As the season winds down for the Bungals (really, it was over after the fifth week of the season), I'll take a look ahead to next year. Maybe I'll catch a break and there will be a labor lock out next year, and I could have a Bengal free fall!
The Good -
The Bungals most recent win, beating the Chargers at home, showed off two of their up and coming players that they have been waiting a long time for: Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell. Simpson was their second round pick three years ago. He has done absolutely nothing until last week when he had 124 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Caldwell was the third receiver last year, but lost out to Jordan Shipley this year, but Caldwell also had a solid game. Together Simpson and Caldwell had 211 yards receiving.
They should more than replace Ochocinco and TO next year - well, in everything other than the ego department. And that'll be a great change.
More Good news --
Last year's rookie class was pretty solid, with key contributions coming from their second round pick, LB Rey Maualuga; their third round pick, DE Michael Johnson; fifth round pick, P Kevin Hubert; and sixth round pick, RB Bernard Scott.
Those players have contributed this year in their second seasons. Maualuga is primed for a run at the Pro Bowl next year once he transitions to inside line backer. Scott should see a bigger role too with the expected departure of Cedric Benson. Johnson needs to step up and be more consistent, but he could repalace Maualuga at OLB.
More Good news --
This year's draft class has been better than last year's, even though it has not shown in wins.
First rounder, TE Jermaine Gresham, is a rising star. Second rounder, DE Carlos Dunlap is leading the team in sacks and is 1.5 away from setting a rookie record for sacks. Third rounder, WR Jordan Shipley is leading all rookie receivers in catches. He'll be a TJ Houschmandzadeh clone. And that's great news for Bengals fans. Fourth rounder, DT Geno Atkins, is leading our DL in sacks and is a future starter.
The Bad news --
The management. Mike Brown has no idea what he is doing. The fact that in almost 20 years of running the team, he has two winning seasons is horrendous. His father, the legendary Paul Brown, would have fired his own son for such ineptitude in a nano-second.
This team needs a GM who knows football and can craft a winner, but that'll never happen. Unless Mike Brown dies off soon.
More bad news --
While they have some young talent emerging, they have missed on some pretty big draft choices. OLB Keith Rivers (first round pick back in 2008) is terrible. A free agent out of a division IA school would make more plays that Rivers. OT Andre Smith (firs round pick back in 2009) is close to a pile of sh*& as a human being can get. What a waste of talent and money.
Ochocinco. For all his talent, his constant mouth has grown old. For all that he has accomplished, no one will remember it five years from now. When was the last time he scored a TD against the Steelers? (The class of our division). He did get to the playoffs twice, but he did zilch there. He will play for someone else next season but for all of his talent, he'll never catch a TD in a playoff game.
TO. Many loved this signing. But he never put in more that a cursory effort all year. It seems like he made one big play per game, but he also dropped two big passes or gave up on a big play in every game I watched too.
More Bad news --
Marvin Lewis. Will he return next year? I doubt it. He came in with more control than he has now. Remember, when he overruled Mike Brown and turned young stud Takeo Spikes loose when he didn't want to play for the Bengals? Remember, when he had the first pick in the draft and he said they'd draft Carson Palmer and have him signed prior to the draft (that might be the last time the Bengals signed a first rounder on time!!)? Remember, when he could bring in some big name free agents and over pay them to come to Cincy? Well, those days are gone.
The sad fact is that Mike Brown is comfortable making a significant profit with this team - regardless if it wins or loses, and he is not about to change any of that.
Carson Palmer. He had the best game of his career yesterday, but he has looked terrible for much of this season. I've been his biggest fan, but I have a suspicion his arm is not what it once was after taking a beating over the past few years.
The Future?
I say they'll hire Hue Jackson as head coach. They'll have either the second or third pick in the draft. There are four positions you can pick with relative certainty that they'll pan out in the draft: OT, CB, pass rushers, and QB (notice that 6 of the 8 division leaders/wins have first round quarterbacks starting for them? Tom Brady and Drew Brees are the exceptions, not the rules).
So I say they'll keep Palmer for one more year (even though he'll be one of the highest paid players in the NFL next year) while they let a young QB, probably Ryan Mallett out of Arkansas, sit for the entire year (just like what happened with Palmer) before taking over as a starter in 2012.
And what does all that mean? Unless Mike Brown retires, the Bengals will flirt with 8-8 once or twice and maybe earn a wild card before Hue Jackson wears out his welcome with Brown and is fired or allowed to walk.
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