Can Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals Live Up to High 2012 Expectations?

The Cincinnati Bengals ended the 2011 season with a 9-7 record and a playoff berth just a few short months after everyone had written them off as doomed to be the NFL's worst squad.

But now that they exceeded expectations last season, the hopes are high that they can match or beat that performance in 2012.

Momentum appears to be on the Bengals' side, but the team's recent history of alternating between good and bad seasons casts a pall over the otherwise overflowing optimism surrounding the team this offseason.

They went 4-11-1 in 2008, only to turn things around in 2009 with a 10-6 record a first-place finish in the AFC North. They followed that up with a 4-12 2010 before reaching the playoffs last season. If there's a pattern here, then 2012 should be a down year for the Bengals.

Except, of course, that it seems the pattern has been broken by the addition of Andy Dalton at quarterback and A.J. Green as his primary target.

That period of turmoil marked a particularly bad time for the Bengals in which questionable personnel decisions combined with the oft-unreliable quarterback Carson Palmer to make the Bengals little more than a running joke around the league.

But after what we all saw last season, it's clear the Bengals are a team to be taken seriously. And they're only poised to get stronger in 2012.

Dalton's performance as a rookie was second only to Cam Newton in terms of effectiveness. He completed 58.1 percent of his passes—not bad for a first-year quarterback—for 3,398 yards, 20 scores and 13 interceptions.

He was aided immeasurably by Green, who is well on his way to being one of the top receivers in the entire league if his first season is any indicator. He averaged just over 70 yards per game and caught a total of 65 passes for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns.

This year, Dalton and Green don't just have one season under their respective belts, they also have a full offseason to work with each other and the rest of the Bengals offense—a luxury last year's lockout did not afford them.

Further, with nine draft picks this year (two in the first round) and still a ton of salary-cap space to work with, there's little excuse for the Bengals to not be significantly stronger in all phases of the game than they were last season.

The Bengals have been quiet in free agency, which has come as somewhat of a surprise, considering how few financial constraints they have. Right now, it appears their primary target is running back Michael Bush, who met with the team earlier this week, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis as their backup plan.

The Bengals can afford to move slowly with both players, as free-agent running backs aren't yet in high demand, and they don't need to worry too much about either man being lured elsewhere with the Bengals able to enter into a bidding war over them should they so choose.

It's all about the draft strategy this year for Cincinnati. What they do next month will ultimately determine the way the team will likely look for years to come. Without a well-rounded squad, even Dalton improving and Green continuing to make plays won't be enough to keep them competitive in the difficult AFC North division.

The pressure is on for the Bengals to not just repeat what they accomplished last year but to exceed it. I'm not worried about Dalton—he's got the makings of being the division's best quarterback—nor about Green.

But the rest of the team will have to be just as strong as their two offensive leaders. They'll need to boost both their secondary and their pass rush—especially after losing defensive ends Frostee Rucker and Jonathan Fanene to the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, respectively.

Dalton needs more weapons, with Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell currently unrestricted free agents who haven't gotten new deals from Cincinnati, and they'll likely bring on a rookie running back to supplement whichever veteran they add to work alongside Bernard Scott.

So question marks remain about the Bengals' potential for greatness in 2012. However, they're well poised to pick up the pieces they need and be a strong—and perhaps downright scary—team for seasons to come.

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