MVN: Most Valuable Network

Bengals fans can breathe a sigh of relief today as Bengals.com announced Carson Palmer would not be undergoing off-season surgery on his elbow today.   While nothing is certain and he may only be a hit or throw away from re-injuring the elbow it is one of the first signs for cautious optimism for next season.

In other news, the team remains mum on whether their will be any changes to the offensive coaching staff which likely means nothing is changing but it could be the team is waiting for a certain candidate to be eliminated from the playoffs before gauging interest.  Who might the mystery candidate be? It could be former WR coach Hue Jackson (currently on the Ravens coaching staff).  He was popular with the players esp. Chad and TJ and it is hard to imagine an African American coach being denied the chance to be an offensive coordinator in the Rooney rule era.  That said, another year of Brat appears likely.

The Bengals coaches have been named to coach the North team in this year's Senior Bowl.  Considering the coaches do much of the team's scouting it can only enhance the team's draft prospects.

Finally, something is up on the Chad Johnson front.  Desperate to rid itself of a hefty inventory of #85 jerseys, Bengals.com is displaying an ad for its Pro Shop on its website stating "Free no. 85 Jersey for EA. $50 spent."  Now it could be a ploy to replace the Johnson jerseys with Ocho Cinco ones next season but the fact Chad's name is not even mentioned could have a deeper meaning.  As a point of reference, the team stopped selling Odell Thurman jerseys about a month before it was revealed he was suspended the first time.   It could be nothing or it could be the first sign Ocho's ship has sailed.