If there was any doubt, Chris Mortensen removed it Thursday night.

ESPN's NFL insider called Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis a "lame duck" on the air; strong words from a man that chooses them carefully. (Sometimes too carefully. Mort needs to let it fly a little more and quit worrying about offending someone if he says something negative.)

The news of Lewis' demise won't come as a huge surprise to Bengals fans who know he has no control of the locker room (see: Ochocinco, Chad) and is operating in the final year of his contract. It spoke volumes that owner Mike Brown didn't give Lewis an extension last year after winning the AFC North championship.

So, who will the Bengals turn to? Well, set your expectations extremely low and you might not be disappointed. That's the approach I'm taking.

First of all, there is no way a big-time coach on the market would come to Cincinnati. Guys like Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden -- proven coaches of that ilk. Brown blew it when Tom Coughlin basically begged him to be the Bengals' head coach in 2003 when the job went to Lewis. Coughlin went to the Giants a year later and has won a Super Bowl. What part about Coughlin's rein in Jacksonville didn't Brown like? Oh, that's right: Coughlin wants too much control. You know, of things like the locker room. Doesn't matter where he goes, that man wins. Nice going there, Mikey Boy. You chose ... poorly. (And to be clear, it didn't even come down to Coughlin vs. Lewis in 2003. Coughlin was eliminated after he had the gall to tell Brown his detailed plan to getting the Bengals back on the right track. The job came down to Lewis vs. Mike Mularkey. And Brown actually offered the job to Mularkey at one point, who wanted more time to think it over.)

I have a feeling the job might go to defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. I am hoping the Bengals will find a proven offensive coach like Gruden as the head coach who would then retain Zim as defensive coordinator, but again, I don't think someone like Gruden would take the job. (Plus, there might be an opportunity for him in Dallas.) So, I could see Brown "settling" on Zimmer once he finds it difficult to get a good coach to as much interview with his cheap ass. (Still no indoor practice facility, Mike? Really? Your father is probably ashamed of you and what you've done to his franchise. There is a reason you are the joke of every NFL meeting you attend.)

Whoever the new coach is will have an interesting situation at right tackle as Andre Smith will miss the rest of this season after breaking his left foot for the second time in as many years. So, the new coach will have Smith coming off injury, likely vastly overweight and it will be intriguing to see how it plays out. Could Smith get cut next year? It wouldn't shock me. It will also be interesting to see what happens at wide receiver. I would certainly like to see the team re-sign Terrell Owens to a one-year contract (with more money this time of course).

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Just when you think there might be a small chance Andre Smith won’t be a complete bust, stories like this from Bengals.com are published.

Every Bengal fan knows that Smith has struggled with weight (and being a good player in general). However, he’s also had to deal with a chronic foot injury.

“After getting carted off the field, it is believed to be the same foot he broke three days into his rookie season, an injury that prevented him playing full time until the last three games,” Bengals.com editor Geoff Hobson wrote about Wednesday’s practice. “The injury took Smith out of the first 10 games of last season and when he had surgery on it back in January it wiped out all the spring drills and training camp for him.”

So, enter Dennis Roland at right tackle for this week’s unwinnable game at Indianapolis who somehow is even worse than Smith. And seriously, what kind of schedule from hell is this? This season, the Bengals will have played the defending Super Bowl champions (Saints), defending Super Bowl runner-up (Colts), the Patriots, the Falcons, the Jets, as well as the Steelers and Ravens twice. And what do you want to bet one of those teams wins the Super Bowl this year?

I’m not sure if there is any way to define it, but I wonder if it’s the most-difficult schedule in NFL history. Even the games that looked “easy” coming into the season have been anything but (and probably will be anything but). I’m talking about the Browns, the Bucs and the Chiefs. OK, the Bengals do play the Bills, but other than that it’s a brutal slate.

That’s the penalty for being defending champs in your division, but shouldn’t there be a waiver for such treatment if you get your asses handed to you in the first round of the playoffs at home by a wildcard team?

Anyway, even with the tough schedule, there needs to be serious changes after this season. Since the Bengals will never hire a general manager from the outside (you know, one that would stay away from stupid picks like Andre Smith when there were warning signs all over the place – and this is not “hindsight is 20/20,” I said it at the time) there needs to be changes made to the coaching staff.

Definitely offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski needs to go, and I also think it’s time to pull the plug on Marvin Lewis. He’s in the final year of his contract and it will be interesting to see what Mike Brown decides to do. Lewis is by far the best coach Brown has hired, but Lewis is a bad coach (thanks go out to Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau [who is a great defensive coordinator but not a head coach] for making that possible). Maybe Brown has finally realized that Lewis isn't very good and he can find better. Then again, maybe he will say that his team is only a year removed from winning the division and Lewis deserves another year since the schedule was so daunting this season. A lot will depend on how the team finishes this year, even though it really shouldn't matter how they play in meaningless games. knowing this team's history, they probably will finish somewhat strong, providing nothing more than fool’s gold while hurting their draft position. Some Bengals fans even have a term for it: “The Dead Cat Bounce.”

As for Chad Ochocinco, he had a well-publicized meltdown on Monday night in the loss to the Steelers and what else is new. It was clear he was far out of control and Lewis was never going to be able to reel him in when he exploded at halftime of the playoff loss to the Steelers five years ago (the game when Carson Palmer blew his knee out). There were reports Chad punched a coach, perhaps even Lewis. Who knows what really happened, but something did. And from that day it was clear Marvin was never going to be able to control Chad.

So, it wasn’t surprising in the least to see what happened Monday night. You haven’t been paying attention if any of that surprised you. Even Lewis blew it off after the game. Most coaches would have been fuming.

