Cincinnati Bengals Lose First Meaningless Game, Fall To Dallas Cowboys

Remember back in kindergarten when you didn't receive an actual grade?

"S" was the standard mark for a satisfactory performance, basically meaning you knew your name and didn't eat paste or pull little Sally's pigtails.  "U" was the scarlet letter of kindergarten, meaning an unsatisfactory performance.  It also meant your mother should have turned off General Hospital and read a book or two with you before you turned five.  The ever-neutral "I" stood for incomplete, the saving grace of a teacher who couldn't bring themselves to brand a child with the dreaded "U".

Report cards are a standard practice with NFL bloggers.  I do them weekly during the regular season and find it very interesting to compare my grades with other Bengals fans.  I rate the offense, defense and special teams individually on the standard A-F scale.  However, I find it hard to assign a grade to anyone after the first preseason game.

I am going to take the easy way out and go with the "I" for incomplete.  There just isn't enough to get overly excited or depressed about when the first team plays as little as they did last night.

Obviously, all eyes were on Terrell Owens and the Bengals offense.  Carson Palmer did connect with Owens for a first down on the Bengals initial possession.  On defense, Michael Johnson recorded two sacks.

The biggest concern during the preseason is injuries.  The Bengals suffered two key injuries last night.  Safety Chris Crocker was forced to leave the game with a sprained ankle.  Third-down back Brian Leonard injured his foot after catching a pass toward the end of the first half.  It was initially diagnosed as a mid-foot sprain, but he is scheduled to undergo more tests in Cincinnati.

Read more at Bengals Line.