The Notes From A Boring Weekend Without Our Cincinnati Bengals

Good Monday to you, sir. The day started rough, driving into work and sickness overtook me. Drove back home to recuperate and finally the energy to take you into Monday night has come. In the meantime, what do you guys notice about Sunday and this weekend? Here are a few of my notes from the weekend that was and random thoughts permeating this magnificent mind.

+ Wouldn't be surprised if the Bengals bite the bullet and place Keith Rivers on Injured Reserve after their eventual three-week exemption. With how well Thomas Howard (how is dealing with a hamstring) has played this year, placing Rivers on IR frees a roster spot and leaves the team's best performing linebacker on the field. Most indicate that Rivers could be out until December.

On the other hand I don't see the team releasing Rivers with an injury settlement either. Howard is only signed to a one-year deal and Rivers' rookie contract expires at the end of the 2012 season. If they're unable to keep Howard, they'll still have Rivers.

+ Bye weeks is certainly the worst week of the year. I'd rather have sat in my office writing about the Cincinnati Bengals than making fun of Carson Palmer on Twitter. Not that I took part of such trivial things. Nope. Not at all. And we're not going to talk about his three-interception, one-pick six performance that has to have Raiders fans going, "oh crap" and Bengals fans going, "yep."

+ The Minnesota Vikings electing to punt the football back to the Green Bay Packers with over two minutes remaining in the game was, in my opinion, the worst premeditated decision of the weekend, considering Minnesota was only down by a touchdown. They are the fourth rated offense with the league's best quarterback this season. They're going to move the football and Aaron Rodgers will get it done. It was the

+Tennessee Titans signing Chris Johnson to a six-year extension worth $55.26 million and $30 million guaranteed just adds to the long-line of evidence that once a running back receives a massive payday, their careers take a nose dive. Granted. Johnson is still young and perhaps he's just having a rough go of it right now. But after seven weeks (and six games) this year, Johnson has failed to reach 100 yards rushing in all but one game and his yard/rush average is below three yards.

"Basically, if you are watching the game and you really can’t tell what is going on with the run game then I would say you really don’t know football," Johnson told The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville, after the Titans were blown out 41-7 by the Houston Texans on Sunday. "I wouldn’t say I am the issue. I am very confident I am doing the things ... I do."

True. Sitting back and watching ever Titans game isn't high on my weekly to-do list. But as the Bengals approach their week eight game against the Titans, my observations of the Titans are increasing. Watching NFL.com's Game Rewind, I thought Johnson appeared timid and indecisive. He plowed through the league's 7th rush defense for 18 yards rushing on ten careers.

+ After the Bengals beat the Indianapolis Colts, it never occurred to me that I should label the Indianapolis Colts the worst team in the league. After watching the Saints 55-point win on Sunday Night Football, I also realized they're not the worst team in the league because they're just missing Peyton Manning. They're the worst because they have no defense to step up. New Orleans is one of the more productive offenses in recent memory, but that's no excuse for giving up 62 points; which is the most points allowed in an NFL game since 1985.

+ Speaking of Sunday Night Football's blowout, would it really surprise anyone if the NFL scored higher ratings than game four of the World Series last night?

+ Matthew Stafford is injured? You don't say.

+ I'm so glad I'm not a Browns fan... or a Seahawks fan.