Andy Benoit is previewing all 32 N.F.L. teams. He kicks off a look at the A.F.C. North with the Bengals.
Carson Palmer told us everything there is to know about the state of the Bengal organization. Given a choice between making over $45 million to play a game he loves in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans each week as a member of the Bengals or making $0 to do nothing, Palmer chose nothing. No need to delve deep into the reasons – we all know about stingy owner Mike Brown, who spends peanuts on staff and amenities, who cares as much about team chemistry and players’ character as your local D.M.V. cares about customer service and who regularly makes the kind of business decisions that would cause even M.C. Hammer to cringe. As ESPN’s Rick Reilly so cleverly put it, the son of the legendary Paul Brown has had a career in football that “peaked upon birth.” The Bengals are quite simply the most dysfunctional franchise in the N.F.L. (and that’s with the Raiders as competition).
It’d be interesting to find out if Palmer would have still drawn a line in the sand if he’d known that Chad Ochocinco would be shipped to New England. Ochocinco was the symbol of the chaos in Cincinnati – not because of his touchdown celebrations or off-field shenanigans, but because of his constant whining. That he went so many years without a teammate bloodying his nose speaks to the distinct lack of leadership within this organization.
That leadership onus fell on Palmer, though obviously, he didn’t feel as if he had a fighter’s chance to answer it. Marvin Lewis can probably relate. Multiple reports said he was also ready to walk away after his contract expired at the end of the 2010 season. Only because Brown reportedly agreed to improve some of the facilities and make alterations to the way personnel decisions are handled did Lewis sign a two-year, $13 million extension.
It’s more than a little odd that a coach with an 0-2 playoff record over eight years would be the one negotiating from the high ground, but few blame Lewis for this team’s woes. Whether there indeed were changes to the handling of personnel decisions is unknown to all but perhaps Lewis and Brown. What is known is the Bengals had no qualms about replacing the two long-term faces of their franchise. They used their first-round pick (No. 4 over all) on a new wide receiver (Georgia’s A.J. Green) and their second-rounder on a new quarterback (T.C.U.’s Andy Dalton).
Both rookies will start in Week 1. As rebounds go, it doesn’t get much quicker than this. Still, the rebound’s success is TBD, and the effort wasn’t without a cost. Because top draft picks were spent on replacing Palmer and Ochocinco, Cincy was not able to address its feeble pass-rush or mediocre offensive line.
But neither of those weaknesses is a deal-breaker in 2011 (though as we’ll cover eventually, the pass-rush might be close). And it’s not as if the Bengals have absolutely no shot at competing. Downtrodden as this franchise may be, it was just two years ago that it won the A.F.C. North.
Offense
Of course, two years ago, the Bengals had a strong-armed veteran quarterback operating in a bruising run-first system. Now, they have (according to most draft experts) a meager-armed rookie quarterback working in first-time offensive coordinator Jay Gruden’s unfamiliar West Coast system. That meager-armed rookie ran a fairly simplistic spread in college and, because of the lockout, has not had much time to practice from his new pro playbook.
The fact that Andy Dalton was “a winner” in college has little to nothing to do with his outlook as a pro. Quarterbacks who become “winners” in the big leagues don’t do so solely by having “moxie” or “heart” or “wanting it more” – they do so by being smart enough to exploit a defense’s weaknesses and skilled enough to maximize the resources around them. For Dalton, this means developing laser accuracy (since he doesn’t have a cannon) and working through his progressions with better quickness and decisiveness than he did at T.C.U. He must learn to be an anticipation passer. Otherwise, the Bengals might as well take their chances with Bruce Gradkowski (a k a The Poor Man’s Jeff Garcia).
Most of Dalton’s progressions will begin with A.J. Green, whom some feel is the most explosive and complete receiver to enter the league since Calvin Johnson. Green could be looking at regular double coverage right out of the gate given the Bengals’ modest receiving corps. Presumed No. 2 wideout Jerome Simpson was on the brink of unemployment before his two-game eruption to end last season. In three years, the former second-round pick has played just 13 games and caught 21 passes (18 of them came coming in that eruption).
