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Cincinnati Bengals, NFL
What a coincidence—the third team on the list also has only one winning record in the past eighteen years.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the rap sheet is over ten pags long in regards to Bengals' players who have been arrested in the past two seasons.
The fact that the Bengals were sub-par with the prolific passing trio of Carson Palmer, TJ Houshmandzadeh, and Chad Johnson makes matters even worse. The Arizona Cardinals went to the Super Bowl due to their passing game, and their defense was no worse, so what's the excuse?
2008 was injury riddled, but that only accounts for one losing season out of many.
They have hit home runs on some of their recent draft picks this decade, such as QB Carson Palmer and CB Leon Hall. Other than that, the picks have either busted or the team has failed to hang onto the ones who panned out:
The Ones Who Got Away
DE Justin Smith: The 2001 No. 4 pick had a solid career with the Bengals, averaging 66 tackles and 6.5 sacks per season. He had an untimely off year, only recording two sacks before he was set to be a FA. After he signed with the 49ers he tallied seven sacks, while his replacement, Antwan Odom, got half that total for the Bengals in 2008.
T Levi Jones: He was a solid starter in his Bengals' tenure. His knack for being bitten by the injury big was the reason for his release this past offseason. Another club is going to pick him up and he well most likely remain a starter.
Busts
RB Chris Perry: In five seasons he has amassed a grand total of 606 yards and two TD's.
LB David Pollack: Not the team's fault, but Pollack suffered a career ending neck injury on September 17th, 2006. He started six games and tallied only 29 tackles for Cincinnati.
CB Jonathan Joseph: I might take some heat for putting him here, but in 39 games he has averaged only four tackles per game and averages 1.6 INT's per season.
The Bengals' free agent acquisitions have not panned out as of late, and they have let some of their big ticket players walk for nothing on the open market.
Here are some notable players that failed to stick around:
WR TJ Houshmandzadeh: a five year, $40 million dollar contract with the Seattle Seahawks. What puzzled me was that they handed the exact same contract to Laveranues Coles to replace him. He is a good WR, but not of Houshmandzadeh caliber.
T Levi Jones: He is an oft-injured player, but why would you cut a guy who could have paired with rookie Andre Smith to make a formidable T tandem? They could have at least taken a look to see if he would restructure his five year, $30 million dollar contract.
DE Justin Smith: A smart move to not retain him, as he was not worth the six year, $45 million dollar whopper the 49ers handed him. The fact remains they have not replaced him, and with their sagging defense, they will eventually need to over-pay to get some help anyways.
S Madieu Williams: He is now a starter on a playoff team and appears to have made a wise jump to the other North division. Grabbing hard hitting S Roy Williams was a good move, and he could be a better fit in their defense, but that remains to be seen.
T Stacy Andrews: Now part of a revamped Philadelphia Eagles OL that is one of the best in the NFL. If he is good enough to start for the runner-up to the NFC Title, why isn't he good enough for the Bengals?
To get to the Super Bowl, you need to form a nucleus and keep it together for a good amount of time. This is not a formula the Bengals have used recently, which is in large part of why they are as bad as they are.
Letting your No. 1 WR walk is not a great move. Re-tooling the coaching staff and changing the scheme around would give them a needed breath of fresh air.
Like the Clippers, this team has some decent pieces in place as it stands. Carson Palmer has two good WR's to throw to in Coles and Johnson (Ochocinco, whatever). If RB Cedric Benson can be at least mediocre it will give the passing game a necessary complement to be effective.
The defense has less to be desired. With some young players like LBs Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga, and CBs Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph, they do have some blocks to build around.
All of these teams have nowhere to go but up. Fortunately for the Clippers and Pirates, their pathetic outputs are covered up by the Lakers/Dodgers/Ducks, and the Steelers/Penguins.
Maybe the Bengals should give Bill Parcells a call—it wouldn't hurt talking to someone who turned a 1-15 team into the AFC East Champions in one year.
In my next article, the tides will turn and I will examine the three best teams in professional sports.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Seattle Seahawks articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
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