With three preseason games in the books, I wanted to take the time to review each position (in some cases, units) as we prepare this week to play the meaningless of meaningless of preseason games, as well as upcoming roster cuts. While I'm not trying to predict the roster -- and definitely not projecting depth chart -- I didn't include every player in some scenarios, but included more than what the team is expected to take (mostly because I'm just not sure who they take, or the play is pretty even between the competition).

Quarterback - Even though Palmer has been assaulted on nearly every play (it seems), he hasn't been sharp -- likely a result of being assaulted. Twice against the Saints, Palmer nearly threw interceptions because 1) the ball was overthrown and 2) the pass was too near the middle of the field intended for a receiver sprinting down the sidelines. With the assault by the opposing pass rush, Palmer is becoming too aware of what's going on around the pocket rather than what's going on downfield. Once protection flaws are worked out, and communication issues resolved, we're confident that Palmer will be Palmer and give the Bengals their best chance to win each week.

Backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been one of the few successful offensive players, completing 70% of his passes, with a 6.8 pass-per-attempt average and a 101.3 passer rating (all team highs). His 44 yards rushing is third on the team behind Chris Perry and Kenny Watson. Fitzpatrick's performance proves he'll be a coveted unrestricted free agent next season as a "veteran" quarterback that so many teams need.

1. Carson Palmer
2. Ryan Fitzpatrick
3. Jeff Rowe

Running Back - While it's exciting to see Chris Perry back to full strength, we've been missing our primary feature back, Rudi Johnson due to another hamstring injury -- this time to the other leg. However, along with their troubles protecting their quarterbacks, the offensive line has struggled rush blocking for Perry -- mostly Eric Ghiaciuc. Since the first game, Perry's yards-per-attempt has fallen from 3.8 to 3.4. Watson's 4.7 yards-per-attempt is encouraging, but a majority of his attempts have come against second team defenses, with only one attempt the entire game against the Saints.

I think the Bengals keep Dorsey over James Johnson. Though neither have done much this preseason, Dorsey is a more explosive back while James Johnson is eligible for the team's practice squad. If the Bengals haven't cut Jeremi by now, they won't.

1. Rudi Johnson
2. Chris Perry
3. Kenny Watson
4. DeDe Dorsey
5. Jeremi Johnson

Wide Receiver - Talk about depressing. With Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh nursing and rehabbing injuries ("supposedly", if you believe in conspiracies), the Bengals have been searching for that evasive receiver we hoped would step up. Jerome Simpson's 144 yards receiving is far above Chatman's 63 yards among the yardage leaders at wide receiver. However, passes are being dropped and receivers are not separating from defensive backs, forcing Palmer to hold onto the ball longer. One has to appreciate this bit of irony. If Chad Johnson was traded, then this unit has absolutely no hope going into the season, even though the team signed Chris Henry to help.

I think Andre Caldwell's injury hurts him big. While he's not on the field battling for a spot, the Bengals would be more inclined to keep Holt for experience and versatility on special teams. Caldwell is another player eligible for the practice squad. This is all based on the assumption when Henry returns, not when the season starts. When Henry is reinstated after the fourth game, the Bengals will need to decide whether to keep Holt or Caldwell -- and it's doubtful, no matter what other writers suggest, that the Bengals will let Henry go.

1. Chad Johnson
2. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
3. Antonio Chatman
4. Jerome Simpson
5. Glenn Holt
6. Andre Caldwell

Tight End - Stable as stable comes. Ben Utecht, another glowing offensive player this preseason, leads the team with 10 receptions, second with 108 yards receiving and only one of two players with a receiving touchdown through three games. Reggie Kelly is the league's best tight end blocker, taking a lot of reps in the backfield. If the Bengals keep four tight ends (which includes long snapper Brad St. Louis), then Daniel Coats makes the team.

1. Reggie Kelly
2. Ben Utecht
3. Daniel Coats
4. Brad St. Louis

Offensive Line - We've talked about their struggles, and fantasized of a Jurassic Line. Still, the running game hasn't really taken off and the quarterbacks are struggling to focus downfield rather than the pass rush -- Bengals quarterbacks have been sacked 10 times, and knocked down three times as much. I'm not sure the Bengals will keep a second center, depending on Bobbie Williams to play that role. On the other hand, you could easily replace Nate Livings with Dan Santucci with limited fall in production. Something of note: Kyle Cook took some first-team snaps against the Saints in the third quarter.

1. Levi Jones
2. Andrew Whitworth
3. Eric Ghiaciuc
4. Bobbie Williams
5. Stacy Andrews
6. Willie Anderson
7. Nate Livings
8. Scott Kooistra
9. Anthony Collins
10. Dan Santucci

Defensive Line - Domata Peko has impressed me this preseason against the rush. He's working the line, challenging double teams and finding ways to stuff gaps at the point of attack. Other than that, I think this unit is just down right dreadful. Fanene and Rucker appear like average ends with limited upside, while John Thornton and Jason Shirley have made a library seem like a Metallica concert. Pat Sims, before his injury, impressed me with his aggressiveness and motor-style play. Hopefully we get him back when the season starts. While Angelo Craig has made plays, I've labeled him a practice squad player until either Rucker or Fanene (even though he signed an extension this offseason) are let go. I see no scenario in the world in which Eric Henderson makes this squad -- nor did I see any scenario that the Bengals sign Chris Henry.

