I see Cincinnati radio yakker Lance McAlister has fired a broadside on his blog at fans who think they could run the Bengals better than owner Mike Brown (gee I wonder “who” he might mean…?). Looking back at comments and polls during the 2009 offseason, Lance notes:
What if the fans were the GM of the Bengals?
The Bengals are 5-2 at the bye, tied for first place in the AFC North. I would argue if the fans had their way, this team would be a mess. Consider all that fans have demanded the last couple of years.
I’m not sure how many [...]

Chad Ochocinco’s next name change:

Well, since there’s nothing worth watching on MNF tonight, here’s some of the latest from the (you)tube.
Benson TD (yes, that’s DT Domata Peko at FB!), with bonus Who-Dey victory dance.

Who got the win for Cincy? This guy thinks he knows…

Teddy sez Lovie sucks…

A quick look at where the the Cincinnati Bengals rank headed into the bye.

The Bengals remain atop the division by a nose. The margin of difference between Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Baltimore is miniscule. All three teams are within six points scored, and three (3!) allowed. Each has scored between 20 and 22 TDs. Divisions don’t come much tighter than the AFC North right now.
The Bengals rank 15th on offense, in terms of both yards and points allowed. Defensively, they are 20th in yards, but 9th in points allowed. It appears that “bend but don’t break” has finally arrived. The defense [...]

The Cincinnati Bengals destroyed the Chicago Bears 45-10 this afternoon. It was so bad that the Bengals put in No. 2 QB J.T. O’Fridays with more than 10 minutes left in the fourth.
Apologies to my three or four regular readers for being AWOL today. I was stuck in traffic, beating my steering wheel for the whole first half. Did get the radio version, from the Chicago side, so all the people in cars around me must have thought I was nuts.
Didn’t sound like the first quarter sat very well with Lovie Smith. Gee, wonder why…
We finally saw what we had [...]

There’s a bit of grumbling in Bengaldom tonight over the team’s re-acquisition of DT Orien Harris. Fans wanted a bigger splash, preferably a trade for a name DE to replace Antwan Odom, who was placed on injured reserve today, ending his season.
I’m not unsympathetic, but let’s face it: blockbuster trades are rare in the NFL. And the Bengals have at least two players who, by all rights, ought to be capable of filling Odom’s shoes in DEs Frostee Rucker and Michael Johnson.
Both were third-round draft picks. The Non-Dairy Dessert has flashed playmaking ability, but has struggled to stay healthy (he [...]

Well, that old Bengals bad luck that soured many a season returned in full force today, leaving the Bengals with a troubling 28-17 loss to the Texans and perhaps a few devastating injuries. As bad as the defense was – and it was bad, letting Matt Schaub throw for 392 yards and four touchdowns – I’m giving that unit a pass. Not many teams could survive the loss of two defensive lineman and still perform well on that side of the ball. 
More troubling to me is the offense’s lack of production (namely zero points in the second half)  against a mediocre defensive unit. The [...]

UPDATE 2: Odom is done for the year. Peko’s results await an MRI.
UPDATE: Geoff Hobson says it’s not looking good.
The way Marvin Lewis sounded and the way NFL sack leader Antwan Odomlooked as he hobbled out of the locker room on crutches Sunday it did not look good. Lewis indicated in his post-game news conference following thd 28-17 loss to the Texans that his right Achilles injury suffered in the first quarter is “probably pretty severe,” and the fear is he’s done for the year with a tear but the club has not addressed that possibility. There is also [...]

Safety Roy Williams is out today, while Dennis Roland starts at RT over Anthony Collins. RB Brian Leonard will be missed. Other inactives include the usual suspects: Jerome Simpson, Non-Dairy Dessert Rucker, and Crash Dummy. DT Tank Johnson, who is battling plantar facitis, will go.

If you buy one Bengals book this month, I have a better suggestion than the self-absorbed Ocho Cinco. Instead, spend your hard-earned $29.95 on this (h/t Bearman Cartoons):
The book looks at the Bengals from their founding in 1968 up through the death of Paul Brown in 1991. Best, click of the “Title” link here and you can preview the book online!
I just got a $30 rebate card from a new cell I bought my daughter — and I just figured out what I’m going to use it on!