In a game that I pegged a Week One must-win contest the Bengals, they came out flat and let whatever little bit of optimism I had within me float right out. It was an embarassing effort on all ends.

Chad Ocho Stinko was not a factor. Chris Perry reminded us how bad the backfield looks. Carson Palmer never got in rythm or off his back as the offensive line emerged as one of the worst units in the league. All yeah, let's not forget the defense. The unit looked decent at times, but when you let Joe Flacco run for a 38-yard TD against you how can you be anything but a joke?

I predicted 6-10 this season, but can I still switch it to 3-13? That's what we are facing folks, its Cincinnati Bengals football 2008.

Head coach Marvin Lewis look confused, like a deer in headlights and his team's play reflected it from beginning to end. One look at some of these numbers tell all you need to know:

FIRST DOWNS: 8
3RD DOWN CONVERSIONS: 2 for 13
PUNTS: 7
TURNOVERS: 2
RUSHING YARDS ALLOWED: 229

The one stat (or number) I can't get over is how do you lose to a team that has a rookie head coach, rookie QB, and rookie RB all making their pro debuts? The answer is simple, you stink. It's going to be long season for Bengals' fans.

There was concern leading up to the season about Tom Brady's foot after he missed the enitre preseason. However, those concerns quickly turned to his left knee during the first quarter of Sunday's game against Kansas City.

Brady was hit by Chiefs' safety Bernard Pollard, who was taken to the ground by the Patriots and was working to recover as he made contact with Brady. The quarterback's his leg got hung up in the turf and he went to the ground screaming. Brady was helped off the field, but was able to walk down steps (still tryinig to figure out why he was doing that?).

"He was in a lot of pain. When you hear a scream, you know that," Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard told the Boston Globe.

Untested Matt Cassel took over, and played well as the Patriots beat the Chiefs 17-10 in Sunday's opener. But they needed a last minute defensive stand to do it. Cassel, who had thrown just 39 passes in his first three seasons, went 13-for-18 for 152 yards and one touchdown.

There was no word on the extent of Brady's injury -- "I am not sure what we are dealing with," coach Bill Belichick said -- or how long he would be out. But his 128-game starting streak, third-longest in NFL history, is in jeopardy.

Peter King on NBC's Football Night In America said that his sources say "it is serious knee injury and it could threaten his season".

The Patriots have proved time and time again that they have interchangable parts and seem to be better than any other team and dealing with injuries. However, replacing a quarterback the caliber of Brady and his three Super Bowl rings is not going to happen. If he's out for an extended period, the Jets become my pick in the AFC East.

Its been some time since I last posted anything on here, but I couldn't let what I watched today go without getting it out. As I left church this morning I was hurrying to get home to catch some of the pregame on ESPN before my beloved Bengals took the field in Baltimore. I was pumped for the new season to begin. Even with the way the preseason played out and with how abysmal the offense looked in all four "pointless" games, I figured that couldn't truly carry over to the beginning of the regular season right? WRONG!

It was a travesty what I watched today! The Bengals made the Ravens looked like the New Orleans Saints offense. Granted the defense for the Bengals wasn't the main problem, but they made some of the worst defensive plays I've seen in years. The 40+ yard double reverse that Mark Clayton ran in for a TD was a joke! Not only should Derrick Mason have been tackled before he handed the ball off to Clayton, but then to watch Clayton scamper here and there and back again on his way to the endzone had me reaching for my clicker to check out the Saints/Bucs game that was on FOX. Out of shear morbid curiosity and stupidity I did change back to the Bengals game only to see Joe "Big Bird" Flacco put the Bengals' defense back on its heels somehow and end up running in a score that should have never happened. I wanted to get sick!