1. Antwan Odom (DE)
2. Robert Geathers (DE)
3. Johnathan Fanene (DE)
4. Frostee Rucker (DE)
5. John Thornton
6. Domata Peko
7. Jason Shirley
8. Pat Sims
9. Michael Myers -- I'm adding Myers here for two reasons. The team could be concerned about Shirley's upcoming court case and keeping Myers adds an insurance policy in case Pat Sims' rehabs slowly.

Linebacker - I'm actually more impressed with this unit than I thought I would be before training camp. At WILL, Keith Rivers and Brandon Johnson have combined for 28 tackles and a sack -- Rivers accounts for 17 tackles and that sack. Corey Mays has been solid at backup middle linebacker and Darryl Blackstock's two sacks leads the team. The thing I would be most concerned about is Dhani Jones' nine total tackles through three games. Ahmad Brooks had some first-team snaps at defense when Blackstock suffered a cramp against the Saints. Also expect Carl-Johan Bjork to make the team as he's exempt from the 53-man roster.

1. Dhani Jones
2. Keith Rivers
3. Darryl Blackstock
4. Rashad Jeanty
5. Corey Mays
6. Brandon Johnson
7. Jim Maxwell
8. Ahmad Brooks
9. Anthony Hoke (?)

Secondary - For the most part, I think our starting cornerbacks have done a decent job working on an island. For the plays that you see them get beat, either a dump-truck named Calvin Johnson used his super-size advantage, or the quarterback found a hole in zone coverage. I don't like the play of our safeties -- Dexter Jackson is Dexter Jackson and Marvin White still struggles keeping the receiver in front preventing long plays. White is a hitter though, and his efforts to make sure-tackles have improved greatly since the first game.

David Jones scares the hell out of me, and I don't see much of an improvement with Castille. O'Neal has accepted his role, and done well, as the team's third cornerback giving the Bengals good depth at the position.

1. Leon Hall (CB)
2. Johnathan Joseph (CB)
3. Deltha O'Neal (CB)
4. David Jones (CB)
5. Simeon Castille (CB)
6. Dexter Jackson (S)
7. Marvin White (S)
8. Chinedum Ndukwe (S)
9. Corey Lynch (S)
10. Herana-Daze Jones (S) -- mostly for his special teams work.

Anyway, those are my impressions at this point. If you have more, or want to adjust my impressions because I always miss at least one player (or two) when I do these things, it's all yours.

At first, I thought last night's offensive problems was a total and complete failure on the offensive line to protect Carson Palmer. There's some truth to that, but not totally. After watching the game again Sunday morning, I realized that the sum of the failure to protect Palmer, was mental mistakes (like missed assignments) and flawed protection schemes (major problem here). It wasn't like the line was manhandled (some were, we'll get to that later). The Saints did a good job overloading with schemes and stunts, while Bob Bratkowski failed at adjusting the protection schemes to STOP exposing Palmer to massive hits. Several times when Palmer was hit, the Bengals sent five people into routes, leaving Palmer alone with the offensive line, who weren't able to prevent the Saints from passing rushing, mostly by over-loading blitzes and adding confusing stunts. I agree with the assessment that 100% of the blame can't be put on the offensive line.

The following is broken up; first pointing out the the times that Palmer was knocked down and the second showing just out awful of a time Eric Ghiaciuc had run blocking. I tried to keep it clean, but I couldn't get it to flow. There's a lot of data here that kind of requires your imagination (at least the ability to see what I'm describing) and ability to go back and forth through the first half. In other words, I didn't go from the start to finish in the first half, instead I'm all over the place.

HIT ON PALMER #1
On third and seven at the Cincinnati 47-yard line with 3:00 left in the first quarter, Palmer lined up in shotgun. The Saints brought five, sending their right defensive end into zone coverage. Perry picked up the blitzing safety off the right edge while Stacy Andrews locked up with the defensive end. Bobbie Williams and Eric Ghiaciuc worked on one defensive tackle while Whitworth and Levi Jones worked on the other. The blitzing linebacker sprinted through a gap between Ghiaciuc and Whitworth. Sadly, neither player made a move on the linebacker and Palmer was blown up as a result. In truth, Ghiaciuc was locked up with his tackle (Bobbie Williams was behind Ghiaciuc watching) while Andrew Whitworth had his hand on Jones' back watching the tackle totally ignoring the blitzing linebacker.

