THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

Good Monday Morning!

I really, really really want to drink the Kool Aid. Pour me a glass of strawberry Kool Aid and let me believe. Of course, I’ve wanted to drink the Kool Aid every year since 1990. It’s a Bengals fan’s number one drink. But why should we drink this year. Because Carson Palmer is healthy?

I need more than that. And I need more than just some intrasquad scrimmage to get me geeked. Remember, the Bengals were playing against each other this weekend.

The great Tip O’Neill, former Speaker of the House, once said, the problem with being Irish is that you know, in the end, the world will always break your heart. The problem with being a Bengals fans is that you know in the end, the team will always break your wallet, your pride and then center in on your heart. Akili Smith, Darnay Scott, Trumaine Mack, Neil O’Donnell, pick your favorite, you know they’ve killed you at one time or another.

Here are the three reasons I keep hearing from some Bengals fans why they believe this year will be more like 2005 than….pick any other year since 1990. One: Palmer is healthy. Two: Rey Maualuga is our answer to Troy Polamalu. Three: Tank Johnson and/or Roy Williams have ridden into town from Dallas.

Palmer’s healthy. Great, how long you figure that’ll last? It’s what’s up front that counts. And right now, I’m counting only Bobbie Williams and Andrew Whitworth who’ve proven they can block an NFL defensive lineman. And before we get all giddy about Palmer’s elbow: it’s a lot different trying to throw the ball in and around 300 pound men running downhill at your head, then simply dropping back and throwing in one on one drills or flag football. Not saying his elbow won’t hold up. I’m just sayin’

Rey Maualuga can be everything that Odell Thurman should’ve been, but wasn’t. By all account, Rey Rey is a clean liver, hard hitter, from a championship football program. He’s also very good. But here’s the thing about rookies: their best seasons tend to be after they stop being rookies. Tbe learning curve for Maualuga will be steep.

Tank Jonson? Tank was good in Chicago, but got into a lot of trouble. Tanks wasn’t all that great in Dallas. That’s how he wound up here. You think the Dallas Cowboys are in any position to lose good defensive linemen? And Roy Williams, great nose for the ball. But will he stay on the field come third down? Chris Crocker, Chinedum Ndukwe, Roy Williams they all make big plays. But somebody is coming off the field on third down. And as good as Crocker is at safety, does he have the speed to play nickel back? My advice is use pencil, not pen on that depth chart.

Look, the Bengals will be better in 2009 than 2008. They’d have a hard time being worse. There is depth. If Palmer goes down, JT O’Sullivan is a better back up than Ryan Fitzpatrick. If Cedric Benson is hurt, the trade with the Cardinals that brought here looks genius. If Chris Henry is really Tom Cruise and not Sean Penn, score one for central casting.

But before we all get wrapped up in the blue smoke out of Georgetown and the Kool Aid flavor of the year, remember this: the Bengals, play in the same division as the Steelers and Ravens. And until they can prove they can beat those teams, nothing matters.

Four division winners and two wild card teams make the conference playoffs.
The Steelers, Patriots Colts and Chargers all enter this season as favorites to win their division. Wild card contenders can be found playing in New York, Buffalo, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston, Baltimore, Miami and, OK, Cincinnati. It will take eleven wins to get in. New England won eleven in 2008 and didn’t get in. But eleven is the number. Do you honestly see eleven wins on the Bengals schedule this season? Honestly?

I might, after watching some pre season games against teams other than a Bengals split squad. I’m thirsty, I want a drink. I really do. But I can’t take a sip. Not yet.