WHO DEY: HHR'S BENGALS PREVIEW

by Louisville's own Rev. Shaw Moore, Hugging Harold Reynolds

A couple years ago, Cincinnati looked like the fresh young team ready to challenge Indy and New England for sustained dominance in the AFC. Unfortunately for Who Dey Nation, the good feelings were short lived. A horrible injury to their franchise quarterback, numerous player arrests and suspensions, and a disgruntled star receiver created a toxic brew that have relegated the Bengals to the middle of the pack in the AFC.

The Bengals are running out of time to make something good happen with a roster stocked with young and exciting talent. The Bengals play the 7th toughest schedule in the league this year, so there are few if any off-weeks in the upcoming season. Plus, the AFC North promises to be brutal this year if Cleveland continues to improve and Pittsburgh remains a 9 or 10 win team. In short, the Bengals have a razor-thin margin for error this year.

Offense

The obvious strength for Cincinnati is the passing game. QB Carson Palmer is one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL and continues to validate the Bengals’ selection of him as the first pick of 2003 draft. Of course it helps that he throws to one of the league’s best WR tandems in Pro Bowlers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Week in, week out last season Johnson was the lucky recipient of high-low double coverage, yet he still managed to post a career high in receiving yards (1,440) and a nice haul of receptions (93) and TDs (8). While Johnson gets most of the defensive attention from opponents (and headlines in the press), Houshmandzadeh continues to quietly post big numbers week in and week out. His 112 receptions tied Wes Welker for the league lead last year and he led the Bengals with 12 TD catches.

The bottom line for the Bengals is that they must do more on the ground to be successful offensively. But to do that, they have to stay healthy. Feature back Rudi Johnson was slowed by a hamstring injury and played in only 11 games last year, totaling 497 yards, 3 TDs and a paltry 2.9 yards per carry average. Rudi has to get back to his 1,000+ yards per year average to take some of the scoring burden away from the passing game.

Defense

Cincinnati has to stop somebody. If they don’t, it’s probably going to lead to another sub- .500 season and most likely will cost coach Marvin Lewis his job.

The Bengals ranked near the bottom (27th out of 32) of the league last year, yielding opponents 348.8 yards and 24.1 points per game. It really does no good for Carson Palmer to throw 5 TDs in a game if the defense gives that many right back (see: Cincy v. Cleveland, week two).

Despite the defense’s relative non-performance last year, the Bengals are extremely high on several newcomers to the unit, especially 2007 draft pick Keith Rivers from USC. Having signed with the Bengals and reported to camp, Rivers is expected to play a significant role at weak-side linebacker. Third round pick Pat Sims, DT from Auburn, should challenge for playing time in and provide a physical presence in the middle of the line.

Outlook

The Bengals have the talent to be a great team in the AFC, but as always, it is the issues off the field that will largely determine Cincy’s fate this year.

Simply put, the Bengals can’t afford any more off-field incidents, arrests, or drug suspensions. Repeat offenders Chris Henry and Odell Thurman are gone, but it almost seems a matter of time before someone else goes off the reservation. Cincinnati has a passionate fan base, but many have soured on the perception (reality?) that the roster is stocked with individuals of less-than-stellar character.

The other elephant in the room is Chad Johnson’s relationship with the team. Johnson is a major part of Cincinnati’s offensive success, but his “me first” celebrations and shenanigans are wearing thin on his teammates, coaches, and fans. Johnson created some controversy this offseason by demanding a trade and threatening to boycott Bengals’ camp. Further, there were reports that he and coach Marvin Lewis engaged in a halftime “altercation” near the end of last season. Johnson is one of the best playmakers in the league, but it remains to be seen if his behind the scenes antics will drag the team down.

Projected Win-Loss: 8-8

Arrests: at least 2