Battle of the Inept

Like driving by a bad accident, I could not keep my eyes off of the carnage. Had some outdoor work to do; listened to the game on the radio. But kept wandering inside to catch some Bengals v Browns on the TV. It made for an unproductive afternoon for all concerned. Yeah the Browns eeked out a win. But not in a convincing fashion.

Fitzpatrick was out of sync. Badly overthrowing the ball on long passes. Adrenalin, lack of reps, probably the former - he also mishandled a couple of snaps. He was able to dink the ball on short passes or tuck and run when no one was open. So that gave some relief to the anemic "cough, cough, cough it up" running game. One bright spot, I thought the run blocking was improved, I was actually seeing the Bengals open up some holes. Defense made some plays, but gave up a lot of run yards.

Palmer is a big question mark. A sore elbow? How about a shot of cortisone and something to numb it? I wonder if there is more than that amiss. With the protection that he is getting maybe it would be best if it is something that requires surgery and he gets the season off. It would save his body from a beating this season, hoping that next season the Bengals solidify their offensive line. Or if he really wants that superbowl ring he hopes that he gets traded this winter.

Time to put the Bengals gear back in the closet and it's not even October. If Marvin can salvage this season, he is a miracle worker. No wins yet and it doesn't get any easier with their schedule. The team morale was fragile already and I'll bet that the locker room has the feel of a death row right now. And if Palmer is out long term it pretty much seals the deal. We are back on a familiar road - another 4 win train wreck of a season, how many will be watching this carnage?