Bob Bratkowski Stays: Why Are the Bengals Keeping This Offensive Coordinator?

The biggest running complaint about the 2009 Bengals wasn’t concerning receivers, special teams, or the tight end; it was about the play calling. The once high-powered Bengals offense had been reduced to a motorized scooter running out of battery power.
 
Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski has taken the majority of the criticism, and rightfully so. The run, run, pass scenario played out way too much for most fans' liking. The creativity consisted of a reverse to a receiver with the quarterback having to throw a block. The lack of flea-flickers and zigzag routes didn’t bother fans as much as the predictability. Talk radio was consistently oozing ungodly amounts of "fire Bratkowski" venom.
 
More often than not, a seasoned Bengals fan had a good idea of the play that was about to be run. If it's pretty obvious to the general public, imagine the lack of strategy needed for opposing defenses. The midseason tweaks and adjustments were ineffective, and it cost the team dearly in the end.
 
Unfortunately, the Bengals have an owner that takes penny-pinching to a new height. Firing a guy before his contract is up would require Mike Brown to fork over some extra cash—and that's not going to happen. Bratkowski will be back for his 10th season as offensive coordinator of the Bengals, according to the team's official Web site.
 
How is this possible? Coordinators are hired and fired at will. There are only two head coaches (Jeff Fisher, Andy Reid) that have been at their current positions for more than 10 years; a coordinator sticking around that long is unheard of. It's understandable if Brat has achieved multiple seasons of success during the decade. Well, having two playoff losses doesn’t scream being worthy of such a rare feat.
 
For the entire second half of the ‘09 season, the passing game consisted of nothing but slants and screens—with maybe the occasional overthrown deep ball just to keep the defenses thinking the Bengals had some sort of vertical attack.
 
The running game was without a doubt the bread and butter of the ’09 offense. But the stubbornness and repetitiveness of the Bratkowski approach was easily sniffed out as the year wore on. Cedric Benson had more than 27 carries six times, and that includes the three-and-a-half games missed because of his hip injury. He had 301 total carries, and he might have had close to 400 without the injury.
 
The best offensive performance in the second half of the season was the 27-24 loss to the Chargers. The deep slants were there, and Chad Ochocinco caught a 49-yard bomb that came courtesy of a vintage Carson Palmer pass. The running game was actually not relied on to do the heavy lifting for once, as Benson had only 15 carries.
 
The 24 points were the most scored in a game during the second part of the year. Palmer looked comfortable with the aggressive game plan as he racked up a season-high 314 passing yards (43 yards more than the next highest).

The hurry-up style implemented in the second half of the game provided a more fluent and balanced attack. Never was the game plan or offensive fireworks it provoked ever implanted again for the rest of the season. The result was scoring 17 points against the Chiefs and a combined 14 points in two straight games against the Jets.
 
This past season, the Bengals defense was seventh against the run and sixth against the pass for the fourth overall ranked D. It is only the third time in franchise history—and the first since 1989—that they have finished in the top 10 in all three categories in the same season. In short, they had a phenomenal season, and next year the unit could get even better with all the young guys coming back.
 
The major question for Bengals fans going into the 2010 season is simple: Can Bob Bratkowski be trusted with navigating this stale and underachieving offense?