At least left tackle Andrew Whitworth put Chad in his place during the game. Basically told him, “Shut the hell up, go line up and play ball” while giving him a shove in the right direction. Whitworth is one of the few bright spots on that offensive line – both in terms of his play and his leadership.

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Here are my thoughts following the Cincinnati Bengals' latest disappointment, a 22-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday.

The Bengals weren't going to make the playoffs even if they won ...

... But this one still hurts. Cincinnati started the game well, had the Dolphins on the ropes when they took a 14-6 lead, but allowed a mediocre team to come back and win the game by a somewhat comfortable margin.

It's just amazing how the Bengals have found ways to lose games this year. It's certainly the polar opposite of 2009. Even when the ball does bounce their way - like on Terrell Owens' second touchdown reception of the game to give the home team the aforementioned eight-point advantage - they are a good bet to eventually shoot themselves in the foot and pull defeat from the jaws of victory.

Oh well, like I said, even if they had won yesterday and were 3-4 right now instead of 2-5, they weren't going to make the playoffs. Have you seen the rest of their schedule? It's been daunting enough up to this point, but they still have to play defending Super Bowl champ New Orleans, defending Super Bowl runner-up Indianapolis, as well as Pittsburgh twice. And there are some other non-easy games mixed in there as well.

So, this team saw it's playoff hopes sail away when it lost to the Browns and Buccaneers in back-to-back weeks (and then followed it up by losing off their bye week to the Falcons, who are at least a solid team) but losing to the Dolphins at home still stung for some reason. It really shouldn't have though. We should already be angling for the best draft pick as possible. And maybe for a new coach. Which brings us to our next topic.

Is it time for Marvin to go?

It's a question that probably all Bengal fans are pondering right now: Is it time to fire head coach Marvin Lewis?

However, considering the fact that the Bengals made the playoffs last year as AFC North champions, I seriously doubt it will happen this year. He'll get at least one more year before owner/president/mindless asshat Mike Brown even thinks about pulling the plug. (Unless there is a major disaster of some sort down the stretch. Like if they finish 2-14 for example. But that's not going to happen.)

Let's cut to the chase here: Marvin Lewis is not a good head coach. I've said it for a long time and I would love for anyone to come up with a salient argument that combats my opinion. Just because he's clearly better than the trainwreck of head coaches that Brown has hired (since his father and NFL legend Paul Brown passed away in 1991 and he took over ownership of the team) doesn't make Lewis a good coach. It just makes him better than Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau. The latter is a great defensive coordinator but has no business being a head coach. Sound familiar? That's Marvin Lewis to a T. Just completely over his head as a head coach.

Almost any time there's a chance for him to make a mistake in clock management, he will do so. The Bengals were leading the Dolphins 14-9 near the end of the first half and there was no possible way for the Dolphins to get the ball back in time to drive a kick a field goal. Unless they happened to be going against a Lewis-led team. Translation: It was 14-12 at halftime after the latest botching of clock management by Lewis. You just can't give away points like that in the NFL and expect to win. And it's been a common theme of his head coaching tenure.

Now, are the Bengals some great team this year? Hell no. They have their share of deficiencies and have been hit somewhat hard with injuries (although nothing crazy; just the typical things that happen during most football seasons).

But there is no question that they should at least be an average team, or perhaps even a good one. Seriously, does anyone think Bill Belichick would be 2-5 with this team? No, he would probably be 5-2. However, it's not fair to bring up the best coach in the NFL and compare Lewis to him. I mean, are you the best person in the world at your chosen profession?

But there are plenty others who would get a winning record out of this Bengals team even with the ridiculous schedule. Jeff Fisher, Andy Reid, Tom Coughlin, Mike Tomlin, Jack Del Rio, Mike Smith, Rex Ryan and Sean Peyton to name a few off the top of my head. So, let's not pretend like this is completely a talent issue or something. There are plenty of coaches that would be doing a better job than Lewis.

Although, it can't be forgotten that Lewis is strapped by working under the worst front office in the NFL. That simply cannot be ignored. Mike Brown could negatively affect the production of even the best head coach (not that a good head coach would ever agree to work for him).

So, it is time for Marvin to go? That can certainly be debated. But the bottom line is Brown won't fire him after this season. In Brown's deranged world, Lewis is a very good coach because he's better than the other guys Brown has hired. So, expect to see Marv get another year.

Pink-slip time for Bratkowski

However, it's definitely time for offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski to go. Enough is enough with this guy and there needs to be at least one major change made on the coaching staff after this disaster of a season. Bratkowski has actually been on the staff two years longer than Lewis because he was also LeBeau's offensive coordinator. Not only has he masterminded the regression of quarterback Carson Palmer, his play-calling is downright dreadful at times. The Bengals had a stretch during the Dolphins games when they had four-straight three-and-outs.

Brat is the king of calling for a 3-yard pass on third-and-5. Watch the Patriots or other good teams; they rarely do that. Occasionally a good team will call a crossing route or something to that effect and try and allow one of its playmakers to try and get the first down on their own, but Bratkowski tries to do it far too often. He's horrific and it's time for a new person to run the offense.

Not that Brown and the clowns that work for him would ever do it, but they should be knee-deep in a search for their new offensive coordinator as we speak. And I don't want to hear anything about promoting from within.

But it's not just the offense

For Halloween, the Bengals' defenders dressed up as players who are allergic to quarterbacks. Oh, never mind, that wasn't just for this game. It's been like that all season.

The pass rush has been non-existent this season and there are a myriad of reasons. Robert Geathers has never been the same since getting injured a few years ago, Antwan Odom is serving a suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs (and didn't look very good before that since he was coming off injury), the Bengals don't have any good linebackers that are pass-rushers, and coordinator Mike Zimmer's schemes have been too predictable and basic. I love Zimmer, but it's not fair to rip the rest of the coaching staff without pointing out that he's also not getting the job done. There is simply no excuse for the lack of pressure the Bengals are applying on quarterbacks this year - especially considering the fact that Zimmer is an aggressive coach.

