1. Palmer is not nor will he ever be a great sprint out, hit the 10 yard out pattern and if it’s not there, check down, and if it’s not there scramble for a few yards type of QB, not his game.
2. Palmer is at his best when he has the entire field to pick apart defenses and a solid offensive line to give him the time to drop back and do so, a la 2005.
3. Palmer remains a good QB and team leader, even when not playing “his game.”
4. Our offensive line is mediocre at best and does not seem able to give Palmer the time he needs to have to be like the 2005 squad or to open holes without going “heavy.”
5. Last year, most teams were expecting us to pass in the first half of the season and when we showed up with unbalanced lines they weren’t ready for it.
6. Once they adjusted, our offense struggled. 
7. Although the Bengals have more offensive weapons (TO, Shipley, and Gersham) it hasn’t changed the basic dynamic, we aren’t going to be a wide open offense best suited to Palmer.

Bengals will continue to be a grind it out, eat the clock, and barely outscore you type of  offense.  To win games, we will continue to depend heavily on the defense, primarily, and also on special teams. My hope is that we will simply become more efficient.  Namely, scale back penalties, increase our red zone conversions (keep the Nuge busy!), and reduce turnovers. If Palmer goes 20/35 for 220 yards and a TD or two with the occasional pick for the rest of the year, I’d be happy as a clam, because honestly, I think that’s about all we will need. What we don’t need is penalties, turnovers, and drives that eat 6 minutes but get us no points. It may not be “pretty” or flashy but we can win that way, even against the Colts, Saints, Packers, etc.