» The Bengals not only lost the game, 16-7, to the Cowboys in Sunday's Hall of Fame Game, they may have lost a lot more.
Brian Leonard, the team's ace third-down back, needed to be helped off the field when he was unable to put any pressure on his foot after he caught a pass with 26 seconds left in the first half and was done for the game. The initial diagnosis is a mid-foot sprain, but he is subject to more tests in Cincinnati.
After the game Leonard said his injury "doesn't look good." He fears he may have torn ligaments but he's not sure.
"Someone fell on the back of my heel and compressed my foot," he added. "I'll know more later when they do tests."
» Also, starting safety Chris Crocker had to leave the game early with an ankle injury, the same ankle he injured last year. Head coach Marvin Lewis said he didn't think Crocker's injury was that severe and Crocker said he only twisted it and is a sprain.
» The Bengals did get some good nights defensively. Michael Johnson had two sacks, one each as a linebacker and end. Middle linebacker Abdul Hodge recovered a fumble and had a sack. Rookie defensive tackle Geno Atkins, a fourth-round pick, led the team with six tackles, including a sack. Defensive lineman Jonathan Fanene also had a sack.
» Lewis wasn't happy with the way Kevin Huber punted early but he had a good finish. He averaged 47.6 yards per his 10 punts with a net of 43.7 and he put three inside the 20 and only had one touchback.
QUOTES
Marvin Lewis
On the game: "My overall impression is this was not what I wanted. There were a few things I wanted to get done and we didn't get them accomplished. Defensively, we didn't do a good enough job on third down to control field position. We needed to play crisper and to be a little tighter in some things. I was hoping we would execute right away on offense and we didn't get it done. For us, this is when we would have our first weekend scrimmage and we almost looked like it. But that being said, it's all part of the process. We have to go back to work and get better."
Terrell OwensOn his new team: "It doesn't matter what jersey or uniform. For me it's just another change of address."
On quarterback Carson Palmer targeting him on four of his five passes: "We were taking what the defense was giving us. We had some one-on-one matches. We were just trying to play pitch and catch and try to get some chemistry. Before the game we harped on being away from pre-snap penalites and penalties in general. This was one of the most penalized teams in the league last year and we've got to clean those up. If you have penalties and turnovers it makes it hard to win."
Carson PalmerOn the first game: "It was good to get back out there. It was good to get going under the lights."
On his performance: "We know we have to get better and improve every week. But we knew this game wasn't going to tell us what kind of team we are going to be."
On throwing to T.O.: "That's what the coverage dictated. He was excited about the game. He obviously had played for them. We wanted to get him involved early and let him make some plays against his old team and he did a good job."
