NFL preview: Cincinnati Bengals
I was borderline shocked that the Bengals didn't let coach Marvin Lewis go during the offseason, and while he's far from the sole source of their problems, I think they'll continue to lose under him in 2009.
Projected finish: 2-14 (4th in AFC North)
Here's the thing. QB Carson Palmer could stay healthy for 16 games, and could get back to his old self (both of those things are pretty big stretches, by the way), and I don't know how much it will matter. You need a running game to have a successful NFL offense anyway, and I don't think the Bengals will have much of one. You also need to play decent defense to succeed, and the Bengals could be among the NFL's very worst at stopping people.
Take it from someone who owned him in two fantasy leagues in 2008 - even when Palmer was on the field last season, he wasn't very good, as his 69.0 QB rating indicates. Now he'll be without his best receiver, as T.J. Houshmandzadeh is in Seattle. His most overrated and most talkative and distracting receiver, Chad Ochocinco, remains, and addition Laveranues Coles is good enough to at least partially offset Houshmandzadeh's loss. Beyond the starters are the talented but troubled Chris Henry and very little else.
As for the Bengals running game, let's just say that they're counting on Cedric Benson (yes, THAT Cedric Benson) to carry the load. Backup Brian Leonard and FB Daniel Coats aren't going to remind many people of Walter Payton. The boys up front, Andrew Whitworth, Nate Livings, Kyle Cook, Bobbie Williams and Andre Smith, aren't going to open holes that buses can be driven through. What's more, starting TE Reggie Kelly just ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be out six months, pushing Ben Utecht into the No. 1 role.
DE Robert Geathers hasn't come close to the 10.5 sacks he turned in during the 2006 season in the last 2 years, and Antwan Odom slipped as well last year. Domata Peko turned in an excellent-for-a-DT 67 tackles last season, and he and young Pat Sims could be the strongest point in the Cincinnati defense in the middle of the line.
Rashad Jeanty, Dhani Jones and Keith Rivers do have talent in the linebacking spots, but none has proven himself as a game-changer at the professional level, yet. Leon Hall had good numbers (75 tackles, 3 INT) at CB in 2008, though Johnathan Joseph did not, albeit in only 8 games, and wil start opposite him. Safeties Chinedum Ndukwe and Chris Crocker will probably be too busy trying to slow the big plays Bengals opponents are sure to come up with pretty regularly.