Second-year slot receiver Jordan Shipley shows the courage to go over the middle and is effective sitting down in the holes of zones. In Gruden’s West Coast system, he’ll be asked to snag more balls on the move; he has the swiftness to pull it off, though he’s not technically proven in this realm. Before disappearing in 2010, Andre Caldwell was effective working between the numbers from the slot. He should easily beat out sixth-round rookie Ryan Whalen for the No. 4 job and may even challenge Simpson and Shipley for reps.
Gruden has the personnel to diversify his formations (to a certain extent), as second-year tight end Jermaine Gresham is soft-handed and athletic enough to split out as a receiver. There’s a certain measured approach to Gresham’s game that should continue to get ironed out as he becomes more comfortable reading N.F.L. coverages. In the meantime, he also needs to develop more of a mean streak as a blocker. New backup Bo Scaife is a better option in this sense, though like fellow backup Chase Coffman (a non-contributor through two seasons) Scaife’s best asset is his receiving.
The bright side of Dalton’s inexperience is it will spawn more carries for Cedric Benson. This offense is built to be run-first anyway. Benson has the sturdiness and downhill style to get stronger throughout the game. He also has vastly underrated initial quickness and the ability to change tempo based on the action around him. On passing downs he’ll be replaced by Brian Leonhard, a solid blocker and screen pass receiver, though if the Bengals were wise, they’d give more touches to the speedy, space-creating Bernard Scott.
Benson’s not actually the main reason this offense is better suited for the ground than air – the front five is. It’s an unathletic but good-sized group that drives in run-blocking but plods in pass protection. This is partly why Cincinnati ran so many six-man fronts last season. In these scenarios, Andrew Whitworth, who overachieved as a stellar left tackle, moved to the right tight end position. If he’s asked to do this again, the Bengals pray that he’ll find himself next to massive former first-rounder Andre Smith and not slapdash try-hard guy Dennis Roland. Smith has once-in-a-generation-type natural ability (light feet, incredible get-off), but poor habits, bad endurance and recurring foot injuries that have left him on the brink of being a bust.
There’s been some talk of moving Smith to guard, which wouldn’t be all bad. The Bengals’ interior line consists of three adequate individuals who, collectively, are inadequate. Right guard Bobbie Williams is an emotional hard worker but slowing down. Left guard Nate Livings tends to thrive only when he can be the aggressor; in reaction situations, his only-average athleticism shows. The Bengals passively addressed their iffy guard situation by signing oversized free agent Max Jean-Gilles and drafting Clint Boling in the fourth round; neither figures to push for serious playing time in 2011. At center, Kyle Cook is more like Nate Livings than even Nate Livings. This is to say he’s decent as the aggressor but too limited to thrive as a reactor.
Defense
There’s a lot riding on ex-49er Nate Clements. He’s replacing Johnathan Joseph, a star cornerback whom the Bengals did not want to lose. After Joseph signed for a guaranteed $23.5 million in Houston, Cincinnati signed Clements for $6 million and presumably told him that defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s scheme hinges on his ability to handle receivers man-to-man. Zimmer has never been shy about playing man-free coverage (man-to-man with just one free-ranging safety over the top) or even Cover 0 (as you might guess, man-to-man with zero safeties over the top) in order to create more aggressive attacks up front.
No. 1 corner Leon Hall has the well-honed technique to meet these high demands. He’s not a burner but still has minimal trouble against top-notch receivers. As for Clements, he was cut by San Francisco, but given his contract, that was a business decision as much as a football decision. At 31, he still has the athleticism to shadow receivers outside or in the slot. If not for some displays of inconsistent ball skills in recent years, no one would have uttered a negative peep about him.
