Team Preview: Cincinnati Bengals

Oops. Marvin might be job-hunting come December. Better dust off the old resume Marvin. In all seriousness though, there’s a difference between signing a player to try to improve your team and re-signing a convicted criminal who you cut from your team earlier this year for being, well…a convicted criminal. Since joining the Bengals in 2005, Henry has been arrested 5 times. Do you really mean to tell me that the Bengals didn’t think there was another Wide Receiver out there on the market capable of playing the position that they had to re-sign Henry? To add some icing on the cake, Henry can’t even play until week 5 because of a league-ordered 4-game suspension for violations of the conduct policy.

The Bengals are a team that looks great on paper. They should have one of the best offenses in the league with Rudy Johnson and the perfectly capable Kenny Watson at running back, coupled with TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson at wide receiver. However, Johnson talks a big game and has been known to pull a disappearing act in big games. Housh had a Pro Bowl start to last season, but his shameless promotion of himself on Monday Night Football might have been what got him over the top and on to the Pro Bowl team. Through the first 7 games, Housh had 58 receptions, 629 yards, and 9 touchdowns. This sizzling pace cooled drastically with the weather. After November 1, Housh managed 54 catches, 514 yards and 3 scores. Housh surpassed the 100-yard mark three times in his first five games, and didn’t break 90 again until Week 17 against Miami.

Chad Johnson is, at best, unreliable. He is prone to big games and then totally disappearing for many weeks in a row. Last season, after snagging 3 TD’s in the first two weeks, Johnson didn’t have another touchdown catch until November 25th, 10 weeks later, when he pulled in 3 against Tennessee. After that, Johnson went 4 games without a touchdown before catching two against Miami in the season finale.

Additionally Carson Palmer has the tools and the offensive weapons to be a great quarterback, but poor receiver play along with bad coaching decisions has hindered his success. On paper, Palmer looks like one of the top quarterbacks in the AFC. The Bengals had the second-fewest sacks allowed of any team last season, but turned the ball over 30 times, an average of just under twice a game.

The Cincinnati defense has been likened to a donut. They have a giant hole in the middle. The Bengals ranked 27th in total defense, 21st in run defense, 26th in pass defense, and 24th in scoring defense. The Bengals drafted linebacker Keith Rivers from USC to try and help the unit, but he won’t have a huge impact on the defense the way Patrick Willis did in San Francisco. The Bengals defensive line is shaky, their linebackers lack confidence, and their secondary has been torched over the past few years, all in all making for a bad defensive situation. Johnathan Joseph and Michigan grad Leon Hall start at the corners with Deltha O’Neal serving as the nickel back. Hall will build upon his impressive rookie season where he nabbed five picks.

However, it simply won’t be enough. The Bengals have far too many personnel issues and lack the team chemistry and solid defense necessary to make the playoffs. The Bengals may need to hold their training camp in the state pen next year if current trends continue.