ANALYSIS: I put this one on the offensive line. This wasn't a defeat physically, as much as it was a missed assignment, mental error type of thing. Ghiaciuc should have called something to prepare for the blitz and Whitworth should have kept his eyes up field. Blitzes happen, and in a lot of cases, they are hidden before the snap. Not only did the Bengals fail to see the blitz before the snap, but the line failed to react when he came.

HIT ON PALMER #2 (and near hit)
On first-and-ten at the Cincinnati 34-yard line with 12:00 left in the second quarter, Palmer and the offense lined up off-set I-formation, strong side right (Reggie Kelly at tight end off the right tackle) with Daniel Coats at fullback and Chris Perry at running back. At the snap, Coats ran a pattern into flats to the right. Perry ran to Palmer's right, which was a horrible effort at play-action, helping the offensive line block two guys up the middle -- likely a reaction to the earlier hit with a blitzing linebacker up the middle. The right outside linebacker blitzed, picked up by Levi Jones while the defensive end stunted to his left, picked up by Andrew Whitworth. Essentially, no one was left to block Kevin Kaesviharn, blitzing off the edge. You can blame Palmer on this one, not seeing the blitz coming and adjusting so there's a hat on Kaesviharn. The hit was just a good defensive call, blitzing where no Bengals were left to block him. Palmer didn't see it coming before the snap and the play was dead before ever starting.

ANALYSIS: You can easily credit the Saints, as you could blame Palmer for not recognizing the blitz. I'm not blaming the line on this one. The Saints overloaded the right side, and the offensive line put a hat on someone -- of which, no one came close to Palmer. If you want to blame Palmer, you can, for not recognizing the blitz and calling a hot read. At the same time, it's awfully difficult to recognize a blitz by a safety unless they are on the line of scrimmage, which Kaesviharn was not. Therefore, it's probably best to conclude that the Saints called the perfect defensive play on the sack that lost six yards.

On the next play, Palmer, with plenty of protection, hit Perry on a quick pass up the middle. On third-and-ten, Palmer lined up in shotgun with Utecht on his left and Perry on his right. The Saints brought six, two blitzing linebackers with the front four. Andrews and Jones pushed their defensive ends out and Palmer was cleared once he stepped up in the pocket. Whitworth picked up one of blitzing linebackers. The play only called for all five offensive linemen to protect Palmer -- everyone else went into routes. The last blitzing linebacker found a gap between Ghiaciuc and Williams, sprinting through the lane and almost hitting Palmer. Luckily, the linebacker just missed. Bengals punt.

ANALYSIS: Even though Palmer wasn't knocked down, the blitzing linebacker still penetrated to Palmer forcing the incomplete.

PALMER BECOMES MORE AWARE OF RUSHERS INSTEAD OF RECEIVERS
On third-and-ten at the Cincinnati 12-yard line with 7:00 left in the first half, Palmer in shotgun had over four seconds to make a pass. On that fourth second, Charles Grant hit Palmer's peripheral vision and forced an odd throw (Palmer did some scissor-like thing with his legs) to Perry over the middle, picking up five yards. Bengals punt. At this point, you get the impression that Palmer is more aware of the pass rushers than his receiver's routes.

PALMER HIT #3
The Bengals fourth possession start at the Bengals 23-yard line with 4:29 left in the first half. Palmer drops back, while Reggie Kelly and Chris Perry (in I-formation) run off Palmer's left side into routes. This was the death of this play resulting in another hit on Palmer (and sack). Though that's questionable if it was a sack because Palmer's knee never hits the ground (OK, it was totally a blown call by the refs, but it's pre-season and the refs are likely trying to protect the players). Still, Palmer was rushed, nearly brought down and forced to run -- and Palmer can't run.

The Saints rushed their front four and the Bengals offensive line couldn't keep them from getting to Palmer. Levi Jones had his guy, pushing him deep into the backfield -- as most good tackles do to an end that wants to sprint around them. The problem appeared when the two Saints defensive tackles stunted. The left defensive tackle, in the gap between Bobbie Williams and Eric Ghiaciuc, ran to his right to Ghiaciuc's left shoulder while the other waited momentarily, then looping around. Whitworth chased his defensive tackle, whereas he probably should have let the tackle go, picking up the one that hit Ghiaciuc's left shoulder -- and Ghiaciuc picks up the man that looped around.

In truth, this sack was just a miserable failure with the communication and cooperation of the offensive line working together.

ANALYSIS: On this play, I came to realize that the Bengals offensive line (mostly the guards and center), are having a hell of a time picking up stunts and blitzes. Man on man, the line is just fine. But they are easily getting confused, failing to communicate with each other.

On the next play, Utecht picks up ten yards on a quick pass to Palmer. The Saints blitzed the linebacker off the left tackle and no one picked him. This was poor design by the Bengals offense with Jones picking up the defensive end and Chris Perry running a route in the right flats. Unless Eric Ghiaciuc picks up the defensive tackle and Andrew Whitworth drops back behind Jones to pick up the linebacker (which only happens in video games), this play was doomed. And that's by design. Palmer saw the blitz coming and let the pass go on his third step.

