[BFritz]

I'm a diehard fan and won't give up. A true fan never gives up. But the thing that was obvious from the start of training camp was that this team would go as far as the offense could take it. Almost nothing was done to upgrade the defense in the offseason. When other teams look at their schedule and see the Bengals, the thing that concerns them is the offense. This offense is explosive when it has all its parts. They are missing Chris Perry, Chris Henry, Kenny Irons a healthy Rudi Johnson, Willie Anderson and throw in the fact they let Eric Steinbach go so they could pay Levi Jones (who couldn't block me right now). I'm sorry but thats a whole lot of missing parts. It's not an excuse....it's a fact. Carson Palmer is just as good as he was the last 2 seasons in which he was selected to the pro bowl. Only difference is he doesn't have the supprting cast he did then and it all starts up front.
The Bengals have 11 games left. I think they have to go 9-2 or no worse than 8-3 to have a shot at the playoffs. A tall order indeed
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That's to even have a shot because, once again, the AFC North is the powerhouse of the NFL, and even more so because the Browns have a good team for the first time in years.

I also believe that they can do it, though. Starting the year with those tough opponents could play to our strength if we get healthy and don't collapse mentally.