From everything that I've heard so far during the morning after the Bengals first pre-season game and win at Lambeau field, everyone seems to be pretty optimistic about how the Bengals performed.   

During the post-game press conference, head coach Marvin Lewis stated:  "Our tackling really left something to be desired."  Are you kidding me?  The tackling was miserable.  I'm so sick of Lewis and his constant coach-speak.  Wouldn't it have sent more of a message to say something to the effect of:  "If we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again, we will not be competitive in the division."  Show the team that you have a pair and show the fans that you actually care about your job.

The Packers' first TD drive was one of the most embarrassing things I've ever seen on an NFL football field (for the Bengals).  When are these coaches going to teach their players to "wrap up" when tackling instead of becoming human torpedoes and bouncing off or missing intended ball-carriers?  It's the same thing year in and year out.

If Mike Zimmer can change this defense into just an average one, which I'm not yet convinced he can, the offense wouldn't have to be super-human all the time to win games.  If this defense doesn't get its act together within the next few weeks, they won't sniff .500.

The Bengals beat the Packers 20-17 in their preseason opener Monday night in Green Bay.

As it often the case early in the preseason, the night was filled with its fair share of mistakes. It was a bit alarming early as the Bengals' first team offense turned in back-to-back three-and-outs.  The running game was stifled early and often when the Packers' first team defense was in and the passing game looked out of sync.

There were some positives in the game though, including trips to the end zone by two players I think will be key to the Bengals' success this season - Chris Perry and Ben Utehct.

Perry finally looks healthy, and that is huge for this team. Now, the real question is can he stay healthy? He finished with 42 yards on 11 carries, including a 6-yard TD run where he broke through tacklers impressively. Perry also broke off a 14-yard run and was a factor out of the backfield. 

Utecht gives this team its first red zone threat at the tight end position in a long time. It was only appropriate that the first TD of the 2008 season go his way on a 14-yard pass from Carson Palmer. The former Colt finished with 4 catches for 34 yards.

On defense first round pick, linebacker Keith Rivers, shined all night long as he finished with a team-high 7 tackles. He showed little effects of the 1+ week holdout. As a unit they did show signs of promise under new coordinator Mike Zimmer. However, there were still way too many missed tackles.  They did force three turnovers though, and that is something this team must continue to do if the Bengals are going to get back to being a playoff-caliber team.

"We did some good things as the half went along," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said in his post-game press conference. "Defensively, we got a couple of turnovers. We won that battle, and that's always key. But we have to tackle better. Our tackling really left something to be desired.

"Offensively, we got off to a slow start but we picked up the pace. I was disappointed in the way we kicked off and punted the ball. We can do a lot better than that. Our guys have had a great camp, but we weren't putting the ball where we want it."

From the Tampa Tribune:

A second look at third baseman Evan Longoria's sore right wrist revealed a non-displaced fracture that was mistaken for an old injury in the initial X-rays taken after he was hit by a pitch Thursday night.

Rather than returning to the lineup tonight in Oakland as he had predicted Sunday, Longoria was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 8. He likely will miss about three weeks, according to Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman.

Making matters worse, the Rays could determine by today that Carl Crawford needs to undergo surgery to repair the tendon problem in his right hand that forced the All-Star left fielder to the disabled list Sunday. Such a procedure wouldn't necessarily end his season, but likely would sideline him well into September.