Palmer still shaky

Just when you thought, "Alright, he looks pretty good again; maybe it's not his fault" after his performance against the Falcons, Palmer comes right back with a game where he could've had about 10 interceptions if the Dolphins' defensive backs didn't have stones for hands.

As it stands, Palmer was 17-of-38 for 156 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. One of the touchdowns should have been a pick (Owens' second TD) and Palmer was throwing into traffic all day. When he wasn't doing that, he was air-mailing his receivers. We are watching the demise of Carson Palmer happen right before our eyes. It disgusts me. I thought he was going to be a future Hall of Famer. Now he's barely a mediocre NFL quarterback. Truly amazing. Nice player development they have there with the Bengals. But Palmer also must take a lot of the blame for allowing his career to regress like this. Hopefully he gets it turned around, but it's not looking good. His accuracy and decision-making are atrocious at times and I never thought I would say that.

Smith starts, doesn't look terrible

One of the few bright spots of the Dolphins game from the Bengals' perspective was the fact that second-year right tackle Andre "Sir Bust A Lot" Smith started and was solid for the most part. Maybe he's not a bust after all. Still a bad pick, but not a complete bust. Or maybe I'm grasping for straws since there's very little to be positive about regarding this team.

Smith was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2009 draft and it looked like another bust for the Bengals. But maybe Smith can mold himself into a serviceable player.

Losing J.Jo hurt

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle and that was a factor in the loss to Miami. The Dolphins were able to pick on Morgan Trent (who did have an interception, but didn't look good otherwise) and it wasn't Leon Hall's finest day at the office either. Pacman Jones is out for the season and rookie Brandon Ghee is just a special teams player for now, so it was Trent that got the start. Not good.

However, Joseph is expected to return for the Monday night game next week against the Steelers. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season and hopefully the Bengals can work out a deal with him. I don't see him leaving since the team can franchise him at worst, but the bottom line is they need to get Joseph to sign a long-term contract. Cedric Benson will also be an UFA after this season and they'll also need him back. I like Bernard Scott, but who knows if he can hold up as the starter, and you need two good running backs in the NFL anyway. No question Benson needs re-signed after this season.

No Williams affects Bengals

One injury that doesn't get talked about much - but is one that I think is really hurting the team - is strong safety Roy Williams' knee ailment. He missed most of last season with a broken arm and he's once again been on the shelf most of this year with the knee. Williams would really bring a physical and nasty presence that this defense lacks.

Updated predicted record

I'm going with 6-10. I don't think they will completely tank the season and they'll win four more games. I went with 9-7 at the start of the season and that will certainly be off the mark by a long shot.

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Here are my thoughts following the Bengals' 39-32 loss at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday:

Another rough day for Marv

Good head coaches in the NFL are nearly impossible to beat after bye weeks. Bill Belichick has an undefeated mark following byes. Other widely-respected coaches (such as Jeff Fisher) also have dominant career records in games after off weeks.

And then there is Marvin Lewis. The Bengals are now just 2-5-1 coming out of the bye under his "leadership." They won in 2003, lost from 2004-2007, tied with the Eagles in '08, and won last year.

Bengals came out unprepared and unenthusiastic as usual

The Falcons marched for 83 yards on the first possession of the game and faced just one third down along the way. They did basically anything they wanted at any time. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan (who is good but nowhere close to great) was 4-of-4 for 71 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive.

Then the Bengals' offense took the field, got one first down and quickly punted the ball back to the Falcons.

Way to come out ready boys! Now that is the way a well-coached team responds off a bye week.

Then the Bengals were mounting a very nice drive  on their second possession, but didn't go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2 and settled for a 19-yard Mike Nugent field goal. The Falcons had to be feeling good about that decision by the conservative Lewis.

Zimmer starting to disappoint

I had no problems with Bengals' defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's comments about former Falcons coach and current Arkansas boss Bobby Petrino, but maybe he should have been watching more film of the Falcons (who are no offensive juggernaut no matter how the Bengals made them look today) instead of spouting off to the media about how Petrino is an asshat.

Following the Bengals' field goal to make it 7-3, Atlanta marched right down the field without much issue (until the Bengals finally stopped them on a 4^th-and-7 play) and kicked a field goal of their own to make it 10-3 early in the second quarter.

Then on their following possession, the Falcons had another easy drive and shredded Zim's defense, capped with a 43-yard touchdown from Ryan to Roddy White.

And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, the Falcons embarked on an 11-play, 83-yard touchdown drive to take a 24-3 at halftime.

Did I mention ... Way to come out ready boys!!! You guys took the whole "off week" a little bit too literally though. This is still the highest form of professional football, even though one wouldn't know it from watching the Bengals at times.

Nuge, Huber continue to be bright spots

Mike Nugent's kickoffs are great (and the kick coverage team was good against the Falcons, pinning them inside the 20 on their first three returns of the game). Nugent has also been very good on field goals this year (14-of-16) despite missing a 52-yarder today. His only other "miss" was a block that wasn't his fault. In other words, he's been a heck of a bargain for the Bengals and an immediate upgrade over Shayne Graham.

 

In addition, Kevin Huber is also a nice weapon at punter. I loved it at the time when they got him in the fifth round last year and he's really been impressive this year after a solid rookie campaign. He's averaging 44.6 yards per punt and that's about as much as you could hope for from a second-year NFL player.

Roddy torched Bengal DB's

As for White, he made Bengals' Leon Hall look like he was running in quicksand at times.  However, Hall responded with his team-leading fourth interception of the season in the third quarter and overall played a solid game as usual.

