Cinci Disappointment (2-6)

At 2-6, the Cincinnati Bengals' season is over, and it's a shame that that's the case. Back in preseason I had them as playoff contenders, maybe even superbowl outsiders, but for one reason or another, they have failed to live up to all aspirations. As for the biggest underachiever so far, I think there are several teams that chase them for that prize, but no others have fewer excuses than the Bengals...
Minnesota boast one of the top teams in the NFL, but Favre has had ankle problems and struggled with tendonitis, Sidney Rice has been sorely missed, and let's not even mention the Moss saga.
The Chargers, I believe, are one of the most overrated teams in the NFL and Phillip Rivers has performed incredibly given the circumstances. Obviously their excuses for the premature end to their season lie in contract disputes with icons such as Merriman, and more importantly the sidelining of Vincent Jackson and the damage that it caused to their receiving corps.
Finally, the Cowboys may stake their claim for the mid-season underachievers, but frankly I believe it would be a false one. They're a team with a lot of big names, but their problem is that they're not much of a team. On top of that, they give away penalties like it's preseason, and their special teams are one of the worst around.
Nevertheless, Cincinnati fall under none of the above (aside from the poor special teams play!) They've not been lacking in talent in the areas where it matters, they've been free of any contract disputes, and for the most part, escaped injuries. Carson Palmer, now in his 8th year, looked set with the addition to T.O. to the offense, and as if that wasn't enough, they drafted two wide-out starter rookies in with their first three picks! And in case they needed to balance things out, they have Cedric Benson - one of the leagues top backs - in the backfield. Can I be blamed for believing that Marvin Lewis - fresh from winning head coach of the year - would be 'going places' with this team in '10?!
For me, the blame lies with Carson Palmer. Looking at his stats, he's 20th in the league in QB rating and 8th in interceptions thrown. Another interesting stat which doesn't bode well is that thirteen quarterbacks have taken more sacks than him, which makes it hard for him to blame his O-line...
Moreover, what hurts Cinci is that this was the year he was really meant to show up. Peyton Manning has barely anything to work with this year and yet he still finds a way to win games. With the aforementioned weapons at Palmer's disposal he should be leading the league in most categories. But alas, he isn't.
It could be argued that Cinci got unlucky this year with their schedule and had to face some of the top teams in the league early on, but take the Bucs game for example, this was not one of those, yet they lost it. And Palmer's stats for that one? 58% with average gain of 5 yards, 2TD, oh, and 3INTs...
Oh, and why did I write a post about this?! Because I love T.O. and I'm still pissed he didn't get a look in in the Top 100! The dude never gets the credit he deserves!