[Lefty Noob]

Now that we've got a home forum for the Bengals, why don't we take a look at the defending AFC North Division champions' schedule for the upcoming 2006 season?

While dates and times haven't been set yet, Cincy will have home games against Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta, Carolina, New England and will travel to play the Ravens, Steelers, Browns, Denver, Kansas City, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Indianapolis.

Not an easy looking schedule for a team that's not even certain their star QB will be 100% to start the year. As always, a pair of tough games against their division rivals, as well as games with the Falcons, Panthers, Patriots, Chiefs, Broncos, Bucs and Colts.

Despite the tough 2006 Cincinnati Bengals Football Schedule, do you guys think they have a chance to repeat as division champs?

[Who Dey]

Holy Christ, I hope not. Division championship, what a friggin joke. You know what the "Division Championship" got the Bengals last year, other than the opportunity to be devestated by the Steelers at home in the Playoffs? It means they get to play the Patriots and the Colts instead of the Jags and the Dolphins.
Now I know you can never tell who is actually going to be good prior to any given NFL season. However, my point is this, that because the Bengals won the division they get the division winners of the South and the East, and Pittsburgh who won the Super Bowl the runner up in both those divisions.
I mean if you really sit back and think about it, Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl in the ideal fashion. The only thing that would be better for them is if the league winner got to pick first in the draft.
So to answer your question, who knows? Who knows who is going to be good? I know New Engald and Indy look to be solid teams for years to come, but so did the San Francisco forty niners and Dallas Cowboys at one point. The Colts and Pats wont be good teams forever, maybe this will be thier year of decline.
Or, the Bengals could be proven to be a flash in the pan, and return to bungledom. I assure you this wont happen if Carson is playing, he's just too good.
Maybe the AZ Cardinals win the Super Bowl. There was a time when Tampa Bay lost 16 games in 1 season, the Bengals won 8 games in three season's, and the Green Bay Packers were a forgotten franchise. Thats whats great about this league, we have to just wait and see.

[Lefty Noob]

Now that's a first - a fan hoping their team DOESN'T win the division championship this season. Now I've seen it all.

Just kidding around. I see your point - by winning the North, Cincy had a much tougher road to hoe in the playoffs. Of course, who knows how far they would've gotten had Palmer not gone down. Your boys are for real, Who Dey, that's for sure. I don't think the party's over for them yet, not by any stretch of the imagination.