No one questions the ability of the Bengals to score points, but is the defense good enough to win a championship?
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One of the best high-powered
offenses over the past few seasons will look to roll on for yet another year;
this time, without running into the law first.
The Cincinnati Bengals have been no stranger to the end zone, but a few
of the members have also found their names in the police blotter just as often
as the box score. Thankfully, Head
Coach Marvin Lewis has directed his attention to these matters with the help of
new Commissioner Roger Goodell. The
unfortunate part is that the team will have to play the first eight games of
the season without their starting third receiver Chris Henry.
The fortunate side of the coin are
the remaining players that will be present for all 16 contests, including
Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. These four players along with the rest of
the team will look to rise to the top of a very difficult division. Palmer looks better than ever after having
his season ended prematurely by a knee injury, Chad Johnson has his “sexy”
back, and Rudi Johnson will look to tow the line for yet another season due to
injures in the rest of the running back corps.
Don’t be surprised if this team frequents the 30-point mark early and
often this season.
2007
GAME PLAN
Offense: The
abovementioned players are all key parts of the offense that has made the
Bengals what they are today – one of the best offenses in the National Football
League. This team throws the ball early
and often. And what better way to set
up the pass than to have a running back that has been the most consistent
weapon in the league. Four straight
seasons, Rudi has totaled 12 touchdowns with at least 1300 yards. Not bad.
While the offensive line continues to be an issue, especially with prize
guard Eric Steinbach heading to Cleveland, the Bengals will likely not change
their play-calling much as they’ll have a “if it ain’t broke” mentality.
Defense: The
downfall of the Bengals is easily their defense. A team that was tops in the league in takeaways two seasons ago, the
Bengals defense gave up their fair share of points last season including one of
the highest scoring contests of the year with San Diego. Third-year linebacker Odell Thurman
continues to plead for reinstatement into the league, leaving veteran Justin Smith
as the leader on defense. But he can’t
do it alone. Safety Madieu Williams has
shown flashes of brilliance in the past, but needs to stay healthy and string
together some solid games to be amongst the top defensive backs in the
league. Given the Bengals’ offense, the defensive side gets some wiggle room, but they shouldn’t rest on their laurels as there are plenty of good teams in the NFL this season.
SPOTLIGHT
PLAYERS
Carson Palmer, QB: Palmer took the reigns from Jon Kitna a few seasons ago and hasn’t
looked back. If last season was any
indication of how he has recovered from his knee injury, just wait until you
see the former Trojan this year. He’s
thrown for over 3,800 yards each of the last two seasons and is averaging 30
touchdowns in said stretch. He’s a lot
closer to Peyton Manning this season than some are giving him credit for, and
given his weapons, it would not surprise anyone if he didn’t finish this season
out as the best quarterback in the league.
Chad Johnson, WR: One of the biggest talkers in the game is also one of the biggest
walkers. Consistently one of the top
wide receivers taken, Johnson admitted that he was off of his game last season
and will return to the game play of two seasons ago. Not only does he bring entertaining interviews and end zone
dances, the fact of the matter is that he gets into the end zone – a lot. The last three seasons have seen “Ocho
Cinco” catch an average of 93 passes and find pay dirt nine times. The obvious ceiling that Johnson would like
to break is double-digit TDs, and he may just get the chance to do so this
season with Palmer fully recovered and a more favorable schedule than
last season.
Rudi Johnson, RB: As mentioned above, Johnson is a model of consistency. Though last season was considered “down”
from the previous two, he still managed to record 12 touchdowns and rack up
over 1,300 yards. This season brings
more injuries to the Bengals’ running corps with rookie Kenny Irons out for the
season and Chris Perry continuing to be hampered by nagging injuries. With Perry not able to come back until week
seven, look for Johnson to carry the load for the Bengals once again. If you want a bonus for Johnson’s season,
check out weeks 14-16 which typically house the fantasy playoffs: at home
against St. Louis, in San Francisco, and then at home against Cleveland. It doesn’t get much better than that for a
running back.
Ahmad Brooks, MLB: When you have a high-powered offense, your defense tends to get a few
breaks in the game. When your defense
is among one of the more inept, you tend to be on the field for decent
stretches of time. When talking IDP, no
other position is as coveted as a 4-3 middle linebacker, and that position is
held down (currently) by Ahmad Brooks, last season’s supplemental
selection. Brooks didn’t get a lot of
time to show what he can do last season, but check out his game against Tampa
Bay. Brooks got the nod at MLB and
proceeded to record 10 solo tackles, one assist and a pass defensed. He’s a serious sleeper in IDP leagues this
season, and don’t be surprised to see more games like last season’s Tampa Bay bout.
FRANCHISE PLAYER
Justin Smith, Defensive End
TRANSITION PLAYER
None
UNRESTRICTED
FREE AGENTS
None
PLAYERS
RE-SIGNED
Landon Johnson, LB (1 year)
Stacy Andrews, OT (1 year)
Caleb Miller, LB (1 year)
PLAYERS
ACQUIRED
Greg Guenther, TE (2 years)
Michael Myers, DE (2 years)
Blue Adams, DB (1 year)
Kendrick Allen, OL (1 year)
Lemar Marshall, LB (1 year)
Ryan Fitzpatrick (trade via St.
Louis)
Ronnie Ghent, TE (UFA via New
Orleans, 1 year)
PLAYERS
LOST
Eric Steinbach, OL (Cleveland)
Sam Adams, DL (Broncos)
