Apparently Marcus Maxwell's injury was worse than expected. On Thursday, the Bengals waived the third-year receiver under the category of "Waived/Injured."

If he clears waivers, he will revert to the Bengals' Reserve/Injured list

Maxwell had three catches for 37 yards in Sunday's loss to the Lions and two catches for 28 yards in the preseason opener against the Packers.

Already without T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson, Maxwell was expected to be a prime target for Carson Palmer on Saturday against the Saints.

Jerome Simpson will apparently be getting a battlefield promotion, but who else with Andre Caldwell on crutches as well. Looks like Antonio Chatman and Simpson will be your starters, maybe Glenn Holt.

The byproduct of being Carson Palmer’s backup is you don’t get to play much.

Palmer not only took every snap of the 2007 season and he wants to take every snap in practice. The Bengals quarterback didn't even take a single practice off during training camp. So when Ryan Fitzpatrick gets a chance to take a snap for the Bengals, it's important he makes the most of it.

Fitzpatrick certainly did that Sunday in the team’s preseason game against the Lions. Fitzpatrick was 11 of 14 for 111 yards and a touchdown, leading the Bengals on a 99-yard touchdown drive.

Still, once the preseason is done, Fitzpatrick will be wearing a cap more than he'll be wearing a helmet.

"Obviously the biggest part is going in there if he goes down to step in, but last year Carson took every snap that we ran, so my job last year was to be his eyes from the sideline," Fitzpatrick said. "It's one thing to hear it from a coach and it's another to hear it from a player that's been there before and knows what you're going through. For him, I think it's important to have a different set of eyes on the sideline."

The Bengals acquired Fitzpatrick in a trade from the Rams before the regular season started and he made his only appearance in the opener when kicker Shayne Graham was hurt and punter Kyle Larson had to kick an extra point and Fitzpatrick held.

Sunday was the first time Fitzpatrick took a snap in a Bengal uniform at Paul Brown Stadium and he certainly showed why the Bengals traded for him last season. If Palmer does go down, Fitzpatrick showed the ability to lead the team, and even give the team a different dimension with his scrambling skills. In two preseason games, he has five carries for 43 yards.

"He moves the team. And that's good. The thing I think you see that's really valuable for a backup quarterback is a guy that has the movement skills that he does," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. "Because that guy gets a limited number of reps. Once you start the season, the starting quarterback gets 90 percent of the reps. So the other guy is going to get in there and maybe he doesn't see things as quick as he needs to but when he's got the ability to move and do things with his feet, he'll make up for (lack of) quickness in decision making because he hasn't gotten a lot of reps."

Without the reps in practice -- or in games -- Fitzpatrick has made himself just as useful by helping Palmer out on the sidelines.

"He's extremely smart. He picked up the offense his second week of the season here, so obviously he's smart," Palmer said. "Everything. He just doesn't have a weakness. He's a great guy for me, he's been awesome helping me out with a number of different things and helping the receivers out and the offensive line. He's a complete quarterback, and we're lucky to have him."

Fitzpatrick hasn't always been so in demand. As a high school senior in Arizona, neither Arizona nor Arizona State had any interest in him. He went to Harvard, which isn't exactly the typical first step to Canton.

After being named the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2004, Fitzpatrick was drafted by the Rams in the seventh round of the draft. He started three games and had a 300-yard game in his debut. He played in just one game, and didn't throw a pass, in 2006.

Fitzpatrick spent most of 2006 as the emergency third quarterback for the Rams and after playing three of four preseason games in 2007, the Bengals traded for Fitzpatrick to serve as the backup for Palmer.

"The biggest difference between Carson and I is where we're coming from," Fitzpatrick said. "He's always been the biggest star, the Heisman winner and all that and I went to Harvard. There's a big difference in that he's always been in the limelight and I've been in the shadows."

Fitzpatrick will be in the spotlight Saturday against the Saints and then next week against the Colts before it's back to the shadows.

"He has a great understanding of what's going on, on the field, and what coverage and what we're seeing by the defense and he's able to communicate that to Carson when Carson comes off the field," Lewis said. "So I think when he's gotten his opportunity he sees the game that way when he's out there playing as well."

T.J. Houshmandzadeh on Gene Upshaw, who died on Thursday.

"I think, I was talking to Jonathan Hayes about him, because Jonathan was one of the guys who had to go through the strike (1987), and people (NFL players today) don't understand how much Gene did for the players in the NFL. I don't know if they understand the full capacity. He took a stand back then when nobody else wanted to. He was a leader. What defines a leader is someone people are willing to follow."

Houshamndzadeh, who is the Bengals' player rep, had this to say about Upshaw's death and what that could mean for the upcoming negotiation for the collective bargaining agreement: "Any time any one passes away, it's a sad situation. It's not just that he was a union leader. He is a Hall of Fame player. He is one of the best linemen to every play football. The good thing about the situation with the CBA is you know there is three years to play football: '08, '09 and '10. You know that for a fact. There is a lot of time to decide on who is going to do what and be what. I think there is more than enough time and enough people who are qualified (to replace him)."

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic had this to say last night:

It is hard to minimize the impact that Adam Dunn has made on the Diamondbacks. We're skeptical about whether his teammates are seeing better pitches, but the guy is getting on base half the time and is capable of blasting a home run at any moment. The Diamondbacks are 6-2 since getting him, and the acquisition of Dunn is looking even more significant than Manny Ramirez's has been to the Dodgers.

Also, Piecoro said in the eight games since Dunn has joined the Diamondbacks, the team is hitting .274 with 6.6 runs per game and an .383 OBP. On the season, the Diamondbacks have a batting average of .253 with 4.6 runs per game and a .327 OBP.

In the Reds' eight games since Dunn left, the team is averaging 4.2 runs per game with a .222 average and .261 OBP. For the season, the Reds are averaging the same 4.2 runs per game, along with a .245 average and .318 OBP.

From the Republic:

"(Dunn's presence) takes a lot of pressure off guys in the lineup," manager Bob Melvin said. "Sometimes things can be contagious."

So I was thinking about the Reds' letter to the fans... why?

At first, I thought it was a nice gesture. But then the more I thought about it, what purpose does it serve?

You know the Reds stink, and if Walt Jocketty and Bob Castellini didn't know the team stunk, I'd have bigger concerns.

Is there anything the Reds can say to you that would help? They want to win? That's the least I expect from them -- wanting to win. After that, what can they say to make you feel better?

Heck, they're not going to be much better next season and there aren't many free agents that can make a difference.

That said, anyone who thinks they could turn it around -- including Bob Castellini who panicked and canned Wayne Krivsky -- quickly don't understand baseball. It's not going to happen.

* Great job over at Who Dey Revolution on betting on Chris Henry.

* David Ross may get a shot at a World Series ring.

* Do you realize there's only ONE FREAKIN WEEK until college football start?

* A huge upset in the Olympics as Japan beat the US softball team for gold. Softball is in its last Olympics in part because the IOC said there's no global appeal, which means the US wins too much.

* Every once in a while, there's something I read and wish I'd written. Here's one of those things.

* Patterson Hood lists his Top 10 albums -- including the brilliant self-titled album from The Glands. I was just listening to that last night. If you can ever find it, buy it. Seriously.

* I don't know why this amuses me, but the fact Microsoft is trying to be hip by hiring Jerry Seinfeld amuses me. Yeah, nothing says 2008 like Jerry Seinfeld!