Expectations Are High In Cincinnati As Marvin Lewis' Job Is On The Line

The Marvin Lewis era will get one more opportunity to turn around a franchise that made the playoffs once in the last 18 years. Last season, the team finished 4-11-1 but Lewis received a free pass because his team was dealing with significant injuries throughout the season. The worst came with the loss of quarterback Carson Palmer for the majority of the season with an elbow injury. Harvard alum Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced Palmer but wasn’t able to get the offense on-track. The Bengals finished last in the NFL in total offense and points per game, averaging just over 12 points.

Going into this season Lewis is aware his job is in jeopardy so expectations are high in Cincinnati. This off season the front office made strides to improve the team so they could be competitive in a tough AFC North division. Palmer has been participating in off-season workouts and expected to make a full recovery for the start of this season. They also signed former Jets wide receiver Laveranues Coles to compete for the No. 2 spot after losing T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency. Coles will become the primary receiver if the Bengals decide to keep Chad Ochocinco. There have been numerous rumors the last few seasons that the Bengals were going to trade the outspoken and flamboyant wide receiver, but the organization continues to deny those allegations and says Ochocinco is going to be in a Bengals uniform. Coles will join a wide receiving core that includes Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson and Chris Henry. After numerous off-the-field incidents, Henry has turned his life around and is expected to be the team’s slot receiver.

The offensive line will also go through a transformation that started last season during training camp. The line will feature three new starters and the only person in the same place from a year ago is right guard Bobby Williams. First-round pick Andre Smith will take over at right tackle and Andre Whitworth will the left tackle and responsible for protecting Palmer’s blindside. Nate Livings take Whitworth’s place at left guard and Kyle Cook has emerged as the starting center. This will be a major obstacle because 16 games might not be enough for this line to come together. If Palmer can get enough protection and the offense is able to move the football, then the lack of experience won’t become an issue.

Another obstacle has always been the defense under Marvin Lewis’ tenure. He is a defensive-minded coach, but the team has ranked near the bottom of the league until Mike Zimmer was hired last season as the defensive coordinator. Zimmer’s unit finished 12^th in total defense, which was the highest in nine years and that was without 2008 first-round pick Keith Rivers for the majority of the season. They added veteran safety Roy Williams to the secondary and Tank Johnson to defensive line to go with a unit that returns every starter from a year ago.

Lewis is coaching to keep his job so expectations are very high in Cincinnati. If Palmer can stay healthy, expect the offense to return to their form the previous three seasons when they were ranked in the top 10 in total yardage. It’s difficult to be in a division with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the team that lost in the AFC Championship game to the Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens, but the Ravens could have a setback after losing coordinator Rex Ryan and a few of his key defensive players. They still need to play these teams four times so they need to overcome a difficult schedule. If the offensive line struggles to adapt with playing one another or Palmer has a setback, expect the Bengals to once again fall short of the playoffs for the 19^th time in 20 years.