Cincinnati Bengals 2009 Preveiw

            2009 is a season of transition and questions for the Cincinnati Bengals. Marvin Lewis is one of the popular picks of coaches on the hot seat. Can Carson Palmer stay healthy and return to being one of the top passers in the league? Can Chad Ochocinco stay focused on football?  How will the running game do this year? Will the defense build on the foundation of a good season last year and continue to improve, or will they fall back into the porous defense that has plagued the team the last 5 years?

            Marvin Lewis

            When Marvin Lewis was first hired by the Bengals he came in with large amount of fanfare and was touted as one of the up and coming coaches in the NFL. Just a few short years later much of the hype and luster has disappeared from around Lewis. At times last year he seemed like a broken man, waiting to be put out of his misery. The key this year is for Marvin Lewis to find not only the fire he needs but also the fire this team needs to be able to compete against smash mouth teams such as the Steelers and the Ravens. Lewis has always been big on motivational saying, it is time that the talk ends and results are seen on the field of play. Lewis needs to put players out there that want to win at all costs and are motivated to make an impact on this league. By now Lewis has no more excuses for this team, he needs to put a product out there that will compete everyday and not make the mental mistakes they have in the past. If they can do this Marvin Lewis may be able to recreate some of his mojo he had in the 2005 season, if he can not I suspect he will be seeking employment at the end of the season.

            Carson Palmer & Chad Ochocinco

            Way back in 2005 Carson Palmer was becoming known as an elite Quarterback in this league, his name was being mentioned in circles with the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Then January 8^th 2006 happened. In the three years since being injured during the Bengals playoffs game Carson’s’ stock has dropped a little bit. He has had problems eluding the pass rush, has made poor decisions that have lead to an increase in interceptions, and has had trouble staying healthy. In addition to his own problems, Palmer has also had to deal with the  football player formerly known as Chad Johnson, now known as Ochocinco. Ochocinco in the last year has asked for trades, shunned the organization and the media, all this while still trying to still promote himself as an elite wide receiver.  Going into this season both of these players are trying to prove they still have what it takes to be a elite player in this league, and like it of not they need each other to do so. Both of them seem to realize that they do need each other in order to succeed, and seem to have returned to a relationship in which they feed off of each other in practice, while Carson Palmer plays the straight man to Ochocincos’ comedian. If they can continue that relationship onto the game day, while surviving all the bumps in the road that may follow, it will be a good year for the Bengals passing game.

            Cedric Benson

            Last years running game showed promise in the pre-season as Chris Perry seemed like a man who was ready to put all of his baggage behind him and become the player that the Bengals expected him to be when they drafted him out of Michigan. Then the regular season started and once again Perry reverted back to the unfocused butter fingers that many Bengals fans had come to know him as, including a couple of fumbles during key moments of early games that cost the team some much needed early wins. With the early faults of Perry burning the offense, enter Cedric Benson. Benson seemed to be done with his NFL career just a few short years after being drafted high by the Chicago Bears, the Bengals however took a risk on Benson last year giving him a one year contact to come in the prove he still had some gas in the tank. Benson made the most of the chance that he was given by the Bengals rushing for over 700 yards on 10 starts, including three 100-yard games. After resigning with the team in the off-season Benson comes in as the starter from the beginning of training camp for the Bengals. Benson is hoping to show the team and the NFL that last year was not just him playing hard for a contract but instead a re-birth and that he is the player that people thought he was when he first came out of the University of Texas. Benson has looked impressive in the pre-season so far showing the fire that he ran with last year, if he continues to push this hard through the regular season look for big things from Benson.

            Defense

            The Bengals defense had taken much of the blame for the Bengals problems over the last few seasons, and those criticisms more often than not have been warranted. However last year the defense was able to put out a solid performance and finish just outside the top ten in overall total defense. This year the team looks to build upon those strengths while shoring up weaknesses that still exist with in the team. The first thing the team did was bringing in two veterans to compete with and push the younger guys that are on the team. Roy Williams brings in a veteran presence and a history of Pro-Bowls that the defense was lacking before. Williams is there to push and coach young players such as Marvin White and Ndukwe. Both of these safeties have shown glimpse of potential in the past and the Bengals are hoping having a veteran back there with them will help both of them improve their skill set.

            Linebackers has been a problem point for the Bengals throughout Marvin Lewis’ tenure as the Bengals coach, every time they seem to have found the answer something happens that causes then to take a step back in the position. The last two years the Bengals have picked a pair of USC linebackers in Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga to try to help shore up the position. Dhani Jones has become the elder statesman of this team and will be able to provide leadership and consistency to a young linebacker corp.

            The defensive line had been a sore spot for this team for a few years and efforts to fix the problem have either not worked out or been suspect. Last year the Bengals brought in Odem from the Titans to help fill a void on the line only to see him be injured in one of his first practices and not really be the same the rest of the year. This offseason the Bengals went and added Tank Johnson from the Cowboys. If Odem and Williams can stay healthy this year along with the young players that were drafted the last few years, the defensive line can become strength of this team. Overall last year the Defense made steps in the right direction, this year they need to continue to move in that direction and stay focused on improving every game and every play, while avoiding the mental mistakes that have plagued this unit in the past.

            Overall the team in not getting allot of attention from people nationwide. I think that it is easy to say that this team is better than the 4-12 record that they had last year. If the players play to the potential that they have and avoid the pitfalls that have plagued this team in the past, and can focus on football, this team could make a run for a wildcard spot.