The Bengals are counting on Pacman Jones to be a playmaker in nickel. He’s missed all of training camp dealing with the neck injury that truncated his ’10 season. He went under the knife in early July but is expected to be ready for the opener. If he’s not, Morgan Trent showed very good cover skills in the slot before his season-ending knee injury last November. Another option could be Jonathan Wade, a bust in St. Louis and Detroit but an impressive-looking outside corner in limited action here last year.
Life will be much easier if free safety Reggie Nelson exhibits the kind of range that inspired the Jaguars to draft him 21st overall in 2007. But that’s a big if. Zimmer is counting on it, as he’d presumably like strong safety Chris Crocker to be an added run defender in the box. Crocker has superb closing quickness. He’s also an inconsistent but nevertheless capable cover artist, both in centerfield and against the slot. This is noteworthy because it gives Zimmer disguise options that he didn’t have when pass defending dud Roy Williams was in this spot. Of course, Zimmer may simply prefer big hitters regardless of coverage ability. Why else would the Bengals trade for talented but unrefined safety Taylor Mays late in August?
Crocker is considered the elder statesman of this defense, but those with close ties to the organization whisper that the ninth-year veteran is one of an unsettling large number of players who were viewed as lazy last season. Another one of those players is Rey Maualuga, who is moving from outside linebacker to middle linebacker in 2011. This move is a result of attrition, as the Bengals afforded themselves no options when they chose not to re-sign Dhani Jones. Maualuga is a fervid hitter, but he doesn’t have the key-and-diagnose ability to spearhead the front seven’s run-defending efforts.
His limitations could prove costly given that neither of the new outside linebackers, Manny Lawson or Thomas Howard, has the physicality to stick his nose in pile against the run. Both are space-oriented players operating in a scheme that’s built around attacking blockers. Perhaps Howard will be demoted to more fitting nickel linebacker duties once Keith Rivers recovers from his wrist injury. But that won’t spark this group; Rivers, a 2008 first-round pick, has turned out to be nothing special. The Bengals basically admitted this by drafting Dontay Moch in the third-round. Moch plays with a burst but is said to have stiff hips and will need time to get acclimated to this system.
The Bengals once had an outside linebacker like Moch in Michael Johnson. He showed unusual athleticism playing downhill. But recently the Bengals decided these traits translated better to Johnson’s original defensive end position. He is now a starter there, though a raw one who often plays too tall and without deliberate technique. Don’t be surprised if run-defending specialist Jonathan Fanene or perpetually “developing” Frostee Rucker rotate with Johnson on the right side.
Robert Geathers remains the starting left end, which is problematic because he’s built like a pass-rushing specialist but has just 10.5 sacks over the last four years. Second-year ex-Gator Carlos Dunlap is clearly Cincy’s most talented defensive end. Whether that talent can be corralled on a down-by-down basis remains to be seen. But even if it can’t, Dunlap is still valuable as a splash playmaker. He led the team with 9.5 sacks in limited action last season.
Inside, Domata Peko has the power and lateral strength to draw double teams and plug the run. He’ll play the nose, with Pat Sims and Geno Atkins sharing time at the under tackle spot. Sims has good size and gets off blocks with quickness; Atkins, a fourth-round pick a year ago, must learn to avoid getting caught in the wash.
Special Teams
Mike Nugent has been a fringe kicker for most of his six-year career. Hard to believe considering the Jets drafted him in the second round. Statistically speaking, Kevin Huber is a middle of the road punter. Quan Crosby lacks explosiveness as a punt returner and could be challenged by a number of players (the depth chart says Jordan Shipley, but you have to think Pacman Jones will get a look). Bernard Scott is a fairly consistent kick returner.
Bottom Line
It’s unlikely that a mildly skilled rookie quarterback can fix the mess that a veteran like Palmer deemed unfixable. Equally as troubling as the locker room are the issues with the defensive front seven.
Predicted Finish: 4th A.F.C. North
Andy Benoit is the founder of NFLTouchdown.com and covers the N.F.L. for CBSsports.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLtouchdown.com.
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