As the NFL season kicks off, everyone outside of Afghanistan is wondering the same thing; are the Bengals a playoff team? Come on, was Casablanca a good movie? In case you’ve never seen Casablanca or thought it was a bad movie, I am going to go ahead and break down the schedule:

Baltimore: The biggest opener in franchise history, if the Bengals choke this one away, I’m jumping on the Raider bandwagon. 20-17 Bengals. 1-0

At Cleveland: Let’s see, if I were starting an NFL team and my choice at quarterback was Charlie Frye or a blind Carson Palmer, well, lets just say I wouldn’t pick Charlie Frye. 31-14 Bengals. 2-0

At Seattle: I don’t like coffee, space needles or balding quarterbacks. 27-21 Bengals. 3-0

Well we have all waited and speculated for over a year now, but the Cincinnati Bengals season starts in less than 35 hours.  It is amazing to see how much conversation, thought, and hope occurs up to that first kick off with the fans. There is no doubt that the season opener on Monday Nights Football in front of the entire country will be big for this franchise and for Bengals fans!

Let’s face it, Cincinnati Bengals fans are starved for something more than 8 and 8 seasons in Cincinnati.  Last season was a total let down, and the team underperformed with perfection.  Bengals fans will also tell you that the city has earned the right to a championship season after enduring the likes of past Bengals ghost with names that are embedded in our minds an souls forever.. Shula, Klingler, Francis, and Carter!

Yes, the Bengals are no longer the laughing stock of the NFL and Jim Rome no longer has a weekly update as to whether the Bengals are still winless eight weeks into the season.  For Bengals fans being the laughing stocks of the league at least allowed us to know each week what to expect from our team.  It was horrible, but consistent.

AFC North

Alright people, wimp season is over and man season starts Sept. 9 and nothing is more manly than the John Wayne of NFL divisions, the AFC North. If you’re an AFC North fan and you don’t live in Cleveland, then the aroma of a possible division title should be fresh in your nostrils. However, if you do live in Cleveland, make sure you have your season tickets for 2009 when the Browns will finally sneak out of the cellar into third place. Speaking of the Browns lets get to the predictions…

4. Cleveland Browns- Romeo Crennel, pick your poison please; start a rookie quarterback, start Charlie “French” Frye, I really don’t care, either way, your team is going down faster then Michigan’s national title hopes.
Best Case Scenario-5-11 Brady Quinn takes over in week 2.
Worst Case Scenario-4-12 Brady Quinn takes over in week 3.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers- Calm down Steelers fans, read on before you write me letters. Mike Tomlin is a rookie head coach; Brian Billick and Marvin Lewis are geniuses. Now think about it, that’s like me playing chess with Bobby Fischer. However, the Steelers defense is good, and when I say good, I mean that the Browns may score negative points in week one.
Best Case Scenario-10-6 This team has the potential to win the division, but then again, some people think Carlos Mencia has the potential to be funny.
Worst Case Scenario-7-9 Ben Roethlisberger had his appendix removed last year and still managed 8-8, so 7-9 only happens if he loses his kidney.

Bengals' Pro Bowl MVP credits parents with being role models.

His passes are either high, arcing spirals that travel deep downfield or laser beams of the short and intermediate variety.  In the huddle, he's a leader who exudes a combination of calm and confidence that his teammates appreciate.  Off the field, he's the same guy he was at Santa Margarita High School and the University of Southern California.  Despite being christened MVP of the Pro Bowl and passing for 4,035 yards in 2006, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer hasn't been measured for a larger helmet. He simply has a bigger bank account.

"Carson is so down-to-earth, you used to think it was almost an act," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "But he's never changed. He is what he is. That's part of his makeup.  "He's so unflappable. In the calmest times, he can focus in and see right through the eye of that storm. That's a great quality he has, and everybody around him feels the confidence that kind of oozes out of him. He's talented, extremely smart, a very, very hard worker, and he's a great example and leader for the team."

Want a ticket to a Bengals home game in 2007? Contact a local ticket broker, visit StubHub.com or eBay.com, or phone a friend.  The club confirmed Friday the home season is sold out.  The Bengals are among 17 of 32 teams that have sold out their home schedules through season-ticket purchases, according to the NFL.

This is the fourth straight year the Bengals have sold out all regular-season games. The streak of consecutive sellouts — which started on Nov. 16, 2003, against Kansas City — will hit 36 on Dec. 23.

The club record for consecutive sellouts is 43, set at Riverfront Stadium from 1988-92. The Bengals can surpass that mark in 2008.  A season-ticket waiting list was established last October.  Applications are available by calling the ticket office toll free at (866) 621-8383.