Week 1 : Cincinnati Bengals
 

Wow.

Just, wow.

We needed a miracle... and we got one.

The team looked really shaky on offense, though it improved as the game went on. Buckhalter looked decent running the ball. The problem was the OL was somewhat inconsistent in the run game. I'm wondering how long Hamilton will keep his starting spot.

I was pleased with the defense... they held up pretty well considering how many 3-and-outs the offense had. The back-to-back sacks by Haggan and Reid were particularly enjoyable.

The return game was the same old crap as always. It doesn't seem to matter who we put back there.

... and then there's Alphonso Smith. He's been a popular target due to the circumstances of his acquisition, which is something entirely beyond his control. He clearly came to play today, though, making plays against both the run and pass.

We looked alright. But we were lucky we played the Bengals. We bent on defense, but didn't break until the end, which was nice.

Kyle Orton ******* sucks.

We also got ******** lucky(obviously).
That being said: 1 down, 18 to go!!!

And yeah Alphonso wasn't bad at all. It's still unlikely, but Cutler is looking shaky and if we end up with a better record than Chicago it moves from a horrendous deal to merely a pretty bad one.

Moreno looked like a back who was hurt if anything, he did show some promise, can't wait til he's healthy.

There was a 3rd down play which was designed for Hillis, they put him in motion then he ran into the flat, he ended up dropping the pass, if he didn't it might of broke away for a big gain. Other than that, I think he just got a few carries.

Orton who is already bad had a bum hand, Marshall was jogging out there, and Moreno was hurt, shocked we scored any points at all to be honest.

I'm really worried about Hillis getting forgotten about. I think he can be a great football player and he is one of my favorites. I kind of expect him to be used like Kevin Faulk was in NE but I'd like to see him get more carries. I think he should be getting as many as Buckhalter.

Keep in mind he was the only FB available with Larsen suffering that wierd pre-game injury, which had an impact on how he was utilized. The offense also has to avoid those false start / holding penalties as McD is likely to look to the receivers more in those situations.