The Bengals missed Johnathan Joseph today who is on the shelf with an injury, but don't forget the Falcons were without their best corner: Dunta Robinson. White had six catches for 157 yards and a touchdown in the first 19 minutes of the game. That's staggering, especially when it's obvious to everyone he's the only deep threat on Atlanta's receiving corps.

White finished with 11 catches for 201 yards and two scores. Other than that he was silent.

Ced what?

Every time it looks like running back Cedric Benson is on his way to a big game, the Bengals fall behind and have to rely on the pass just to make the game respectable. Benson is one of the few bright spots on this team, but it's hard to commit to the running game when it's 17-3 before you blink.

Course, with Bob Bratkowski's yearly struggles in the play-calling department (and I think this is his last year as the offensive coordinator by the way) that puts the Bengals behind the 8-ball before they even take the field.

Benson had 12 carries for 57 yards in the first half, but the Bengals trailed 24-3 at halftime and had to go to the air to try and get back in the game after that. He finished with 20 carries for 70 yards (8 carries for 13 yards in the second half) Oh, and he also lost a key fumble when the Bengals were driving with a chance to tie it late.

Wow, halftime adjustments for a change

Well, better late than never. The Bengals came out in the third quarter and actually looked like many of us thought they would look at times offensively this year. They got a field goal on their first possession and backed it up with an explosive six-play, 88-yard touchdown drive to make the score 24-13. They did a very good job of getting back in the game as soon as the second half started. But where was that fire early in the contest when Atlanta took the game by control?

Ocho, T.O. are no sideshow (OK, at least not always)

It was a big day for reality TV stars Chad Ochocinco and Terrelle Owens - a could of guys who also play football. Make fun of them if you will for being divas (and you know I'm going to) but the bottom line is they are still very good NFL receivers. Ochocinco had 10 receptions for 108 and a touchdown against the Falcons, and Owens added nine catches for 88 yards and a TD.

They continue to produce and stay out of trouble. So far so good. Now if they could just play defense.

Speaking of Cincinnati WR's...

How about the coming-out-party for rookie Jordan Shipley who had six receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown?

He's been excellent all year and today was his best game to date. And it came after he had to sit out last week after suffering a vicious concussion. Wow the Bengals found a hell of a keeper in the third round. We always rip their bad picks (and there are plenty of them, right Andre Smith?) but Shipley was an absolute steal and kudos to the Bengals' front office for landing him.

Dumb to go for two in the third quarter

Always wait until the fourth, too much football left. It was 24-19 Falcons at the time with 1:38 left in third and I was hoping the Bengals would just kick the extra point. But the clueless Marvin Lewis would have none of it.

The best third quarter I can ever remember seeing the Bengals play

The Bengals dominating the third quarter to the tune of 22-0 was nothing short of astonishing. It was capped with the 59-yard fumble recovery for a TD from Pacman Jones to give them a 25-24 lead. (Which would have been 27 if they would have just kicked the extra points, which you should always do until the fourth quarter ... oh did I already mention that?)

I thought this game was over for sure at halftime at 24-3 Falcons. And while there is not an excuse for coming in unprepared and uninspired like they did, credit to them for at least manning up and coming out with something to prove after getting embarrassed in the first half.

Maybe this will get Carson on track

Fans have been down on Palmer and rightfully so. He's been ultra-sucky at times. But he finished 36-of-50 for 412 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions against a decent Atlanta defense and hopefully that's a sign that he's going to finish the year strong (and more importantly have a good year next year since the Bengals have ruined any playoff chances they have). Palmer isn't as great as we all thought he would be, but he still has the chance to be a very good NFL QB as he proved today.

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In a story first reported on Three-Way Chili, Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom will be suspended four games for taking a performance-enhancing drug.

Odom appealed the suspension, but was shot down by the NFL on Friday.

Athletes always have ridiculous excuses when busted with PEDs and Odom is certainly no exception. In fact, his is even more absurd than the norm. According to Bengals.com, Odom claims to have "taken one of his wife's prescription weight-loss pills by accident."

Wow. I've heard a truckload of excuses, but that is right up there with the best of them. Yeah, Antwan, we believe you. And Barry Bonds was also clean. And Brian Cushing's lame-ass excuse was completely legit. And O.J. Simpson is not a murderer. By the way, I'm sure your wife appreciates you letting everyone know she's fat while you try and clear your name. And how do you "accidentally" take one of her pills exactly? Comedy Central is waiting for the clarification there.

So, the Bengals' trainwreck of a 2010 season continues. Not that it could get any worse after losing to two of the weakest teams in the NFL in back-to-back weeks: the Browns and the Bucs.

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The Bengals were already behind the proverbial 8-ball when the 2010 schedule was released - they have arguably the toughest slate in the entire NFL.

However, how can a talented, yet inconsistent team decrease its fleeting playoff hopes even more? By losing to two of the worst teams in the league in back-to-back weeks: the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (I don't care what the Bucs' record is now. They're horrible and they'll prove it by the end of the season.)

The Bengals went up to Cleveland last week and got beat by the terrible Browns, 23-20. OK, cross-state rivals, Browns were desperate, some calls didn't go the Bengals' way. That stuff happens; one-week aberration. We all knew the Bengals would re-group, pound the atrocious Bucs and go into the bye week with a 3-2 record. At least their playoff hopes would still be alive despite the brutal schedule the rest of the way.

And while they weren't dominating, it was looking good for a while on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals led 21-14 late in the fourth quarter, but allowed Tampa Bay to drive and tie the game with a touchdown with 52 seconds left.

Alright, plenty of time for Carson Palmer (who we all thought at one time was a great NFL quarterback - remember those days?) to get the team in field goal range for Mike Nugent to win it. Worst case, the game goes to overtime.