Analysis: Bad design.

On third-and-eight, Palmer in shotgun with Utecht and Watson flanking him, threw a beautiful pass to Antonio Chatman fading on the right for a 19-yard gain. Palmer had plenty of time.

PALMER HIT #4
After a minimal Perry rush up the middle, Palmer threw a pass that wasn't picked off after Jerome Simpson molested the defensive back. It was a good play by Simpson to become the defender, preventing the turnover with just over two minutes left in the first half.

Palmer was hit on the play. Under center, with Perry the lone back in the backfield, Palmer fakes the handoff and throws deep to his left. The blitzing linebacker came from the Palmer's right side, where Reggie Kelly lined up and left for a pass route. Perry ran to Palmer's right, also running a route.

The Saints' left defensive end and left defensive tackle ran a stunt. The defensive end ran around the defensive tackle, picked up by Williams. The defensive tackle ran straight for Willie Anderson to free up the blitzing linebacker of the edge. The stunt worked primarily because the tackle occupied Anderson. With only five blockers, two occupied after a stunt where the blitzing linebacker attacked, Palmer was forced to throw a rainbow pass that was nearly picked off. The offensive pass interference on Simpson forced the Bengals into a second-and-17, which the Bengals couldn't pick up and were forced to punt.

SUGGESTION: The Bengals need to keep more men blockers in for Palmer.

PALMER HIT #5 AND BLOODY NOSE
Bengals get the ball back after a three-and-out by the Saints offense, with 1:06 left in the half at the Cincinnati 36-yard line. After a quick pass to Utecht, Palmer spikes the ball to stop the clock.

On second-and-ten at the Cincinnati 48-yard line, Palmer lined up in shotgun, with two wide receivers on the left, another on the right, and no tight ends. Utecht lined up to Palmer's left and ran a route. Reggie Kelly, lined up to Palmer's right, stepped up in the pocket to help block. The linebacker and safety (Kaesviharn), targeted their blitz between Ghiaciuc and Anderson. Williams pushed the defensive tackle to Ghiaciuc, who was a non-factor. Williams turned to the blitzing linebacker, already picked up by Reggie Kelly. Willie Anderson took the defensive end out. This created a MASSIVE gap for which Kaesviharn to make his assault (and sack) on Palmer. The defensive end on Anderson made the hit on Palmer that forced the bleeding.

ANALYSIS: Kelly likely should have taken Kaesviharn (or the outside blitzer) while Williams, already free after handing off the tackle to Ghiaciuc, picked up the blitzing linebacker.

Levi Jones false started on the next play and flipped out at Eric Ghiaciuc (segue comes next). After a handoff and punt, the half was over.

GHIACIUC CANT BLOCK ON RUNS
On the first offensive possession, Antonio Chatman had the ball stripped with a soft tap from Indiana rookie Tracy Porter on an end-around. Glenn Holt dove on the ball after a horrible effort by Chatman to secure the ball. On the second play, the Bengals lined up double-TE and run behind Andrew Whitworth for a minimal two-yard gain. Kendrick Clancey (the guy Eric Ghiaciuc was blocking) spun around and made the first contact with Perry. After Stacy Andrews was flagged for a false start, Palmer overthrew Jerome Simpson and nearly had the ball intercepted by Mike McKenzie. The Bengals were force to punt. Note on the first possession that Palmer wasn't hit and the pass he three on third down, he had plenty of time because the Saints only brought the front four.

After the Saints took a 10-point lead, Perry rushed the ball behind Bobbie Williams with 5:57 left in the first quarter. Well, he tried to. Perry ran into Ghiaciuc, going backwards where Perry was forced to redirect to the left. Kendrick Clancey (the guy Ghiaciuc was blocking), shed off the block and made the tackle. On Perry's first two runs, Clancey was credited for both tackles. On second and seven, Palmer in off-set I (strong side right), called an audible (likely forcing the called run from left to right), and handed off to Perry running off-tackle to the right. Clancey made the tackle again, but it was Andrew Whitworth's guy this time. Whitworth was forced to take a large step to his right to cut off Clancey who was lined up in the gap to Whitworth's right. Clancey just shed to his right and filled the gap for the stop. You could blame Ghiaciuc (kind of the theme going on here) by not impeding Clancey's first step, one way or another. But that's simply a perception you can make for yourself.

On third down, Palmer completed a 16-yard pass to Ben Utecht for the first down. The Saints only brought their front four and never touched Palmer. On the next play, Palmer hit Perry running in the flats to the left; Palmer was untouched. On second down, Kendrick Clancey stood up Eric Ghiaciuc, threw him to the ground and stuffed Perry at the line of scrimmage.

The Bengals third possession started with 7:33 left in the second quarter with first-and-ten at the Cincinnati 12-yard line. Standard I-formation, Perry took the handoff and ran right-side of the center. When the play was over, Eric Ghiaciuc was laying on his back four yards down field.

