Who dey? Who dey?

Since I managed to score some tickets to the 49ers-Bengals game tomorrow, I figured I'd share some thoughts on the ol' hometown team:

-Man, I remember when this was an exciting matchup. Specifically, Super Bowl XXIII. 34 seconds away from winning it. And two seasons later, I remember watching a game where the exact same thing happened: Bengals led late in the 4th quarter, then Joe Montana led the 49ers down the field on a last minute comeback.

-Now, the 5-8 Bengals are somehow FAVORED by 9 points, even though they're the road team. The 49ers are playing their 3rd-string quarterback, their head coach and franchise QB are sniping at each other in the local media, and free tickets just fell into my lap.

-Speaking of the Bengals, how disappointing was this season? Chad Johnson isn't playing well, so there are no TD celebrations. That's unfortunate because my advanced analysis shows that TD celebrations have an extremely high correlation to Bengal's points. And there haven't been enough of those this year...

-The 2007 Bengals don't seem like they're that devoid of talent, but they sure seem inconsistent. And they've lost their fair share of winnable games this year. They should have beaten Seattle and Arizona. Though they're offense seems a little less potent this year, they're ranked #6 in terms of DVOA. There's reason to think that this year is a slight aberration and things will get better next year.

-But then again, I'm a little pessimistic about the Bengal's future. Back in 2005, the future looked pretty bright when the Bengals drafted two defensive studs: David Pollack and Odell Thurman. Two years later, Pollack's career is likely over after suffering a severe neck injury, and Odell Thurman's trouble with the law has gotten him suspended from the NFL. Although the Bengals now have some young talent in the secondary, their front seven lacks a real impact player, and there seems to be some real discipline problem (another reason for the inconsistency).

-Which brings us to Marvin Lewis. How is it that a coach who has had one winning season in 5 years have no fear of losing his job? Hint: the answer lies in the previous 10 seasons. For what it's worth, I do think Marvin Lewis should continue to be the head coach for at least one more season. Though the coaching could use some improvement, it's the front office that really needs an overhaul. In addition to Pollack and Thurman, let's not forget 1st and 2nd-round busts Chris Perry, Keiwan Ratliff, and Madieu Williams, who haven't exactly lit it up these past three seasons.

-Poor Carson Palmer. The supposed 3rd best QB in the NFL (and I happen to think this is true) had his career forever changed when Kimo von Olhoffen (sp?) crashed into his knee on the first play of the 2005 wild card game. Not only did Palmer have to struggle through the 2006 season on a rehabilitated knee, he still seems to suffer from a lack of mobility. Good thing that his arm is ridiculously strong and accurate, or the Bengals would be nowhere.

-Chad Johnson...for all the media attention that gets put on him, I never get tired of him. Not sure why not.

-Look for me on the TV tomorrow. I'll be the one in the Bengals hat (and Bruschi jersey). (Gameday correction: I can't find my Bengals hat--doh!)