Well, the sloppy Palmer throws his third interception of the game, the Bucs follow it up with a great throw-and-catch, make a chip-shot field goal and end the Bengals' season right then and there. It still seems surreal: Tampa Bay 24, Cincinnati 21. There was no possible way for the Bengals to lose that game in regulation, yet they pulled it off.

Other than severe depression, I took a couple things away from this game:

1. It's amazing how far Palmer has fallen. He was a Pro Bowl quarterback who was thought to be closing in on Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as one of the best in the league. Just the thought of that belongs on Comedy Central now. He doesn't just rack up the interceptions these days, he's also developed a knack for throwing the pick-6. Maybe it's time for the organization to quit coddling him (such as bringing in his little brother to be the backup when he doesn't even belong in the NFL).

2. This team is so poorly coached that even Mike Brown might figure it out at some point. (Well, never mind, he won't.) Hey Marvin Lewis: How does it feel to get out-coached by Raheem Morris? You should get a medal for that. Or at least a dunce hat. Go sit in the corner, Marv! Once again you have proven you are one of the worst coaches in the NFL. You are clearly the Bengals' best head coach since Sam Wyche, but that is an inditment of Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau, not a compliment.

So, for the readers out there, hopefully your favorite college team is doing well this year. And if you play fantasy football, hopefully you're doing well in that department as well. Because as far as the NFL is concerned, the Bengals waived good-bye to this season - at least as far as making the playoffs are concerned - on 10/10/10. I was called pessimistic for predicting a 9-7 season, but the Bengals won't even reach nine wins this year. They'll be fortunate to make it to 8-8.

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Everyone is writing off the Cincinnati Reds in their playoff series against the Philadelphia Phillies and I absolutely love it.

Honestly, if I had to bet my life, I'd take the Phillies to prevail in the best-of-five series. So, let's get that out of the way right now.

How-eh-vuh, I fully think the Reds have a good chance to win three games and shock the baseball world. Not just a chance, a good one.

You know a manager like Dusty Baker is going to play up the fact that no one is giving the Reds any chance and that they are heavy underdogs despite winning 91 games this year. (And I can't mention it enough: That's the same number of regular-season victories as the 1990 World Champion Reds if you're into omens. Or even if you're not.)

So, the Reds are going to come in with nothing to lose and all the pressure is on the Phillies. Does Philly have the better team? Absolutely. But it's not by a huge margin and anything can happen in a short series like this.

The Reds are no joke of a team and if the Phillies take them lightly things could get interesting real quick. What makes Philadelphia so dangerous is its starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Halladay will likely be the NL CY Young award winner, Oswalt has given the Reds fits throughout his career and Hamels would be the Reds' ace if he pitched in Cincinnati. So, that's a pretty big advantage when you consider the Phillies' No. 3 starter would be the Reds' No. 1.

I find it highly interesting that Baker decided to start Edinson Volquez in Game One against Halladay. Talk about unexpected decisions, but for some reason I like it. I've said all along Bronson Arroyo is a very solid starter, but is not even close to being an ace. (Although credit to him for winning 17 games this year and keeping his ERA under 4.) If the Reds have anyone on their team currently in the rotation that's a potential ace, it's probably Volquez. He has a lot of harnessing to do in terms of his control, but he still has electric stuff. I also think Aroldis Chapman has ace-like qualities, but he's a reliever for now.

So, Arroyo will start Game Two and then Johnny Cueto will get the call for Game Three. I'd actually rather see Travis Wood than Cueto due to all the quality lefties the Phillies have in their lineup (and because Cueto didn't pitch well down the stretch) but Cueto has been the Reds' second-best starting pitcher this season overall, so I can see why Baker put him in the three-man rotation.

The Reds' first playoff game in 15 years will start at exactly 5:07 p.m. EST on Wednesday and I absolutely can't wait. Sure, Halladay could come out and throw a gem and put us all in a bad mood. But the Reds had some success against him earlier in the year and he's not a guy with a lot of big-game experience. (Not that Volquez is by any means, but allow me to grasp for some straws here.)

So, I am picking the Phillies to win, but I feel the Reds have a solid shot at proving everyone wrong and moving on to the NLCS where they would face either the West champ San Francisco Giants or wildcard entry Atlanta Braves.

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The Reds have announced their starting rotation for the best-of-five National League Divisional Series against the Philadelphia Phillies - and they announced they would carry a total of 11 pitchers - but they have not yet named their 25-man roster.

In a surprise decision Edinson Volquez will get the start in Game One against Roy Halladay on Wednesday in Philly. Then Bronson Arroyo will go against Roy Oswalt in Game Two, and Johnny Cueto is scheduled against Cole Hamels in what will be the first playoff game ever at Great American Ball Park in Game Three.

We also know what the starting lineup will look like:

1. Brandon Phillips - 2B
2. Orlando Cabrera - SS
3. Joey Votto - 1B
4. Scott Rolen - 3B
5. Jonny Gomes - LF
6. Jay Bruce - RF
7. Drew Stubbs - CF
8. Ramon Hernandez - C

That leaves six bench spots and again I think it's fairly obvious who the choices will be:

1. Ryan Hanigan - C (who is basically a co-starter and has formed an excellent tandem with Hernandez)
2. Miguel Cairo - INF
3. Paul Janish - SS
4. Jim Edmonds - OF
5. Laynce Nix - OF
6. Chris Heisey - OF

That leaves eight pitchers to round out the roster. At least six of them will be bullpen guys all the way, while one or two of them might end up as starters if the Reds are able to go deep in the Phillies series and further. I think this group will include:

1. Francisco Cordero
2. Arthur Rhodes
3. Nick Masset
4. Aroldis Chapman
5. Logan Ondrusek
6. Bill Bray
7. Travis Wood
8. Homer Bailey

Wood and Bailey would be the ones who would be used as starters if needed. But they will begin in the bullpen and see where things go from there.

