Well At Least the Good Guys Won

I just assumed that with the Pats out once again (2005 & 2008), no other team in the NFL would step up and knock off a fatally flawed Steelers team.  What a nice feeling it is to be wrong.

And now there is literally nothing to talk about until there is a new labor agreement.  Here's some random links to read to kill time.  None of them are about football.  It's terrible.  I know.  But what can I do?

Do you live your life like a viking?  You should.  Some tips to start - EDSBS

You probably don't think about Singapore much, but its existence is worth your consideration - Wired

Michael Lewis writes about everything well, not just sports, here's his lastest piece on how Ireland voluntarily committed epic financial suicide - Vanity Fair

Comments

[Rich]

You are right, Bienemy, the good guys won.
And now that Marvin is resigned, Jay Gruden is OC and Jerome Simpson is on you know that Pittsburgh and Baltimore are shitting themselves in their fear of the future. Dan LeFevour will be the super bowl 50 MVP.

From now until the last minutes of game 1 is the best part of the season as a Bengals fan, because it is a time for hope. Or denial.....

[Offensive Liability]

With Green Bay winning the Super Bowl, do you think Mike Brown will be stupid enough to use the injury excuse for bad seasons like he has in the past? The Pack had an absurd amount of injuries and players on the IR this year. Them winning totally negates that excuse going forward, right?

[Bob F.]

Mikes Excuses:

Injuries (ooops GB 16 +3)

Small Market (ooops GB -smallest market in the league)

No need for GM (oooops GB Mark Murphy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ted Thompson, Executive V.P., General Manager & Director of Football Oerations
Russ Ball, Vice President of Football Administration/Player Finance
Mike Eayrs, Director of Research and Development
Rob Davis, Director of Player Development
Matt Klein, Football Administration Coordinator
Curtis Fuller, Coaching Administrator
Jeanne Bruette, Executive Assistant - General Manager
Melanie Marohl, Salary Cap Analyst
Linda Nuthals, Corporate Travel Manager
Sherry Schuldes, Manager of Family Programs
Lisa Waeghe, Executive Assistant - Head Coach
Diane Coron, Administrative Assistant-Coaching Staff

No need for more scouts (oooops GB -
Reggie McKenzie, Director - Football Operations
John Dorsey, Director of College Scouting
Shaun Herock, Assistant Director of College Scouting (Midwest)
Lee Gissendaner, College Scout (Northeast)
Brian Gutekunst, College Scout (Southeast)
Alonzo Highsmith, College Scout (Southwest)
Sam Seale, College Scout (West Coast)
Jon-Eric Sullivan, College Scout (Midlands)
Richmond Williams, College Scouting (National Football Scouting)
Tim Terry, Assistant Director of Pro Personnel
Eliot Wolf, Assistant Director of Pro Personnel
Chad Brinker, Scouting Assistant
Danny Mock, College Scouting Coordinator
Autumn Thomas-Beenenga, Pro Personnel Coordinator

Ooooops.

[Basement Blogger]

Well there is something to talk about in Bengals Land. OC Jay Gruden has arrived in town. It looks like a West Coast offense. Here's a one on one interview with Geoff Hobson. Gruden emphasizes the need to run the ball at the 4:25 mark. Well, at least he sounds like a coach.

http://www.bengals.com/media-lounge/videos/One-on-One-with-Jay-Gruden-2711/92d3cb04-d629-478b-b60a-ad4bd1b006bb

[Sly Vramavomovich]

That article on Ireland would make Mike Brown's head explode.

[KevInVegas]

For what it's worth, I can say that I am the reason that the Squeelers lost. I put my annual $20 parlay bet in at the Stratosphere sports book last week. This year, it was the Squeelers on the money line parlayed to the over. The only way I could lose would be if Shittsburgh won and the total was below 45. The way I look at it, I paid $20 to ensure the evil empire lost. You're all welcome!

[Wyatt]

KevinVegas,

Did you invent Windows 7 also?

[Stu4u]

PALMER UPDATE COURTESY OF WCPO TV:
Wed Mar 02 10:58am EST

Palmer ready to retire if Bengals won't let him go

By Doug Farrar

The NFL owners may be saying that their business model is not sustainable (though it would help their cases if they'd open their books), but there's apparently nothing wrong with the financial model of one Carson Palmer(notes), Cincinnati Bengals quarterback. Or, at least, that's what Palmer is now ... and what he doesn't want to be anymore. For months, Palmer has been making extreme noises about his desire to get out of Cincinnati once and for all, and he's been at his most strident about it in the last few days.

According to WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, Palmer recently told a friend that he would "never set foot in Paul Brown Stadium again," and that he has "$80 million in the bank. I don't have to play football for money. I'll play it for the love of the game but that would have to be elsewhere. I'm prepared to live my life."

Palmer's agent, David Dunn, released this statement in the wake of those comments: "Because of the lack of success that Carson and the Bengals have experienced together, Carson strongly feels that a separation between him and the Bengals would be in the best interest of both parties."

Since injuries have taken the sharpness off his game over the past few seasons, Palmer has fallen from his former Pro Bowl status. In just about every full season he's played since 2005, Palmer's efficiency has decreased. He had a nice little rebound in 2010, throwing for 3,970 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions with Chad Ochocinco(notes), Terrell Owens(notes), and rookie tight end Jermaine Gresham(notes) on the roster. But it's been a challenge for Palmer to scale the dizzying heights of the AFC North with team owner Mike Brown's(notes) frequently questionable management decisions, just as it's been a problem for the Bengals to rely on a quarterback who probably still has a few years left, but can't always be relied on to stay healthy and efficient.

The first overall pick in the 2003 draft, Palmer led the Bengals to the playoffs in 2005 and 2009 - the only winning seasons the team has enjoyed since 1990. If he does leave, it will most likely be by way of retirement unless Brown hears an offer for Palmer he can't refuse, and Brown has said that he will not entertain the concept of Palmer leaving the team by his hand. That may be a simple ploy, but one never knows with the erratic Brown.

Palmer signed a six-year, $118.75 contract extension in December of 2005 that takes him through the 2014 season. He may be attractive to several teams in need of quarterbacks, but not likely at the $11.5 million in base salary due him in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. If he were to retire, the Bengals would hold his rights through the length of his current contract, though one never knows what may happen on the other side of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.