Training camp coming to a close

GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- No news yet today. Practice will start at 3 this afternoon, the second-to-last day of camp.

Today is the seven-month anniversary of Carson Palmer's surgery in Houston. It's rather incredible that he has progressed to the point where starting one month from today at Kansas City is even possible. I've watched almost every move Palmer has made in the past 12 days, and while I think there's still a 50-50 chance he could start the opener, I just can't see it. He is too valuable to the Bengals to risk sending him out so early, even if he thinks he can. I would look for Anthony Wright to start the opener, and Wright needs as much work as he can with the offense in the rest of the preseason, games and practices. Marvin Lewis has a balancing act to get Wright the work he needs while getting Palmer the snaps he requires to get ready, too. Doug Johnson, simply, is not as good a quarterback as Wright. Word on Johnson from people in Atlanta is he has a habit of tightening up in game action.

Tailback Rudi Johnson looks poised for a big season; 1,700 yards is within his grasp, given his conditioning and the quality of his offensive line. ... Bengals fans should enjoy the talent, cohesion and depth of the team's offensive line. Word around the league is there are a lot of bad offensive lines, with New Orleans' being at the top (or bottom) of the list. ... The depth of the Bengals roster at almost every position is impressive. The biggest question mark, I think, is how the defensive line will play. ... Next week, when the Bengals resume practice at Paul Brown Stadium, we no longer will be able to watch the entire practice; the independent media get confined to the regular season schedule, when we can view just the first 30 minutes -- including the ever-popular team-stretching period. ... I'd like to thank the Enquirer Sports copy desk, photo department and the staff of Cincinnati.Com for all of their outstanding work in bringing our print and multi-media reports to readers each day. Our coverage plans, which you've seen the start of during training camp, are expanding and ambitious. Thanks, too, to so many readers for their input, both critical and complimentary.