Cincinnati Bengals: 5 Reasons for Bengals Fans to Be Excited About 2012

After years of watching in disappointment, football fans finally have something to be excited about in the Queen City! After a very surprising 2011 season, the Cincinnati Bengals go into 2012 looking for their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1975-76. 

After watching a very young team filled with rookies and fresh faces significantly outplay expectations, Bengals fans have many reasons to be optimistic. Replacing bitter veterans with young, talented rookies who still enjoy playing the game can go a long way in the eyes of fans.

This is an unusual feeling for Bengals fans since their team has had only three winning seasons in the past 20 years, but they have every reason to believe that 2012 will be different. Most Bengals fans are afraid to be optimistic since their team has been historically bad, but all signs are pointing to a rejuvenated franchise that has finally turned a corner.

Let’s take a look at the five biggest reasons that Bengals fans really should be excited about 2012.

Full NFL Offseason

The Bengals brought in a plethora of young talent last season. They used the draft to bring in rookie sensations A.J. Green and Andy Dalton. They used free agency and high value trades to bring in players like Taylor Mays and Andrew Hawkins. The Bengals then mixed these new faces with their already young core of Jermaine Gresham, Jordan Shipley and Leon Hall to create one of the most exciting and surprising young teams in the NFL.

The young Bengals team surprised everyone by making the playoffs despite having had rookies starting in two of the most critical positions on offense, a new offensive coordinator and a new playbook for the entire team to learn. What most people seem to forget is these young players did not have a full NFL offseason to learn the plays or mesh as a group. The Bengals showed up after the lockout severely behind the pack in terms of preparation.

This year will be different. The young Bengals will have the luxury of a full NFL offseason to prepare for 2012. They will have more time to learn and perfect Jay Gruden’s West Coast offense. Mays will be able to learn the defensive playbook and get more time with the first string, and Rey Maualuga will have more time to figure out the middle linebacker spot.

Dalton will have more time to build chemistry with his young group of receivers. But most importantly, the entire team will be able to gel as a group.

The Bengals will show up fully prepared in 2012 with a high-powered offense and a stellar defense that will make a lot of noise in the AFC North. This should get any Bengals fan excited.

Return of the Coaching Staff

The Bengals have one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL. The leadership and skill displayed by the coaches played a huge part in the team’s success last season.

Marvin Lewis is widely known for his abilities on the defensive side of the ball, leading a stellar Baltimore Ravens defense for six years before leading the Bengals defense to new heights.  For these reasons and many more, Lewis was named Associated Press 2009 NFL Coach of the Year.

He has a great eye for talent and is a fantastic motivator. He led the Bengals to the playoffs in 2005, 2009 and 2011. He also has won more games than any other coach in franchise history. Luckily for Bengals fans, he will be around next season.

The Bengals also have two of the best coordinators in the league with Mike Zimmer on the defensive side of the ball and Jay Gruden on the offensive side of the ball.

Since his entrance into the NFL, Zimmer has proven himself to be a talented defensive coordinator. In 2009, Zimmer earned the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year honors from Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers and from CBSSports.com. This past season, he molded the Bengals defense into one of the top five most feared groups in the league despite losing Jonathon Joseph to the Houston Texans.

Zimmer’s contribution to the team is a gift that will continue to give throughout next year.  

Last season Gruden was a rookie offensive coordinator in the NFL, which makes his accomplishments that much more impressive. He took a very young offense that had recently lost two of its biggest playmakers (Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco), inserted a rookie quarterback and new playbook, and turned them into a very impressive group despite not having a full offseason to work with. Now that is impressive!

I cannot wait to see what he can do with a full offseason and a quarterback that has a full season of experience under his belt.

The best part about all of this is that this powerful trifecta has not been dismantled. All three coaches will be returning next season to continue their success. Both Zimmer and Gruden were courted by other teams as possible head coaches, but the Bengals were very lucky to return both talented coordinators for the 2012 season.

Returning this stellar coaching staff should get Bengals fans pumped up for the 2012 season.

More Control to Marvin: Step Aside Mike Brown

Most people did not think that Marvin Lewis would be the head coach in Cincinnati after the 2010 season. His contract was up and it seemed as though he was headed for the door. He was sick of Mike Brown holding the franchise back.