As for how the Reds match up against the Phillies, not good of course. But anything can happen in a five-game series and hopefully the Reds can shock the baseball world and upset the two-time defending National League champions.

But at this point, it's house money. The Reds finished the regular season 91-71 -- which is the same record they had in 1990 if you're into omens -- and capured the NL Central championship which is by far more than anyone expected entering the year. They're off to the postseason for the first time in 15 years and I'm going to enjoy it. It won't be easy against Philadelphia, but hopefully the Phils will take the Reds lightly and live to regret it.

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Here are my postgame thoughts following the Bengals 23-20 loss at the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Tim Donaghy thought the officiating was shady

I am fully-accustomed to seeing poor officiating in the NFL. That's what happens when a multi-billion dollar business uses part-time employees as refs. I don't think games are fixed like the NBA, but days like today make you wonder.

Let's go in chronological order:

Bengals safety Chinedum Ndukwe made a clean hit on Browns tight end Ben Watson moments after Watson hauled in a reception. Ndukwe hit Watson with his shoulder, didn't hit Watson in the head and yet inexplicably was flagged for "hitting a defenseless receiver."

WTF?

The officials obviously don't understand the rule, or they are on the take. Of course it's not the latter (well, I shouldn't say "of course" with the Donaghys of the world out there ... and he can't be the only one) so it must be the former. The rule is in place so when the ball is airmailed over an out-stretched receiver and a defender comes flying in and nails the WR when it's clearly an incomplete pass, the defender gets penalized for unnecessary roughness. But that wasn't even close to what happened on the Ndukwe-Watson hit.

Again, Ndukwe didn't hit Watson in the head and didn't lead with his head. It was more shoulder-to-midsection. Also, there is the very important matter that Watson caught the freaking ball. He obviously wasn't a defenseless receiver outstretched for a ball he couldn't catch. Just a terrible call there by the officials.

But unfortunately for the Bengals, they weren't done there.

On the first drive of the second half, the Bengals' defense appeared to stop the Browns on a third-and-8 play and force a punt. However, Dhani Jones was flagged for pass interference, even though the little contact he made with the receiver came right as the ball arrived. Complete phantom call there and it was huge because instead of punting, the Browns went down, scored a touchdown and took a 20-10 lead.

The final crucial blown call in the "Donaghy trifecta" was when Bengals defensive tackle Pat Sims was flagged for holding. With the score 23-20 and the Browns facing a second-and-10 from their own 11-yard line, the Bengals appeared to stuff Peyton Hillis (for a change) a force a third-and-9 from the 12. However, Sims was called for the mother of chicken shit/ticky tack calls (take your pick), the Browns were given a free first down and were able to salt the game away from there. A defensive holding penalty on a running play. Wow. And all it did was prevent the Bengals from getting the ball back so they could have a chance to win or send the game into overtime.

Seriously, if Mark Cuban was the Bengals owner, he would get fined $1,000,000 for sending in video evidence to the league office and publicly complaining about these calls (and there would likely be an FBI investigation a few years later proving him correct). And yes, if Cuban was the Bengals' owner, the Bengals would also be a better team. For two reasons: Cuban is a good owner and anyone would be a better owner than Mike Brown. But that's a topic for another day.

Nothing's more annoying than a Brat

It just doesn't get any better with Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.

What is the deal with him calling passing plays on third down where the receiver runs a route short of the marker? Praying for yards-after-catch is not an intelligent mode of operation on third down, yet we see it time and time again.

At least the Bengals have a player in rookie tight end Jermaine Gresham that can bail out Brat when he makes one of his ridiculous calls on third down (Gresham always makes the catch and usually gets some YAC) but Bratkowski continues to get out-coached by the opposing defensive coordinator each week.

Let's give a couple specific examples of poor decisions on his part from Sunday's game against what was a winless Browns team:

* The score is 23-10 near the end of the third quarter and the Bengals are driving deep in Browns territory. Definitely need a touchdown in this situation down 13 points because a pair of TDs gives you the lead. Field goals are almost meaningless at this point.

Well, after quarterback Carson Palmer is sacked, the Bengals are facing a second-and-17. Have to pass there if you are thinking TD, but Brat calls a run setting up a third-and-14. That's pretty much an unmake-able situation to be in and Palmer could only manage an underneath pass to Brian Leonard for 7 yards, forcing a field goal (which made the score 23-13 near the end of the third quarter). That second down play was atrocious in that situation. You're already in field goal range, so pass twice to try and get the first down. You can almost-always count on Brat calling a running play after a failed passing attempt on first down. It's the most-predictable thing in football.

* On what amazingly turned out to be the Bengals' final possession, they were facing a third-and-4 at Cleveland's 31 with the score 23-20. At worst, Cincinnati is thinking Mike Nugent field goal to tie the game, but the brain-trust also knows a first down might lead to a game-winning touchdown.

Well, Brat's dumb-ass calls a rollout to the short-side of the field leaving no chance for Palmer who basically throws the ball away. Well, if the play-call wasn't bad enough, pass interference is called on Chad "I'd Rather Be Tweeting" Ochocinco which the Browns accept. Cleveland then gets a sack on the next play taking the Bengals out of field goal range. So, the Bengals had to punt and it was fair-caught by Josh Cribbs at the Browns' 10. And the Bengals likely would have gotten the ball back if not for the aforementioned terrible defensive holding penalty on Sims, but that was still a blown opportunity of grand proportions by the offense after getting the ball down to the 31. No offense that actually owns some talent is worse than the Bengals when it comes to key third down situations.

