Pregame Bengals-Cowboys 10.5
Sunday, October 5, 2008, 01:05 PM EST [Bengals]

Cheerleader warm-ups are going on -- and I'll tell you what, that's much more interesting than player warmups. There's a reunion today, so we've got some veterans on the field as well.

Watch the early games, talk about the game here on our forums. Here's today's game thread. We'll be talking about what you're talking about during the pregame show.

Anyway, have the winner of my Photoshop contest. Micah won it with this entry.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-4)
AT
DALLAS COWBOYS (3-1)

GAME DETAILS
TIME: 4:15 p.m., Sunday
PLACE: Texas Stadium, Sportfield Realgrass
TV: CBS HD broadcast team of play-by-play man Jim Nantz and analyst Phil Simms live on Channel 12 in Cincinnati, Channel 10 in Columbus, OH, Channel 7 in Dayton, OH, and Channel 27 in Lexington, KY.
RADIO: Play-by-play man Brad Johansen and analyst Dave Lapham on 700-AM (The Big One), 1530-AM (Homer) and WEBN-FM (102.7) on Cincinnati flagships of the 28-station Bengals radio network.

INJURIES
CIN: S Dexter Jackson (thumb) out. All eyes on QB Carson Palmer (elbow). Looks like a game-time decision. He threw on the side Thursday but has not thrown a pass in practice. CB Johnathan Joseph (ankle) was limited Thursday in his first appearance in two weeks. LB Dhani Jones (foot) and DT Domata Peko (hand) were also limited. RB Kenny Watson (hamstring) may miss his second straight game after not dressing Wednesday and Thursday. Backup LB Corey Mays (ankle) hasn't practiced either and was in a boot Thursday.
DAL: Look for TE Jason Witten (shoulder) to play because he has practiced. Starters S Roy Williams (forearm), C Andre Gurode (ankle) and G Kyle Kosier (foot) didn't practice Thursday. DT Tank Johnson (ankle) was limited Thursday.

THE SERIES
Cowboys lead, 5-4, 4-1 in Dallas.

NOTEWORTHY
If Ryan Fitzpatrick gets the call, he'll be the fifth different Bengals starter the Cowboys have faced since Jeff Blake made his first NFL start against them on Oct. 30, 1994 at Riverfront and nearly beat the Super Bowl champs, 23-20 ... Boomer Esiason won his next-to-last NFL start against Dallas, 31-24, on Dec. 14, 1997 on the river, Akili Smith produced just two field goals in Dallas's home win on Nov. 12, 2000, and Carson Palmer fired a 94.8 passer rating at Mike Zimmer's defense in Paul Brown Stadium in the Bengals 26-3 win on Nov. 7, 2004 ... Zimmer, the Bengals first-year defensive coordinator, goes to work against the Cowboys for the first time since he left after 13 seasons in Dallas, the last seven as defensive coordinator ... John Garrett, the Cowboys tight ends coach, had the same job in Cincy from 2000 and 2001 and was a wide receiver for the Bengals in 1989 ... The winning team in the series has scored more than 30 points six times in the series that began when the Cowboys beat the Bengals, 38-10, in 1973 ... Topped by the Bengals' 50-spot in a 50-24 victory in 1985 ... The seven TDs the Cowboys allowed that day is still a team record ... The Bengals' 22 points they scored in the first quarter that day is still a first-quarter record against the Cowboys.

NFL RANKINGS
CIN: 30th in scoring, 31st in offense (30th rushing, 29th passing); 19th in defense, (28th rushing, fourth passing), tied for 30th in turnover margin at minus four; DAL: Third in scoring, second in offense (13th rushing, third passing), 11th in defense (16th in rushing, 18th in passing), tied for 30th in turnover margin at minus four.

COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 42-42 regular season, 0-1 postseason in his sixth season, 1-0 vs. Cowboys, 0-0 vs. Phillips; DAL: Wade Phillips 16-5 in his second season, 64-47 overall in nine seasons, 2-0 vs. Bengals (Denver in 1994, Buffalo in 1998).

THE WEATHER
The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for mostly sunny skies in Dallas with a high of 88 degrees with winds out of the south at 20 miles per hour gusting up to 25 and no chance of rain.

Palmer a go
Sunday, October 5, 2008, 01:42 PM EST [Bengals]

IRVING, Texas -- Carson Palmer will be the starter at quarterback.

Chris Henry is taped and ready to go. By all accounts, he looks really, really good.

Bengals-Cowboys inactives
Sunday, October 5, 2008, 02:47 PM EST [General]

Inactives today:

QB Jordan Palmer (third quarterback)

S Dexter Jackson

FB Reagan Maui'a

LB Corey Mays

WR Andre Caldwell

WR Jerome Simpson

DT Pat Sims

DT Jason Shirley

Maui'a being inactive, I guess, shows why the Bengals cut Watson. I thought Coats was the guy, but if there's something wrong with Maui'a at fullback. Oh, and nice draft.

Palmer ready
By GEOFF HOBSON
October 5, 2008

IRVING, Texas _ All pre-game indications Sunday at Texas Stadium are that Carson Palmer returns to the starting quarterback job after missing last week's game with an ailing throwing elbow. Palmer came out and warmed up in sweats, something he didn't do last week when Ryan Fitzpatrick played against Cleveland.

The activation of Chris Henry meant that both rookie wide receivers, Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell, were inactive. Cornerback Johnathan Joseph (ankle) is expected to play after missing the last two weeks, but David Jones gets this third straight start.

The week was reversed for the quarterbacks from last week. After resting his arm Wednesday and Thursday, Palmer threw Friday and took all the snaps. Last week, Palmer threw Wednesday and Thursday but gave way to Fitzpatrick on Friday.

Palmer took snaps for the running plays Wednesday and Thursday and said on Friday it will be "an adjustment on game day, but nothing too big."

"There aren't really any new coverages I've gone against," Palmer said. "I went through the same week of preparation, game planning, film watching, studying. I just haven't made the throws."

The only announced change to the offensive starting lineup was Daniel Coats for fullback Reagan Maui'a, another indication Palmer is starting.

Also inactive for the Bengals Sunday besides Simpson, a second-rounder, and Caldwell, a third-rounder, were two other draft picks still looking to get dressed for their first game in defensive tackle Pat Sims and Jason Shirley.

Also not dressed were Maui'a and the injured Dexter Jackson (thumb) and Corey Mays (ankle). Chinedum Ndukwe got his fourth straight start at safety for Jackson and linebacker Abdul Hodge, promoted from the practice squad Friday, dressed.

Hobson added a little . . .

The Bengals caught a break when the Cowboys deactivated Pro Bowl cornerback Terence Newman (groin) and put Pacman Jones in his place. His old West Virginia teammate and fellow Roger Goodell visitor, Henry, makes his season debut after his own four-game suspension.

But don't look for him to be the third receiver in place of Antonio Chatman. But he will no doubt have a package of plays in which the desperate Bengals passing game tries to use his vertical skills against a depleted secondary.

Besides Newman, safeties Roy Williams and Patrick Watkins are also out.

why hasn't the game started?

other 4 oclock games have, and yet i'm still watching fox dudes talking about shit

wtf?

FItz is the WORST player ever

lmao

GREAT START

this team is a joke

FItz is the WORST player ever

FItz is the WORST player ever

when they cut to the commercial, I seen someone talking to Carson on the sideline..........then I realized it was Carson Palmer talking to another Carson Palmer

then I realized Jordan was still here

i was trippin for like 2 seconds