The Bengals have signed 24-year old fullback Reagan Mauia to a 1-year contract.  With starter Jeremi Johnson on Injured Reserve the Bengals needed a lead blocker and that’s a job that the 6’0″, 260 pound Mauia can handle.  Mauia played in 16 games for the Dolphins as a rookie last season (9 starts) and he carried the ball 4 times for 5 yards (1.3 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 5 yards (2.5 avg) last season.

The Bengals got ambushed last Sunday in Baltimore as the Ravens broke out the defense and running game to put the kitties away.  Carson Palmer had the worst game of his NFL career completing 10 of 25 passes for 99 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 15 yards (5.0 ypc).  Chris Perry didn’t do much as the starting running back for the Bengals with 37 yards on 18 carries (2.1 ypc).  Chad Ocho Cinco was running smack all week about the Ravens and then he went out on Sunday and only caught 1 pass for 22 yards.  The Bengals finished up with only 65 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 25 passes for a paltry 89 yards passing.

The Defense failed to show up for the most part as the Ravens scored on a 42-yard run by WR Mark Clayton and rookie QB Joe Flacco had a 38-yard scamper for a TD.  Linebackers Keith Rivers and Dhani Jones were both busy in this game with 10 tackles apiece to lead the Bengals.  CB Jonathan Joseph also had a solid game with 5 tackles and a fumble recovery that he returned 65-yards for a TD.  The Ravens finished up with a stunning 229 yards rushing on 46 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards.  The Bengals better get their act together quick as the Titans are invading Cincinnati this week.

The Bengals are only a 1.5 point favorite in the season opener but they feel very confident they will prevail.  Carson Palmer will be looking to attack a Ravens’ secondary that’s starting to look beat up already physically.  Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh could both have good games unless CBs Samari Rolle and Chris McAllister bring their A-games.  The Bengals must keep DEs Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce out of Palmer’s face if he’s going to attack the Ravens down the football field.  The secret weapon for the Bengals on offense in this football game will be TE Ben Utecht as Ed Reed is banged up and Dawan Landry is a little green yet.  The Bengals know that running the football will be hard against the Ravens due to DT Haloti Ngata and linebackers Ray Lewis and Bart Scott.  Still, Chris Perry and Kenny Watson will get the football put in their hands often to see if the Bengals’ brass made a good move in letting Rudi Johnson walk.

With rookie QB Joe Flacco making his NFL debut the Ravens will likely try to lean on the running game.  The problem with that is Willis McGahee is banged up right now.  That could mean that two rookies (RB Ray Rice and QB Joe Flacco) will have the weight of the offense on their shoulders and that might be too much to ask of them in their NFL debuts.  DT Domata Peko and MLB Dhani Jones will likely get challenged by the Ravens in the running game but the Ravens better keep their eyes on OLBs Keith Rivers and Darryl Blackstock who are up and coming players.  Strong safety Dexter Jackson will also help out against the run as he likes to bring the pain.  Jackson will also have his hands full with TE Todd Heap who might make Flacco look good as he usually catches anything he can get a finger on.  The Ravens will likely keep the passing game short with Heap and WRs Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton.  This will put pressure on talented young CBs Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph. 

PREDICTION:  CINCINNATI BENGALS 24, BALTIMORE RAVENS 10

The Bengals have a tough schedule this season and they didn’t fix the defense enough to win half of their games in 2008.  I actually think that the Bengals will likely win 7 games this season so I can’t recommend with confidence to take the under even though that’s the way I’m leaning.

The Bengals have signed RB James Johnson to the practice squad.  Johnson earned this job by playing well in the preseason for the Bengals.  Johnson carried the ball 21 times for 94 yards (4.5 ypc) for the Bengals and he will likely get a shot this season to show what he can do when the games count.

The Bengals have released DT Michael Myers.  Myers played in 15 games (2 starts) with the Bengals last season and he made 34 tackles, had 1 sack defensed 2 passes and picked one off.  The Bengals have claimed 25-year old defensive tackle Orien Harris to take over Myers’ old roster spot.  Harris played well in the preseason for the Saints appearing in all 4 games and making 18 tackles and he also had 1 sack.  But, Harris has only played in 2 games in his NFL career and he has never made a tackle.  This was a risk for the Bengals.

In a move that screams nepotism the Bengals have cut Jeff Rowe and kept Jordan Palmer despite the fact that Rowe clearly outplayed him in the preseason.  Rowe played in all 4 preseason games for the Bengals and he completed 6 of 10 passes for 51 yards (55.8%) for 228 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 interception (61.0 QB Rating).  Jordan Palmer played in 3 preseason games for the Bengals this year and he completed 6 of 10 passes (60.0%) for 51 yards with 0 TDs and 1 interception (33.8 QB Rating).  Palmer also carried the ball 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc).  The Bengals obviously kept Palmer to keep his big brother Carson happy.

This move came as a little bit of a surprise as O’Neal had played pretty well for the Bengals in his career.  He has played 4 years with the Bengals covering 55 games and 39 starts.  In those 55 games, O’Neal has compiled 193 tackles, had 1 sack, defensed 36 passes and he intercepted 16 (1 that he returned for a TD).  The Patriots quickly came in an snapped O’Neal up so it will be easy for Bengals’ fans to keep tabs on him.

The Bengals have released linebacker Ahmad Brooks.  Brooks played in all 4 preseason games for the Bengals this year and he made 7 tackles and defended a pass.  But, the Bengals didn’t feel that Brooks’ production warranted a roster spot so they cut him loose.  Brooks played two years for the Bengals and he made 37 tackles, had 2 sacks and he defensed 2 passes.  The 49ers quickly scooped him up off of waivers so it will be interesting to keep an eye on him.

The Bengals got rid of two veterans who have meant a lot to the success of the Bengals’ offense over the years in RB Rudi Johsnon and OT Willie Anderson.  Johnson had his worst season of his career in 2007 for the Bengals as he played in 11 games (9 starts) in which he carried the ball 170 times for 497 yards (2.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 13 passes for 110 yards (8.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Johnson is only 28 years old but he appears to not have much tread on the tires which is the reason the Bengals are going with Chris Perry, Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey at running back this season.  Johnson played in 81 games (59 starts) for the Bengals in his career and he has carried the football 1,441 times for 5,742 yards (4.0 ypc) with 48 TD runs.  He has also caught 101 passes for 588 yards (5.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  OT Willie Anderson played 11 seasons for the Bengals as he was a 4-time Pro Bowler for them and he was on the All-Pro team three times.  The Bengals will miss these guys likely more in the locker room than on the football field.