Gresham is REALLY good

Oh, that's already been established? Just wanted to be absolutely certain.

The rookie had five receptions for 35 yards against the Browns and just continues to impress each week.

Palmer-to-T.O. is born

Well, so much for Palmer being "done." He torched the Browns defense to the tune of 25-of-36 for 371 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had the longest pass of his career when he hooked up with Terrell Owens for a pinpoint 78-yard touchdown that tied the score at 10 in the second quarter.

Owens was a force all afternoon and finished with 10 receptions for 222 yards. He also moved past Issac Bruce for second all-time in the NFL in receiving yards. That's ultra-impressive. He trails only Jerry Rice and will never catch him, but it's still staggering the career numbers that Owens has amassed.

Another day, another special teams breakdown

The Bengals looked like a high school team allowing that field to be blocked just before the half. Letting a guy come absolutely free from the middle of the right side?

Special teams coach Darrin Simmons either had a terrible scheme or a player completely botched his assignment. Either way, that's inexcusable in the NFL.

Mike Nugent was 9-for-9 on field goals up until then and chances are good he would have drilled the 44-yarder and would've given the Bengals a 13-10 lead. Instead, the Browns got the block and eventually took a 13-10 halftime lead themselves.

Simmons is completely clueless. In the second half, he had Nugent do that stupid pooch kickoff that never works. Cribbs got the ball at the 20 and then returned it to the 45. Might as well kick it out of bounds there. Or you could just have your kicker with a booming leg try and kick it deep.

Caldwell is terrible

Man, not seeing him out there much this year almost made you forget just how slow and bad in general Andre Caldwell is. Hopefully Jordan Shipley is able to return relatively quickly from his concussion (likely after the bye week) because there is a huge drop-off from Shipley to Caldwell in terms of working the slot and just being a receiver in general.

Where is Bernard Scott in this offense?

Two carries for seven yards? Really? I was expecting improvement from year one to two (and he was plenty impressive as a rookie) yet it seems his role has actually been reduced this year. More proof of Brat being over his head.

‘Andre the Bust' update

His Fatness played today and didn't do much that stood out, other than not staying with a block long enough and allowing a sack. Dennis Roland got the start as usual at right tackle, but Big Fattie came in and got some snaps. Wow, the No. 6 overall pick of the draft is actually getting token playing time by his second year. Congrats Andre! Let's all have a Fatburger in your honor. At least you were able to make the 45-man game-day roster this week after actually finding a way to be a "healthy scratch" against the Panthers last week.

Better beat the Bucs next week and go into the bye at 3-2

With all the hand-wringing over this team (could you be 2-2 and look worse?) as long as they beat a bad Tampa Bay Bucs team next week in The Jungle, the Bengals will be 3-2 at the bye and that won't be bad at all.

The Bucs are 2-1, but they're atrocious and the Bengals need to come out like they mean business if they want to still have a chance at making the playoffs this year. They need to make a statement at home against a craptastic team like the Bucs.

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It's been a magical season that hopefully will last well into the postseason.

Making it even more exhilarating is that not a single Reds fan expected this entering the year. Hell, I thought I was being optimistic predicting an 83-79 season after nine straight losing campaigns.

So, what led to the Reds winning the NL Central championship and crashing the playoff party? Let's take a closer look:

M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P

First and foremost, Cincinnati made the playoffs because of the MVP season from first baseman Joey Votto. The last time a Reds player was MVP was also the same year they last made the playoffs: Barry Larkin in 1995. And with all due respect to one of my favorite players of all time, Votto's season blows Lark's out of the water.

In '95, Larkin batted .319 with 15 home runs, 66 RBIs and 51 stolen bases. For the sabermetricians out there (and I'm one of them) Larkin also had a very-solid OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage, simply the best stat in baseball) of .886.

However, there is just no beating the season that Votto has pieced together. With a few games still remaining, he is batting .325 with 37 HRs, 111 RBIs, 16 steals and a crazy-whack-funky OPS of 1.029.

Congrats on that MVP award you're about to win, Mr. Votto. I'm certain you'll find a nice place for the trophy.

Now let's hope he wants to be a Red for a long time and Cincinnati's front office finds a way to lock him up. He won't be a free agent for several years, but why not sign him to a long-term contract after the season? His price isn't going to go down - it will only rise the longer the Reds wait.

The leadership of Rolen

The leadership of Scott Rolen is another big reason the Reds are playoff bound. Rolen also provided superb offense in the first half of the season and has been steady defensively all year. (He had some shaky moments the last month as he's clearly hurting and needs a rest, but overall he's been great defensively.)

The good news about clinching the divisional title early is that Rolen can rest up for the playoffs. The Reds still want to win as many regular-season games as possible so they can have home-field advantage in the divisional round and avoid the Phillies - but getting the big guy ready for the postseason is paramount.

And even after a second-half slump (which he is now out of for the most part), Rolen still has good overall offensive stats for the season. He's batting .290 with 20 homers, 84 RBIs and an OPS of .869. Interestingly, Rolen's career OPS is nearly identical at .868.

And to think the Reds got him last year for the joke that is Edwin Encarnacion, as well as minor-league pitchers Zach Stewart and Josh Roenicke. Really, the deal was Rolen-for-Stewart straight-up as the Reds' 2008 third-round draft pick actually has some promise. After a rough start to his 2010 season at double-A New Hampshire, Stewart finished 8-3 with a 3.63 ERA in 26 starts (136.1 IP, 131 H, 54 BB, 106 K).

But still, the Reds got Scott Rolen for a pretty good AA pitcher who might or might not ever make it in the Majors. Yeah, chalk one up for general manager Walt Jocketty.

The continual influx of quality young pitching

I've been far too long-winded so far, so I'll try and keep the rest of these short. But this is a tough place to start because there was seemingly an endless list of quality young arms that kept popping up at the Reds' disposal.

