Is Detroit's Only Hope in the 2009 NFL Season to Play for Pride?

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Cincinnati Bengals and the 2003 NFL Draft

In the 2003 draft, the Bengals selected QB Carson Palmer, G Eric Steinbach, WR Kelly Washington, FB Jeremi Johnson, CB Dennis Weathersby, LB Khalid Abdullah, DT Langston Moore, OT Scott Kooistra, and DE Elton Patterson.

In 2009, only Palmer, Johnson, and Kooistra remain with the Bengals.

Nevertheless, in 2003 the Bengals went from 2-14 to 8-8, only by addition of two rookie starters, Steinbach and Johnson. Washington produced promising numbers as a third receiver, but other than that, the Bengals did not rely on rookies as starters, and yet, they improved dramatically.

Why?

When the Bengals selected Palmer in 2003, they choose to sit him and start Jon Kitna. Kitna led the Bengals to a record of 8-8 in 2003 after being the league's worst in 2002. Thus, Kitna helped remove the psychological funk in the culture of losing in Cincinnati, which gave momentum to Palmer.

I do believe that the main reason why the team finished with a .500 record was that then-new head coach Marvin Lewis understood his personnel, and understood that he had talent to work with. 

Moreover, that his main challenge was the psychological cloud that hovered over the Bengals as an NFL joke with fans that no longer cared.

With so many Johnsons in the NFL, no wonder Chad became Ochocinco

The difference-makers for Cincinnati were mostly offensive youth that "stepped up," such as WR Chad Ochocinco, WR/RS Peter Warrick (replaced in 2004 by T.J. Houshmandzadeh), RB Rudi Johnson, rookie FB Jeremi Johnson, LT Levi Jones, rookie LG Eric Steinbach, veteran C Rich Braham, RG Mike Goff, RT Willie Anderson, DE Justin Smith, and LB Brian Simmons.

Moreover, the Bengals also filled holes with scrappy players like DE Duane Clemons, DT John Thornton, LB Kevin Hardy, CB Tory Holt, CB Jeff Burris, and S Rogers Beckett.

In 2004, the Bengals gave the reigns to Palmer who went 8-8. Palmer would then lead Cincinnati to the postseason in 2005 with a record of 11-5. That was Cincinnati's first playoff appearance in 15 years.

Now, Bengals fans have started to care again, because the Bengals passed that threshold of winning, where staff, players, and fans start to crave more. 

Rather than just cross their fingers each week, even if the Bengals suffered a lousy season in 2008, they had averaged eight wins per season until 2008.

The Bengals went from total joke to middle-of-the-pack, which overall, is a triumph for the Bengals.

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