2011 Cincinnati Bengals Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
The Cincinnati Bengals were a major disappointment in 2010. After surprising everyone by winning the AFC North in 2009, the Bengals finished dead last in the division with a 4-12 record. While some figured head coach Marvin Lewis would be fired, he appears to still have the trust of team president Mike Brown. It looks like the Bengals could be in a bit of a rebuilding mode in 2011, as they have a number of changes taking place on both sides of the ball. Here’s a closer look at both the offense and defense, plus my prediction on where they finish the year in the North.
Offense:
Carson Palmer has refused to step on the field for the Bengals in 2011, and will likely spend the entire season watching the NFL from his home. If Palmer holds true to his word, rookie Andy Dalton will likely become the first rookie to start opening week for Cincinnati sine Greg Cook in 1969. Dalton showed great accuracy and command of the offense in his time at Utah, but playing at the NFL level is a completely different game. The fate of the season will be on his shoulders, as the next quarterback in line is former Raiders backup Bruce Gradkowski.
The experiment of putting Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens on the same team produced some decent numbers, as the two combined for 139 catches for 1, 814 yards and 13 touchdowns. At the same time, those two are likely responsible for Palmer not wanting anything to do with the organization.
The Bengals decided to no bring back Owens and traded Ochocinco to the Patriots, but they added arguably the most talented wide out in the draft in A.J. Green, who is ready to be a star right away. Green will give Dalton a talented young receiving corps that also features slot receiver Jordan Shipley and tight end Jermaine Greshman, who each had monster rookie seasons. Also in the mix are fourth-year wide outs Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson.
Cincinnati decided to stick with veteran running back Cedric Benson, who turned in his second straight 1,000 yard season. Durability has to be a concern for Benson, as he has carried the ball 300+ times in each of the last two years. The Bengals have speed backup Bernard Scott, but it’s hard telling if he could handle the primary role if Benson were to go down for a large period of time.
The offensive line features one of the most underrated left tackles in the league in Andrew Whitworth, but they also have a huge question mark at right tackle. Cincinnati drafted Andre Smith with the No. 6 pick in the 2009 draft to secure the right tackle spot, but he has played in just 19 of 33 games because of a foot injury. Dennis Rolland is the other option if Davis can’t go.
Defense:
The Bengals decided to part ways with defensive end Antwan Odom, after he played in just 10 games over the last two seasons. That opens the door for Carlos Dunlap to step in and start after an impressive rookie season. Dunlap set the Bengals rookie record with 9.5 sacks last year, while playing in just 12 games. Dunlap will play opposite of veteran Robert Gaethers and alongside defensive tackles Tank Johnson, Domata Peko and Geno Atkins.
The Bengals return outside linebackers Ray Maualuga and Keith Rivers, but it appears that Maualuga will make the move to middle linebacker to make room for free agent outside linebacker Manny Lawson. The Bengals are hoping 2011 is the year Rivers has that breakout season and turns this into a defense that compete with the Steelers and Ravens in the North.
In the secondary, Cincinnati lost starting corner Johnathan Joseph, but went out and signed Nate Clements from San Francisco to fill the void. Clements struggled to live up to his huge contract, but should form a pretty respectable duo with corner Leon Hall. The Bengals didn’t bring back safety Roy Williams, which means they are liking going to start the season with Chris Crocker at free safety and Reggie Nelson at strong safety.
Prediction: 4th AFC North, 3-13 Overall – While rookie quarterbacks have had a good amount of success lately, I don’t know that Dalton is ready to lead an NFL team right away. He is going to get his chance to show what he has. But even if he plays better than expected, he is likely going to make enough mistakes to keep the Bengals from being a serious contender in 2011.
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