Friday afternoon links and notes

Bob Hunter writes that Chinedum Ndukwe's recovery is going faster than expected. However, it's still expected that the second-year safety will miss the opener.

Chad Johnson is officially Chad Ocho Cinco. Yea. I know. Right or wrong, I'm still calling him Johnson.

ESPN ranks NFL fans. We, Bengals fans, are apparently one of the worst, ranking in at 26th. James Walker writes:

Bengals fans are disenchanted with their team. Cincinnati has just one winning season in the past 17 years, and during that span the city has grown accustomed to having a sub-par football team. Cincinnati historically is a baseball town, not a football town, and there is no natural pigskin rival to root against. If anything, Bengals fans spew most of their venom on their own. They're upset at star receiver Chad Johnson for his antics and wanting to get out of town. They turned on Carson Palmer recently for supporting USC -- his alma mater -- over Ohio State. A majority of fans turned long ago on the Bengals' front office led by owner Mike Brown. Granted, Cincinnati does draw well and has more loyal followers today than during the lean Dave Shula/Dick LeBeau/Bruce Coslet years. But Bengals fans remain very skeptical of their franchise.

Vic Carucci writes a good piece asking what the most important position is on defense. He argues that it's the defensive end, due to the impact they have that contributes to other positions on defense. Clearly the Bengals are still looking for that single player on defense that makes the biggest impact. Could it be newly acquired free agent Antwan Odom? Or perhaps first round pick Keith Rivers?

Pete Prisco believes that the Steelers are still the class of the AFC North.

Pat Kirwin ranks the leagues best defensive tackles. It's not surprising that no Bengals defensive tackle didn't even make the radar.

In connection with the upcoming campaigns for President of the United States, John Czarnecki goes through each team's NFL power structure. About the Bengals, he writes: "Owner Mike Brown. The power structure hasn't changed for the Bengals. Mike replaced his legendary father, Paul Brown, and nothing happens without his approval. This franchise remains very thin on front-office staff, as well as the personnel department. For example, Brown is the reason Chris Henry is back on the team. A family affair in Cincinnati."

Dawgs by Nation takes a stab at the Browns 53-man roster.

Baltimore Beatdown believes that Joe Flacco must start against the Bengals to open the season.