia’s upstart Kevin Kolb.

That’s it. Enjoy the game. There’s a good chance this one won’t end in a tie.

Andre Smith has arrived on the practice field according to Geoff Hobson. That’s pretty good news for the Bengals, who could’ve faced a worst-case scenario of a six-week absence if Smith started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Smith worked with the second team and it’s doubtful that he’ll get much work with the first team until he proves he can stay on the field for a few weeks.

In other news, Joe Reedy is reporting that it’s possible the Bengals could reach an injury settlement with Antonio Bryant and release him. Considering the team already gave him around $7 million up front, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Yes, Cincinnati has a lot of depth at receiver and yes, Bryant is going to be overpriced for whatever his contribution might be, but if he’s healthy, he will make the team better. And in my mind, that makes it worthwhile to keep him around. With three deep threats on the field at once (Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and Antonio Bryant) defenses will have to play some deep safeties or risk getting destroyed by the big play. Bryant, if he’s healthy – and some signs suggest he might not be that far off – makes the Bengals offense very dangerous. It makes sense to keep him.

But I have a feeling Mike Brown might see dollars where I’m seeing sense.

Stay tuned.

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