A quick site update: We will be conducting another Bengals Banter -- a back-and-forth with other Bengals bloggers on a variety of topics. This is where you come in. We need topics. Email me (joshkirkendall [at] gmail [dot] com) a one-line sentence on something you believe. If it's good enough, we'll throw that into the topic repository (big word = over-zealous writer).

Onto today's links...

Many of the players that have missed much of preseason are returning to practice this week, preparing for opening weekend. Those players include T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rudi Johnson, Rashad Jeanty, and Antwan Odom. Pat Sims and Andre Caldwell are still sitting.

Johnson's response after the ESPN Report that the Bengals are shopping him: "I haven’t heard anything."

Ludwig writes his five problems the Bengals are facing: The health of Rudi, Palmer, and T.J., the offensive line, the running back, the defensive line and the secondary.

Ludwig also writes his projected 53-man roster. I disagree that Daniel Coats replaces Jeremi Johnson.

Houshmandzadeh on the question whether he's sandbagging his injury or not: "I don't care what people think about that. If I was a rookie, would I have come back and practiced? Yeah and I would have got hurt again."

Bengals have 5-1 odds of having the next player arrested in the NFL. Too bad they didn't include those odds when dozens and dozens of players were arrested since the last Bengals player was.

There's a worry that if Chad takes another hit, he could be lost for the season. The way we view is that if he has surgery now, he's lost for the season anyway.

Canal Street Chronicles breaks down Saturday's game from the Saints perspective -- First Half | Second Half