QUICK HITS
On first-and-ten at the Cincinnati 14-yard line with 13:11 in the second quarter, Chatman lined up on the left, took two steps back, caught the quick pass and picked up nine yards. The Bengals called the same play, instead passing to Ben Utecht on the right for an 11-yard gain. This was about the closest thing the Bengals offense had for momentum in the first half.

FINALLY
All in all, that was one of the worst games I've ever seen during the Marvin Lewis era Bengals. Pre-season or not, that's just horrible. Exactly what are we supposed to get excited about with that offense? The defense played as well as they've been asked to. After giving up 10 points in the first two possessions, the Saints were shutout.

Still, the story of the game was Palmer's bloody nose, and the inability to get anything going. The second half wasn't much better, but we didn't much care anyway because the focus now is that the first team offense is playing so awful. You can claim injury to the starting wide receivers, if you want. And this team takes a huge hit when both go down.

Either way, if this is a dress rehersal of things to come, then this season will be long and painful.

In truth, I was shocked and disappointed that the Bengals signed Chris Henry back; but what exactly can anyone do about it? It's not like the Bengals listen to you, anyway; considering Marvin Lewis said pointedly that the fans "can be frustrated all they want....it's a waste of time". Though likely that was in frustration with the front office, rather than the fans or even the media -- oh, how Marvin loves Chick Ludwig. T.J. too! Is there going to be a call for another boycott? Brown paper bags? No, not likely. Mike Brown has assured a legacy that will never be endearing -- and he deserves it.

My point isn't to suggest that you have to accept the signing Henry. It never was. For the six years I've done this gig I've always wrote with a style to angle, examine and bring up any arguments for the issue and let you develop your own opinion. I'm not arrogant enough to think that my opinion is all that you're interested in. It's something I learned when I did political commentaries "back in the day" that Dave (Stripe Hype) was always so fond of -- and always agreeable.

At this point in the process, what can anyone do or say that will make the team understand why we cringed when the Bengals signed Henry, or why the nation of NFL fans laugh at our ridiculous missteps, or understand why we've demanded for almost two decades that Mike Brown reconsider the process in which the team acquires players? He won't change, he's too fond of accomplishments that few "successful" business owners ever accomplish -- a lengthy period of a failing product, and yet able to make good money. You know, like Microsoft.

Chris Henry is a small story this season accelerated and inflated by the media that's surprised it actually happened, the fans exploding anger against Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis doing an excellent job promoting hope, but failing at translating that into success on the field. There's more to this season than Chris Henry. There's always Carson Palmer, his famous receivers and an offensive line that protected Palmer so well, that they'll go down in the books for lowest sack numbers in franchise history. There's the project of continual growth (KOOL-AID ALERT) of a better-than-last year defense that we keep hoping for with this season being the most promising. There's an exciting return of Chris Perry that seems like the '05 version, a pass-catching tight end for the first time since the Reagan administration and decent depth on the offensive line. There's the promising pass-rushing tandem of Robert Geathers and Antwan Odom, or the promising secondary tandem of Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall. There's Keith Rivers and Brandon Johnson cooperating as the team's most promising WILL linebacker duo in recent memory.

Yea, I know, a lot of promising, nothing truly known. But that's my point, there's more to this season than just Chris Henry.

Moving on...

Marvin Lewis on T.J. Houshmandzadeh:

"I think T.J. needs more time than he thinks he needs (to be ready to play). I'll tell you that. I think for the runner, it's not quite as significant. We want to see him and make sure he can withstand it. I think for T.J., there's more to it. Things change, things have changed. When you're not out there and doing it, things move within the snap of the football, so it's important that T.J. gets some snaps going and gets going here. He's a very smart guy, he understands football very well, and understands the offense and the nuances of what we're doing very well. But until you're doing it, there are going to be some things. Now, you start working to a game plan and everything's limited and it comes down, but yeah, it's important for them to get some snaps and some time."

I'm not exactly sure how you look into this. But do you get the impression that Lewis is talking about an injury? If you were a casual fan of any NFL team, and replaced "T.J." with some unknown (let's call him Frank), would you think that the head coach is talking injury or prepping for the speed of an NFL game?

Geoff Hobson reacts to the Ludwig piece that Houshmandzadeh is "sandbagging his injury" (which wasn't something we wrote -- just responded to). "But isn't guessing about a person's integrity merely on gut instinct strike you as irresponsible?"

You guys were pretty split. Of the 99 that voted, 51 of you said that Houshmandzadeh was "sandbagging" while the other 48 said no.

Marcus Maxwell on being lost for the season:

"I'm sick to my stomach, because you think of all the hard work you put in," Maxwell said. "I put in a lot of hard work in the off-season, I made 100 percent of my workouts in the off-season. And then there's training camp, that was the hardest training camp I'd been in and then for this to happen. I felt like I had a lot of room to grow, I'm not near my max potential, that's what gets me as well. There's a lot of things mentally and physically I could improve upon. Now, it's more mental, which I know will make me a better player in the future."

