Well, That Was Ugly

Just as well I didn’t have a chance to watch this one live. A loss? Check. Injuries? Check. Offense still grinding? Check? Defense still choking? Check.

Only silver lining I can find at the moment (aside from the obvious “it’s just preseason” bit) is that WR Chad Johnson’s shoulder injury isn’t thought to be serious. Foot injuries suffered by WR Andre Caldwell and DT Pat Sims are annoying, but I really wasn’t expecting a lot out of either player this year anyhow. The brake it puts on their development is frustrating, though.

Rudi Johnson as a late scratch was frustrating as well.

I suppose I can’t really complain about the D. I’ve thought all along that new DC Mike Zimmer’s more aggressive approach would mean both more big plays by, and more big plays given up by, the defense. As for the O, the issue tonight seemed to be the Bengals’ desire to get a live fire test of the so-called “Jurassic Line,” which predictably sucked. If the last few years have taught Bengals fans anything, it’s that o-line stability is key. They mucked with that tonight and paid the price.