2007 Cincinnati Bengals Picks & Predictions
May 21, 2008
The Bengals have a wealth of talent, but endless off-the-field problems would suggest that this team is lacking the focus it takes to be Super Bowl contenders. Get Dave Price’s take on the Bengals in his 2007 Cincinnati Bengals Predictions and season preview.
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Last season, the Cincinnati Bengals were a migraine headache for their faithful followers. The Bengals came out of the gates strong winning their first three games and looking like a team which could defend its 2005 AFC North title. Cincinnati then dropped five of its next six games leaving Bengals fans nearly hopeless. Then Carson Palmer warmed up his cannon and Chad Johnson made a habit of getting loose to spur on a four-game winning streak leaving the Bengals in prime playoff position at 8-5. Then the migraines came back, with losses to Indianapolis, Denver, and Pittsburgh to finish 8-8 and out of the playoff picture. Last season’s performance may have been telling as the lack of focus on the field mirrored the lack of focus off of it. This team got more buzz over player arrests than its play on the field last season. This left head coach Marvin Lewis and well respected team leader Carson Palmer to field a media frenzy of questions surrounding the character of this team. There’s no doubt that the talent is in place to win offense-driven games, but whether this team has the mental and physical toughness to get to the Super Bowl remains to be seen.
With the exception of Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts, no AFC team has as much offensive fire power as the Bengals. They have all the intangibles and more that make up a good offense. Carson Palmer is a big, strong, blue-chip quarterback. Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chris Henry are as good as they come for a receiving corps. Rudi Johnson is the pure definition of a workhorse back who will garner the respect it takes to have an effective passing game and the offensive line very very good.
The defense is where Cincinnati needs some help. I won’t call it a terrible unit, but it certainly is below average. Marvin Lewis has had five drafts to bring in some defensive help and they just haven’t panned out for him. The Bengals’ best defensive player, defensive end Justin Smith, is as ordinary as his name would indicate when talking about the best defensive ends in football. They say he can do a bit of everything, but until he is notching double digit sacks for this team, he isn’t doing enough. Robert Geathers upstaged him last season by recording 10.5 sacks. Together these guys make a solid tandem, but both must produce as neither is as dominant alone, the way a Jason Taylor is, to change a game. Young guys like middle linebacker Ahmad Brooks will have to be ready to take on bigger roles this season. The weakness of the defense, without a doubt, is the secondary. The Bengals finished tied for dead last in pass defense last year despite having a very talented group. Again, a lack of focus seems to be the issue here.
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