[More Cowbell]

A wise coach told me a long time ago to never argue football with a homer because no matter how many times your're right, you're still banging your head against a wall.

I'll try anyway.

They finished 8-8. Wouldas and shouldas don't matter. The NFL is full of wouldas and shouldas. Bottom line is they didn't win those games.

As far as Palmer goes, you ASSUME he's corrected his mechanics. He hasn't showcased that against live hitting and a live rush yet so we don't really know, do we? He's still deadfully slow and has a hard time throwing the deep ball.

Are the same "experts" who rank the Bengals' defense 12th the same ones who picked them to win their division last year? How did that turn out?

You call the Bengals schedule "easier." What I see is a lot of up-and-coming teams with strengths that can give the Bengals trouble. Games at Seattle, Kansas City, and San Francisco. 1-2 at best. A split with the division teams at best. If you sweep Cleveland, more than likely Baltimore sweeps the Bengals. That's a team that made defensive improvements and upgraded their offense with McGahee. That's 4-5. Home games with New England, Arizona, and Tennessee. Looks like 1-2 with those teams. That's 5-7. They'll beat Buffalo, the Jets, and St. Louis at home. That's 8-7. With both Miami and Cincinnati meeting in the last game with a playoff chance on the line, the Bengals once again can't close the door and go 8-8.

You seem to base your beliefs on 12-4 or 11-5 on things you have read and rankings that were made. And that's fine. I go by what I saw last year. Someone who watches dozens of games on the dish and remember what I saw last year. An inconsistent team that dropped three straight to end the season and turn a playoff chance into an 8-8 record. Mark this down. When this season is over, Bengal fans will be talking about how much tougher this year's schedule was than they thought and how the NFL gave them a raw deal when it came to the scheduling.

8-8.

There are so many things wrong in this post, I don't know where to start.

First off, where in the world do you get the idea that Palmer can't throw the deep ball? Listen, I've watched every Bengals game on TV since Palmer took over as starter, and that is one area of his game he doesn't have trouble with. His biggest problem has been decision-making, as in not forcing the ball into double-teams, which should improve as he matures. Watch a few Bengals games, and you will see just how well his deep ball is.

Then, your review of their schedule. First off, you give the rest of the division too much credit. You say a split within the division at best? Have you watched any games between these teams? I predict 4-2, assuming they sweep Cleveland and split the others. You mention that Baltimore may sweep Cincy, but there is a much better chance of the opposite happening. Baltimore is the most overrated team in the league, just because of last year's 12-4 record. Folks, last year doesn't mean squat now. I watched several of their games last year, they did it with smoke, mirrors, and a lot of luck. You can win more games than you should have one year, but it won't happen two years in a row. Ravens crash hard this year, they're the ones who finish 8-8.

Then you state that they go 2-4 amongst NE, Seattle, SF, KC, Tenn, and Arizona. I say 4-2, with them losing to the Pats, beating the last three, and toss-ups with the 2 West coast games. If they win both, 5-1, if they lose both, 3-3, I'll go with a split. Neither Arizona or Tennessee is good enough to beat the Bengals in Cincy, and KC will take a step back this year.

I also say they beat Buffalo, NY, Miami, and StL. That gets them 12-4. The schedule was good to them, compare the non-common opponents for Pittsburgh (Jax, Denver), Baltimore (Indy, SD), and Cincy (Tenn, KC). I think most would agree that the Bengals got the best of that deal.

Anyway, I will at least say I appreciate your going through the schedule game-by-game and explaining why you think they will finish 8-8. I may not agree with you, but it's better than some of the Bengals haters who say they will finish 8-8 (or worse) just because they don't like them.