The Bengals' offense was non-existent. Where was Chad Ocho Cinco or Johnson or whatever he has to be called (because Reebok won't make his Ocho Cinco jersey unless he buys back all the ones the ones they distributed with Johnson on the back)? Where the hell was TJ? Why the hell can't Bob Bratkowski get creative on offense and, oh, I don't know, pass on first down for a change! Attempting to establish the run late in the fourth quarter is just ludicrous. Just when I had given up on the game altogether, Jonathan Joseph picks up a fumble and runs it in for a TD to cut the score to within seven. I should have known that was just a glimmer of hope that would be vanquished once the offense took the field again.

The offense made the Ravens' defense look like the one they had during their Super Bowl season. The defense did all they could to hold the Raven's offense, or whatever you want to call it, but they gave up two boneheaded scores that made the difference in the game. The worst play of the game you ask? The Bengals had the ball in the fourth quarter I believe it was. It was 4th and about one. For whatever reason Bratkowski thought Chris Perry was a power back and asked him to run it up the middle only to be stuffed and lose a yard, thus turning the ball over on downs. Why not be CREATIVE and do a play action pass over the top to TJ or Ocho Cinco or Ben Utecht even? Imagination is seriously lacking in the offense and the defense just doesn't play smashmouth football the way it should be played. Keith Rivers should have been eating Flacco for lunch all day, but I can probably count on my one big hand how many times the team blitzed.

If the loss wasn't bad enough, I was getting so tired of the announcers, Rich Gannon and some other guy I can't remember, slurping up Flacco all day long! All I heard all day was Flacco this and Flacco that. They even showed the guy's family in the crowd! Are you kidding me?! A D-II player from Delaware got mentioned more today than Palmer, Ocho Cinco and even Jessica Simpson in the Cowboys game, that's when you know the announcers have absolutely nothing to talk about. Flacco had a decent game, but he didn't set the world on fire by any means. I wouldn't be surprised if he's not the starting QB in Baltimore come the end of the season, but odds are he will unless he gets hurt, otherwise the Ravens wouldn't have spent a first round pick on him this year. Flacco may turn out to be a decent QB, but we'll have to see how he does against tougher teams down the road like the Giants and the Cowboys. But based on how the announcers sounded today, this guy is the second coming of Joe Montana or Brett Favre.

Back to the Bungles to wrap this up. Before their bye week in week eight, they face the Titans, Giants, Browns, Cowboys, Jets and Steelers. Is an 0-7 start to the season possible? With that schedule, yeah, I'd say it is. If that does happen, you can bet on Marvin Lewis being out of a job by mid-season, if not before then.

I was hoping to have a relaxing day watching Bengals football and a Bengals win with my newborn son. Sadly I should have followed his lead and taken a nap instead of watching what turned out to be one of the worst Bengals games I've ever watched. After watching the Bearcats get knocked back down to earth on Saturday a Bengals' win would have helped heal those wounds. Too much to ask, I know. Would have been nice if the team would have showed up at all though. It may only be one game, but that was enough to knock some people off the bandwagon, if one even exists anymore. Me, I'm still sticking with them. Guess I'm a glutton for punishment. (Please bounce back UC!)

Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta - 22 carries, 220 yards, 2 TD
So much for sitting behind the best running back in the game. Today Turner was the best back in the game. If you still don't believe in him then grab his back-up Jerrius Norwood. All he did was run for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh - 25 carries, 138 yards, 3 TD
Anyone who thought the days of Rashard Mendenhall were upon us were, well, wrong. It is Fast Willie's time in the steel city and he is not slowing down. And worth mentioning is his veteran teammate Hines Ward. He caught six balls for 76 yards and two scores.

Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia - 21/33, 361 yards, 3 TD
The veteran Eagle had a great start to the 2008 campaign. And so did a bunch of his receivers. DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett and Reggie Lewis each had more than 100 yards receiving.

Reggie Bush, RB, New Oreans - 14 carries, 51 yards, 8 catches, 112 yards, 1 TD
Many expect Bush to have a breakout season and he is well on his way. Still, he is doing better catching the ball than running with it.

Randy Moss, WR, New England - 6 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD
While those numbers are expected of the game's top receiver, no one expected him to catch a touchdown pass from Matt Cassel.