I agree with those that say Joe Horn won't (and shouldn't) be a receiver in Cincinnati. He's talented, no doubt. But he's not the type of receiver that would be third or fourth on the depth chart, and be cool about it.

A season ticket holder writes to PFW in response to the Bengals signing Henry. "My only concern is the affect it may have on the players perception of Marvin Lewis – he was definitely over-ridden on this issue by Brown."

Rudi Johnson intends on keeping his starting job responding to Lewis' declaration that Perry would start if the season starts now. Johnson says, "The season doesn't start now." Touche.

However, Chris Perry is set on becoming the team's feature back. And you have to love this guy's attitude. "I want to make it so they (the coaches) have to make a decision. I want to be taken seriously.”

As long as Bob Bratkowski actually uses the running game, and doesn't freak when the team doesn't rush successfully in the first quarter, this could be the team's best core of feature backs during the Marvin Lewis era. Nah, I'll actually go out on a limb and say it is the best core of feature backs during the Marvin Lewis era.

Marcus Maxwell tore his quad muscle while working with Jeff Rowe after practice on deep routes. Maxwell worked his ass off this entire off-season, getting more work in after practice and gets hurt for the season. That's depressing irony.

The Bengals will wear black at PBS this Saturday night.

Paul Alexander says that "Eric Ghiaciuc is unquestionably the No. 1 center."

Pine Riders project the Bengals as most people are. "I have this team pegged for about 7 wins, but that 7 could easily be 8 or 9." I agree. But it could easily be only five wins, too. Or ten.

Fantasy Football experts are high on Kenny Watson this year. Matthew Berry suggests that Watson will be the team's leading rusher by gaining over 1,000 yards rushing.

The problem with projecting Stacy Andrews the heir apparent to Willie Anderson is that Andrews isn't signed beyond this season. And with the going-rate of quality tackles in the league today, you have to believe that the Bengals may struggle to sign Andrews to a long-term deal -- which, in reality, they have been. It's not that the Bengals won't be able to afford it; rather they're interpretation of value is often different than what other high-paying teams may consider. On the other hand, as the salary cap expands, so do the chances of signing Andrews.

Even though Anderson is signed through 2011, it's highly unlikely that he'll see it to the end; either through retirement or simply the team waiving the second best offensive tackle in franchise history (sorry, I'm biased... Willie is my guy). Furthermore, Levi Jones' deal grows a decent amount after 2009 while Andrew Whitworth also sees a constant $3 million number. This brings a cautious mind forward, wondering if the Bengals will add to the increasing value of the team's offensive linemen we have signed long-term. Of course, the key to figuring out a player's impact against the cap is the bonuses signed that protract throughout the lifetime of the contract -- which is added to the base salary (and is not always made available).

The follow is a chart of what the offensive line is scheduled to earn (dollars are in the millions, in case you needed that bit of instruction):

The Bengals claim that Andrews, Houshmandzadeh and Shayne Graham are their priorities to get deals done before becoming unrestricted free agents after this season. While it's speculated that Houshmandzadeh is staging his own silent protest, and Andrews is under a heavy cap-hitting franchise deal, any growth on Graham's deal is quiet (though he's the most likely free agent to re-sign with the Bengals... but that's just a guess).

Here's a thought. With questionable ability to take on the league's biggest defensive tackles from our starting center, and Dan Santucci being hurt, why not go after LeCharles Bentley? It's hard to believe that the free agent is demanding big coin after not signing thus far (unless he's waiting for someone to over-react to an injury and over-pay) and the biggest concern that teams may worry about is his durability. Why not bring him in for a workout and give Ghiaciuc a run for his money? I understand the worries about him, but my biggest worry is that the center position could be weak enough to burn us. Bad. Anyway, just a thought.

Marvin Lewis denied an NFL.com report that the Bengals are interested in Chris Henry. Which means, they are interested.

Our blogging buddy David (Stripe Hype), wrote a season preview for Yard Barker.

The defense spent the first hour of Wednesday's practice doing tackling drills.

The coaches are still waiting for that number three guy to step up at wide receiver.

"Very rarely can you say, 'OK, after a week or two of practice, that's the guy.' It's not going to work that way unless he's something special, and none of them have proven that yet."

Chad Johnson explains what Ray Lewis told him this offseason.

Chad said Lewis helped him come to the realization that he is blessed to be in the position he's in. That there are millions of people who want to play the game. And that he's very fortunate to be living out that dream. "And I'm sitting here fussing about something that I really can't control."

If you read his responses, Johnson isn't thrilled about being interviewed by the local media. It wasn't his choice either, facing a $20,000 fine if he didn't do the interviews.

The Bengals are expanding the "code of conduct" for the fans in the parking lots at Paul Brown Stadium.

