[More Cowbell]

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.

I agree with you, I really have a hard time blaming the defense for the Bengals' struggles this year, despite what the national media would like us to believe. In reality, the defense has only lost us one game this year (Cleveland) and won one game (Baltimore). The offense, on the other hand, has lost us two games (Seattle and Kansas City). I would say both sides of the ball fell flat on their face against the Pats.

The offense has looked so out-of-synch it's ridiculous. There is no running game to speak of, nobody blocking on the line, and no one to catch Carson's passes besides Chad and T.J. If our offense was playing better, we beat the Chiefs and Seahawks and sit at a respectable 3-2 right now. Instead, the season looks to be a lost cause.