Unless you were under a rock yesterday, then you know by now that football on Sundays have officially made its return. Granted, it's only in preseason form, but it's still football, nonetheless.

Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals played in the yearly Hall-Of-Fame game in Canton, OH. And even though the starters played no more than 2 series, it was still good to see some type of football on my TV screen. I learned a few things about both teams during that game

People Missed Football... A LOT!
I was sitting at the bar in the Outback restaurant last night, watching the game and eating.... and it was extra crowded in there, more than usual. Tons of folks crowded the area to watch a preseason football game. At one point, the bartender changed the channel to the Red Sox-Yankees game and the bar erupted! As he turned the channel back to football (preseason football, by-the-way), a lady who wanted to watch the baseball game had a BIG tantrum and stormed out of the restaurant. All of the football fans (myself included) clapped and cheered as she made her way to the exit.... did I say all of this was over a PRESEASON football game??? Yeah.. I think people are happy football is back.


The Cowboys Have Depth
The Cowboys backups looked good during yesterday's game, especially on defense. They have some hungry, fast linebackers who are young and could provide depth at a position that has aged a little with the starters. John Kitna is a good backup for Tony Romo, and the RBs looked great. The WRs did a great job with separation. Hell, even Roy Williams decided to catch a ball or two. And let's not forget that Dez Bryant is still on the bench, resting from an ankle sprain. Overall, the Boys have some talent.


The Bengals Backup QB's SUCK!
If I had to choose who would be the butt of all of my awful QB jokes today, between JT O'Sullivan and Jordan Palmer, I'd have to flip a coin. If Carson Palmer goes down, the Bengals season is over!



There is a reason why O'Sullivan is on his 8th team in his 8th season. It's because he's just not that good.... He buckles under any kind of pressure and he throws INTs. To make matters worse, Jordan Palmer (Carson's younger brother) is right behind him. While Jordan throws the ball the same way as his big brother Carson, he definitely doesn't get the same results. Palmer threw 2 bad INTs directly to Cowboys defenders. If I'm Cincy, I'm looking to make a deal for a backup somewhere else. Carson hasn't been the healthiest in the past few years, so this is a major concern.

Carson Palmer May Need Prayer And Aspirin........
if what I saw last night is a staple of what's to come. And no, this isn't about Batman and Robin, AKA T.O. and Ocho Cinco. Palmer's starting offensive line struggled during their 2 series against the Cowboys. ESPN's AFC North blogger James Walker mentioned last week that the Bengals defense was getting a lot of pressure on Palmer in camp, but it continued last night. Palmer was sacked once, and was hurried at LOT.

Memo to the Bengals O-Line: Do you know who your backup QBs are? If you want any kind of special season this year, then I suggest you take care of your bread and butter, which is Carson Palmer. Or else this could be 2008 all over again for you.

In any event, whether it be a scrimmage, preseason game or whatever... I'm just glad football is back on my TV again! The football gods are shining down, and it feels good!