Among the targeted behaviors are fighting, public indecency and drunkenness that results in "rude or irresponsible behavior." Violators can be ejected, and could forfeit their parking passes and tickets.

When T.J. Houshmandzadeh returns, he'll rescue the passing game.

Pragmatic weighs in on Monday Night's game.

Typically it takes the offense a great deal more time to grasp timing routes, blocking schemes and projecting defensive alignments for blocking assignments. Out of the gates, the defense has a leg up since a defensive playbook requires less coordination than the offense, imploring more instinct.

If the Bengals defense can come out of the gates early, playing to the tune of the pre-season music of an aggressive secondary, a passing disrupting defensive line, and an intelligent linebacker crew, then the Bengals will have to rely less on the offense. And in truth, since 2003, the Bengals as a team only do as well as the offensive unit does. It's always been the way of things and the major reason why Marvin Lewis is constantly in the cross-airs of those that somehow think that the Bengals front office will find a coach that will improve the team further.

You also have to wonder if this offense will be better than previous seasons to start any season. The Bengals have started the same two wide receivers, the same feature back, the same tight end and quarterback for several seasons now. The offensive line is a different story after Levi Jones and Willie Anderson struggled last year to recover from injury before the season even started. Andrew Whitworth and Stacy Andrews were rotated around the line, albeit brilliantly, but there's something to be said about having a home. And Eric Ghiaciuc started feeling the heat of an inability to block bigger defensive tackles in the trenches.

This year, the offensive line is ready, healthy and arguably, the strongest it's been since 2005 when we had Eric Steinbach and Richie Braham dominating the middle of the line with Eric Ghiaciuc being the lone weak link -- hopefully he's improved. You also have to wonder if the offensive line would be better with Bobbie Williams at center, flanked by Andrew Whitworth and Stacy Andrews with Levi Jones and Willie Anderson as the bookends. I know it's not really a possibility, though the idea is pretty fantastic when you combine the weight of all men and come a few pounds short of a ton.

The offensive line projects Eric Ghiaciuc at center, flanked by Williams and Whitworth with Andrews and Jones at tackle. Willie Anderson and Anthony Collins are the logic second-team tackles with Nate Livings and Scott Kooistra backing up the guards. Still, the weakness is at center, with Ghiaciuc starting over Dan Santucci and Kyle Cook. And truthfully, we know very little of the backup centers; though if OTAs and training camp reports of Whitworth and Williams taking snaps at center is any indication, then the center position is truly the weakest part of our offensive line.

Based on the fact the Bengals took nine offensive linemen last season, I'm going to project the guys that make the squad for this season in no particular order.

1. Willie Anderson
2. Levi Jones
3. Andrew Whitworth
4. Stacy Andrews
5. Bobbie Williams
6. Eric Ghiaciuc
7. Scott Kooistra
8. Anthony Collins
9. Nate Livings

It's not unreasonable to believe that the Bengals will keep only one center with the flexibility to move other linemen out of position (aka, the Jurassic Line).

This all brings me to this. Is this roster of offensive line the best we've seen during the Marvin Lewis era?

The Pro Football Talk guys say that negotiations between Keith Rivers and the Cincinnati Bengals are close. Apparently it has something to do with ingenuity -- which means the report isn't very likely, knowing the Brown family. Hobson, on the other hand, sees no evidence of that and reminds us that what they're saying is merely "speculation".

Ahmad Brooks is failing at the high expectations given to him after the depth chart placed him third behind Rashad Jeanty and Darryl Blackstock. He was even "chased" off of the kickoff team and replaced by Tyler Whaley. Other notables on the depth chart include (which doesn't mean any changes were made):

• Jeff Rowe over Jordan Palmer as the third QB.
• Kenny Watson is over Chris Perry as the backup running back while DeDe Dorsey is ahead James Johnson for the fourth spot.
• Daniel Coats is the first fullback; Jeremi Johnson is fourth.
• Brandon Johnson is the starting WILL backed up by Jim Maxwell and then Keith Rivers.
• Punt returning duties have Deltha O'Neal, Antonio Chatman and T.J. Houshmandzadeh -- all experienced returners.
• Glenn Holt and Andre Caldwell are the leading kickoff return candidates.

Executive Vice President, Katie Blackburn on Keith Rivers: "I keep saying he'll be here any second. I was optimistic two weeks ago."

Five questions with Chinedum Ndukwe.

Chad Johnson is back, but he's being worked in slow.

Kenny Irons was waived off injured reserve, completely severing his ties with the Cincinnati Bengals. Irons is entitled to $275,000 (rather than his salary $370,000 due this year).

Andrew Whitworth is taking snaps at center preparing for "emergency situation". It has nothing to do with Eric Ghiaciuc sporting a mohawk haircut.

The Bengals Monday Night pre-season opener will kickoff this Monday against the Green Bay Packers. Who/what do you expect to get the most coverage?

Willie Anderson on taking days off. "It's great to go home and sleep in your own bed, but you end up getting back here and realizing how sore you are."