As mentioned by Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Lewis made several demands to Brown that would have to be met before he would even consider returning as the team's head coach in 2011. The biggest demand was more control over personnel decisions.

To the surprise of most Bengals fans, Brown gave in to Lewis' demands for more control over the team. We all saw what happened next.

The Bengals, known for making ridiculous moves in the offseason, started to turn things around. They brought in some very talented free agents, they had arguably the best draft in the NFL and they brought in Jay Gruden as the offensive coordinator. All of this proved to be a major key to their success in 2011.

With the Bengals in Lewis' capable hands, Bengals fans should expect to bring in talented players from the draft and free agency to play alongside Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Jordan Shipley and the other young stars of Cincinnati. This kind of young talent should produce a consistent contender for years to come.

With Lewis having the final say in personnel decisions, fans in the Bengals Nation should be very excited for the future.

Plenty of Cap Space

The Cincinnati Bengals are going into the 2012 offseason with something everyone wants but few teams have: $60 million to spend. This gives them the second-most cap space in the league. That means that they have the ability to grab key players in free agency to further improve their already very talented team.

The question that most Bengals fans would ask here would be “Will Mike Brown spend the money?” The answer to that is yes. Brown will be aggressive in free agency this year for two reasons.

First, according to the new CBA (collective bargaining agreement), Brown has to spend 89 percent of the salary cap starting in 2013. This, of course, does not apply to the 2012 season, but Brown cannot possibly ignore the potential in this team so if he has to spend the money anyway, why not start now?

Second, Brown needs to win back the fanbase. Even though most people in the Cincinnati area loathe Brown, they have to admit he is a smart guy. He knows that the people of Cincinnati believe that this team has the potential to win a Super Bowl in the near future. He also knows that if he doesn’t do something to prove that he is dedicated to giving this franchise the tools that it needs to be successful then he may never get to experience a home sellout ever again.

Brown will take all of this into consideration and make the necessary moves.

With that being said, this is a great year to have cap space. The Bengals have pressing needs at running back, cornerback, guard and wide receiver. There is going to be a lot of talent hitting free agency that the Bengals could sign that would fill these needs. Names like Michael Bush, Robert Meachem and Carl Nicks come to mind.

All of this available cap space along with Brown feeling the pressure to spend some money could be the perfect storm for Cincinnati fans. I am predicting that the Bengals will make a big splash in free agency in the near future, which just might put this team over the top.

Multiple Draft Picks for 2012

The Bengals are going into the 2012 NFL draft with several picks. They have two picks in the first round (17^th and 21^st) thanks to the Carson Palmer trade, two picks in the fifth round thanks to the Chad Ochocinco trade and some believe that the Bengals will receive a compensatory pick for Jonathon Joseph in the third round (this is unlikely since they picked up so many free agents after losing him).

The main focus here will be the pair of first-round picks. As stated earlier, the Bengals have several needs to fill including CB, RB, OG, WR and SS. They can address some of these in free agency, but the rest will need to be taken care of in the draft. Having two first-round picks will allow Cincinnati to bring in two players who are capable of having an immediate impact.

Two picks in the first round will be huge in this year’s draft due to the overall depth. I expect players like Janoris Jenkins, Dre Kirkpatrick, David DeCastro and Cordy Glenn to be available at No. 17 and possibly even No. 21. Taking any two of these players would more than adequately fill gaping holes on the roster and build upon Cincinnati’s chances to be an NFL powerhouse for years to come.

If the Bengals use the first round to address CB and OG and they pick up a RB and WR in free agency, then they will be able to use the rest of the draft to add depth to the roster.

For example, if they were able to get Kirkpatrick and DeCastro in the first round and pick up Michael Bush and Robert Meachem in free agency, then they would be able to grab guys like Isaiah Pead or LaMichael James in the third round and Winston Guy Jr. in the fourth round to add depth to the roster for next season and possible superstars in the years to come.

The Bengals will be heading into the 2012 season with a lot of excitement and high expectations. They will have the benefit of plenty of salary cap space, multiple draft picks and an owner who may finally be on board to make a run at a championship. All of that along with the team having a full offseason with their more-than-capable coaching staff should lead to a lot of success for the Bengals for years to come.

For the first time in 20 years, Bengals fans can hold their heads up high knowing that they have one of the most young and exciting teams in the NFL.