Thomas Jones, RB, NY Jets - 22 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD
Last year Jones had just one touchdown all season and that came against the Dolphins. He has matched that total already but with his new quarterback he'll likely add many more.

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas - 24/32, 320 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
As in most cases, the quarterback gets all the credit. But Marion Barber, Jason Witten, Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton and Felix Jones all had a good day.

The Game Used Sock Award
Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville - 14 carries, 31 yards
While this award could have gone to any number of players today - many on the Bengals - the Jaguars did not get off to a good start against the Titans. Yes, Tennessee has a decent defense, but the Jags are supposed to be a 'run-first' team with one of the best one-two punches in the game. Well, they came up short. Way short. Many experts have predicted Jacksonville to do very well this season. And many fantasy owners are counting on MJD and the veteran Taylor to carry them to the promise land. But all any of them get after week one is a stinky sock.

UC Coach Brian Kelly talks a big game. I love the guy for it. He talks up the football in the Big East as cream of the crop. While the Big East is a BCS conference, let's not fool yourself there. The Big East might be ahead of the ACC in the BCS pecking order, but that's it.

Yesterday, the Bearcats got a glimpse of what the cream of the crop really is. They travelled to Norman, Oklahoma and took on the #4 Sooners. There were points where it looked like UC would get blown out, but then they battled back. I would expect nothing less of Brian Kelly's team, but to scrap and battle. But, in the end, the Sooners doubled up the Bearcats and blew them away.

I was hoping to see more from the Cats. I wanted it to stay close. That would've been one of those alleged "moral victories." Instead, Kelly and the Cats are left with the realization that they're not there yet. Where's there? There is a perennial powerhouse. There is the real cream of the crop in college football. The Cats have climbed the ladder in college football. They have some climbing still to do. This is why I think Brian Kelly will stick around. I think he dreams of and desires to get UC to that point. Can he get them there? Who knows. At least he saw yesterday what it will take.

It will take a lot more talent. It will take better offensive line protection. It will take a lot more speed on defense. The Sooners blew the Cats away in the trenches. That's where the game was lost. The Cats couldn't get to the QB and the Cats muscle up front, couldn't keep Oklahoma from getting to QB Dustin Grutza. So much so, that Grutza fractured his fibula in a nasty hit. Grutza is now lost for a significant amount of time. Can the Cats swallow this bitter pill and learn from it? Or will this deflate them and sprial their season? Time will only tell.

At least Coach Kelly saw with his own eyes what it really means to be a national contender. If he can land that kind of talent, then he can get UC there. Otherwise, he'll have to settle for what he's got. A second-tier, BCS school, that won't play in a BCS bowl. 

The Bengals have won six of the eight  games that Carson Palmer started against the Ravens, including the last three. In the wins Palmer threw 11 touchdowns and just one interception. He had just one touchdown and five picks in the two losses.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh has 70 catches for 879 yards against the Ravens - both are career bests. His total of six touchdowns versus Baltimore is second only to the seven he has against Cleveland.

Shayne Graham has more field goals versus the Ravens (24) than any other opponent. Of course a good chunk of those came the last time these two met when Graham was 7 for 7. The 21 ppoints accounted for all of the scoring in the Bengals win.

Turnovers were a big reason for the success of the Bengals against the Ravens last year. Cincinnati coughed up the ball just twice in two games last year. Baltimore committed a total of 12 turnovers.

Last year Willis McGahee scored a rushing touchdown in seven straight games from week six through 13. However, he scored just once in each of those games. Since his rookie year of 2004 he has only scored more than one touchdown in a game once.

Although he finished fourth in the NFL with 103 receptions last year, Derrick Mason never reached triple digits in yardage for a game. His season high was 99 yards in week 12 against the Chargers. He had games of 76 and 29 yards versus the Bengals.

Ray Lewis has five interceptions gainst the Bengals in his career, the most for him against any opponent. He also has 148 tackles in 19 games against Cincinnati. That total is second only to the 185 times he has taken down a member of the Steelers.