I typically defend Geoff Hobson more often than not. No one has answered me when I ask who works harder than him on any other NFL team website. And if you complain he tends to have a favorable spin on the Bengals, well, then duh. How many times have you gone to your boss and said, "your product stinks and you suck at nearly everything you do." Oh, oh. I almost saw a hand back there. No? You have to put things in perspective. However, I can't defend him here.

One reason the Bengals don't make a move on long snapper Brad St. Louis? His punt snaps have been solid. If they get a guy in here that can do the short snaps but struggles with the long ones, that could be more damaging because a bad punt snap can end up in a touchdown as opposed to a missed three points or one point.

I can't. I can't possibly defend him. He's a good guy. And he pumps out information quicker than any beat writer out there. But I can't defend him here. I just, I just can't. I can't justify the logic of one error weighing more than another. They just shouldn't happen. Long snap. Short snap. Under center. Alright. That's enough of that. On to more important things.

+ Watched parts of the first UFL game on Versus Thursday night. The stadium wasn't even half full and the game seemed generally sloppy, which shouldn't be surprising. This is the first game of a new league and it will take time to build a following, provided they keep appealing to NFL fans during days in which the NFL isn't playing. Former Bengals running back DeDe Dorsey scored two touchdowns, leading the Las Vegas Locomotives to a 30-17 win over the California Redwoods.

Moving on, swan.

We had brought up the topic that maybe T.J. Houshmandzadeh's departure was a good thing. I referenced an old piece in which the team had gotten tired of Chad Ochocinco and Houshmandzadeh yelling at the God of Golden Arms Carson Palmer. John Thornton tweeted us, "TJ wasn't a problem in lockeroom tho or with Carson. TJ and Carson were closer than ppl know".

Don't forget to checkout the SB Nation Fantasy football updates -- I should be making an appearance this afternoon.

A South Carolina newspaper did a feature on former Gamecock cornerback Johnathan Joseph.

Who Dey Fans hopes the Bengals better use a two-running back system. They also examined the Bengals scouting department with a clear mind that doesn't include the ramblings of tired talking points.

Chad Ochocinco "all but guaranteed a Bengals' victory in Baltimore"

"They don’t really stand a chance, realistically speaking," Ochocinco said.

Pete Prisco analyzes the first quarter of the season. About all of the mentions we got was being runner up as the surprise team of the year (Denver took the nod) and being the team on the other side of the Fluke Play.

Don Banks says that Carson Palmer and the Bengals are back, while taking note that they're one bounce away from being an undefeated 4-0.

John Erardi talks about quarterback Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense. Erardi and Joe Reedy talk about Baltimore's killer rush defense.

Since 1999, there have been only 18 games where the Ravens have allowed a 100-yard rusher (the last was Kansas City’s Larry Johnson in 2006). The Bengals have done it three times: two by Corey Dillon and one by Rudi Johnson.

The Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston, while calling the Bengals soft, predicts a two touchdown lead. This is one of the posts we'll have on file next week if the Ravens lose.

Kevin Vanvalkenburg (apparently a costar in Van Helsing), writes that the Ravens left tackle Jared Gaither is looking like a long shot to play Sunday.