When Bobbie Williams takes snaps at center, Paul Alexander calls it "the Jurassic Line". Also in that story, Chick Ludwig writes that Frostee Rucker was pulled after jumping offsides twice -- replaced by Jonathan Fanene.

The Ravens won't have their starting offensive tackles, a wideout and Willis McGahee when they take the field for their first pre-season game Thursday night. Terrell Suggs hasn't been seen for the entire camp.

Stacy Andrews dominated Jason Shirley during Oklahoma drills. Some are wondering if the offensive line might not be better with Bobbie Williams at center, Andrews at right guard and Willie Anderson at right tackle. The beefiest line ever? Still, the prospects of that offensive lineup is, well, kind of cool. If this line is healthy, it could be one of the NFL's best.

In 2007, the Bengals set a franchise low 17 sacks allowed -- ironically, the Bengals were the worst sack producing defenses in the NFL. Anderson, Andrews and Whitworth each allowed a sack while Levi Jones allowed four and Bobbie Williams two.

Behind the likely starters -- which probably includes Eric Ghiaciuc at center -- is rookie Anthony Collins, versatile Scoot Kooistra, Nate Livings and Dan Santucci -- among others.

Signing Stacy Andrews to a long-term deal has become fruitless the past two seasons. And it would seem smart by Andrews and his representative to actually take a wait-and-see approach so the smoke of the personnel on the line clears.

For instance, Levi Jones has declared a difference of opinion with the coaches -- which, apparently, he's unable to get past over a year after said opinion made him upset. Willie Anderson is heading into a defining season. After suffering injuries that limited his participation in games last season -- missing nine games -- many suspect that Anderson's days are numbered and that Andrews will be the natural replacement. Bobbie Williams is signed through 2009 and scheduled to earn a base salary of $4.4 million over the next two seasons. The same goes for Whitworth, who will be a free agent after next season while Eric Ghiaciuc is playing in the final season under contract. There goes the middle of your offensive line while two book ends are either walking the line of retirement or just plan unhappy

However, the Bengals are just as wise taking a wait-and-see approach before signing Andrews to a long-term deal. I know that statement will infuriate the anti-Brown specific crowds. At the same time, they (anti-Brown crowds) could be right because a majority of my points include a lot of "if this, if that" kind of thinking.

Let's point out that 2007 was the first season in which Anderson missed a game in his career; so he shouldn't be written off in 2008. The thing about age and injuries is that it takes longer to heal. Anderson wasn't given that time through last season and never reached his maximum talent. Other than age, there's little reason to believe he'll repeat last season. If he's healthy, then I wouldn't doubt he'll outperform Andrews.

If that's the case, then the Bengals could let Andrews walk while adjusting their upcoming drafts with offensive line specific players to build their depth while allowing rookie offensive tackle Anthony Collins become the new guy to groom eventually replacing Anderson. That eliminates the need to dish out a healthy long-term contract to a lineman, among two other tackles that will average, at least, over $10 million against the cap through 2011.

Let me be clear, I still think the Bengals should work on signing Andrews long-term. We need to keep the integrity of our depth and plan on a post-Williams scenario at guard. In fact, I believe that Andrews should be a higher priority than re-signing T.J. Houshmandzadeh -- whose age, along with the argument that he could be demanding #1 wide receiver money, turns a lot of people off.

Getting both Andrews and Whitworth sealed in the long-run would be big for the Bengals -- both are talented enough to play guard and tackle -- and the team's long-term stability with a unit that's the most critical to the success of any football team, would be incredibly strong.

And you see what happens when they let Pro Bowl caliber players go to in-state rivals because they figure the value of the position is over-estimated (which it seems is every position other than quarterback).

The Big-Six is scheduled to account for $21,799,916 against the cap in 2008.

The Big-Six:

• Willie Anderson ($4,400,000)
• Levi Jones ($5,266,666)
• Eric Ghiaciuc ($1,033,250)
• Bobbie Williams ($2,925,000)
• Andrew Whitworth ($720,000)
• Stacy Andrews ($7,455,000)

Matt ranks Bengals center Eric Ghiaciuc as the league's 13th best center. Kyle Cook came in at 69th.

Do I think that training camp is "pivotal" for Chad Johnson? No. Though I'm not sure how I'd react to being called Robin.

If you're upset that Chris Henry may have taxpayers pay for his transcript, then you're obviously not paying attention to most legal matters in America.

If you like spending a ton of money that could be used for a gallon of gas, then go for this autographed football.

ESPN keeps rolling with their utterly pointless survey of head coaches on whom they think the "smartest" football player is, or the dirtiest, or the owner with the "best reputation". Now, they're picking Chad Johnson over Terrell Owens. Here's the funny thing; Owens is the only player teams don't want on their roster over Chad Johnson.

Dave points out that why franchising Stacy Andrews was worth it.

The Bengals have begun talks with their rookies.