Sunday, August 26, 2007

NFL Preview: Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals:

Cheers: Here’s another team with a powerful offense and weak defense. Even after suffering a major knee injury, Carson Palmer came back to prove he’s the same great player he was before. Throwing to another deep and talented group of receivers again this year, Palmer will continue to kill opposing defenses. Let’s not forget about their running game; Rudi Johnson puts up good numbers year after year, and he really completes the Bengals’ balanced offense.

Jeers: They’re one of the most incompetent defenses in the league. They have a pretty good pass rush, but that’s where the positives end. Their Linebackers have potential, but they need experience to get better. For someone who was a defensive coach before getting the head job in Cincy, you’d expect Marvin Lewis to do a better job with these guys.

On second thought… in an average division, the Bengals should be there right to the end. Their offense is good enough to score on anybody, and in some weeks, their defense might be able to make some plays. They have to have some young guys step up and play well defensively for the Bengals to get back into the playoffs after falling short last year. The offense is a lock to be there and lighting up the scoreboard every game.

New guy who won’t meet expectations: Ed Hartwell. They brought him in to bring experience to the Linebackers, but I’m not sure how much he has left in the tank. He was a heralded free agent out of Baltimore, but he got banged up a bit and struggled after signing in Atlanta. He can stop the run, but he’s a liability in pass coverage.

New guy who will meet expectations: Leon Hall. He inexplicably fell into their laps on draft day, and the Bengals came away with a good corner. He had a great career at Michigan, and he’ll provide depth to a secondary that’s lacking it. He’ll eventually unseat veteran Deltha O’Neal and form one of the better younger corner duos in the league with Johnathan Joseph.

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