Frankly, it was amazing to watch.

It started with Mike Leake who became the first MLB pitcher in 16 years (Darren Dreifort with the Dodgers) to go straight from college to the Big Leagues. Leake made the Reds' starting rotation out of spring training and performed like the team's ace for the first two months.

Then it was Travis Wood. He was the one I picked to win the No. 5 starter job out of spring training, but it was well worth the wait to see him in a Reds uniform. Wood has even more upside than Leake in my opinion due to the extra juice on his fastball (not that he's going to blow anyone away, but he's sneaky fast and throws harder than Leake) and because he's left-handed.

And finally Aroldis Chapman was called up just before September to give Reds fans one final treat. You know, just your typical lefty that can top his fastball out at 105 MPH. Cincinnati welcomed the Cuban Missile this year, but the only crisis was for their opponents who had to face him. Chapman still needs to work on command and that will take a while, but he's still going to be a nice weapon in the playoffs.

Excellent catching tandem

The Reds' catching duo of Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan was fantastic throughout the year and is yet another reason they captured the division title. I love the way Hanigan handles the pitching staff and how he has a good at-bat every time he steps in the box. Hernandez does everything well too and it's great having a Spanish-speaking catcher with all the Latin American pitchers on the squad.

Add it all up and one would be hard-pressed to find a better receiving tandem than Hernandez/Hanigan.

Career years from players like Votto, Gomes, Arroyo, Cueto and Rhodes

You can't make the playoffs unless several players perform above expectations and the Reds had plenty of guys turn in career years.

From Votto going from really good to MVP, to Jonny Gomes driving in nearly 90 runs, to Bronson Arroyo winning 16 games and keeping his ERA under 4, to Johnny Cueto going 12-6 with an ERA under 4, to Arthur Rhodes becoming an All-Star for the first time in his career at the age of 40, the Reds have had the pleasure of watching many players rise up and play the best baseball of their lives. When everything comes together, it usually results in a playoff season and that's exactly what happened for the Redlegs this year. They also managed to stay injury-free for the most part which was crucial.

Stubbs hitting better than expected

I really thought centerfielder Drew Stubbs would bat .240 or under with a bunch of strikeouts and wouldn't reach 20 home runs. Well, I was right about the strikeouts and nothing else.

Stubbs is batting .251 with 21 HRs, 73 RBIs and a team-high 27 stolen bases. That's very solid production and he should only get better with age. Credit to him for proving his naysayers like me wrong -- there is no question he'll be the team's CF for many years to come.

Good defense

Wow, talk about night-and-day from a few years ago when the Reds had defensive-allergic players like Encarnacion, Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. (the washed-up version) as everyday starters. This year's team is very good defensively and it's yet another reason the Reds have been the surprise story of Major League Baseball.

Bench production from the likes of Cairo and Heisey (and Janish when Cabrera got hurt)

The Reds don't have a great bench, but it's certainly not the weakness many expected entering the season. Miguel Cairo was a secret weapon all year and could play any defensive position, rookie outfielder Chris Heisey provided nice pop and shortstop Paul Janish did a very solid job filling in when Orlando Cabrera was on the disabled list. In fact, I've never been a Janish fan, but he might be the better overall player compared to O-Cab.

Good back-end of the rotation

The major weakness the Reds have entering the postseason is they don't have a true ace starting pitcher. Arroyo will almost-certainly be the game one starter for the Reds in the playoffs, but he's more of a solid No. 3. And that's the Reds' staff in a nutshell. They have a ton of quality depth, but they have a lot of really good No. 3s and not a true top-of-the-line starter.

But during the regular season, that meant that the Reds' opponents never had an easy night. It didn't matter who was taking the mound, they were going to be pretty good (well, unless it was Aaron Harang). Homer Bailey had his moments, as did Edinson Volquez after returning from Tommy John surgery.

So, 1-5, the Reds had a good rotation throughout the year. And it usually wasn't the same five guys.

Dusty Baker

No question manager Dusty Baker deserves a lot of credit for the Reds making the playoffs. He's been a winner everywhere he's been and he made sure the same was true in Cincinnati. My only complaint with Baker is his construction of lineups at times (for example: batting Stubbs leadoff and Janish second) but overall he's a good manager and the Reds are fortunate to have him. He gets the most out of his players and they all genuinely like playing for him. We can make fun of the "players coach" moniker all we want, but it works for Dusty. And it's not like he takes any crap.

Remember all those Reds fans who wanted to run Dusty out of town the last two years - glossing over the fact that he didn't have a good-enough roster to work with? Well, they can't be found any longer. Look for Baker to sign a multi-year contract with the Reds following the playoffs. He's only been offered a one-year deal thus far to my knowledge, but I fully expect that to change. And at his age, Baker isn't going anywhere else. He'll be here next season and beyond.

Walt Jocketty

Thank you St. Louis for getting rid of one of the best general managers in baseball. Hell, all he did was build a World Series champion and make the Cardinals into one of the best teams in the NL for a decade. Kudos also go out to owner Bob Castellini for being wise enough to snatch Jocketty up as soon as he became available.

As a Bengals fan, I could only dream of a front office combination as competent as Castellini/Jocketty.

Because a great baseball town deserves it and it had been far too long

The Bengals are relevant and we're all excited about it. But let's be honest: Cincinnati is the birthplace of professional baseball and will always be a baseball town at heart. Reds fans are some of the most-dedicated and knowledgeable in the sport, and a 15-year playoff drought was far too long.

But, alas, thanks to the 2010 Reds that is no longer a problem. Now we can just sit back, relax, see who the first-round opponent will be and enjoy playoff baseball for the first time since 1995.

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